John Harper

A weekly update, a phone call or an email when something significant occurs - as much as the client needs. - Wed Jul 23 2008, 03:19

Kristen - Read the blog post on Lowball Offers via the link below.

It's not so much a question of insulting someone as wasting your time and others. Your agent should help you submit an offer that is reasonable within the current local market dynamics. If $600K is reasonable given current conditions, then why not?

If you would like a copy of our first-time buyer's book email me john (at) HarperMees.com - Mon Jul 21 2008, 07:33

We have written several articles on our local real estate blog over the last few months on the situation in Dublin - high inventory of condos, discounts and incentives from new home builders undercutting existing homeowners.

The situation you face does not support your desire to break even. If possible, i would recommend looking for some to lease for 12 to 18 months until the situation improves. You will, of course, need to wieght the financial impact of this against selling the condo for less than you paid.

No one likes to face situations like this, but life seems to throw one or two of these at all of us now and then. If you will be looking to buy when you move, it is quite possible that you will more than make up for your loss on the sell side when you purchase. In fact, you might wind up better off.

This is happening a lot with the current market conditions. Look at the overall, long-term picture. Selling the condo is only one part of a bigger picture. Explore it all to help gain perspective.

The link below is to one of the articles we wrote - Tue Jul 15 2008, 11:32

Art - Walnut Creek is an interesting market. It has more of an eclectic mix of houses than some of the surrounding communities. Foreclosures in the area and the market forces of the last couple of years have resulted in some good deals in the price range you are looking at. My opinion, the prices in this area are stabilizing. Any hoped for savings on price are going to be negated in the next six months by rising interest rates. Keep in mind that in this area, that price point is pretty much the entry level for single family homes. You are going to find more older homes, that need updating in that price range. Many Walnut Creek homes have large lots reflecting the rural roots of the community. We are a 5 person real estate team with various corporate and business skills background which we brought into our real estate careers. We have closed escrow on over 650 homes in the area and have not only handled domestic and international relocations for our clients, but have been through them ourselves. Check us out on the web. - Fri Jul 11 2008, 16:05

Pleasanton is one of the California communities that is mostly built out and the planning commission is very strict with new developments. The larger the development, the more difficult to get approval. There are parcels still being developed but these are mainly single homes or dividing the land for two or three custom homes.

Short answer is - yes, there are new homes in Pleasanton available, but the price point is generally going to be higher than surrounding communities.

You can get a FREE Market Details Report on Pleasanton via the link below. - Mon Jul 7 2008, 07:33