Commercial Sales & Leasing, Multi-Family & Residential Real Estate Services

Why are some professionals successful and always have clients who refer them to friends, family and business associates. The answer is very simple because they go out of the nine dots and perform what they say they will accomplish and in the end their clients are extremely happy.

This is true in Real Estate or any other services where customer satisfaction is extremely important. In Real Estate you must always be professional and have a team of experts who can accomplish one main goal and that is a Successful Close of Escrow for your clients.

The experience needs to be easy for your clients by having your team at the escrow company, the mortgage company, inspection companies all meeting their respective deadlines.

Your availability and easy access to answering all of your clients questions is the key to meeting their exceptions.

I am always pleased to hear from my clients that they had a great experience because often times they hear that purchasing and selling a property can be a hassle.

The most rewarding feeling for me is when a potential client calls to discuss selling, purchasing or exchanging their property because they have been recommended by one of my clients because they had such a positive experience.

I always make sure that my First Time Buyers understand the importance in reading and understanding all the reports, their deadlines for contingency removals and the importance in meeting all required deadlines in the contract because it is extremely important that they understand the entire process.

I have also had great experiences working with other agents on transactions and because of my expertise and successful close of escrows; they refer me to their clients when they need my expertise in an area or for a specific type of property.

I am extremely fortunate because I have a passion for Real Estate and enjoy every minute in helping my clients achieve their Real Estate goals and they tell other friends, family and associates.

When representing the seller, buyer or lessee in a real estate transaction it is often very important to work with the planning department in a particular city that the property is located to investigate and understand if any issues or problems will occur after the transaction.

It is always a good idea when in doubt to verify if any permits etc. have been recorded if a seller does not have that type of records available. I have found when these questions are asked that the personnel in the city-planning department are extremely knowledgeable.

When a client goes for their business permit they should always advise that department what, how and where they will conduct their business.

A few examples that have protected my clients in the past are as follows.

On a new lease the Lessor wanted to lease to a dance company giving lessons and who had a requirement for client parking. It was important for us to advise the Lessee that they needed to check with the city planning department and in this particular situation and in fact a conditional use permit and a variance permit were required by the planning department. We then wrote the lease with the necessary time frames to get the permits.

Another situation came about while helping a client with an FHA loan and the particular property they were interested in had a garage conversion. The end result was by obtaining the permits that showed the garage had permits with approvals by the city, the property was then approved with the additional living space.

Another important part of having a client work with the city planning department was a situation where a client was purchasing a duplex and wanted to remodel and add on to the property. Before purchasing the property we checked once again with the planning department only to find out that there was a percentage of building to land restriction.

My client was able to advise the architect and make the addition within the city guidelines.

My experience is that you always want to check when in doubt to make sure the client is aware of their options and this way any issues can be addressed prior to the close of escrow.

There are certain criteria and steps to follow when renting apartments when the economy is strong as well as in transition.

Stay in contact with your tenants when leases are coming up and ask them if they will be renewing their lease. If they were planning to move you would arrange with them to schedule their initial move-out date usually two weeks prior to the actual move out date.

At that time you would decide if you are just painting and cleaning the apartment home. If you as the owner want to add amenities or upgrades you would start to schedule the vendors ahead of time and upon the day of move-out they are ready to go. Any new appliances, window coverings etc.can be purchased ahead of time.

Two great ideas that are fairly reasonable and add value is built-in ovens and new lighting. Dishwashers may be more costly but usually will get a higher rent and in a difficult market will set you apart from the competition.

Having vendors as part of a professional team allows you to quickly turn units and rent the units with very little loss of rents. These vendors are familiar with your paint colors, the type of appliances, and upgrades to bathrooms such as new vanities, lighting and have everything down to a science to turn the apartment quickly and efficiently.

If the apartment is going to just be cleaned, painted and floors cleaned you can have the apartment ready in one to two days. The next step is to pre-market the unit prior to move out and test the market at your new rental rate. If you get calls great, if not you can always lower the price within the two weeks.

Internet sites are very successful and allow you to post all the data with amenities and pictures that also help pre-sell units. Floor plans if available are very helpful to show area and square footage. These are very common asked questions by potential tenants.

Another very successful approach to showing the unit once it is vacant is to advertise a tour date and time and ask that they call to confirm.

These steps work and you just stay with the plan on every rental.

There are various stages in people’s lives. For many it is reflecting back on their first home purchase and their business career starting and then building a life for their family.

As the year’s pass and the empty nester have children that either go off to college or have graduated from college and have moved out on their own,

Now this generation of Baby Boomers is now apart of a new sub-group called “Empty Nesters.” Their new life will often include a shift of life style and priorities. This often will affect their real estate properties.

Many of my clients have decided to retire and begin traveling and therefore a large home is no longer required or wanted and they choose other alternatives for their real estate holdings. They often sell their personal residence and many have purchased investment properties that provide an income stream.

Another scenario is that they would like to help out their children and believe investments in multi-family apartment buildings provides a good niche. They can rent one of the units to their children while renting the others to help pay the mortgage or property taxes.

For others they might be on a fixed income and want to sell their personal home and decide to buy a duplex that offers them a home with little up keep in a great area and they can rent the other unit for added income. Often when clients retire they might want to sell their business and possibly their commercial office or warehouse property. Leasing is also a great option if they do not want to sell their commercial property and they can get a favorable lease.

There are so many alternatives for the empty nesters shift of life style that will impact their need to purchase, sell, or lease their personal, investment and commercial properties.

As a professional Real Estate Broker it is extremely rewarding when clients ask for my assistance in finding them alternative properties so they can embark on this new journey in their life.

In a recession or boom real estate market be assured that income property in an excellent location that is accessible to a university campus will demand higher rent.

In addition remember that professors, graduate students, doctors and engineers many international PhD students will need to place themselves and their families in apartments while attending universities in the Bay Area.

Apartment complexes both on and near a campus with locations that are accessible by city transportation will be a determining factor in the decision by a very qualified group of people who will be in the rental market.

Of course it is the responsibility of the property management company to provide the maintenance to turn the unit to be up to date with amenities, clean and ready to meet the high expectations of a very educated clientele.

Take in consideration the phenomena that has hit the California University Campuses with the dread of budget cuts. Along with the economic down turn it was amazing to visualize the rental frenzie that I personally experienced a few weeks back.

Students here at a local university were scrabbling to find apartment housing just days prior to school starting thus causing a supply and demand issue. One of high demand and not enough supply. 

Literally people were approaching others and asking if they needed a roommate and were willing to pay the price.

With the tight job market students are staying in school longer as well as many in the work force realizing they too need to return for higher education. In addition to impacted universities here in California our rental units will continue to be in high demand.

Remember when looking at rental markets close to major universities compare those rents from others in the immediate area. Location is always key in the purchase of real estate and true of mutli-family investment properties.

Graditude, smiles and excitement for your client who has just closed escrow and is moving into their new home is the reward every real estate professional feels in a job well done.

After getting to know your client or clients it is very important to really understand, listen and often help them to understand the other person’s requirements for their new home. For example one may want an easy commute while the other person wants a certain type of living preference.

The process is one where you as their professional real estate broker become the manager or even the coach as with the manager of a sports athletic team. You will bring all the players together to execute the plan and ultimately the clients will decide and choose their home that fits their requirements.

They will appreciate your expertise in showing them homes that fit their criteria and providing information regarding locations. Once that decision is made to make an offer on their new property that is when you must become the facilitator helping and assisting with the inspections, working with escrow and helping them to have their pre approval letter from their mortgage broker.

The difference of winning or losing the home often can be the direct result of the real estates professional working and coordinating all the efforts of escrow, property inspectors and following up with the client and mortgage broker to make sure the loan approval process is meeting contract dates.

Statistics are very important in analyzing most decisions. The expertise of a professional real estate broker or agent closing escrow and closing on time is a very important goal and one I always take very seriously.

 The important thing to remember whether it is your first home purchase or second look back to that purchase and remember it may have not been the perfect house for size but it was perfect when you made that house a home. It will define your tastes motivate you to work hard and be proud to call it home and most of all you build your dreams and future while living in that home.

 My personal advice is to choose wisely on the location and your life style requirements.

That is why we real estate professionals have a smile on our face as well and experience the ultimate thrill for a job well done.

Real Estate has always been my passion but when not at work I have another passion. For the past twenty-five or more years I have actively participated in a charitable organization as a committee member. I too was very involved with our children’s school sports programs both in school and in the community here locally.

For the past fifteen years I have been very fortunate to coach and be on the Board of the Los Altos-Mountain View Pony Baseball League as the Director of Fields and Player Representative. The community involvement and working with children ages’ 5- 18 years of age was very rewarding.

For many of us it is very rewarding to interact daily with business associates and clients. What I have always been amazed at is how energizing it is to stay in contact with business people who work and contribute their talents in our local community.

Everyday we are educated by the media of the local job losses, economic challenges in our daily life and our education and state budget crisis. I believe now more than ever we all need to get involved. My personal recommendation is to get involved in your local Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club.

Just ask yourself a big question; if I personally get involved will I make a difference?

Also can I to get more educated and network with others who live and work in my same community to make my community a better place to live?

I am proud of my local neighborhood where I work and live and I enjoy meeting business associates and community leaders who inspire me by their personal dedication. When participating in these organizations you can learn and work on committees that will deal with current city planning issues. This allows all of us to help establish guidelines that will positively affect the generations to come.

At the end of the day when you look in the mirror it is very rewarding when you can say I made a difference.

Curb Appeal and First Impressions Make All The Difference so always Paint, Paint & Paint. There are a few tips when getting proposals for paining a home. One example is to simply remove shutters from the outside of the home, any facades or awnings that are damaged that will require extra preparation during painting. These simple ideas can save hundreds of dollars.

The key with interior painting is to always remove old hooks. This seems very logical but many times I see new walls and ceilings painted quickly and hooks are left in a home or even old drapes are put back up after painting. I always recommend removing old rods and dated shades and draperies. Painting or removing old dark wood paneling can brighten up the room. One inexpensive way to update a home is to remove old wallpaper and paint in warm neutral colors. Just by adding baseboards and crown molding the rooms have a more finished custom look.

Often inexpensive blinds are the answer to privacy rather than any custom shades or draperies. It gives an open appearance and gives an open feeling.

The condition of the roof and fencing is very visible and if either is damaged or needs repair it can give a negative first impression. Often a contractor can repair these items for prior to a sale or lease.

Light fixtures can be very inexpensive but having new modern light fixtures and a ceiling fan in kitchen even bedrooms is an upgrade to many homes, especially in warm areas if the home does not have air conditioning. This upgrade is essential in leasing rental properties as well.

Replacing carpeting is not as easy of a decision. Often good carpeting can be cleaned verses buying a new carpet. Remember to check to see if there are existing hardwood floors under the carpeting. If so, it may prove more economical in the long run to refinish the existing hardwood floors. Hardwood floors can be a very important amenity.

First impressions are very important so always think of approaching the front door to enter. Is the area clean and inviting? The purchasing of flowers and planting with new topsoil along the pathways can give everything a fresh look. Well light properties give a warm inviting home feel so purchasing outside light fixtures can be another inexpensive upgrade.

Most people are proud of all their collectables and family pictures. The reality is that these items add clutter to a home and often the potential buyer cannot see pass the items and enjoy the amenities of the home. One great idea for the seller is to remove personal items, utilize existing

furniture and remove large pieces of furniture that take up room. A staging professional is great at advising those items to remove and ways to accessorize with a few paintings to prepare the home for the open house.

Remodeling is a personal assessment and with each property up to the seller. New Energy Efficient Windows can add value to a home and may be necessary if current windows are not functioning properly.

I am a firm believer that a roof inspection at minimum should be done prior to listing the property. I recommend the seller have all inspections done including termite and property as well as roof. This way both the seller and the buyer are aware of the condition of the property and therefore no major surprises will occur during the close of escrow.

My suggestions are basic recommendations that have proven to be successful time and time again.

It appears that in every city we are currently doing business in we are seeing real life domino effects when a city changes and enforces new policies.

One example recently was a client requesting me to find him commercial space in another city due to a very hefty water usage surcharge that was having a negative financial impact on his daily business. The result was to move out of that city and change the location he conducted his daily business and thus having to lay off several employees.

Another city is thinking of adding a business license tax and although most cities already have this requirement it will bring added cost to business owners who are currently feeling the economic crunch. If approved the tax will be a fee-based type of tax with surcharges according to the number of employees, units if an apartment building and square footage if a commercial business. Even the large non-profit organizations will be charged per employee if this business license tax is approved.

The other day I observed the closure of a government office two-days a month due to budget cuts thus slowing the process and ease of doing business in that city.

Another city has imposed extra costs associated with garbage pick up A local apartment owner had to incur added charges as a surcharge was being placed per garbage can to come on the property to remove. This was in addition to the regular garbage bill that the residents are paying. The resident would have to pay the surcharge or remove the cans to the curb each week. The owner did not want to impose this surcharge on the residents and then have to police whose garbage can was assigned to what unit and then expect them to bring the cans curbside.

Just ask anyone and they will tell you that we all need to be connected 24/7 to clients, associates and friends. Immediate access adds credibility and professionalism. At a touch of a screen on your phone you can e-mail, talk and have your Blackberry navigate you to meet a client at an appointment and on the way direct you to a Subway so you can grab lunch on the way

Our world looks like something out of a Jetson’s T. V. show of the past.

But, perception is critical in our business world and that may hold the key to our success for us in our daily transactions. Our immediate response to questions will add to our credibility and confidence to those we are dealing with on any transaction.

Recently I was involved in two transactions where I was representing first time homebuyers on the purchase of their homes. These clients had two different loan officers both were equally qualified and very professional and I knew they would both get the job done.

I noticed that one of them responded to my e-mails immediately and I felt in control of the situation. Her quick response added credibility and professionalism in my eyes.

I knew from experience both buyers would be approved and close on their homes but the availability and quick response from the person utilizing a Blackberry made my job easier thus allowing me to be more efficient.

Technology often takes away from the personal touch and personalized service but I am a believer now that I have a Blackberry that allows me to communicate more effectively with everyone that I am doing business with and therefore they have a pleasant experience.

Our Realty World Slogan is “Envisioning the future of real estate and embracing the changes”, and technology like the Blackberry has changed the way I do business.  I believe I am making a difference in others lives with a positive experience.