Jana Lee's Millbrae Real Estate Blog

 YES!!!   Buyers and re-financers need to get off the chair and really move to obtaining a new interest rate.  There are more “out of pocket” costs that borrower’s will be incurring after October 4.  This will have a direct affect on the borrower’s monthly obligation.

wow.  I have been enjoying the fruits of my labor and am back on track again.  How many of you have done the same and now have to deal with getting your focus again?  Been there and done that!!!

Summer is here, and home buying is still a very big adventurous opportunity for those of you that have everything ready for the “signing”.  Its a go do it time still so don’t hesitate any further.  Interest rates are creeping up slowly and I don’t how much longer it will stay this low.

Kids are out of school.  there’s alittle more time and less stress to devote your time and energy to getting your next home or investment. 

Ask all your questions and make the decision to buying or selling real estate NOW.  Trust your agent and perseverence always prevails.

Image via CrunchBase

A couple of weeks ago, I put the question to you about the decision to get an IPAD or not.  I have had a few responses with the pros and cons that I’d like to share with you if you are on the fence about the IPAD.

My conclusion is:  If you already have the Iphone and love it, read alot and look at videos, movies alot, then GET IT.

If you don’t read alot, need the internet alot, watch videos alot, then it is a waste of money.  Its so much easier to carry the phone around everywhere you go…and I mean EVERYWHERE.  with the Pad, you do have the size to deal with.

In short, Thank you all for your comments and insight on the product.  My laptop and netbook will do fine for now.  I’ll go shopping for something else.

If you have other tech advise, please feel free to share them with me and my clients. 

Image via CrunchBase

Who had the IPAD?  Tables are turned and I am looking for feedback about whether or not to get the IPAD.  I already love my IPHONE and am stoked on the product.  However, although I really want the IPAD, Im not sure it’s worth the $800-$1200.  It appears to be a IPHONE on steroids. Is that right?  Am I missing something? 

So if anyone has any positive or negative feedback, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

Times are definately changing.  Clients are asked so many things in their buying process that I even feel the hardship.  It’s crazy out there.  Just to make an offer seems like so many hurdles to jump through.  But you know what?  Everyone is going through them and that is why I always suggest that the clients listen to their agent and trust that the agent has their best interest in mind.  Not only do clients and agents have to take the trust walk together, plow through the baby steps and etc…  Now the relationship is tested further when time after time their offers are rejected or cancelled. 

What Im trying to say is that its a tough real estate world already without the mutual trusts between client and agent being questioned.    It’s doubly tough when you finally get into a possible contract with the “other side” and clients need to put all their faith in the relationship with their agents. 

Suggestion…Clients, get all your questions about the buying/selling,  loan processes out of the way before you really step into the real estate world.  This will eliminate any if not most of your insecurities and will also strengthen your bond with your real estate agent.

We need each other.  Times have changed.

Image by Debbi Long via Flickr

Many clients are looking for homes on the internet and finding that there are  many sites, but some are better than others.  If you are one of the cyber home seekers, try Redfin, Homes.com and Home finder.  My clients seem to favor these.  But here’s the thing…your agent has the same access to all of these shown on these sites as well.  So the agent can “hook you up” to receive the information as they come on the market so you don’t have to look into any sites all day long.  You can actually have peace of mind that you are up to date on the listings out there.

So, keep your agent informed on your parameters of the home search, have the agent “hook you up”, and notify the agent if there is a house you want to check into further and that way, you can spend your time doing other things.

This market can really wear you down.  I know because it wears me down as well.  In the world of real estate, you must be persistant and know how to play the game.  I am with a client for about a year now and we have made multiple and numerous offers.  I am actually amazed at how my client is still willing to go for it.  The same goes for me.  I have to find that extra energy and positive outlook to keep plowing through the hard times (now). 

Don’t give up!!!

Image by Teckie Kev via Flickr

Running the red light is a very painful and expensive experience.  I know because I have just received that picture of myself running the red light along with the traffic citation.  So not only do I now have to deal with the anxiety of getting the actual ticket in 3-4 weeks, arrange for traffic court and/or arrange for traffic school, go in front of the judge if I should desire to try to knock down the fine, but I am stuck with the heavy penalty of paying it off along with the traffic school fee to keep the “ding” off my driving record.

This is very similar to what some clients go through because they feel they know more than their agent.  As a realtor, I have the experience that should be trusted by the client as to what the procedures are for different types of real estate sales.  I advise my clients as best I can in order to get that investment property he/she wants.I give them advice on what is needed to be done,  do things  in the order necessary to expedite the experience. I also prepare them for what may or may not happen.  In doing so, as the agent and client, we need to work together and obey the rules set down by the real estate market, lenders, and other buyers and sellers.

Trust your agent and take their advice if you really want to succeed in this market.

Image by TheTruthAbout… via Flickr

This is the most exhausting time to buy real estate.  Perseverence will pay off if you are not in a hurry.  This process can last 6 months, give or take a day or two.  You have to be ready to play the waiting game on offers submitted, be resilllient to withstand the rejected ones and energetic enough to forge forwrd onto to many offers.  If you think you have the mind and body to do this, then the answer is YES to the short sale world.

Just remember that this is a slow and long process.  However, if you are one of the fortunate ones to land one and get your offer accepted, it can be all worth it.

The market here in SF and the surrounding Penninsula areas are still going like hot cakes.  The real estate inventory is still here and ready for investors. Interest rates are slowly creeping up and I have been hearing that guidelines are going to get even more stricter in April.  Typically this time of year, real estate starts to ready itself for the booming summer months.  I can see this happening already.

Fortunately, we live in an area where housing is still blossoming.  So opportunity is knocking for those of you still wanting to invest in real estate.