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, Spring 2018 wrap-up
I was excited to crunch the numbers for this spring season, with two questions in mind. First, there has been a lot of talk lately about the relatively high level of inventory on the market, so I wanted to see how the number of active listings compared to past springs. It turns out that there were in fact more active listings this spring (47) than in the past several years (36 in spring 2017, 35 in 2016, and 33 in 2015). This pattern — more homes for sale as the market has been rising — is not surprising, as more [...]
THE OUTLOOK: Berkeley Hills, Spring 2018 wrap-up
I was excited to crunch the numbers for this spring season, with two questions in mind. First, there has been a lot of talk lately about the relatively high level of inventory on the market, so I wanted to see how the number of active listings compared to past springs. It turns out that there were in fact more active listings this spring (74) than in the past several years (69 in spring 2017, 59 in 2016, and 55 in 2015). This pattern — more homes for sale as the market has been rising — is not surprising, as more [...]
Home Project Website
https://www.homewyse.com/ I saw a mention of the website above in a Money magazine article about home improvement projects, so I checked it out and thought it was worth passing along. It's a price calculator for home renovation and maintenance projects. You select a project, make some choices about the scope of the work, the quality of the materials and the type of contractor, enter your zip code, and they give you a rough estimated range for the cost. I found this really interesting. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of their numbers, but there is information about their methodology and sources on [...]
REAL ESTATE ANSWERS: What can I do to make a dark room brighter?
Some people love a cozy, darker space, but for others (and for getting top dollar in a sale), bright, airy spaces are optimal. How can you get this look in an existing home? The obvious answer is with remodeling—adding windows or skylights to let in more natural light. There are many ways to brighten a room, though, that don’t involve calling a contractor and spending lots of money. Here are some suggestions: Start by making the most of the windows you have. If it’s been a while since the windows were washed (note to self…), having them cleaned can make [...]