News Archive

OAR IS ON FACEBOOK!
Click on the Facebook Button directly above and become a fan now! Look for the "f"

2010 OAR INAUGURAL PHOTOS by Jack
Check it out!

Foreclosure Radar FREE TRIAL!
Click here for a 7-day FREE trial and 10% off a monthly subscription...no obligation!

OAR IS CO-MARKETING WITH ALAMEDA AND BERKELEY FOR REALTOR EDUCATION CLASSES & EVENTS!
Collaborating to better serve our members...questions? Call us at 510 836-3000

READING THIS CAN SAVE A LIFE!
Blood clots and stroke warnings...

OAR Auditorium Rental Information
Please click on Contact Us on the Menu Bar above and drop down to Auditorium Rental to contact Judy Rix...

2010 Oral Lee Brown Foundation Walkathon PHOTOS
See them here!

Rent Our Auditorium for Your Event!
Comprehensive marketing included - read more here!

AUGUST 3, 2011 Update - Sewer Lateral Ordinance!
Click here to learn more!

Get Your CE Online!
Continuing Education for REALTORS the easy way...click here for the CE Shop!

Social Media Opening Doors for Homebuyers
Brokers use Twitter or Facebook to connect Uptown Place with other agents, said Bethe Vanier, community sales manager at Uptown Place...

Foreclosure Radar - Click Here!


75% Online Leads are Ignored!
“Today’s Internet consumer is expecting a response certainly within the hour but, more likely, within 15 or 20 minutes,” says Bradley Miller, One Cavo founder and president...

Are You Using This FREE & Exclusive OAR Member Benefit?
Click here!

Pandora a Boost for Oakland
Pandora occupies about 32,000 square at 2101 Webster St., near 22nd Street, in Oakland's trendy Uptown district of restaurants, shops, nightclubs and homes. "They can absolutely transform downtown Oakland," said Walter Cohen, director of the city's Community and Economic Development Agency...

The Man Behind Oakland's Art Murmur
"...He sees this can really be something that sets Oakland apart."

OAR Testimonials
Read what your fellow Members have to say about OAR Member Benefits!

Sewer Lateral Requirements
Click here to read about changes to the Sewer Lateral Requirements for Oakland, Piedmont and Emeryville...

Brand New Button - Multifamily Resources!
Click here or on the new Multifamily Resources button in the middle panel...

Oaklandish Make Local Love a Business Model
Read more here!

Bulletin! Key Access to SILVAR Lockboxes
If you want to access Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS lockboxes, please click here!

Fed to Keep Interest Rates Low Until 2013
"This is unprecedented for the Fed to indicate they are ready to keep rates low for two more years."

Sungevity Commits to Oakland
In a major boost for Oakland and its quest to capture cutting-edge companies, solar power company Sungevity said Thursday it will stay in the city with lease deals that enable the company to more than double its space and accommodate the hundreds of workers it is hiring, city officials and executives said Thursday...

Introducing...The Weekly Oakland Vibe eNewsletter
OAR, First with the News You Need to Know in a weekly emailed Newsletter! Are you receiving The Oakland Vibe?

OAR, First With The News You Need to Know!
C.A.R.'s Housing Market Forecast for 2012...click here!

REALTOR Badge - Add to Your Website Now!
OAR, first with the news you need to know...click here.

FREE LISTINGBOOK CLASSES!!
Click here for the schedule of free Listingbook classes - OAR Members can attend any session with an RSVP...

Bernanke: More Needs to be Done to Help Housing
Click here to read more in this NAR REALTOR Mag article...

TakeAway From the C.A.R. Business Meetings in San Jose
90% of the Internet traffic in 2013 will be video. HAVE YOU BROUGHT VIDEO INTO YOUR REAL ESTATE BUSINESS?

How Sellers Choose a Listing Agent - In Order of Importance
Best marketing proposal, Most knowledgable, Used tech tools, Lowest cost, Quickest response time, Personal referral...what do you think?

2011 C.A.R. Business Meetings Report
President Anne Bruff and Past-President Barry Bennett report back with "takeaways" from the recently concluded C.A.R. Meetings in San Jose...click here!

Listingbook
The best FREE client/prospect management tool for our MLS subscribers? Click here!

Men Versus Women
How they differ in real estate...click here!

Should We All List on Friday?
What day of the week should you list your home?

Roost - A FREE OAR Member Benefit
We just set up our Roost campaign on Facebook and it was easy as pie. Click here to establish your social media presence!

Mortgage Re-Fi Plan
Will this work? Read more in this SFGate article...

We'll Take All the HARP we can Get
Why it will work this time...what do you think?

CONGRESS RESTORES FHA LOAN LIMITS!
The limits will rise to 125 percent of the area median home price from 115 percent, up to a maximum $729,750 from $625,500...

New! October Statistics for Oakland, Piedmont & Emeryville
Click here!

Where Do Homes Sell The Fastest? CLICK HERE!
Check out Oakland at #5...

OAR YPN Holiday Food Drive!
Join the OAR/YPN Food Drive! Donate online, drop off to our office or request an Alameda County Community Food Bank barrel for your office! To participate, please contact our 2011 YPN Chair, Denise Kees at denise@ypa-co.com

Fannie Mae's Holiday Gift
“The holidays are meant for families to spend time together, especially if they’ve gone through the stress of financial challenges and foreclosure..."

FHA - New Darlings of the Loan Industry?
This may make the FHA the go-to financing option for borrowers in high-cost areas...

Oakland's Historic Tribune Tower Sold!
"These 300 jobs are going to be significant for the Oakland economy," said Gregory Hunter, Oakland's deputy director of economic development. "These employees will support the retail and restaurant businesses in the neighborhood."

OAR's Own Oral Lee Brown at Times Square!


Yesterday's Newspaper - Oakland's Free Shuttle
Holiday shopping and fun in Downtown Oakland!

Bay Area Rent Fraud - Beware!
"Never wire funds via Western Union, MoneyGram or any other wire service -- anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer."

Oakland's Blues Walk of Fame
A long time coming...read more here!

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! OAR'S 2012 Inaugural
Click here for details and to buy your event ticket...Questions? 510-836-3000

Rise in Homebuilding Suggests Industry Turnaround
"It'll keep getting better through next year," said Jared Franz, an associate economist at T. Rowe Price...

It's a Great Time to Buy!
"If you want to buy a house, it's probably the best time in California in 30 years."

Rate on 30-Year Mortgage Down to Record 3.91%
They could fall even lower this year if the Fed launches another round of bond purchases, as some economists expect...

Pending Home Sales Highest in Over a Year-and-a-Half
Pending home sales continued to rise in November, reaching their highest level in 19 months, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported late last week...

Oakland in the New York TImes!
Plan your trip to Oakland with The New York Times Travel Guide, featuring the best hotels, restaurants, museums, shopping and more...

OAR, First With The News You Need to Know!
"No one is expecting a dramatic fall in house prices," Sohn said. "That gets people buying houses."

OAR Will Be Closed on Monday, February 20th
in observance of President's Day and reopen at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, February 21st...have a safe holiday!

Learn How to Incorporate Apple Products Into Your Real Estate Business!
FREE CLASS at the Emeryville Apple Store brought to you by OAR and YPN. Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 9:00 AM. Click here for details!

KEY RECIPROCITY IS HERE!
Click here to find out more about this long awaited lockbox key co-op with our neighboring MLSs...

Oakland-Based Company Buying Up Bank Owned Properties
OAR Member and Oakland real estate broker Paul Valva -- who agreed he hasn't seen the model applied anywhere in the Bay Area so far -- said investing in rentals is a good idea right now, with rents going up across the Bay Area as former homeowners flood the rental market.

First Time Homebuyers Are Entering the Market!
A California Association of Realtors survey shows first-time buyers growing from 19 percent of the state's housing market in 2008 to 43 percent in 2011.

The Market is Slowly Reviving
"The housing sidelines are full of buyers and sellers," said Andew LePage of DataQuick."

The Vote is In
Even in a down housing market, home ownership remains a core American value...

OAR Tech Tip
Wanna learn how to do something? YouTube can be better than Google - Learn by watching instead of reading...

Housing Crisis to End in 2012 as Banks Loosen Credit Standards
What do you think? Too bold or right on?

Rise in Home Sales Signifies Strengthening Market: Economists
Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), concurs with Dales’ assessment, saying “The pattern of home sales in recent months demonstrates a market in recovery.”

Alain Pinel is Back!
The "real" Alain Pinel's return to the Bay Area to mark the return of a healthy real estate market?

Inside Scoop SF Highlights Oakland Eateries
Read about Bakesale Betty and Ike's Lair here...

Obama's New Home Refinance Plan
How about an annual savings of $3000?

NAR Supports Obama's Pledge
Read more here!

1st Super Bowl Real Estate Ad in 20 Years!
Sign of things to come?

How to Fight a Low Appraisal
...the first thing a home seller needs to do is set a realistic sale price...

Californians to Receive $18 Billion in Mortgage Relief
The attorney general said she will propose legislation to protect homeowners, including a single point of contact with banks for mortgage-holders and an end to the frustrating practice by banks in working with homeowners on mortgage modifications while at the same time preparing to foreclose...

West Oakland Marked by Changes!
"We are being gentrified," she said, as she looked out at the neighborhood surrounding the school. "We are in it. It's not coming; it's here."

Banks Pay Delinquent Borrowers $35,000 to Sell Their Homes
"I got the offer in the mail," said the Rancho Cordova, Calif. resident. "I called my bank to ask if it was real."

The Ultimate Aphrodisiac
What does this have to do with real estate? Click here to find out!

3-Year Low for Foreclosures in January
"January's numbers should put to rest any notion that we will see a wave of foreclosures in 2012," said Sean O'Toole, head of ForeclosureRadar, which published the report.

Housing Market Shows Strength:
"More people, at least in the Bay Area, are feeling good enough about the economy, secure enough in their jobs, to step off the sidelines and buy a house, particularly move-up buyers," said Andrew LePage of DataQuick."More people are worrying less about prices going down in the future. That's our sense of how the psychology has changed in the last year."

Oakland Art Murmur
One wonders if Gertrude Stein would write “there is no there there” about Oakland if she could see the thousands of people who convene every month for this city’s rambunctious art crawl and street bacchanal.

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