About San Leandro's Hillcrest Knolls

The CA Residential Purchase Agreement is the the only document that a lender will accept as the basics for granting a home loan. Home buyers, specially first time home buyers, are reluctant to sign such document on the spot, after all, with the required Buyers Inspection Advisory and the Disclosure Regarding Real Estate Relationships, those are 14 pages of gibberish mambo jumbo stuff that is not easy to understand when read for the first time.

At the height of the market, we lost a great home because the first time buyer took 2 days to read the contract and another 3 hours for me to clarify the questions he had when he read it. By the time we presented the offer, another buyer's offer had been accepted. I could not blame the buyer for not signing on the spot. For this type of purchase, as a consumer, I probably would have done the same.

That is when I decided to actually write the offer earlier and even before I show the first house to buyer looking to buy a home. Once we tour the houses for the first time, I give the buyer the entire 14 pages of an offer written on the best house we saw. By previewing first, I would know which house to write the contract for. Since I do not show houses unless the buyer is pre-approved, I also know the finances, I write down the exact numbers for a down payment and even calculate an estimated buyer's closing costs.

Having the buyers have the contract on the first tour of houses, with real numbers, and sending them home to read those documents is a huge time saver for both of us. I tell them to assume that we just bought this house, and that these are exactly the documents that we will use when presenting an offer. I ask them to read those pages, and make notes on them to ask me when we see each other again. By reading the contract without any pressure for time, they will be ready when the time comes to sign an offer. I do make a point on subsequent meetings to ask about the contract.

Yes, this might sound like putting the cart in front of the horse. But we accomplish so much, the buyer's confidence on the process is key for the entire transaction to start and finish on time. A well informed and educated consumer is also a very happy Home Buyer. This type of home buyer makes the lender, the seller, their Realtors and the other 30+ people who somehow get involved in a typical real estate transaction very happy too!

Taking the steps in this order takes the fear out of actually purchasing a home, the knowledge, understanding and familiarity might avoid the infamous "Buyers Remorse" for which I also have a prepared medicine. After the offer is accepted, I give the buyers colorful M&M's in a prescription bottle. I tell them to take 2 pills when they feel scared or uneasy about their purchase, if the feeling is too intense to double the dose, that the color of the M&M's does not matter.

But if they feel real bad about what they bought, to call me immediately. If the buyer is not 100% into it, I want them out of the transaction as early as possible. If you are looking to buy a house right now, ask your Realtor for those documents and familiarize yourself with them.

From the moment we get out of bed to the time we come back to sleep, we make decisions that affect our climate and increase the carbon emissions that contribute to the greenhouse gas effects that are causing our climate to change. What is the amount of land and ocean area required to sustain YOUR consumption patterns and absorb YOUR wastes on an annual basis?

Almost every activity in our lives has an effect in our planet’s climate. The choices we make in our homes, when we travel, the food that we eat, what we buy and throw away, they all leave behind our very personal carbon footprint that could affect the world climate for future generations. The USA National Average for a 2 person household is 53 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year. The world average is only 11 tons per year, what is yours? What is YOUR impact in this earth? Use this Carbon Footprint Calculator and find out where you stand.

Making environmentally friendly home improvements not only beautifies the house but also adds to its value. It is a win-win for everybody, your house will have a better return on your investment and you will be helping to save the planet. Here is a list of simple items that can be accomplished very easily:

• Begin by replacing all your light bulbs in the house with compact fluorescence ones, they can use up to 75% less energy
• How many times have you left the outdoor lights on? An inexpensive motion detector will turn them off for you
• Make an inspection of all bathrooms, kitchen, outdoor faucets and fix all leaks, the amount of water saved is tremendous
• Take shorter showers and turn off the water while brushing your teeth and shaving. Install low flow shower heads
• Create a compost pile in your backyard, your garden will appreciate that, your garbage costs will be lower, your city dumps will be smaller and will not have to spend gas transporting your leftovers to their place. Are you with me so far? This is easy stuff! doable in a day!
• Replace your air conditioner and heating system filters, or clean them up more regularly
• Install more ceiling fans in your house, use them instead of the air conditioner and heater
• Insulate your home and use weather stripping around doors and windows
• Remember the 3 R's: Refuse, Reuse and Recycle, keep them in mind at all times, specially when shopping
• Stop all junk mail! Here is how to do it. Use online banking where you can receive your bills by e-mail instead of snail mail.

As you see, you can reduce your personal environmental impact by making a few simple changes in your everyday behavior. Your efforts plus mine multiplied by many others will make a big difference in the fight to slow climate change.

YOU have the power to change the world! Even to the end when you can choose to be buried in an Ecoffin, a unique casket made from naturally hardened 100% recycled paper to make a graceful exit… and a final contribution to the planet, way to go...! Bravo!