Many thanks to Miriam and Liam Ellis of Solas Web Design for their great work and support in building a site which I feel reflects my experience and philosophy as an East Bay Realtor and lifelong resident. You can find Miriam and Liam at www.solaswebdesign.net . Take a look at their fine work and see what they’ve been up to lately.

As I get my blogging underway, I will be providing views and information on the East Bay market and local activities, particularly in my areas of expertice. The homes and neighborhoods of Oakland, Berkeley, Piedmont, Kensington, Albany and El Cerrito are my primary beat. However, I also operate as far as Richmond to the north and San Leandro in the south when those communities fill my clients’ needs. Currently both of those areas have some good values for buyers as homes are staying on the market longer there than in more “central” locations.

As you can see from my home page, I’ve been busy lately with sellers, as well as buyers. Although the East Bay market continues to adjust to the overall housing malais that’s hit Californina (and the nation), we are still alive and kicking in my neck of the woods. The greater Oakland/Berkeley area is an extremely desireable place to live and we have only a finite amount of homes. The laws of supply and demand continue to keep our market perking along. Naturally, buyers are carefull, as they should be, which means that the key elements of location and price are more important than ever.

Homes that are overpriced and in questional locations (even in desireable neighborhoods) are sitting on the market longer than the customery two to three weeks. If a home has deferred maintenance and falls into the “fixer” category, it is very important that it be priced accordingly. Otherwise, it too, could be a slow seller. So, although our market is strong, it really needs to be analysed on a house-to-house basis.

A couple of recent Berkeley listings I’ve had, 3 Orchard Lane and 1711 Rose Street, both in great locations, needed major amounts of work to bring them up to snuff. Both were well-priced, nicely presented, well-marketed and received a lot of interest. They each sold very quickly and now have well-satisfied sellers and buyers. In today’s changing market, it’s the buyers and sellers (and Realtors!) who can make the necessary adjustments in strategy, planning and execution who are still the big winners.

Thanks for visiting and I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you again.

Cheers,
Michael