Brian Ripp

When selling your home, the best thing you can do is stage it for prospective buyers. Staging is simply preparing your home in a way that creates buyer interest, and it can make a dramatic difference in the selling price and the speed of sale. Try these quick staging tips:

•· Make the exterior of our home welcoming by staining or painting your front door and cleaning the windows inside and out so they sparkle.

•· Remove stored items from your garage to make it look spacious and organized.

•· Make sure your home is infused with light. Take advantage of sunlight by opening your drapes. If showing in the evening or on over-cast days, turn on lights in every room.

•· Brighten the interior of your home with fresh, light-toned paint.

•· Clean and organize kitchen cabinets, drawers and pantries. Remove any clutter from countertops. You may want to bake a pie or cookies before a showing to make your home smell inviting.

Of course, this works for both selling your home or even if you are planning on renting it out.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions or concern regarding any real estate issue.

Brian Ripp, CRS, GRI, Broker - your Bay Area Realtor

www.BrianRipp.com serving Fremont, Newark, Union City & surrounding communities. Real Estate & Property Management.

Real Estate Market Weekly Update Webcast: http://realtytimes.com/REUv/BrianRipp

Purchasing a condo often is the first step in the homeownership process, and can be a good opportunity for first-time buyers. However, as more homeowners living in community developments with homeowner associations find themselves in trouble, many are not paying their dues. As a result, residents who do pay their HOA dues are seeing increases in their monthly bills or unexpected special assessments. This is especially true for communities that do not have enough funds in reserves to pay for property maintenance and repairs. Buyers considering the purchase of homes in community developments with HOAs are advised to closely monitor the homeowner association's financial health.

What you should look out for:

· Buyers are advised to request all financial documents relating to the homeowners' association during the home inspection period. In most cases, buyers receive these documents one to two weeks before closing, or find they are incomplete. Financial advisors recommend that buyers work with their REALTOR® to ensure the documents are received in a timely manner-preferably during the contingency period in their contract.

· When reviewing the financial documents, buyers should note that two-thirds of the association's budget should be operating expenses such as water, lights, elevator maintenance, and landscaping; the rest should be set aside in a reserve fund for long-term maintenance and repairs.

· If the expenses exceed revenues due to foreclosures, unpaid dues, or other reasons, buyers should ask the association's manager or board of directors what its plans are to make up for the shortfall, and whether the association expects an assessment or higher dues. It also is important to note if the financial deficit will be made up with shorter pool hours, or a reduction in landscaping and other community amenities, as these could affect not only the comfort of the community, but also the future marketability of the property.

· While the financial health of a homeowners' association is an important factor in the purchasing decision, it shouldn't deter home buyers from purchasing condos. Many first-time buyers purchase condos to enable them to become homeowners. Typically, condos are more affordable than single-family homes, offer community amenities, and may allow a buyer to purchase a home in a highly desirable area where they otherwise could not afford.

· Although not required, it is becoming more common for associations to hire outside firms to look at all long-term anticipated repairs and replacements within communities over a period of 30 years, add up the costs, and create a payment and maintenance schedule. The monthly dues charged to each owner should reflect the amount of money needed to pay for the necessities.

· Associations ideally should save enough money over time to pay for every contingency, such as roof leaks, pipe bursts, sidewalk cracks, and the like. However, most associations often deplete reserve funds to pay for operating costs and other expenses. Although the percentage of funding necessary varies by the age and size of a community, in general, buyers should be concerned if funding is below 40 percent, as it could result in a special assessment in the future.

information from and w/permission from C.A.R.

The median home price in California will rise 3.3 percent to $280,000 in 2010 compared with a projected median of $271,000 this year, according to C.A.R.'s "2010 California Housing Market Forecast". Sales for 2010 are projected to decrease 2.3 percent to 527,500 units, compared with 540,000 units (projected) in 2009.

"California's housing market continued its strong sales rebound this year, resulting from the continued pace of distressed properties coming to market," said C.A.R. President James Liptak. "This follows two years of double-digit sales declines in 2006 and 2007. Looking ahead, we expect sales to moderate to a more sustainable pace."

"After experiencing its sharpest decline in history, we expect the median price to rise modestly next year," Liptak added. "2010 will mark the beginning of the ‘new normal' for California's housing market. This ‘new normal' likely will feature a steady stream of sales driven by distressed properties in the low end of the market, coupled with moderate home-price appreciation."

"With distressed properties accounting for nearly one-third of the sales in 2010, inventory will be relatively lean, under six months during the off-season months, and a roughly four-month supply during the peak season," said C.A.R. and Vice President Leslie Appleton-Young. "We expect the median price to decrease slightly through the remainder of 2009 and into next year, then rise before leveling off next summer. For the year as a whole, home prices are forecast to reach $280,000. The wild cards for 2010 include foreclosures, loan resets, the labor market, and the California budget crisis, as well as the actions of the federal government."

information from C.A.R. Newsline, e-mail market update.

You may have heard how some plants are said to have almost magical healing properties. You may even have purchased items made from these wellness-enhancing wonders at your local health food or drugstore. But why spend money on teas and vitamins when you can grow your own herb garden?

Planting an herb garden can be fun. Not only can the plants themselves benefit your body, but the actual gardening can be good for you as well. It's an opportunity to get some exercise and enjoy the fresh air.

Many people plant herb gardens to complement their cooking. Some of the most popular herbs for this reason are basil, by, chives, dill, garlic, parsley and sage. If you are interested in growing herbs that can help calm an upset stomach or add elasticity to your skin, however, you may want to consider planting the following:

•· Anise - also referred to as star anise or sweet cumin, it grows to approximately 18 inches tall, with small white flowers and feathery green leaves. It is often used to make cough lozenges, but you can also brew its seeds in a tea.

•· Barberry - is a bushy plant that has round, red berries. The root bark has been used to stimulate the liver and boost the immune system.

•· Chervil - with large yet delicate leaves, chervil looks similar to parsley. It has a light flavor and has been used to treat an upset stomach and soothe morning sickness in pregnant women.

•· Jasmine - known for its sweet-smelling flowers, is widely used in aromatherapy and in lotions to moisturize and rejuvenate dry skin.

•· Ylang Ylang - is a small tree or compact shrub with glossy leaves and curly yellow flowers. It is thought to balance hormones and ease the symptoms of PMS.

Brian Ripp, CRS, GRI, Broker - your Bay Area Realtor

www.BrianRipp.com serving Fremont, Newark, Union City & surrounding communities. Real Estate & Property Management.

Real Estate Market Weekly Update Webcast: http://realtytimes.com/REUv/BrianRipp

Many Americans believe that a lack of money for a down payment and closing costs is the biggest obstacle to homeownership, according to National Association of Realtors (NAR's) 2009 National Housing Pulse Survey. Job security is also a major concern. Two-thirds of those surveyed think layoffs and unemployment are a big problem, and 8 out of 10 think those issues are a barrier to homeownership.

While three-fourths of Americans say declining property prices have made homes more affordable, 8 out of 10 say it's harder to a home in their area today than it was a year ago. Nearly half (44%) attribute their inability to sell to the large number of homes for sale in their market.

But respondents do expect to see home prices stabilize in the near future. Nearly 7 out of 10 expect local home prices to stay the same over the next three months, while only 18% expect to see further declines, the survey finds.

Brian Ripp, CRS, GRI, Broker - your Bay Area Realtor

www.BrianRipp.com serving Fremont, Newark, Union City & surrounding communities. Real Estate & Property Management.

Real Estate Market Weekly Update Webcast: http://realtytimes.com/REUv/BrianRipp