Summer has come and gone and the kids are off to school. For us in Northern California it means a change from dry to wet conditions. I would usually say hot to cool, but this summer was unusually cool with the exception of a few days.  So, what needs to be done before winter comes? Cleaning the leaves and debree out of the gutters is what comes to my mind first.  Then weatherstripping around the doors and windows. If you can walk your roof (don’t walk on tile) check the flashing and vents for water tightness and apply a water proofing compound as needed.  You might call PGE or a heating service company (HVAC technician) to check your heaters and vents, too.  Don’t forget to change the filters. Apply paint where needed to exposed or weathered wood surfaces.  If you have a sump pump under your home, give it a test run to see if its working. If the chimney hasn’t been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote.  Call tradesmen to help you now.  Its hard to get a roofer to come out on a cold rainy winter night when there’s a drip coming through the skylight. Yep, happened to me once-glad I had a tarp in the garage for such an occasion.  Maintainence on your home will help maintain its value.  Well that, and a recovery in the real estate market and our economy.
Please feel free to add suggestions and share ideas for getting ready for the winter months ahead.
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Let’s see, home prices per CNN.Money.com are rising in some areas of the United States and lagging in others. What are the local trends of home sales in your area? You might look at the local real estate trends as provided by Trulia.  Interest rates are so low that only grand parents or great grand parents remember lower rates.  However, the job market appears to be unstable and inventory of foreclosed homes is also rising.  So who is buying a home and why?Most calls I am getting are from investors who believe the bottom has been reached  in our area of California, (Benicia, Danville, Martinez, Alamo, Vallejo) and now have plucked or seized the day (Carpe diem). Investor-buyers are realizing that there is a profit to be made right now with positive cash flow in many cases and security in knowing that the economic up cycle is expected with equity build up in the property.   Are primary or potential owner occupied home buyers simply afraid? Is that the problem? Why are you as a potential home buyer not buying right now?

The Home Affordable Foreclosure Altenatives Program (HAFA) is beginning to take shape as more real estate professionals aquire the knowledge of this new program to make it easier for the destressed borrower to sell his/her home by a more streamlined short sale method.
The problem  with short sales has been the length of time it takes to finally close the transaction.  The biggest issue with short sales was just getting the investor to approve or not approve the short sale. After months of waiting for a response, many buyers give up and pull out of the deal.  This should no longer be the case as a standardized form called the  Request for Approval of Short Sale (RASS) along with a completed contract of sale, and a completed short sale package from the listing agent to the servicer of the loan in default, should result in an approval or denial within 10 business days after submission of the package.  Furthermore the whole process is being revamped with standardized forms as much as possible throughout the nation.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have also adopted and adapted guidelines to the HAFA program.
There are no true “experts” in this process but there are now  Realtors @ who are certified short sale specialist that have completed the educational requirements to help sellers and buyers in the new HAFA short sale process.
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With the announcement of California’s new tax credit, buyers of new homes potentially can get tax credits from both the Federal government and the state at this time. The California state credit is either $10,000 or 5%, whichever number is lower and the Federal tax credit [...]