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for the Latest Listings and Real Estate Information Market Update – October 2006 Still Trying To Make Sense of Our
Local Real Estate Market Almost 3 months have gone by since I reviewed the state of
the market in detail. We are now into Fall when the real estate market is
usually quite active, at least up until Thanksgiving. As
stated previously, looking at real estate sales year on year tends to be more
meaningful than just looking at a series of monthly activities. The chart
below brings our figures up to date in the area’s larger communities with the
previous year’s figures shown in parentheses: Actual Numbers of
Sales Agreed 2006 – All Residential Homes
So
the numbers are still, in the main, lagging well behind last year although Median home sales
prices - Single Family Homes - 2006 vs 2005 Alamo,
I’ve
excluded condominiums in this analysis because it is generally accepted that
the condominium market has been far more affected by recent changes in the
market than single family homes. As
can be seen from the above table, the median sale price has fallen, although
not as much as you may have thought based on recent press articles. August
obviously showed the greatest change but if the September figure is a good
indicator, we may have seen the worst of this trend and be on the road to
recovery. The next 2-3 months should be very interesting. If you are thinking about selling, you need to have
this information as it relates to your type of home so you can price it
accordingly. Call me on (925) 997-1585 or send me an email to
bernard@bernardgibbons.com. I will be happy to provide you with a similar
market analysis ■ What’s Your Home Worth? Thinking of
selling? Home
prices have increased at a phenomenal rate over the past few years. To get a Free Up-To-Date Valuation of
your home without any obligation, together with suggestions for what you can
do to maximize its appeal, visit www.BernardGibbons.com or for an immediate response
call Restaurant Review
Sergio’s Trattoria, Sergio’s is new to San Ramon although Sergio and Francesca
Mirabelli are experienced restaurateurs having had a restaurant in Rockridge
(now sold) since 1995. Their emphasis is on southern Italian cuisine. The interior has been completely redecorated and re-organized.
The result is a particularly pleasant, appealing restaurant, somewhat
understated, with warm yellow walls and white tablecloths. Sergio has also
expanded the patio dining area and added gas heaters. Obviously a popular
move based on the tables occupied when we were there. This is a restaurateur who
appreciates the importance of ambience as well as the necessity of providing
good food. Sylvia and I visited on a recent Friday evening when the
restaurant was a little over half full. We dined on the outside patio and
Sergio was very much in evidence, providing personal and friendly service to
all. The menu is extensive and includes a wide range of appetizers and salads
together with a number of pasta dishes and entrees from Italian favorites such
as Chicken Saltimbocca and Veal Ossobuco to Wild Boar and Filet Mignon. Prices
are similar to other restaurants of this standard. Sylvia had a 12oz Filet Mignon served with a Stilton Sauce,
while I chose the daily fish special, Pan-roasted Sea-Bass in a white wine
sauce. Portion sizes were generous and both dishes came with mashed potatoes,
roast potatoes and a selection of vegetables. The steak was tender and juicy although
my fish was just a little over-done. Still a most enjoyable meal though. We
accompanied our dinner with a pleasing bottle of Soave from the wine list
which offered a better choice of red wines than white. The addition of two or
three California Chardonnays could easily sort that out though. Sergio’s is definitely worth a visit if you want somewhere
to go for a good meal, at a reasonable price in pleasant surroundings. We
will certainly go again. Visit their web site at www.sergiostrattoria.com for more
information and menus. Reviews such as the one above are included
as a service to introduce people to interesting restaurants in the You can read
more restaurant reviews in the Newsletter Archives at www.BernardGibbons.com How Will You Decide
Who Will List YOUR Home For As housing inventory increases and interest rates continue
to rise, it is more important than ever to work with a Realtor® who has the
knowledge and experience to market your home to its fullest potential in
order to obtain the best price for your home. My High Impact Home Marketing Program is the most
comprehensive home marketing system in real estate. This, combined with my
affiliation with Alain Pinel Realtors, the
most prestigious real estate company in the Bay Area, ensures that your home
gets the maximum level of exposure from start to finish. Through multiple
channels and networks I market your home every day to potential homebuyers
and real estate agents who represent buyers in your area. This targeted
marketing approach ensures maximum exposure to potential buyers. Communication is absolutely critical. I will keep you fully
informed regarding the status of your home sale at all times and do
everything in my power to ensure a smooth, stress-free transaction. Call me
any time for a confidential discussion without any obligation - (925)
997-1585.
Why Should You List Your Home For When There Is So Much Competition? It seems like such an obvious
question. With so many homes on the market, why would you want to add to the
number? What good could it possibly do you? Well here is an interesting
statistic. In the last month, 143 sellers agreed sales on their homes in
Alamo, Imagine if you were one of
these sellers. You have just agreed a sale for your home and you want to buy
another one. Consider the opportunities. With so many homes on the market you
have the pick of the bunch. “That’s all
very well,” you say, “but
how could you know that you would be one of those 143 sellers who agreed a
sale?”. Well it’s not just luck,
that’s for sure. Now, more than ever, you need to have a listing agent who is
affiliated with a broker with a strong market presence and who has an
outstanding marketing program that will cover all the bases. And also, you
have to price your home in such a way that it will be more attractive to
buyers than similar homes in that price range. You do need to have
patience though. The days when a newly listed home for sale attracted
multiple offers within a few days are gone for a long time. Nevertheless, with
the right strategy in place, as described above, you have the best
opportunity to sell your home as quickly as possible so you can focus on finding
your next home. If you
want to sell your home now and focus on making the next move, call Are
You Looking For A Great Deal In Your Next Home Or Are
You Looking For The Right Home For You And Your Family? A surprising number of people are living in rented
accommodation, having sold their previous home, while they preview homes for
sale every weekend. Their stated aim
is to find “a real deal” when they make their next move. Most people are aware that the market has seen an enormous
change from a year ago. There are lots of homes for sale and prices in many
areas are lower than they were then. Even so, looking for the best deal on
the market in your price range is not
the way to go about buying a home. There have been so many newspaper stories about the real
estate market that it is easy to forget that the primary role of a house is to
provide you and your family a place to enjoy life. Real estate will give you
a great return on investment over time, but in the case of your primary
residence, this should not be the main consideration. Focus on the homes within your budget that have those
features that are important to you. Having found the right property, discuss
the price with your agent, who should be able to prepare a market analysis
for you to determine the likely market value of the home. Then work with your
agent to negotiate a purchase price acceptable to all parties. For more
information, call me on (925) 997-1585
or email bernard@bernardgibbons.com
and I will be happy to help you find “The Right Home” for you and your
family.
FOR
The
Very Best of Twin Creeks South Rarely
does a home such as this come on the market for less than $1 million.
Completed updated and tastefully remodeled over the past few years, this is
undoubtedly one of the nicest homes in Twin Creeks in one of the
neighborhood’s most desirable locations. Every room has been updated and
every piece of interior trim has been replaced together with all of the
doors, windows, electrical
fixtures, floor coverings and much more. Offered for Call
A Time To Buy? Interest rates may never
be so low for a long, long time. Just look at the chart below. The last 3
years have been very kind to borrowers but all the signs point to that coming
to an end fairly soon. If you are planning to make a move sometime in the
foreseeable future and you want to ensure that your new mortgage payment will
be manageable, you should consider doing so sooner, rather than later. Home
prices have fallen over the past year and although they may fall a little
more, interest rates are almost guaranteed to increase. Call
Information
To Help You Understand The Value Of Your Biggest
Investment
The 40 most recently Closed Sales in Alamo, Blackhawk,
Danville, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda
(Sorted By City and Sold Price)
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