Active Rain blog

I am working with a first-time buyer family who is considering purchasing new construction as their primary residence.  I advised them to look into the $10,000 tax credit offered by the State of California Franchise Tax Board.  For all the info and requirements click on this Franchise Tax Board w...

As we saw in my previous Investment Property Case Study 3, south Santa Clara County real estate can be purchased for investment purposes and have a positive cash flow from the income received from rent.  Not only will there be a positive cash flow, but there is great potential for gains in equity...

A little over a year ago, I set out to earn the GRI designation.  After an intensive 14 course series, I have achieved my goal.  I now can proudly display the nationally recognized GRI designation which I earned from the Graduate Realtor Institute. Realtors can earn the designation after success...

El Toro is the famous Morgan Hill landmark seen from most areas in town.  Every spring the Morgan Hill Historical Society sponsors a hike up the 1403 ft. peak.  The hike is correctly described as moderate to difficult due to the very steep portion up towards the top.  Thank goodness for Boy Scout...

Excellent, simplified explanation of our current credit crisis by Jonathan Jarvis illustrating how the demand for mortgages was driven by investor greed: The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo. Want a more indepth discussion of the source of the crisis?  Listen to this inte...

Another very busy week of sales in south Santa Clara County last week.  With the new federal stimulus package approved in congress, buyers may be feeling encouraged.  Investors should take heart in that the number of property loans they will be allowed to hold will increase from 4 to 10 beginning...

When serving real estate buyers, the question of which school the residents of a particular home at a particular address would go to often comes up.  Although I feel I know the school boundaries pretty well, I don't like to rely on my own knowledge in case the boundaries have changed, which they ...

As we saw in my previous investment property case study , south Santa Clara County real estate can now be purchased for investment purposes and have a positive cash flow from the income received from rent.  Not only will there be a positive cash flow, but there is great potential for gains in equ...

My daughter was home two weekends ago, visiting from UCSB where she's a freshman.  I asked her what she'd like to do while visiting and she said that she'd like to go on a family hike.  After the shock wore off that she didn't say, "Go shopping," we packed up some snacks and headed to Henry Coe S...

There are currently 19 active listings of single family residences (SFR) located in Morgan Hill, CA on the Multiple Listing Service priced $400,000 and under.  These prices were unheard of in 2005 and 2006, and, while those higher prices are long gone now, they will be back.  Smart buyers are tak...