Ted Stephanos

I'm a:	Real Estate Professional
Location:	San Jose
Web sites:	Here's a blog I contribute to:

30 Answers
1 Best Answer
3 First Answers
23 Useful Answers

Report this profile

About Me

Born and raised in the Bay Area, it is truly the place I call home. I grew up in Los Altos and reside in San Carlos with my wife Annie and daughter Lilly. My educational background is in earth sciences and parlayed that into the natural hazard disclosure field after a short stint at the USGS in Menlo Park. After working for a local disclosure company for over 14 years I started my own firm in 2006 called blueNHD. In January 2008, my company was sold to HomeGuard Inc. where I took a position of Vice President of Disclosure Services. I have a passion for working with real estate professionals whether it's a Realtor, broker, title company, lender, buyer or seller.

Many feel the natural hazard disclosure report is just another item to sign off on during the transaction process, but in some cases the information is critical in avoiding lawsuits. The reports can also provide a heads-up to the buyer that the property they may be investing in may have a fault runnning through it, an active landslide on it, or a myriad of other issues that can effect the desirability, remodel of an existing home, and buildability of a plot of land.

If anyone out there has any questions about natural hazards and disclosure in California, please don't hesitate to contact me. You can visit my site at http://www.homeguardNHD.com for more information.

My Q&A View all >>

Ted Stephanos's Questions (1)

Ted Stephanos's Answers (30)

What's the best area in North San Jose?

Asked Sat Aug 25 2007, 15:04 by Joon - San Jose - Home Buying - 6 answers

Ted Stephanos answered:

Joon,
you may also want to consider developments along The Alameda west of downtown and the arena. These redevelopment areas have drastically improved over he past 15 years. Good restauarants in the area, close to downtown, freeway access. A new Whole Foods is going in soon at The Alameda and Stockton St...
Another area of North San Jose to consider for townhomes is off Montague Expwy at Rivermark Plaza north of 101. - Sat Nov 17 2007, 20:07

What's the Trulia equivalent for rentals?

Asked Tue Nov 13 2007, 06:06 by Chris Jantz-… - San Francisco - Tech Tips - 11 answers

Ted Stephanos answered:

Chris,
also check out:
http://www.housingmaps.com/
This site has interactive maps and you can also filter by areas price range. Many of the postings are linked to Craigslist and it's easy to tell if there are photos associated with the rental. - Tue Nov 13 2007, 15:44

WHAT IS THE ELEVATION OF MASONTOWN?

Asked Mon Nov 12 2007, 14:26 by S.boskovich - 15461 - General Area - 1 answer

Ted Stephanos answered:

Topographic maps from the USGS can be found on the internet. One source is TerraServer USA at:

http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?t=2&s=14&x=1…

The topo shows Masontown, West Verginia at approximately 540 fet above sea level. - Tue Nov 13 2007, 13:28

RE Pros....Why do you participate in Trulia? If mulitple reasons, what is your primary objective?

Asked Sun Nov 4 2007, 15:25 by Deborah Madey… - All locations - Using Trulia - 34 answers

Ted Stephanos answered:

For the first week or so, I was just reading the Q&A and continuing to educated myself of the real estate industry. I then began to see a few questions pertaining to my area of expertise answered inaccurately I felt compelled to start replying to questions in order to provide accurate responses. If I happen to gain a few realtor clients along the way who decide to use my services, then that's gravy. - Mon Nov 5 2007, 09:41

Earthquake. Its been awhile.

Asked Tue Oct 30 2007, 23:32 by Realtyexec - 95135 - Crime & Safety - 4 answers

Ted Stephanos answered:

Yeah that was decent shaker...I think the smartest thing to do is be prepared by making sure large items in your house are strapped down and anchored. It's amazing how some really heavy appliances, bookshelves, and cabinets can move and fall when there are strong earthquakes. The USGS has put out an excellent product called "Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country" and can be helpful for homeowners new to California or ones that have not prepared for the "big one".

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15/ is the site to check it out.

Also the Association of Bay Area Govements site at http://quake.abag.ca.gov/ has tons of info on how to make your home and business safer. - Sat Nov 3 2007, 01:48

View all Ted Stephanos's Questions & Answers >>

RSS