For the next 60 seconds I’m going to pull out my hair and scream. Will that fix my blog?

Well, it seems the only way to fix the frustrating and crazy-making mistake I made on my blog was to reload the theme which will add a ton of work for me. And since there’s so much work to do I decided to change the theme to something easier on the eyes – adding a ton more work. So while I make changes ignore all the stuff that’s wrong with my blog. K? Thanks. Bye. I’m going to bed.

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I don’t know if this is really the Dali Lama’s mantra, but it’s a cool video with weird music.

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CAR Can Too

If  Hyundai, Sears, Home Depot, Target, Lowes, and others can provide the “lose your job” incentive so can the California Association of Realtors.

To help provide first-time home buyers with peace of mind when purchasing a home, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS Housing Affordability Fund (C.A.R.H.A.F.) is offering a free supplemental insurance product for qualified first-time home buyers.  Through the Mortgage Protection Program (C.A.R.H.A.F. MPP), first-time home buyers who lose their jobs due to layoffs may be eligible to receive up to $1,500 per month, for six months, to help make their mortgage payments. Qualified co-buyers can receive $750 per month.

For more info speak to your Realtor.

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Unsure about buying a home?  Think you can’t afford it?  Wondering if a home is a good investment?

Over the last ten years, the cost of rental housing in the U.S. has increased an average of 3.5% per year. If that trend continues, that means that an apartment or home renting for $1,000 per month – where can you find a thousand dollar a month home around here? – will cost more than $1,300 a month in ten years. If you rent the same home for ten years, the total amount you would pay for rent will equal $140,777!

In my example of the first house I ever sold, add the over $200,000 in equity you would lose over those ten years, that makes your loss $350,000.

Get the rest of the numbers:

Why rent when you can buy? –

New Market – New Rules.  Learn all about it at our class August 18th.

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Okay, so I’m trying something new.  I get jokes from clients all the time – I’m sure you do too.  Usually I laugh and delete.   Instead of forwarding the ones that are especially crude and thus ridiculously funny, I’m going to put them here – minus the foul language — well, at least most of the time.

As I Mature I’ve Learned…

…that you can’t make someone love you.  All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.

…that no matter how much you care some people are just complete jerks, rude, obnoxious, ungrateful – actually it doesn’t say any of that.  That’s my creative license.

…it takes years to build trust and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.

…you shouldn’t compare yourself to others.  They’re more screwed up than you think.

…you can get by on charm for about five minutes.  After that you’d better have big — let’s just say something more.

…we are responsible for our actions, unless you’re a celebrity.

…you can keep vomiting long after you’re finished.

…the people you care about most in life are taken too soon and the less important ones never go away.

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Rolando Rubio III - not the average paparazzi

Just ask me

Bill Silverfarb of the Daily Journal called yesterday to ask my opinion of the newest proposal by the state to resolve the budget issue – you know the one:  We have no money.

Not

One of the ideas that being considered is to withhold 3% of independent contractors’ wages. Ah, yeah – not. Bill reports, “Hill, however, said his office has been flooded by calls and e-mails urging him not to support the proposal.” Leland Yee’s getting the same calls but no matter – he loves the idea.

Does 3% Make A Difference?

Independent contractors and small business owners are suffering enough with the sharp dump in the economy. Taking another 3% will have dire consequences for those already being squeezed.

And I had to have my picture taken – which I hate.

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The facts are real and you can see them everywhere:  If you want to have financial stability you must own property.

Donald Trump was the son of a real estate investor, so he didn’t start out poor but by investing in real estate he’s transformed himself into one of the world’s most well-known rich guys.

Bob Hope wasn’t just one of the funniest men in movies, he was a savvy real estate investor.  He wasn’t just wealthy, Forbes calls him “immensely wealthy.”

“As much as $500 million,” reported the St. Petersburg Times. “$400 million to $700 million,” declared The Dallas Morning News. Fox News Channel’s Terry Keenan said, “You can bet it is in the hundreds of millions, perhaps maybe $1 billion.”

But how about you?  How does the average person fit into this equation?

Last year I sold a house in Redwood City that was purchased by the family for $12,000.  About 40 years later it sells for over $800,000.

Want something more recent?  My parents purchased their home in Pacifica for $63,000.  Now – even in a down market – I’d say it’s worth 750,000.

More recent than that?  The very first house I sold was $312,000.  That was about 1999.  That house would likely sell for $550,000 today.

If you’d like to learn more, come to our free home buyer class.  It’s a new market with new rules – and you need to know them.

Did you know that in order to take advantage of the first-time buyer opportunity you don’t actually have to be a first-time buyer?

Did you know that the $8000 tax credit expires December 1st of this year?

Did you know that you must be pre-approved by a lender before you can write an offer on a house?  What’s the difference between a pre-qualification, pre-approval and and a lender pre-approval?

Learn what you need to know at our free class on August 18th in San Mateo.   Receive a free copy of David Bach’s The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner.

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Before I made all my posts into videos,  San Mateo Real Estate Blog was voted one of the best blogs in San Francisco.  We’re not in San Francisco.  But shhhh.  Don’t tell anyone.

I’m in good company with one of my personal favorites, Jim Minkey’s Absolutely Foster City.  Also not in San Francisco favorites are Living Well In San Mateo - Chris Williamson is one of the most creative people I know, in real estate or not; and Chuck Gillooley’s White Oaks Blog – focused on the most desirable neighborhood in San Carlos.

Thank you Relocation.com.  Now I’ve got to go see what Chris is doing.

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