The Oakland Berkeley Journal

Buying A Home In Oakland? Buying A Home In Berkeley?

This photo is from the California Online Archives. Oak trees at Mosswood Park in Oakland
When you buy a home you buy a piece of the street and a part of the city.
Growing up and still living in Oakland, I often run into people I know. I can see the distress on folks faces [...]

Transfer Tax Change For Alameda, Ca.

Effective December 12th, 2008 the city of Alameda increased their point of sale city transfer tax from $5.40 per $1000 of purchase price to $12.00 per thousand. There are two transfer taxes involved in buying a selling a home; county transfer tax is a generally paid by the seller when a house is sold. [...]

Is a 4.5% Mortgage Interest Rate on the Horizon?

I surround myself with highly regarded professionals who support my clients and myself. This allows me to focus on one core thing; helping people obtain their real estate goals. Yesterday my client Jim called me and wanted to know more about the possible mortgage cut to a 4.5% mortgage interest rate. The [...]

Tips for buying a home in Oakland or Berkeley

Pictured above are photos from my evening open house/ art gala at 3318 Jordan Road
Here are a few easy tips for buying a home regardless of the market. Visit a perspective home several times in the day and in the night. Remember you are not just buying a home, you are buying a [...]

What Does "As-Is" Really Mean?

So you are selling your first home in the Temescal area of Oakland. You informed your Realtor that you want to sell your home “as-is”; you declare that you do not want to credit the buyer on needed repairs that could be discovered during the inspection period. You feel that you and your Realtor have [...]

Moving to Oakland? Don’t Forget the Closing Costs.

So, you are ready to buy a home. What will it actually cost in terms of out of pocket expenses. In addition to your down payment, there are closing cost. The approximate cost is 3% of the purchase price of your new home. Here are some of the fees:
Title Insurance – (This insures that you [...]

Tools for House Hunting

So you want to buy a home in the Oakland/Berkeley area and you live in San Francisco. You have been to the Lake Merritt area of Oakland and the Grand Lake Theatre, but you are really not acclimated with this area. You can call or email me and I am happy to set up an [...]