Here are some insights to help you determine if a condominium is a prudent choice as a primary residence. Condo living may NOT be for you if…

1. You have a loud or large dog. Most condos do not have a private yard for your four-legged friend, only common areas, which means your dog will have to stay inside all day. Be sure to also review the Home Owner Association  rules & regulations with regards to pets, as there may considerations as to the type, size, breed, etc. allowed.

2. You are a light sleeper. Once you live in a condo, it most likely means you have people living – and making noise – above, below or, at least, to the side-of you. Condo living also has a much higher “density,” which means that within just 100 feet, you could have people that get up early, those that party late, and everyone in between.

3. You like to work on cars. It’s a safe bet to assume that most, if not all, condo HOA’s will not let you work on your car in the parking lot or elsewhere on the property. So, if working on a transmission is your idea of a good time, it’s doubtful the HOA will agree.

4. You need a lot of storage space. While there are roomy condos out there, more often than not they don’t have a garage for extra storage, or much extra closets and cabinetry in general. So if you have a lot of stuff to be stored away, you might consider a more traditional residence where you can spread your wings.

5. You have many vehicles. It’s rare to find a lower priced condo with a 2-car garage. Usually they offer a 1-car garage or carport. While higher end condos usually can accommodate 2 vehicles, they sometimes have restrictions as to the allowable “type,” with some having bans on motorcycles and open bed trucks. Accordingly, home buyers with more than one car should pay close attention to parking options.

6. You are on a budget and can’t handle the higher HOA fees. Condos are known for offering residents additional amenities and commonly have Home Owner Dues from $100 to $500 and above per month. If you are highly budget-conscious and need to keep overhead expenses to a minimum, be sure to take the HOA dues and any addition special assessments into account.  Also note that there is no tax deduction for HOA fees.

7. You can’t handle someone living above you, or hate elevators or stairs. With condo living, those in a lower unit will have others living above, which can get noisy and disruptive. Those living in upper units also have neighbor noise to contend with, and will have to haul groceries and other parcels a long way from the car to the front door using an elevator or stairs. Those with physical limitations should be particularly sensitive to this facet of condo living.

8. You like to throw big parties. From limited parking to complaining neighbors, if you are truly an entertainer at heart, a condo might not be the place for you. Plus there are usually HOA-assessed “quiet hours” as well that you may have to abide by.

Refinance? Yes, no or maybe?

Q: Are there tips for selling a vacant home?

Yes. Once furniture is removed from the home, you will notice all kinds of imperfections you never paid attention to before: rips in the carpet, holes in the walls, and dinginess. In an empty house, everything stands out. What you see is what potential buyers will also see. So you may need to paint, tear up old carpet, and even replace the kitchen floor.

To get rid of the “empty house” feeling, leave a few pieces of furniture behind. Simple things like a lamp, chairs, and a table will suffice.

Pay special attention to maintenance. Someone will need to dust and vacuum, leaves will need to be raked, and the grass cut.

In the winter, have the heating system run at a low temperature to save money. You’ll definitely want to keep the electricity running because the lights will be needed to show the house and later for buyer inspections.

Watch out for that musty smell, particularly during the summer months, that settles in from having the windows sealed and locked. And beware of pests such as mice, squirrels and ants.

- The McQuaid Family, Dublin

Thanks for all of the help with the home purchase. You’ve been with us for almost three years and now we finally made it into our new home.

We really appreciate you sticking with us and being positive during our purchasing experience.

Your efforts are truly appreciated. It always felt like you cared about what we wanted and cared about our family.

Thanks for the pies during thanksgiving and the ice cream for the kids’ birthdays.

We are working on fixing up the house now. Cleaning the carpets made a big difference and the house is looking better with the painting. There is a long honey-do list waiting. Thanks again.

Sincerely

Diwaker and Aruna

With the average rate on a 30-year loan at or below 3.83 percent, down from 4.63 percent a year ago, refinancing may be worth considering.

If you are considering refinancing, you should first delve into your financial goals, specifically the length of time you plan to live in the home.  You may end up deciding that it makes more sense to stay with their current mortgage, especially if the savings are small or you plan to move within a year or two.

In fact, when you refinance your no longer building equity at the same rate as you are starting at the beginning of the amortization tables.   With the amortization of a loan, in the first few years almost all of the payment goes toward interest, so the longer you have the the loan, the more each payment is put toward the principal.

If you refinanced in the last year or two the you don’t have to consider amortization tables.  However, you do need to know when refinancing would begin to pay off.  In order to calculate this, start with a rundown of all the closing costs, then divide the closing costs by the amount expected to be saved on each monthly payment.  This will give you a clearer picture if refinancing makes sense.

If you need the recommendation of a trusted lender for your refinance, give us a call.

Below is a helpful chart that has the current guidelines for the waiting periods for homeowners that recently experienced a short sale, foreclosure, or deed-in-lieu. The guidelines change frequently, but this gives you an idea of where the timelines stand today.

You will see in the chart that the time frames for any of the four are less if the short sale, deed-in-lieu or foreclosure were cause by “extenuating circumstances” that were beyond the borrower’s control. If there were extenuating circumstances, what happened MUST be fully documented. If it can’t be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, borrower will have to wait before the prescribed amount of time before qualifying .

* Extenuating circumstances – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – “non-recurring events” beyond the borrowers control that result in a sudden significant, and prolonged reduction in income or a catastrophic increase in obligations—(divorce, illness, job loss etc.) all must be fully documented and proven.

* Extenuating circumstances – FHA – death of a primary wage earner, long-term uninsured illness or divorce where the ex-spouse got the home and was later foreclosed on. (Job loss, job transfer or inability to sell the home are not considered extenuating circumstances

This information was provided to us for information purposes only by our colleague Don McGlinchy at Cherry Creek Mortgage and is subject to change at any time. You can reach Don at 925-474-1112 (www.consultwithdon.com). 

Nine out of 10 people age 50 and older say they want to remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible. According to CAPS, the current 50-plus generation is typically healthier and wealthier than previous generations of similar age; they want their homes to accommodate their active, independent and upscale lifestyles.

Additionally, while the majority of CAPS consumers are 55-64 years of age, remodelers report that 23 percent of clients are younger (45-54 years of age) and planning ahead to age-in-place. According to NAHB, as aging-in-place modifications and universal design move into the mainstream, the CAPS program provides builders with the expertise necessary to provide accessibility, safety and low maintenance living to homeowners of any age.

The CAPS program was launched by NAHB in partnership with AARP, the NAHB Research Center and the NAHB 50+ Housing Council in 2002 and has been on the leading edge of home modifications for aging-in-place since its inception. The program has graduated more than 4,000 specialists in 10 years.

As we’ve seen across the Tri-Valley, the number of Dublin homes under contract has climbed significantly over the past couple of months and is up 28% over the same time last last year.

Of all the Dublin singly family homes that are under contract today, 64.8% of these are distressed sales (Foreclosures and Short Sales).

As you’ll see in the graph below, the number of homes for sale has been overall trending down for the past year with the number of homes for sale down 38% from a year ago.  For the past several months the number of homes selling has been on the increased with 19% more homes selling this past month than at the same time last year.

The housing inventory in Dublin is now at a low of just 1 month of supply which is a 66% drop over 12 months ago. Great for sellers however this is causing frustration for out buyers as they have fewer choices and we start to see some upward pressure on prices.

Foreclosures and Short Sales in Dublin (Single Family Homes)

_{© 2011, graphs provided by Terradatum and its suppliers using data from the Bay East Association of Realtors. Information deemed accurate but not guaranteed.}

Located in a  prime location, across from huge 3-acre community park with picnic tables, children’s play area, basketball court and a gated dog walk.  Within minutes of BART and easy access to 580/680.

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1246 sq ft, built in 2007, 2 underground parking spaces. Priced at $300,000

For more information or to view this home, call us at 925-737-1000.

Click here to view the virtual tour.

Property Details

What the current owners feel you should know:

• The many nearby parks: Bray Commons Park, Emerald Glenn Park, Devany Sqare Park,and Fallon Sports Park
• Waterford Place Shopping Center for restaurants and grocery shopping
• Grafton Station across the street offering shopping and dinning
• Single level condo with easy access to parking and mail room
• Plenty of resident and guest parking

“We love the easy access to both sports facilities and playgrounds for our children. We also love the amazing views of the Tri-Valley when walking around the neighborhood. Our home is both quiet and in a community that is very social and inviting to meeting new friends and neighbors. We also love the cherry wood floors, views from 2nd bedroom, full sized laundry inside unit, the large 2nd bathroom, and  our dual master bath sinks.  I love our fireplace in the living room.

We also have a patio that is wonderful to sit and relax on summer days with views of the Dublin hills. The master bedroom is spacious. And of course we also love our granite counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms.”

Property Photos

Floor Plan

Map