Former Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad Station

California is truly an incredible destination—diverse, exciting, and beautiful, with amazing cities, incredible beaches and stunning parklands, all offering more ways to enjoy your vacation or new home than anywhere in the world. A certain part of it has been called the 5^th Happiest Place in the US. Let’s hone in on that area.

The North Coast of Northern California

The North Coast combines one part summer fog and one part winter rain and the coast becomes the ultimate setting for soaring coast redwoods, some 2,000 years old. They soar higher than a 35 story skyscraper.  Although the coast redwoods steal the spotlight there is much to see and do along the North Coast. In Lake County, zoom a boat across sparkling Clear Lake. In Ferndale, admire Victorian inns, boutiques and restaurants, and in Sonoma County, choose from over 300 wineries, plus microbreweries, organic farmers, and artisan food producers—a land of plenty with plenty to see and do.

The Sonoma District of the North Coast of Northern California

When you visit the Sonoma District of the North Coast, you can taste fine wines, chocolates and jams; discover small towns and intimate art galleries; and wander meadowed bluffs above the sea. And you are only at the most 55 miles minutes away from San Francisco.

The Petaluma-Santa Rosa Corridor of the Sonoma District of the North Coast of Northern California

Within the North Coast area the Petaluma-Santa Rosa Corridor has been named by USA Today as the 5^th Happiest Place in the US. Here’s part of the reason why.

Petaluma of the Petaluma-Santa Rosa Corridor of the Sonoma District of the North Coast of Northern California

Petaluma is one of those special places that offers everything that makes a great destination: easy to get to, plenty of history, spectacular scenery, a charming and walkable downtown, a packed calendar of events, and great food and wine.

It can all be experienced by traveling across the Golden Gate Bridge, straight up Highway 101, just 32 miles north of San Francisco. Petaluma’s central location at the gateway to Sonoma County makes it the ideal home base for excursions to the Wine Country, dramatic Sonoma coast and majestic redwood groves.

That’s why few cities of its size have earned the reputation that Petaluma can claim. It has been called a “perfect small town” by Sunset Magazine and one of the “Nation’s top ten getaways near a major city” by Travel & Leisure.

Once you’ve arrived in Petaluma, the options for recreation and sightseeing within an hour’s drive are limitless. Use Petaluma as the perfect home base for day trips to Sonoma and Napa county wineries, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, the giant redwoods, and many other popular destinations.

If you are more of a waterway than highway type of person, Petaluma is the ideal choice for a weekend getaway. Cruise up the gentle Petaluma River, dock at the Turning Basin, and you will be right in the heart of historic downtown Petaluma known for its well-preserved main street. Fabulous restaurants, unique antique and art galleries, live music and movies are all within walking distance.

Santa Rosa of the Petaluma-Santa Rosa Corridor of the Sonoma District of the North Coast of Northern California

Meanwhile in Santa Rosa, everything comes together. Wine country and farm country, redwood forests and rivers, lakes and ocean. And in the center, a charming downtown lined with intriguing shops and restaurants that delight casual diners and epicureans alike. You can dip into California’s Cornucopia, and fill up on a place of plenty.

Named one of the best in California, Santa Rosa’s thriving Downtown boasts three distinct shopping districts, five historic residential neighborhoods, arts and culture, events, great restaurants, famous chefs, and a comfortable inviting atmosphere.

Santa Rosa’s diverse cultures bring life, vitality and economic growth to the City. Whether you live, play, work or visit, Santa Rosa offers a unique community filled with vibrant people.  Arts and Culture programming for the City of Santa Rosa includes many exciting possibilities for artists and community members alike. The Santa Rosa Recreation and Parks Department operates and maintains 57 parks totaling over 514 Acres, and is growing all the time! There is a train and carousel, skatepark, boating and sailing, sports fields, playgrounds, and more! You might even enjoy one of the four parks located close by—Annadel State Park, Hood Mountain Regional Park, Spring Lake Regional Park or Howath Memorial Park and Lake Ralphine.

If you are thinking of moving to Northern California, you are welcomed to think about the 5^th Happiest Place in the US.

Martin A. Levy, Realtor® Century 21 North Bay Alliance – Results are our way of life.Licensed since 1977, Martin A. Levy has sold over $1.5 Billion worth of real estate and is approaching 5,000 career sales. He has maintained a lofty Top Ten position in the nation for the past 25 years ranking as high as Number 1 in Northern California and Number 2 nationally. Surpassing sales records in both dollar volume and number of sales year after year, Martin has been recognized as one of the highest-producing real estate professionals in the United States, selling an average of over 100 properties per year. Martin can be reached at 707.303.3333 or martin@martinlevy.com. Visit his website at www.martinlevy.com.

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Neighbor Yard Art Gone Wild

You own a house that you are ready to sell. You have been realistic in fixing some of the problem areas. Others that would be costly, like granite counters, you have by-passed.  Your house is in a nice location and is neither too big nor too small compared to others in the neighborhood. So why can’t you sell your house?

Your neighbors

It could be because of your neighbors. If your neighbors are slobs, hoarders, or too elderly to take proper care of their property, they can lower your appraisal by 5% to 10%, according to Joe Magdziarz, the president of the Appraisal Institute and a real-estate appraiser for 40 years.

“In reality, there’s so much supply right now that people are just going to pass,” Magdziarz said. “It might make your home unmarketable.”

Registered sex offenders are another problem. If those offenders are living within about a block (one-tenth a mile), they can reduce home values by 9%, according to research done at Longwood University in Farmville, Va.

The Neighborhood

Neighbors are not the only ones that can lower your home’s value. A cemetery, funeral home or school can lower the price. So can landfills and power plants. A University of California at Berkeley study (.pdf file) showed that homes within two miles of a power plant had values that were 4% to 7% lower than comparable houses farther away. Subdivisions near dumps lost 6% to 10% of their value, according to another study (.pdf file), from the Pima County, Ariz., assessor’s  office.

The Homeowners Association

Your homeowners association can be too strict or not strict enough. Possible buyers can tell if the HOA is not strict enough if there are a wide variety of colors or too much yard art. The way the buyer will know that the HOA is too strict is that the real estate agent will know that people are suing each other over covenants.

Previous Appraiser Errors

Another problem is that your tax assessor is wrong. If you bought your home before the bubble popped, the previous assessor was overwhelmed with home sales. He or she might have relied on county tax records. With lending standards so loose and the volume of sales so high many houses sold with nothing more than a drive-by appraisal.

Now that lending standards are stricter, appraisers are actually doing things like measuring a house’s square footage—and sometimes finding that it comes up short. Occasionally the appraiser finds something worse, like the house isn’t where it is supposed to be.

With the market so much a buyer’s market, you might have to take less for your house than you expected because of these problem areas. It’s best if you can study some of this out for yourself before hand so you will not be shocked when the appraiser tells you what the house will probably sell for.

Do you have any experiences where the neighbors, neighborhood or previous assessors made selling your house a nightmare? Please comment in the box below.

This information relies heavily on “Weird stuff that hurts home values” by Liz Weston at http://urbaninvestors.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/weird-stuff-that-hurts-home-values/.

Martin A. Levy, Realtor® Century 21 North Bay Alliance – Results are our way of life.Licensed since 1977, Martin A. Levy has sold over $1.5 Billion worth of real estate and is approaching 5,000 career sales. He has maintained a lofty Top Ten position in the nation for the past 25 years ranking as high as Number 1 in Northern California and Number 2 nationally. Surpassing sales records in both dollar volume and number of sales year after year, Martin has been recognized as one of the highest-producing real estate professionals in the United States, selling an average of over 100 properties per year. Martin can be reached at 707.303.3333 or martin@martinlevy.com. Visit his website at www.martinlevy.com.

Related articles

• It’s a matter of appraisal (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
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Different roof styles on the Winchester Mystery House

Having the super finest home on the block is not necessarily a good way to get back what you put into it. Location does matter and your house would sell for more if it were nestled among other houses like it. On the other hand at times less is more.

In urban settings where mostly singles and childless couples live, you can get away with having a one or two bedroom home. You don’t need that extra bedroom or family room in an area like this. However, if you live in an area where all the homes around yours have four bedrooms, your home should, too. Your home value will be much less if you have only two or three bedrooms. These kinds of home areas also come with family or “great” rooms. If you don’t have one in your house, that’s a big appraisal minus.

That doesn’t mean you should rush right out and spend money adding a room. Here’s a surprise for you. In this economy most home improvements are money losers. You will get back less than you spend even if you sell immediately. So if you are thinking you will probably move in a few years, don’t remodel. Let the next homeowner do what he wants.

If you do want to expand your house for yourself and your growing family and you bring it up to the other houses in your area, this will probably get you a better price when you are ready to sell.

Have you heard of the Winchester Mystery House? It is a house that was added on to for the entire life of the owner. In the process she built it and changed style to style as the times changed. You don’t want to do this. If you remodel and you don’t finish or only update one part of the house and not the rest, you should not expect the best sale price. Houses that are consistent in finish and style are worth more than those with wildly differing styles in one house.

Another selling mistake is to mix kitchen appliances. Renovations that will be of value do not include new counters and different colored fixtures. You can do just enough for the appraiser to say that the kitchen is updated and know that you have done just the right amount of fixing.

What about the house that isn’t aging well? It happens to more than just people.  Young houses are more popular than older ones, but you can fix up your older house by keeping up appearances. A well taken care of older home has better value than one that has gone downhill.

Appraisers have a rating system that take into account both maintenance and age. They have a rating system that makes appraisals simple for them. C1 is new, C2 is almost new or any age when recently renovated, C3 is well maintained with no extra work done, C4 is adequately maintained with a little bit of repairs, C5 is livable but needs help, C6 is in dire need of attention.  You want about a C3 rating if your house is 15 years old. A C4 would probably cost you. If you have maintained your home more than a neighbor has his, your home could bring in as much as 10% more than your neighbor’s if you both sell at the same time.

Find out what the appraiser has said about your home. Ask if there are some things you can do to bring it up a number, but probably not two.  Ask what specifically would improve the number without too great a cost. You will be surprised because you might not have known that what the appraiser suggests is something that would make a difference.

Have you tried to sell a house only to find that you have done either too much or not enough? What happened next? Please leave a comment about this in the box below.

Martin A. Levy, Realtor® Century 21 North Bay Alliance – Results are our way of life.Licensed since 1977, Martin A. Levy has sold over $1.5 Billion worth of real estate and is approaching 5,000 career sales. He has maintained a lofty Top Ten position in the nation for the past 25 years ranking as high as Number 1 in Northern California and Number 2 nationally. Surpassing sales records in both dollar volume and number of sales year after year, Martin has been recognized as one of the highest-producing real estate professionals in the United States, selling an average of over 100 properties per year. Martin can be reached at 707.303.3333 or martin@martinlevy.com. Visit his website at www.martinlevy.com.

Related articles

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Realtor Sign

A real estate agent comes to your house and gives you an idea of what it might sell for. You are shocked and not in a good way, either. There are all sorts of reasons your house might be worth less than you thought it should. It could be the way your house compares with others in the area even though yours has more bling, it could be your neighbors or it could be a faulty appraisal.

The first thing to look at is your neighborhood. You know what they say about “location, location, location.” So how does that play out with your house? Take your same exact house and let’s put it in different neighborhoods. Put it in a “good” school district. Put it on a quiet street instead of the busy street where everyone goes to get to work.

So you get the point about location. But there are some sneaky things that can affect your appraisal.

What if your house is a brick home where others have aluminum or vinyl siding? Your house is dramatically different from your neighbors. Its value would suffer in any market. If you have a contemporary house nestled among a bunch of colonials, you won’t be able to sell it for the same amount you could if it were among other contemporary homes.

You won’t be able to get as much for your home if you have dramatically more square footage than those around you. People who want the bigger house will be looking in neighborhood with houses with more square footage. They will want to be with other people who can afford similar homes.

What? It’s a fact. You put money into making improvements to your home, adding rooms, upgrading baths and kitchens, adding so much that you have “over-improved” your home when you compare it to your neighbors. You are probably not going to get that money back.

You will probably get a better appraisal than your neighbors, but you will also probably get less than comparable houses in better neighborhoods per square foot. Unless you feel like you got your money’s worth out of living there, bigger is not always better.

So what do you want to do to get a good price on your home? You could just have one of the smaller homes in your area. Those are more likely to sell. People will be able to afford it and still feel like they are in an area that pleases them.

Another thing you do not want to do is decorate your home out of the market. If most of the homes in your area are fine with pastel colored walls and you go for the denser shades, you house is less likely to sell for the best price.

So what do you do when you think about making home improvements? Look to your neighbors and don’t go out on a limb. Remember that most people are not living in their homes for their entire lives and that you probably won’t either. Take that into consideration as you think about improvements.

Have you ever had trouble selling a house that you thought was a treasure and learned that you couldn’t get what you thought it was worth? What did you do? Please leave a comment in the box below.

Martin A. Levy, Realtor® Century 21 North Bay Alliance – Results are our way of life.Licensed since 1977, Martin A. Levy has sold over $1.5 Billion worth of real estate and is approaching 5,000 career sales. He has maintained a lofty Top Ten position in the nation for the past 25 years ranking as high as Number 1 in Northern California and Number 2 nationally. Surpassing sales records in both dollar volume and number of sales year after year, Martin has been recognized as one of the highest-producing real estate professionals in the United States, selling an average of over 100 properties per year. Martin can be reached at 707.303.3333 or martin@martinlevy.com. Visit his website at www.martinlevy.com.

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House for Sale

California, with its exceptional beauty and vast opportunities, is an attractive location for many home buyers. If you are considering relocating to this area, particularly from out-of-state, you should be aware of some differences in the way the real estate business works in the Golden State.

For example, unlike other states, where attorneys close the deal, Californians usually opt to acquire the services of a licensed, experienced realtor. While it is certainly not mandatory, hiring a real estate agent can make the buying process easier and can make the difference in negotiating a good offer on a home.

It is a good idea to interview several different agents to find one that you feel comfortable with. For tips on finding an agent, as well as some sample questions to ask, visit http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/choosing-real-estate-agent-29645.html.

Following are just a few of the areas where the services of a real estate agent can be invaluable:

Loan Approval

Getting pre-approved for a loan is an important first step in the home-buying process since it determines how much you will be able to spend on a property. With some basic information about your available savings, income level, and current debt, your agent can assist you with understanding different financing options and can refer you to qualified lenders.

Finding a home

Real estate agents have access to information and resources that may not be available to the general public. Often, agents know of new listings that are not yet on the market, allowing you to get a head start on other buyers. After making a “wish list” of items you want and need in a home, such as size, features and amenities, location, condition, and price range, your agent can help you zero in on properties that match your criteria. Agents who are familiar with the neighborhood can also provide valuable information on local utilities, zoning, schools, shopping, transportation, etc.

Making an offer

When you find a house that meets your needs, your agent will assist you in making a written offer, which may include details and terms such as price offered, other financial and timing factors, as well as any contingencies. The agent will provide you with a list of comparables (similar homes that have sold in the same area recently) to get an idea of how much the house is worth and will help you make a reasonable offer. Your agent will then present the offer to the sellers and their agent, and will assist with any further negotiations.

Inspections, Title and Disclosures

A real estate agent can advise you as to which inspections are recommended or required, assist you in choosing inspectors and arranging appointments, and may be present while these inspections are being conducted. Your agent can also help you obtain and sort through disclosure information and title reports, and can help you find the resources to address any issues that may come up.

Closing

Finally, your agent will guide you through the closing process, which includes a final walk-though of the home, verifying that all mortgage funding steps are completed, and signing off on any other paperwork.

A real estate agent will save you time and, potentially, money, while helping to guide you through the oftentimes complicated, but ultimately rewarding, process of buying a home.

Have you had experiences using a good real estate agent? How did he or she help you when you didn’t know what to do? Please comment in the box below.

Martin A. Levy, Realtor® Century 21 North Bay Alliance – Results are our way of life.Licensed since 1977, Martin A. Levy has sold over $1.5 Billion worth of real estate and is approaching 5,000 career sales. He has maintained a lofty Top Ten position in the nation for the past 25 years ranking as high as Number 1 in Northern California and Number 2 nationally. Surpassing sales records in both dollar volume and number of sales year after year, Martin has been recognized as one of the highest-producing real estate professionals in the United States, selling an average of over 100 properties per year. Martin can be reached at 707.303.3333 or martin@martinlevy.com. Visit his website at www.martinlevy.com.

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For the past few years the housing market here in the United States and now the national financial crises have caused heartache and incredible stress on American families. A particularly ruinous challenge faced by families today is foreclosure. This is more heartrending because often it could have been averted.

Here are 5 solutions other than foreclosure that could be done instead along with their pros and cons.

Reinstatement: A simple solution, but hard to do, this is the best way to stop foreclosure. To do this the homeowner asks the mortgage company how much he owes to that date and then he pays it. If the homeowner does this up to the day before the foreclosure sale, he will be able to keep his house.

What are the pros? He doesn’t need to mortgage company or the lender to approve of his actions The cons are that he has to pay back all the payments and all fines and fees at once, amounting to more than he would have paid had he been able to pay on time.

A repayment or forbearance plan is where the homeowner negotiates with the mortgage company to allow the owner to pay back the back payments over time. The homeowner will have to pay both the current mortgage payment and pay the newly negotiated back payments.

The pro of this plan is that the homeowner doesn’t have to come up with the entire amount at once. The con is that he has to pay both, and certain mortgage companies may want the homeowner to “qualify” for the repayment plan.

Mortgage modification entails reducing of one of these: the loan’s principal balance, its interest rate, the loan term or a combination of any of those. This will lower the payments made by the owner and provides a more payable mortgage.

This will be good for the owner since it might even reduce the loan’s principal balance, but the homeowner will have to “qualify” for this and will have to give full documentation. Plus the lender will be actively involved in the process.

Some homeowners have low enough mortgage payments that renting out the house will keep the house payment doable. To do this the owner has to be able to convert the house into a rental house.

The pro of this is that the owner can keep the property. The con here is that rental property is subject to many problems and the rent might not be enough to cover the entire cost of maintenance and ownership.

Did you know about deed in lieu of foreclosure, also called a “friendly foreclosure”? In this case the homeowner returns the property to the lender instead of having to go through a foreclosure process. The lender has to approve of this and the owner has to leave.

The pro here is that the lender will not get a deficiency judgment from the owner, while the cons are that the homeowner has to leave and the deed in lieu could still be passed on to credit bureaus as if it were a foreclosure.

This is just a summary of some of the solutions that a homeowner can choose in place of foreclosure. Call your local Realtor for more assistance.

Do you know of some other ways to prevent foreclosure? Please leave your comments in the box below.

Martin A. Levy, Realtor® Century 21 North Bay Alliance – Results are our way of life.Licensed since 1977, Martin A. Levy has sold over $1.5 Billion worth of real estate and is approaching 5,000 career sales. He has maintained a lofty Top Ten position in the nation for the past 25 years ranking as high as Number 1 in Northern California and Number 2 nationally. Surpassing sales records in both dollar volume and number of sales year after year, Martin has been recognized as one of the highest-producing real estate professionals in the United States, selling an average of over 100 properties per year. Martin can be reached at 707.303.3333 or martin@martinlevy.com. Visit his website at www.martinlevy.com.

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Since I wrote this in February, the television ads have gone, but there are still people out there doing the same thing. I even saw a story about it on the news last night.–ML

You’ve seen the ads on television. They mimic actual news updates and offer help keeping people from facing foreclosure with their rescue plan. There is always small print in the ad, but it is very, very small print.  It says that you may still have to pay your mortgage after their help.

Beware of these foreclosure rescue ads. They are scams. If you need foreclosure assistance, it should be free.

What to watch out for from a company offering assistance

• Beware of anyone who asks you to pay a fee in exchange for a counseling service or modification of a delinquent loan.
• Scam artists often target homeowners who are struggling to meet their mortgage commitment or are anxious to sell their homes. Recognize and avoid common scams.
• Assistance from a HUD-approved housing counselor is FREE.
• Beware of people who pressure you to sign papers immediately, or who try to convince you that they can “save” your home if you sign or transfer over the deed to your house.
• Do not sign over the deed to your property to any organization or individual unless you are working directly with your mortgage company to forgive your debt.
• Never make a mortgage payment to anyone other than your mortgage company without their approval.

Real help is available from the government

There is help available for people struggling to make their mortgage payments on time perhaps because their interest rate has increased or they have less income. You can be helped if you are struggling to make your monthly payments because of a second lien.

There is also a program for homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage because of unemployment or they are “underwater”, which means they owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth.  There is help for people who have offered a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure.

This help is all available from the US government, through a program called Making Home Affordable (information found at www.MakingHomesAffordable.gov). This program is a critical part of the effort to stabilize the housing market and help struggling homeowners get relief and avoid foreclosure.

Making Homes Affordable includes opportunities for homeowners to modify or refinance their mortgage to make their payments more affordable. The program has recently been expanded to help homeowners who become unemployed or find themselves “underwater.” It also provides options for homeowners who can no longer afford their home and are interested in a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure.

Remember the Foreclosure Rescue scams we started out with? One of the ways these scams work is by taking money or even the deed to your home.

There is no charge to apply for the Making Homes Affordable Program. If you are struggling to pay your mortgage, you should contact your mortgage servicer—the company to which you pay your mortgage—to determine if you qualify for the program. A HUD-approved housing counselor can also work with you for free to determine if you are eligible and help you apply for the program. The number to call is 1-888-995-HOPE (4673).

For more assistance and information, please feel free to contact our offices at 707-303-3333.  Martin Levy and his team are there to assist.

Martin A. Levy, Realtor® Century 21 North Bay Alliance – Results are our way of life.Licensed since 1977, Martin A. Levy has sold over $1.5 Billion worth of real estate and is approaching 5,000 career sales. He has maintained a lofty Top Ten position in the nation for the past 25 years ranking as high as Number 1 in Northern California and Number 2 nationally. Surpassing sales records in both dollar volume and number of sales year after year, Martin has been recognized as one of the highest-producing real estate professionals in the United States, selling an average of over 100 properties per year. Martin can be reached at 707.303.3333 or martin@martinlevy.com. Visit his website at www.martinlevy.com.

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Home Inspection

You have found your “ideal house” (note the quote marks?).  What you don’t know about this gem is that there is a possibility that this house that you are hoping will be a good investment, might be just the opposite. It was once priced outside what you could afford, but now since the cost is so much lower, you are already dreaming of unique decorating ideas, beautiful renovations and that fantasy bathroom you have always wanted.

What is wrong with this picture?  This dream house of yours can suddenly become the stuff that aspirin commercials are made of. Only it would take bottles of the stuff to help with the headaches this house is going to be. This problem is especially likely when you purchase a bank owned REO or a house through a short sale.

For this reason you need to understand the difference between having a home inspection and getting an appraisal. If you are a typical buyer without a lot of experience, you probably need both. In fact both might be required as stipulations by mortgage lenders.

What is an appraisal?

An appraisal is not a home inspection.  Your appraiser might note obvious problems in a home like a foundation or structural component. However, his primary function is to “estimate” the current market value of a home using various measurements. He will probably not focus on structural problems or things that aren’t in obvious parts of the house, especially when they are not going to impact the value of the home.

What is a Home Inspection?

This is the inspector who ferrets out the surprises. Your appraisal might delight you when you think what a super value you will have along with some substantial equity. The money drain can occur when the problems have to do with heating, plumbing, foundation and more are discovered if you wait until you have bought the home to have the inspection. This is not a good idea.

The home inspection will seek to identify problems before they are so expensive you have to borrow more money just to fix them. A home inspection doesn’t focus on market value, but it will be crucial for you, the buyer, to ensure that your home inspector is certified, qualified and thorough in reference to this house, its age and even the ground it rests upon.

For more information on home inspections, please check out the American Society of Home Inspectors at:  http://www.ashi.org.

Have you had any experiences with appraisals and inspections that you would like to share? Please post them in the comment box below.

Martin A. Levy, Realtor® Century 21 North Bay Alliance – Results are our way of life.Licensed since 1977, Martin A. Levy has sold over $1.5 Billion worth of real estate and is approaching 5,000 career sales. He has maintained a lofty Top Ten position in the nation for the past 25 years ranking as high as Number 1 in Northern California and Number 2 nationally. Surpassing sales records in both dollar volume and number of sales year after year, Martin has been recognized as one of the highest-producing real estate professionals in the United States, selling an average of over 100 properties per year. Martin can be reached at 707.303.3333 or martin@martinlevy.com. Visit his website at www.martinlevy.com.

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8833 Canyon Oak Drive, Windsor - 4/3 - $524,000.

When the guest list gets a little too big, or ‘those days’ occur when your long lost cousin Jim from Florida and the entire group show up for the family event, it’s great to have lots of space. And this four bedroom, three bath, two-story jewel, located in the Foothill Meadows subdivision, is not lacking for room. In fact, the great room is so large, the kids could play indoor soccer until they run out of energy and fall asleep (although we don’t recommend it).

The immaculate landscape with a large outdoor heated and covered patio might make the choice to spend your time indoors or outdoors a bit challenging. Yet, when the family and friends chaos dies down, you might be tempted to relax by the wood-burning fireplace and read a book under the custom addition glass atrium. And what goes better in Windsor than a fine glass of Chardonnay, or Pinot and with some mouth-watering hoers d’ oeuvres? But, it’s not all about play here on Canyon Oak.

The large bonus room/office might just be perfect for planning your new Fortune 500 endeavor, or at least turning it into a man or woman cave. Oh, back to cousin Jim and his brood. Impress your long lost family members and get your inner Guy Fieri on in the exquisite chef-quality kitchen, featuring top quality appliances from Bosch and Frigidaire. Just be careful though, if your chef skills are too good, you just might have the neighbors knocking at your door. But, don’t just take our word for what you’ll experience here. Find the full listing here:http://www.martinlevy.com/Listing.aspx?oid=18332&ot=213

Martin A. Levy, Realtor® Century 21 North Bay Alliance – Results are our way of life.Licensed since 1977, Martin A. Levy has sold over $1.5 Billion worth of real estate and is approaching 5,000 career sales. He has maintained a lofty Top Ten position in the nation for the past 25 years ranking as high as Number 1 in Northern California and Number 2 nationally. Surpassing sales records in both dollar volume and number of sales year after year, Martin has been recognized as one of the highest-producing real estate professionals in the United States, selling an average of over 100 properties per year. Martin can be reached at 707.303.3333 or martin@martinlevy.com. Visit his website at www.martinlevy.com.

Buying a Home Over the Internet

The job market is making a move far from a current job a necessity in a lot of cases as people expand their job search. With one spouse in the family taking a job in a distant state at times, it has become harder to house hunt for them both together. There often isn’t a good time for both to be together to look between the one left behind until the old house sells and the other learning his new job.

Often the one with the new job has to begin work before they can both spend the time together looking, but finding a house cannot wait. People can work together over the internet and phone looking for the new house.

In an article at AOL Real Estate.com, “How to Find a New Home Online”, by Kathy McDonald, Aug. 9, 2010, one woman stated, “My heart would start pounding every morning when I opened my inbox.” Lesley Suter, a Los Angeles-based editor, spent more than a year searching for an affordable new home to buy. She received email from her real estate agent and also looked through six bookmarks from MLS to Zillow throughout the day looking for new homes for sale.

Many Internet sites are now focusing on real estate and homes for sale and there are many real estate agents embracing the internet with websites as well. So in actuality finding a new home for sale on line has never been simpler. Real-world house hunting will still need to be done,  as well as attending open houses and driving through neighborhoods, However, with the incredible amount of information available on the computer, including statistics and even virtual tours, much house hunting can be done without leaving the comfort of your computer chair.

At times a person might feel like there is actually too much information, but he or she will be able to do their homework and cross-reference listings. Programs like Mapquest can also help you determine where in the city each of the houses is.

Here are some pointers that will help you discover your home online.

There are many real estate agents on the internet, but before you just select the first one that you come to, you really need to interview several of them to find the one you are most compatible with. If you already know what kind of house you are looking for, you will be able to find that right realtor much easier than if you aren’t sure. So before you start interviewing figure out what you must have, what you would like to have and what you absolutely know you do not want. There are several services available to help you find real estate agents that specifically sell in certain places, sell certain priced houses and other things you have decided.

The online open house is never locked.

All the major real estate brokerage firms have websites that show their listings.  They ask questions such as what location, what price range and more to determine what to show you.  Many of the homes are visible through virtual walk-throughs and you can get an almost complete sense of the property.

Some of the Internet sites that are sources of information like Zillow where you can plug in an address and learn a benchmark value for the address, including taxes and a mortgage payment calculator. If you are interested in foreclosed homes, you can find them on any agent’s site. You can check my site to see what we have available right now, but you need to remember that you are buying a foreclosed home from a bank, which makes the closing process more complicated.

No matter what you are looking for, the search might take months. This is still a better way of finding a home than doing a rush job on the most expense item you buy. Lesley Suter finally found her new home online, after being outbid for 18 other homes.

Related articles

• Unlocking the online and mobile secrets to home buying and selling (techburgh.com)
• Zillow Expands Most Popular Real Estate App for iPhone, Adds Zillow Mortgage Marketplace (prnewswire.com)