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- 16 Answers
- 1 Best Answer
- 9 First Answers
- 4 Useful Answers
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About Me
As the founder of the SPARRproperties team at Keller Williams, I pride myself on being the market expert in Walnut Creek and the surrounding Contra Costa County areas. I am focused on providing a consultative approach to real estate for both buyers and sellers regardless of whether you are a first-timer or a seasoned investor. However, my specialty lies with investment analysis ... if you are interested in making money through East Bay homes, give me a call and I'll help you make it a reality.
I grew up in Montana's Flathead Valley and have spent significant time living in both Oregon and California. I'm an avid real estate investor and a "do-it-yourselfer" at heart. Buying and fixing homes in need of a little TLC is something I enjoy and plan on doing for many years to come.
Call me today and I'll help you navigate our current market:
Cell: 925.817.8428
I grew up in Montana's Flathead Valley and have spent significant time living in both Oregon and California. I'm an avid real estate investor and a "do-it-yourselfer" at heart. Buying and fixing homes in need of a little TLC is something I enjoy and plan on doing for many years to come.
Call me today and I'll help you navigate our current market:
Cell: 925.817.8428
Testimonials
"Hi Brian,
Thank you so much for the valuable information you brought to my attention. I could not agree with you more..."
Heather X. Tue Jun 10
Heather X. Tue Jun 10
"You rock!
Thank you so much for taking the time to work through the numbers and to provide your thoughts regarding this property. I saw the time stamp of 3:31am on your email -- were you working that late on a Saturday night?? I hope not!"
Steve T. Sun Jul 13
Steve T. Sun Jul 13
"Brian was fantastic - we couldn't have asked for more in our agent. He explained every step in the process. He obviously does his research. He was great at negotiating the deal to a point that we were happy with. We're recommending him to ALL of our friends!"
Gary S. Wed Feb 6
Gary S. Wed Feb 6
My Q&A
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Brian Sparr's Questions (7)
Brian Sparr's Answers (16)
Brian Sparr answered:
Hi Kristen -
In case you are still interested in your potential negotiating power, I ran some numbers for REO sales during the first seven months of 2008 in all of Contra Costa County. This isn't specific to Walnut Creek or a particular lender, but should help you see some concrete numbers (follow the link below to see the results). I've broken it into two categories: 1) comparing the final sold price to the original listing price and 2) comparing the final sold price to the final listing price after any price reductions.
Good luck,
- Brian
In case you are still interested in your potential negotiating power, I ran some numbers for REO sales during the first seven months of 2008 in all of Contra Costa County. This isn't specific to Walnut Creek or a particular lender, but should help you see some concrete numbers (follow the link below to see the results). I've broken it into two categories: 1) comparing the final sold price to the original listing price and 2) comparing the final sold price to the final listing price after any price reductions.
Good luck,
- Brian
Brian Sparr answered:
Hi Geoff -
This is a bit of a tough question to answer because there are some important unknowns that will factor into how close you can come to cash flowing. For example, how much can you put down and what interest rate can you get on your loan? Will you be finding the other tenant(s) or having someone else do it? Will you be managing the property or will you hire this out? Are the units part of an HOA? Etc...
If you'd like help with your search in the Walnut Creek area, let me know; otherwise, I wish you the best of luck!
- Brian
This is a bit of a tough question to answer because there are some important unknowns that will factor into how close you can come to cash flowing. For example, how much can you put down and what interest rate can you get on your loan? Will you be finding the other tenant(s) or having someone else do it? Will you be managing the property or will you hire this out? Are the units part of an HOA? Etc...
If you'd like help with your search in the Walnut Creek area, let me know; otherwise, I wish you the best of luck!
- Brian
Brian Sparr answered:
Hi John -
Just to help give you an idea - it looks like Antioch currently has 910 detached, single family homes for sale. Of those, 428 are REOs and 324 are short sales. If your current agent won't show you the short sales, you are missing out on 35% of the market. In my opinion, it is time for you to find a new agent that is more willing to meet your requests. There is no doubt (as John and Donna have already mentioned) that short sales can be slow and painful when compared to the sale of a house with a seller in good standing, but that's not to say they can't be done.
Good luck,
- Brian
Just to help give you an idea - it looks like Antioch currently has 910 detached, single family homes for sale. Of those, 428 are REOs and 324 are short sales. If your current agent won't show you the short sales, you are missing out on 35% of the market. In my opinion, it is time for you to find a new agent that is more willing to meet your requests. There is no doubt (as John and Donna have already mentioned) that short sales can be slow and painful when compared to the sale of a house with a seller in good standing, but that's not to say they can't be done.
Good luck,
- Brian
Brian Sparr answered:
Hi Art -
If you'd like, take a look at the trends report that I provide to my clients looking in the Walnut Creek area:
http://www.SPARRproperties.com/docs/trends/trulia/WalnutCree…
You can definitely find nice homes in the $600-$800k range on both sides of the highway. Let me know if you'd like some more information; otherwise, I wish you the best of luck.
- Brian
If you'd like, take a look at the trends report that I provide to my clients looking in the Walnut Creek area:
http://www.SPARRproperties.com/docs/trends/trulia/WalnutCree…
You can definitely find nice homes in the $600-$800k range on both sides of the highway. Let me know if you'd like some more information; otherwise, I wish you the best of luck.
- Brian
Brian Sparr answered:
Hi Mm -
It is very hard to argue against buying now - with prices low, interest rates low and inventory high, it is an ideal time for people to buy property. The risk you run by waiting for the "market to settle" is that interest rates can increase to a level that negates any price reductions you may have gained. Remember, it is the combination of the purchase price and the interest rate on your loan that dictates whether you are getting a good deal.
When it comes to properties in the locations you are searching for, you have a large selection to choose from right now. However, you are going to be hard pressed to find any single family homes of decent size for under $400k in Walnut Creek. Your largest selection will undoubtedly come from Concord.
If you'd like to talk more about your situation, please feel free to contact me directly (925.817.8428).
Thanks and good luck,
- Brian
It is very hard to argue against buying now - with prices low, interest rates low and inventory high, it is an ideal time for people to buy property. The risk you run by waiting for the "market to settle" is that interest rates can increase to a level that negates any price reductions you may have gained. Remember, it is the combination of the purchase price and the interest rate on your loan that dictates whether you are getting a good deal.
When it comes to properties in the locations you are searching for, you have a large selection to choose from right now. However, you are going to be hard pressed to find any single family homes of decent size for under $400k in Walnut Creek. Your largest selection will undoubtedly come from Concord.
If you'd like to talk more about your situation, please feel free to contact me directly (925.817.8428).
Thanks and good luck,
- Brian
My Listings
View all 3 listings
Specialties
* Working with first time home buyers
* Working with real estate investors
* Online property marketing
* Working with real estate investors
* Online property marketing
Experience
Latest:
Real Estate Agent for Keller Williams Realty
Consulting and assisting individuals throughout the entire real estate transaction to ensure informed decisions are made at each step along the way and the process completes smoothly and on time.
October 2007—present
Previous:
Mgr, Customer Operations for Trulia, Inc
Manage a highly motivated team of sales engineers and customer service representatives that support both Trulia's customers and Trulia's sales team.
December 2006—present
Previous:
Mgr, Sales Engineers for PayPal, Inc
Managed a team of sales engineers and consulted with Fortune 500 companies on how to build and deploy online payment solutions.
November 2005—December 2006
Previous:
Software Engineer for VeriSign, Inc
Helped developed credit card processing software and a real-time fraud detection service.
March 2001—November 2005
Interests
* Real estate investing
* Traveling
* Mountain biking
* Wine tasting
* Traveling
* Mountain biking
* Wine tasting
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