Fremont Real Estate Blog

If you are thinking to get rid of your grass, ACWD has some financial incentives for you. Up to $1500 spent on material for the conversion. See the attached for more.   Two possible ideas for pet friendly landscaping: ·          Baccharis ground cover (Coyote Bush) ·          Arctostaphylos ground cover (Manzanita)   To register for the Water Efficient Landscape workshops (Held at ACWD on 3/39 and 4/12): www.bawsca.org/classes     - S unil Sethi SUNIL SETHI REAL ESTATE Helping Families Find Homes with Great Schools in Fremont, Newark and Union City. Property Search | Featured Listing | Neighborhoods | Home Value | School Score | Property Tax To access most updated listings on MLS from your phone, Download my FREE app from "My Mobile App" . Want to know if you qualify for any special loan programs. Check out CAR's Mortgage Directory Love Us on Yelp! Like Us on Facebook    

No surprise in this headline. I meet with three sets of buyers this weekend. One question that gets asked a lot is, “is this a good time to buy?’.   Everyone’s fear of buying today, after the run-up in prices we experienced the last 18 months is that, they are buying at a high, and another crash is imminent. Anything is possible but what’s difference between the last run-up in prices and today is that the last one was fueled by funny money. The market stopped turned off the funny money spigot the market collapsed. Today’s borrowers are buying with a real ability to repay their loans. They only way they’ll default is if the economy (bay area economy) starts to tank and we have large scale unemployment. The last time something like that happened was the dot.com bust of 2000-2001. It was short lived but tech recoveries tend to happen fast but tech advances tend to be fast.   I predict that prices at the end of the year will be higher than at the beginning of the year and that’ll inventory

  NEW HAVEN UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Board of Education Briefs   The Board of Education on Tuesday night, received a report on academic progress and an update on the District’s plans for upcoming changes to the state’s testing program for students. Director of Assessment & Evaluation Tracie Noriega told the Board that the median measure of the percentage of students performing at or above the 50 th percentile increased in both reading (0.8) and math (0.1) from fall 2012 to fall 2013. The most significant increases were in math at Alvarado Middle School (4.5), reading at James Logan High (4.3), Searles Elementary (3.6) and Eastin Elementary (3.4), and math at Alvarado Elementary (3.3). In addition, the percentage of students who met or exceeded typical growth also increased District-wide in both reading (0.9) and math (2.1). The most significant increases were in reading at Conley-Caraballo High (8.3) and math at Alvarado Middle (6.4), Alvarado Elementary (4.8), Hillview Crest Eleme

I like to sell for higher than the previous sale, but sometimes surprises occur. It's a really hot market right now, but things change very fast sometimes. I remember this one time, it was looking like prices would keep going up and buyers kept waiting to list because each sale was successively higher. Then within 20 days 5 homes came up for sale in a community, and the homes stagnated. Eventually they all sold, the best looking/location 1st. In deciding to sell it's more than just predicting what a future price might be, it's also involves meeting your timing priorities. You need to sell for a reason, and move someplace else. If you would like to meet, to discuss further please feel free to contact me.     -sunil SUNIL SETHI REAL ESTATE Sunil Sethi / Broker, President, REALTOR, MBA, CPA (inactive) 38750 Paseo Padre Pkwy Suite B3 / Fremont, CA 94536 Cell 510 388 2436 / Fax 877 437 9877   sunil@sunilsethi.com www.sunilsethi.com    CA DRE#: 01173766 To access most updated l

I’m guessing they won’t be able to do any liar loans, just loans with lower FICO scores.   From DS News Wells Fargo May Loosen Credit Requirements Wells Fargo is looking to reenter the subprime mortgage market by lowering its standards of acceptable credit scores for borrowers. Wells Fargo is the largest U.S. mortgage lender, and a move back into the subprime market may signal a sizable shift in the mortgage lending environment.  »READ MORE     -sunil SUNIL SETHI REAL ESTATE Sunil Sethi / Broker, President, REALTOR, MBA, CPA (inactive) 38750 Paseo Padre Pkwy Suite B3 / Fremont, CA 94536 Cell 510 388 2436 / Fax 877 437 9877   sunil@sunilsethi.com www.sunilsethi.com    CA DRE#: 01173766 To access most updated listings on MLS from your phone, Download my FREE app from "My Mobile App" . Open House Directory  

From DS News Fannie Mae Increases Incentives To Purchase REO Properties Fannie Mae announced Thursday that homebuyers can now receive up to 3.5 percent in closing cost assistance. The help is available within the FirstLook period of Fannie Mae’s HomePath properties in 27 states. The incentive will offer qualified buyers up to 3.5 percent of the final sales price to pay closing costs. »READ MORE   -sunil SUNIL SETHI REAL ESTATE Sunil Sethi / Broker, President, REALTOR, MBA, CPA (inactive) 38750 Paseo Padre Pkwy Suite B3 / Fremont, CA 94536 Cell 510 388 2436 / Fax 877 437 9877   sunil@sunilsethi.com www.sunilsethi.com    CA DRE#: 01173766 To access most updated listings on MLS from your phone, Download my FREE app from "My Mobile App" . Open House Directory  

According to a new survey by Prudential Real Estate, buyers and sellers are interested in buying and selling this year. So far buyers have gotten this message, now we’re waiting on sellers to start putting homes up for sale.   From DS News Consumer Survey Reveals Positive Outlook For Coming Year Prudential Real Estate released results of its fourth quarter Consumer Outlook Survey. The survey showed that consumers perceive residential real estate favorably, and more are committed to buying and selling homes in 2014 than in the previous year. »READ MORE   -sunil SUNIL SETHI REAL ESTATE Sunil Sethi / Broker, President, REALTOR, MBA, CPA (inactive) 38750 Paseo Padre Pkwy Suite B3 / Fremont, CA 94536 Cell 510 388 2436 / Fax 877 437 9877   sunil@sunilsethi.com www.sunilsethi.com    CA DRE#: 01173766 To access most updated listings on MLS from your phone, Download my FREE app from "My Mobile App" . Open House Directory  

  How to Use a Smart Power Strip All the new gadgets created to work with your TV and computer sure look nice and shiny, but watch out, they can be energy "vampires", sucking up energy even when you think they're off.  Stop the energy drain by using  smart powerstrips that automatically turn off peripherals (game consoles, speakers, printers, etc.) when you turn off the main device. Check out this  3 minute tutorial video to learn more. Vanquish your vampires today and buy one online here or ask your local hardware store for a Smart Powerstrip.     -sunil SUNIL SETHI REAL ESTATE Sunil Sethi / Broker, President, REALTOR, MBA, CPA (inactive) 38750 Paseo Padre Pkwy Suite B3 / Fremont, CA 94536 Cell 510 388 2436 / Fax 877 437 9877 www.sunilsethi.com    CA DRE#: 01173766 To access most updated listings on MLS from your phone, Download my FREE app from "My Mobile App" . Open House Directory  

Good to Know Your Police.   Wednesday February 12, 2014, 1:10 PM Union City Police Department, CA Community: Mark your calendar for UCPD Coffee with Cops on Thurs, 2/20, 8:30 am-11:30 am, Starbucks - Decoto. See you there! Hi Sunil Sethi, UCPD Coffee with Cops Thurs., February 20, 2014 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Starbucks - 1752 Decoto Road, Union City Come sit down and chat over coffee with Union City Police executives, supervisors, officers, and support staff! This is a perfect time to ask questions, share stories, and simply get to know each other. In Union City, EVERY CONTACT COUNTS! For full details, view this message on the web .           Sunil Sethi President, Broker, REALTOR, MBA, CPA (inactive) Sunil Sethi Real Estate 38750 Paseo Padre Pkwy #B3 Fremont, CA 94536 (510) 388-2436 www.sunilsethi.com    

This seems plausible and as large investors (hedge funds), like to move into asset classes that offer better returns and all assets have their cycles. The may choose to get out of California sooner as we’re doing a much better job on recovering and going past previous prices.   From DS News Experts Predict Level Playing Field As Investors Withdraw A majority of experts surveyed by Zillow and Pulsenomics expect large-scale investors will pull out of the housing market in the next few years—and that hopefully means a smoother field for consumer buyers. “Buyers entering the market in the next few months will not be competing with cash-rich investors like they were last year," said Zillow chief economist Dr. Stan Humphries.  »READ MORE   -sunil SUNIL SETHI REAL ESTATE Sunil Sethi / Broker, President, REALTOR, MBA, CPA (inactive) 38750 Paseo Padre Pkwy Suite B3 / Fremont, CA 94536 Cell 510 388 2436 / Fax 877 437 9877   sunil@sunilsethi.com www.sunilsethi.com    CA DRE#: 01173766 To

I hope you will find the following snapshot of local Real Estate inventory interesting. The table represents aggregated values based on MLS data for the specified date. Housing Inventory Snapshot January 31, 2014   Average List Price for active listings Median List Price for active listings Average DOM: for active listings/ for sold listings Alameda County, CA Single Family under $1M $513,633 $498,000 44  / 83 Single Family over $1M $2,061,946 $1,478,888 84  / 84 Condo/Townhome under $600K $374,727 $365,000 48  / 75 Condo/Townhome over $600K $768,324 $697,280 39  / 69 San Mateo County, CA Single Family under $1M $690,456 $679,000 41  / 31 Single Family over $1M $4,499,167 $2,100,000 76  / 22 Condo/Townhome under $600K $402,740 $425,000 36  / 35 Condo/Townhome over $600K $932,942 $846,275 36  / 6 Santa Clara County, CA Single Family under $1M $690,675 $698,000 41  / 34 Single Family over $1M $2,879,982 $1,899,000 66  / 23 Condo/Townhome under $600K $413,425 $409,500 39  / 34 Condo/Town

Whether you are buying or refinancing this was a good week to lock your loan.   From DS News   Interest Rate Declines Continue Into February In its weekly published Primary Mortgage Market Survey, Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 4.23 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending February 6, down from 4.32 percent previously. Meanwhile, Bankrate reported a drop of 7 basis points in the 30-year fixed average to 4.43 percent, with the 15-year fixed falling 6 points to 3.50 percent. »READ MORE   -sunil SUNIL SETHI REAL ESTATE Sunil Sethi / Broker, President, REALTOR, MBA, CPA (inactive) 38750 Paseo Padre Pkwy Suite B3 / Fremont, CA 94536 Cell 510 388 2436 / Fax 877 437 9877   sunil@sunilsethi.com www.sunilsethi.com    CA DRE#: 01173766 To access most updated listings on MLS from your phone, Download my FREE app from "My Mobile App" . Open House Directory  

Long Island Ranked Nation’s Hottest Market, Florida Metros Struggle Pro Teck Valuation Services released on Tuesday January's Home Value Forecast (HVF), a measure of single family residential markets. The company ranked Long Island as the strongest market in the nation, citing its small share of foreclosures as total sales and its comparatively low housing inventory.  »READ MORE -sunil SUNIL SETHI REAL ESTATE Sunil Sethi / Broker, President, REALTOR, MBA, CPA (inactive) 38750 Paseo Padre Pkwy Suite B3 / Fremont, CA 94536 Cell 510 388 2436 / Fax 877 437 9877   sunil@sunilsethi.com www.sunilsethi.com    CA DRE#: 01173766 To access most updated listings on MLS from your phone, Download my FREE app from "My Mobile App" . Open House Directory