Main Menu
Our Listings
$245,000
1980 Shea Dr
Pinole, CA
Great 3/2 needs new owners! Make an appointment today to see this wonderful property. Bamboo floors, beautiful tile and vaulted ceilings accent this home. This home has a nice courtyard that you can access from the dining room or living room. Access to the 2 car garage is from the rear. Imagine the possibilities for this home!
More information.
$1,750,000
37 Nunes Dr.
Novato, CA
Amazing home on a cul-de-sac in the hills of Novato on approx 1.25 acres! Open kitchen w/ built-in appliances and ample storage. Formal dining room has sweeping valley views. The living room has a stunning wood-beam vaulted ceiling. The easy layout is great for entertaining. Level outdoor space - potential for a tennis court, pool & more.
More information.
$420,000
7335 Sheffield Ln.
Dublin, CA
Cute as a button contemporary home in a quiet neighborhood near schools and parks. This home has been lovingly maintained. It has an updated eat-in kitchen, formal dining room, living room with fireplace, 3 nice size bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The nicely landscaped front & rear yard.
More information.
$155,000
500 Grove Ave.
Richmond, CA
Built in 2003, this home has an open layout w/ lots of room for everyone! The spacious living room has a wood burning fireplace. The kitchen is open to the dining room. This home boasts 4 big bedrooms w/ good size closets and 2 full bathrooms. Both baths have separate showers & tubs. This home is fully encompassed by a lovely white wrought iron fence. In addition to the 1 car garage, there is off-street parking for at least 4 cars!
More information.
$175,000
560 Miflin Ave.
El Sobrante, CA
Charming El Sobrante home with a great layout waiting for a new owner! This home features a spacious living room w/ real wood burning fireplace, an open kitchen w/ beautiful granite counter tops and lots of storage & a nice size dining room that opens to the yard. The front yard has beautiful flowering trees, a rose tree and other flowering bushes. The back yard has flowering vines, a delicious lemon tree and wonderful rosemary bush!
Currently pending but contact us to make a back-up offer!
More information.
$273,000
920 39th St.
Oakland, CA
This incredible home has been lovingly cared for and is now available for a new owner! This home has a large entry that flow to the separate living and dining rooms. The main level has 1 nice size bedroom and bath. Also on this level is a small bonus room that would be perfect for an office/study or child's play room. This is a split-level home. Up a short flight of stairs is the master suite. The master suite has a very nice size bedroom and an incredible bathroom with separate shower and tub. There is interior access to the finished basement which contains a utility room, laundry area and bonus room with closet (currently being used as a 3rd bedroom). This home has awalk score of 74! 3 blocks to BART and minutes to 580, 80, 24 and 880. This is a wonderful home.
Currently pending but contact us to make a back-up offer!
More information.
Getting Started
Here is the basic process:
- Contact Service First Real Estate. During
our initial conversation, we will discuss the buying process
and make sure that you are either pre-approved or prepared for
the pre-approval process.
- Get pre-approved for financing. Getting a
loan today is more complex than ever. There are fewer types of
loans and companies to choose from these days. The type of
financing you choose Here is a quick list of the most commonly
required documents that will be required:
- Pay stubs for the past 30 days
- Federal tax returns for 2009 and 2010 with all schedules and W-2s
- Bank statements for checking and savings accounts for the past 2 months
- Most recent asset statement accounts (IRA, 401k, etc.)
- Copy of your driver’s license
- Complete a full loan application
- Search for a home. We can arrange for you
to receive home listings via email so that you are the 1st to
know when a property that meets your criteria hits the market.
- Make an offer. Most offers consist of the
standard California Association of Realtors (CAR) Residential
Purchase Agreement, CAR Buyer’s Inspection Advisory and Agency
Disclosure. If the offer is for a short sale, you will also
need to complete a CAR Short Sale Addendum. If the offer is
for a bank owned property, you may need to complete a bank
addendum provided by the bank/owner. If the seller accepts
your offer, you will proceed to Step 5. If the offer is for a
short sale property, the seller will need to obtain their
lender’s approval of the offer. This can take several months
depending on the lender and how many loans are on the
property.
- Make a good faith deposit to escrow.
Within 3 days of the seller’s acceptance of your offer, you
will deposit funds to an account established with an escrow
company which will serve as the 3rd party record keeper for
the transaction.
- Inspect the property. Your purchase
contract will specify how many days you have to complete your
inspection of the property. In addition to the inspections
performed by professional inspectors, you will also review a
disclosure package provided by the seller and other documents
provided by the title company and homeowner’s association if
applicable. If you are not satisfied with the condition and we
cannot negotiate with the seller to rectify the situation, you
can cancel your purchase and your deposit will be returned. A
licensed professional will handle your inspections. Other
inspections may be performed if suggested as the result of one
of the commonly scheduled inspections below:
- General Home Inspection
- Termite Inspection
- Roof Inspection
- Obtain full loan approval including an acceptable
appraisal. This is where your choice of mortgage
professional becomes very important. It is his or her job to
order the appraisal and obtain the loan approval within a time
period specified by the contract. Some sellers penalize buyers
for not closing escrow within the timeframe specified in the
contract. The penalty is usually a daily charge ranging from
$50 to $150. Your job during this period is to return any
document your mortgage professional requests ASAP since delays
may be very costly for you! To make the process go as quickly
and smoothly as possible, you should make sure you have given
your mortgage professional a complete loan application and all
documents listed in Step 1. If more than 30 days have passed
between the time you completed Step 1 and the seller’s
acceptance of your offer, you will need to provide updated
your documents (pay stubs, bank statements and asset account
statements) to your mortgage professional. If you are unable
to get a full loan approval, including an acceptable appraisal
within the timeframe set forth in the contract and the seller
will not provide you an extension in writing, you can cancel
your purchase and your deposit will be returned.
- Release your contingencies. Once you are
satisfied with the condition of the property and you have
received a full loan approval, all contingencies are released
in writing.
- Sign final documents and make the final deposit to
escrow. Your final documents will consist of your
loan documents and other legal documents such as your deed.
Your final deposit will be the difference between your
purchase price plus transaction costs (usually 1.5%-3% and
include your costs to obtain your loan, title policy, escrow
charges, items required to be paid in advance, etc.) minus
your good faith deposit.
- Loan funds. Your lender wires funds to
the escrow company.
- Escrow closes. Normally the day after the
loan funds, escrow will close. Loans are normally funded
Monday – Thursday. It’s your home-sweet-home and you are given
the keys!
From the time you begin your home search until you close escrow, you must not do any of the following:
- Apply for new credit
- Make major purchases
- Make unusual deposits to your bank accounts (no deposits other than your normal pay any unusual deposits will have to be explained in writing and sourced)
- Change jobs