Realtor Satisfaction

This post dedicated to making Realtors feel valued and feel good.

Home Sales to Remain Steady as Prices Expected to Rise in 2014

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Now is the season when we start hearing a lot of predictions for the housing market in 2014. So what’s the prognosis?

I was at the National Association of Realtors conference in San Francisco last week and the group’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yundropped some numbers to paint a picture of what he expects going into next year.

So far, Yun is expecting a flat pace of sales – not a huge jump or a decline – and a 6% increase in prices. He’s also expecting interest rates to climb from their current average of 4.16% to 5.4% by the end of 2014.

Thanksgiving Pre-Prep

15 days until Thanksgiving. Time to talk Turkey. Let’s start with the pre-prep and get that oven ready for the big day. Here are some tips.

A Salute to a Very Special Veteran

This is Rick’s boot camp picture. He’s just as handsome today.

2013 Marine Corps Birthday Message: “Enduring Fortitude, Unfailing Valor”

Team Patereau is made up of a lifelong Marine, and a lifelong Marine supporter. Happy 238th Birthday Marine Corp. Semper Fi!

Electronics Recycling Opportunity

Gilroy Intero is sponsoring an E-Waste Recycling Day. Bring all your old and unwanted electronics by the office parking lot. So easy!

Delinquent Borrowers More Optimistic on Housing

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Homeownership is a value that seems to be under constant assault in the media. Between the recent Nobel Prize winner who claims that owning a home is a bad investment to the frequent reports that our younger generations aren't equipped to buy homes, you'd think the real estate market was tanking.

That's why a recent survey of the ownership attitudes of delinquent borrowers caught my eye.

Fannie Mae's national survey finds that delinquent mortgage borrowers' views toward the housing market have become more favorable in 2013 compared to 2012, and the majority believes in the personal and financial benefits of homeownership.

This is significant news because this is a group of owners whose views on housing we would assume would be negative because of the bad feelings associated with falling behind on house payments.

But in 2013, delinquent borrowers' attitudes were positive overall and moved closer to that of the general population. The survey found that this group expects home prices will go up; they believe buying a home is a safe investment and say that it's highly likely they'll buy a home on their next move.

What Buyers Don't Want

This is pretty much what buyers want in the Gilroy area. Tell us what you don't want in your next home.

Happy Halloween

Keeping Mortgages Accessible

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Access to mortgages has been a hot-button issue ever since the days of the housing boom. Back then, the issue essentially was loose underwriting that swayed so far in one direction that we ended up with a slew of borrowers who were in over their heads.

Then, as the housing recession set in and regulators started coming down on lenders, we saw a reverse in the opposite direction. For many months, lending became so tight that a lot of people no longer qualified to borrow money for a home.