Anna May & Greg Jones, REALTORS

This 2000+ sq ft Shapell home will be available soon!

Stay tuned for details…

For more information about the City of San Leandro, CLICK HERE.

For more information about San Leandro schools, CLICK HERE.

Think “zen” when you approach this home in the historic Prospect Hill neighborhood of downtown Hayward! With a very active neighborhood association, this oasis is only a few blocks from the downtown Cinemark theatre, farmers market, post office, city hall, BART, restaurants, shopping, coffee shops, etc. Only a few extra blocks away are the Japanese gardens and the Senior Center.

A glass-walled living room looks onto a koi pond in the back yard. Bamboo floors and rich Philippine mahogany complete the scene in the living area. The kitchen is inspired by the best 5-star restaurant kitchens in San Francisco. To add nostalgia to the scene, the bathrooms are decorated in hot retro tones. The overall scene will be appreciated by the most artistic and eclectic folks in the bay area who work hard, play hard and rest with equal fervor.

This home will be available by March 31st. Stay tuned for Open House dates!

(Of upcoming interest: 20th Annual Asian Heritage Festival on May 19th!)

In this market, where multiple offers and cash buyers are the norm, our VA buyers are getting left behind.  It is unfortunate that some of the very benefits of a VA loan are hindrances to making the purchase work, particularly when sellers have their pick of buyers.  Any creative ideas out there?  Any sellers that believe in recognizing our veterans for the service and deciding to work with a veteran buyer rather focusing purely on profit?

It is a tough market for buyers…who would have thought.  We are seeing 10-20 offers on every property listing, almost always over asking price and often cash buyers.  Hang in there buyers, there is just the house out there for you, but be patient.

http://www.businessinsider.com/us-housing-inventory-shortage-2013-2

Let me give it to you straight. Some real estate people give us a bad name. I remember the film “Poltergeist” when the dead bodies came out of the bottom of the swimming pool and learning that it was the agent who didn’t disclose that the new homes were built on a former cemetery!

That character was NOT a “REALTOR”.

The Poltergeist scene is an extreme dramatized version of the unsavory characters who mar my profession. I’m proud to say, however, that there is a BIG difference between REALTORS who are serious about serving the public in a fair and honest manner and those who steer clear of committing to the professional standards required and expected of a REALTOR.

This is the reason we are so involved in our local REALTOR groups with our REALTOR association and the Women’s Council of REALTORS. We see the importance of keeping our noses clean not only with the public but with each other too.

Would you like to know what we believe in and what is expected of us REALTORS? CLICK HERE for the Code of Ethics.

Note: “REALTOR” is two syllables only and should always be capitalized. There’s so such thing as a “real-a-tor”.

26840 Peterman Ave., Hayward
(Southgate neighborhood)

Yesterday I answered a phone call and at first, I wondered if the man calling was a savvy bill collector trying to get me to admit that I am the Anna May he found on the internet.

My first thought was, “I’m happily married now” and “I don’t owe anybody any money!” and “No thanks, I’m not interested in saving your tiki-torch fire ant in Zambanini”.

Then I heard a hearty laugh from the caller and I relaxed. Turned out he’s an agent from Washington state in search of a REALTOR  to list his family‘s home for sale and the family wanted it done immediately. Despite my comfort and easy feeling about the caller, I’m still just a girl. So, I decided to make sure my big bad husband Greg was with me for the first meeting at the property yesterday afternoon.

When we arrived, we met a very warm family who had just experienced the loss of their near 90-year old father. I asked why the family contacted us out of all the agents they could have chosen. “We called you because of your website and from your photos it looks like you had all your teeth.”

Despite the wonderful sense of humor the family has, they are in mourning and will be clearing out the contents of the home where they grew up this weekend. Please be sensitive and do not disturb them.

The home is located in Hayward’s Southgate neighborhood where I grew up and went through an awkward puberty. The address is 26840 Peterman Avenue. Our official Open House treats from Sugar Bowl Bakery will be offered during the Open House times:

Wednesday January 30, 2013 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Saturday February 2nd, 2012 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Please join us!

Yesterday was a perfect example of how having a dog enables us to keep a cleaner house. Our pit bull / rabbit mix “Piglet” found our Rotarian magazine and tore it up. We can’t leave articles of clothing strewn about any more. We can’t be slobs and leave our shoes out either. We have to watch Piglet constantly to make sure he learns not to whiz in the house.

If you choose to have a dog and not let him into your house, there are consequences to having him as your “backyard dog” and it is important that you be well aware of the consequences. CLICK HERE to tips on how to make your dog a part of your family and a part of your home.

This morning, Piglet jumped up on our bed. Four times! Why on earth was he suddenly compelled to do this? This 40 lb. creature has brought so much joy to our home in the last couple weeks since we adopted him. We’ll be enrolling in obedience classes soon, mostly to teach US how to handle him!

Another virtue of having a dog: We blame sounds and smells on him…

(Sigh.) I can’t tell you how often we hear questions like these in our business:

• “Got any good deals?”
• “I’m looking for a good deal.”
• “I only want to buy property if it’s a good deal.”

Then, there are folks who say:

• “Let me know if you have any good deals.”
• “I’ll work with you if you have a good deal.”
• “Maybe if you are the listing agent I can get a good deal.”

Let’s face it. EVERYONE wants a good deal. I doubt you’ve ever heard someone say “I want to get ripped off and pay way too much for a property!”

There are 7 days in a week and 24 hours in a day. In this time, our efforts will be used on our buyer and seller Clients who’ve committed to working with us and who are serious enough to have their financing and cash reserves in order before we see property together on an exclusive basis.

We take our role in representing our Clients seriously and our Clients take it seriously too. We find great satisfaction in helping to make things happen for them. We have no qualms about telling our Clients if we believe a property is overpriced or being clear that if they want the property, they’ll have to be willing to pay a premium compared to the competition of buyers for the same property. Our seller Clients appreciate that we sometimes counsel them NOT to take the highest offer but to focus on choosing the buyer who is most likely to close the sale, as long as the price is reasonable.

Now, about those good deals. When we do come across “good deals”, we’ll let our Clients know about them first. There is a huge difference between a “customer” and a “Client”, so we reserve our more in-depth communications for a select group. The last thing our Clients need is for our efforts to be diluted…