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James Jacobson

Author Profile

James Jacobson

Biography

James Jacobson has been involved with the real estate industry for over 20 years. Having purchased, sold, developed and managed residential homes and developments across the country, James eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay Area.

ARTICLES BY James Jacobson

Jumbo Loans May Start to Flow as New Loan Programs are Announced

The new jumbo programs, available through the Bank of America’s retail network and its Countrywide Home Loans subsidiary, will be aimed at loans between $730,000 and $1.5 million, with fixed rates at 30-years and interest rates in the upper five percent ranges.

Real Estate Takes A Lesson from Malibu

I heard about a woman that has placed her house up for raffle. Starting with a web site to direct traffic leads, this woman created an opportunity for a person to purchase a 1 in 4,000 or 5,000 chance to win a mortgage-free home. At the cost of about $100 dollars per raffle ticket, she has already raised enough money to cover her debt.

Existing Home Sales Take an Unexpected Jump, and so does my Phone!

...existing homes sales jumped slightly over 5% in February from the previous month, to an adjusted rate of almost 4.75 million homes in total. Though the rate of existing hoe sales was down nearly 5% from a year ago, and about 27% from numbers in 2006, it was still the biggest month-to-month gain since July 2003.

Surprise Increase in New Home Starts, But Don't Expect Things to Change Anytime Soon

After falling for the last 8 months, housing starts posted a significant surge during the month of February, according to a government report released this past week. Economists, who thought the month was going to be another fall off like previous months, were rather surprised by the 22% increase from January, and the first increase in housing starts since last June.

Will Someone Please Buy This House? Real Estate Woes In A Declining Market

The next few months will be the real barometer to determine how much lower that market will go. Historically, spring is the prime selling season for that neighborhood, but there have never been more than two homes for sale at any one time in the past. The listing agent, however, is a bit more bullish on the market, citing most sellers in that neighborhood can wait out the market for the right buyer and the right price.

Luxury Homes Now Affected by Down Real Estate Market

It was just a couple years ago that many remained bullish on the luxury real estate markets due to the growth in $100,000 incomes, which at the end of 2006, where growing 5.4 times faster than all US households. However, over the last few months, as the ‘days on market’ began to increase, so did the number of homes listed for sale.

Being Unique can be Good in a Bad Real Estate Market

Built as a lower-cost alternative to other homes being built during that period, Eichler built mostly single-level homes that surrounded a landscaped courtyard entrance. His style, though not immediately well received, was developed by considering and designing the outside spaces as an extension of the house.

Working in the Virtual Real Estate Office

Today, technology is no longer viewed as the final marketing piece to get clients to the broker office door. However, it does allow for the agents to get into the client’s door…further perpetuating the argument against the need to sit in a real estate office and wait for the client to come to you.

Real Estate Brands Continue to Shine in a Dark Market

Sure there are those people that try to point out the condition of the global economies and can’t seem to fathom how the sale team is able to secure buyers for $12 million dollar properties. But buyers to the Four Seasons brand in Bora Bora have all indicated their allegiance to the brand and will be the first to explain that Four Seasons will hold its value both today and in the future.

It's Back To Basics For Many in the Real Estate Profession

Then, the real estate markets changed. Some of us within the company saw it coming from a mile away, but others refused to see it at all. Developments started to convert from ‘for-sale’ product to rental, as developers searched for a way to hedge their investments against the downward spiraling real estate markets.