Bay Area Real Estate Podcast with Greg McDaniels McDaniels Callahan

To thank you for supporting our content, my team and I would like to extend a special offer to you and your family. Want to Buy a Home? Search All Homes Want to Sell a Home? Get a Home Value Report As of this August, I will have been bringing you informative videos about our market for four full years. With that in mind, I want to ask you a simple question: Do you hate me? Of course I’m joking, but the reason I ask is, even after all of this time, some of you have still never reached out. Don’t get me wrong—I understand how busy things can get. In fact, that’s one of the major reasons I do what I do. I want to serve as a convenient resource for all your real estate needs, and today I’d like to offer you something else.  How would you like to go on vacation?  Well, now is your chance. All you need to do is visit www.mcdanielcallahanvacation.com to book your stay. Up to two adults and two children can register, so I encourage you and your family to take advantage of this great opportunity. If you cover airfare and the tax for your hotel rooms, I’ll pay for the rest of any resort package you choose.    “ If you cover airfare and the tax for your hotel rooms, I’ll pay for the rest of any resort package you choose. ”  After following the instructions on our website and reading the terms and conditions, you and your family will be all set to let the worries of the world wash away. If you do take advantage of this opportunity, be sure to tag our team in any photos you post. We would love to see how you and your loved ones spent your vacation. As always, if you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Closing day is an important time for both buyers and sellers. Here are some potential surprises you could face on that special day and how you can avoid them. Want to Buy a Home? Search All Homes Want to Sell a Home? Get a Home Value Report Today we’re going to be talking about five closing day surprises that are unfortunately all too common: 1. The walkthrough. The walkthrough is a very important part of the process. This actually guarantees to the buyer that they’re receiving the property in the exact condition that it was when they wrote the contract. Maybe there is a hole in the wall, a scrape in the staircase from the movers, or the carpet got stained. Either way, it’s important to make sure that the home is in the same condition as when you wrote the contract. 2. Household items may be missing. In certain cases, household items might get up and walk away. Maybe it’s a chandelier, a fireplace, or something else that was written into the contract that the seller was going to convey to the buyer at the close of escrow. If those items are not there for some reason, approach the listing agent with the contract and ask them. If they don’t know or are unwilling to give them back, at least get a check to cover the cost. Ultimately, you should try to get the items back if they're not there. 3. The lender doesn’t want to make the loan anymore. This usually happens as a result of the buyer’s financial picture. For some reason, they have altered their spending habits. Maybe they lost a job or bought something expensive that messed up their debt-to-income ratio.   “ A good title and escrow company will find anything erroneous at the start. ”  4. What are the property lines? What chunk of earth are you buying, exactly? If there is any concern that your property lines aren’t lining up with the title, get a survey done. It will make sure that you aren’t encroaching on your neighbor or they aren’t encroaching onto you. 5. Title problems and troubles. Sometimes, there is human error and things recorded against the property that shouldn’t be, such as an erroneous loan or a lien. That’s why a good title company and escrow officer will find what’s record against the home from the beginning. If there is a “cloud” on the title, you can’t go through with the purchase. If you have any questions about any of these closing day problems or anything else about real estate in general, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

How do you know when it’s time to move? These four signs may give you a good idea that it’s time for a change. Want to Buy a Home? Search All Homes Want to Sell a Home? Get a Home Value Report There are four tell-tale signs that it’s time to sell your home: 1. You’ve simply outgrown your home. Perhaps you’ve had too many kids for the number of bedrooms you have, or you’ve acquired too many pets for the space you have. Either way, it’s uncomfortable, and you should consider moving up. We can help you there. 2. Your lifestyle has changed. Perhaps you’ve changed jobs and now have a longer commute, or you’ve retired and don’t need to work at all. Situations like these often signal it’s time for a change of scenery.   “ Situations like these often signal it’s time for a change of scenery. ”  3. When remodeling won’t give you the return you’re looking for. I know for a fact that there are certain projects that will get you a higher return on your investment, but they’re not always what you think. Certain popular home improvement projects won’t actually bring you the amount that you’d like. If you need a list of the improvements that will bring you a decent return, reach out to me. 4. You have a flexible time frame. Remember back in 2008 when our equity took a nosedive into the ground? Well, now most of us have climbed back out of that, so if you have equity and are thinking about moving, it might be time to bail out and take that cash to move on to the next step of your life. We’re not sure what the market will be doing farther down the road, so if you’re thinking about making a move soon, now’s the time to start that process. If you want more signs that it’s time to find a new home or if you have any questions, feel free to give me a call. I look forward to speaking with you.

When you have had your offer accepted and are on your way to the closing table, there are still a few things you need to take care of. Today I will highlight four ways to prepare for closing.  Looking to buy a Bay Area Home? Search all Bay Area homes for sale. Selling Your Bay Area Home? Use our home evaluation tool. What happens at the closing table when you’re buying a house? Today I will go over what to expect, as well as a few crucial do’s and don’ts to follow as you move through the process. Keeping all of this information in mind will be very important in making sure you get the keys to your new home with no problems.  1. Schedule the closing. Most of the time, your agent will coordinate with all parties involved to schedule the closing for you. That said, it is still important to make sure this gets done. Also, make sure you take your time at the closing table. Don’t try to squeeze in the meeting over your lunch hour, because there will be a lot of critical documents to look over. I recommend taking a half-day to make sure you’ve got adequate time to review all papers carefully.  2. Do a final walk-through. As a buyer, you have the right to go through the home within five days of closing and make sure that it’s still in an acceptable condition. You are entitled to take possession of the home in the exact state it was in when your offer on the property was accepted.  Any changes to your debt-to-income ratio will pose a huge threat to the success of your home purchase. 3. Take all the documents with you to closing. If any issues arise, you will be able to provide any and all necessary paperwork needed to resolve those problems. 4. Keep in mind the things that could go wrong with your deal. There are a few pitfalls you may encounter. This includes things like the bank pulling out at the last minute or an unexpected lien showing up, but the greatest problem that could occur is actually within the buyer’s control. Any changes to your debt-to-income ratio will pose a huge threat to the success of your home purchase. This means that you need to make sure you put off any major purchases, especially those made on credit, until after closing. There are many more things to keep in mind before proceeding to closing when buying or selling a home. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Is it ever okay to back out of a deal? Yes. Today, I’ll highlight three examples.  Looking to buy a Bay Area Home? Search all Bay Area homes for sale. Selling Your Bay Area Home? Use our home evaluation tool. Backing out of a home purchase can make you seem like a big jerk, but it doesn’t have to. There are three ways you can get out of a deal without coming off as rude: 1. If you’re unhappy with the physical inspection. No matter how excited you were to purchase a home in the beginning, an unsavory inspection report can be a sure way to burst that bubble. If a home just isn’t right for you, or has problems you just can’t look past, it’s often best to walk away. 2. If your purchase is contingent upon the sale of your current home. If your current home doesn’t go under contract within the designated time frame, you have no obligation to go through with the purchase. This contingency can act as your “Get Out of Jail Free” card, and save you from juggling two mortgages at once.  If a home just isn’t right for you, or has problems you just can’t look past, it’s often best to walk away. 3. If the homeowners association documents raise a red flag. When you purchase a home in a homeowners association (or HOA), you’ll receive a huge stack of documents outlining the rules, regulations, and fees that will apply to you if you choose to go through with the purchase. We want to see what kind of finances the HOA has, how the board is, what the facility is like and if it will need any maintenance down the road, and also if you as a homeowner will have to put up a large chunk of money to add to reserves if there is a special assessment that is called. I highly recommend that you review these documents carefully before committing yourself to living in an HOA. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

It is a buyer’s market in the Alamo/Danville area, but as a buyer, you still need to be patient and be smart when you buy.   Looking to buy a Bay Area Home? Search all Bay Area homes for sale. Selling Your Bay Area Home? Use our home evaluation tool. Today I am joined by my father Terry McDaniel to share the latest news from our Alamo/Danville market. Right now, the numbers tell us it is a great time to buy.    In Alamo, there are 38 homes available for sale, and the median asking price for these homes is $2.15 million. There are also 27 pending properties, which is almost ideal because you usually want to see a 1:1 ratio between available properties and pending properties. The median price of these pending homes is $1.7 million.  These stats indicate that the lower part of the market is the most active, while the upper part is starting to see homes with price adjustments of $50,000, $75,000, and even $100,000. This kind of thing is typical when interest rates are rising, so be patient and be smart when you buy.  Remember—you only make money when you buy; you don’t make money when you sell. There are a number of properties that have not hit the market yet, and prices are not rising at the crazy rate that they previously were. If you are a buyer, these facts should help you during your negotiations with sellers  In Alamo, there are about 5,500 homes in total. In Danville, there are about twice as many. To find the home that is right for you, it is very important that you calibrate for each price range and move in $250,000 increments.  Make sure you pick the very best property you can buy. Also, make sure you plot out the houses. The west side of Alamo, for instance, is going to be more expensive as far as lots go. The lot values in that area are between $1.3 million and $1.5 million, which is an increase compared to when they were worth between $900,000 and $1.2 million four years ago. Can they continue to go up in value? Absolutely. Will they continue to go up in value? Absolutely. Home values can rise and fall, but in 10 to 20 years, you will be glad you bought a property now. A leveraged asset in residential real estate is a great way to accommodate your family’s future. There are many ways to buy property, so don’t assume you can’t afford it. If you talk to us, we can make it happen for you. If you are interested in discussing the market further with my father or you would like to know the value of your home, you can reach him by phone at (925) 838-4300. As always, if you have any other questions for me or you have any real estate needs at all, please feel free to reach out to me. I would love to help you.