Your Real Estate Expert for Berkeley and Beyond
“Marilyn is exceptional. Her knowledge base, enthusiasm for her job, professional ethics, organization, sensitivity to our aesthetic requirements, loyalty and gentle perseverance set her apart.”
-- Bill and Carol Seidel
Marilyn Garcia, PhD
Broker Associate, Realtor®
DRE# 02014153
District Homes
1758 Solano Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94707
Direct:
(510) 390-5406
THE OUTLOOK: North Berkeley, Fall 2019 wrap-up
The fall is always an interesting season in our real estate market, because we go from one of the slowest times of the year (just before Labor Day) to one of the busiest times of the year (just after Labor Day). We see what feels like a flood of new listings in September. Inventory though is always tight in North Berkeley, so it was a small flood — there were only 25 active listings all fall. 20 properties sold, of which 4 were condos and 16 were single family homes. The median sale price for North Berkeley in the fall [...]
THE OUTLOOK: Berkeley Hills, Fall 2019 wrap-up
It was another interesting fall in local real estate, and we saw the usual flood of new listings to the market after Labor Day. Even though this happens pretty much every year (because many sellers wait to list until after Labor Day, thinking that August may not be the best time to sell because some buyers are out of town on vacation), it affects perceptions of how the market is doing. There were 73 active listings over the fall in the Berkeley hills, which is up slightly from last fall. 38 properties sold, and 12 properties were withdrawn or expired [...]
REAL ESTATE ANSWERS: I’m considering selling my home next year. What should I start doing now to get ready?
I’m considering selling my home next year. What should I start doing now to get ready? It’s a well-known fact that right now is not the optimal time to sell a home in our area. It is, however, the right time to start getting things in place if you’re thinking of selling next year, so that you’re ready for the very busy selling season. Here are the first things to do to get ready. (1) Think about where you’ll be when your home is on the market. Do you already have your next home set? Are you renting or buying [...]
Bridge Loans
BRIDGE LOANS Did you know that it’s possible again to get a bridge loan? A bridge loan is a short-term loan that can be used to access the equity in a home you are planning to sell in order to purchase a new home. Following the financial crisis in 2008, lending standards got extremely strict, and bridge loans vanished from the market. Non-cash buyers who wanted to buy a new home before selling their old one needed to either (1) show that they had enough income to make payments on the loans on their existing home and on their new [...]