Real Estate Game Plan

  Real estate has traditionally been one of the best ways to build true wealth. The combination of security, leverage, and tax advantages are virtually unmatched in the investment world, yet people devote far more time and energy to developing…

Getting Ready for the Fall Market

Fall is one of the busiest times of the year for home sales. If you are thinking of putting your home on the real estate market this fall, here are a few simple preparation suggestions that will help your home stand out from the competition. Declutter…

Pick Your Pipe for Plumbing

Before owners put the wrench to a leaking pipe or decide to replace portions of a pipe itself - STOP! Was the house built before or in the 1960’s? Are there galvanized steel pipes, copper pipes, clay pipes, or cast-iron pipes? Before they decide to…

Best Paint Colors to Use When Selling Your Home

Some colors will help you, others will hurt. Be sure to choose the right ones for your home First impression is everything when selling a home. A lot of effort and work goes into preparing a home for the market. Painting a house is the cheapest and quickest…

More Reason to Love Thy Neighbor

Shared Fence & Boundary Responsibility Neighbors, whether you love them or hate them, you have to get along with them. This statement is especially true for those of us who share fences with our neighbors. According to California Civil Code §841,…

United States Household Wealth Trends

Americans’ wealth hit an all-time high last summer, in part from the steady recovery of home prices. According to the Federal Reserves’ report, from July through September, the nation’s wealth rose 2.6% to $77.3 trillion. We see that Americans’…

How to FENG SHUI your home

In Palo Alto and the surrounding areas in Silicon Valley, a significant and growing portion of the buyers are Asian, most notably Chinese. For many Chinese buyers, a house needs to have good Feng Shui before they would consider purchasing it. The most…

Preserve charm or enhance home value?

Silicon Valley has charming neighborhoods, and there is an understandable desire to retain the charm and feel of the community. To preserve this appeal, some neighborhood associations enact building restrictions aimed at curbing new construction, especially…

Forbes: Ken DeLeon, Top Silicon Valley Sales Agent: Why Chinese Buyers Love Palo Alto

Ken DeLeon, Top Silicon Valley Sales Agent: Why Chinese Buyers Love Palo Alto More Chinese are interested in residential properties in the Bay Area, due to safer ground for investment and good schools. According to Ken DeLeon, in 2006, "the average…

House Hunting By Plane Taking Off In Bay Area Luxury Real Estate Market

  ATHERTON (KPIX 5) — The high-priced, luxury Bay Area real estate market is soaring for some Bay Area realtors… literally. They give many of their foreign buyers an aerial view of their most exclusive properties, from 2,500 feet above the…