Dana Graham

Real Estate General Info Category

Staging

Staging has become a hot topic lately, I suppose because with a slower market, sellers are looking for any edge they can get.  Staging, in case you don't know, can refer to anything from re-arranging the existing furniture in the house to bringing in a complete house full of new furniture, towels, accessories, dishes, wall hangings, etc, all in an effort to make the place look more attractive to a buyer.   For the purpose of this discussion, I'm defining staging...Continue Reading!

Do You Need An Agent?

It's a valid question.  In my 28 years of doing this, my general impression is that 20% of the escrows go smoothly enough that an agent may not have been necessary.  But, and you knew this was coming, it's the part before and after, that we need to look at. Before:  Getting a property into an escrow that will close is not something that just happens.  Apart from helping you select the proper asking price, agents have ways of marketing and publicizing...Continue Reading!

Global Warming (thru the ages)

I originally wrote this in early 2009 but, sad to say, it still applies: I hate to waste time on this, but since it's currently fashionable to believe that man is causing global warming, I just can't help putting it to the "historical perspective" test. I am no scientist, and I'm not even going to get into the vested interests of a whole bunch of people who are riding the government gravy train "studying" this.  All that aside, it fails the...Continue Reading!

These Are Perilous Times

Originally written in May, 2009: Please.  No, they are not.    Every generation thinks they live in unprecedentedly "perilous times". Remember the bucolic 1950's? Ozzie & Harriet, Mickey Mouse, Howdy Doody, Elvis, and all that innocence? That's not what people thought at the time! It was "head for the bomb shelter and duck and cover" 'cuz them Ruskies could be sending a nuclear bomb over any minute. Not to mention polio and a bunch of other disesases since eradicated. We now know that...Continue Reading!

May, 2012, Newsletter

Dear Neighbor: You will notice from the enclosures that all the listings I mentioned in my last newsletter have sold.  All sold inside 30 days.  More on that later. If you’ve been paying attention to the real estate market lately (as if you have nothing else to do), you have noticed that there just isn’t much for sale.  That is true throughout the South Bay and, if you’re a seller or thinking about becoming one, this is an excellent environment.  Buyers have...Continue Reading!

The Moore House, Palos Verdes Estates

There has been a lot of discussion about the impending demolition of the "Moore House", 504 Paseo Del Mar, Palos Verdes Estates.  Having lived here since 1947 and grown up in Neighborhood Church across the street from it, I remember when it was built and have some perspective on this: First of all, and cutting to the chase, I agree that the current owner has the right to tear it down and build the house he desires.  The PVE City Council...Continue Reading!

March 2012 Newsletter

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Termites (and other exciting stuff)

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about termites as it relates to real estate sales, so here's the straight scoop: First of all, there is no law that says that a seller must provide a termite clearance at close of escrow, so let's get that out of the way now.  There is, however, a strong custom that the seller do that. In the real estate context, a "Termite Report" deals not only with termites but with dry rot, fungus, etc,...Continue Reading!

As Seen in the Peninsula News February 23, 2012

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Short Sales — A to Z

Short sales have been in the news the last few years and I've handled some of them.  Whether you're selling or buying, there are a few things you should know before jumping in. Short sales are, by definition, sales made when the amount owed to lenders is greater than the market value of the property.  Given the decline in values the last few years, there are quite a few of them out there, as there were in the early 1990's under...Continue Reading!