Real Estate Fraud: Cash Back and Consequences

Fraud
December 4, 2007

by Roberta Murphy Opportunities for real estate fraud couldn’t have been more ripe than in 2005 and 2006, when real estate prices started to quietly soften–especially in fertile markets like San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Miami. Home prices in these areas had rocketed to unsustainable levels, and some of the micro markets within these areas had already started to stall as early as 2005. By 2006, market time and…

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The Luxurious Closet

Luxury Closet
October 18, 2007

by Roberta Murphy In our coastal San Diego luxury real estate market, buyers are almost manic about their closets–and especially the ones in the master suite. Luxury home buyers are most pleased when there are separate closets for each–or if single, closets for the seasons. The compleat closet in the luxury home will be spacious, well lighted and masterfully organized. It is a room where we prepare ourselves to meet…

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Lenders: Pre-Negotiate Your Short Sales

by Roberta Murphy We are trained and skilled negotiators. Give us a chance, and we could probably get hostages released from terrorists, convince a teenager to leave his tongue unpierced (perhaps)–or successfully negotiate a sale leaseback of the Brooklyn Bridge. As competent Realtors, it’s what we enjoy doing, and we are passionate about negotiating on behalf of our clients. Most successful transactions have been hammered out when we account for…

October 16, 2007
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Busy San Diego Realtor Seeks Committed Mortgage Professional

by Roberta Murphy I must be crazed to write a title like that because we are courted almost daily by San Diego mortgage lenders and brokers who want our real estate business. We deal with a number of home buyers and feel an enormous responsibility to recommend the best mortgage professionals in the business. I am convinced that the San Diego real estate and mortgage market has far too many…

August 5, 2007
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Newspaper Advertising: A Dead Horse?

by Roberta Murphy Early weekend mornings are quiet around our household. The guys like to sleep in, the parrots are quieter than usual and I have the luxury of spidering around the web and spinning ideas. The newspaper still sits in the driveway, and will remain there until Eric, our middle son, goes out to retrieve it so he can read the sports pages. Until that time, the world is…

June 9, 2007
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Short Sales and Blood in the Streets

Blood in the streets
May 20, 2007

by Roberta Murphy   We list and sell real estate in good, bad and indifferent markets. Short sales are becoming common, though. So is blood in the streets. People move up, down and out all the time because life is about change and transitions. And each time the real estate market shifts, we regroup and modify strategies for buyers and sellers. There may be some inconveniences and pricing adjustments for…

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Pop the Cork for Sellsius!

by Roberta Murphy Sellsius Real Estate is one of my favorite blogs. Its full of hip news, developing real estate stories and intelligent opinion. Its a place I visit often. Founders Rudy Bachraty and Joseph Ferrara have now unveiled a new site that so caters to real estate buyers who wants more precision in their property search results. BMW and Mercedes engineers couldnt have done a better job. Its a…

April 28, 2007
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ipayOne Real Estate Going Down the Hole?

The Carlsbad, CA discount real estate broker, ipayOne is no longer taking any new real estate listings and will be liquidating its assets. The once high-flying brokerage spent hugely on advertising, even purchasing for $2.5 million the five-year naming rights to the San Diego Sports Arena which was renamed the ipayOne Center. Their real estate business was primarily centered in the San Diego area, and there were reported plans to…

April 7, 2007
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Street and Neighborhood Gossip….

Real estate gossip can actually help buyers choose best home and neighborhood.
March 29, 2007

by Roberta Murphy Well, sort of. Web 2.0 and interconnectivity has drilled down to a new level of local, with the online premier of Street Advisor this week. This fun site allows residents to rate and write about the streets on which they live. The reviewer can rate the livability of the street, the neighbors, convenience to shopping, medical care, schools and restaurants and more. But is it really gossip?…

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Redfin Security Issues

I just overheard a news report that Redfin is coming to San Diego, and I am tapping my pen in wonder. I imagined one of our San Diego real estate listings and I imagined receiving a call from a stranger asking to see the property. In the natural course of conversation, I would ask if the caller was working with an agent. If the caller responded that they were working…

February 8, 2007
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