Sally Rosenman

Good Afternoon,

As a Realtor, you know you really need an agent who works the East Bay and another who works the South Bay and another who works San Francisco. There is no agent who has a handle on all of the different areas - period. Frankly, I do not think a Realtor who works Oakland/Berkeley also specializes in Dublin/Union City/Fremont but I could be mistaken. Choose a San Francisco Agent (or other area) and ask her to refer you to Agents they know who have their fingers on the pulse of the areas they represent and who are tech savvy. You know this means we get a referral fee.

While you are a Realtor in Boston, things are done differently here in California, especially in San Francisco where we are very strict on many rules and regulations and where renters "rule." Most of us have Buyers booklets which we created or some get them from a Title Co. which explain how escrows flow in each area in which you are looking. Also we have access to SFAR maps which break down the city into Districts and Subdistricts which would make your search easier. We can also add you to the MLS under Clients/Propsects so you receive everything in your price range that is for sale and sold just as and as soon as they come up to us. Or we could pick and choose ones we think you would like.

Tuesdays are Broker's Tour days in San Francisco and Realtors could give you the full tour and/or take you with us. We also make private appointments/tours and take clients out on Sundays.

You can go to my website and go to Resources. There are many excellent mortgage brokers and bankers listed whom I feel would do an excellent job. I am happy to talk to you about it but prefer not to list them here.

Many agents, me included, work all aspects of real estate. This means we can show you condos, co-ops, lofts, TICs and homes. For a top price of $600,000, you are not going to get a two unit building in a decent area of San Francisco.

Lastly, if my style interests you, you can learn more about me on my website. I am a life-long San Franciscan, A Top Producer at Hill & Co. Real Estate and have 19 years in the business. If yes, I look forward to talking with you. If no, I am sure you will find a realtor you can work with and a property you will love.

Cheers,
Sally - Yesterday, 17:32

Hi Mandy,

Good points are made below. We do not work with attorneys unless YOU want to have one look over your contract, then we can recommend excellent real estate attorneys for you to contact.
You need to choose a Realtor who works a lot with first-time buyers and has things made specifically to help Buyers like you understand the whole process. And one who will work with you step-by-step explaining the process from finding the property (which you did) to how to find a good loan to getting yourself pre-approved to making the offer to what happens after the offer is accepted and all the steps of Escrow to the Closing of Escrow and handing you the keys to your new home!
You should interview a couple of Realtors and check out their websites. I know many of us would be delighted to work with you!
Cheers,
Sally - Mon Jul 21 2008, 11:31

Dear J'mo,

I am recently home from surgery and not able to respond in full. I do suggest you go to the website of Goldstein, Gellman. Melbostad, Gibson & Harris. www.g3mh.com

David Gellman is well-qualified to answer any questions and you can call him with a quick question. On their website they have a section on TICs, Condo-conversions and many other interesting real estate topics which you can printout and use for California real estate. If you lose the link, you can go to my website under links and get to them that way.

Good luck,
Sally - Sat Jul 19 2008, 14:55

Dear Elizabeth,

Please go to my website: www.sallyrosenman.com and look up information on the different communities in San Francisco. If you let me or another realtor know your price range, we will be able to tell you about other areas you would find more appealing.

You can also search the full SF MLS from that site as well or I can search for you.

Lastly, go to my website links or SFGov.Org for the Mayor's website and check out the SF Police Department. They have crime statistics that should assist you in making some decisions about certain neighborhoods.

I hope this is helpful and would welcome the opportunity to assist you. Good luck!

Cheers,

Sally - Fri Jul 18 2008, 17:13

Dear Paul,

No realtor can give you a true appraisal until she/he has seen your home. With a short visit, you would point out an upgrades you have made, any problems that have arisen that need to be taken care of and talk about your plans. The Agent should then prepare a Comparable Market Analysis which can be done quickly. That way you would get a true appraisal. Appraisers work the same way. They come out and measure, take photos and then draft their appraisal.

Realtors perform this as a free service. Please feel free to call on me to assist you with this.

Cheers,
Sally - Mon Jul 14 2008, 17:24