Real Estatin' the Facts

Silicon Valley, San Jose, Santa Clara, Peninsula, Collage Skyline - found on Etsy The overall themes today are commercial real estate, job growth, and work-life lifestyle of the Silicon Valley, which directly impacts residential real estate. 

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. 

House on Scale by Images Money A lot of my buyers have been feeling the pinch of rising rental prices.  Absorption rates for rental apartments have been generally rising since late 2008 as rental demand increased as a result of the housing downturn.  If you're curious, interest rates will have to hit 5.4% in San Jose for it to not make sense to buy if you're still on the fence of renting vs buying .   Despite recent volatility in consumer attitudes, housing recovery expected to press on - notably, home price expectations climbed significantly in February – with 50 percent saying home prices will go up in the next year. 

Found on Etsy This post was actually inspired by an out of the area agent who I will have the privilege of helping in the next upcoming weeks. She's helping place her buyers back into the Bay Area, a reminder of how often I take for granted the allure of this place. 

Transitional Bedroom by Sausalito Architects & Designers Urrutia Design Would you mind if I took a break and digressed from my usual conversational patterns? Today, I've opted to use a list format for links I've found around the internet that might be helpful in fostering a more well-rounded understanding of real estate and how to pay for the space you occupy.

Green Leaves by Cuba Gallery While I service a diverse range of clientele, the majority of my clients are first time home buyers in my age bracket, Generation Y or the Millennial Generation. Though Generation Y is economically frustrated , and  unsure if they stand a chance , the question remains -  are they really lost ?

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.