Best Web Sites for Real Estate in the San Francisco East Bay
This is it! This is the year you are going to buy a home! Others pumped their fists in the air as 2006 began, vowing to lose weight, find another job, or floss more frequently. But you and your significant other made the decision that when New Year’s 2006 rolls around, you will be making a mortgage payment, not a rental payment.
So it is now a rainy or cold Sunday, and you are trying to muster that enthusiasm to run through the rain-drenched streets while you look at homes. You’ve been complaining about the state of your apartment, how it is too chilly, too stark, too not-yours. But this morning, it feels very, very comfortable – as does the getup you’re wearing of old, smelly sweats and torn slippers.
Gratefully, the East Bay’s location at the center of all things technological means that you can keep your New Year’s resolution and keep those torn slippers on, too.
Of course, you’ve probably realized there are quite a few web sites out there with real estate information. But to fully justify the ratty sweats and relative inertia, you’ll want to find web sites that go well beyond the standard MLS listings.
If your dream house is a particular architectural style – or if you’d like to discuss your favorite style with your real estate agent and go into more detail than “I want to see more like THAT one,” – then your first stop online might be the web site of Joanne Gardiner, www.joannegardiner.com/architectureforhouses.html. Gardiner’s site provides an excellent overview of common styles, when most homes of this style were built, and the relevant features that set them apart.
If your taste in homes, however, runs to the modern variety, you may want the convenience and lack of maintenance worries offered by a condo or loft. The East Bay Real Estate Directory has a specific page just for East Bay lofts, www.eastbayrealestatedirectory.com/eastbaylofts.html. In addition to many features standard on real estate web sites, this site allows buyers to search the current MLS just for lofts and condominiums.
Of course, sometimes, it isn’t the type of home buyers seek as much as the surrounding neighborhood. But if you regularly get confused between Pleasanton and Pinole, if Alameda and Alamo seem like they might be the same community, then you’ll probably want to check out a few of the excellent neighborhood guides online.
Buyers might start with realtor Michael Friedman’s web site, which features Oakland and Berkeley neighborhood information at www.friedmanrealtor.com/neighborhoods.html. Realtor Alexis Greenberg can help widen your neighborhood knowledge, too. In addition to guides to Berkeley and Oakland, she offers insights on Albany, El Cerrito, Kensington, and Richmond at her web site, www.berkeleyhomesearch.com/eastbay_neighborhoods.html.
For those searching for a home east of the Oakland hills, try the web site of realtor Sammy Shrimali, www.sammysellshomes.com. With information on communities in Livermore, Pleasanton, Alamo, Danville, as well as San Leandro, Union City, and Walnut Creek, Shrimali’s web site is ideal for those still stuck on the “Alamo/Alameda” difference. Those wanting more in-depth information on Alameda can check out the web site of Kane & Associates, www.alamedaproperties.com, which provides an interactive map of Alameda and more detailed neighborhood information.
The type of home and neighborhood, however, will be irrelevant to buyers who don’t know how much house they can afford, or even whether they can afford a home at all.
But while real estate agents are known for their personal touch, lenders can seem distant, hiding behind their bank vaults. To find a loan agent that is not only local, but able to make personal contact, try the web sites of Chet Gohd at www.chetloans.com, or Shelley Puentes at www.justyourfavorite.com.
Just remember one important fact as you continue to keep your New Year’s resolution by going online: If you see a home you really like, it’s probably a good idea to change (and even shower) before heading out to take a closer look!
So it is now a rainy or cold Sunday, and you are trying to muster that enthusiasm to run through the rain-drenched streets while you look at homes. You’ve been complaining about the state of your apartment, how it is too chilly, too stark, too not-yours. But this morning, it feels very, very comfortable – as does the getup you’re wearing of old, smelly sweats and torn slippers.
Gratefully, the East Bay’s location at the center of all things technological means that you can keep your New Year’s resolution and keep those torn slippers on, too.
Of course, you’ve probably realized there are quite a few web sites out there with real estate information. But to fully justify the ratty sweats and relative inertia, you’ll want to find web sites that go well beyond the standard MLS listings.
If your dream house is a particular architectural style – or if you’d like to discuss your favorite style with your real estate agent and go into more detail than “I want to see more like THAT one,” – then your first stop online might be the web site of Joanne Gardiner, www.joannegardiner.com/architectureforhouses.html. Gardiner’s site provides an excellent overview of common styles, when most homes of this style were built, and the relevant features that set them apart.
If your taste in homes, however, runs to the modern variety, you may want the convenience and lack of maintenance worries offered by a condo or loft. The East Bay Real Estate Directory has a specific page just for East Bay lofts, www.eastbayrealestatedirectory.com/eastbaylofts.html. In addition to many features standard on real estate web sites, this site allows buyers to search the current MLS just for lofts and condominiums.
Of course, sometimes, it isn’t the type of home buyers seek as much as the surrounding neighborhood. But if you regularly get confused between Pleasanton and Pinole, if Alameda and Alamo seem like they might be the same community, then you’ll probably want to check out a few of the excellent neighborhood guides online.
Buyers might start with realtor Michael Friedman’s web site, which features Oakland and Berkeley neighborhood information at www.friedmanrealtor.com/neighborhoods.html. Realtor Alexis Greenberg can help widen your neighborhood knowledge, too. In addition to guides to Berkeley and Oakland, she offers insights on Albany, El Cerrito, Kensington, and Richmond at her web site, www.berkeleyhomesearch.com/eastbay_neighborhoods.html.
For those searching for a home east of the Oakland hills, try the web site of realtor Sammy Shrimali, www.sammysellshomes.com. With information on communities in Livermore, Pleasanton, Alamo, Danville, as well as San Leandro, Union City, and Walnut Creek, Shrimali’s web site is ideal for those still stuck on the “Alamo/Alameda” difference. Those wanting more in-depth information on Alameda can check out the web site of Kane & Associates, www.alamedaproperties.com, which provides an interactive map of Alameda and more detailed neighborhood information.
The type of home and neighborhood, however, will be irrelevant to buyers who don’t know how much house they can afford, or even whether they can afford a home at all.
But while real estate agents are known for their personal touch, lenders can seem distant, hiding behind their bank vaults. To find a loan agent that is not only local, but able to make personal contact, try the web sites of Chet Gohd at www.chetloans.com, or Shelley Puentes at www.justyourfavorite.com.
Just remember one important fact as you continue to keep your New Year’s resolution by going online: If you see a home you really like, it’s probably a good idea to change (and even shower) before heading out to take a closer look!
