Lead paint and renovating homes in oakland hills and Montclair CA

July 16th, 2010

As of April 2010 all contractors, property managers and others who disturb painted surfaces are obligated to comply with the Federal Lead-Based Paint Renovations, Repair and Painting Program or RRP.  I’ve been working and selling homes for years in the Oakland Hills CA, Montclair, Glenview, Crocker Highlands and Terstle Glen.  Let’s face it, they were […]

Tech in real estate

July 12th, 2010

Well I’m here at Agent Reboot in San Francisco. Technology in real estate. Interesting concept. I’ve been selling homes in Oakland Piedmont and Berkeley for close to 13 years and the single most important aspect of my business has been relationship development. It’s all about the facetime!  Without it no agents business will survive or […]

Mortgage Broker info for home buyers

June 6th, 2010

Home buyers that are considering purchasing a home in Oakland, Piedmont or Berkeley California will inevitably find themselves communicating with a mortgage broker or a retail bank about obtaining a mortgage.  This short video answers some basic questions about the differences between banks and brokers, what are loan points, reasons to use a local institution […]

10 tips when hiring a Contractor

June 2nd, 2010

When preparing a home for sale or making improvements to your new home it is very important to protect yourself from unscrupulous contractors.  There is nothing worse than getting shotty work or getting ripped off all together. Here are 10 tips to help ensure that you don’t get ripped off when hiring a contractor. 1. Make […]

How does a late mortgage payment affect my FICO score?

May 3rd, 2010

Even in the better parts of the Oakland Hills such as Piedmont, Montclair and Rockridge homeowners occasionally get into a financial pinch that can lead to a late mortgage payment.  If you’re delinquent on your mortgage, your credit score will suffer. Everyone knows that. The question is, by how much?  Until recently, those answers were […]

Homes Sold in Upper Rockridge Q1 2010

April 17th, 2010

 This Upper Rockridge real estate sales report covers single family homes that have sold in Oakland’s Upper Rockridge district during the fourth quarter of 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlLXsY-JR10 Brian Santilena is a resident  and has been selling Upper Rockridge 1998.  If you would like more details about buying or selling in Upper Rockridge please call Brian directly […]

Lakeshore and Grand Lake neighborhoods in Oakland CA

March 19th, 2010

The Lakeshore Ave and Grand Lake neighborhoods in Oakland CA offers many of the semi-urban amenities that today’s homebuyers are looking for.  This video will give you a brief glimpse of some of the areas terrific features.  If you’d like more information please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. LOCATION: Lakeshore Avenue runs along the […]

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March 4th, 2010

Buying a home in Oakland’s Oakmore district with Brian Santilena

February 26th, 2010

I met Pete after he contacted me via my website.  He was interested in the prospect of purchasing a home.  He didn’t know the details or the process so we sat down together for a “Buyers 101” together.  We went over every aspect of the Home Buying Process.  Pete left the meeting fully informed with […]

A great home buying experiance in Oakland’s Upper Rockridge

February 26th, 2010

My wife and I hold to a very high standard people with whom we come into contact ~ especially professionals. So it was our expectation that Brian be more interested in being our advocate than selling us a house. His performance and demeanor met and exceeded our expectations. Brian provided us with great guidance at […]