San Mateo-Foster City Real Estate News

Last week Millbrae had 50 houses for sale.  They were on the market for an average of 68 days, and the number of homes coming to the market  appears to be moving upward.  Prices are trending downward, yet most homes in Millbrae are selling for over a Million dollars today.  A far cry from how this city of about 20,000 use to be, where modest homes housed families of modest means.  Not today.  The median price last week was $1,087,500.  Millbrae is considered a flat Cold! Buyer's market.

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The real estate market today is fairly good in and around San Mateo.  While its not a hot market, it’s also not a drag the way it is across the bay.  If you are thinking about selling your house right now, it’s really important to avoid these 5 Deadly Mistakes.  Mistakes cost you money and they cost you time.  If you’re trying to sell your home, you have neither time or extra money to waste, do you?  No, I didn’t think so.

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If you are buying a new home in the San Mateo area, determining how to take title of your property is a major decision for you when it comes time to sign your loan documents at an Escrow company. 'How do you want to hold title?” is the question you will be asked and the person asking it, the Escrow Officer, can not help you with the answer.  It’s a simple question with multiple answers and most people don’t know what to say, or what each means.  If you pick wrong it could have terrible consequences should something happen to you.  Luckily, what you pick can be changed, and pretty easily.  Wouldn’t it be better to go the the settlement table with an idea of what you want to do in advance?  Sure it would.

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This weekend, Foster City Community Chorus and Heart & Soul present 'I Hear America Singing an afternoon of music from North American composers. Come and hear us as we sing some great songs and lots of jazz. This is the 16th season of song and music for the choruses.

Listening to music is a great way to spend an afternoon and the concert is taking place at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Carlos. This church is easy to find sitting at the corner of Brittan and Alameda De Las Pulgas. Theres plenty of free parking,too.

The frosting on the cake will be listening to our Musical Director and Conductor Paul Hurst play Rhapsody in Blue, by George Gershwin, on the grand piano. Mr. Hurst last performed this in Italy in January. He is a world-class Harpist and Pianist. This is not to be missed and worth the admission price alone! He will also perform some ragtime on the harp and I know you havent heard that before.

Alex and I like to bill ourselves 'the Singing Realtors, and have great fun learning the music and performing for the public. If you like jazz youll love the vocals and the amazing jazz musicians backing up Heart & Soul, a chorale of 17 singers. Alex and I perform in the chorus and I also sing with Heart & Soul.

Tickets are available at the door for $15. The concert starts at 3 PM both on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Why dont you take a couple of hours off to come and listen and relax. You wont regret it.

Not everyone can afford a single family house, or wants one.  Thats why people buy condos or townhouses.  There is a difference between the two.  If you buy a condo, it is like owning an apartment but you own your four walls and a share of the rest of the building and grounds surrounding it and your homeowners association dues pays for water, garbage, fire insurance and the upkeep of the building.  If you buy a townhouse, you own the building and the land it sits on but the building is sitting right next to another townhouse.  You pay a homeowners association to take care of the common grounds surrounding your townhouse.  Insurance, water, garbage and the like is on you.

Last week there were 106 condos or townhouses for sale.  We call these Class 2 properties (there are 5 classes of property).  Nothing sold last week.  The Median price is trending up and is currently $529,000.  Average days on the market is up and price per square foot is down.  It is a Cold! Buyers Market according to Altos Research.

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