October 2010

Oakland Down Payment Assistance Still Available

Thursday, October 28th, 2010 at 5:29pm. 1931 Views, 0 Comments.

The City of Oakland has had a program in place for several years to help assist first time buyers purchase Oakland real estate. The program allows for a borrower to get a second loan for up to 20% of the purchase price of the home. This loan does not have to be paid back to the city of Oakland until the house is sold or refinanced.

For many first time buyers, this is a big deal because it prevents them from having to dish out the large downpayment, which is often the biggest obstacle. There is no definitive timeline as to how long this program will be in place, basically until the money runs out.

See the link below for details on how to qualify.

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Home Selection Assistant Iphone App!

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 at 12:22pm. 774 Views, 0 Comments.

If you have ever been out looking at homes and taking pics of each home you see, you have probably run into the problem of knowing which pics are from which house. Now there is an Iphone app that allows you to make albums of the pics you take and organize them so you know which pics are from where. The app uses the Iphones Geo Location ability to remember which pics were taken where, then it helps you create albums that allow you to easily view and rank the homes you have seen.

The app also allows you instantly get info on the community you are looking in, contact an agent and more.

If you are an Iphone user and you are currently in the process of viewing homes, this may be for you. It's free from the Apple App store so check it out!

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Say Hello to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate!

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 at 3:00pm. 1195 Views, 1 Comments.

I'm excited to announce that Mason McDuffie has entered into a partnership with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. You will soon notice some new logos and features on this site. For example, soon you will be able to access extensive neighborhood info such as school and community facilities information, as well as demographics. This will be available for every zip code in the city, as well as a lot of other information.

You won't be seeing the old Prudential blue and white signs out anymore, they will be "Oakland" green and white, which I think is nice. We are still Mason McDuffie, so we are still grounded in the core values of the company and still have all the resources available to us that we always had..plus more. However we have a fresh look and a…

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