The Burt Tsuei Podcast

Realtor at Burt Tsuei Real Estate Group

Get all your questions answered about buying, selling, or investing in San Mateo County/Bay Area real estate from local expert Burt Tsuei.

  1. Oct 23 ·  Video

    Escrow in California: The 30 Days That Decide If Your Deal Closes

    Buying or selling a home in California works differently than almost anywhere back East, and the gap catches transplants off guard. There is no closing attorney here. Instead, a neutral escrow officer moves the money and the paperwork while the contract calendar quietly runs in the background, and missing one deadline can put your deposit at risk. In our latest video, we walk through the full 21-to-30-day process, who really controls your close, and the local San Mateo County rule that adds weeks to more closings than the loan ever does. Watch the video before you write or accept your next offer.

  2. Oct 14 ·  Video

    Why Selling Your Condo First Could Cost You the House You Want

    Trading up from your first condo to a house on the Peninsula sounds simple, until you realize you’re navigating two completely different markets at once, one fast and one slow. Get the order wrong, and you could end up carrying two mortgages you didn’t plan for, or selling your condo only to lose out on every house you chase. In this video, I break down why Peninsula condos and houses move at such different speeds, the three ways to sequence your move-up, and the one prep move that surprises almost every first-time seller. Watch the video before you list or make an offer.

  3. Sep 21 ·  Video

    50 Units Gone - Should You Sell Your Condo Now?

    A six-alarm fire tore through a Foster City condo complex on August 2nd, and every Peninsula condo owner should be paying attention. Rising HOA costs don't just make your unit pricier to hold; they quietly shrink the pool of buyers who can afford it. In our latest video, we walk through why these costs are coming, how they thin out your buyer pool, and a four-point check that tells you whether your building is one to get ahead of. Watch our video to see whether yours is fine or one to watch.

  4. Sep 15 ·  Video

    How Long Will It Take Before You Can Buy a Peninsula Home?

    A household earning $240,000 and saving a quarter of it is doing everything right, and on the Peninsula, that still means almost seven years of saving before the down payment is even covered. It's a number most first-time buyers never run before they start looking. In this video, I walk through the exact plan Peninsula buyers need, what to cut first, why a 20% down payment still wins, and what putting less down really costs in a jumbo-loan market like ours. Watch my video before you start house hunting here.

  5. Aug 26 ·  Video

    How the VLF Formula Costs San Mateo $157 Million

    If you live on the peninsula, you already pay some of the highest taxes in the state, so you should probably know that more than $157 million that legally belongs to San Mateo County and its 20 cities is currently being withheld. It's money meant for police, fire, mental health programs, and the basic services our cities need to function. In our latest video, we break down what the vehicle license fee is, why San Mateo County gets treated differently than almost every other county in California, and what that means for cities across the peninsula. Watch our video to understand where your money is actually going.

  6. Aug 20 ·  Video

    Why Homes Cost 51% More Than Condos in San Mateo County

    Prices of single-family homes in San Mateo County went up again this year, but condos went down, and the gap between the two has never been wider on the peninsula. Most condo buyers we talk to haven't realized that for the first time in a long time, the leverage has shifted to their side of the table. In this video, we walk through exactly what the Q1 2026 MLS numbers show, where the divergence is most extreme city by city, and the three specific advantages condo buyers have right now that single-family buyers simply don't. Watch our video before you make your next move.

  7. Jul 23 ·  Video

    What San Mateo's Hillsdale Redevelopment Means for Your Home

    Forty-four acres beside the Hillsdale Caltrain station are on track to become a four-million-square-foot neighborhood, and if you own a home within a mile of the mall, the decisions shaping your property value happen over the next 18 months. Most of what circulates at open houses isn't quite right. In this video, we walk through what the application actually proposes, the upside nobody's discussing, and three game plans depending on whether you're selling soon, holding a decade, or staying for good. Watch our video before you decide how you feel.

  8. Jun 25 ·  Video

    Your Insurance Got Canceled in Escrow. Now What?

    Your home insurance just fell through, and you're already weeks into escrow. Before you panic, know this: it's fixable far more often than it isn't, and the next 48 hours decide everything. A carrier pulling your coverage mid-deal feels like the whole thing just died, but it usually didn't, as long as you move fast and in the right order. In this video, we walk through what actually happened to your coverage, the calls to make today, and the state backstop that can keep your deal alive. Watch our video before you make a single move.

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About

Get all your questions answered about buying, selling, or investing in San Mateo County/Bay Area real estate from local expert Burt Tsuei.

Information

  • Creator
    Realtor at Burt Tsuei Real Estate Group
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Realtor at Burt Tsuei Real Estate Group
  • Show Website
    The Burt Tsuei Podcast