Santa Clara Valley Living

3449 Maroun Place

San Jose, CA 95148

4 Bedroom 2.5 Bath

2,022 Sqft. of Living Area

Virtual Tour 

maroun-property-flyer-vinicius-brasil

Tags: my listings

This immaculate home, located in sought after Evergreen Hills, offers the ultimate in refined sophistication. The well-designed living spaces radiate with elegance and style. A private master suite, three additional bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, dramatic ceilings, and walls of windows are just a few of the highlights.

Tags: my listings, santa clara county open homes

Buyers who use FHA financing soon will be able to use their $8,000 tax credits for settlement fees, escrow charges, higher down payments or to “buy down” the interest rate.

The Obama administration has put out the official word: Starting soon, first-time home buyers nationwide will be able to turn their $8,000 federal tax credits into cash for use at closing if they use Federal Housing Administration mortgage financing.

But in its final guidelines to lenders and buyers issued May 29, the Department of Housing and Urban Development clarified that buyers obtaining FHA loans through private lenders would have to invest at least some of their own funds — whether from personal savings or gifts from relatives — in the form of a minimum 3.5% down payment.

In other words, you’ll need equity in the house to participate. This won’t be a zero-down plan, with one exception: If you obtain your FHA loan through one of about 10 state housing agency “tax credit monetization” programs, you’ll be allowed to pay for your entire down payment with the help of a bridge loan provided by the agency.

Those bridge loans generally are low-interest or no-interest short-term second liens secured by the property, and convert into second mortgages if they are not paid off with the proceeds of the tax credit.

For FHA lender-supplied cash advances, you’ll be able to use the $8,000 tax credit — or whatever-size credit you qualify to receive — for settlement fees, escrow charges, higher down payments or to “buy down” your interest rate to cut monthly payments.
How will this all work in practical terms? How do you apply? Here’s a quick guide:

To start, you’ll need to qualify as a first-time buyer under the generous definition permitted by Congress — that is, you cannot have owned a principal residence during the previous three years, and your household gross income cannot exceed $95,000 for single taxpayers or $170,000 for married couples filing jointly.

To get the process rolling, you’ll have to write a contract on a house you can afford to buy and apply for a mortgage through an FHA-approved lender. There are more than 12,000 lenders with that designation. Large banks or bank-affiliated mortgage lenders are more likely to be geared up for the program in the near future, according to industry experts. Home builders, who have advocated credit-monetization programs for months, are likely to be major participants. The tax credit program requires all eligible purchases be closed no later than Nov. 30.

Besides the usual mortgage application information, the lender is likely to require some extra paperwork, based on FHA guidelines:

* A filled-out IRS Form 5405, which is your request to the federal government to send you a tax credit check. You can file an amendment to your 2008 return and get the credit within a matter of weeks, or you can file for it on your 2009 taxes. Most buyers are expected to opt for the amended return route. Form 5405 is available for download at www.irs.gov.

* Proof that you have no outstanding judgments, liens, unpaid taxes or other obligations that could reduce or eliminate the tax credit you’re seeking.

* Confirmation from your employer that you are not subject to wage garnishments, which could also affect the amount of the credit.

Your lender will be strictly limited on what it can charge for providing you tax credit money in advance. According to FHA guidelines, fees must be reasonable and nominal — generally no more than 2.5% of the expected tax credit. For example, if you’re in line to receive the full $8,000 credit, that would mean the most you could be charged for the cash in advance typically would be $200.

A senior HUD official said that the agency wanted to keep these fees as low as feasible to avoid abuses or gouging, and that HUD would be monitoring transactions to make sure participating lenders were adhering to the guidelines.

Tags: first time home buyer program, tax credit home buyer

First off, I’m a huge believer in staging and use it in all my listings.  After experiencing the difference first hand, selling an expired listing that was on the market for 5 months in just 1 week, I knew that if you are selling a house you need to have it staged.  With that said I incorporated it into my listings and provide the service free to my listing clients.  I invested in a storage locker and took staging courses and trained to learn the art of staging.  If you are considering selling you need to read this article about staging.

When a house goes on the market homeowners and realtors do everthing they can to ensure the property looks its best.  But it takes more than a colorful throw and pillow to disguise a saggy old sofa, or any other flaws the home might have.  That’s where a good stager comes in.  Stagers are professionals who come into homes or apartments for sale and style them with furniture, artwork, and other decor items to maximize the property’s appeal to potential buyers.  More than just redecorating, staging appeals to the psycohology of the buyers by helping them see the property as their home, as opposed to someone else’s.

While staging services used to be the sole domain of those with multi-million dollar mansions to sell it is now affordable for homeowners across the spectrum.

Staging is an investment that not only helps sellers get top dollar for their property, but can cut the time a house spends on the market in half.  Currently the average number of days a house in Santa Clara County is on the market is 120 days, my staged homes are selling within a month.

There are four objectives of staging a home.

DEPERSONALIZE

It’s a misconception that ta wall full o ffamily portraits will create warmth.  Its so important to deperonalize the home.  When you walk into a model home, you don’t feel like you’re in someone else’s space.  That’s an uncomfortable feeling, that you’re invading someones space and looking at their persoanl things – persons photos, personal collections, and kind of personal items in a bathroom, trash cans.  Anything that says ’someone lives here’ with a big red flag, like toilet bowl brushes or bath mats on the floor, we put away prior to showing the house.

REVITALIZE

My goal when staging a house is to create a very warm, inviting and updated space and environment, so the home doesn’t feel like someone has lived there or for 30 years and feels old and dreary.  I want it to feel bright, fresh, and clean, ready for someone to move into immeadiately.

VISUALIZE

A lot of homes have unusual floor plans so when I come in, it’s my challenge to make the home make sense to a buyer.  Where does it make sense  to sit and watch TV, where are the kids going to do their homewor?  I consider these factors when I’m planning the staging and the furnishings.

FUNCTIONALIZE

For me it’s not just about putting furniture in the house and making it look beautiful, it’s really about making the space functional for the buyer, and makeing the best use of it for the way we live today not 30 years ago.  The buyer may never live the way I staged the home, but it makes sense when they walk in and it appeals to them.

Tags: home staging and marketing

What a week for home sales across the Santa Clara County west valley area.  You can see the numbers below in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino and even the highend markets has started to bounce back.  It is very evident that sales have picked up and inventory has started to drop across the board.  The conditions of low interest rates, lower property values, not sure the $8,000 tax credit is influencing much in this area, but perhaps the largest is the change in consumer confidence. 

Santa Clara homes continue to sell in higer numbers and inventory now is down to below 140 homes.  Cupertino, Sunnyvale, and even Mountain View inventory has dropped these past weeks. 

Even the high end market has seen a bit of improvement on inventory.   Sales haven’t been increasing like the lower end just fewer properties comming on the market. 

In the typical Santa Clara County real estate cycle sales will start to taper off in the summer months through winter, it will be interesting to see if this year follows that pattern or if the bargin hunters will continue on to the rest of the year.

Tags: cupertino real estate, santa clara county real estate, santa clara county real estate statistics

Stylish and contemporary home in Mountain View.  This home was built two years ago and features a very open and bright floor plan.  A great home for entertaining.

Tags: mountain view real estate

2338 SAN RAFAEL COURT, SANTA CLARA – SINGLE FAMILY SANTA CLARA HOME REO
Send to a Friend	Single Family Res Type: Detached Single Family Status: Active List Date: 05/17/09 Price: $474,500 Last Modification Date: 05/18/09 Location: 2038 SAN RAFAEL CT, Santa Clara, CA 95051 (map) Area: 008 – Santa Clara Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms Full: 2 Bathrooms Half: 1 Approx. Sq. Ft.: 1534 Approx. Lot Size: 5,795.sf Approx age: 51 MLS#: 80924264 Old MLS# (6 digit): 80924264

This bank owned home is a great buy in Santa Clara. Its the popular 3 bedroom 2.5 bath Windsor floor plan in Darvon Park. The home is in move in condition. The kitchen was remodeled some years back, both bath rooms are very client and have new vanities with granite countertops. The back yard is very good sized, the home has expansion options which leave plenty of space in the back yard.

Downsides are that there has been some settling which is typical for these older homes, but this one has a bit more than typical. The roof needs replacement, the windows are old, and the back yard and front yard need some attention. Overall for a price of $475K, this is a good Santa Clara home at a very good price.

Tags: REO, santa clara bank owned, santa clara reo, santa clara reo foreclosure

	Preview Comments:
3444 Notre Dame Dr. Santa Clara, 3 BD 2 BA 1568 Sqft. List $719,000	Positives: Killlarney Farms home on a quiet interior street.  Home featured a clean feel with oak kitchen cabinets and tile counter tops, refinished hardwood floors, updated exterior paint, and newer roof, dual paned windows and new garage doors.  Beautifully landscaped front and back yards. Negatives: The biggest draw back to this home is that there is no master bath room.  There are two bathrooms on upsstairs and one downstaris.  The downstairs bath is the hall bath and the bath for the down stairs bedroom, which I consider to be the master bedroom.  Other than that some of the decor is not fully updated but well finished.
3776 Dunford Ave., Santa Clara, 4 BA 2 BA 1568 Sqft. 6400 Sqft. Lot. List $839,000	Positives: This Mackay home in Birdland is fairly clean and definitely in move in condition. The home features a steel roof, dual paned windows, refinished hardwood floors, and roll up garage doors.  The school is Laurelwood Elementary and Peterson Middle School.  Interior of the home is freshly painted. Negatives: The home is situated on thorough fare road, Dunford.  The bathrooms are original and need updating. Tacky vinyl flooring in the bathrooms, kitchen and den area.
342 Lowell Drive, Santa Clara, Westwood Oaks. 3 BD 2 BA 1525 Sqft. 6300 Sqft. Lot, List $828,000	Positives: Updated baths, dual paned windows, quiet location in a desirable Santa Clara Neighborhood.   Nice stylish updates, like recessed lighting, well placed and designed sky lights.   Exterior curb appeal and newer roof.  Cupertino Schools, Eisenhower Elementary and Hyde Middle. Negatives: Backyard landscaping was poor, patio was shifted by severe settling.  Slight settling in the home, typical for these homes and this age.  Front yard had a home made pond that was designed in a ametuer fashion.  Kitchen was basic, with mirrors installed on the backsplash.
3869 Melody Lane, Santa Clara, 6 BD 3.5 BA 2396 Sqft. 6000 Sqft. Lot, List $850,000	Positives: Quiet location in desireable Westwood Oaks.  Santa Clara schools Laurelwood and Peterson.  Many bedrooms with upstairs studio for inlaw or other specail living circumstances. Negatives: Home is very outdated and original, bathrooms and kitchen are old.  Older windows, and lacks abundant living areas for the number of bedrooms.  Backyard is not well landscaped and backs up into an commercial office building.  Just carport and no garage.

Tags: santa clara homes

Time to review the number of home for sale and recently sold in the Santa Clara Valley.  Inspite of the recent increase in buying activity home inventory continues to increase in certain markets in the Santa Clara Valley mainly the high end market while other markets are experiencing a drop in inventory.  Much of this is attributed to a drop in foreclosures being listed and a rejuvenated market with considerable buyer interest from the beginning of the year.  With alot of talk about the market bottom its interesting to see what will happen to inventory in the summer months and fall.  Time will only tell.

Santa Clara continues to have a high level of homes sales weekly and inventory has fallen this year from a 200 home high to a current level of 150 homes on the market, a 40% decrease over last year’s inventory levels for Santa Clara.

Sunnyvale’s home inventory levels have also been improving.    Weekly sales are strong in line with last years levels.  Inventory has finally started to taper down. 

Cupertino has experienced a rise in weekly sales in the last month that have helped inventory levels stabalize.  Inventory is still about 60% higher than later years levels.  This is a market that hasn’t been widely affected by foreclosures, REO’s and short sales so therefore the foreclosures moratorium has had little affect on inventory.

Mountain View inventory levels are still rising and sales are still behind last years levels.  Inventory is about 30% higher this year than last year.  Mountain is a unique market whose single family homes can range from $600K to $1.3 million.  Still not a lot of foreclosures in the area and therefore not a significant drop in inventory levels due to the moratoria.

Saratoga home inventory levels have started to stabalized.  Sales have increased over the beginning of the year and are consistent with last years figures.  Inventory is still 70% higher than last years levels.

With inventory levels 100% higher than last year’s figures and sales around half of what was sold last year that is significant change in the market for Los Altos.  Los Altos another is area not affected by foreclosures and bank owned homes, the rise in inventory here is due to a lack of buying interest.

The super high end Los Altos Hills has experienced some increased activity but still behind last years levels.  Most of the correlation here deals with stocks and NASDAQ levels.  Since the stock indexes have improved since the beginning of the year we have seen a slight improvement in this market.

Tags: los altos home inventory, santa clara county real estate statistics

This stylish contemporary Santa Clara home has a bright and open floor plan.  An inviting bright formal living room with dramatic high ceilings and architectural skylights greet you as you enter this wonderful home. This Santa Clara home features 3 bedrooms and 2 and a half bathrooms.  The home has centrally located kitchen open to a spacious family room.   Enjoy outside BBQing and summer dinning on  your  exposed aggregate patio.  A luxurious master bedroom suite awaits with a walk-in closet and mirrored wall closet, also dual vanity and large soaking tub.  Convenient location close to shopping centers, public and private schools (Challenger Academy), and access to San Tomas or Lawrence Expressways.

Tags: santa clara homes