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A Seller’s Guide to California Prop 19
Few pieces of California tax law affect real estate decisions as directly as Proposition 19. Passed by voters in November 2020 and phased into effect beginning February 2021, Prop 19 restructured two fundamental pillars of California property taxation: how seniors and...
May 2026 Real Estate Market Update
The past month delivered a jolt of inflation driven by energy prices, a jobs market holding steady but not growing, and a Federal Reserve more publicly divided than it has been in more than three decades. In Berkeley, the spring market seems largely indifferent to all...
How to Evaluate Home Insurance in Berkeley: What Every Buyer Needs to Know
One of the most consequential decisions a home buyer makes has nothing to do with the purchase price, the neighborhood, or the condition of the roof. It happens in the weeks between acceptance and closing, when an insurance quote lands in your inbox and you have to...
April 2026 Real Estate Market Update
The first quarter of 2026 ended with a jolt. A gasoline-driven inflation spike, a geopolitical shock in the Middle East, and a Federal Reserve firmly on hold have reshaped the rate outlook for the rest of the year. Here in Berkeley, though, the spring market is...
March 2026 Real Estate Market Update
The first months of 2026 have brought a lot of noise at the national level, between a weakening jobs picture, stubborn inflation, and a geopolitical shock that has upended rate expectations for the rest of the year. Locally, the story in Berkeley is different: tight...
What Actually Makes a Berkeley Listing Stand Out in 2026
The playbook for selling a home has changed fast, and here in the East Bay, I'm seeing it play out in real time. Buyers have more options, more leverage, and they're using it. Active housing inventory rose more than 16% year-over-year in 2025, one of the largest...
Selling a Tenant-Occupied Home in Berkeley: What Landlords Need to Know Before Listing
If you own a rental property and are thinking about selling a tenant-occupied home in Berkeley, you're navigating one of the most complex landlord-tenant legal environments in the country. Berkeley's robust renter protections don't disappear the moment you decide to...
Closing Costs to Buy a Home in Berkeley: What to Expect and How to Plan
Buyers in Berkeley should budget 2% to 3% of the purchase price for closing costs — typically $20,000 to $60,000 depending on purchase price, plus a Berkeley-specific transfer tax that can add $9,000 to $31,000 or more. When my clients start running the numbers on a...