Windemere in San Ramon Blog

Crazy day in the life of a Realtor...I say now, if you want to buy a house it is a lot easier to find you a home than getting you a loan.

What a challenge it has been in getting loans these days. In a transaction right now that is already 2 weeks past its closing date. the loan officer has been at the other end of the most vile vitriolic pouring out of my tongue but what can she do?? We are dealing with morons with the title of Underwriters who leave their brains and commonsense behind at home everyday.

The MI company comes back asking for explanations from the appraiser. Now of course I forgot to mention that the appraisers have their own egos too and we have to pander to them, till they decide they want to talk to you. Oh ! and the HOA company cannot deliver us docs up to 10 working days of ordering them and they get paid from the dues that are paid by home owners. And the saga continues....

Now the file is back with the underwriter and she says that she is getting a fraud alert on the property and needs further explanations from the appraiser. Appraiser says - go to hell, I have other things to do. I tell my loan officer- for heavens sake there are no more comps in the area, where did the UW pull them from her? Her a@#^%???? When I look at the fraud alert( since this is a flip) ALL the comps she is pulling are wrong !!! Hours of correcting them, sending the property history reports/ agent reports/tax reports and she still says No, I won't use them ! At that time I am ready to stick a knife in her throat but she got saved with her manager intervening and saying they will get it done. The best part of it is that the client knows what is happening but is totally oblivious on what this all means !!

At the end of the day, I sat back and thought- who the hell says our jobs are easy?? yes there are many Realtors who do not involve themselves with the loan process at all and leave the client to fend for themselves. But I am one of those( Crazy??) Realtors who keeps a grip on the whole transaction and the grip loosens the day it records. I have to say that the hardest part of my job right now is not finding the home for the buyer or holding a buyer down when I represent the seller but it is the loan process. Guidelines change everyday and suck the joy out of our work lives too...and if we stay offhanded then transactions have a much bigger chance of falling apart than sticking !! Have fun with the loan process folks :):)

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The craziness never seems to end in this Real Estate market. The government has come out with nothing but failure programs; the consumers- be it buyers or sellers- everyone is under duress; the Realtors are playing scammy games; lenders want to make your life so difficult.... When is this going to End???

There definitely seems to be no respite. I could rant for hours on all the garbage inundating our industry but it is going to do no good. America is on a fire sale and we are getting bought out by other countries. Who do you think is buying in this market? Look around you and you will know.

The new Refinance program the Obama administration is coming out is yet another failure. Why help only those who have their loans backed by Fannie? There are millions of people who do not have loans backed by Fannie and Freddie, what happens to them? They cannot refinance their homes and the deluge of short sales or foreclosures will still continue. Why pretend that they are introducing this new program ( to get votes)when it is not going to stop the systemic bleeding?

Many( not all) Real Estate practitioners are making life so difficult and there is no one to control or police our fraternity. The filthy underhand deals going on is unbelievable. Especially in short sales where the sellers do not care, the agents are running schemes to get money under the table for themselves and the sellers, and cheating the system as much as they can. MLS rules are being contorted and manipulated to suit their own needs. If they are reported, the Boards turn a blind eye because they need the revenue. No wonder people think that we are the scum of the earth ! Living an honest life in a dishonest world is the new name for stupidity.

And the Lending institutions are equally insane. Bank of America came out with new rules that the files go through multiple audits, then go back to the underwriters for another 48 hours before they go to docs. So if you are getting a loan from BofA, you better get ready to jump off a bridge if you are planning to close a loan in time !! A- paper borrowers are being put through the rigors like they are criminals.And the real criminals- The banks- pocketed our money and are mocking us on how we got duped into helping them.

Here we are struggling to sell homes and the consumers think our lives are so easy and we make tons of money in commissions but they don't realise that the amount of work and struggle going into taking them from start to finish is unbelievably stressful. And not to forget the legal pitfalls and consumer protection that we have to take care of. I tell my clients- step into my shoes for a week, and I guarantee you will start to love your current job. BTW- I did get Diabetes and High blood pressure by being in this business!

My mind is running at a million miles an hour right now because I so want to spill my guts on this white screen but the backlash will not be pretty. So I swallow a container of bitter pills, hunker down and continue to work hard in the hope that one day the environment will change; people will be more respectful; our work lives will not be as stressful and this country will be able to pick itself from the pits it's in right now. It is just so amazing to see this amazing country slip from being the land of opportunities, where people were courteous/respectful and happy TO the bottomless pit of despair. I pray that we will get a chance to see the good times again.

Click Here to view a list of home available for Sale in Windemere San Ramon CA

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Rama Mehra is available to help you with all your real estate needs including relocation to San Ramon CA, Dublin CA, Pleasanton CA, Danville CA and other nearby areas.

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My silence for some time has been for a reason. The economy has not been helpful to the market, the media is droning on and on about everything negative and I am just tired of listening to bad news. Quite obviously it is scaring the home buyers out of the market. So I decided to take some down time to observe what is happening and give my own thoughts structure.

The buyers who are sitting on the fence today are actually going to be losing out very soon. Just as they always say- Buy when the media says "FIRE" ! But the buyers today are behaving exactly the same way as the ones in 2008. And all of my buyers who bought in 2009-2010 paid atleast 25% more than the prices in 2008. We went up further from the 2009 -2010 prices as well and the buyers think that the impending second recession is going to bring the prices down to prices lower than the 2007-2008 levels. I remember the time when my son told me to buy Apple stock when it was just under $100 and I thought to myself-  I will buy it when it dropped more. And what happened? I lost the opportunity to make a fortune !

Now I don't even bother to convince my clients that this is a great time to buy. Sounds like a sales pitch and a broken record. If you cannot see the opportunity, you will be like me- looking back in hindsight and losing the dream of becoming a millionaire !!! Interest rates are low as could be but if fear grips you, that's ok - because the ones who have the guts will be the ones who will run way ahead in the race. I have family in India where they pay atleast 15 times more for the kind of square footage we can get here, their interest rate is 16% and the people who buy homes know that once they get their foot through the door it will pay off in the long run- despite the corruption in their system !!

It is a open door for huge opportunities because what is available at basement pricing now will be a premium in 10 years from now. And if I am alive I will look back and laugh because the fearless will be laughing with me.The nay sayers will keep their money in the banks at a paltry 1% interest and will continue in the path of mediocre growth.

 San Ramon, 94582 Housing Market Analysis from 2009-2011 YTD 

Click Here to view a list of home available for Sale in Windemere San Ramon CA

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New Listings in San Ramon CA

Rama Mehra is available to help you with all your real estate needs including relocation to San Ramon CA, Dublin CA, Pleasanton CA, Danville CA and other nearby areas.

• Free Home Value Evaluation
• Search for Homes for Sale in San Ramon
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Lectures on Morality becoming commonplace in this country. Who is anyone to tell the next person where the moral standards should be when this country's politicians are the most immoral and corrupt bunch ! The country cannot pay its debts and the people going through the grind are expected to pay their bills??

There is moral degradation to a point where I am forced to think that if paying back your debt really is the best thing to do anymore. The average American works hard( that is if they have a job), pays their bills, pays Uncle Sam and yet looks at a bleak future of maybe no social security checks in the near future, no Medicare and wonders everyday where is his tax money going.

And on the other hand we have folks who are on either end of the spectrum. The super duper rich continue to rake it in because the political parties cover their behinds in tax subsidies and loopholes just to make sure that the political contributions continue. And the other end of the spectrum is the people who milk the system ! They refuse to work, collect money from the govt every week, and add on to the bleak unemployment numbers- and these people CHOOSE to be that way. And who is in the middle? People who either work or are looking for work. What are we doing in this country????? This is no longer the America I migrated to. It is becoming almost worse than the third world countries- at least there you knew the politicians were corrupt and nothing was going to happen, rather than presenting a polished exterior covering the jackal inside.

I am so angry at what is happening in Washington that I honestly propose that the tax payers should quit paying their taxes till these idiots come to their senses. Quit making your payments because your efforts are not being appreciated. Am I being ridiculous? Hell NO ! I am being honest and my anger is well founded. And before I stop, the media needs a serious gag shoved down their throats for causing more mayhem, confusion and propaganda than what is true. Good Luck America because you are becoming a country of bigots, playing dirty racial politics that I thought only existed outside the borders of the US.

Click Here to view a list of home available for Sale in Windemere San Ramon CA

Start Your Foreclosure Home Search

Click here to start your search for investment properties

New Listings in San Ramon CA

For a Viewing of the beautiful homes on Fioli Loop and other homes in the San Ramon/Dublin and Pleasanton area, contact

Rama Mehra @ 925- 236-0375 or Sunil Mehra @ 925-698-1816

Rama and Sunil Mehra are available to help you with all your real estate needs including relocation to San Ramon CA, Dublin CA, Pleasanton CA, Danville CA and other nearby areas.

• Free Home Value Evaluation
• Search for Homes for Sale in San Ramon
• Search for Homes for Sale in Dublin CA
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A recent visit to the South bay was quite the eye opener. What recession are we talking about? Home prices in Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Mountain View are off the charts. 40 year old homes, low square footage and huge price tag??? And people are buying !!!

That got me thinking on why the demographics is moving all the way to San Ramon... the last progression took folks into Fremont and the prices went up in that region. The Mission school district attracted these high tech workers, and the location was perfect- closer to work and great schools- the value proposition made sense. For those who could not afford the Mission, sent their kids to private schools for the higher class of education. But these homes were getting old too and now it was time to move to another area.

San Ramon was the undiscovered gem in the rough, waiting to be captured. The builders were building new homes in Windemere and Gale Ranch and there was an opportunity. The strike came in the downturn when everyone started to find amazing deals. For sometime I almost thought the entire city of Fremont, besides the Mission, moved to San Ramon !! Folks were moving here even from the Peninsula and San Franciso for the wonderful environment, fantastic schools, safety and a family oriented community.

Now the downturn came and went. The Windemere and Gale Ranch markets are stabilizing. There should be NO MORE DEALS now. San Ramon is the hotspot in the East Bay. It has the right mix of what the demographic demand is: New homes, high ranking schools, beautiful landscape, safe community, parks, junior college campus. The taxes are higher but still better than paying $2800/ in rent for a 2 bedroom, 700 sq foot apartment in Sunnyvale !! Yes, you make the sacrifice of commuting 45 miles one way every morning but that is one sacrifice to make to achieve the rest. Windemere and Gale Ranch homes will be your next Mission and there is no reason for prices to be slashed. Just observe the homes for sale in The Bridges- that is one community that is holding its values and desirability in a sustained manner. Prices came down but they are on the increase and so is the demand!! Homeowners are sitting on a  gold mine and if prices become more firm, the low ballers will either exit or convert into realistic buyers. Fasten your seat belts, because this is going to be an exciting ride !!

Click Here to view a list of home available for Sale in Windemere San Ramon CA

Start Your Foreclosure Home Search

Click here to start your search for investment properties

New Listings in San Ramon CA

For a Viewing of the beautiful homes on Fioli Loop and other homes in the San Ramon/Dublin and Pleasanton area, contact

Rama Mehra @ 925- 236-0375 or Sunil Mehra @ 925-698-1816

Rama and Sunil Mehra are available to help you with all your real estate needs including relocation to San Ramon CA, Dublin CA, Pleasanton CA, Danville CA and other nearby areas.

• Free Home Value Evaluation
• Search for Homes for Sale in San Ramon
• Search for Homes for Sale in Dublin CA
• Search for Homes for Sale in Danville CA

Long Days at work and many dialogues from people sometimes drive me up the wall ! So while taking the evening break I decided to do some investigations on what actually has been happening in the market since 2008 regarding homes for sale in Windemere.

Windemere started construction in 2002-2003 and at the time being the only new development in the area, it sure seemed like a great place to buy a home. There were bus tours arranged by the builders and you had to wait in line to hop on one ! Till about 2003 end- early 2004 the market definitely started to warm up and towards the middle of 2004 the Windemere real estate market really took off.

With every new phase the builders were increasing prices by 30-50,000 USD. The demand was high and opportunity beckoned to many crazy people who thought they would buy and flip these homes. What a brilliant idea it was because by the time these homes were delivered the market experienced a cool down. Many real estate agents too bought speculation properties thinking they could make a fortune overnight. But now the buyers started exiting the marketplace and these big speculation homes were not moving off the shelf.

So they were rented out and the negative amortized loans gave the owners some breathing space to catch up. The thought was- oh well, it is a temporary lull. But this lull went into a full blown downturn with no respite in sight . These homes were rented and now with the mortgage resets, the owners could not afford them any more. And at that time the short sale concept was still very fresh and the banks were not in the mood to cooperate.

In 2008 , only 21 short sales closed and 37 foreclosures sold in Windemere.
The following year in 2009 there were 73 Short sales in Windemere that sold and 31 closed foreclosures.
In 2010, the short sales numbers came down to 69 closed short sales and 15 bank owned homes sold in Windemere.
In 2011 YTD, there have been 27 closed short sales, 12 bank owned homes and 18 are listed for sales as short sales and 3 homes were sold as Bank owned homes.

Pricing Trends since 2008 to YTD on List price vs. Sales price of Short Sales in Windemere

As it is clearly evident, the low price on LP vs. SP is coming down over the years and that is being caused primarily due to the issues that the Shellbourne complex is having with litigation, driving prices downwards. But when we move into the Median ranges, the list price came down in 2009, further down in 2010 but picked back up in 2011. And along with that the median Sales price is trending up as well. The higher end homes saw a larger change in the list prices since 2008, but except for 2008 the rest of the years the sales price of higher priced homes in Windemere is either the same as list price or higher !

The nay sayers will keep saying that Windemere is too shaky and not a good return on money... what they don’t say is that the view ends at the tip of their nose. The long term view will definitely be far more rosy  !! The “golden years of Windemere “may be left behind but I foresee it coming back with far more solid gains with way less volatility.

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 Fioli Loop Townhomes in Windemere San Ramon CA are a cluster of 173 townhomes tucked away on Ivy Hill Way, behind Dougherty Valley High School.Originally built by Centex Homes, now Pulte Homes was built after the completion and occupancy of Ambridge, Shellbourne and Celamonte. Fioli is the latest and last addition of townhomes in Windemere.

There are 4 plans in this neighborhood. The difference between the floor plans is in square footage and orientation of the home. The plan 4 being the largest with 4 bedrooms plus a loft and always located in the corners as they are the only units with a side yard. Most of the homes in the area have all bedrooms on the second floor with the loft on the third. Some folks converted the loft into a second Master Suite like the house on sale at 5117 Fioli Loop.

Click Here to request information on Fioli Townhomes or to request a showing

This Fioli townhome neighborhood has a wonderful community feel to it. Evenings display a lot of children playing in the area, get togethers for Thanksgiving or Diwali; Egg Hunt and Christmas celebrations; neighbors know one another and are often seeing cheerfully greeting neighbors- what a great place to live ! The gorgeous pool and Spa overlooks the entire San Ramon Valley and the summer months have seen kids with parents enjoying the warm water !

Lately I have heard people voicing their concern about Highland Pointe- the new rental community being constructed next to the Fioli Community, at the corner of Ivy Hill Way. After speaking to the County, it is very evident that it is NOT a section 8 housing and the rumors afloat are untrue. Having sold many of these units brand new from the builder, everyone who bought homes here signed a disclosure regarding this rental complex. Here is the relevant information:

Breakdown of Units

29 Units are very low income- Income restrictions are $45,150 for a family of 4

73 Units Reserved for Low income – Income Restrictions are $64,400 for a family of 4

191 Units for Moderate Income- Income Restrictions are $ 108,300 for a family of 4

Click Here to view a list of home available for Sale in Windemere San Ramon CA

Start Your Foreclosure Home Search

Click here to start your search for investment properties

For a Viewing of the beautiful homes on Fioli Loop and other homes in the San Ramon/Dublin and Pleasanton area, contact

Rama Mehra @ 925- 236-0375 or Sunil Mehra @ 925-698-1816

Rama and Sunil Mehra are available to help you with all your real estate needs including relocation to San Ramon CA, Dublin CA, Pleasanton CA, Danville CA and other nearby areas.

• Free Home Value Evaluation
• Search for Homes for Sale in San Ramon
• Search for Homes for Sale in Dublin CA
• Search for Homes for Sale in Danville CA

I said it earlier and I knew that every word would come true. In my last blog I talked about the prices in Windemere and now we have constant price reductions happening every day. With 51 homes for sale in Windemere, there is a lot to choose from. prices are ranging from $380,000 for the smallest 1211 sq ft Joree lane home to $1,135,000.

9 Windemere homes are in the price range of 300-500,000. Out of these 3 homes have had downward price changes from - $9000 to $25,000 with only 1 home on 2114 Joree lane increasing their price by $56,000 !!!!!!! The story being that it orginally was listed for $410,000 then reduced to $325,000 and now back to $385,000.

5 Windemere homes in the 500-600,000 price range. Only 1 home saw a price reduction of $10,000

4 Windemere homes in the 600-700,000 price range. Price reductions on 3 homes ranging from $500 to $60,000.

9 Windemere homes in the 700-800,000 price range. Price reductions on 7 of these homes from $ 7000 to $39,000

4 Windemere homes in the 800-900,000 price range. Price reductions on 1 of these homes for $21,000

13 Windemere homes in the 900-1,000,000 price range. Price reductions on 9 of these homes from $ 6000 to $45,000

5 Windemere homes in the 1,000,000 price range. Price reductions on 3 of these homes from $ 51,000 to $70,000

Here is a list of 14 Windemere homes that have Sold in the last 1 month

Currently there are 56 Windemere homes pending under a sales contract. With 14 new homes listed in the last 14 days , the absorption rate is lowered with homes staying in the market for much longer. The homes that are now in the 900's were in the million dollar plus price range. Short sales are continuing to flatten the market but not to that bad of an extent. REO's on the other hand are getting multiple offers substantially higher than list price. And the regular sales are the ones getting hit. The only way their sales will pick up if the buyers consider them to be good buys. But if they came on the market at a much higher price and then had price reductions, buyers just wait for more reductions to take place. Unfortunately, that is just the nature of the market right now. Bad news mixed with price reductions causes buyers to withdraw. But the counter to this is the correct pricing of the home on the sellers part. On the buyers part, retracting is a big mistake- make the offer where you think is a fair value of the house currently and not based on a projected value of minus 15-20%, that may never happen ...

Good luck to all !

I have many observations to make on the Windemere market in San Ramon but if I truly tell you the expletives I would use, it would not be pretty.The agents who control the inventory and list homes here are probably lying to get these listings.


It is an amazing sight to watch people list their homes at prices that are not supported  by the market. There are times when the sellers insist on crazy prices and many times it is the Realtors who guide them to do it. Feed the seller what they want to hear and get your sign in the front lawn.Great agenda!

But this agenda backfires. We currently have 53 homes listed in the market.7 homes have had price changes;I am predicting that 11 more listings are going to have a price reduction soon and the rest of the well priced listings suffer because of them ! Why? Because the buyers perceive that the prices are coming down so they should wait till all of them drop further or make low offers to snag a deal.

When price changes happen they depress the complete market.Buyers don’t understand that they were overpriced in the first place and then generalize for all available inventory. The sellers want more so they fall for the flash and false promises of their agents. Don’t get your house to be contributing factor to creating downward trends. The internet is littered with price data and you are skewing the numbers.

Given the way the market is, I highly recommend to get an independent appraisal done on your house. Make that small investment to give you a clear indication as to where your home’s value is or ask someone who can give you a desktop AVM.Let that be your guiding factor on your price range.

Windemere is still a  very hot sub division and people want to move here despite complaints of higher taxes.Sellers need assurance that their house will sell in a timely manner and at a decent price; Buyers too need reassurance that things will not turn 180 degrees south as soon as they buy the house.Inexperience and lying is hurting the consumer confidence- and we see that filter down from a national level.


When Realtors skew market statistics just out of frustration or desperation, they hurt everyone in the process. Quit it people, this is serious- you are not a part of the solution but a part of the problem.

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Windemere Homes for Sale

Getting hit by sales calls, sales pitches- I have come to the conclusion that I am done listening to all this chatter around me and focus on what is important. Our industry is inundated with product pushers, claiming the next big things that will make our businesses soar to a million dollar production level. I have heard hundreds of “training calls”, and what I gathered from all of it was that we are to push the sales pitch to our customers. And then the Aha moment hit me- that is why customers do not trust our fraternity.

Many trainers and coaches say that our job is to prospect. What happened to the transaction? It sickens me to the pit of my stomach because when I think about it as a consumer- I sure as hell don’t want my Realtor to consider me as a prospecting number. It is the biggest purchase of someone’s life and they are using your services to protect their interest, not your own.

Listening to all the sales talk, feeling the pressure to do QR codes to social networking to SEO, technology tools just made me feel like I was inside a pressure cooker ready to explode. No more of that because it took the joy out of what I was doing.

It is my decision, moving forward, to listen to my heart. This business is about being the trusted advisor to our clients, serve them with honesty and protect their interest. I have always conducted myself in that manner and the intense pressure just made me more and more unhappy. I am hoping that one day a coach or a trainer tells you that when you do something with your true heart and passion, you will be successful.

In the last couple of weeks the inventory in Windemere San Ramon has been increasing slowly. It is now up to 55 homes on the market. 7 homes saw a price change; 7 are new homes; 41 homes active homes.

The homes in the Shelbourne community that was built by D.R.Horton in Windemere ( opposite Dougherty Valley High School)are a cause of problems because the HOA is in litigation and no lender is giving loans on those homes. Which means cash buyers are the only ones who can buy and there are short sales coming up in that area with the banks causing delays in sales.

The activity in Windemere is very erratic and changes almost on a weekly basis. There are weeks when things are so hot and the new homes that hit the market go up in price and then there are weeks when it is slow and price changes take place. It is very odd because there does not seem to be much stability right now and pricing homes in such a market is harder than one can imagine.

The coming summer months will be heated. It always happens- everyone wants to buy at that time due to the schools. There is a 60 day window of opportunity to buy and I see every summer people scrambling to buy. Honestly, it may be a good time to buy now when price changes are taking place.

Windemere Schools
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Windemere Trails and Open Spaces
Windemere Community Center
Windemere Library- Dougherty Valley Station
Windemere Homes for Sale

I went on listing appointments in the last one month and unfortunately did not get them. In hindsight, I am so glad I did not get them. The sellers wanted high prices for their homes which they would not get at all. One of them sold for $20,000 under the list price; the other one still sits on the market( funny thing- they hired the same super hero agent who sold the other home for 20K lower; knew how much he was pending at and yet priced this home at least 40K higher than this one !!!) and the other one is the most expensive one on the market !!

When I give a price range of how much the house will appraise for, I know what I am talking about. I study my buyers appraisals very carefully and know how much the appraisers are adjusting values, for what they give the plus and for what they give the minus in value. In fact my loan officer always tells me- you are ALWAYS right Rama !!!!!And yes- I am right almost 99% of the time.

A house that gets listed has one single purpose for the seller- GET IT SOLD. But then listen to the agent who is giving you the truthful honest answer. I have my own home in Windemere and I know exactly how much it is worth right now- I am not going to thinking that my house is worth $300,000 more than the market value.

Yes the truth hurts but if you want to sell your home fast, then price it right or just do not enter the market and add on to the list of over priced stagnating homes.You can never price your home too low because the market will tell you. Getting emotionally detached is the first step and the second( and most important step) is to believe the person who tells you the truth rather than the agent who lies to you just to make you happy. They will ask you for a price reduction in 3 weeks !

List of homes for sale in Windemere- these homes have been in the market from 40 days and above.

What can I say about my fraternity.... its hard to admit but I just saw something that blew my mind away. Just stumbled upon videos on you tube of some guy taking videos of homes on the market which are not his listings !!!!!! The scary part of this is that he can take an appointment and go into the home and take videos !! What the hell is wrong with people? How many bufoons can you monitor?

This is absolutely ridiculous. I was just sitting there thinking- what if this was my home?? How dare someone do that? By putting the house on the MLS does not give another agent to market it with videos, it is a violation of the ethics code. I have seen so many agents taking other people's listings and spamming the hell out of
craigslist ! I even reported this guy to the association but he is relentless. With companies that have broken the craigslist code on avoiding people being able to mark these ads as spam, these people who call themselves Realtors are really unscrupulous spammers. It is disgusting, annoying and that is one of the reason our industry has a very low rating from the consumers. What is it going to take to teach people to behave professionally and quit being lousy spam artists?

Oh Yes, its true. We are getting multiple offers on well priced properties in San Ramon. One just came on the market yesterday and already has an acepted offer today, well over asking price !!! Holy SMokes ! I have to say, again and again- Location, Well Priced and Showing well is the key to success !

While there are other properties entering the marketplace at prices that are not supported by the market and some that have already lowered their prices in the last 10 days. The funny thing is that I know of some of the houses on the market that were bought at the bottom of the market in 2008-2009 and these people who cut the sellers jugular's to get low price now suddenly want to sell their homes for 200K more??????? get real and get with the program- your sales data is all over the internet !

If you are in the market, thinking of selling your home- give Rama( @ 925.698.1815) a call because I am the best in guiding you on what the buyers want- that is the most powerful weapon in the pricing game!!

You’re ready to sell your property. And, while you’re looking forward to seeing the word “SOLD” posted from the curb, you know there’s a lot to consider along the way. One of your first decisions is to select a real estate agent who’ll join you in the process.

You deserve much more than a sign in the yard, fliers in a box and an occasional open house. You deserve an agent who will be at your side, from listing to closing, ensuring that your property sells smoothly and you get the most money possible from the sale.

That brings me to these questions-

• Do you hire a Local Agent or Out of Area- just because they know you?
• Do you hire an agent whose track record shows successful closings but that agent NEVER brought the buyer?
• Do you hire an awesome buyer’s agent who sells a lot of homes in your area?

Local real estate market expertise means an agent is able to interpret all data that dictates the optimum pricing strategy, so your property will be priced to sell. So a great marketing plans,staging strategies and strategies to attract buyers and create the “I want to Buy now” desire is key.It’s a formula for success- not just sticking a sign in the ground and making beautiful flyers !

The Realtor does not determine the value of your home- The market determines the value of your home. Buyers are savvy these days and with sold data floating around the internet, so it takes a very good Realtor to create a value proposition for the home. Your homes should be the one buyers want to see out of the hundreds of other listings.

Getting carried away with the song and dance show can be easy but sellers need to focus on the end result and how it is going to be achieved. If you are in the thought process of wanting to put your house on the market or want to know the “exact” current value range of your home, contact Rama at 925-698-1815 or Send us your Home Value Request to be emailed to you.

3 year Analysis of Windemere San Ramon Sales

It is always interesting to see the historical comparison of what is happening in any given real estate market. I just happened to pull some statistics which seem very interesting. The market from 2008, observed quarterly till current quarter in 2011. The housing market in Windemere dropped nearly 40% in 2009 but in 2010 it recovered almost 35% in prices. The prices are expected to go up in the near future. The completion of new homes, lower inventory, lesser days on the market are favorable for price increases.
The number of listed properties from 2008 is down 11% and the number of sold properties is up 57%. This indicates low inventory and increased demand.
The number of pending( under contract) properties from Q1 2008 to Q 1 2011 is up 6%. Now the prices from 2008 to 2011 shows a drop of 6% which is a huge recovery considering that in 2009, the prices dropped dramatically due to the economic downturn and uncertainty in the market. Quite a phenomenal recovery, I must say !

If you want to know the current Value of your home, contact Rama Mehra at 925.698.1815 or fill out this Home Value Request. If you are looking to buy a home, look no further. I have tremendous experience in selling homes in Windemere- Read Client Testimonials

Back refreshed from my vacation, I come back to the local market in Windemere !! There definitely seems to be more inventory now as compared to March 2011.
Current Windemere San Ramon inventory

Since the beginning of March 2011, 31 properties in Windemere have gone pending- this is a huge jump is sales. See Pending Homes

25 homes have sold since March 2011- See Sold Homes in Windemere

Here is the Sold Market Analysis:

As the housing market in Windemere heats up going into summer, it is a good idea to start your search now. Historically, summer brings multiple offers at a furious pace and although the push on prices may not be too much, I do not see any price negotiations unless it is a home with either issues or in a community with HOA problems. If you are a seller wanting to sell your house fast in Windemere, another 30 days will get you the activity you want- because that is the time buyers will be coming out of hibernation after the spring break ! If you are in the market to Sell or Buy a Home in Windemere, call Rama Mehra @ 9256981815 Now! To read Testimonials from my clients: www.SanRamonWindemererealestate.com


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Life has been hectic and sometimes when I get physically tired, I do complain. God has been very kind that business is doing very well and it is time for me to take a short vacation !!

I am so excited because I get to visit my father next week. Leaving for India on a short 7 days vacation! Yay !! It was a challenge and a daunting task to leave right in the middle of a busy season but I was made to realise that life is too short and work/world will continue to go on whether I am here or not- so I decided to take a plane ride thousands of miles away, switch my mind off and come back refreshed.

The part that makes me nervous and a bit crazy is the fact that for the first time my phone and computer are not accompanying me. In 10  years, this would be my first time without my essential devices and I am definitely going to be having withdrawals but I am going to give it a shot and experience this too. Wish me luck, as I have a strong feeling I might land up buying a new phone in Dubai !!!!!

Town home for Sale in Windemere San Ramon in the Ambridge development. Fantastic Location !! Facing open spaces, in front of the tennis courts and playground. Walking distance to Dougherty Valley High School and Hidden Hills Elementary School. The home includes beautiful hardwood floors, plantation shutters, granite counter tops in the kitchen, formal living room, formal dining room, large family room and eat in nook area. Premium location and an amazing price for this home.



For more details call Rama Mehra at 925-698-1815. This is a Short Sale. Visit www.RamaMehra.com

One thing that I learnt on my career is to learn my lessons from each transaction, which I did this last week. What a fantastic week it was.. closed 3 transactions for over $3.5Million and that is the exact equivalent of the blood drawn from my circulatory system !

Don’t we all wish that just one transaction would go smoothly but alas what a pipe dream that is. Lender delaying closing by a week because the files got stuck in audit. I am ready to kick the underwriter’s behind, and in person but my hands are tied. I have to continue to be polite.

The best part of this insanity was when the seller on one of the homes ( where I represented the buyer) had a wonderful chat with me. The listing agent called me and asked me to help her out.. the seller was being unreasonable not understanding the lender environment in this day and age and she wanted my desperate help. So I offered to talk with him. What a conversation that was !

• I should have been given a heads up on the vitriolic that would hit me like a ton of bricks.
• The “F” bomb was thrown at me multiple times.
• My buyer was called all sorts of names.
• I was asked to drag the auditor “by her neck” and complete the final review for funding.
• I was told to send the file with electronic signatures to the county office for recording 10 minutes after we funded
• That the county recorder was an idiot for not accepting electronic signatures.
• The system in this country sucks and why does the recorder’s office need physical docs
• The lending institutions in this country had dumb-witted people working for them.
• If the buyer did not fund on the morning the seller would keep his 60K in escrow
• And the verbal diarrhoea continued... and I kept calm and reassuring him that we will take care of it .

And then just to lighten the mood, I jokingly told him that I would take him out to dinner to compensate him for the delays to which he replied: “ I drink very expensive wine” in the most arrogant tone I have heard anyone talk to me. At that moment I lost my cool and said: “Sir, what makes you believe that I cannot afford to buy you an expensive bottle of wine? Do you think that I am that poor or cheap?” AND Ladies and Gentlemen, that did it. That was one comment that shut him up !!!
Insanity ruled the roost, I came out of it feeling like a soldier right out of a war but the lesson learnt for me- Be calm but don’t let people treat you like garbage. I closed that deal this morning and felt like a winner who won against all odds !

                                              

Client Testimonials

I finished taking the quiz from Surviving Your Serengeti ~7 Skills to Mastering Business and Life.Just the name Serengeti takes me back to where I came from.The two chapters took me back to the 13 years I lived in Kenya. Last year too I was in Tsavo national park, on my visit to Mombasa.What an amazing experience, one more time.


( This was a picture taken by my son while we were in Kenya last year)


The words from Stephan’s book resonate with me.Being in the bush, in the middle of nowhere and gazing at the animals living in harmony with their own laws of their land is the most amazing experience. Tenacity in the wild not only translates to the wildebeests but also the people living in those countries. Having lived in that part of the world, I understood that tenacity and a focus on simplicity,with the underlying belief that everything would turn out okay was the guiding light of our lives.
When I took the quiz on Surviving Your Serengeti Challenge- I found out that I am a Giraffe.The words :
“ No matter how you see it, grace is a disposition that requires compassion toward others and the desire to extend good will. It incorporates the exercise of love and kindness—most importantly, to those who may not deserve it. Grace is as crucial in business as it is in life.”

These words just summed up the basis of my Real Estate career and my Life’s vision. For me survival in this world as a business owner and as human being has been the ability to have compassion for people and the strong desire to create goodwill. These basic ingredients guide my recipe for success in life.

In all our actions, words and paths in life- we tend to forget that we are all basically animals migrating from one pasture to the next; a game in our survival. Why do we waiver from our path and when we do so- we either get “killed” or “lost”. I would love to read the book to get more information but the biggest factor that sets us behind the animals of Serengeti is that we are controlled and swayed by our peers and thoughts, which are quite contrary to our “migration path”. If we keep the simplicity of the wildebeests thinking, keep out the complexities of human emotion and focus with a single minded focus- we will be able to travel the terrain of Serengeti to Masai Mara every year without getting ourselves “killed” in our journey. In my opinion, we over complicate things in our lives and flowing with the tide will help us reach our final destination unscathed.

Unrealistic expectations causing distress to buyers in the market. Short sales being listed in Windemere and Gale Ranch are being listed at ridiculous prices. This causes a concern in the buyers who think there is an downward push on prices. It becomes a harder job for me to explain to my clients of buying a short sale.

Buyers need to be taught that a in a Short sale the bank is already losing money and are not willing to throw away these homes. Especially now since short sales are getting more streamlined because the banks are working more effectively. I hear from sources that now if the listing agents price the home too low to begin with, they will trash all offers that come in.

When you see a ridiculously low prices short sale in the market it could be one of two things:

1. The trustees sale date is very close and they need to generate an offer asap to stall the proceedings
2. The listing agent does  not know what they are doing.

The buyers need to understand that in a short sale, the bank wants to see that the listing agent are doing their due diligence in getting them a fair market value of the home. Once an offer is submitted and the negotiator is assigned, then the bank orders their BPO. Thankfully, now they are not sending out of area agents on a $50.00 assignment. There is a full exterior and interior appraisal and the fair market value of the home is determined. if your offer is not in the ball park range, expect it to go in the trash. if you are within a reasonable range, you could possibly get a counter offer back.

The banks are not in the business of giving homes away. They need to satisfy their investors and hence if the listing agents quit taking the market down, the better it is for everyone. Our buyers see a low priced short sale and want to offer even lower. it is a daunting task to explain to them the series of events and the price structure, without looking like an agent who just wants to make commissions. It may be time to solve the short sale crisis by having a pre approved short sale, where there is no guessing game involved.

If you are in the market to buy a short sale or or if you are upside down on the value of your home and need to short sell your home- call me for a private consultation.

Rama Mehra: Call @ 925.698.1815 or Email Rama for a consultation

I used to go to San Francisco for work early morning and standing on the platform, waiting for my train, I used to stare at the billboards for Windemere. Looked like a beautiful community, so in 2004 I bought my second home in Windemere! Lush rolling hillsides, miles of walking trails, beautiful parks- what a wonderful place to live in! At the time when I moved here, it used to be so quiet at night- you could literally call it a pin drop silence.

A lot of the original families who moved in here, I see the little kids growing up to be teenagers now. Some of them who went to school with my kids are now in college. Time flies.I love the community I live in- there is nothing not to love about it. You can walk the trails, hike the hills, have your kids play at the parks, study at the state of the art Dougherty Valley library, a community center, Dougherty Valley High school and Diablo Valley college.Do you need to go anywhere? People moving to this area complain that the property taxes here are higher. But the amenities you get here are not available anywhere in the entire city of San Ramon!

I am sharing some pictures of Windemere in San Ramon. If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Windemere, Call Rama@925-698-1815.