Homes in Oakland Hills

youtube-socialmedia

agentevo — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:54:46 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Share and Enjoy:

No related posts.

Buying a home in Oakland’s Oakmore district with Brian Santilena

agentevo — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:09:55 +0000

I met Pete after he contacted me via my website. He was interested in the prospect of purchasing a home. He didn’t know the details or the process so we sat down together for a “Buyers 101″ together. We went over every aspect of the Home Buying Process. Pete left the meeting fully informed with all of the information necessary to begin evaluating the mere possibility of purchasing. We looked at several homes and even wrote a few offers. We found one in the Oakmore neighborhood of Oakland. The home wasn’t perfect but after negotiating hard, inspecting thoroughly and getting some contractors to give advice on future improvements, they decided that this was the house for them.

Here is what they had to say about working with me:

My fiancee and I decided it made sense to buy a house rather than rent. Though I had owned a home before I was not at all familiar with the real estate process or even the terminology.

Pete Levine

I can’t recall exactly how I got Brian’s name. I think I was web surfing and found his site. I found it helpful because it discussed the different neighborhoods in Oakland. At that point I wasn’t sure where to look – what the neighborhoods were like and where we coul find a house we would love as well as afford.

On his site he mentioned that he offered a complimentary intro to real estate discussion — real estate 101 he called it. This was something i needed. I didn’t have a broker yet. Wasn’t sure I needed one or what a broker actually did.

Brian’s presentation covered a lot of information and clarified terms I was unfamiliar with him. He was very familiar with the East Bay (grew up in Alameda) and also with the current real estate market. He was able to answer my questions and I liked him. He was knowledgable and savvy. He is a former contractor and knows about home construction.

I decided that Brian would be my broker and we began our home search. We weren’t limited to any particular list. Yes, Brian sent us listings based on a discussion of our needs and how much we could afford, but we told him about homes we found ourselves.

Going out to look at homes with Brian was very informative. He could make assessments about work that might be needed and why a ‘bargain’ price or fixer-upper might lead to problems down the road

We found a house we liked and just when we decided to make an offer we had to leave town. Brian was fantastic in coordinating inspections in our absence and getting us all the information. We were pressed for time but I never felt pressured. I was a novice but I knew I was in good hands. He also helped us with referrals to a loan agent and home insurance.

Brian was also able to negotiate for us with the seller and save us thousands of dollars.

I recommend Brian as a trustworthy and knowledgeable real estate agent. He won’t try to sell you a house. He’ll present you with the facts that will enable you to make that decision for yourself. I am very pleased that he was my agent.

Share and Enjoy:

A great home buying experiance in Oakland’s Upper Rockridge

agentevo — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:58:42 +0000

Andrew, Maryam and I worked together for 8 months. These were smart, value orriented people that knew where they wanted to live. The fact that they wanted to live in the Rockridge District of Oakland (one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Oakland) and still get a good deal, made the process appear daunting. They didn’t compromise on their “needs” and remained persistant. We keept our eyes open for unusual opportunities and when one came along we negotiated hard. In the end Andrew and Maryam got a terrific value in Upper Rockridge.

Here is what they had to say about working with me:

My wife and I hold to a very high standard people with whom we come into contact ~ especially professionals. So it was our expectation that Brian be more interested in being our advocate than selling us a house. His performance and demeanor met and exceeded our expectations.

Brian provided us with great guidance at every juncture of this home buying effort ~ (i.e., locations, home requirements, general insight, contract advice, and changes to all of the above.). He also openly conveyed any trouble spots we failed to identify and wasn’t afraid to say no if we began to compromise our position ~ we value that ~ thank you!

Mostly, Brian understood our needs and delivered. Consistently. Brian gracefully worked with our personalities ~ not to make us out to be unreasonable, but we do like to be exacting and well informed ~ and that requires time and attention to detail. Brian always kept us updated so we never felt the need to hound him for information ~ Thank you, we really value that…

For other folks with whom we come into contact, interested in getting into this real estate market, we will certainly refer Brian Santilena as an accomplished, thorough and professional agent who got us exactly the deal and property of which we dreamed.

Andrew & Marium Lindley

Brian Santilena, Sr. Sales Associate with Pacific Union Real Estate, representing home buyers and home sellers in the Oakland Hills, Berkeley Hills and Piedmont California marketplace since 1998. He is a Realtor, Certified Residential Specialist(CRS) and is highly knowledgeable in real estate for sale in the Oakland Hills premier neighborhoods such as Haddon Hill, Rockridge, Montclair, Glenview, Trestle Glen, Crocker Highlands, Oakmore, Laurel District and Redwood Heights. Berkeley Hills neighborhoods such as Northbrea, Westbrea, North Berkeley Hills, Berkeley Flats, Thousand Oaks, South Berkeley, Gourmet Ghetto, Elmwood, Uplands, Claremont, LeConte. City of Piedmont, City of Kensington, City of Albany. Please feel free to CONTACT BRIAN if you have any real estate needs in Oakland, Berkeley or Piedmont CA.

Share and Enjoy:

Real estate in Trestle Glen & Crocker Highlands Oakland CA

agentevo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:08:33 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Location:

Trestle Glen and Crocker Highlands lie adjacent to one another and are located in central Oakland directly above Lake Merritt and Hwy. 580. The zip code is 94610. The neighborhoods are bordered by Lakeshore Ave. to the West and Park Boulevard on the East. Back in the late 1800’s Trestle Glen Road had a railroad street car line running from Park blvd to Lakeshore Ave. A few of the streets in Trestle Glen are…. of course… Trestle Glen Rd., Grosvsner Place, Holman Road, and Bates Road. On the next ridge above Trestle Glen lies Crocker Highlands. Some of the streets in the area are Longridge, Sunnyhills and Ashmount. Crocker Highlands runs from upper Lakeshore Avenue up to the city border of Piedmont.

Types of properties:

The homes in Trestle Glen are on average smaller than in Crocker Highlands. Both areas offer tree lined streets, underground power lines and an array of traditional architecture in Tudor, Spanish Mediterranean and Beaux Arts styles with construction materials and details relatively unfound in today’s building practices. These two areas just may be the residential crown jewel of Oakland

Features:

There are many house proud home owners accentuated by detailed landscaping and gardens. A short distance to the shopping areas of Grand Ave. and Lakeshore Ave. gives the a friendly neighborhood feeling. It’s difficult to know where Crocker ends and the city of Piedmont begins. Given that fact you can get the look and feel without the Piedmont price Trestle Glen and Crocker Highlands are sure to impress.

Brian Santilena, Sr. Sales Associate with Pacific Union Real Estate, has been representing home buyers and home sellers in the Oakland Hills, Berkeley Hills and Piedmont California marketplace since 1998. He is a Realtor, Certified Residential Specialist(CRS) and he’s highly knowledgeable in the Oakland Hills premier neighborhoods such as Haddon Hill, Rockridge, Montclair, Glenview, Trestle Glen, Crocker Highlands, Oakmore, Laurel District and Redwood Heights. Berkeley Hills neighborhoods such as Northbrea, Westbrea, North Berkeley Hills, Berkeley Flats, Thousand Oaks, South Berkeley, Gourmet Ghetto, Elmwood, Uplands, Claremont, LeConte. City of Piedmont, City of Kensington, City of Albany. Please feel free to CONTACT BRIAN if you have any real estate needs in Oakland, Berkeley or Piedmont CA.

Share and Enjoy:

Free Hazardous Waste Disposal for Oakland and Piedmont CA

Brian Santilena — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:59:50 +0000

When preparing an Oakland Hills or Piedmont home for sale it is likely that you have a shelf or cabinet full of old paints, solvents, strippers, oil etc. Disposal of hazardous waste materials in Oakland is quite easy. The Oakland Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM. If you are preparing your Oakland Hills or Piedmont home for sale you should leave current paints for the new Buyer. All old materials should be disposed of properly. It’s fast, it’s free, it’s the right thing to do.

There is a required form that you need to fill out. You can download from the website link below or they will give you a copy when you arrive at the recycling facility.

For more information visit the StopWaste.org site directly.

Brian Santilena has been representing home buyers and home sellers in the Oakland Hills, Berkeley Hills and Piedmont California marketplace since 1998. He is a Realtor, CRS Certified Residential Specialist, licensed contractor and Sr. Sales Associate with Pacific Union Real Estate. He is highly knowledgeable in the Oakland Hills premier neighborhoods such as Haddon Hill, Rockridge, Montclair, Glenview, Trestle Glen, Crocker Highlands, Oakmore, Laurel District and Redwood Heights. Berkeley Hills neighborhoods such as Northbrea, Westbrea, North Berkeley Hills, Berkeley Flats, Thousand Oaks, South Berkeley, Gourmet Ghetto, Elmwood, Uplands, Claremont, LeConte. City of Piedmont, City of Kensington, City of Albany. Please feel free to CONTACT BRIAN if you have any real estate needs in Oakland, Berkeley or Piedmont CA.

Share and Enjoy:

Upper Rockridge Q4 2009 Homes that have Sold

Brian Santilena — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:31:30 +0000

This Upper Rockridge real estate sales report covers single family homes that have sold in Oakland’s Upper Rockridge district during the fourth quarter of 2009.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I am a resident of Upper Rockridge and a long time real estate agent that specializes in the area. You are welcome to contact me via email or call me directly at my Pacific Union Real Estate office 510.338.1380. Thank you. Brian Santilena.

5523 Estates Drive
4 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
2382 sqft
$601,400 sale price
$252.00 price per sqft
31 days on the market

5925 BROADWAY
3 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
2230 sqft
$610,000 sale price
$274.00 price per sqft
58 days on the market

39 HARBORD CT
2 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
1270 sqft
$670,000 sale price
$528.00 price per sqft
58 days on the market

5615 MASONIC AVE
4 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
2800 sqft
$805,000 sale price
$288.00 price per sqft
108 days on the market

5766 HARBORD DR
4 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
3131 sqft
$834,000 sale price
$266.00 price per sqft
45 days on the market

5862 VIRMAR
2 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
1401 sqft
$856,000 sale price
$611.00 price per sqft
13 days on the market

4878 HARBORD DR
4 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
2199 sqft
$860,000 sale price
$391.00 price per sqft
6 days on the market

5132 COCHRANE AVE
4 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
3562 sqft
$936,000 sale price
$263.00 price per sqft
134 days on the market

5062 COCHRANE AVE
3 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
2347 sqft
$987,000 sale price
$421.00 price per sqft
15 days on the market

40 SONIA ST
4 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
2937 sqft
$1,062,000 sale price
$362.00 price per sqft
120 days on the market

35 CONTRA COSTA PLACE
4 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
3620 sqft
$1,150,000 sale price
$318.00 price per sqft
57 days on the market

6173 Ocean View Drive
4 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
3573 sqft
$1,186,000 sale price
332 price per sqft
86 days on the market

6126 OCEAN VIEW DR
4 bedrooms
4 bathrooms
3478 sqft
$1,254,000 sale price
$361.00 price per sqft
7 days on the market

5747 BUENA VISTA AVE
5 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
4223 sqft
$1,600,000 sale price
$379 price per sqft
7 days on the market

5420 GOLDEN GATE AVE
4 bedrooms
4 bathrooms
5168 sqft
$1,950,000 sale price
$377 price per sqft
96 days on the market

6076 MANCHESTER DR
5 bedrooms
4 bathrooms
6122 sqft
$4,800,000 sale price
$784 price per sqft
14 days on the market

Share and Enjoy:

Pacific Union Oakland-Piedmont real estate discussion 1/19/2010

Brian Santilena — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:21:32 +0000

At our Pacific Union Real Estate office meeting this morning in the Oakland Montclair Office we went over some interesting sales statistics. Our office has a large market share in Oakland, Piedmont and Berkeley CA. Our meetings give us a chance to collaborate and interject with one another to get the pulse of the local real estate market.

In the six city marketplace (Oakland, Berkeley, Piedmont, Alameda, Kensignton and Albany) there have only been 20 homes over $500,000 that have closed since Jan 1. In our Pacific Union office in Oakland Montclair every listing that has heard offers since Jan 1 has had multiple offers. Are you seeing a pattern here. If you are a Seller wondering if now is a good time…. What are you waiting for?

Adjustable rate mortgages made 3-5 years ago are coming up on their rate adjustment. To complicate things, many of those mortgages were the optional payment style. Optional payment style mortgages allowed the borrower a choice of payments: Minimum payment, Interest only payment, Principal and interest payment and Additional principal payment. Given how expensive it is to live in the San Francisco Bay Area I think it’s safe to say that most borrowers go with the Minimum Payment option. Example: If I took out a loan that has a principal and interest combined payment of $3500 per month and my lender says that for the first 3 years I can choose to pay a minimum payment of $1500 per month, they will happily add the missing $1000 to my principal balance. Over time my loan balance has gone up while at the same time the value of my home has gone down. Now my three years are up and the loan is going to reset to today’s interest rates. Not only will my payment go up from my comfortable $1500 per month, the new (principal + interest) payment will be at a higher interest rate and calculated on a 27 year timeline instead of a 30 year. Add the dollars added to my principal and a drop in my homes value, it is not a pretty picture. I’m not being dramatic or negative here. This is going to be a market reality for many people in the coming year.

Brian Santilena has been representing home buyers and home sellers in the Oakland Hills, Berkeley Hills and Piedmont California marketplace since 1998. He is a Realtor, Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and Sr. Sales Associate with Pacific Union Real Estate.

Share and Enjoy:

Pacific Union Oakland-Piedmont real estate discussion 1/12/2010

Brian Santilena — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:42:50 +0000

Local housing inventory remains critically low. When the room was polled at today’s office meeting almost every agent is working with several Buyers while very few have listings coming on the market. I am generalizing about 94611: Montclair, Broadway Terrace, city of Piedmont. 94618: Rockridge, Upper Rockridge. 94610: Crocker Highlands, Trestle Glen. 94609 Lower Rockridge, Temescal, North Oakland. Other areas of Oakland that have been hit harder by foreclosures have more inventory moving but for less money. The graph below shows month over month homes for sale in the above zip codes in all price ranges.

There is still no solid word yet in as to the Fed extending the loan programs currently in place. Speculation is that if they do not extend the programs we could be in for a serious uptick in interest rates.

Share and Enjoy:

Pacific Union Oakland-Piedmont real estate discussion 1/5/2010

Brian Santilena — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:18:21 +0000

Interest rates have ticked up over the last 2 weeks. A general consensus among the those in the mortgage industry is that rates will be increasing as the FED program pulls back on the purchasing of mortgages. Right now the FED allows lenders to recoup funds by purchasing mortgages from the banks that then turn around and make more loans. If a lender cannot recoup funds, they will be forced to cut back on lending. Less available money translates into higher interest rates.

Several new laws have taken affect as of Jan 1. One of which is a Buyer disclosure obligation requiring a lenders Good Faith Estimate (which is provided to a Buyer at the start of a transaction) to match the HUD-1 Statement (that is provided to the Buyer at the end of a transaction.) If there is a change in the figures there will be a 3 day delay for reconciliation before the loan can close. Any delay at the end of an escrow could cause a Buyer to miss the contracted closing date. The length of escrows is gradually increasing to build in a margin for error. 40 day closings are becoming the standard.

Inventory of homes for sale in Oakland, Piedmont and Berkeley are at extremely low levels. There are lots of Buyers and very few homes for sale. Sellers seem to be sheltering in place. Supply and demand would indicate that now could be a great time for a good home to come on the market.

Share and Enjoy:

Montclair Village & real estate Oakland CA

Brian Santilena — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:53:03 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Montclair district is nestled in the Oakland Hills, above Hwy 13 and South of the Hwy 24 Caldecott Tunnel. It’s zip code is 94611. The northern portion of Montclair was burned and rebuilt after the Oakland Hills firestorm and now offers outstanding newer construction view properties. The southern portion of Montclair offers home largely built in the 50’sthrough the 80’s. Skyline Blvd that runs north to south above Montclair and is a gateway to many of the area’s premier hiking and biking parks such as Tilden, Joaquin Miller and Redwood Regional.

Lower Montclair contains some of the best performing public schools along with recreational fields and the Montclair public driving range and pitch and put golf course.

The Montclair Village business district is largely considered the cities most charming shopping area. It offers shopping, banking, coffee houses and restaurants. It also hosts a weekly Farmers market with food vendors, entertainment and organic produce coming straight from the farm. If you’d like more information about Oakland’s Montclair District or other great Oakland areas please feel free to contact me directly.

Brian Santilena has been representing home buyers and home sellers in the Oakland Hills, Berkeley Hills and Piedmont California marketplace since 1998. He is a Realtor, CRS Certified Residential Specialist and Sr. Sales Associate with Pacific Union Real Estate. He is highly knowledgeable in the Oakland Hills premier neighborhoods such as Haddon Hill, Rockridge, Montclair, Glenview, Trestle Glen, Crocker Highlands, Oakmore, Laurel District and Redwood Heights. Berkeley Hills neighborhoods such as Northbrea, Westbrea, North Berkeley Hills, Berkeley Flats, Thousand Oaks, South Berkeley, Gourmet Ghetto, Elmwood, Uplands, Claremont, LeConte. City of Piedmont, City of Kensington, City of Albany. Please feel free to CONTACT BRIAN if you have any real estate needs in Oakland, Berkeley or Piedmont CA.

Share and Enjoy: