Real Estatin' the Facts

Great Blue Heron Flying Above Reflection In Water Top 10 Markets by Equity Appreciation since 4th Quarter 2010. Hint, San Jose did well, which is a great segueway into f our million more homeowners now 'above water'   and housing affordability spiking this year . Another layer affecting affordability is the increase in interest rates as suggested by Janet Yellen in her first press conference. 

Heart by Phil Whitehouse Happy Valentine's Day! This post was inspired by a client who referred me to her father, who's name means "love", which I found appropriate for today.  My email signature, "Home is where one starts from," is an excerpt from  "East Coker V, Four Quartets"  by T.S. Eliot. No, I've not read the entire quartet. Home is about the familiar, the original blueprint for the beginnings of our experience of intimacy. It's a personal language that begins before we can use words, usually in relationship to a primary figure. 

Confetti in the Blue Sky This post was inspired by current clients of mine who are open-minded and forward thinking, prompting the search for up and coming neighborhoods. Price is relative. When a client tells me that something is too expensive, or calls something cheap, I usually ask, "For whom? And compared to what?" Here's an interesting collection of  how one makes do in the Bay Area .

Moyan Brenn This post was inspired by a loved one born in the year of the horse.  While Chinese New Year 2014 will ring in the  year of the horse , 2014 is being called the  year of the trade up seller , most likely due to sellers'  desire to take advantage of low interest rates or to cash out at what might be at least a temporary peak in home prices.