“Pocket” Listings Can Pick Your Pocket   

by Ronald R. Rossi

Pickpocketing, one of the world’s oldest and most common crimes, involves stealing money so cleverly that the victim doesn’t notice he’s been robbed until the pickpocket is long gone. This particular crime appeals to many thieves because it’s safer than many other criminal pursuits. It has been said that someone skilled in the art of pickpocketing can steal as much money as an armed robber with much less risk of getting caught. Pickpockets depend on speed, sleight of hand, and clever tricks designed to distract a victim, directing attention away from the crime in progress.  Continue reading →

Nov 15_ AWESOME Jumbo Rates and Mortgage Update

November 15, 2013 Friday Rate Sheet and Market Commentary _ Courtesy Tony Guaraldi VP of Mortgage Lending

As we had hoped the Mortgage Bond markets bounced back this week recovering some of the losses from last Friday’s Jobs Report.  The highly anticipated event for this week was the Confirmation Hearing for our new Fed President Janet Yellen which took place yesterday morning.  She is perceived to be “Dovish” which in our world means likely to continue the stimulus that has been keeping interest rates low and the stock market rising.  In her Q and A session at the hearing she did say as expected that the Fed would continue the bond purchases until the economy improves.  She did also mention that she believes the real unemployment rate is closer to 10% rather than the number from last week’s Jobs report at 7.3%.

CLICK HERE for the November 15 Mortgage Rate Sheet.

Continue reading →

New Homes on the market_Sunnyvale Broker Tour_Nov 14

By Jeni Pfeiffer, Associate Broker, Realtor

Really great homes on Sunnyvale Broker Tour today – BRAND NEW Construction TUDOR Style 2,069 sqft Home located at 1216 Hollenbeck AVENUE in the CHERRY ORCHARDS Neighborhood, $1,348,000 with Cumberland Elementary School.

515 Carroll St Courtesy Maha Intero Real Estate

515 Carroll St Courtesy Maha Intero Real Estate

Another newly remodeled and expanded home in the HERITAGE DISTRICT located at 515 Carroll Street boasts 2,263 sqft of living space with 4 Bedrooms and 3 Baths. It features an open floor plan, kitchen with granite counters and mosaic backplash, stainless steel applicants listed at $1,380,000.

Looking for a Pool? 1458 ORMSBY DRIVE $1,547,000 4 Bed/2 Baths 1,944 sqft of living space s.f.,  also features a home theater area and cherry wood floors in the Chester W. Nimitz Elementary and Homestead High School District. Continue reading →

Steve Jobs house added as ‘historic resource’

By Jason Green Oct 30, 2013

Steve Jobs' childhood home on Crist Drive in Los Altos Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013. The house will eventually become listed on the Registry of HIstoric Places, to preserve it. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)

Steve Jobs’ childhood home (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)

The humble home where Silicon Valley tech titan Steve Jobs built some of his first computers and co-founded Apple was added to a list of historic Los Altos properties Monday night.

The Los Altos Historical Commission voted unanimously to designate the home at 2066 Crist Drive a “historic resource” due to its association with Jobs, as well as to place it on the city’s historic resources inventory.

CLICK HERE for the San Jose Mercury News story.

Homes for Sale Mountain View Broker Tour_Oct 25

1540 Bonita_Mtn View "Water-wise" front landscaping. Photo Jeni Pfeiffer

1540 Bonita_Mtn View “Water-wise” front landscaping. Photo Jeni Pfeiffer

Jeni Pfeiffer presents highlights from the Mountain View Broker Tour – Oct 25: Lovely 1540 BONITA AVENUE Listed for Sale at $1,349,000, features 4 Beds 2 Baths newly remodeled 1,781 s.f. with an elegant kitchen. Walk to Cuesta Park and Bubb Elementary. One stunning feature is the “water-wise” front landscaping with golden fines pathway.

Other homes of interest include 961 VALENCIA AVENUE, a stunning contemporary craftsman 3 years new listed for $1,898,000 with 5 Beds and 4 baths. It has a “zen” soothing interior featuring beautiful light stone countertops and mosaic tile contrasting with deep toned cabinetry. Continue reading →

Let Alex Show you how to Organize your Closet

One of the best ways to get your Silicon Valley home ready for sale is to have nice looking, clean and organized closets, as Buyers will be viewing. This is a wonderful tutorial video by Alex that provides great tips of how to organize items by size, type and color with stackable containers and a spinning shoe rack – if you present your closets neat and clean like this when you sell your home, your Buyers will love your home!

Oct 18 GREAT Rates and Mortgage Update

Jeni Pfeiffer Intero presents mortgage update courtesy Tony Guaraldi:  As we mentioned the last couple weeks Bonds are trading between the 100 and 200 day moving average right now and that trend continued this week as expected. CLICK HERE for the Oct 18, 2013 Mortgage Rate Sheet. Continue reading →

Government Shutdown lenders allowing temporary exceptions to the norm

The government shut down drags on and more lenders are coming around to allowing temporary exceptions to the norm which is a mandatory processing of a 4506-T form by the IRS.  For W2 employees they’ll require us to verify income with the borrower’s employer.  Continue reading →

New Homes on the Market Los Altos Palo Alto Broker Tour_Oct 11

By Jeni Pfeiffer, Associate Broker, Realtor

Oct 11 – Really great Los Altos and Palo Alto Broker tour today! A few new homes that I visited and worth mentioning are for Best value and tranquil setting – Mercedes Complex, 1070 MERCEDES AVENUE,#27, Los Altos 1,000 s.f. 2 Bed/2.5 bath condo listed for $588,000 features greenbelt view, private patio and cozy fireplace.

1070 Mercedes Exterior_Photo Jeni Pfeiffer Intero Real Estate

1070 Mercedes Exterior_Photo Jeni Pfeiffer Intero Real Estate

Continue reading →

Silicon Valley Inventory and Real Estate Sales_September 2013

Just in – Santa Clara County September 2013 Real Estate Statistics for: New Listings, Current Inventory, Closed Sales, Average Days on Market (DOM), Average Sales Price, Percentage of List Price Received, and the Total Sales Volume for  areas Cambrian, Campbell, Central San Jose, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Sunnyvale and Willow Glen for both Single Family Residential Common Interest Development Properties.

Sept Real Estate Statistics_2013

Sept Real Estate Statistics_2013

CLICK HERE for a larger version of the chart.

Note that most homes are selling, on average, at or above the list price. The median sales price ranges from $499,000 in Central San Jose to $1,900,000 in Saratoga for single family homes.

As always, please feel welcome to contact Jeni Pfeiffer at 408.813.4256 with any questions.