2023

    A never ending crisis California lives in a permanent housing crisis. The reasons are many: the high price of land, the largest population in America, and strict housing density regulations, among others. These make California the second most expensive housing market after Hawaii.  This situation makes it challenging to balance and reconcile interests. Builders want to be allowed...

Predicting the weather is tricky. And it will get more so as the climate everywhere is changing significantly. Keeping your energy bills in check during the hot summer months is a challenge. This blog post shares six practical tips to optimize home air conditioning efficiency.  Clean and Replace Air Filters: Regularly cleaning or replacing your air filters is crucial for efficient air conditioning....

California has many natural blessings. We enjoy a fantastic ocean coast, great mountains, forests, and all kinds of weather. But we also have fires that endanger life and property. As of June 2023, 223,834 fire incidents have been reported.  Here are some steps you can take to make your home more resilient to wildfires: Create defensible space: Maintain a 5-foot non-combustible zone immediately...

As A recurring problem All the economic news channels centered on the nation’s debt ceiling issue. What is the debt ceiling? a legal limit set by the United States Congress on the amount of debt the federal government can accumulate to finance its operations and meet its financial obligations. It all may seem very remote and large-scale to matter to you personally. But the debt ceiling can impact...

A local economy that leads the world The Bay Area has a unique economic setup. Many of the world’s biggest tech companies are based here. And also, thousands of smaller startups are located in the area. These enterprises attract talent from all over the nation and the world, wanting to participate in attractive salaries and professional development opportunities. Growth can not be endless. But no...

Watch Lex Shan's Insight video about the Bay Area's March 2023 real estate market. Here is the data that Lex...

The challenges of buying a home Buying a home is a challenging task. Homebuyers need to gather many documents. Banks will issue mortgages based on proof of income, credit history, amongst other papers they will request from you.  And if everything goes right, the seller signs a grant deed to transfer real property title to the new owner. Unfortunately, many homebuyers think that once they have a title...

Watch Lex Shan's Insight video about the Bay Area's real estate market.     Here is the data that Lex...

How to Minimize Security Deposit Deductions When Moving Out Minimizing security deposit deductions when moving out of a rental property is crucial to ensure you receive the most money back. Here are some steps you can take to help protect your security deposit: Review your lease agreement: Before you start the move-out process, thoroughly review your lease agreement to understand the specific terms...

As many know, California's Department of Financial Protection declared Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) insolvent on March 10th. The same Department named the FDIC as a receiver. Although SVB was better known for financing tech companies, this financial institution was also a significant mortgage lender, and its collapse may affect the Bay Area’s real estate market.  A brief history of SVB SVB was...