Doug Buenz
Real Estate Broker
Alain Pinel Realtors
(925) 463-2000
Email me!
I am a local Real Estate Broker with Alain Pinel Realtors serving the Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley area. I am an avid watcher of the local real estate market, as well as cultural and political events. But that is what I do, not who I am... » read more
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If I ran around saying we were looking at a looming housing shortage I’d probably be hauled off to the local psychiatric ward. Given the state of the current market, with high foreclosure rates, homes sitting empty, high inventory levels and high unemployment, a housing shortage may seem like a stretch. But that …
What will the financial reform bill just signed into law by President Obama do for you as a home buyer or seller and when will it do it? Good questions! There are likely to be many as-for-now unforeseen consequences of this law since much of it states that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau …
I used to get excited about record low mortgage rates. Generally speaking, low interest rates help fuel the economy in general and prompt people to buy real estate in particular. But we have been bouncing along the historical low for mortgage rates for over a year now, and the general reaction seems to …
Back in the good old days when mortgage underwriting consisted largely of checking for a pulse, seller incentives were a common way for sellers to enhance their home’s marketing without lowering the price. Sellers sometimes offered cash, a TV, exotic vacations, or even cars as an inducement for buyers to purchase their home. Ultimately …
Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore have been working for years to bring more high-tech companies into the Tri-Valley. With the difficult economic times, the results have been mixed. But there is a new influx of smaller upstart tech companies moving here.
Area leaders have always hoped the Tri-Valley would become a tech hub, but progress …
Now from the Good News department (we certainly can use it). Bay Area graduates can look forward to having some of the best salary growth prospects in the country. According to Payscale.com and Yahoo Hot Jobs, the San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont area ranked #4 in the country for large metropolitan areas. The …
Oops! You missed the June 30 deadline to close on the purchase of your new home and lost the federal home buyer tax credit. It wasn’t your fault, right? You had a contract in place by April 30, as required and you did everything you were supposed to. But the appraisal …
Do you like a lot of space? How about gothic architecture? Do feel peaceful when in a church? If you answered yes to these questions, then I have the perfect house for you. Overlooking Dolores Park, on Dolores Street in San Francisco is an amazing Gothic Revival church turned into a …
Banks have not been very efficient when it comes to foreclosing on delinquent mortgages and moving the distressed properties to market. There has been a fair amount of press in the past few months about the “shadow inventory” of distressed properties that banks own but have not had the means to get on the …
Are you thinking about refinancing your 30 year mortgage but don’t really want to extend it out a full 30 years? Are the monthly payments associated with a 15 year mortgage more than you want to take on? Maybe a 20 year fixed rate mortgage is the answer.
You get the benefit of saving …
Are they or aren’t they? Are foreclosures slowing, or not? It’s always interesting trying to figure out exactly what is going on in the market place. There are facts, like the recent report that shows lenders sent out fewer notices of foreclosure in April than they did a year ago. And …
The action was swift. Our esteemed California legislators rose to the occasion, set aside their relentless partisan bickering, and focused their energy on solving “the problem”.
What problem you ask? School funding? No. Crumbling infrastructure? Nope. Unemployment? Nyet. Our government in California enacted a $100 million program …
Interesting article in the San Diego Union-Tribune about plans to turn portions of Detroit back into semi-rural farm land or open space. Certainly an incredible story, as this once powerful industrial city has become saddled with thousands of vacant houses and lots, and some neighborhoods that resemble ghost towns. In many ways, this …
Well, not really. But it looks pretty tempting, especially after looking at Cafayate, Argentina, a new 1300 acre luxury home enclave that will ultimately have 360 homes built. It’s a bit remote though. After flying to Buenos Aires, you are still another two hour flight and three and a half hour drive away.
Estancia …
The California Public Employees Retirement System lost a whopping $500 million on one transaction alone in New York City. It is the biggest deal ever in the United States for a single piece of residential property
According to the Los Angeles Times:
The owners of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, a complex of 56 buildings …
