Happy April, While I am not a fan of falling back or springing forward, there is something quite magical about the winter-to-spring transition in which it feels like almost overnight deciduous trees, shrubs, and flowers start to explode with leaves and blooms. Waking up to birds chirping is a nice way to greet the day.  Though the real estate market is still seeing multiple offers, when I pull together comparable sold data for sellers who are considering selling and buyers who are house hunting I am noticing that sale prices can range greatly. Some houses are selling well over the asking ..read more

   The media is talking a great deal about a recent legal settlement in the real estate industry. Last week the National Association of Realtors entered into a settlement agreement in the Sitzer-Burnett case, agreeing to pay a $418 million fine. This lawsuit will give the seller the right to decline to pay the buyer's agent commission, asking for the buyer to pay for their agent. Sellers in our region will likely continue to pay a total commission – there are many reasons that I support this structure and I will post about this in the near future.  When reading various articles ..read more

3280Guido.com Happy February! This is a long one as I want to share a great deal of information with you. While we are still technically in the middle of winter, the spring market has begun in the inner East Bay! Yep, we start early here! In January, I brought 3280 Guido Street onto the market, and 6 offers were received. The first week of February, I brought 8033 Earl Street to the market and 8 offers were received. I also tracked a few properties that clients had some interest in: A house in Albany, (sweet, but you could see and hear the BART tracks and noise) was listed at $1.1M and is p ..read more

Jim Wilson/The New York Times I was contacted by the New York Times asking me to weigh in on the recent national NAR court case ruling that intends to change the commission structure for buy side representation for Realtors. Currently the seller pays the listing agent a commission typically somewhere between 5-6% and the listing agent shares a portion of that commission with the buyer's agent and their brokerage. The court case suggests that the seller should not be required to pay for the buyer's Realtor representation, who may have an opposing position during the transaction. I believe ther ..read more

1471 Olympus Avenue, Berkeley is PENDING with 6 offers received If you read my blog and read last month’s post, I mentioned that insurance challenges are a hot topic and they appear to remain challenging for the foreseeable future. In a nutshell, some insurance companies have stopped issuing new policies in the state of California and some companies are now not issuing new policies in high-fire zones as well as if there is knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized steel pipes, and/or a few other older systems. So what does that mean for the sellers? If your property has some of these components a buye ..read more

More at www.5833patton.com Home insurance became a hot topic for me and my clients in the month of September. For several years now, many companies have refused to write new policies for properties in high-fire zones, leaving buyers with very few options that often force them to purchase an expensive California Fair Policy plan. As part of my process, I reach out to a local insurance agent, introduce them to my clients, and obtain an insurance quote prior to them writing their offer. Typically the insurance broker asks both property condition questions and a few about the potential buyer, and ..read more

4610 STAUFFER PLACE, OAKLAND IS OPEN 2-4 PM THIS SUNDAY. COME BY AND SAY HELLO! Happy September!  In this complex market, we are seeing some homes selling with multiple offers well over the asking price, while other homes are lingering on the market. I created a report of all active single-family homes in the city of Oakland and as I write this, there are 440 properties on the market. Of those active properties, 185 of them have been on the market for more than 30 days and 43 have been on the market for more than 100 days.  Berkeley is a completely different market with only 68 sing ..read more

JUST LISTED! – 4305 Fair Avenue • Redwood Heights, Oakland It's that time of the year where I am seeing all the first-day-of-school photos in my instagram feed. I love it as there are so many friends and family that I stay in touch with via social media. Of course, social media does not replace real conversations and social gatherings, but with so many friends and family out of state, it would be nearly impossible to stay in touch.  Typically the start of school is also the start of the fall real estate market. This week I am kicking the season off with two beauties. 4305 Fair Avenue in ..read more

Deidre on her way to Ravello along the Amalfi Coast We are now in the midst of summer and I took my first out-of-the country trip in many years. I feel so blessed and grateful that I was able to spend 9 days with my girlfriends in Italy! My trip was full of eye candy: historic structures, art from history books, and old cobblestone streets in Rome. I also visited the Amalfi Coast with gorgeous sapphire and turquoise water, cliffs, and coastline villages composed of structures carved in the rocks that appear to have been built centuries ago. The textures and color contrasts were inspirational ..read more

4444 Park Boulevard, Oakland – Open this Sunday, 2–4pm Over the last week, my husband and I cleared and removed old belongings from our crawl space and garage and I made my first trip to Alameda County Hazardous Waste (if you have old paint, electronics, cleaning products, or garden products that need to be properly disposed of, this is a super process), donated a trunk and backseat full of clothing and shoes, and gave a few items to my friend's niece. My purge project is not complete – I am still working through all pantry and freezer items for freshness and re-organization. Somewhere along ..read more