by Mary Pope-Handy, Clair Handy | Jun 13, 2025 | Buying tips, Finance Information
Short sale and bank owned homes were, during the Great Recession or Global Financial Collapse, considered a possible way to get residential real estate at bargain prices. Today there are very few of these distressed properties available to buy, and for those...
by Mary Pope-Handy | Apr 12, 2025 | Finance Information
VA loans are uncommon in Silicon Valley, but they are frequently brought up buy veterans as a desired financing option. Why are VA loans seldom used in Silicon Valley? It comes down to two major challenges plus one that can be corrected: contingencies minimum property...
by Mary Pope-Handy | Apr 2, 2025 | Buying tips, Finance Information
Most people have heard of 15 or 30 year mortgages (first mortgages), but did you know that it may be possible to get 10, 15, 20, 30, & 40 year loans? Or some other timeframe all together? If you have a strategy for buying a home, the term of the loan should be one...
by Mary Pope-Handy | Sep 1, 2022 | First time homebuyers, Finance Information
One of the more confusing elements for home buyers attempting to anticipate their closing costs is the property tax prorations, which are referenced in the purchase agreement or contract, but not explained. As most Silicon Valley real estate consumers know, home...
by Mary Pope-Handy | May 11, 2022 | Buying tips, Finance Information, First time homebuyers
Is ten percent down enough to be able to buy a home in Silicon Valley? Right now our real estate market is having some hyper inflation, and that makes it hard to compete in the bidding wars, even with twenty percent down! Just the same, the market isn’t equally...
by Mary Pope-Handy | Sep 18, 2016 | Buying tips, Finance Information, First time homebuyers
Do you need earthquake insurance? If you live in Los Gatos, Saratoga, San Jose, or anywhere in Silicon Valley, you are probably aware that it is very likely that we’ll experience a violent temblor within the next 30 years. The San Francisco Bay Area is woven...
