This Week’s Broker’s Tour
Every Tuesday I go on the Lamorinda Brokers’ Tour to preview new listings in Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda. I’m diligent about seeing as many new listings as possible between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. It’s not unusual to see 12 – 15 houses on a Tuesday so tour can be exhausting but it’s also fun; [...]
Wine Country Estates Meeting
This morning I attended the joint Estates Division meeting of the Pacific Union Napa, Sonoma and St. Helena offices. The meeting was chaired by my fellow Estates Division Director, Maurice Tegelaar and attended by lots of old friends. Market trends and conditions were discussed as well as several exceptional properties.
The good news is that pending [...]
Upbeat Housing News
In the San Francisco Chronicle’s business report today, Carolyn Said has an encouraging article about the increase in both sales and home prices throughout the Bay Area in March.
Home sales rise, median prices jump
For specific stats go to March 2010 Statistics from the Contra Costa Association of Realtors.
If you or a friend wants to talk real [...]
Why DO Short Sales Take So Long To Close?
Short Sales take time, averaging from 90-150 days to close escrow, if they do close. Many fall apart at the end of an arduous process in spite of the best efforts of most of the parties involved. Given the number of homes under water in California, recently estimated at 1 in 7, it would seem [...]
Art Auctions and Real Estate
While reading an article about the up-coming Christie’s auction of some masterpieces from author Michael Crichton’s collection, I was struck by the similarities between selling fine artwork at auction and selling residential real estate. Pieces from the Crichton collection are currently on display in Christie’s New York showroom. I’m interested in the works of art, [...]

