Tag: Buyers

Finding The Perfect Neighborhood For Your First Home

Posted on by Julie Tsai

As a first-time homebuyer, determining the neighborhood that fits your needs is pivotal to narrowing your home selection.

Choosing the neighborhood for your first home should follow a prescription whittled down by your values and priorities, always keeping your future plans in mind. You will eliminate much anxiety if you first decide upon a checklist of qualities which resonate most deeply with what you value in a home and in a location.

Julie and her team have years and years of experience in helping our clients devise checklists of preferences for their future neighborhoods. Here are our suggestions for major points to consider when deciding upon your new neighborhood.

Safety

Safety first, right? This is especially true if you have or intend to have children. The easiest way to learn about crime in a particular area is to visit CrimeReports.com.

Future Plans For The Neighborhood

Development plans can have a major impact on your home value, lifestyle, and traffic conditions. We can help you get in contact with the area’s Planning Division for zoning information and future development plans in your preferred neighborhood.

High-Performing Schools

For general information about schools in your desired neighborhood, you can always go to the National Center for Education Statistics website. More detailed information, including parent reviews, can be found at Greatschools.org. After you’ve done your online research, we recommend scheduling a tour of the schools, which Julie and her team can also help you arrange. You may even ask to be put in contact with other parents who can answer any additional questions you may have.

Make sure the schools are in good financial health. Ed-Data enables you to access financial information for school districts and county offices of education. You may also review a school’s financial information at the Foundation Center’s website.

Convenience

Consider if your commute to work from your desired neighborhood is tolerable. Taking a test drive at your normal commuting times may be helpful. Also find out if grocery stores, gyms, car repair and service shops, public transportation, schools, and health services are within reasonable distance.

Activities & Amenities

Think of your daily and weekend routines. Some buyers will never consider choosing a place which does not offer ready access to open spaces, while others consider a vibrant cultural or culinary scene essential to their sense of satisfaction and wellbeing. List your essentials and then research the different neighborhoods you are considering. Julie and her team will work closely with you in determining which neighborhood is the closest match.

Once you’ve narrowed your search, it is time to hit the streets and “date” your potential choices. As you do, use all your senses and trust your gut. First impressions are often reliable. Visualize yourself in the neighborhood. Where will you jog or walk your dog in the morning? Are there sidewalks? Look up an address on the Walk Score website to obtain a “walkability” rating for the area. Check the traffic at different hours. How congested does it get?

Visit the neighborhoods at different times of the day. Are people out and about during the evening hours? Are kids playing along the street? Enter a café and get a feel for the level of interconnectedness of your future neighbors. Is the social scene vibrant or are people basically keeping to themselves?

Look for activities that show owners are keeping up or investing in their properties. Also look for signs that the city is doing a proper job in maintaining public areas. Beware of cracked streets and sidewalks, broken streetlights, and vacant homes with shattered windows and overgrown yards. Find out all you can about the city’s Operating and Capital Improvement Budget and its overall financial health.   

If you already have your eye on a specific property, knock on doors and chat with your potential future neighbors. Ask about crime, noise, traffic, and neighborhood issues. Julie can even help you find a neighborhood group and attend one of its meetings.

Julie and her team of experts are ready to guide and help you choose the neighborhood that most closely matches your priorities, values, and overall lifestyle. We look forward to helping you on your neighborhood search.

Please contact Julie at 650.799.8888 or Julie@JulieTsaiLaw.com to schedule a free consultation.

Moving Up To Strengthen The Family

Posted on by Julie Tsai

MOVE-UP BUYERS: MOVING UP TO STRENGTHEN THE FAMILY

 

Family is at the core of many cultures around the world.

In many Asian and Latin American cultures, for instance, most young adults stay home until they marry. When their parents age, they move in with their children who consider it an honor to care for them in their later years. 

Keeping Family Close

Family has long been a key component within Chinese society, and many aspects of Chinese life are tied to honoring one’s parents or ancestors. In fact, the majority of the “Five Relationships” espoused by Confucius were directly centered on the family. Due to this focus, it has historically been common for the Chinese—even when fully grown with children of their own—to not only remain in or close to their hometown, but also to have many living generations of a family living under the same roof.

While in the United States, the small nuclear family—father, mother, and one or two children—still predominates, things appear to be changing. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2014 a record 60.6 million people (19% of the US population) lived with multiple generations under one roof. More than one-fifth of Americans older than 55 now live in a multigenerational household.

Reasons For Staying Together

Fueling this shift are rising home prices, staggering childcare expenses, college debt, longer life expectancies, high costs of elderly care, and the growth of ethnic communities in which extended families traditionally live together.

Economics might be forcing the issue, but people now are rediscovering the advantages of this way of life, according to Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United, a family research nonprofit and advocacy group. The Great Recession of 2008 drove a lot of young adult “boomerang children” back to their parents’ homes when they couldn’t find a job.

“People came together by necessity, and they stayed together by choice,” says Butts. “In many other countries, it’s just a way of life. It helps strengthen the family.”

With home prices in the Bay Area out of reach for most young adults, families are increasingly purchasing larger homes to keep everyone close while helping their children save money for an eventual down payment on their own home. Even those who don’t have relatives living with them fulltime are looking at larger homes to accommodate international relatives during their long visits from abroad.

Enhanced Benefits

New housing bills (“New ADU Housing Bills Could Add Value To Your Home) passed by the California legislature are making things easier by giving existing homeowners greater flexibility and options to add auxiliary dwelling units, or ADUs, to their properties. Also known as ‘granny flats,’ ‘in-law units,’ and ‘guest apartments,’ these additional units can be added around the main house in a larger property, creating a sort of family compound.

Closeness to family is not the only benefit of moving up. Larger homes are usually located in higher-priced neighborhoods which generate higher property-tax income—a significant funding source for public schools. More resources mean state-of-the-art facilities and equipment and better paid and trained teachers. Realizing how critical a top-notch education is becoming in the 21st century, savvy parents in the Bay Area are actively seeking better schools to give their younger children a competitive edge.

A better neighborhood also means less congestion, noise, and closer proximity to open spaces with proven benefits to physical and mental wellbeing. 

Of course, moving up will usually cost you more—but considering the benefits, the trade-off is more than worth it. 

Can We Help?

For more information on how we can help with your move-up needs, please contact Julie at 650.799.8888 or Julie@JulieTsaiLaw.com to schedule a free consultation.

 

10 Reasons for Home Ownership

Posted on by Julie Tsai

10 Reasons for Home Ownership

 

  1. Estate Building! Build your own estate instead of your landlord’

 

  1. Rent money is spent money. The moment you buy a home, you start a built-in savings account.  Each mortgage payment puts money into your own bank, and your future.

 

  1. Get a free ride with inflation. Buy now and your dollars will buy more home for you.  You will pay off your mortgage with pre-inflation dollars!

 

  1. Tax advantages – one of the best reasons to buy! Real estate taxes and interest charges on mortgages are tax deductible.

 

  1. Home ownership gives a family a sense of security and stability. You become part of a neighborhood and a town.  You belong.

 

  1. Home ownership offers a better variety of lifestyle choices. Residential housing options are not as limited as rental housing stock.  There are less restrictions on the use of your interior and exterior living areas when you own, and often more storage space, too!

 

  1. Your home equity may be used as security for future loans.

 

  1. Home ownership is a symbol of achievement. Your home is your castle.

 

  1. Home ownership can improve your credit rating.

 

  1. Rental payments over a lifetime could buy you more than 4 homes!

在Mid-Peninsula购房您需要注意的5事情

Posted on by Julie Tsai

在Mid-Peninsula购房您需要注意的5事情

 

#1《血色将至》（您可到IMDB（互联网电影数据库)電影網站觀看）（編注：許多美國人都知道這是一部奧斯卡獲獎電影，但如果其參考資料對於中國人而言過於晦澀難懂，我們可以改變這一狀況）。

 

好了，也不完全是如此，但是以一個好價錢來買一棟地段較好的房子將會是非常有競爭力的一件事情。

 

2013年住房市場調查結果顯示加州當年售出的70％的物業有多个买家竞价。因此你需要爲買房之戰做好準備。 你可能需要做好失敗的準備， 重新上陣，直到你得到你想要的房子爲止。

 

＃2你必須準備得非常充分。

 

當你找到一棟你喜歡的房子時，盡一切努力儘快給出你的出價。要獲得預批准的貸款（不只是通過資格預審鏈接到房地產方面博客），在銀行存款（至少是可以買得起絕大多數房屋20％的首付），並準備好要多花費一點時間，例如在你做出報價之前確保你做出的房屋檢查足夠完善 ，讓你的報價不會或少受到突發事件的干擾。

 

＃3要知道無論你之前是多麼精心準備或是你有多麼合格，你都可能會失去你中意的房屋 。不過，那沒關係。

 

現在一棟好房子會有衆多買家參與競爭，每次都會有許多人最終失敗。這僅僅是數字方面的 。 每件事都是個學習的過程。有些房屋你競價失敗 原因是房主希望你可以多出一些錢，有些房屋在所有的塵埃落定後你會慶幸自己當初並沒有得到它。最後，它都將教育我們，引導我們在做出報價之前變得更加自信，得到你真正想要的，價格合理的房屋。在下一次購房中，將你所學的知識運用的爐火純青。

 

＃4不過，你必須要小心，做出你認爲合理並且舒服的報價，而且只有那樣你贏了，你才會感到高興。

 

不過在這個超瘋狂的市場中，很容易讓人們爲了贏得某物而不惜一切代價。 這是個誤區。這是紐約時報的一篇文章（鏈接： http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/realestate/borrowing-the-maximum.html?ref=realestate&_r=0 ）建議人們不要花光全部預算買房產。

 

我覺得我正在收看Suze Orzman的節目，不過這其中有一些指導原則：

 

1）       你要以你現在的收入和開銷來決定你月供的數額，而不是以你預期的收入和開銷。

2）       你應該有一定的積蓄，這樣如果你意外的失業了，你可以用其來支付抵押貸款——總額大概是能支付一年的月供。

你必須爲此次的房屋購買事宜做好心理準備，因爲根據房地產週期，房地產市場可能變壞，你購買的房屋也可能會貶值。如此大額的投資是有風險的。 假如 你不能承受的起這一風險，我們不建議你購買住房。

 

＃5擁有一個經驗房豐富的房產經紀人尤爲重要，他們對你目標地區房產情況會非常熟悉。

 

市場是瘋狂的並且變化無常。擁有一個熟悉當地房地產市場，了解其發展趨勢而且能在同行中聲名卓著的房地產經紀人極爲重要。他們的專業以及對客戶的忠誠將引領你在充滿驚濤駭浪的房地產市場找到正確的方向爲您做出最正確的決定。

 

 

Hints to Buyers For Smoother Closings

Posted on by Julie Tsai

Hints to Buyers For Smoother Closings

 

  • Contact your lender to determine if a binder for homeowner’s insurance is acceptable. In most cases, the actual policy is required, and your insurance carrier needs adequate time to prepare and deliver the policy.  Bring this with you to closing.

 

  • Your closing funds (balance of down payment, closing costs, etc.) may be required in the form of a certified or cashier’s check. Personal checks are frequently not be accepted and would cause your closing to be delayed or moved to the next day.  Check with your lending institution to verify the proper form of payment.  Checks should be made payable to yourself and endorsed to the proper disbursing associate at closing.  If your funds are in a Money Market account, notify your lender well in advance.  Many banks will not issue a cashier’s check until the Money Market check has cleared.

 

  • You should be aware that prior to closing, you will receive a copy of the title insurance commitment as per your offer to purchase.

Professionals Involved in the Purchase of a Home

Posted on by Julie Tsai

Professionals Involved in the Purchase of a Home

 

With the purchase of your new home you will be involved with a number of professionals in addition your realtor.  The following descriptions explain the services they may provide.

 

APPRAISER:

Your lender will require an appraisal of your home to make sure the house will be adequate security for the amount of the loan you have requested.  Generally, when you apply for a mortgage, you pay for the appraisal up front, and the lender selects the appraiser.  The charge is based on local price ranges, typically upwards from about $200.

 

HOME INSPECTOR:

Although the your real estate associates involved in the purchase will disclose to you any known defects or adverse matters of material significance affecting the property, they are not expert in these matters.   The property inspection will accomplish the following:   Provide a detailed report on the conditions of the structure and the mechanical systems that re not visible or may be unknown to the purchaser or the purchaser’s representatives. After receiving the inspection report, you can either bring these conditions to the attention of the seller as further negotiations, or go ahead with the purchase as the offer stands with a better idea of what the actual condition of the home. You will be able to plan ahead and budget for future maintenance or purchases as a part of your home-maintenance planning.  If your Offer-to-Purchase contract is prepared prior to inspection, be sure to include a clause that the sale is contingent upon structural and/or mechanical, or other inspections, and specify when the inspection is to be carried out.  Most real estate associates will recommend this procedure as a standard course of action.

A reputable inspector will provide you with an evaluation of the major systems in the house, including foundation and general structure, condition of the roof, condition of the heating and cooling systems, condition of the plumbing and electrical systems, and any other specific inspection that you may require.  In addition, the inspection may provide you with the age, anticipated life expectancy, and estimated replacement costs of items in the home.  You should be present during the inspection.  Come prepared with a list of questions and concerns that you have about the property.  It usually takes about two to three hours, and the conversation between the buyer and the inspector can be invaluable.  If your questions are limited to specific areas of a house, most inspection firms will be happy to assist you in evaluating only one or two systems.

In addition to the oral report that will be given during the inspection, you should also receive a detailed, typewritten report within a few days.  The fee for an inspection varies from area to area and usually depends on the size of the building.  Inspections typically cost between $200 and $300.  It is a good idea to shop for a competitive price and determine what kind of reports will be provided to you.  The inspector should be licensed in a building-related field: architects, contractors, and structural engineers are good examples.  Ask how long they have been in business, if they are insured or bonded, and ask for references from previous customers.

BUILDING CONTRACTOR:

You may need to make changes to your new home to make it suit your family’s lifestyle.  If you are planning to hire professional assistance for any remodeling projects, choose your contractor carefully.  Ask for recommendations from several sources; then check each company out with the Better Business Bureau and other references.

 

INSURANCE AGENT:

In order to obtain a mortgage, home purchasers are required to have hazard insurance, or fire and extended coverage, as well as title insurance.  You may also be required to have private mortgage insurance, depending on the size of your down payment.  These types of insurance are required for the lender’s protection.  Private mortgage insurance, which is necessary for low-down payment loans, covers the lender’s loss should you default on your loan for any reason.  If there’s a defect in the title to the house, the title policy will cover the lender’s losses and legal fees.  And in the event of loss due to fire, and you elect not to rebuild, the fire policy will pay the lender first, before you.  Of course, you may want to have this type of coverage for personal protection as well.

Your lender will inform you of whether or not you need mortgage insurance, and how much it will cost.  The closing/settlement agent will tell you what the lender’s title policy will cost and give you the option of buying the same policy for yourself.  Except for the private mortgage insurance, you are free to consult your own insurance agent for the proper coverages.

 

ATTORNEY:

All real estate transactions can potentially have problems.  If you are at all concerned about any part of your real estate transaction, obtain legal advice from an attorney.  Most attorneys charge by the hour for this service, and attorneys, like doctors, specialize, so it is wise to consult a real estate attorney.

The proper time to consult an attorney is after you’ve negotiated a contract, but well before you sign it at close of escrow which signifies your full acceptance of the contractual terms as written.   It is advisable to do this as soon as possible after your offer-to-purchase is accepted by the seller:  a delay could allow other purchasers time to present their offers on the home.  After your escrow is closed and you have an executed contract, there’s little an attorney can do but tell you where you went wrong.  One option is to write the contract contingent upon your attorney’s review within a reasonable period of time.

 

LENDER:

This is a universal term for any organization that makes home loans.  Such entities include banks, savings and loans, commercial banks, credit unions, and insurance companies, and private mortgage companies.   A good lender will be able to help you decide which type of mortgage is the best for you.

In addition, a good real estate agent will be capable to helping you find a quality lender, a good rate, or the right loan – or all three.

 

Escrow Officer

Also known as an escrow or settlement agent, this person is usually a title attorney who not only handles the paperwork of the transaction, but also searches the property’s title to make sure it’s unencumbered and can be transferred without problems.

Although both you and the seller will pay the settlement agent a fee, he or she is neutral and does not represent either of you in the transaction.  He or she represents the lender and must follow the lender’s instructions, as well as the terms of the sales contract between you and the seller.

怎樣才能讓自己在多方競價的情況下最終勝出？

Posted on by Julie Tsai

怎樣才能讓自己在多方競價的情況下最終勝出？

 

據硅谷房地产经纪人协会於2013年發佈的房屋市場調查，70％去年售出物業有多個買家競價。這是過去至少15年里比率最高的一次。 （文章鏈接：http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24309947/sales-1-5-million-plus-homes-are-rise）

 

如果您想要在MidPeninsula購買房產，您無需研究便會知道在這裏買房競爭的激烈程度將會是史無前例的。有些優質房產有超過20個或甚至更多的買家參與競爭！這使得至少19名投標人最終兩手空空，一無所獲。所以怎樣才能讓您自己在多方競價的情況下增加您最終勝出的機率呢？

 

雖然以下建議不能保證您會最終勝出，不過它們會使得您更具競爭力：

 

出價適當超過房屋標價，但是要聰明行事。

 

房地產經紀人最近一段日子最常用的策略是以低於市場價標出房產價格 ，這樣會引起很多買家的興趣，讓她們產生買房的衝動。這樣做的目的是 使得衆多買家出價，那麼一場競購之戰可能就會爆發了。

 

有時，銷售代理將指定她們的客戶“接受報價”的具體日期，因而她們會接受在那天之前給出的最佳報價。其它時候，房產銷售代理也會願意在賣家和買家的談判中來回周旋，以期能夠達成對各方都有利的交易。

 

了解賣家代理工作的程序非常重要，因爲這會讓您制定出最好的報價策略。如果您認為您會得到第二次報價的機會，以便您做出最佳報價，您最好不要在第一次就報出您能給的最高價格。但是，如果賣方的代理人只給您一次報價機會，您就應該好好想想您是多麼想要那棟房產，然後 給出您感覺合適的最高報價 。

 

這很容易就會使得您變得很衝動，不惜一切代價希望獲得最終的取勝。不管您多麼想要那棟房子，競爭有多麼激烈，請務必理性的給出您的報價。這樣您就不會最終悔恨不已，不得不揹負難以承擔的抵押貸款。

 

讓您的報價不受或者少受突發事件的影響。

 

最有吸引力的報價是很少或根本沒有受突發事件影響的那些。這意味著，您需要有您自己的資金以及獲得貸款預先批准，當然如果您能以現金支付，那便最好不過了。

 

如果可能的話，賣家希望放棄房屋估价條款。在這個不斷變化的市場，房屋估價往往不跟上實際價格不斷飆升的房產，但是銀行不會按照房屋最新的價格放貸。 一個好的經紀人可以幫助您找到一個能跟得上最新房屋價值的（房地产）估价师， 但最終的房屋估價還需要得到買賣雙方的一致同意。

 

如果發生了這種情況，而且您已經放棄了估价条款，那麼您必須拿出額外的現金來彌補差額，否則您可能就要承擔失去您的保證金的風險。放棄估价条款時務必要小心謹慎。

（具體鏈接 http://www.realtor.com/home-finance/real-estate/buyers/appraisal-contingency.aspx?source=web ）

 

另一種突發狀況是房屋的全面检查。很多時候，賣方都會事先將房屋檢查工作完成，而且在您報價之前您也能查看得到具體檢查信息。如果您是因爲接受的是賣方的檢驗報告而感到不安，您也在報價之前自己安排人員來幫助您完成房屋檢查事宜。

 

過去是在把房子賣了之後才想着去購置另一套房，現在這一情況幾乎絕跡了。 在這個火熱的市場，賣家並不需要一直等着，因爲外面有太多的買家了。如果您需要賣出您現有房屋來購置一個新家，您最好的選擇要么 您開始尋找新家之前將房產賣掉，或取得一些過橋融資，使您能夠在賣出現有的房產之前湊夠首付。

 

請確保您聘請的房產代理商了解當地的房產信息，經驗豐富而且她們在房地產市場的同行中也收到廣泛的尊重。

 

一個了解本地房產市場的代理商將不僅能夠引導您找到在您預算範圍內並且適合您要求的房產，她還知道您的購買力，然後非常有策略的將這些因素放在一起做出最後的報價，最大程度的幫您獲得最終的勝利。一個有經驗的代理人可以給貸款機構提出建議，並幫助您獲得貸款預批。她可以幫您辨別各種信息的真僞 ，記錄那些有異常情況的或者是可能引起突發狀況的危險信號。

 

然而多數購房者不會考慮的一個非常重要的方面是她們選擇的代理商在同行之間的口碑。代理商喜歡和討人喜歡，注重細節，且誠實正直的代理商合作。這些品質能確保交易順利進行 ，這對於買房代理商將是十分愉快和輕鬆的。您可能認為找一個非常強勢的代理人可以最大程度的維護您的利益，但有時 正因爲買方的代理人過於強勢使得賣方的代理人有些反感，反而最終損害了她的客戶。房地產經紀人也是人，他們喜歡和他們喜歡的並且是值得相信的人做生意。我曾見過即便是買家給出了最好的報價也沒能成功，原因就在於買家的代理人太過於咄咄逼人。

 

在這個火熱的賣方市場中，沒有什麼祕訣可以確保您的報價將最終會中標，但您還是能夠控制很多事情，可以幫助您提高您成功的概率。

 

 

舊金山灣區教育——价值和機遇

Posted on by Julie Tsai

舊金山灣區教育——价值和機遇

 

教育受到高度重視

  • 这里是美國勞動力受高等教育程度最高的两个地区之一。對科技人员的大量需求以及優厚的工資吸引了全国乃至全世界最優秀的人才。
  • 拥有世界上最好的學院，大學和公立和私立中小學校。
  • 重视教育，創造和創新的文化。

 

18以下（包括18岁）人群的教育：

  • 拥有一些全美排名最高的公立學校。
  • 公眾教育的主要資金来源是物業稅。 由於在海灣地區房地產价格非常寶貴，因此物業稅可以提供充裕的資金，培育出了全美最好的公立學校。
  • 富裕的居民为当地的運動，科技和媒體中心捐出大量资金，使得学校成为当地的一处风景同时也给它们提供了世界一流的設施（例如，一個私人团体最近捐贈2000萬美元为Palo Alto High School更新了原有的體育設施）。
  • 矽谷精英也出资建立了一些优秀的私立学校，讓他們的子女也在那里上学。例如：（史蒂夫喬布斯的女兒在Palo Alto的Castilleja学校就讀）。

 

高校情况

  • 斯坦福大學和加州大學伯克利分校是海灣地區的兩個頂級高等学府。
  • 在海灣地區也有許多其它较好的學院，提供各種課程，包括藝術學校，女子學院和神學院。
  • 这里拥有全美數量最多的排名前十的商業，法律，醫學和工程专业研究生課程项目。

 

大揭秘！ 如何在没有良好的高中成绩下進入加州頂尖大學和学院？

  • 備受好評的加州社區學院系統。
  • 世界上最大的高等教育体系，为超過240萬带着各種各樣的教育和职业願景的學生服务。
  • 认可每個人。
  • 为学生的大學生活（學術，社會和財政方面）提供便利。
  • 爲加州大學注入新鮮活力
  • 聲名卓著的加州大学學位證（您可以或也可以不在這裡透露你的個人經歷）。

 

进入到一所伟大學院的关键（我本不想把这些写下来，但是大多数学校都是按以下的优先级顺序。）

  • GPA：平均绩点

GPA 用于评估学生的高中学习表现，通過设定不同课程的權重，成績：（從4.0為A至0.0為不及格），然後把一个学生在整个高中生涯的绩点相加再平均便得到这些学生的GPA。GPA为4.0是满分，不过學生也可以通過修学其它课程并表现突出来修到超过4.0的GPA。

  • 加州大學系統只把学生10和11年级的绩点列入入学标准的考查范围，并不是每個班级都对GPA有要求。您可在他們的網站上查看到这些班级的具体信息。
  • 標準化考試成績
    • 有兩種主要的測試服務——SAT 和ACT—— 此類测试是用于评估學生在數學，科學，閱讀和寫作方面積累的知識。很多學校既认可SAT也认可ACT成績。不过现在出现了一种新趋势，那便是一些学院省去了这些標準化考試成績，但大多數頂級高校仍然对此类考试的成绩有所要求。
  • 課外活動
    • 注重質量，而不是數量。 一个学生最好是能花15年的时间去学拉琴或跳芭蕾舞，或是对某一个活动拥有真正的熱情和并且做得很出色而不是参与许多活動與但是不能持之以恒或表现平庸。申请頂級學校的学生很多具有優良的GPA成績及考試成績，因而那些顶尖高校正在尋找那些很特别的學生，那些在課外活動表现突出的学生在这方面便会有優勢。
    • 領導力是關鍵。从事一个领导性的事务能让学生脱颖而出（例如高中校报的主编，辩论隊長等 ）。
  • 文章
    • 学生的經驗和情感比文章本身更重要。
    • 避免了標準化的文章——如自愿在一個第三世界國家服务，一個家庭成員的死亡，離婚等 ，入学顾问看了太多的这方面的东西。要使得写出的文章要是申請者个人独一无二的。
    • 有很多顧問知道院校在找什麼样的学生，他们可以给出很多建议帮助学生在这一方面獲得優勢。
  • 建議
    • 學生在高二或高三年期間應與至少一名核心學科教師建立密切關係（數學，科學，歷史，英語）。
    • 學生應該在其它领域变现突出获得推荐 – 例如其它學科，體育，課外活動，兼職工作等。

 

進入常春藤盟或頂尖大學變得越來越困難

  • 舊金山灣區有着重視教育，鼓勵學生去做得更好來实现梦想的文化。
  • 在湾区有很多的获得名校本科和研究生學位的社会楷模。 與這些人见面交谈往往会得到启发并鼓勵。
  • 舊金山灣區有豐富的求助资源可以幫助您實現高等教育目標：導師（從斯坦福或頂部高中），教育服務和高校輔導員比比皆是。
  • 湾区的高中为學生提供了很多的機會帮助他们找到自己人生的定位 。例如，在Palo Alto High School（帕洛阿爾托高中）既有隨时行善俱樂部也有Zero機器人俱樂部。

 

額外提示：

  • 保持一個高的GPA：大部分學院鼓勵学生学习AP課程和具有挑戰性的課程。這是非常理想的。但是随着入學申請的不斷增加 ，很少會有人有时间仔细看每个人的申请材料。GPA成绩或是标准化考试成绩是 很多学校選擇學生的门槛，只有过了这个门槛学校才会继续考察一个學生覺得最終是否錄取 。學生应该选择最具挑戰性的課程，但是如果是在科目的挑战性和最终成绩之间二选一的话，请选择成绩。
  • 如何準備標準化考試：幾乎每一個渴望上一流的學校的学生都會非常认真的 準備標準化考試。准备方法根据上课的方式——网上课程，班集体的课程还是按小时收费的家教课程——各不相同。

 

總結：舊金山灣區能为成绩优良的孩子提供的教育環境，自然环境，学习榜樣是世界上任何其它地方都无法比拟的。

 

 

Who Pays the Commission?

Posted on by Julie Tsai

Who Pays the Commission?

 

The Seller

In many cases, the Seller has signed a listing agreement with his agent specifying a certain fee to be paid for selling the home.  It can include provisions for splitting that fee with the selling agent, regardless of agency representation.

 

The Buyer

In some cases, the Buyer pays his agent a commission as set out in their written agreement.  If the buyer pays his agent from his separate funds, it would not be appropriate for the buyer’s agent to also accept part of the fee paid by the seller.

 

Indirectly, The Buyer Does

However, an argument can be made that the buyer indirectly pays the commission even if it comes from the seller’s proceeds.  The assumption then is that the buyer could have bought the home for less by dealing directly with the seller.  By having an Realtor handling the transaction the buyer is protected in many way that he or she would not be with out a professional real estate agent: disclosure and representation of all known facts related to the property and to the details of the transaction; applying the neutral negotiating skills of the realtor which can frequently result in a better price and/or terms for the buyer, among many others. (Julie, you may want to list more, but these two may be enough).

The professional realtor provides oversight and compliance with the proper steps of the real estate contract, from start to finish, by both parties.  In short, your interests are better represented and protected.

 

The Client Determines How the Agent is Paid

The seller agrees to pay his agent in the listing agreement and the sub-agent of the seller who sells the property.

 

The buyer agrees to pay his agent if buyer agency is elected.  In some cases, the buyer directs his agent to try to be paid from the seller’s proceeds.

 

Each party pays their agent as specified in their written agreement.

 

What Does it Really Mean? Real Estate Terms Defined

Posted on by Julie Tsai

What Does it Really Mean? Real Estate Terms Defined

If you are thinking of buying or selling a home, chances are you’ve come across a lot of real estate terms or jargon. Some of these terms seem self-explanatory, but lots more are confusing. To help you out, below are a few commonly used terms and their down-to-earth explanations:

Bridge Loan: Typically a short-term loan that is designed to provide the cash for a buyer to purchase a home before the current home is sold. The equity in the present home is used to secure the loan. Bridge loans are becoming increasing popular because of the fast-moving dynamics of the Midpeninsula real estate market.

Comps or Comparables: This is a term that describes comparable properties that are used in determining the sales price and appraisal price of a home. Recently sold properties that are similar in location, lot size, home size, home age and amenities are analyzed to come up with an estimate of value of the home for sale. To set the “for sale” price of a home, the seller’s agent will do a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to determine a fair market price.

DOM: Days on Market. This can be confusing because when exactly do you count the beginning and end of a sale? The clock starts ticking the moment that the property is listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) (link to MLS here) and ends when an offer is accepted. The closing of escrow (define below), however, may take longer. The DOM clock is reset when a home is withdrawn and relisted later (although the MLS will record all of this history). The DOM is an indicator of how in-demand a certain property or geographical area is.

Earnest Money or Good Faith Deposit: Upon acceptance of an offer, this is the money that the buyer gives to the seller to demonstrate that the buyer is serious about following through with the purchase. Earnest money is usually between 1% and 3% of a home’s purchase price. The amount and timing of the earnest money is usually indicated in the buyer’s offer. When the sale goes through, the earnest money is applied against the down payment. If the buyer decides not to go through with the purchase for reasons not covered by a contingency, the seller is often entitled to keep some portion or all of the earnest money.

Escrow: During the process in which the sale of a property is finalized, a neutral third party (not the buyer or seller or their agents) will keep all funds, documents and other materials necessary for the sale in their possession. When the sale is finalized, also called the close of escrow, the assets are handed over to the appropriate parties, as previously specified in a legal agreement. The escrow process is designed to protect both the buyer and the seller in real estate transactions.

Non-Contingent Offer: An offer to purchase a property without any contingencies at all. Once the seller accepts the offer, the buyer is obligated to follow through with the purchase. In a strong real estate market, sellers prefer, and often can obtain non-contingent offers, which greatly shorten the sales cycle and risk for a seller.

Off-market, Private or Pocket Listing: These are homes that are listed for sale with a real estate agent, but not publicly advertised or registered on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which is the primary medium for communicating information about houses for sale among real estate agents. An off-market listing limits the pool of buyers, but offers other benefits to sellers, including privacy, reduced preparation time and costs and an ability to test the market before publicly listing.

Pre-qualification and Pre-approval: Pre-qualification is the process that a lender goes through to estimate how much money a prospective buyer can borrow to purchase a home. The estimate is typically based upon self-reported information and is not binding. In contrast, when you have a pre-approval, a lender has done an extensive check on your financial background and current credit rating. The lender then provides a conditional commitment in writing to make a loan for a specific amount, sometimes at a specific interest rate, for a specific time period. A pre-approval is much more powerful than a pre-qualification when making an offer in a competitive market.

 

There are many terms that are second nature to real estate professionals, but may be confusing to consumers. Please contact me if you have any questions, and I’d be happy to explain them to you.

JULIE TSAI LAW REALTY GROUP

JULIE TSAI LAW

650.799.8888

JULIE@JULIETSAILAW.COM

DRE #01339682

KRISTIN TSAI

408.605.80000

KRISTIN@JULIETSAILAW.COM

DRE #01294153

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