Ira & Carol Serkes
Berkeley Real Estate Specialists

Office (510) 526-6668
Cell (510) 684-3334

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Search
    • Homes for Sale
      • Featured Homes
      • Neighborhood Search
      • Price Search
      • Advanced Search
      • Open Houses + Broker Tours
      • New Listing Alerts
    • Your Account
    • Distinctive Homes
    • Search by Map
    • Market Analysis
      • Videos
      • Maps & Graphs
      • Neighborhoods Sales Prices
  • Neighborhoods
    • Berkeley
      • Thousand Oaks
      • Berkeley Hills
      • Northbrae/ Westbrae
      • North Berkeley
      • Elmwood/ Claremont
      • UC Northside/Southside
      • Downtown Berkeley
      • Central Berkeley
      • 4th Street/West Berkeley
    • Albany
    • Kensington
    • Oakland
      • Rockridge/ Temescal
      • Montclair
      • Trestle Glen/ Crocker Highlands
      • Lakeshore
      • Downtown Oakland
      • Jack London Square
    • El Cerrito
    • Piedmont
    • Emeryville
  • Living Here
    • Your Move
      • Relocation Resources
      • Rentals
      • City Information
    • Schools
    • Earthquakes & Hazards
    • Getting Around
      • Bikes, Buses, & BART
      • Auto Routes
    • Events & Festivals
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Architecture
    • Berkeley Marina & Parks
  • Sellers
    • Home Values
      • Neighborhoods Prices
      • Market Research
    • Preparing For Sale
      • Orchestrating the Details
      • Team Of Experts
      • Disclosures & Inspections
      • Optimal Repairs & Staging
      • Professional Photography
    • Extraordinary Marketing
      • Showtime
      • Strategic Pricing
      • Online Marketing
      • Distinctive & Fine Homes
      • Strategies
      • Marketing To Buyers
    • Communications
    • Negotiation Strategies
    • Relocation Expertise
    • Meet Our Buyers
  • Buyers
    • Home Work
    • Market Conditions
    • Customized Home Updates
    • Crafting Your Offer
    • Buying Strategies
    • Inspections
    • Closing
  • Testimonials
    • Your Interests First
    • Giving Back
    • Reputation & Professionalism
    • Negotiation Skills
    • Communications
    • Marketing Expertise
    • Knowledge & Experience
    • Our Team Of Experts
  • About Us
    • The Bronx And Newcastle
    • The Fur Children
    • In The News
    • Professional Affiliations
    • Travel & Photography
    • Our Social Networks
  • Blog
  • Contact
Home > Buyer Systems > Home Work

Home Work

When we relocated to the Bay Area, we contacted Ira and Carol Serkes to help us find a home. Ira and Carol spent a great deal of time with us to determine what was important to us – the type of house, the neighborhood and other amenities. Together, we found the perfect home. Ira and Carol worked with us to structure the offer, offering recommendations and valuable insights on the Berkeley real estate market. They were there during the inspections and provided excellent recommendations for inspectors as well as contractors so that we could obtain quotes for items noted during inspection.

Theodore & Deborah Kallman

Horizontal Gray Bar

Our “home work” is designed to make home buying as smooth as possible for you. This page gives you a quick overview things to consider

Identify Your Ideal Neighborhood

Let us know what’s important to you and we’ll show you the best neighborhoods to look in, then create a custom map based on your price, bedroom, size and neighborhood showing you all the homes you could have recently purchased meet all those criteria!

map-mls-homes-buyers-could-have-bought

Each of these homes met your criteria!

map-mls-homes-buyers-could-have-bought-detail

Click the pin for sales details, then click the address to bring up google map and street view

Identify Your Ideal Home

Important factors are price range, bedrooms, neighborhood, condition and yard etc.

We’ll show you which homes sold in the past 6 months which met those specs, map them, and prepare a detailed photo and market analysis report for you.

This step shows you the homes you could have purchased, lets us review what you like or dislike about them, and helps us focus more finely upon your ideal home.

You’ll usually be able to select form 2 or 3 homes each month. If there are only 1 or 2 homes each month, we can explore how adjusting your criteria increases the selection.

Find Out What Will Your Commute Be Like

Ask your co-workers about different commute options. It could be BART or casual car pool; AC Transit or Company Bus, Highway or Amtrak, or a combination of them – carpool to work, BART back home.

This google map makes it easy. We programmed to to give give you directions to our Pacific Union office in North Berkeley. Change the destinations to be your job and one of your preferred neighborhoods, and “the google” will calculate commute times for you.

Determine Your Target Price Range And Get Approved By A Lender

We’ll want to move quickly when the ideal home comes on the market; the first step is to get loan pre-approval out of the way.

We’ll refer you to excellent lenders. Be sure to tell them if you’re borrowing money from family or relocating from overseas … it can affect the pre-approval process and your closing date.

We’ve know that sellers’ agents feel much more comfortable when we give them a loan pre-approval from a local lender rather than an online lender. In one case, the seller rejected our buyers’ offer because they were using an online lender. You may get a loan from any lender you wish; we simply recommend that you also have a pre-approval letter from a local lender.

Most buyers search below their maximum price. Let us know your upper price range so we can be on the lookout for a great home which might be at a different price point.

Ask Your Lender For An Estimate Of Closing Costs

Ask your lender to provide an estimate of the closing costs. They can total 2-3% of the purchase price, and include:

  • One-time fees – escrow, title, loan charges, and transfer taxes
  • Annual expenses – property taxes, property insurance
  • Pro-rated expenses – prepaid loan interest, this year’s property tax bill

The City Transfer Taxes is typically split 50:50 between buyer and seller. The Berkeley Transfer Tax is 1.50% of the purchase price. or $15,000 for a $1,000,000 home. The buyer and seller each typically pay $7,500.

Learn About Our Fault And Slide Zones

Some buyers consider homes in these zones, others won’t.

Alan Kropp and Associates created the Berkeley Hills Landslide Map showing Berkeley’s earthquake and slide zones.

Kropp Berkeley Hills Slide MapBerkeley’s Parcel Conditions and Permit History web page lets you easily find a home’s zones.

map-berkeley-parcel-conditions

Involve Your Advisors

Decide if you like to consult with your friends, family members, or financial advisors. We’ll keep them updated if you wish.

Your attorney will advise of different ways to take title. If you want to own your home in a living trust, start the process early so the trust is in place in time for closing.

Update Your Online Connections

Relocating From another state or country?

If you’re using a local provider, consider adding, or switching to, a world-wide email account such as Gmail.

Set up a free Skype account so we can do video calls with you. Our Skype handle is “serkes”.

Draft A “Velcro” Letter To The Seller

Sellers respond to personal notes from our buyers.

I call this a “velcro” letter … having enough hooks in it so something “sticks” to the seller. Most buyers talk about themselves, their jobs, what brings them to the area, what they love about the neighborhood, etc.

Once you’ve selected a home, It’s particularly important write about what you love about the it.

Be Prepared!

The Boy Scouts had it right – Be Prepared … it’s the best way to start your home search.

#Serkes

Our Blog’s About …

4th of July 365 Things To Do And Places To Go In Berkeley California Albany Architecture Art Deco Berkeley Berkeley Hills Berkeley MLS Berkeley MLS Research Berkeley Real Estate Broker Tour Cats & Dogs Claremont Condo Dogs Downtown Downtown Berkeley Elmwood Fair Festival Gourmet Ghetto Holiday Home For Sale Ira Serkes Just Listed Kensington Memorial Day MLS Movies Music North Berkeley North Berkeley/Gourmet Ghetto Northbrae Oakland Open House Parade Poudini San Francisco Serkes Solano Avenue Solano Stroll Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks Neighborhood UC Berkeley Westbrae

Search By Category Too!

Search Listings

$
$

Contact

Ira Serkes
(510) 526-6668 Office
(510) 684-3334 Cell
Contact

Recent News

  • Beautifully Updated 5 Bedroom 3 Bath Berkeley Hills Home
  • Multi-Level Live-Work Loft — Great Separation Of Space … all accessible without sharing hallways
  • Berkeley Christmas and Holiday Lights

CA BRE #00936453,  #01143916  •  sitemap   •   admin   •   ©2021 All Rights Reserved  •  Real Estate Website Design by IDXCentral.com