Blog Posts By Date: November 2020
We are excited to announce that this beautiful home at 4760 Davenport Avenue has now SOLD! This Redwood Heights ranch style home offers a spacious and sophisticated dual-level design, two-car garage, off-street parking, and multi-tiered level landscaped water-efficient grounds. The fireplace complements a host of amenities which including energy-efficient double pane windows, spacious galley-style kitchen, gleaming hardwood engineered floors, spacious countertops, freshly painted interior, and an abundance of garden space to enjoy and create long-lasting memories!
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Walking down the leafy streets near Berkeley’s Oakville Avenue, and you’ll come across a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home whose value Zillow puts at $2.3 million. Its owners are paying $14,742 a year in property taxes. Go around the corner on the same block to The Plaza Drive, and you’ll see another two-bathroom, three-bedroom home with a similar Zillow value of $2.5 million. Its owners are paying about $5,464 in property taxes!
Welcome to the sometimes strange world of California homeownership, where the time when you purchased your home influences how much property tax you pay (2014 in the first case, 1995 in the latter). Now, thanks to a data visualizer Ian Webster, you can explore the vast tax gulfs among homes in Berkeley and beyond — and if you’re a relatively new buyer, you may get frustrated at how little many of your neighbors are paying. more...
This blog post will update with the most recent changes around this listing.
We are glad to announce that within 6-days on the market, this cozy two-bedroom condo at 47 Raintree Court is in-contract and pending sale! This commuter's dream location features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a spacious side yard with a small shed. This condo also features a one-car garage with direct access to an uncovered one-car reserved parking spot.
The entire condo was just fully painted and new carpets installed throughout. Take a look at these images below:
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This blog post will update with the most recent changes around this listing.
We are proud to announce that this elegant home in Cleveland Heights is officially pending sale after three days! This elegant home sits on a hill with a multi-level staircase leading from the street, overlooking the surrounding neighborhood! 882 Prospect Avenue and all of its outstanding curb appeal was listed once before with a few tenants. After finalizing a deal to relocate the tenant(s) safely, Darryl re-listed this home with beautiful decor by dressed to sell and received an excellent offer for his clients — take a look at these images below:
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Photo by Andres Siimon on Unsplash
Smoking in multi-unit housing and apartments may become prohibited in San Francisco soon. The City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors are considering an ordinance that would change the health code to “prohibit smoking inside all private dwelling units in multi-unit housing complexes containing three or more units.”
Introduced on November 3rd, this ordinance will face a vote before the full Board of Supervisors on December 1st. If the board votes for the change, San Francisco would be among 63 cities and counties in California to have smoke-free multi-unit housing. Crowning San Francisco as the largest city in the country to adopt a smoke-free policy. This new ordinance will also extend those rules to smoking or vaping in rented units. Almost half of San Francisco residents live in multi-unit housing and would be affected by this change. more...
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
Proposition 19 has officially passed! California voters have approved a makeover to the state’s landmark 1978 law to limit property taxes with 51% support. The measure allows homeowners 55 and older, the disabled, and wildfire victims to carry low property tax rates with them when they move. Though, it strips property tax breaks from people who inherit property.
This new proposition is a substantial victory for the California Association of Realtors, who made changes to a similar initiative in 2018 that voters rejected by 20% points. The revamped proposal generated broad bipartisan support and only token organized opposition. more...
Photo by Tom Rumble on Unsplash
Key Takeaways
The predictions today say that 2021 mortgage rates will be around 3%.
Comparing mortgage rates to presidential election outcomes is hardly a direct proposition.
If Biden issues a shutdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, rates could fall on fears of economic fallout.
When you’re close to closing, keep your eyes on daily rates — and be ready to lock when they’re in your favor.
What will happen to mortgage rates after the election?
If you want to buy a house or refinance within the next few months, you should already be strategizing about how to lock the lowest interest rate. However, you may be wondering, how will the presidential election impact mortgage rates? Rates declined to a record low in 2020, but could a change in presidency cause mortgage rates to rapidly increase like it did in 2016? If you’re planning to buy or refinance soon, here’s what you should know: more...
The Hayward City Council demonstrated wisdom and long-term thinking last night in voting not to accept the Staff recommendation to limit future rent increases in Hayward to the Consumer Price Index - capped at 5%, with a floor of 2%.
The Hayward City Council held a meeting last night to vote on whether or not to accept a recommendation that limits rent increases to the Consumer Price Index (inflation) with a ceiling of 5% and a floor of 2%. Had the measure passed, rent increases in 2021 would have capped at 2%. more...
We are proud to announce that after ONE DAY on the market, this well-loved and cared for craftsman home is now SOLD! This home has been in the Tellez family since the mid-1960s in the Valley-View Reed neighborhood. The family sought after Darryl after his work with 1547 Hallbrook Drive, as he successfully found a million-dollar offer and went into contract within three days!
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Now's your chance to own this charming updated three bed and two bath home. This home is a dream location for Commuters! Minutes away from freeways, both BART stations, and a short commute downtown to Todos Santos Plaza.
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