Homescopes

What about the concept of re-setting the DOM (Days on Market) on MLS so that a “stalefish” listing has an opportunity to reset the clock and appear to the naieve consumer as a new listing? 

Seems silly to me.  Buyers in the Bay Area are hardly naive.  They search, investigate and learn the history, condition and all pertinent details of a home pretty quickly so that this lame tactic reflects negatively on the seller AND the seller’s agent which makes a difference during the negotiation.  (no respect here)

A colleague, Marian Bennett shares her thoughts on the subject…

Last Sunday I held open a wonderful country property in Sebastopol, listed by my good friend and colleague Izetta Feeny.  It is a great value, a four bedroom house on nearly two acres withing good commute range of San Francisco.  The family that currently owns the house home schools their four children there and there is an assortment of goats, chickens, geese and two miniature donkeys and four big dogs that round out the family.   The house is nicely situated on a knoll with 360 degree views of the surrounding countryside and hills.  This morning I bet they can even see snow on some of those hills.

As the house is set at the end of a series of country lanes, I was curious how people found me.  It turns out that all of the eight parties or so who came by had found about the open house via our on-line ads.  People had driven from as far as Fremont and Oakland with their children to see this one house, and one person came with her realtor.  We had a great time chatting and comparing notes.  In 1998 I was doing the same thing, driving up to look at properties on weekends from my home in the East Bay. 

Like me many of these people were looking for a different lifestyle, but concerned about what they might give up by being “so remote”.  I had to laugh because I certainly don’t feel that way any longer.    Seems like a lot of people want more room to roam, either for themselves, their children or their four legged friends.

Alex over at theFrontSteps has a lively debate going on about the ethics of “DOM trickery.” (For non-industry folks, “DOM” means “Days on Market” and it refers to how long a property has been on the MLS.) Is it duplicitous or just good marketing to reset the DOM number — often just by [...]

Let’s see … on January 20th, the Fed Funds rate was 4.25%. On January 21st, the Fed dropped the rate to 3.5%. Today, January 30th, the Fed dropped the rate to 3.0%. So, in 10 days (January 20th to January 30th) the rate dropped by 1.25%, which means [click click click on my calculator] we’re seeing a 0.125% [...]

At an Open House I held Sunday at 2524 Eagle Avenue in Alameda’s East End I was asked by 5 or 6 groups of buyers “How can I find a list of Open Houses each Sunday?”  Even the Chronicles’ list is challenging because a home in Rockridge might appear alphabetically somewhere behind Piedmont, but it could also show up in the list with other Oakland homes. 

My advice…if you want to make the process easier to navigate, ask a Realtor at one of the Open Homes you’ve visited to email a list to you each week.   If you’re in the early stages of your search explain that to the agent.  Believe me, most Realtors know it can take awhile before you’re ready to make an offer and if you choose to work with them it won’t be because you felt pressured. 

In most areas of Oakland & Piedmont Realtors that subscribe to the service receive a PDF on Saturday with an updated Open House list, sample at:   Open House list Oakland & Piedmont Jan 27, 2008  

This is a great time of the year for buyers to begin the search!  The list builds each week through the summer. 

You heard it here first! A few weeks ago I posited that the Palo Alto market would soon see the standard Spring inventory bounce…before Spring itself. And sho’ ’nuff…I see nary a leaf on a tree outside my window, but statistical and anecdotal signs of market activity picking up are legion. Statistical evidence: Charts from our friends [...]

With the possibility of a temporary raise to the conforming loan limit for markets such as the San Francisco Bay Area, there is lively discussion here in the blogosphere about how this may alter our local trends.   here’s a look at median price graphs for Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Moss Beach, Montara and Pacifica.  For more graph detail of market indicators, including quartile markets and other cities, visit my Local Stats page.

Blog mentor and friend Kevin Boer, 3 Oceans Real Estate, gives a detailed scenario of how this could change our monthly cash flow…

 

San Francisco will be the only U.S. stop during the Olympic torch relay for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.  Organizers are searching for people to help carry the flame when it comes to town in April. What a thrill!

You have to be at least 14 years old, and able to physically carry the Olympic flame for a designated distance. They also must write a 200-word essay describing their qualifications for carrying the torch. The deadline to submit applications is Sunday.

For the website and application go to: http://www.sustainablejourney.org/

I’ve accused David “Hi this is David G from Zillow” Gibbons of having a technorati-enabled chip embedded in his ear that buzzes whenever anybody, anywhere on the Internet mentions his employer. Rumors have been circulating that Greg Swann may have a similar device, which sends out the bat-signal any time one of numerous companies [...]

The boys at Sellsius keep on finding these tasty treats.  Their latest one?  A pictorial comparing how the same home appears to different people. Hint:  To your appraiser, it looks like a junker.   To the county tax assessor, your name is Oprah Winfrey. Head on over there and check it out… Tags: Consumer, Humor, Industry