Menlo Park Ca REal Estate Market Update 10/13/13

As a Menlo Park Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Menlo Park?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 37 single family Menlo Park homes for sale up from 34 last week.

There are currently 9 Menlo Park town homes/condos for sale down from 8 last week.

There are currently 28 pending sales of Menlo Park single family homes up from 27 last week.

There are currently 8 pending sales of Menlo Park homes/Condos the same as last week.

In September of 2013 there were 16 single family Menlo Park homes sold, a big decrease from Aug closings, but listing in August are always down so that translates in a decrease in closing in August.  The prices ranged from $537,000 to $4,500,000 a little higher than in August.  If you look at just the Menlo Park homes with Menlo Park schools the lowest price in Aug. was $1,300,000 up over $400,000 from the lowest price home with Menlo Park schools in August.  In September of 2013 there were 5 Menlo Park Town Homes/Condos sold.   The prices ranged from $540,000 to $1.070.000. 

The inventory of single family homes for sale in Menlo Park is still at historically low levels but a little higher than last week. The pending sales however do not exceed active listings so that gives us some hope that the insanity may be dampening. It will be interesting to see how the impending shut down and possible debt ceiling crisis effect the market, if at all.  

If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Menlo Park please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogsview/4207485/menlo-park-ca-real-estate-market-update-9-30-2013#sthash.MOgmeGEa.dpuf

Palo Alto Ca Real Estate Market Update 10/6/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 30 single family Palo Alto homes for sale, down from 33 last week.

There are currently 6 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, the same as last week.

There are currently 37 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, up from 34 last week.

There are currently 10 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, down from 15 last week.

In Sept of 2013 there were 29 single family Palo Alto homes sold, 15 less than in Aug. The big drop in solds is a reflection of the decrease in inventory that always happens in August. The prices ranged from $595,000 to $4,325,000. This is the first sale under a million dollars since last spring. The $595,000 sale was a weird anomoly of a tear down house on a small lot on Alma. The next lowest price house was $1,070,00.

In August of 2013 there were 7 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold, the same as August.  The prices ranged from $900,000 to $1,650,000. This is a very a high starting price point for condos in Palo Alto, but none of the condos in the traditionally lower priced complexes were for sale.

 Anything between 40 and 60 is typical seller's market for Palo Alto and over 90 is a buyer's market.   As you can see, the chances of a buyer's market in the near future look slim, but if we could just have enough inventory that all the serious buyers could eventually win a bid I would be happy and seller's would still reap their appreciation.  While right now the number of pending sales are higher than last week and the active listings are down.  Well the government did shut down, but is not having an effect on the market this week. I am more concerned with what could happen if we default on our debt, but I really do not believe that will happen.  If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogsview/4207437/palo-alto-ca-real-estate-market-update-9-30-2013#sthash.9g6d3ibp.dpuf

Santa Clara Ca Pre-Sale Dry Rot Bath Repair Turns Is Not That Simple

I am currently getting a Santa Clara Probate sale ready for market. However, for a variety of reasons the Personal Representative has decided to let the Santa Clara Probate Process finish up before putting the home on the market. As a result, she has now inherited the home outright and so the rules have changed some.

This means that she can now do repairs on the house without putting the Santa Clara estate in jeopardy of increased liability. The previous owner was almost 100 years old when he died and there is a lot of differed maintenance. 

Both bathrooms were completely filled with dry rot, besides being old, ugly, and dirty. She made the decision that it was worth having the termite company come in and get rid of the dry rot, replace the fixtures, and re tile the bath rooms before selling this Santa Clara home. That seems very straight forward right?

The termite company came into this Santa Clara Probate home before sale and removed everything in the original baths, put in new shower valves, and then called the city in for an inspection.  The Santa Clara city building inspector came to the house and said the work was fine, but in order to final the permit the contractor had to hard-wire the house for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Just putting them on the walls was not enough. He wanted them all hardwired together. Plus, he wanted motion sensor detectors in the light switches in both bathrooms. Neither the contractor nor the owner of the termite company had ever had to do this before, and they rip up bathrooms every day.

However, as the expression goes, you "Can't fight City Hall." If the Santa Clara Building inspector says all the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors have to be hardwired and the light switches have to be motion sensor-ed then it will get done. 

The electrical panel is old, has fuses, and needs to be replaced. My client decided she was not going to do it for fear they would ask her rebuild the chimney in order to get a permit to replace the electrical panel. Some cans of worms are not worth opening.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

BRE 01191194

650-619-9285

Menlo Park Ca Real Estate Market Update 9/30/2013

As a Menlo Park Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Menlo Park?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 34 single family Menlo Park homes for sale down from 36 last week.

There are currently 8 Menlo Park town homes/condos for sale down from 10 last week.

There are currently 27 pending sales of Menlo Park single family homes up from 17 last week.

There are currently 8 pending sales of Menlo Park homes/Condos up from 4 last week.

In August of 2013 there were 28 single family Menlo Park homes sold, a big decrease from July.  The prices ranged from $520,000 to $4,000,000. The lowest priced home in Belle Haven is up $100,000 from July and in central Menlo the price is about the same for the highest price sold. I think the prices may be starting to level off. If you look at just the Menlo Park homes with Menlo Park schools the lowest price in July was $899,000 down June's lowest price of 975K., and down to $850,00 in August.  In August of 2013 there were 7 Menlo Park Town Homes/Condos sold.   The prices ranged from $580,000 to $2,395,000. This is a high starting price point for condos,  The lowest price condo that is not senior only housing was $1,149,000 for an 1,800+ square foot town home on Stone Pine,

The inventory of single family homes for sale in Menlo Park is still at historically low levels and even lower than last week. The pending sales however do not exceed active listings so that gives us some hope that the insanity may be dampening. It will be interesting to see how the impending shut down and possible debt ceiling crisis effect the market, if at all.  If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Menlo Park please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogsview/4199491/menlo-park-ca-real-estate-market-update-9-21-2013#sthash.D9seu475.dpuf

Santa Clara Ca Real Estate Market Update 9/30/2013

As a Santa Clara Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Santa Clara?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 45 single family Santa Clara homes for sale, up from 42 last week.

There are currently 41 Santa Clara town homes/condos for sale, the same as last week.

There are currently 62 pending sales of Santa Clara single family homes, down from 66 last week.

There are currently 40 pending sales of Santa Clara town homes/Condos, down from 43 last week.

In Aug of 2013 there were 51 single family Santa Clara homes sold, 10 less than in July, ranging in price from $525,000 to $1,500,000. The lowest priced home is $115,000 higher than the lowest price in July, but the highest price home is about the same, and in the same new development.  

In August of 2013 there were 41 Santa Clara Town Homes/Condos sold, almost the same as in July.  They ranged in price from $230,000 to $825,000. This is about the same as in June and July. Has the appreciation started to slow down? I think so.  

There are a few more homes for sale this week which is good news.  Hopefully as more homeowners come out from being underwater (owing more on their home than it is worth) more sellers will be able and willing to sell. However, there was not an increase in condos for sale and this is important as there are so many young people trying to buy their first homes and so few condos for them to buy.

If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Santa Clara please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogsview/4199477/santa-clara-ca-real-estate-market-update-9-21-2012#sthash.0cJjuQou.dpuf

Mountain View Ca REal Estate Market Update 9/30/2013

There are currently 15 single family Mountain View homes for sale,  down from 20 last week.

There are currently 18 Mountain View town homes/condos for sale,  down from 19 last week.

There are currently 24 pending sales of Mountain View single family homes,  up from 22 last week.

There are currently 37 pending sales of Mountain View Town homes/Condos, up from 35 last week.

In Aug, 2013 there were 29 single family Mountain View homes sold ranging in price from $685,000 to $2,425,000. This does not include sales in the new development in Waverley Park. The lowest price sale is down over 100K from July, but in an industrial neighborhood. The lowest price single family home in a residential neighborhood was the same as in July, $850,000.

In June, 2013  there were 28 Mountain View Town Homes/Condos sold ranging in price from $370,000 to $1,300,000. These numbers are higher than in July. I thought prices were starting to level off in Mountain View, but it does not appear to be the case $370,000 for a one bedroom condo is not a sign that the market is leveling off. 

  I would like to see at least 40 single family homes for sale and at least 60 condos for sale at any given week, but that is not happening. One problem with so few single family homes for sale is that there are not as many single family homes in Mountain View as there are condos. With few homes and more buyers it is a difficult market for buyers.  August is always a slow month for listings so I didn't expect to see another jump until Sept which so far has been more like a skip than a jump.  The structural problem of not enough single family homes is not going to be solved  any time soon.  In some communities such as Palo Alto and Menlo Park there are many empty nestors who would be selling, but do not because their grown children come back to live with them; this is not the case for a Mountain View condo. Many condo owners who would have sold to move up were not able to when prices were below their original purchase price. Appreciation has wiped out that problem so hopefully we see more condo sellers soon. In the mean time we are in the doldrums as far as inventory and pending sales go.

If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Mountain View please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogsview/4199455/mountain-view-ca-real-estate-market-update-9-21-2013#sthash.4RSuRafu.dpuf

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 33 single family Palo Alto homes for sale, down from 46 last month.

There are currently 6 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, down from 9 last month.

There are currently 34 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, up from 28 last week.

There are currently 15 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, up from 13 last month.

In Aug of 2013 there were 43 single family Palo Alto homes sold, just 2 less than in July. The prices ranged from $980,000 to $5,400,000. This is the first sale under a million dollars since last spring.

In August of 2013 there were 7 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold, 2 more than in July.  The prices ranged from $550,000 to $1,700,000. This is not a high starting price point for condos in Palo Alto, but it was only one bedroom and about the same as last month.

August is traditionally the lowest month for inventory in Palo Alto so I skipped a few weeks of tracking. Hopefully we will not fall back into weeks of only a few homes for sale. Anything between 40 and 60 is typical seller's market for Palo Alto and over 90 is a buyer's market.   As you can see, the chances of a buyer's market in the near future look slim, but if we could just have enough inventory that all the serious buyers could eventually win a bid I would be happy and seller's would still reap their appreciation.  While right now the number of pending sales are higher than last week and the active listings are down.  The impeding government shut down is not having an effect on the market this week. We will have to see about next week if we really do shut down. If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogsview/4199432/palo-alto-market-update-9-21-2013#sthash.vvAd9EOI.dpu

I found the Most Unusual Thing At My Santa Clara Probate Listing

As a Santa Clara Realtor who specializes in Probate Sales I have found many unusual things left at house that were not wanted or noticed by the heirs. Since I offer to clean out and stage the Probate Homes I sell I get to deal with al the junk that is left behind.

You see when someone dies an estimate of the value of the personal items is given to the court. After that the items that were left to specific people are distributed. These are usually the things of monetary or sentimental value like jewelry, artwork, or good furniture. Sometimes there is no will, or no specific designation, so any valuables will be sold and the money added to the money that will eventually be divided amongst the heirs. This can be done by an estate seller, a garage sale, or an auction house.

What is left is trash, things to recycle, and things to donate. This is where I come in. I bring in my crew and we recycle metal, paper, cans, old appliances, anything that can be recycled, donate anything that Goodwill or Saint Vincent DePaul will take, and trash the rest. After that I get the home painted, make sure the flooring is fresh, and fully stage the house.

We look at every item to make sure it really is worthless and that there is no money in a pocket or under a mattress. We have found some unusual things, but what we found at my latest Santa Clara Probate Sale is a first for me, someone's ashes. This person died in 1951 and we had no idea whose they were. The owner of the home was 100 when he died, and his closest relative who is the Personal Representativeof this Santa Clara Probate home is a much younger cousin and had no idea who the ashes belonged to.

After speaking with a neighbor we discovered that the ashes belonged to the owners son. They had been living in NYC in 1951 when their 5-year-old son was hit by a bus and killed. Our 100-year-old owner had kept the ashes with him for 62 years. My client, the younger cousin has taken the ashes so the two can be buried together. I was so happy to be able to do this for the family.

It is very satisfying to take a probate home from trash filled to cleaned up, painted, and fully staged in order to increase the value for the heirs, which is what I do. But it is even more satisfying to help a family preserve memories and wishes.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Santa Clara in Probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

BRE 01191194

640-619-9284

Should You Decorate Your Palo Alto House For Sale For Halloween?

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am often asked this question in the fall, "Should I decorate my house for Halloween?"

I am prejudiced as I love Halloween, but the decision to decorate your Palo Alto home for sale or not needs to be made with your head, not your heart.

My first rule of thumb is don't do anything that would scare a young child. So no witches, headless horsemen, or "The Nightmare Before Christmas" pumpkins. If a child gets scared when viewing a home he or she will start screaming and the parents are likely to need to leave before they have the chance to really appreciate all that your Palo Alto home has to offer. Put out pumpkins with smiling faces instead.

Making your home smell like Halloween will bring warm feelings to anyone who enters the house. Pumpkin candles, candy corn, apple cider smells are all wonderful and will make people feel good when they come into the house. Halloween is a happy time for most people so reminding them of that happiness is a good thing when you are selling your Palo Alto home.

One thing I like to do when I list a home in Palo Alto over Halloween is to dedicate one room to decorations, instead of doing up the whole house.

If most of the decorations are in one room of the Palo Alto house for sale then the concept of isn't this a wonderful time of year can be achieved without distracting from the staging and architectural features of the rest of the home.

Creativity in selling a Palo Alto home near Halloween can take many forms.

As many Palo Alto residents know we have an active raccoon population in town. Digging up lawns is one of their favorite past times. The week I was ready to put this Palo Alto home on the market a band of raccoons decided that this home had the best grubbs on the block and wanted to lift up the grass to get to them.  It started in one spot then expanded. The owners wanted to capture the raccoons before re-seeding the lawn. I got some straw and put pumpkins over the dug up area.  By the time this Palo Alto house went on the market I had several bales of straw and a few scare crows all over the front lawn. It looked like Halloween and covered up the offending torn up lawn. We eventually relocated the raccoons, and re- seeded the lawn for the new owners.

So as Halloween approaches, if you are selling your home in Palo Alto have fun with the holiday and be careful not to put up anything that could scare a young child, or detract from the better points of your lovely Palo Alto home for sale.

If you have any questions about selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
BRE 01191194
650-619-9285

Menlo Park, Ca. Real Estate Market Update 9/21/2013

As a Menlo Park Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Menlo Park?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 36 single family Menlo Park homes for sale up from 23 last month.

There are currently 10 Menlo Park town homes/condos for sale down from 9 last week.

There are currently 17 pending sales of Menlo Park single family homes down from 28 last month.

There are currently 4 pending sales of Menlo Park homes/Condos down from 6 last month.

In August of 2013 there were 28 single family Menlo Park homes sold, a big decrease from July.  The prices ranged from $520,000 to $4,000,000. The lowest priced home in Belle Haven is up $100,000 from July and in central Menlo the price is about the same for the highest price sold. I think the prices may be starting to level off. If you look at just the Menlo Park homes with Menlo Park schools the lowest price in July was $899,000 down June's lowest price of 975K., and down to $850,00 in August. 

In August of 2013 there were 7 Menlo Park Town Homes/Condos sold.   The prices ranged from $580,000 to $2,395,000. This is a high starting price point for condos,  The lowest price condo that is not senior only housing was $1,149,000 for an 1,800+ square foot town home on Stone Pine,

The inventory of single family homes for sale in Menlo Park is still at historically low levels, but like Palo Alto and Mountain View up from last month.  August is a traditionally slow month for inventory so I didn't expect to see any increase until sometime in September.  We do have an increase, but not enough to change the dynamics of the seller's market.  If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Menlo Park please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogs?page=2&sub_category=consumer&username=marcymoyer#sthash.mKJ5VVd8.dpuf

Santa Clara Ca. Real Estate Market Update 9/21/2012

As a Santa Clara Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Santa Clara?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 42 single family Santa Clara homes for sale, down from 46 last month.

There are currently 41 Santa Clara town homes/condos for sale, up from 39 last month.

There are currently 66 pending sales of Santa Clara single family homes, up from 60 last month.

There are currently 43 pending sales of Santa Clara town homes/Condos, down from 46 last month.

In Aug of 2013 there were 51 single family Santa Clara homes sold, 10 less than in July, ranging in price from $525,000 to $1,500,000. The lowest priced home is $115,000 higher than the lowest price in July, but the highest price home is about the same, and in the same new development.  

In August of 2013 there were 41 Santa Clara Town Homes/Condos sold, almost the same as in July. 

They ranged in price from $230,000 to $825,000. This is about the same as in June and July. Has the appreciation started to slow down? I think so.  

August did not see a big drop in inventory so September did not see a big increase which is often the pattern.  Hopefully as more homeowners come out from being underwater (owing more on their home than it is worth) more sellers will be able and willing to sell. However, there was not an increase in condos for sale and this is important as there are so many young people trying to buy their first homes and so few condos for them to buy.

If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Santa Clara please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

Mountain View Ca Real Estate Market Update 9/21/2013

In Aug, 2013 there were 29 single family Mountain View homes sold ranging in price from $685,000 to $2,425,000. This does not include sales in the new development in Waverley Park. The lowest price sale is down over 100K from July, but in an industrial neighborhood. The lowest price single family home in a residential neighborhood was the same as in July, $850,000.

In June, 2013  there were 28 Mountain View Town Homes/Condos sold ranging in price from $370,000 to $1,300,000. These numbers are higher than in July. I thought prices were starting to level off in Mountain View, but it does not appear to be the case $370,000 for a one bedroom condo is not a sign that the market is leveling off. 

I would like to see at least 40 single family homes for sale and at least 60 condos for sale at any given week, but that is not happening. One problem with so few single family homes for sale is that there are not as many single family homes in Mountain View as there are condos. With few homes and more buyers it is a difficult market for buyers.  August is always a slow month for listings so I didn't expect to see another jump until Sept which so far has been more like a skip than a jump.  The structural problem of not enough single family homes is not going to be solved  any time soon.  In some communities such as Palo Alto and Menlo Park there are many empty nestors who would be selling, but do not because their grown children come back to live with them; this is not the case for a Mountain View condo. Many condo owners who would have sold to move up were not able to when prices were below their original purchase price. Appreciation has wiped out that problem so hopefully we see more condo sellers soon.

If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Mountain View please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogs?page=2&sub_category=consumer&username=marcymoyer#sthash.mytoL8kl.dpuf

Palo Alto Market Update 9/21/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 45 single family Palo Alto homes for sale, up from 23 last month.

There are currently 9 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, up from 5 last month.

There are currently 28 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, down from 41 last month.

There are currently 13 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, up from 4 last month.

In Aug of 2013 there were 43 single family Palo Alto homes sold, just 2 less than in July. The prices ranged from $980,000 to $5,400,000. This is the first sale under a million dollars since last spring.

In August of 2013 there were 7 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold, 2 more than in July.  The prices ranged from $550,000 to $1,700,000. This is not a high starting price point for condos in Palo Alto, but it was only one bedroom and about the same as last month.

August is traditionally the lowest month for inventory in Palo Alto so I skipped a few weeks of tracking. Hopefully we will not fall back into weeks of only a few homes for sale. Anything between 40 and 60 is typical seller's market for Palo Alto and over 90 is a buyer's market.   As you can see, the chances of a buyer's market in the near future look slim, but if we could just have enough inventory that all the serious buyers could eventually win a bid I would be happy and seller's would still reap their appreciation.  While right now the number of pending sales in low, I am not concerned this means a a crash is coming. I believe it is due to the very low number of homes for sale in August. If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E. 01191194

650-619-9285

- See more at: http://activerain.com/blogs?page=2&sub_category=consumer&username=marcymoyer#sthash.ninW2eKo.dpuf

Curry Up Now Palo Alto: A Fantastic Place To Eat!

Curry Up Now is in downtown Palo Alto at 321 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto. It is open Monday- Friday 11:00am- 10:00pm, Saturday 11:30am- 10:00pm, and Sunday 11:30am- 9:00pm. It is a chain that is also located in San Mateo and San Francisco. They have 3 food trucks that you are able to check for their schedule online. You can also hire the food trucks for one of your events. You are able to order online for any of their locations or food trucks.
 
Curry Up Now serves Indian fusion street food and even offers many vegan and gluten free options. They warn that they prepare their vegan items in a common kitchen that would have the risk of dairy exposure. For gluten free options they offer a gluten free tortilla and flat bread. They do warn that they prepare gluten free food in a common kitchen space for those that have celiac or any another gluten sensitive disease. Also they do not always have the gluten free tortillas in stock. However, I find the bowls with rice, garbonzo beans, and a protein plenty of food for my gluten intolerant stomach! I particularly love the paneer tika masala.

The Tikka Masala burrito is delicious. It definitely has spice, but is not too spicy you can't eat it. It has your choice of white or brown rice, garbanzo beans, onions, and choice of chicken; paneer; or tofu. You can also order it deconstructed which means the filling is in a bowl with the tortilla given on the side.
Another treat not to be missed is the ginger lemonade. I am not much a sweet drink fan, but this lemonade, made from fresh lemons is the perfect compliment to a spicy meal.
There are many choices of places to eat in downtown Palo Alto but Curry Up Now is fast, reasonably prices, and delicious so it hold up well to the competition.
Want to look for places to live near Curry Up Now?  Go to:
http://marcymoyer.com/MapSearch?
Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
BRE 01191194
650-619-9285

Never a Dull Moment In A San Jose Probate Sale

As a San Jose Probate Real Estate Agent I have seen many things happens in transactions, but this one was a first for me.

I listed a cute home in Alum Rock for a family whose parents had both recently passed. The parents left a will but they did not have a trust. Since the estate was not in a trust the assets of the estate need to go through Probate before they can be distributed to the children of the couple who passed.

One child was named Personal Representative of the estate. That is, since the parents are not here to distribute their estate, a personal representative is appointed by the Probate Court to make sure the debts are paid, the taxes are filed, the assets are sold, and the money is distributed in the way the parents specified they wanted it to be done in their will. If there was no will then the estate would be distributed the way the State of California has determined it should be done when there is no will.

When the oldest son was named Personal Representative it also allowed him to sell his parent's house under the Independent Administrations of Estates Act. That means he has the right to accept an offer on the home, and as long as none of the other heirs object the house can be sold without further court approval or an overbid auction at court. If the Personal Representative does not have full authority to sell a home then once an offer is accepted it goes to court where another buyer can try to purchase the home by over bidding the first accepted offer.

I listed the home, got a great offer, and escrow was opened. Everything was fine until the underwriter saw the file. He said he needed proof the son was authorized to the sell the house. We gave him the Letters of Testamentary which say the son is the Personal Representative for the estate and has full authority to sell the house. The underwriter said that is not good enough. There was nothing on the Letters that specifically said he could sell the probate house in Alum Rock. The title report says the house belongs to the parents. The Letters say the son has the right to act as the parents.  In every Probate sale I have done in the last 18 years this has been enough for the underwriter. In every Probate sale my escrow officers has done in the last 30 years this was enough for the underwriter. But not this one.

I solved the problem by getting the original Petition to Administer the estate from the court files. this document has the name of the Personal Representative and the address of the property so that worked. Just another San Jose Probate challenge met.

If you have any questions about buying or selling homes in Probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

BRE 01191194

650-619-9285

Menlo Park Ca Real Estate Market Update 8/11/2013

As a Menlo Park Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Menlo Park?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 23 single family Menlo Park homes for sale down from 31 last week..
There are currently 7 Menlo Park town homes/condos for sale down from 9 last week.
There are currently 28 pending sales of Menlo Park single family homes up from 23 last week.
There are currently 6 pending sales of Menlo Park homes/Condos up from 5 last week.

In July of 2013 there were 46 single family Menlo Park homes sold, a nice jump from June.  The prices ranged from $475,000 to $3,950,000. The lowest priced home in Belle Haven is down $100,000 from June and in central Menlo the price is down 1.5 for the highest price sold. I think the prices may be starting to level off. If you look at just the Menlo Park homes with Menlo Park schools the lowest price in June was $899,000 down June's lowest price of 975K.  In July of 2013 there were 12 Menlo Park Town Homes/Condos sold.   The prices ranged from $380,000 to $1,326,000. This is a high starting price point for condos,  The lowest price condo that is not senior only housing was $580,00 for a 1 bedroom in Sharon Park which is similar to a one bedroom condo in Palo Alto.

The inventory of single family homes for sale in Menlo Park is still at historically low levels, and like Palo Alto and Mountain View down from last week, again. August is a traditionally slow month for inventory so I don't expect to see any increase until sometime in September.  If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Menlo Park please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
D.R.E. 01191194
650-619-9285

Santa Clara Ca REal Estate Market Update 8/11/2013

As a Santa Clara Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Santa Clara?" The answer is simple:

Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 46 single family Santa Clara homes for sale, up from 40 last week.
There are currently 39 Santa Clara town homes/condos for sale, down from 48 last week.
There are currently 60 pending sales of Santa Clara single family homes, up from 46 last week.
There are currently 46 pending sales of Santa Clara town homes/Condos, up from 42 last week.

In July of 2013 there were 61 single family Santa Clara homes sold, the same as in June, ranging in price from $410,000 to $1,520,000. The lowest priced home is about the same as teh lowest price in June, but the highest price home is much higher, by about 300K. This is probably a fluke.

In June of 2013 there were 39 Santa Clara Town Homes/Condos sold, almost 20% more than in June.

 They ranged in price from $190,000 to $815,000. This is about the same as in June. Has the appreciation started to slow down? I think so.
Santa Clara single family home listings are finally up from before the holiday.  Condos are down 10% from last week but they had been up 20% over the previous 2 weeks so this is not surprising. 

 Hopefully as more homeowners come out from being underwater (owing more on their home than it is worth) more sellers will be able and willing to sell. However, there was not an increase in condos for sale and this is important as there are so many young people trying to buy their first homes and so few condos for them to buy.

If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Santa Clara please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
D.R.E. 01191194
650-619-9285

Mountain View Real Estate Market Update 8/11/2013

There are currently 16 single family Mountain View homes for sale,  the same as last week.
There are currently 15 Mountain View town homes/condos for sale,  the same as last week.
There are currently 37 pending sales of Mountain View single family homes,  up from 31 last week.
There are currently 30 pending sales of Mountain View Town homes/Condos, up from 29 last week.

In July, 2013 there were 27 single family Mountain View homes sold ranging in price from $850,000 to $2,098,000. This does not include sales in the new development in Waverley Park. The lowest price sale is up almost 100K from June.
In June, 2013  there were 31 Mountain View Town Homes/Condos sold ranging in price from $340,000 to $980,000. These numbers are lower than June. Are we starting to level off in appreciation? I think so.

The inventory is the same as last week in single family home listings as well as condos. Pending sales are up which shows a still very strong demand for homes in Mountain View.  I would like to see at least 40 single family homes for sale and at least 60 condos for sale at any given week, but that is not happening. One problem with so few single family homes for sale is that there are not as many single family homes in Mountain View as there are condos. With few homes and more buyers it is a difficult market for buyers.  August is always a slow month for listings so I don't expect to see another jump until Sept at the earliest, but the structural problem of not enough single family homes is not going to be solved this. In some communities such as Palo Alto and Menlo Park there are many empty nestors who would be selling, but do not because their grown children come back to live with them; this is not the case for a Mountain View condo. Many condo owners who would have sold to move up were not able to when prices were below their original purchase price. Appreciation has wiped out that problem so hopefully we see more condo sellers soon.

If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Mountain View please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com

Palo Alto Real Estate Market Update 8/11/2013

As a Palo Alto Real Estate Agent I am always being asked, "How's the market in Palo Alto?" The answer is simple:
Not enough inventory, plenty of buyers.

There are currently 23 single family Palo Alto homes for sale, down from 28 last week.
There are currently 5 Palo Alto town homes/condos for sale, down from 6 last week.
There are currently 41 pending sales of Palo Alto single family homes, down from 42 last week.
There are currently 4 pending sales of Palo Alto Town homes/Condos, down from 6 last week.

In July of 2013 there were 41 single family Palo Alto homes sold, a big drop from April, May  and June sales. The prices ranged from $1,250,000 to $5,495,000. No homes under a million is significant and a higher lowest price than June. This is getting to be a common occurrence in Palo Alto.
In July of 2013 there were 5 Palo Alto Town Homes/Condos sold, a huge drop from June. The prices ranged from $542,000 to $1,230,000. This is not a high starting price point for condos in Palo Alto, but it was ony one bedroom and about the same as last month.

We had decrease in single family homes for sale, and a decrease in condos. We were in the 40 home range for a few weeks and I hope we get back there again in the fall. August is traditionally a low inventory month so I don't expect much in the way of new inventory this month. Anything between 40 and 60 is typical seller's market for Palo Alto and over 90 is a buyer's market.   As you can see, the chances of a buyer's market in the near future look slim, but if we could just have enough inventory that all the serious buyers could eventually win a bid I would be happy and seller's would still reap their appreciation. If you would like to search for homes for sale please feel free to visit my website for a custom search.

http://marcymoyer.com/OnlineSearchRequest2?operation=choose_mls&timestamp=1359953266454

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Palo Alto please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
D.R.E. 01191194
650-619-9285