The market is picking up...re-newed interest in Listings that have been on for awhile because of lack of inventory. It is a great time to list. There are so many homes selling before they even hit MLS...oh I told you that before. Well it is a good thing.

There is another new Listing that I have coming on in Almaden Valley it is a 10!

I need to move a hive of Bees any ideas? Don't say we don't earn our keep

Well Los Altos Homes are only moving if priced low to sell high. I still think that Sellers are leaving money on the table using this strategy. My current Listing in Los Altos was just reduced significantly; hopefully this will do the trick. The market is a conundrum right now, no strategy really works.

Yet I have had 5 "off-market" sales already this year. These are properties that sold befor they even hit MLS.

What do you all think?

Having bees relocated...Smilin' Bees or Humble Bee?

And the beat goes on...

I had an offer on of of my Listings. It was a very weak offer but my Clients/Sellers were willing to negotiate. The Buyers did not even respond to the counter and waited to let us know 5 minutes before the dead line. Was this offer made in good faith? I think not. The purchase amount that these Buyers were offering was rediculous. We were all shocked at how badly this was handled. The Buyers agent never even followed up with me for a discussion...a little unprofessional I would say. The Buyers had come to the Open Houses many times. They love the house but the last time they brought the parents...the parents want them to move to Los Gatos. So there is the problem, I deduce from all of this that the parents are holding the purse strings. Why make an offer at all and waste our time?

On a different note I have an SF listing coming on. No I don't typically do SF listings...only in special circumstances for special people. This was my beloved Paul's flat. For those of you who remember he was my first boyfriend and lifelone friend. He died of an AIDS related illness in 2008. I am selling this for his brothers. A labor of love....

I have 4 Palo Alto lisitngs coming up in the next several months and am looking forward to kicking off a new ad campaign.

So there you are it is a good year! All of my loved one's are healthy and happy and the market is brisk.

I took the leap and sent the Blogspot link to all clients/friends and family. I wonder if now someone will listen and respond to my musings....and who will press DELETE ;0

Here is an idea, what do you think of the following? I say since we have low inventory and a very, very active market with multiple offers...why? Unless you have a home that won't sell; this could be a good incentive...

How about offering a way for a buyer to get a 'tax credit replacement'. Here is what I found out yesterday; some Brokerages are introducing what it is calling a "buyer bonus sales event". The company's agents are asking their sellers to offer a credit at closing of 3 percent of the purchase price, or up to $8,000, to buyers who sign a purchase contract between May 1 and July 31. Unlike the federal tax credit, there's no deadline for closing a transaction and no income eligibility requirements. And unlike marketing promotions in other industries, consumers can look at a property listing's history to ensure the $8,000 wasn't padded into a previous listing price.

What would a lender think of this on a closing statement? With the strict new lending guidelines would this fly? It seems that there might be some tax ramifications as well...

Thoughts?

Here is a good one, I love this

I went to sign off my Client/Buyer yesterday on a home that we are purchasing in Woodside. We needed to extend Close of Escrow by a few days because the Sellers loan was made out of a Pension Fund in Nebraska or Missouri. The man that lent the money through the Pension plan, as an investment for himself, is a farmer. He is also a traveling preacher. The loan is so new that he wasn’t even aware that it had been made (investment remember). So he asked the Title Company to call his accountant. When they reached the accountant he was speaking from his cell phone and literally sitting on his John Deere disking his field (for those of you who do not know that is riding a tractor and turning soil and a John Deere is a type of tractor).

This is a great story...my fathers family was from down-state Illinois and they were farmers. I tend to fall on the love of the land side and that is probably why I show my horses. I think that the message here is that the world still turns even at a slower pace.

I think that I will slow down today

Well here we are....

Who knew that something like this would ever exist for people to exchange information. I certainly didn't. I remember the rotary dial phones; although I was very, very young ; )

As I launch our new blogspot I am thinking about the kinds of information people would appreciate...I mean come on Real Estate...every one yawns! So I'll not only try to provide you with the current going's on and updates with our crazy market I will try to pepper it with some humorous stories...like the wonderful agent that I know who backed into a pool as she was showing the, "lovely back yard" to her clients...there are a million hysterical stories and hopefully good information...

So ladies and gentlemen walcome to Lazar Blog Spot!