Fremont CA Real Estate

How to Raise Healthy People & Chickens In Fremont, Newark and Union City

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:08:02 -0600

At the risk of sounding old, I must say that I enjoy living close to Palo Alto Medical Foundation Fremont Center. Many great doctors share their practice between there as well as practicing across the Dumbarton at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto. You certainly do not have to be old to appreciate a good medical facility. Take Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford for example. The moment a child walks in, they feel a bit better already. The architecture and artwork seem to have a small medicinal effect on children just by themselves. Regular check ups for young and old are essential to stying healthy in Fremont.

My reason for visiting PAMF arose from the fact that I somehow tore a portion in my knee. The short of it is that I will undergo surgery today.

Over the last few weeks, I had to get diagnosed, review the prognosis, get a physical, converse once or twice with the anesthesiologist and then get the surgery itself. Oh, and give a bit of blood so they can check it out.

So where does health and safety advice for chickens in Fremont come in? It was after the blood part that I felt like posting about a magazine that I had never heard of or even imagined it being in circulation. While waiting in the busy lab room, I spied something a bit out of place, a copy of Home Grown Poultry askew on the table. The magazine depicted a very healthy looking chicken on the front cover. Intrigued, I picked it up and discovered a whole world that was solely devoted to the taking care of poultry at home.

Just skimming over the ads themselves inside the magazine was time well spent. There were ads for "hen savers," a nifty, hawk-proof vest for chickens designed to decrease the amount of hens lost due to hawk attack. Concerned poultry owners could even chose between vest colors ranging from black, white and camouflage to protect their domestic foul. Owls too are a problem according to the ads. A snappy full-page ad caught my eye that displayed a red laser beam catching a fierce looking owl in mid swoop thus preventing it from attacking a brood of unsuspecting chicks. Apparently, predators believe that this red laser beam spots them and that's the last thing a predator wants. But what if you just needed to move your Rhode Island Reds from one location to the next protected but without the use of the "hen saver?" Then, a chicken tractor, sort of a cart with gages built on it, is just what you would need. It was featured on page 7 of the magazine.

During my few minutes of perusing through last month's issue, the somewhat well-written Home Grown Poultry seemed to explore the entire gamut of the poultry raising endeavor. It encompassed the trade's success stories, challenges as well as some of the downfalls of raising hens, roosters/capon and even turkeys (in its section devoted to the commingling of turkeys the article discussed pros and cons of the psychological and physical outcomes of raising turkeys together with lesser foul.) City-Chicks, keeping micro flocks as laying hens and garden helpers was the featured book of the month and Answer Man Ron Kean, poultry specialist from the University of Wisconsin/Madison gave answers to many questions surrounding coughing chickens or croup in the coup. Although well thought out, the magazine could be in trouble. The website declares that the domain is up for sale. http://www.homegrownpoultry.com/. Although I may never visit much in the future, I would hate to see it go.

What does this have to do with real estate in Fremont? Well, did you know that there were plenty of chicken farms in Fremont back in the day. In fact, kitty corner from my office http://www.tricityhome.com/fremont-office-visit.html there used to be a substantial chicken ranch. Now, it is Western Dental with the broken clock on the side.

As far as the photo above goes--my uncle Jochen has a potato farm in Germany near Denmark. That's where I took this photo of the chickens above. You can also see the same photo on my recruiting page for would be agents here http://www.tricityhome.com/agent.html.

Real Estate Confidence Report--Parkmont Homes

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:49:04 -0600

I was one out of many I'm sure that took place in a survey that measured real estate confidence. Keep in mind my opinion is based on my knowledge of what is happening in our own neighborhoods here in Fremont, Newark and Union City and sometimes neighboring counties at best. We tend to focus on the Fremont, Newark and Union City home values here. http://www.tricityhome.com and more specifically about Parkmont home sales here. http://tricityhome.com/Parkmont_homes_sold.html

Since the term market conditions can be subjective, I am setting the stage here by simply outlining that I felt market conditions were to be defined as: The current frequency of new and existing home sales as they are relative to their selling prices to last year.

I checked a 7 out of 10 for market conditions today as opposed to last year. Market conditions for Fremont being on the rise since that time due to the decreasing supply of homes left on the market and the fact that multiple offers were steady and in some cases on the rise. This latter point brings up the "demand" portion of the equation. Supply and demand will show us immediate conditions, but to predict the future condition is much more complicated.

In short, I felt somewhat optimistic about our real estate confidence. Naturally, there is another school of thought floating out there that we are headed for another crunch in bank owned properties and short sales. That may be, but at least Realtors and banks are getting better at handling the inventory surplus and getting them off the books at a more effective rate. So, if we do swing down again, I feel that it may not be as nearly significant as it was when it first hit. No one was ready at that time. Now we are.

Here is a copy of the report I got for free as a participant--let me know what you think.

Real Estate Confidence Report http://agent.point2.com/RECI/RECI_February2010_Report.pdf

House Of A Different Color--In The Avenues Of Menlo Park

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:50:13 -0600

"It's white!" I said as I scrubbed the side of the house with warm soap and water. Truth be told, I knew it was white. This house for sale in the Avenues in Menlo Park just needs a new owner that's all. It has vinyl siding which made the scrubbing possible as opposed to to it needing new paint. With vinyl siding you can scrub away and get the same look each time.

We listed the home for sale in the Avenues in Menlo Park about 3 weeks ago. At the time of writing this post--I feature it here at http://www.tricityhome.com. There was a comparable just one block over in November of 09 that sold for 530k. Granted it was a 10 and had one small room added to it, but still our home for sale in the Avenues in Menlo Park is listed at 429k, 100k less. Just think of the possibilities I thought. This home for sale in the Avenues in Menlo Park is an incredible alternative to owning a condo or townhouse in the Stanford vicinity. The home for sale in the Avenues in Menlo Park is a two bed one bath single family home on a half lot of about 2600 sq ft.

hardwood floors
fireplace
backyard
front yard
1 car garage
over sized water heater
new garage door
bright kitchen
composition roof

We are getting 3 showings a week, but still no offers. I get calls from other agents saying it is priced right and that the area is great. So, that can only mean one thing--it's the condition of the house that is preventing us from selling it.

I visited our 747 16th Avenue home for sale in the Avenues in Menlo Park and got out the ladder, a bucket, scrubber and the hose and got to work. two and a half hours later, I was done. "It's white!" I said jokingly to the owner. We laughed and likened the house to a tree that grows moss only on the north side. Joking aside, it was not that bad, but it did need a good cleaning.

I will be frank, there is no budget to install new vinyl in the kitchen floor or install new windows (all 5 of them). The home for sale in the Avenues in Menlo Park is as cute as a button and about the same size too. If you or someone you know is looking for an incredible alternative to owning a condo or town home in the Stanford vicinity, please let me know ASAP. Here's the listing-- http://MAXEBRDI.fnismls.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=525ce68f-0361-4e38-a042-85e30b915d65&Report=Yes

New Homes In Fremont--New Materials

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 11:03:48 -0600

I sold a brand new home in Fremont today. (not shown here) I am not the broker there at the new home in Fremont building site. Rather, I am the broker for TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. here http://www.tricityhome.com.

But, an earnest home buyer found my site and--long story short--bought a brand new home in Fremont at the new Cedarbrook subdivision. I also discovered that they read my prior blog post on New homes in Niles here. http://tricityhome.blogspot.com/2009/12/niles-area-of-fremont.html.

On our tour of the homes, we were impressed with many things that led up to the new home in Fremont purchase. One thing we were educated about was the use of Hardie planks by James Hardie (facebook page). The name Hardie seems perfectly fitting. These are "hard" somewhat flexible, cement boards that make up the sidings for the new homes in Fremont at Cedarbrook. What was thought as or often referred to us as "scales" going down the of a front portion of the new homes in Fremont were actually Hardie planks shingles. They are designed to overlap just like wood siding. They have a good look to them and we really liked the "shingle" look that give the Craftsman elevation a traditional historic Fremont or Niles look. Hardie makes many different types of these exterior materials as well. What was thought to be regular wood siding that runs horizontally across the side of the house was again Hardie planks. What's more is that the Hardie materials were already colored to go with the well planned color schemes that new homes in Fremont have to undergo with the city of Fremont. The end result is one of the cleanest looks in a new home in Fremont can produce, not to mention the most durable.

My buyers really enjoyed the tours, the people at Regis as well as the materials used. However, I doubt that they will drive up to their new Fremont home and give a sigh of relief knowing their home was built with Hardie planks. A "home" is much more than its materials, but I know that the use of Hardie materials will play a big part in providing them with both pride of ownership and peace of mind. It's not even built yet, but my home buyers already love their brand new home in Fremont. Congratulations!

Parkmont Homes & Listed For How Much?

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:21:32 -0600

At the time of writing this page (2-10-10) Parkmont Villas Townhomes on Bright Common and Lavendar Common have been hovering around 435k for a Via Bravo--the two bedroom 2.5 bath and 475k for the Villa Bella--the 3 bed 2.5 bath townhouses.

Sometimes we get a scare when a neighbor lists their Parkmont home for sale at say $410k for the Via Bella--3 bed 2.5 bath at 1700 sq ft.

I am often asked why this is, or I am asked if it will hurt the value of the surrounding Parkmont homes. Truth is that it is unfortunate that the listing agent goes so low on the very first day. After all, the agent's job is to get the most they can for the seller of the property, right? Even if the seller is the bank--we have a fiduciary duty to perform. So, why so low? Sometimes out-of-area agents fail to know the Parkmont homes area or the comparables as well as the local brokers do and mistakenly listing the house for a low price. The redeeming news is that the market will bear what it can bear and hopefully market value is attained after a few weeks. Unfortunately, ooa's (out of area agents) sometimes may not be the best choice for the sellers. In fact, even some local agents should stay away from listing a house.

Redeemingly, a few thousand here and there does not seem to hurt the comparables too much, but try to explain how you just gave away someone else's money to the one losing it, bank or not, it does not go well.

On the flip side, case in point is that I just listed 38332 Redwood Terrace in Fremont at 519k (pie in the sky price). We got an offer for 470k after 45 days. Long story short, we got 485k EVEN AFTER IT APPRAISED FOR 466k and it's last comparable was around 465k. We received 485k. It could not get any better than that.

Point being--do not panic if your neighbor lists for a ridiculously low price. Contact me using the form below for a real market value based on true comparables and true sold history along with experience in Parkmont sales prices.

The goal here is to create a report for you to determine the market value of your Parkmont Home by looking at the real-time brokerage data.

We will create the report by hand, but you need to type in the correct information so the job can be done correctly. We will then deliver the Parkmont report to you by email.

If it is time to sell, let me know. I will get top dollar for your home as fast as I can.

Just go here: http://www.tricityhome.com/Parkmont_homes_sold.html

Fremont Real Estate Agent Gets Stalked By Fremont Home Buyers

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:38:19 -0600

Real estate agents who help Fremont home buyers look at homes spend a lot of time out in the field. Today, I was one of the agents doing just that--spending a lot of time out in the field showing Fremont homes. My home buyers and I looked at 11 homes today. It may not be considered a lot of homes by some, but we did it smoothly and effectively within 2 hours without being rushed. That was nice. The odd part of it all was that during the whole time, I felt like I was being stalked. Not by my clients but by other Fremont home buyers.

More times than a few, we pulled up to the next house on our tour only to find that there was someone already waiting there in a car or van. They seemed motionless at first. Quietly, these car sitters waited for me to pull up, and then watched me get out my supra key box and approach the home. I guess once I showed signs that I was a real estate agent they pounced.

"Are you the agent?" or "Open House Today?" They exclaimed. I had to say, "no." I was not the listing agent nor was I their agent. As I opened the door for my Fremont home buyers, they, the stalkers, assumed they were going to see the home and take their time with it. In they went wiping their feet with a sort of look that I don't necessarily have the words for.

This happened four times today until finally one of my Fremont home buyers, the husband chimes in and says, "Uh, this isn't and open house. You need to get an agent." Kudos, naturally, good agents are worth their weight in gold I thought to myself. Then, Mrs. Fremont home buyer takes a gentler approach saying, "You should call Jeff. He's really good. You need to get together with him. Oh, he does loans too. You need to be approved or the seller will not really look at your offer." Wow, double kudos. My Fremont home buyer lessons sunk in.

When the day rolled to an end, I thought, will these stalkers call me? I doubt it, but truth be told, they should really get with an agent. Think of it this way:

The stalkers waited around hoping to get inside a house for sale.
My clients were being escorted by a professional to see 11 homes in 2 hours. Keys in hand at the door.
The stalkers had to rely on a flyer if there was even one there or try to find the info in the Internet.
My clients knew all the info already; heard the stats straight from me as I was able to compare the info to other homes I had professionally closed escrow with.
The stalkers, if they found a house they liked, would have to call the listing agent to make an offer. This can be risky and perhaps tempt the listing agent to just close the deal without thoroughly negotiating for the Fremont home buyer/stalker. Sometimes it happens.

I was very polite as were my Fremont home buyers during these strange ambushes, but I could not help to feel a bit taken advantage of. I was not put out, and I do not want my readers to think I'm ranting. Truth be told, I felt it was a funny occurrence running into these folks with their presumptuous dispositions. I thought I would let you know.

If you are stalking, please consider the FREE benefits of having a buyers agent as mentioned above as opposed to your current method of house hunting.

If you have an agent, good for you. The agent really cares about your transaction. Any business owner or agent wants to get referrals after doing a great job http://www.tricityhome.com/ondemand.html and they can only get them from caring about you and your transaction.

If you do not believe me, ask my current Mr. & Mrs. Fremont homer buyer. They really stuck up for having an agent. I later told her that it was very nice of here to say that to strangers about me and to keep up the good work.

Handheld Device + Redfin = New Killer Tool

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:38:17 -0600

I got frustrated with somethings in the real estate business recently. One thing in particular was the fact that buyers were asking me to show them properties I knew nothing about. I got calls that went something like..."Oh Jeff, here's one I want to see." or "Jeff, can we see these. I'll send you a list." These were listings I had never seen, they were growing in number, and they were coming from other MLSs like Santa Clara, San Mateo, etc. Santa Clara County MLS currently does not cooperate with Alameda County, so if this is new to you, it might be a little complicated.

For example, let's say a Santa Clara broker gets a Fremont listing but does not have the Alameda County MLS subscription. It happens a lot. It will only show in their MLS not mine or maybe not yours. Well, frustrated, I not only found a way to get the info, what's more, I found a way to be alerted on my handheld device the second any listing anywhere comes on the market--thanks mostly to redfin. I like redfin; I am not so sure I like the picture of Maiwand and his attache on their Fremont (east bay team) home page, seems a bit smug, but they work with a great product. No one can deny that, so perhaps the photo is fitting.

Perhaps other mega home search sites have this function too, but redfin has a very intriging method of alerting homebuyers of new listings as they happen, and that is RSS saved-home-search-feeds. RSS (Real Simple Syndication), some call it, is quite cool. In short, just about any data can be compiled, organized a certain way then sent over the internet in nice neat readable packets to users by way of what is referred to as a "feed." The sender of the data (server side) pushes the information to the user on a regular basis (client side). I guess after getting over 12 million in funding from Microsoft's cofounder/investor redfin has a bit of R&D behind them.

Here's the killer application I made or rather "mashed." Tired of getting out searched by buyers, I am now on the forefront of home search mega mania. I'll show you what I did. Here's what you need:

A free redfin.com account--easy to set up.
A handheld device, blackberry is what I have.
A Viigo account (recommended instead of Google Mobile Reader) Viigo is an RSS app for the mobile device, very cool. http://www.viigo.com.
Recommended, but optional, you can get a Yahoo Google Reader account or Google Reader I am not referring to a mobile m.google/reader. You only need it on your regular online accounts for the laptop or desktop. These online apps make configuring the Viigo handheld account much faster and easier. You simply add the feed to--my yahoo, add to google, netvibes or rss in the second image below snipped from redfin. Don't worry. I will get to that.

Go to redfin.com and set up your My Redfin account. After you search in redfin and want to save the search, redfin takes you to a naming window where you ok it. Go to the bottom left of the screen and select RSS. See the image here.

Name it. Save it. Then, it takes you here. Oooo. This is what I meant when I wrote, "my yahoo, add to google, netvibes or rss" earlier.

If you have a Google Reader or other RSS app on your regular online account with Yahoo or netvibes, you can easily attach the RSS feed you just created in redfin to it. The idea is to sync it to the handheld. If you click "add to Google," shown above, it takes you here.

and here

If you already have Google Reader on the handheld, it should work, but I heard it was a bit clunky. Viigo seems to do better. For mobility's sake, you should click "add to Google Reader." Google reader now has a live feed for homes that come on the market that match your criteria you set up in your My Redfin. Remember that when you are in the redfin property search/save step you can specify listings that just came on "yesterday'"or you can give it a time frame that you are comfortable with then do the saving steps above. I saved about 10 searches in my redfin account this way.

Fremont 300-400
Fremont 400-500
Fremont 500-600
Fremont 700-800
Fremont 800-900
Union City, etc.

After doing the steps above, I ended up with 10 or so feeds added to my Google Reader account online automatically after clicking the "add to Google Reader" button in My Redfin. Go into your Google Reader online account using your laptop/desktop. Make sure everything is there and it displays the way you wan it to. I selected the option to export an OPML from Google Reader. It gives you an .xml file. Just save this Google Reader export file to a place you will know where to find it later because you will import it into Viigo. Here are the images for that. In Google Reader go to Settings>Reader settings

In the Settings page go to Import/Export here.

Next, choose "export your subscriptions as an OPML file" below.

Just remember where you put your OPML (.xml) file. You'll need it.

So, next is Viigo. Go here. http://www.viigo.com. Download Viigo by any means you see fit and get it on your handheld device. You can use, mobile link, pc, text, etc. They give you all the options. Once you verify the install, you can go to your online laptop/desktop Viigo account. On the handheld, you may have to close Viigo and open it again to have it refresh correctly.

In the online account for Viigo laptop/desktop you can import that OPML you exported from Google Reader (.xml) now by using the fouth option when on your new Viigo online account page. This menu box is on your laptop/desktop online Viigo account under My Viigo after you sign in.

Or, you can even add whatever you have on Google Reader by using the Add Aggregator functions. Just remember your user name and password for the Reader not Viigo at that point.

Review

Once you have:

saved searches in refin using the RSS option,
added them to Google Reader (or your preference)
exported them as an .xml,
installed Viigo onto the mobile device,
imported the .xml into Viigo,
Close and open Viigo again (it takes time updating, so be patient),

you will have a killer mobile app that gets pushed feeds from all MLSs redfin has (which is all of them) for the search criteria you set up the day they hit the market.

If a property is not in your MLS area and you can see it in the Reader on Viigo, you will need a way to get the agent file for showing info, phone numbers, etc. Look on the web for the address. Eventually you can get ahold of the agent. They will be happy to give you the agent printout if you have an interested buyer.

It is important to note that since the feed is embedded with a few redfin strings, you may not want to set this up going directly your buyer unless you have a solid relationship. redfin offers commission rebates in the feed. Money tempts people to do things they normally would not do, so do not tempt them. I "earn" my commission thank you. Besides, the real professionalism of an agent shows mostly during the escrow and not just in locating the home.

Anyway, now I am turning my buyer's heads to look at new listings that match their criteria instead of them turning my head thanks to redfin, Viigo and Google Reader.

Viigo also has weather, sports, finance, etc. for your feed enjoyment.

If you have a Q or 2, let me know, I certainly do not mind showing you how to get it up and running.

Sorry We Could Not Help You--A Closer Look

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:12:54 -0600

If you remember reading about Agnus from a recent post here, you might agree with us when we tell you that we collectively decided it was time to let her go from our 'current client list.' It is a rare thing to let a client go or even worse, fire a client, but there comes a time when you need to stay on target with the business and stop representing a client. In order to successfully represent a client, they should be ready, willing and able.

"Ready" is usually environmental or possibly a work related aspect of making the move. "Willing" is the drive behind it; the motivation and reason. "Able" is the feasibility; usually the money and/or other resources. These are my subjective definitions, but they seem true enough to get the point across.

Agnus showed all three, but later it was discovered that she had only two of the three. Due to her frustration with rental living in an area that did not suit her she was "ready" to move. She went out and looked at homes on a regular basis with me and one of my agents. She was "willing." We will get to that later. She had the funding, "able." So what went wrong?

After having a few mishaps (our offers being out bid, and having properties go pending before we could show, comp and write), true colors tend to come out. We discovered that it was fear. We would find a "perfect" home for her. There would follow a reason for not buying it. This happened a few times before we caught on. We would find a home that was not a good match for her--a fixer upper for a struggling senior?--you guessed it, she wanted it. Possibly knowing that she would never get it or never intending to go the distance in the contract assured her that it was safe to make such a claim. Resources thinning, we collectively decided that we cannot be in the business of counseling against fear of moving or fear of purchasing. She seemed willing, but there was a latent fear that came out later on.

We are frustrated and sad to see it happen, but we had to let her go. As a brokerage office, we must refocus out attention on the current "ready, willing and able" clients. A hard choice, but I think we made the right decision. We will have the "cordial cup of coffee" with her in a day or two explaining our decision.

I hope this helps agents and clients examine their roles and the necessary resources needed to make it all work.

Wrap It Up--In Fremont

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:41:18 -0600

If you have been on facebook, and had seen this ad you should buy a pack or two here http://www.amazon.com/.

They are these clever little snaps that wrap around the end of an open bag, then you just snap the other on top. Now why didn't I think of that.

Is it real estate related? No, but they sure are cool if you like to keep things fresh and neat. You get 12 for $10.00. I have a bunch.

I love em.

Bocce Ball In Parkmont--What A Nice Touch

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:44:14 -0600

Some time ago, I was at City Beach for my coed bachelor and bachelorette party. Yes, my wife-to-be was there. It was a fun time, and I especially enjoyed the bocce courts they have there. Thanks to my brother and a resource or two, I learned that the floor of the bocce court is partially made up of crushed oyster shell. Fascinated by such a claim, I bent down for a closer look. Sure enough, there were little bits of oyster shell on the bocce court. It actually had a mother of pearl effect under the bocce court lights they use there. However, albeit beautiful to some, it can be a bit messy and quite evident to that fact immediately after players receive a pat for a good roll. A white, dusty hand print poofs its way onto almost any fabric. Well meaning gestures of, "way to go" and "good one" seem to manifest themselves on both shoulders and backsides throughout the course of almost any game.

Notice there at the bottom right hand corner of the image above. There are three proposed bocce ball courts in Parkmont waiting to be built. I am wondering what the City of Fremont will put on the floor of their bocce ball in Parkmont ground cover. Can't wait. Will I be disappointed if they use just gravel? A bit, but I can still play bocce ball in Parkmont much easier than having to drive to City Beach and pay.

My children and I go to the mustard field which humbly occupies the Centerville space now. We currently climb the pine tree and throw rocks there. Actually, I throw the rocks. Keeps the ol' arm loose.

The future Centerville Community Park where they will have the bocce ball in Parkmont is off of Eggers, & Camden right next to Washington High School . You can go to the Fremont link here. Centerville Community Park.

Bocce ball in Parkmont, what a nice touch to an already great place to live. I'd be a nice transition after a day at the real estate office, http://www.tricityhome.com

Search For Homes On The iPhone

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:46:48 -0600

If you go to my site, http://www.tricityhome.com, you will see an iPhone app down near the bottom of the page that you can download. The application allows users to search for homes on the iPhone in Fremont and many other cities, but even better, a user can create a search criteria, save it and when a home comes up for sale that matches the criteria, it alerts the iPhone user to view their homes on the iPhone. Pictures, data and map are all there.

Great, Now that it was in, I was ready to go give it a try on my phone. One small problem. I have a Blackberry. My developer passed me up and went straight to search for homes on the iPhone. He said that there are much more apps written for the iPhone. But, they are working on the application for the Blackberry as I write, supposedly. So, I cannot even try my own app?

If you have an iPhone, can you please download my app and search for homes on the iPhone? Then let me know how it is. It would be nice to hear that someone out there can search for homes on the iPhone from my site, even though it is not me. Just remember the code when you get to iTunes CODE 3180.

Here is the link http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=336858030&mt=8&s=143441

Happy house hunting.

How Can Homebuyer in Fremont or Homeseller In Fremont Know If They Have A Good or Great Agent?

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:29:31 -0600

In a Q & A I took part in, a homebuyer needed to know if his agent was a "great" agent or just there, like a lemon. My answer was abit roundabout because it can be subjective, but only up to a point. There is merit to the question. Representing a seller for example, any licensee can list a home, but having real estate contract knowledge and thinking outside of the box when an offer comes though the fax or scan is one of several characteristics that mark a great agent. I tutor my agents in regards to the purchase agreement for a total almost 8 hours of lecture—line for line in a Quicktime presentation. Not that I have arrived by any means, but I want my new agents to know what I know about the contract. Knowing the buyer’s 3 day right of rescission for lead, natural hazard disclosures and transfer disclosures is important, but it is only a small part of the whole. Explaining reports, pointing out warnings like airplane flight paths are also very key when it comes to being a “great agent.” It takes motivation and skills, but the real skill needs to shine during the transaction. Another broker once told me, "at the end of the day, all you have is the contract.'

Take a look at the buyer. My point is that there is work involved in finding the home, but the real work begins for you, the buyer, after the home is located. Redfin comps are good, sometimes. But you need shoe leather too. That is where the great agent comes in. Similar or even the same subdivisions that you need for a good comparable to compare pricing so you can gauge your offer price can repeat themselves along one or more areas in the city after being separated by neighboring subdivisions. Only an experienced agent will know the floor plans are the same and whether or not they can be used as a comparable. In addition, presenting the offer takes great skill and professionalism too. The way we speak and handle ourselves over the phone or in person to the listing agent can go a long way in the buyer’s favor. I’m sure some agents here can attest to getting a contract signed by the seller because the listing agent really liked the buyer agent and the listing agent then gave a good testimony to the seller.

Moreover, the agents skill also comes into play by having a mediating personality to calm would be storms (stand offs) from happening over what may be a minor detail and not worth killing a home buying deal over. In short, all agents have the same tools, MLS, websites, etc. But, because everyone is different, we get different results.

Take a pen for example. I can take one and sign my name. Then someone else can take the same pen and sign my name. Same pen—very different results. That’s where skills come into play. We agents all have one or more tools, MLS, websites, etc. Hence, we all have the same starting point with a client whether buying or selling a home, the offer itself. But great agents get different results. Most of the “results” come after the home is found or the offer written.

Where's La Morinda?--Oh, Thanks Google Maps

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:15:06 -0600

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A colleage at my office is uprooting the family and has decided to move to La Morinda. When he told me, I sort of had that blank stare for a moment. Albeit brief, my stare was a dead giveaway that I had no idea where this "La Morinda" was. He politely explained that La Morinda is a colloquialism for a tricity area comprised of Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda. Hence, La-Mor-Inda.

I'm sure that the contributor of the Wiki entry for "lamorinda"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamorinda would be happy to glean any more useful tidbits for lamorinda. I, for one, still do not know how to spell it. Do I treat it as a derivative from the Latin as I did above in the feminine using "La" followed by "Morinda?" Or, do i just do what they did and let just roll with no spaces as in lamorinda? Let me know.

I do not pretend to know the real estate there either. I consider my self a specialist. I specialize in Fremont, Newark and Union City real estate here http://www.tricityhome.com. Although, I or another broker here could probably pull it off and represent him in lamorinda, (I have sold homes in Disco Bay, Milpitas, Menlo Park, but Fremont real estate agents need to keep the best interest of the client in mind. Let the local specialist help them. I did not even have to think twice about referring him to Pacita Dimacali at Gallagher and Lindsey in Alameda. One of her sites is here http://www.alamedahomefinders.com/. I refer all my outbound clients to her.

In spite of all that, I had did some reading about the endeared place up north. It sounds like a nice place to live. Spelling it correctly is just icing on the cake I suppose. He will be missed.

Look for his 5 bedroom 2.5 bath home in Union City coming up on the market soon in the upper 600k's.

Fair Oaks In Menlo Park--Too Cute

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:26:34 -0600

If you had the opportunity to follow my blog once in a while, you already know that I am a real estate broker who sells Fremont homes. http://www.tricityhome.com. Can I sell a home in the Fair Oaks in Menlo Park area? The answer is yes. You see, if someone is in need to relocate from Fair Oaks in Menlo Park, they might consider a Fremont home as an option first and contact a Realtor here in Fremont to aid in the research.

Many reasons govern those who need to sell their homes and move, regardless of where, but Fremont home prices are still good from a buyer's perspective, and Fair Oaks in Menlo Park may not have been hit as hard by the price drop; home prices may have fallen only 25% in Fair Oaks in Menlo Park as opposed to 30-35% in Fremont, so a relocation from Fair Oaks in Menlo Park to a Fremont home at this point could be a slight win fall. We currently have the pleasure of helping a home owner make such a move.

Sometimes, as I mentioned earlier, it starts when an owner who is contemplating a move, looks into purchasing a home in another area and asks a Realtor questions about it--(in this case, Fremont and yours truly, respectively) Anyway, after I had a nice talk with the home owner in Fair Oaks in Menlo Park, they decided it was the best thing for them to do. We discussed many options--rent, roomates, but it was just time.

When I drove to the home off of Fair Oaks in Menlo Park I was taken aback, hence the inspiration for the blog post and the attempt at expository writing to follow.

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I was truly awe struck by the old trees lining the streets with teeming fall colors and their limbs above reaching across the canopy as if presenting one another with Yule Tide greetings and protecting us below from the cold, light rain. On occasion, I would see wafts of chimney smoke reaching through the lower branches leaving those of us walking along these country roads with a choice to either simply catch the scent of oak or pine or place that smell of fall together with an image of fresh-baked hearth bread by the fire inside these country cottages during a cold winters rain. I had chosen the latter to embellish in the moment even if it were perhaps not true.

I know. "Don't quit the day job Jeff." Stick with real estate.

So, in short, I have the listing, and it should be on the market in one week or so. Truly, Fair Oaks in Menlo Park is too cute for words, at least my words anyway.

Teaching Right and Wrong--With Social Media

TriCity Real Estate Brokers, Inc. — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:02:52 -0600

If you do not know already, there is a great Social Media tool sort of like YouTube. It's called Slideshare. http://www.slideshare.net As an agent and a broker, teaching is part of the profession. Home buyers, home sellers, licensees and myself included all benefit from being educated about real estate and how it applies to us all. Slideshare allows you to create streaming audio/visual presentations using PowerPoint (other programs too), but PowerPoint being perhaps the most convenient. Once finished, like in my example below, viewers must click on the green play button rather than the prompt that moves, so I'm sure that could be a bit confusing. But all in all, Social media packs a punch. For example, without even trying, the slide share presentation below has been viewed almost one thousand times. Imagine if you really tried to promote your own.

Anatomy of a Shortsale

View more presentations from Jeff Pereyda.

I have not "arrived" by any stretch of the imagination, but I will say that I am happy to take advantage of Social Media and any technology that can help us get educated easily, conveniently and with some visual stimuli. All this helps us learn more effectively. So, what have I done? Not much. I created a few presentations on Slideshare, and I also have created some private ones for my new licensees. The latter ones have a private url (not so Social Media) for them to place into the browser and off they go into the Real Estate Purchase Contract lesson I created. There were some technical fall outs at first, but I think we got it now.

It is nice, but one of the hurdles I faced was is getting over how I sounded in a recorded presentation. Have you ever heard your own voice on an answering machine? I hate to say it, but I think I sound a bit bored in some of these. Granted the Real Estate Purchase Agreement is no Harry Potter and Prisoner or Azkaban, but still, I need to work on the Social Media recording smile and delivery. Sorry agents. I promise to liven it up a bit.

If you want to see Social Media and just a small sample of a Slideshare you can go here too. http://www.slideshare.net/c21jeffp/anatomy-of-a-shortsale-presentation I talk a little about short sales. This was my first one. The need to create this one arose from the response to the number of callers who were confused when it came to comparing short sales, REO's and foreclosures. Brace yourself. It is no masterpiece like many others you will find on Slideshare.net, but I was a beginner, and it just needed to do the job. After all, I am a real estate broker not Guy Ritchie.

The Internet sure has opened up an incredible portal for social media to take hold. I truly look forward to the new Social Media wave and where it will take us. Like other forms of media, Social Media content may not be true, but it's delivery has become truly one with sizzle.