Buying A Condo Now

  Many first-time homebuyers often debate whether they should buy a condo or townhome now, or wait a few years so that they can buy their ideal home in their preferred location. Others contemplate the options of buying a condo or townhouse in…

Construction Zone: Preparing Your Home for the Winter Months

  The winter months can present the greatest challenges to your home. With foresight and diligence, you can have a delightful and warm winter in your home if you follow these strategic tips. HEATING AND COOLING  Inspect your furnace or…

Game Plan For Home Renovations

Creating a water-tight game plan is crucial when working on home improvements or renovations. Four fundamental steps should typically be followed in order to build a successful renovation plan. First, gather ideas and concepts for your home. Next, calculate…

Game Plan to Optimize Cyclical Market Conditions

  The seasonal sway of the Palo Alto real estate market is common knowledge to most local agents and individuals looking to sell or buy a home. The ebbs and flows of the market are best illustrated by looking at the number of days a home is on…

Rebates and Freebies for Your Water Conservation Efforts

  In the preparation and maintenance of your home for the coming year, you may want to consider taking some water conservation steps such as retrofitting your sprinkler system with high-efficiency nozzles, hooking up your clothes washer to a graywater…

Atherton 2014: The Evolving Expectation of Privacy

  In October 2014, Forbes named Atherton, California (94027), the most expensive zip code in the country for the second year in a row. The local market has been experiencing incredible appreciation, which is directly attributable to both the vibrant…

Tips for Creating Personal Style

Style is the expression of an aesthetic, whether in writing, film, music, or interior environments. Ideally, the style expresses the personality of the inhabitant. Below are 5 design principles you can use to create spaces that are personally congruent…

Risk Taken By Buyers Investing in the Willows Has Paid Off

Much like “Risk,” the famous board game and source of intense family discord, purchasing real estate always involves the investment of limited resources – armies in “Risk,”equate to personal savings in real estate. In addition, people must decide…

Efficiency Drives the Blueprints for DeLeon

Throughout my entire life I have been drawn to efficiency. While I enjoyed all of my Mathematics and Economics classes, my favorite class was Operations Research. A simple summary of Operations Research is that it uses mathematical algorithms to find…

Liquidated Damages, Initial with Care!

These days, it seems like every small transaction requires long and complex forms filled with legal jargon. It is often difficult to tell exactly what certain contract provisions mean, and even harder to understand how the provisions operate. This may…