With the very recent memories of the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile in my mind, I thought I would take some time to remind all my friends and colleagues about the importance of being prepared for "the big one."
While sitting here creating this note, I can look out my window and see where the Hayward Fault is located, just a few hundred feet from my office. It is a stark reminder of how close we are to the location of a "significant event" as seismologists sometimes refer to a major quake.
One of the first things I remember hearing when I came to California in 1970 was that there would be a major earthquake on the Hayward Fault in the next 30 years. I heard the identical warning last year when the '06 quake was having it's 103rd anniversary. So clearly, we don't know when it's going to come, but to ignore the reality of where we live and what's "around the corner" is no more then sticking our head in the sand. I can tell you as a victim of the Oakland Fire, it is not a good idea to be unprepared.
While no expert, I have had exposure to The City of Oakland's CORE Program (Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies). It assists neighborhoods and families by supplying the training and expertise to ensure residents and their families have the best chance of making it through a major earthquake or other disaster. They assist with little things like creating a plan so that families that are apart when the disaster occurs have an agreed upon place to meet and someone out of area to call to let them know their whereabouts.
Their web site is:
http://www.oaklandnet.com/fire/core/index.html
The other very useful source for this kind of information, with practical suggestions for how to minimally prepare without becoming a survivalist, is http://72hours.org
This site was created by the City of San Francisco. It gets its' name from the belief that for the first 72 hours of a major disaster we are likely to be on our own, without emergency services. This site makes recommendations related to making it through that period of time with minimal inconvenience.
I hope I haven't brought you down with this message. I just wanted you and your families to be safe.
Showing posts with label upper end homes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label upper end homes. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Three Million Dollar Floor Call
This is a holiday story; complete with good cheer.
It goes something like this..........
Several months ago, a hard working Realtor was in our office taking "floor time." A call came in on one of our current listings. Unfortunately, the eager agent was unable to match this buyer to that property. He wanted a "dead-on Golden Gate view." This property, though a very fine home, didin't have what the buyer was looking for.
Our undaunted agent offered to show the buyer other homes, more in conformance with his desires. He agreed and the showings began. They looked everywhere. But one house was too dark and another too shabby. They looked and they looked. Our intrepid agent would not disappoint our particular buyer.
And then one day a property came on the market. Was it perfect? What property is? Nonetheless, our perservering agent and her particular buyer went off to see it. While the price was "too high" said our buyer; the offer was "too low" said the seller. Storm clouds rose as the year was coming to an end.
With the motivation of a real seller and the desire of a real buyer, our agent would not give up. Closer and closer they came, until one day an agreement was reached; an agreement on a sale of close to three million dollars.
"Hooray!" shouted the buyer. I have the home I imagined. "Fantastic!" said the seller. Needless to say, selling a home like this in the worst market in over 70 years, during the holiday season, was nothing short of a miracle. And what made the miracle even sweeter, was that the home was purchased for cash and closed within a week.
Merry Christmas intrepid agent! You know the difference between hard work and wishing on a star and for that you will receive your reward.
Happy Holidays to all!
It goes something like this..........
Several months ago, a hard working Realtor was in our office taking "floor time." A call came in on one of our current listings. Unfortunately, the eager agent was unable to match this buyer to that property. He wanted a "dead-on Golden Gate view." This property, though a very fine home, didin't have what the buyer was looking for.
Our undaunted agent offered to show the buyer other homes, more in conformance with his desires. He agreed and the showings began. They looked everywhere. But one house was too dark and another too shabby. They looked and they looked. Our intrepid agent would not disappoint our particular buyer.
And then one day a property came on the market. Was it perfect? What property is? Nonetheless, our perservering agent and her particular buyer went off to see it. While the price was "too high" said our buyer; the offer was "too low" said the seller. Storm clouds rose as the year was coming to an end.
With the motivation of a real seller and the desire of a real buyer, our agent would not give up. Closer and closer they came, until one day an agreement was reached; an agreement on a sale of close to three million dollars.
"Hooray!" shouted the buyer. I have the home I imagined. "Fantastic!" said the seller. Needless to say, selling a home like this in the worst market in over 70 years, during the holiday season, was nothing short of a miracle. And what made the miracle even sweeter, was that the home was purchased for cash and closed within a week.
Merry Christmas intrepid agent! You know the difference between hard work and wishing on a star and for that you will receive your reward.
Happy Holidays to all!
Friday, October 30, 2009
HIGHER BALANCE LOAN LIMITS EXTENDED
Good news: President Obama is expected to sign a resolution passed late yesterday by Congress extending the current limits for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA loans through 2010. The limits were set to expire at the end of this year. This is especially critical for California, where more than 80 percent of all loans are financed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or FHA, and will help maintain the positive signs we are now seeing in California’s mortgage market. President Obama is expected to sign the resolution today or tomorrow as part of a broader piece of budgetary legislation that will prevent a government shutdown.
While home prices in California have declined, the demand for housing has not. The market has been dominated by first-time home buyers who have faced a shortage of financing opportunities. The loan limits are set at 125 percent of local median home sales prices, up to a maximum of $729,750 in high-cost areas, including many regions in California. Sales in move-up and high-end markets have been constrained this year; the loan limits extension will help qualified home buyers in these markets to move forward with their purchases.
This report just received from the California Association of Realtors
While home prices in California have declined, the demand for housing has not. The market has been dominated by first-time home buyers who have faced a shortage of financing opportunities. The loan limits are set at 125 percent of local median home sales prices, up to a maximum of $729,750 in high-cost areas, including many regions in California. Sales in move-up and high-end markets have been constrained this year; the loan limits extension will help qualified home buyers in these markets to move forward with their purchases.
This report just received from the California Association of Realtors
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