Notes on buying and selling in Silicon Valley.

Selling a Home During a Divorce in California: The Practical Real-Estate Side

Divorce sales have two clients with one shared asset. Here is how the real-estate side usually works, what both parties have to agree on, and how to keep the transaction calm and clean.

Jun 10, 2026 · 6 min

Selling a Home That Needs Major Work, As-Is, in Silicon Valley

Selling a fixer-upper as-is is often the smart move in Santa Clara County, but it does not waive California disclosure. Here is when as-is makes sense, how to price for condition, who buys these homes, and how to decide whether a few targeted repairs beat a full as-is sale.

Jun 4, 2026 · 6 min

Capital Gains When You Sell Your California Home: How the Section 121 Exclusion Works

A plain-spoken walk through the federal $250,000 single / $500,000 married exclusion on your primary residence, the ownership-and-use test, cost basis, and why a long-held Bay Area home can blow past the limit.

May 30, 2026 · 6 min

Prop 19 and Your Property Tax Base: Carrying Your Assessed Value to a New Home at 55+

If you are 55 or older and own a home in California, Proposition 19 may let you move and keep most of your low property tax base. Here is how the base-year value transfer actually works, who qualifies, and why it matters in a high-tax-base county.

May 25, 2026 · 6 min

Off-market or on-market: how to decide how to sell your home

A quiet sale and a full public launch are tools, not philosophies. Here is how I decide which one actually serves the seller, and what each one costs you.

May 19, 2026 · 5 min

Selling an inherited or trust-held home in California

Probate or trust, step-up in basis, and the disclosures that change when you're selling a home you didn't live in. A plain-spoken guide for executors, trustees, and heirs in Santa Clara County.

May 14, 2026 · 5 min

When is the best time of year to sell in Silicon Valley?

Spring gets the buyers and fall gets the serious ones. But the calendar matters far less than whether the house is actually ready. Here is how I think about timing in Santa Clara County.

May 6, 2026 · 4 min

Selling a home with tenants in it

A renter-occupied sale in Santa Clara County is workable, but the lease, the notice rules, and how you handle the tenant decide your timeline and your price. Here is how I think through it.

Apr 28, 2026 · 5 min

Preparing your disclosure package: what California sellers must reveal

California puts more of the burden of honesty on the seller than almost any state in the country. Here is what goes in the package, why over-disclosing protects you, and where the real risk hides.

Apr 20, 2026 · 5 min

Staging that's worth it, and staging that isn't

Staging is not one decision, it is a dozen small ones. Here is where the money comes back, where it disappears, and how to tell the difference before you spend a dollar.

Apr 12, 2026 · 4 min

What your net proceeds really look like after a home sale

The sale price is not the check you take home. Here is the line-by-line walk through what actually comes out of a Santa Clara County closing, and how to see your real number before you list.

Apr 4, 2026 · 5 min

How to price a home so the first weekend produces offers

In Silicon Valley, the first ten days of a listing are the whole game. Here is how I set a number that pulls buyers in instead of pushing them past you.

Mar 27, 2026 · 5 min

Which home improvements actually return their cost before a sale

Most pre-sale dollars go to the wrong place. Here is how I decide what to fix, what to leave alone, and why the boring work beats the big remodel almost every time.

Mar 19, 2026 · 4 min

Should you pre-inspect before you list?

A pre-listing inspection trades a few hundred dollars and one uncomfortable report for the thing that actually wrecks escrows: the mid-deal surprise. Here's when it's worth it in Santa Clara County, and when it isn't.

Mar 11, 2026 · 5 min

What an online home estimate can't see

An instant number is a fine starting point. Here is why it is not an answer, and what actually tells you what your home will sell for.

Mar 3, 2026 · 3 min

For buyers

15 pieces

Buying New Construction in the Bay Area: How a Builder Deal Differs From Resale, and How to Protect Yourself

New construction looks simple from the sales office, but the builder contract, the design center, and the inspection process all work differently than a resale. Here is what changes and where to be careful.

Jun 13, 2026 · 6 min

Relocating to Silicon Valley for a Tech Job: A Buyer's Primer on How This Market Actually Works

If you're moving here for a job offer, the hardest part isn't the price. It's understanding that Santa Clara County is dozens of separate markets stacked next to each other, and orienting yourself before you commit.

Jun 7, 2026 · 6 min

Buying and Selling at the Same Time Without Getting Stuck

How a seller-turned-buyer runs two transactions at once without ending up stuck: contingent offers, rentbacks, bridge loans, closing sequence, and the tax and cost moving parts to plan for.

Jun 2, 2026 · 6 min

Condo, Townhome, or House in Silicon Valley: How to Weigh HOAs, Reserves, and the Tradeoffs

A plain-spoken buyer's guide to attached homes in Silicon Valley: what HOA dues really cover, why reserves and special assessments matter more than the monthly number, how to read the HOA document package during contingency, and the shared-wall and rules tradeoffs.

May 27, 2026 · 6 min

Mello-Roos and Special Assessments: What Bay Area Buyers Need to Check

Some newer Santa Clara County homes carry extra charges on the tax bill that have nothing to do with your base property tax. Here is what they are and how to find them before you write an offer.

May 22, 2026 · 6 min

ADUs in the Bay Area: What Buyers Should Know About Granny Flats and In-Law Units

An accessory dwelling unit can mean rental income, room for family, or added value. Here is what an ADU actually is, why California has made them easier to build, and what to check before you buy a home that has one.

May 17, 2026 · 6 min

How buyer-agent commissions work after the 2024 NAR settlement

The rules around who pays your agent and how that gets disclosed changed in August 2024, and California added its own law in 2025. Here is what actually changed, and what it means for you as a buyer in Santa Clara County.

May 9, 2026 · 5 min

Fixer versus turnkey in Silicon Valley: the math and the reality

A dated kitchen looks like an opportunity until you price the permits, the timeline, and the part of your life the project will eat. Here is how I help buyers decide which side of that line they belong on.

May 1, 2026 · 5 min

What an appraisal gap is and how to handle one

When a fast market moves quicker than the comps, the appraisal can land below the price. Here is why that happens, and how buyers and sellers actually deal with it.

Apr 23, 2026 · 5 min

Buying your first home in the Bay Area: a realistic roadmap

The honest, step-by-step path to a first home in Santa Clara County: what to budget, how pre-approval really works, the contingencies that protect you, and the tax bill that arrives months after you get the keys.

Apr 14, 2026 · 5 min

Getting your financing competitive in a fast market

In a market where sellers see multiple offers, your lender letter is part of your offer. Here is the difference between a piece of paper and a real one, and why it changes who wins.

Apr 6, 2026 · 5 min

How to read a home inspection report as a buyer

A good report is long, and most of it is noise. Here is how I teach my buyers to find the few findings that actually matter, and how those become leverage.

Mar 29, 2026 · 5 min

Contingencies explained: which to keep, and which to waive

Inspection, appraisal, and loan contingencies are the three exits in a California purchase contract. Here is what each one actually protects, what you give up when you waive it, and how to compete without flying blind.

Mar 21, 2026 · 5 min

How to win a competitive offer without overpaying

In a multiple-offer market, the highest number doesn't always win, and the highest number you can stomach isn't always the right one to write. Here's how I think about terms, certainty, and your walk-away.

Mar 13, 2026 · 5 min

How off-market and Coming Soon sales actually work

A real share of Silicon Valley homes sell before they ever hit the public portals. If you only watch Zillow, you are seeing a partial market.

Mar 5, 2026 · 3 min

Market & strategy

9 pieces

Earthquake Risk, Retrofits, and Insurance: What Bay Area Buyers Should Actually Ask

Seismic risk is part of owning property here. Here is what the disclosures cover, what a retrofit does, how earthquake insurance works as a separate policy, and the questions worth asking before you write an offer.

May 11, 2026 · 6 min

Why Your Neighbor Pays Half the Property Tax You Would: Prop 13, Explained

Prop 13 sets a home's assessed value at purchase and caps growth at 2% a year, so a long-time owner and a new buyer of identical houses can pay very different property tax. Here is the mechanism and what it means for your carrying costs.

May 3, 2026 · 6 min

Coming Soon listings: what they are and why they matter

A Coming Soon listing is a window, not a category. Here is what that window actually is, how it differs from off-market and active, and why early access is worth paying attention to in Silicon Valley.

Apr 25, 2026 · 4 min

How Santa Clara and San Mateo county home markets really differ

Two counties, one freeway spine, very different ground. Here is how Santa Clara and San Mateo actually differ on geography, housing stock, and the transfer taxes that hit your closing statement.

Apr 17, 2026 · 4 min

Days on market and sale-to-list: what these numbers actually tell you

Days on market and sale-to-list ratio are the two numbers that actually tell you who has the leverage. Here's how to read them, where they mislead, and how to see them live by area.

Apr 9, 2026 · 4 min

How to actually compare two Bay Area neighborhoods

Most neighborhood comparisons stop at a vibe and a price per square foot. Here is the framework I use with clients: commute, architecture, market behavior, and the trade-offs nobody puts in the listing.

Apr 1, 2026 · 5 min

How interest rates actually move Bay Area home prices

Rates don't push prices around directly. They move payments, payments move what buyers can bid, and they quietly decide how many homes come up for sale. Here is the chain, minus the predictions.

Mar 24, 2026 · 5 min

Is now a good time to buy or sell in the Bay Area?

It is the question I get more than any other, and the honest answer is that the headline market almost never decides it. Your situation does. Here is how I actually think it through with clients.

Mar 16, 2026 · 5 min