For the next 60 seconds I’m going to pull out my hair and scream. Will that fix my blog?

Well, it seems the only way to fix the frustrating and crazy-making mistake I made on my blog was to reload the theme which will add a ton of work for me. And since there’s so much work to do I decided to change the theme to something easier on the eyes – adding a ton more work. So while I make changes ignore all the stuff that’s wrong with my blog. K? Thanks. Bye. I’m going to bed.

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CAR Can Too

If  Hyundai, Sears, Home Depot, Target, Lowes, and others can provide the “lose your job” incentive so can the California Association of Realtors.

To help provide first-time home buyers with peace of mind when purchasing a home, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS Housing Affordability Fund (C.A.R.H.A.F.) is offering a free supplemental insurance product for qualified first-time home buyers.  Through the Mortgage Protection Program (C.A.R.H.A.F. MPP), first-time home buyers who lose their jobs due to layoffs may be eligible to receive up to $1,500 per month, for six months, to help make their mortgage payments. Qualified co-buyers can receive $750 per month.

For more info speak to your Realtor.

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Unsure about buying a home?  Think you can’t afford it?  Wondering if a home is a good investment?

Over the last ten years, the cost of rental housing in the U.S. has increased an average of 3.5% per year. If that trend continues, that means that an apartment or home renting for $1,000 per month – where can you find a thousand dollar a month home around here? – will cost more than $1,300 a month in ten years. If you rent the same home for ten years, the total amount you would pay for rent will equal $140,777!

In my example of the first house I ever sold, add the over $200,000 in equity you would lose over those ten years, that makes your loss $350,000.

Get the rest of the numbers:

Why rent when you can buy? –

New Market – New Rules.  Learn all about it at our class August 18th.

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Rolando Rubio III - not the average paparazzi

Just ask me

Bill Silverfarb of the Daily Journal called yesterday to ask my opinion of the newest proposal by the state to resolve the budget issue – you know the one:  We have no money.

Not

One of the ideas that being considered is to withhold 3% of independent contractors’ wages. Ah, yeah – not. Bill reports, “Hill, however, said his office has been flooded by calls and e-mails urging him not to support the proposal.” Leland Yee’s getting the same calls but no matter – he loves the idea.

Does 3% Make A Difference?

Independent contractors and small business owners are suffering enough with the sharp dump in the economy. Taking another 3% will have dire consequences for those already being squeezed.

And I had to have my picture taken – which I hate.

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The facts are real and you can see them everywhere:  If you want to have financial stability you must own property.

Donald Trump was the son of a real estate investor, so he didn’t start out poor but by investing in real estate he’s transformed himself into one of the world’s most well-known rich guys.

Bob Hope wasn’t just one of the funniest men in movies, he was a savvy real estate investor.  He wasn’t just wealthy, Forbes calls him “immensely wealthy.”

“As much as $500 million,” reported the St. Petersburg Times. “$400 million to $700 million,” declared The Dallas Morning News. Fox News Channel’s Terry Keenan said, “You can bet it is in the hundreds of millions, perhaps maybe $1 billion.”

But how about you?  How does the average person fit into this equation?

Last year I sold a house in Redwood City that was purchased by the family for $12,000.  About 40 years later it sells for over $800,000.

Want something more recent?  My parents purchased their home in Pacifica for $63,000.  Now – even in a down market – I’d say it’s worth 750,000.

More recent than that?  The very first house I sold was $312,000.  That was about 1999.  That house would likely sell for $550,000 today.

If you’d like to learn more, come to our free home buyer class.  It’s a new market with new rules – and you need to know them.

Did you know that in order to take advantage of the first-time buyer opportunity you don’t actually have to be a first-time buyer?

Did you know that the $8000 tax credit expires December 1st of this year?

Did you know that you must be pre-approved by a lender before you can write an offer on a house?  What’s the difference between a pre-qualification, pre-approval and and a lender pre-approval?

Learn what you need to know at our free class on August 18th in San Mateo.   Receive a free copy of David Bach’s The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner.

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Before I made all my posts into videos,  San Mateo Real Estate Blog was voted one of the best blogs in San Francisco.  We’re not in San Francisco.  But shhhh.  Don’t tell anyone.

I’m in good company with one of my personal favorites, Jim Minkey’s Absolutely Foster City.  Also not in San Francisco favorites are Living Well In San Mateo - Chris Williamson is one of the most creative people I know, in real estate or not; and Chuck Gillooley’s White Oaks Blog – focused on the most desirable neighborhood in San Carlos.

Thank you Relocation.com.  Now I’ve got to go see what Chris is doing.

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You probably can’t tell by looking at my blog, but I am not a patient person.  I have lists, calendars and post-its to remind me what I’m supposed to be doing and I expect other professionals to be just as anal.

I screwed up my blog a couple of weeks ago.  Yes, me.  I did.  You may not be able to tell but I can.  I tried to figure out how to fix it for about one minute and realized there was no way I could go back.  Then I called Jonathan – Hey, help!  No luck.  Too far gone.

So I hired some tech geeks for $100 an hour – no, I’m not kidding.  I’m still waiting for them to fix the dang thing.  It would help if I had sent them the info they asked for in the first place.  But hey, just getter done.  You know what I mean?

Bottom line is I’ve got things to say.  They’re important and I didn’t want to have to go back and repost the posts in between the screw up and the repair.  Oh well, I can’t wait any more.  I feel better.  Don’t you?

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