This Saturday December 3, Pleasanton will be having a Holiday parade and tree lighting get together. Main St. is hosting the annual holiday parade from 3:30pm to 7:30pm. This is a great event to be social and get in the holiday mood. The best section is near Tully’s and High Tech Burrito. At this area you can get a pumpkin spice latte and burrito bowl and not miss the parade. Parking will be tuff so I recommend getting there early. Have fun!
Not many buyers can review a stack of comparables sales and know how to compare them to the home you like. So here are a few helpful hints on what you should ask and expect your realtor to provide you with.
First of all review the basics. Price per square foot, upgrades, and location are all very important aspects in determining value. You should take a look at each one and make sure you are comparing apples to apples. You cannot compare a Mission Park home to a Pleasanton Valley. You have to stay within the same or a comparable neighborhood. Ask your realtor to go over each comparable with you. Why did this one sell for this and that one for that? They should be able to compare each home with the home you are interested in.
What are the current market conditions? Ask your realtor to provide you with a breakdown of list price versus sale price. This statistic will show you how much negotaitabily has been happening. Your realtor should be able to show you what is a reasonable range to consider offering.
Assessing the seller’s motivation is maybe the most important aspect. This is a key element that has been lost over the past couple of years. Buyers or buyer’s agents sometimes think any offer is acceptable and if the seller does not like the offer they can just counter the offer. Well a lot of times you are dealing with a seller that has a great sense of pride with their home, and you can easily insult them. When you insult them you will most likely never get the best price possible. Every realtor should call the listing agent to discuss why the seller is selling and how motivated they are.
All of these factors should be considered when determining what to offer a seller. Ask the realtor what they think you should offer and then consider it yourself. I firmly believe you should view as many homes as possible so when the right home comes on the market you will know how well the value is. You cannot gauge values online; you need to get out there to view them. I have seen this too many times when the right home comes along buyers feel they haven’t seen enough homes. This all can be avoided if you get out there and get a feel for things yourself!
We are getting a new listing in Pleasanton’s Ruby Hills! This home should be coming on the market in the next 30-60 days. The home is 4 bedrooms 3.5 bathrooms with 4656 sq ft of living space. More details will be coming soon!
More Information Call Dan Gamache 925.918.0332
Livermore’s own Wente Vineyards has won the 2011 American Winery of the Year. This award is from Wine Enthusiast magazine. The Wente family is comprised of Wente Vineyards, Murrieta’s Well, Tamas Estates. Wente is also considered one of the top 30 wine companies in America, and the unique aspect is that it is family owned and they grow all their own fruit.
Ernest Wente is the son of the founder Carl Wente, and he brought Chardonnay cuttings from Montpelier France in 1912. This Chardonnay cutting was the start of a wonderful business. The Wente Family now has nearly 100,000 acres planted in Chardonnay.
The ironic aspect of winning this award is that it is almost 100 years from when this Chardonnay cutting first came to America. This is such a great achievement but just one of many. The Wente family has won many other great awards. Isn’t great to have such a great family owned winery right here in our back yard!
As of November 18,2011 FHA loan limits are going back up to $729k. This is great news for the Pleasanton, Livermore, and Dublin real estate markets. This help buyers and sellers equally, and will be a nice shot in the arm for the $600-$800k price range. For more information call Dan Gamache 925.918.0332
Almost every transaction in Pleasanton real estate has the seller paying for a home warranty. Learn more about what that is and what it covers, but more importantly should you renew it?
For more information call Dan Gamache 925.918.0332
