How Facebook Facebook Latest from The Business Journals San Francisco’s hottest ‘hood? Try TriSoMaWant Facebook shares? You may already own someFamily of Facebook founder, other execs to do well in IPO Follow this company ’s blockbuster IPO will impact Silicon Valley’s housing market is something Realtors, potential home buyers and sellers alike have been paying attention to for months.

This week, I talked to a few Realtors in the area and heard some interesting things about what this mega IPO could mean for folks looking to buy or sell a home. To sum it up, they predict: higher prices, multiple offers, unsolicited offers and crazy demand in already tight markets. Oh, and potential East Bay migration.

Full story is available on bizjournals.com

Seasonal factors play an important role in selling a property, but there are other things to consider as well, such as supply and demand and the uniqueness of the local market conditions. No matter when a home goes to market, one should take a few things into consideration that might affect not just the ability to sell the home, but the ability to get the highest price for the home. Timing is everything!

Buyers are increasingly affected by our seasons and that affects their attitude as to when they purchase their home. In Ontario, we enjoy four distinct and beautiful seasons and these changing seasons play a large part in creating good buying conditions.

Full story is available on Oakville.com

Surprising as this may sound some real estate agents, when trying to show a house to a prospective buyer, can’t even get into the property because the front-door lock doesn’t work properly.

That’s according to Abbey Realty broker Ted Leland, who said he has encountered that problem before, and has included it among a series of tips on a recent mailer to past and potential customers. The tips are directed at those home sellers trying to compete with foreclosures and short sales in this market.

Full story is available on The Olympian

Last week, I met with a couple to discuss their move up plan. They have decided that the time is right to buy a bigger home, but need advice on what to do with their current residence in Los Altos—to rent or to sell.

They’re also concerned, if they do decide to keep their home as a rental, whether they can secure the necessary financing to make that happen.

Full story is available on Patch

Cash buyers are putting undue downward pressure on home prices, and sending the values on homes much lower than would otherwise be sold single family home developing, according to a survey by Campbell Inside Mortgage Finance. The firms Housing Pulse Tracking Survey is taken monthly.

The December survey also showed that many of the purchasers are investors, who account for one out of three transactions or 33.2%. A huge 74% of investor purchases were all cash home purchases during the last month of the year, according to the survey.

Full story is available on Housing Predictor

California housing sales increased 15.5 percent in December compared to November sales numbers. Around 37,734 new construction homes, resale homes, and condominiums sold in the state, which was up from November’s number of 32,669 sales. The average home-sale volume in California is 44,063, according to the latest Data Quick report.

Full story is available on BestSyndication

There’s certainly no shortage of real estate Web sites. If you spend time online looking for real estate advice or searching for properties, you know that.

This is mostly a good thing because more information makes for more educated consumers. But it can be a challenge to wade through all of the information available and determine which sources are credible. Finding sources with relevant information can also be a challenge, so let me tell you about three real estate sites with a Texas focus

Full story is available on Blanco County News

While people are actively looking in the winter just as they are in the spring, summer and fall, most homes just don’t look as good in the brown, drab winter as they do in the spicy spring and summer. If you want to sell your home this winter here are some helpful tips:

1. Keep it cozy. You want your home to be warm so people can comfortably take their time viewing it. Saving money on heating costs isn’t worth it if it means freezing out your potential buyers.

Full story is available on Patch

Real estate agents say it can be very difficult for a homeowner to start treating their home like a product.

But that’s exactly what they must do when that “For Sale” sign goes up.

Full story is available on fdlreporter.com

Regulations intended to promote accurate real estate appraisals sometimes result in poorly qualified appraisers being assigned to determine property values for mortgage lenders, the nation’s largest professional organization for real estate appraisers has acknowledged.