Archive for January, 2009

December 2008 San Mateo County MarketWATCH – Single Family Homes

By Raymond Stoklosa · January 16th, 2009

The San Mateo County market has some positive statistics this month. December is typically a slow point in the seasonal cycle, and December ’08 figures reflect this trend. Year-over-year comparison, however, shows an increase in the number of closed sales at 262 vs. 152 in December of ’07 and newly initiated sales are almost double [...]

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Broussard Painting and Decorating

By Chela Stoklosa · January 15th, 2009

A few days ago, Steve Broussard of Broussard Painting & Decorating Corp finished painting the exterior of our house and we are very pleased with the results. Steve is a professional, having returned our call for a bid within the hour and appearing at the house later that same afternoon to give us a full [...]

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Recipe: Apple Bran Muffins

By Cassandra Stoklosa · January 15th, 2009

1 cup flour 2 tsp baking powder ¾ tsp salt ¼ cup brown sugar ½ tsp cinnamon 1 cup All Bran cereal 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup petite diced apple 1 egg (1/4 cup eggbeaters can be used) 3 tbsp canola oil ½ cup chopped walnuts (if desired) In a large bowl mix baking powder [...]

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What Seller Concessions Should Buyers Request?

By Raymond Stoklosa · January 14th, 2009

We’ve been getting some interesting questions in our mailbag. Here’s a good one we’ve gotten recently. Q: What types of concessions can buyers get from sellers these days? Pay closing costs such as — title insurance, loan points, escrow fees, transfer taxes, HOA dues and special assessments, property taxes Shorten the close of escrow period [...]

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How to Take Advantage of Today’s Buyers Market

By Raymond Stoklosa · January 6th, 2009

As promised in our last blog, here are some suggestions to take advantage of today’s market conditions. A “buyer’s market” is named such because the forces that move the market provide more leverage on the buyer’s side of the buy/sell equation. However, that’s only relevant when you do actually buy and buy right. If you [...]

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