If you have started shopping for a mortgage anywhere in Contra Costa, Alameda, or Santa Clara County, you have probably noticed two numbers on every rate quote: the interest rate and the APR. They look similar, they are usually close in value, and they are often confused for the same
If you have been waiting for mortgage rates to drop before making a move, I want to walk you through why that wait might last longer than expected, and what I think that means for how you approach house hunting this fall. When Kevin Warsh took over as Federal Reserve
If you have ever tried to declutter a closet, a garage, or an entire house before a move, you already know the "maybe" pile. You pick something up, you are not ready to keep it and not ready to let it go, so you set it aside for
If you have been thinking about buying a home this fall, I want to walk you through some fresh national numbers that carry real weight for our local market too. According to Redfin's latest housing data, new listings across the country rose to their highest level since April
I get asked about decluttering all the time, usually from folks who are getting ready to sell, or from adult children trying to help a parent downsize. But lately I have been thinking about a related question that does not get asked nearly as often: can you actually organize your
If you have lived in your Bay Area home for a couple of decades or more, chances are your closet holds more than clothes. It holds a version of you from a different chapter. Maybe it is the dress you wore to your daughter's wedding, a jacket that
Summer in the Bay Area has a way of turning your car into a second junk drawer. Between beach trips to Half Moon Bay, weekend soccer practices in Danville, and every errand run in between, stuff just accumulates. By the time Labor Day rolls around, most of us are driving
If you have ever stood in front of a closet or a kitchen cabinet wondering where to even begin, you are not alone. Decluttering can feel overwhelming, especially when every item seems to come with its own excuse for staying. But not everything in your home deserves that kind of
The New York Post recently ran a piece on the ten cheapest cities to buy a home in California, and I understand the appeal. When home prices in places like San Francisco or San Jose make headlines every week, a list of towns with lower price tags feels like a
I read a story out of Alabama recently where a local attorney was reminding folks that dying without a will means the state decides who gets your home and your belongings. It is good, practical advice, and it got me thinking about how much higher the stakes are right here
If you've been keeping half an eye on real estate news lately, you may have seen the headline: shareholders of The Real Brokerage and RE/MAX Holdings just voted to approve their merger. Barring a few final legal steps, the two companies will soon combine into something called
If you've been watching the San Francisco housing market lately, you may have seen headlines like the one that caught my eye recently: a home listed for $6.5 million that ended up selling for more than $8 million. Not because the house was underpriced. Because the buyers
There's a piece of investing wisdom that's been making the rounds lately, and it's one I think about a lot when I talk with buyers in Fremont. Real estate builds wealth, but only for the people who can hang on through the ups and
I keep an eye on what the big institutional money is doing in real estate, not because it changes my advice to any one buyer or seller, but because it tells us something about how sophisticated, long-term investors are reading the market. So when I saw that Berkshire Hathaway
I read something recently that stuck with me. Charles Schwab's research team published a piece called "America's New Debt Reality," and buried in the middle of it is a simple equation that economists use to figure out whether a borrower, in this case the
If you already own a home in Contra Costa, Alameda, or Santa Clara County, you have probably wondered whether it makes sense to buy a second property and put it to work as an investment. I get this question often, usually from homeowners who have built up meaningful equity and
Fremont doesn't get talked about the way San Francisco or even Walnut Creek does, and I think that's part of its charm. It's a city built from five old townships that grew together, so instead of one downtown personality, you get several distinct ones
If you've spent any time near the Salesforce East building on Mission Street, you may have noticed a restaurant that feels a little different from the typical downtown lunch spot. Trailblazer Tavern brings a genuine taste of Hawaii to San Francisco, and the story behind it starts with
If you've ever had a margarita made with just tequila, lime, and agave nectar instead of the usual triple sec, you've had Julio Bermejo to thank. I've always found his story fascinating, not just because he changed how the whole world drinks margaritas, but
Summer always feels endless until it isn't. One week you're still deciding which pool to hit on a Saturday, and the next you're staring down a school supply list and a closet full of clothes that no longer fit. If your family is anywhere
Redfin just released its July numbers, and nationally, the headline is a big one. The number of homebuyers in the market fell to its lowest level on record, an estimated 966,752 nationwide, down 2.5% from June. Meanwhile sellers outnumbered buyers by 51.3%, just shy of December'
If you're a longtime Fremont homeowner who has been thinking about cashing out and starting fresh somewhere more affordable, a recent Travel + Leisure roundup is worth your attention. The piece polled real estate experts on which U.S. cities still have room to grow before they catch up
If you've felt like credit card debt is harder to shake off lately, you're not imagining it. Americans are now carrying roughly $1.26 trillion in credit card balances, and delinquencies have climbed to their highest level in 15 years. A big part of the problem
There was a season when a bigger home made all the sense in the world. More bedrooms for a growing family, a yard for the kids and the dog, space for every stage of life happening under one roof. Those years were full, and every square foot had a purpose.