Jackalope

Mission Barganista, congratulations on finding and buying a place! Whether Mission-proper or Mission/Castro, it's a great area to live and buy in - and great weather to boot.

I'm happy to hear you are indeed making your living by your pen. Your angel of death comment was too good; I figured you had to be a pro - and/or have a very active imagination. Great visual imagery!

I did end up finding a place but my budget was very, very low. One income, first-time buyer, you know the drill. It basically came down to two options: 1. Place in/near the city that was crappy but great location. 2. Place not in/near the city but great living space/neighborhood with the trade-off of a craptastic commute.

Of course, I ended up choosing the latter and purchased the lower unit of a duplex near the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland/a block from Piedmont. Built in 1914, Craftsman/Prairie style, box beam ceilings, beautiful garden, huge backyard for my yellow Lab, two bedrooms, and a sunroom.

Good luck on your new place! Have you closed yet? - Mon Aug 4 2008, 09:17

Mission Bargainista, you are my new hero. Your answer cracked me up, and finally, finally!!, someone who also feels that granite is less than inspiring.

Angel of death?! I hope you are a writer; you crack me up.

Thanks for the laugh, and good luck finding your place - have you located anything yet? - Wed Jun 25 2008, 10:47

I'm in agreement with Jed and Cheryl. As a buyer, if I see one more granite countertop I'm going to puke. It's like having avocado green appliances that scream "70s!!".

My strong preference would be to have a slightly lower price so I could do the kitchen the way that I wanted it done, as someone who would live there long term, instead of a 'slap it on and sell' quick fix job. What's to say buyers don't walk in and hate the color/finish of the countertop you've chosen? Or leave it open for negotiation.

I realize agents are saying most people can't imagine what a house would look like other than what's there, but I don't agree with that. If true, entire channels like HGTV wouldn't exist. ;)

Maybe people don't want to change things, but is there really anyone who moves in and keeps everything the same?

Sorry for the strong feelings on granite, but I'm over it. - Fri Jun 20 2008, 12:49

I would strongly, strongly, strongly encourage you to look up the Oakland crime map via the internet. It will give you a lot of answers.

There are great and sketchy parts of Oakland, and this tool more than anything else, helped me decide where to consider, and where to definitely stay away from. - Wed Jul 2 2008, 14:39

Was this a real question or a troll pumping up business for the link he added? Sketch, dude. Totally sketch. - Fri Jun 27 2008, 16:53

Here's my two cents as a buyer re: staging.

What I love about staging is that there are pros who have come in and made the seller declutter the place, so it gives you a better sense of the space you would be working with. Their placement of furniture and artwork helps those (um, like me) who can't visualize or decorate to save their lives. So in that sense, it's really wonderful for prospective buyers.

What I don't love about it is that it, well, looks staged. I can't tell you the number of dining sets I've seen that have the chairs decorated with full-chair covers, very frilly multi-plate setups with napkins tied with silk sashes, etc., and that's just the dining room. In the end, at least for me, a lot of the times the setup can look forced and fake. At the same time, it does get me to understand the proportions of the room better.

Overall though, I'd say it's 85% positive and if I were selling, I'd seriously consider it. - Tue Jun 17 2008, 09:51

Good question. From what I've seen, they cover stuff like "electricity for the common areas, common area maintenance, etc." Each property will differ, you'd have to read what each place you're considering includes in their HOAs. Sometimes they include earthquake insurance, sometimes they don't. Sometimes it covers most utilities, sometimes it doesn't.

From what I've seen, the general cost is about $400 - $600/month on any of the newer places, and of course they can be much higher than that depending on the area.

I haven't seen any instances where HOAs cover taxes, and although it may cover some insurance costs, you'd still need personal property insurance at a bare minimum.

Wish I had a better answer for you, but from all my research the bottom line is "it depends".

Good luck! - Fri Jun 6 2008, 18:35