FREE Summer Activities in San Francisco and the Peninsula
Summertime is almost here and that means school’s out! Yay! I have the opportunity this year to spend a good portion of the summer with my 11 and 7 year old kids. I am really looking forward to it! First, I looked into local summer day camps and they charge around $140. per week! Are you kidding me? The Junior Giants program filled up in an hour. Even the waiting list is full! So, I am in the process of creating a list of fun, FREE, or super cheap things to do nearby for us to enjoy. Once I get the list compiled, I am going to put them on the calendar just like I do in my real estate business, otherwise they may not get done! Ha! I don’t want to end up in front of the tv or lounging around ALL summer now! SO, here is what I have so far and I can’t wait! Read more
Floor the Competition
When people enter your home they usually look down before up, so that first step is vital for attracting a homebuyer and making a great first impression. This is one reason why more people are installing hardwood floors in their homes.
Hardwood flooring enhances the look of any room and can create a classic ambiance that will beautify the interior design of your home. Residential real estate agents agree that homes with wood floors hold their value better, sell faster and fetch higher prices.
Last year, 99 percent of real estate agents responding to a national survey conducted by the National Wood Flooring Association agreed that homes with hardwood floors are easier to sell. The survey also found that 82 percent believe that homes with hardwood floors sell faster and 90 percent said they would sell for more money.
The American Hardwood Information Center adds that restoring hardwood flooring in the home is one of the best long-term investments to be made.
“Hardwood floors are environmentally friendly, forever fashionable, and will last for generations,” said Pembroke Jacobs, president of the Hardwood Manufacturers Association. “Plus, with an expected life span of up to 100 years for certain premium hardwood flooring, you can be assured that that the hardwood really is a one-time investment with a very long-term payoff.” Read more
No Real Estate For Sale in San Bruno!
There are only 10 houses for sale in San Bruno and 5 condos! This is the least amount of homes for sale that I have ever seen here in my 14 years of real estate. No wonder there is so much competition. I imagine if you had equity and wanted to sell, this woul be the right time!
It’s strange that there are only 5 condos for sale in San Bruno when there are 1200 units in Shelter Creek and almost the same in Peninsula Place. People have asked me if banks are holding on their inventory? Are people not selling because the values have come down? MayBE!
It is frustrating having people who want to buy houses and condos and not being able to show and sell them anything! Read more
Is it Worth the Cost? Preparing your Home to Sell
A stressful part of putting your home on the market is trying to figure out what to fix and upgrade to get the very best price. An experienced agent will recommend projects to consider and ones to avoid. After all, just because you put money into a renovation project doesn’t mean you will recoup the money in a sale.
You may also want to consult Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report for a breakdown of typical returns on renovation projects large and small. The 24th annual edition published earlier this year contains input from some of the country’s top remodeling professionals and ranked 35 remodeling projects for highest returns.
In many cases, smaller-scale renovation projects recoup more of their initial cost than larger, pricier ones, according to the report. For example, a minor $20,000 kitchen upgrade returns 72.8% of renovation costs, but a more expensive $58,000 kitchen remodel only retains 68.7% of its value on resale. Read more
Why get a VA Loan?
More than 29 million veterans and service personnel are eligible for VA financing. Even though many veterans have already used their loan benefits, it may be possible for them to buy homes again with VA financing using remaining or restored loan entitlement.
Before arranging for a new mortgage to finance a home purchase, veterans should consider some of the advantages of VA home loans. The most important consideration is that no down payment is required in most cases. Loan maximum may be up to 100 percent of the VA established reasonable value of the property. Due to secondary market requirements, however, loans generally may not exceed a certain amount set by the VA
* Flexibility of negotiating interest rates with the lender.
* No monthly mortgage insurance premium to pay.
* Limitation on buyer’s closing costs.
* An appraisal which informs you of the property’s value.
* Thirty year loans with a choice of repayment plans:
* Traditional fixed payment (constant principal and interest; increases or decreases may be expected in property taxes and homeowner’s insurance coverage);
* Graduated Payment Mortgage – GPM (low initial payments which gradually rise to a level payment starting in the sixth year); and
* In some areas, Growing Equity Mortgages – GEM (gradually increasing payments with all of the increase applied to principal, resulting in an early payoff of the loan).
* For most loans for new houses, construction is inspected at appropriate stages to ensure compliance with the approved plans, and a 1-year warranty is required from the builder that the house is built in conformity with the approved plans and specifications. In those cases where the builder provides an acceptable 10-year warranty plan, only a final inspection may be required.
* An assumable mortgage, subject to VA approval of the assumer’s credit.
* Right to prepay loan without penalty.
* VA performs personal loan servicing and offers financial counseling to help veterans avoid losing their homes during temporary financial difficulties.
For more information on VA loans, visit http://www.drlending.com/Library/VA_Loans.html
Beautiful Merimont Homes, San Bruno
The Merimont Development is the old Carl Sandburg School site closed in 1978. Below is a link from 2008 that I found interesting. I also find it interesting that I am doing am open house there this weekend. This Sunday, April 29 2-4 pm, to be exact! The address is 213 Marbella Lane, San Bruno. It is actually a pretty awesome looking community!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/27/RE5EUI2K7.DTL
The paragraph below is from the Summer Hill website…
“This community sold out in 2011. Located in the hills above San Bruno with many homes offering Bay Views, Merimont offered 70 single-family homes with 3 to 5 bedrooms in approximately 1,785 to 2,289 square feet. A new neighborhood park with play structure, barbeque, and picnic facility offer a wealth of outdoor activities for children and adults alike. Merimont is only minutes from I-280 and BART for easy access to work or recreation in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area. Merimont was priced from the high $700,000s to the high $900,000s.”
Karin Cunningham
Prudential California Realty
650-438-3504
San Bruno Dia de los Ninos and Relay for Life 2012
This Saturday, April 28, 1- 4 pm is the annual San Bruno Dia de los Niños Celebration in San Bruno Park. All public schools and community groups in San Bruno will have a craft table set up. There will also be Irish Dancers, Indian Dancers, a magician, and the Parkside Band performing! Young readers will receive a FREE book while supplies last. According to the weather report it is going to be a nice, warm, sunny day so why not bring a blanket and picnic basket!
The same day, San Bruno is hosting its first Relay for Life event for the fight against cancer. This event will be held at the Capuchino High School football field which has a track that people will be walking around. There are a bunch of teams this year, 26 from San Bruno alone including the Parkside Leos, the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce, community individuals, and various clubs! Click on this link to join and check out who is participating!
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=42708&team_id=1105597
Relay for Life starts its opening ceremonies at 10:00 am on Sat., April 28 and continues for 24 hours until 10:00 am on Sunday, April 29th.
I hope to see you there!
Karin Cunningham
650-438-3504
New Farmer’s Market!
Great news! The adorable Peninsula town of Brisbane now has a new Farmer’s Market! Every Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. many Northern California fruit and vegetable vendors, as well as purveyors of such delectable items as pies, chocolates and much, much more are descending upon this quaint little town just 10 minutes from San Francisco, as well as only 5 to 15 minutes from just about anywhere on the Peninsula.
The market has been going for two weeks now. I have personally bought the absolute best pita chips I have ever had, as well as some delicious hummus (both made fresh by Hummus Heaven in San Leandro) at this market. Today, I purchased 3 tubs of huge, delicious strawberries for $5.00, as well as lemons and swiss chard, all grown here in northern California. I also purchased a gluten free, vegan chocolate fritter that is terrific. Read more
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