You were looking forward to sleeping in after a long week of commuting. You’ve been killing it at work lately, and might have even gotten a promotion. But once again, the upstairs neighbor is wearing those darn clanky shoes. It’s like they’re stomping on your hopes and dreams. You try to fall back asleep, but the neighbor’s dog has decided to start barking again. So you grab your phone and start scrolling through Facebook and Instagram.
landed a great paying job with benefits, but you still don’t feel like an adult. It would feel so good to have your family over and show them how far you’ve come. But when you look around, the decor is lacking. The furniture is all hand-me-downs, IKEA, or stuff off the street or garage sales. You’ve worked hard to make it this far, but your place hasn’t kept up with it.
Even still, you’re hosting a brunch this weekend with some of your friends and family. You’re nervous because your housemate dirtied the kitchen last night. It’s been harder and harder to communicate with them about keeping the place tidy.
It came in an envelope with the landlord’s property management company’s logo on it. You thought at first it was a notice that the property was being sold and that you’d have to vacate.
What should be good news makes you nervous. You know that the place you’re renting could have a huge rent increase, or the landlord may want to sell it.
You have some savings that you’ve worked hard to set aside, you wanted to go on vacation but thought better of it.
You’ve also been sitting on some inheritance money, but that money is for your financial freedom. But who can you trust with so much of your well being at stake?
So you punched some values into an online mortgage calculator and got a bit of an idea of what you can afford.
You’ve looked online at homes that you think would be a good fit.
You even talked to friends and family about their experiences with homeownership. You asked them what they thought of the housing market.
You tried talking with your housemate about going in on place together. Only if they could keep their stuff off the floors and dishes out of the sink.
Everyone you talked to has a different opinion and the whole idea has gotten more and more confusing.
You even got to the point where you were going to let that online lender pull your credit score. But you chickened out. You don’t want a negative mark on your credit score! The honest truth is you don’t know who to trust, and this thing is way too big.
And now you’re going to be hosting yet another get together. And you are going to have to clean up the mess your housemate left. And throw together the place to make it look halfway decent. You’ll survive the party, let’s be real. But if you don’t make some serious moves things are going to get worse.
You could get stuck. Home prices are going up, if you don’t start working towards a goal you are going to end up left in the dust.
The data shows that, property values double in the bay area every 7 years.
throw money away. I’m sure you’ve thought about what it costs to rent vs. buy. The average rent in Oakland is $2,854 a month, and in Berkeley it’s $3,240 dollars.
Sure, you aren’t responsible for the upkeep of the rental, but that money could be going towards your future. You could go on that vacation, but what’s the point of vacationing when there is no set future. It would feel empty, wouldn’t it?
You could get stuck in a cycle. You know that if you don’t buy a place you are going to have to rent. This exposes you to having to move again, and the next time you won’t be able to afford the neighborhood you want to be in. Some people have the luxury of being able to work remote, or they don’t have kids or plan on having them. They can live wherever their hearts content. I know you have bigger plans than that.
You could even see all three happen at the same time. You get a notice that your lease is terminating. Rent has gone up across the board and you can’t afford a place in the area you want to rent in. You aren’t ready to buy a home of your own because you didn’t take the time to set yourself up. Imagine not being able to afford a place in the area you have to live. Would you move back in with your parents? Would you rent a room in a crowded party house? Those would be major steps backwards.
He told me that he was nervous about maintaining the amount of business he was doing. He expected the progression of the disease to slow him down. He would need someone to support him and to later pass the business on to.
I’m the 6th of 7 kids, and I jokingly asked him how many of my siblings said no to him before he got around to asking me. He smiled wisely and looked me straight in the eye and said he asked me first and didn’t have a plan B. I was speechless.
I was baffled by the request. How my dad, a Philosophy major with a Masters in Education, could ever think I was his first pick as heir apparent didn’t add up.
I worked at a brewery to earn enough money so I could pursue my aspirations to be heard by thousands of people. It was never about the money. I knew the possibility was there to get rich doing what I loved, but the odds were very small. Kind of like making a million dollars at the two dollar black jack table.
I was always more interested in having a positive impact and I thought a great way to do that was to create music. It’s timeless. It doesn’t matter where or why the music is being listened to. It’s an opportunity to make a positive difference in someone’s day.
As I learned more about what the job entailed, it started to make more and more sense to me.
Soon, I realized that we helped people turn thoughts or a feeling into a physical object that could be lived in. A safe place for memories to be made. An investment in the people and their lives as they imagined. I loved it!
Looking back, I wish I’d made a plan, but love bombing had me in a daze. We must be in love, right? I put playing music on hold and focused on the business and raising a family.
At work, I was thriving. Naturally upbeat, my positive thinking helped me get investors into contract, or keep first time buyers invigorated in their search. I have a client who regularly tells me how I changed her life. She’d lost hope and my positivity kept her going. Real estate is hard sometimes, and my personality is so disarming that even someone in the dumps can’t help but smile.
My wife had gotten sick while pregnant with our second child. In the course of a year, she had 3 heavy duty surgeries. She wasn’t happy in the Bay Area and wanted to move closer to her family in LA .If I didn’t behave exactly as she wanted she would threaten to leave with the kids.
Ignorance is not bliss. It’s suffering, poverty, and divorce. The last thing I ever wanted was to raise kids in a broken family, and I operated out of that fear for a few more years as the cycle of abuse worsened. Being the sole provider, I was told that I was worthless and was kept from my family and loved ones and so were my kids.
All because I was afraid that she would move them away. Well guess what? One day, she did, and all that hard work was for nothing. Or so I thought.
It started with a request for divorce because she couldn’t get health insurance because of my income. Only for that reason. She asked me to move out, so her sister could help her recover from her surgery. We had an informal agreement that I could see the kids when I wanted for as long as I wanted. None of it felt right, but I went ahead.
We weren’t getting along, and she was stressed about her health and wanted to move back to LA. I asked for defined kid time, but she said no. Because I thought the divorce was purely logistical, I’d defaulted on the proceedings.
It took me over a year to recover. There were lawyers and courtrooms and it sucked. I’m happy to inform you that I have 50/50 legal and physical custody and I get to see my kids frequently and for long periods in the summer. They’re thriving, beautiful and well adjusted.
Incredibly, I met a gal that has two kids of her own, similar in age, and she loves me for who I am. We’re getting married and she isn’t even pregnant! Miraculously, my family has doubled in size and the love in my heart has quadrupled.
All this happened to me for a reason. It made me the person I am today, and I’m so grateful for it. I was afraid to commit to working in this area for the rest of my life. I’m now able to wholeheartedly invest my time in the community I was raised in and love.
The foundations you set for the life you want to build are essential. Getting to help you with a pretty big part of setting down roots - getting your first house, is a joy and an honor.
I created the SMART Buyer Guide to help cure symptoms of misinformed buyers and to put them firmly in control of their destiny. So let's get SMART about the process.
We need to start by taking an inventory of where you are and your short and your long term goals. This works best when we sit down either at our office or at a property you are interested in. If you’re reading this, one of your goals is homeownership - but what else? In order to find a house match, we need to be clear on where you are and where you want to be.
We will take all of this into consideration while we tailor a specific strategy for you. Do you want one house? Most people start with the house they live in for a number of reasons. Perhaps down the line you will want to have a home for your kids or a vacation house or rental properties. Let’s talk about all of that. I want to help you put together real estate plans that meet the goals you have for your life, not just the number of bedrooms you want right here and now.
It’s important to know where you are in life, if you don’t have a plan you are exactly where you should be. By taking the time to hear the things that are important to you we will be able to better assist you. It’s like walking around in a room with the lights off- it will take us a lot longer to find the door. So let’s turn the light on!
I bet you've entered some financial information into a mortgage calculator. You’ve talked to some family members about helping you with a down payment.
If you need a mortgage, talking with a lender will allow you to understand exactly what’s needed to be completely pre-approved. They will tell you how to begin the process of collecting your information to submit to them.
I have resources I share with you to get the ball rolling on this. The lender you decide to work with has control over some very important negotiating points so take good care with this step. The strength of your offer will depend in many ways on the strength of the lender you choose to work with. Talking with a lender allows you to get sound financial information for your situation. There’s a lot of paperwork needed, and it’s good to speak to at least a few different people your first time out. Don’t worry, I’ll provide you with questions to ask each lender. I'll also give you a list of trusted partners to contact, so you can make a confident decision.
Being the best buyer you can be may take a few days, a few weeks, a few months, and in some cases a few years. That’s fine, we are here for you as your strength grows.
Before you were just window shopping. Now you actually have purchasing power. How will you know it’s the right house?
There's three main things to know and you can count on me to help you learn. Understanding the properties condition and location and supporting documentation or disclosures. You'll want a good idea of the seller’s expectations. And we'll need to have a clear sense of how the listing agent likes to do business.
you need to be specific. Being specific clarifies your wants and needs. With this kind of focus you aren’t going to be wasting time in the wrong neighborhood or the wrong house. You won't be spinning your wheels on a property that is going to go out of your target price. Or wasting time on a home that requires too much in the way of maintenance or repairs.
but looking at a bunch of homes can be overwhelming. At a certain point, they all start to blend together. That’s why I have a special tool to help sort the inventory before we ever go house hunting. It’ll help you see what you like or dislike in different homes. You can give the home a star rating, a heart, or send it to the trash.
With a clear sense of what you like and a list of properties in hand, we’ll start visiting homes. Once we’ve found a home that you love, we’ll look at the background information or disclosures provided. That will help us plan your offer. Often times, a letter to the seller can set you apart.
You have to start reading through disclosures and imagine owning these homes. You are putting all the hard work you’ve done to use now. Keep in mind what may work at one property may not work at another. The only way to learn detailed information about the properties you like is to see them in person. Then take it a step further and review the disclosure information.
Understanding the paperwork involved is a critical part of the process. I’ll provide you with sample documents and walk you through what putting in an offer will be like.
Based on what we have we can start to determine the best way to get the property into contract. Often times a personal letter can differentiate you from other offers. To write an authentic letter you need to have an attachment to the property. At this point we will help you write the property specific letter and review the offer paperwork.
This helps you be sure that the home you’ve put an offer on is a sound investment. There may be an opportunity to renegotiate the final price in this stage. Repairs or inspection issues are factored in to negotiate a better price.
We want to move through escrow without delays. At the end of this stage, we’ll do a walkthrough together to make sure the home is in the same condition you bought it in.
Real estate is relationship driven. You need to trust your agent. You should know that no matter what you have someone that can help you with anything real estate related.
you are finally in a place that is your own. You are a property owner that can count on each mortgage payment going towards your future.
You aren’t throwing your money away. You will have a home that you are proud of.
You have a home to pass on to your family and loved ones. You finally belong, and can invest your time in the community where you live.
Eli helped me to purchase my third home. He is without question the nicest, most reliable, and honest realtor I've ever worked with. He brought a level of personal caring to my experience that goes far beyond what's to be expected. He was patient, a great negotiator, and helped me to secure a home far beyond what I had hoped for in a tough market. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Elijah Fletcher is an amazing agent. My wife and I were first time home buyers and Elijah was so thorough and intuitive with us. He always kept us informed and involved with up to date information. I don't think we would be in our home if it wasn't for Elijah and all his assistance. Not only is he a wealth of knowledge, Elijah is a great and funny individual. If you are first time buyer or just looking to move to the Bay Area I highly recommend him.
In our months long search for our new home, Eli provided consistent support, neighborhood education and a clear read on the quickly changing market to help us finally win a beautiful home in the Dimond/Laurel District of Oakland. We had come in at second or third place on multiple other bids, and even when we were devastated by those losses, Eli was there to champion us on and show us there were many more beautiful homes out there. He took pains to work within our budget and quickly came to understand what our aesthetic was. Best of all, he's a really nice guy, and we were so glad for his support during this process. His reputation and good standing within the realty community really helped us finally win a bid. We highly recommend that you also go with Eli, and we definitely plan to connect with him in the future if we ever have real estate needs again. TWO THUMBS UP!
My situation was rather unusual in that I live and work about three counties away from where I hoped to relocate. I appreciate how Eli worked out ways for the purchase to happen without me having to make multiple 4-hour round trip drives. I AM ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL FOR how Eli took it upon himself to meet with the appraiser contracted by my mortgage company. He believed it important that he give the appraiser, who was coming from out of the area, a comprehensive overview of the current, unique, and outrageous market in Alameda County. I believe Eli’s efforts helped achieve the appraisal that qualified for the mortgage.
During the call we will talk about your specific needs. We will go over any questions you may have about the SMART Guide. Then we will come up with a timeline if it seems like we are a good fit to work with each other.