Christina ONeal\’s Blog

Trying to purchase a home?

Have you ever had a buyer that couldn’t choose which lender to  go thru?

or

Are you a buyer & having a hard time choosing the lender that will be working in your best interests?

1. Get a good faith estimate from both lenders…All that is, is a snapshot of perfect world today & what your loan might look like.
2. Be sure that when you are comparing that you are only looking at the numbers that they (the lender) has control of.   Usually it is in one spot.   I say this because when it comes down to purchasing a house, most of the fees are ones that you have no choice about (ie…title ins., escrow fee, notary, overnight, pre-paid taxes, insurance, etc…).
3. Get all promises in writing, such as points to be paid for what interest rate, any waiving of possible per diem charges.   Have them put it on their letterhead & have the lender sign it.
4. Make sure you are honest with both lenders that you are shopping & are looking to make a final decision.
5. Final thing…If they are both exactly the same, then you need to go on reputation and your gut instinct.

Call me to have me be your REALTOR of choice to purchase in Tracy, Manteca or Ripon, CA at 209-321-6122.

Step by step instructions…

Go to this website:   http://www.sjgov.org/treasurer/OnlinePay.htm

It looks like it is for paying your taxes but it actually will give you the specific property tax bill for any house in San Joaquin County including Tracy.  

• You have to click on the “Don’t know your parcel number? CLICK HERE to look it up by address”.  
• Then after you know the parcel number of the property address you want to look up, click on the ‘I have read and agree with the above disclaimer”.  
• Type in the parcel number in the search criteria box & press submit.  

There you go, it should pop up & gives you so much information.   How you can calculate what your future taxes are on this property, would be to take the “prop 13 tax amount” and take your future purchase price & it will be 1% for our area.   For example, if you plan to pay $200k for a home, then you would plop $2,000 in that spot & add up all the rest of the figures because they don’t change when you purchase the home for any price.  

Hopefully this helps you tremendously.

If you need more help, email me at christina@christinaoneal.com to set up an appt.

Have you been digging a financial hole for yourself?   How do you stop digging that hole?   It is so much easier than you could imagine to start filling that hole back in & recover.

1st Step:   Make a budget, no even better, be honest & make a spread sheet of your actual monthly spending habits.   You don’t need to share with anybody but you & your spouse.   Get real with your expenses.

Do you live in Tracy, Ripon or Manteca, CA?

Email me for a sample spreadsheet (excel format) printed above….

fyi….this suggestion comes from actual experience to getting out

Real Estate Price Trends
The median single family home price as of March 23 2008 for TRACY is $433,546

Home Sales and Demand Trends
The average property in TRACY as of March 23 2008 has been on the market for about 70 days.

Price Per Square Foot
The median price per square foot for homes in TRACY as of March 23 2008 is about $195

Homes for Sale
There are about 1,071 properties on the market in TRACY as of March 23 2008.

The real estate market in Tracy is changing rapidly.   At $195 avg sq ft price,  1071 homes for sale & median price at $433k, things are progressing in a good direction.   Interest rates are still pretty low.

43  HOMES SOLD LAST WEEK!!!!!!! ….notice the spike on the graphs
Call me for your neighborhood specific statistics to help you in your own real estate evaluation of Tracy real estate at 209-321-6122, Christina O’Neal

What are the three things you are looking for in a realtor?

**I want someone to call back or email me in a timely manner….

**I want someone to preview homes for me & report back to me the condition & all….

**I want someone to be my resource & get answers that I need to make a decision about my home purchasing…

These 3 things I can do for you…I would love to help you sell or buy the home of your dreams.   Call me at 209-599-9955 or christina@christinaoneal.com   or log on to my  www.christinaoneal.com & start your search.

Take care,

I think  some of you didn’t  realize that my blog a few days ago was a positive affirmation.   I currently don’t have any REO listings but I want them too, just like  most of you do.  

Here is what I have found out from a co-worker who interviewed a lady that has over 500 REO’s, that I think is brilliant.    

So you want REO listings, here is a  suggestion.   Start going to all the bank auctions that are in your area.   We have a lot of them.   When you get to the auction, ask the check in people where is the Asset Manager meeting going to be.   Bring your resume & talk to the asset managers from each of the banks.   All of the big name banks are at these auctions & they are in charge of giving the listings out in your area when they come in.   Be a good listener & be consistent at asking for what you want.   They will get to know your name & that you are serious.   I haven’t tried it yet, but I intend to get purposeful & put it on my calendar.  

Please tell me if you do this & how it goes.   Take care & thank you again for believing in my blog, hopefully I can report back that I am successful in getting those 10 REO’s & really make those banks love me.

My newest & favorite  positive affirmation is:

” I have 10 REO listings from an easy to work with bank.   The bank loves me because I service them well.   I put normal lockboxes on and  follow up on every agent that brings  buyers thru the home.   I have a high  sales rate and the listings keep going pending as fast as I get them, so the banks just give me more.   Everyone in town knows I take good care of my listings & is very happy to show them.”  

There, I said it.   Let’s do it.   Say this five times each morning, noon & night.  

By next week, we will be on fire

Real Estate Price Trends
The median single family home price as of March 09 2008 for TRACY is $444,292

Home Sales and Demand Trends
The average property in TRACY as of March 09 2008 has been on the market for about 75 days.

Price Per Square Foot
The median price per square foot for homes in TRACY as of March 09 2008 is about $197

Homes for Sale
There are about 1,038 properties on the market in TRACY as of March 09 2008.
The real estate market in Tracy is changing rapidly.   At $197 avg sq ft price,  1038 homes for sale & median price at $444k, things are progressing in a good direction.   Interest rates are still pretty low.

50  HOMES SOLD LAST WEEK!!!!!!! ….notice the spike on the graphs
Call me for your neighborhood specific statistics to help you in your own real estate evaluation of Tracy real estate at 209-321-6122, Christina O’Neal

The phone rings…I answer the phone and it is a nice pleasant voice on the other end.  She is inquiring about a house I have for sale.   She asks me how many bedrooms it is & what is the square footage.   I reply that it is a big 3 bedroom at 1811 sq ft & ask if that is what she is looking for.   “Susie” replies that is really not what she wants.   This buyer is very smart, knows what her families needs are & has been looking for awhile.   She has even seen inside other properties & has come super close to purchasing one of them.  

THOUGHTS to PONDER:   why hasn’t  a  realtor been picked to help her thru this whole process?

continued…   We talk further & I offer a couple of times to email her properties that fit her needs.   I also ask about her having a committed realtor to help her get the perfect home.   She self-discovers that she is searching in a hot price range (ie…everything she likes gets multiple offers before they can jump on it).   We talk further about the market & how she is really not interested in purchasing a “short sale”, because they take too long to possibly not even get the house in the end.   HERE is the BRILLIANT QUOTE:

“THEY SHOULD BE CALLED LONG SALES not short sales, since they take so long”

answer to pondering thoughts:   If you are a “Susie”, I would love to be committed to be your realtor of choice.   It can be a cohesive relationship, where i can help you get a great deal & you could be my first call, when I  recognize a great deal coming.   I love my job and committing to my clients to help fill their housing needs while we work together to make it happen.

209-321-6122 or christina@christinaoneal.com

Real Estate Price Trends
The median single family home price as of March 02 2008 for TRACY is $466,434

Home Sales and Demand Trends
The average property in TRACY as of March 02 2008 has been on the market for about 87 days.

Price Per Square Foot
The median price per square foot for homes in TRACY as of March 02 2008 is about $201

Homes for Sale
There are about 969 properties on the market in TRACY as of March 02 2008.

The real estate market in Tracy is changing rapidly.   At $201 avg sq ft price, 969 homes for sale & median price at $466k, things are progressing in a good direction.   Interest rates are still pretty low.

41 HOMES SOLD LAST WEEK!!!!!!! ….notice the spike on the graphs
Call me for your neighborhood specific statistics to help you in your own real estate evaluation of Tracy real estate at 209-321-6122, Christina O’Neal