- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Bank of America computer glitches could cost investors and distressed sellers millions Online Equator platform upgrades could be disaster for Bank of America short sales   SAN RAMON, CA – May 4, 2012– Bank of America, one of the world’s largest financial institutions, could be headed for a meltdown after recent upgrades to Equator, their online proprietary workflow system. Short Sales have been stalled across the country, according to one Bank of America insider, and technical issues are already costing the lender valuable time and money. Equator  is supposed to … [Read more...]

Shortage of Homes For Sale - It's a Seller's Market A 7-month supply of inventory (homes available for sale) is considered normal in the State of California. The stats are in for this past March, and the inventory for single family detached homes is at a low 4.1 months - making it a seller's market. Inventory in some Bay Area communities is even lower. Interest rates were up slightly March. Thirty-year fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 3.95 percent during March 2012, down from 4.84 percent in March 2011. Rates are still great and we are not anticipating any dramatic increases in the near future. The median … [Read more...]

I am not a fan of Bank of America. They screw struggling  homeowners and milk every penny out of their customers with ridiculous fees.  I am embarrassed to admit that both my personal and business account are with Bank of America. My experiences with them have been so bad, personally and professionally, that  I feel that ever major bank is the same way. That is why I love this story. Bank of America has sued itself at least  nine times this month! Bank of America is seeking to foreclose on a condominium and names the condo owner and Bank of America as defendants in the suit. The company is literally seeking … [Read more...]

 Welcome Home to Dorset!. This incredible San Ramon home features a HUGE quarter acre yard with a pool - in a very desirable neighborhood. Lots this size are hard to find in San. Ramon. Got an RV? Plenty of room to park it, a boat, or other toys. (Check local ordinances, of course!) … [Read more...]

Are you considering buying a home and asking the seller to help you with your down payment? Act fast, because as of April 1st, the guidelines are getting a lot tougher. On top of that, the FHA will be raising it's mortgage insurance premiums, making it tougher for folks to qualify. Why in the world would the FHA been doing this just when we are seeing a turnaround in housing? FHA insurance fund reserves have dwindled down to far below congressionally mandate levels - and their delinquencies have been increasing. The FHA is now under the gun from Congress and the Obama administration to get their act together and find a … [Read more...]

Modular, pre-fabricated homes have come a long way, and now you can buy one, fully furnished, for under $100,000 at your local IKEA store. Granted these homes do not include land, but still, these modern-day versions are not what you may think. When I was a kid, I thought a modular or pre-fab home was a double wide. My father owned a trailer park (I grew up in West Virginia, so that made me hillbilly royalty...) and all I remembered were these giant tin cans rolling in on the back of a semi - only to be hauled back out a again on a flatbed truck after the first tornado hit. Of course when I first heard of the IKEA … [Read more...]

I received a call from a Danville seller yesterday asking me to meet him to discuss selling his home. He had found me through marketing that I had done for another Danville home, and he picked up the phone because what I was doing stood out from the other marketing he was seeing. I met with him, toured his home, and we connected immediately. His home had been on the market three times, over priced and under marketed. Key features were never even mentioned, and it seemed like the agents threw it up on the MLS and hoped it would sell. The seller said he would like me to come back to meet his wife - but first we needed … [Read more...]

President Obama announced his plans to cut the federal budget for 2013, and part of that cut is in the form of Mortgage Interest Deductions (MID) for homeowners. Homeowners already pay 80-90% of all federal income tax - and further cuts to the fragile real estate market - which makes up a huge portion of our economy - spells nothing but disaster. Tax advantages of home ownership is one of the top reasons that folks are buying homes. Take away MID, and there is little incentive left for home ownership. It will slow sales and make it harder to build personal wealth, further taxing the economy in future … [Read more...]