Fremont Real Estate and Beyond

More info here-- http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/things-that-affect-your-property-value/

The very low inventory we have seen in the Bay Area has spread to the rest of the country and decreased sales of existing homes nationally.  

The FTC released an urgent memo to all real estate professionals and their clients about a sophisticated phishing scam aimed at taking buyer's deposits.  Always call the title company directly to confirm the wiring instructions! FTC Consumer Blog issued a post focused on hackers who have been breaking into some consumers’ and real estate professionals’ email accounts to get information about upcoming real estate transactions. After figuring out the closing dates, the hacker sends an email to the buyer, posing as the real estate professional or title company. The bogus email says there has been a last minute change to the wiring instructions, and tells the buyer to wire closing costs to a different account. But it’s the scammer’s account. If the buyer takes the bait, their bank account could be cleared out in a matter of minutes. Often, that’s money the buyer will never see again. More info here-- https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/scammers-phish-mortgage-closing-costs

CAR just released their February sales for all of California

Mark Zuckerberg settled a contentious 2 year real estate battle with a developer. According to the Mercury News, Mircea Voskerician claimed in the lawsuit he sold Zuckerberg the right to buy property on Hamilton Avenue behind the billionaire's Palo Alto home for a discounted price. In exchange, the Facebook CEO promised to introduce him to other wealthy people in Silicon Valley who might want to purchase homes from the developer, but Zuckerberg never followed through, the lawsuit said. More details here-- http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29642186/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-settles-real-estate-dispute Keep the transactions simple!