How a Single-Story Overlay Zone May Affect Your Neighborhood

Joseph Eichler built 2,700 homes in Palo Alto, more than in any other city in America. These beloved architectural gems have found themselves in the spotlight of a controversy in Palo Alto and surrounding cities. The debate is about whether homeowners…

A New Option for Real Estate Commissions that Further Aligns Incentives

Real estate commissions have traditionally been based on a transaction-based model as opposed to a performance-based model. When the time comes to resell, regardless of whether the home doubles in value or declines by half, the real estate agent who helped…

How the Real Estate Industry Works

As the real estate market heats up and commission checks continue to grow, people often wonder how the real estate industry works. This curiosity may stem from interest in a career move or surprise over the size of the commission checks in Silicon Valley—either…

Chinese Stock Market Woes and the RMB Devaluations Impact on Silicon Valley Real Estate

The recent turmoil in the Asian stock markets, most notably in China, and the devaluation of the Chinese currency have evoked many questions about the likelihood of continued investment in Bay Area real estate by Chinese buyers. Coincidentally, we were…

The Magic of the DeLeon Business Model—the Buyer’s Side

Silicon Valley thrives by disrupting and improving inefficient industries, and it has created many game-changing business models along the way. Yet in the epicenter of the world’s innovation, the practice of purchasing real estate had remained relatively…

Housing vs Stocks: Why Silicon Valley Housing has been a More Profitable Investment

Having traveled the world as a real estate nerd, I always study the real estate market and tax structure of any country I visit. I have found that no government subsidizes homeownership as much as the United States. Two of the great benefits enjoyed by…

In San Francisco’s Bidding Wars, Home Prices Go Ballistic

WSJ: In San Francisco’s Bidding Wars, Home Prices Go Ballistic -  August 27, 2015 In San Francisco’s Bidding Wars, Home Prices Go Ballistic In the San Francisco Bay Area’s hot real-estate market, the question for many sellers isn’t whether…

The Downside to Live Offer Presentations

In this hot Sellers’ market, multiple offers and above-asking bids are common. In fact, it is not unusual for a home to receive ten or more offers. Naturally, agents who are representing Buyers like the opportunity to present their clients’ offers…

Buying Real Estate Sight Unseen

The world is getting smaller and technology is getting better. It is no surprise then that the Silicon Valley real estate market has seen an increase in the number of people who are buying homes without personally visiting the properties. There are two…

Vacation Areas Poised for Strong Real Estate Appreciation

Over the past year or so, there has been a marked increase in people selling their Bay Area homes and moving to certain easily accessible get-a-way locations. In addition to offering a refreshing change of pace, many of these areas also offer a tempting…