Habitat for Hermanity: Your Real Estate Infotainment...Where Housing Hilarity Ensues! San Francisco Bay Area Realtor Herman Chan - Habitat For Hermanity

Catch Herman Hosting AREAA's Golf Event!

6/28/2012

3rd Annual Golf Tournament
Presented by AREAA Greater Sacramento Chapter

I had a fabulous time last year and am honored Asian Real Estate Association of America asked me again to host the 3rd Annual Golf Tournament and Dinner. Proceeds from Golf Tournament goes towards AREAA Sacramento's Community Outreach programs. See you there!
Date: June 29, 2012
Golf Course: Lincoln Hills Golf Club (1005 Sun City Lane, Lincoln,CA 95648)
Contact: Linn Chinnapongse
Tournament & Dinner Fee: $145

VIDEO: What Does Contingent Upon Inspection Mean?

6/28/2012

Let's say you are in the middle of buying a house, but find out mid-way that the place needs a new $50,000 foundation? You are under contract and might lose your deposit money! How do you avoid this mess? Be sure your purchase agreement has an inspection contingency period for you to do your due diligence. Without that clause, the seller might keep your deposit for damages if you try to back out. It can get nasty quick!

Contingent Upon Inspection Definition -- powered by ehow

Couple Destroy $4.2M Home Because It Blocked Their View!

6/27/2012

Clark & Sharon Winslow own a $19M mansion in Belvedere (above San Francisco). The next door $4.2M house was blocking their view. So, naturally, they bought it & demolished it. Pass the caviar, my dear.

I'm just gonna say it. For a $4.2M home, this is looking real low-rent! Well, it's a pile of rubble now.

Beyonce & Jay-Z Have A SOLID GOLD THRONE . . . Installed In Their PENTHOUSE Apt!!! (They Goin' OVERBOARD)

6/27/2012

This better be for a music video....lest these 2 are gettin' too hoity-toity for my tastes!

via mediatakeout.com

Even Real Estate Diva Stresses Out Over Selling Her Own Home

6/27/2012

Despite being the Real Estate Diva & 'Shark Tank' TV Judge, Barbara Corcoran explains why it's still challenging for even her to sell her own place! Many agents can't be objective with their own home (we're only human!), so often another agent will represent them. Barbara is no exception. She had someone else list her house.

Hermanity on Real Estate Coaches Radio Show

6/25/2012

I had a great time chatting with radio host Brenton Hayden, dubbed by Entrepreneur Magazine as Top 5 Entrepreneur of 2010. He also went to Harvard and MIT. Unlike me, he ain't no dumb dumb! If you missed me on KFAN radio this weekend, catch my interview here! (3:15-32:22). The Real Estate Coaches & I discuss challenges of the rental market, average sales price in SF and why photos & floorplans are so important in marketing properties (duh, people are visual creatures!).

Snooki & J-Wow's New Digs: Guidette Barbie House!

6/23/2012

Snooki & J-Wow said their new apartment is like a guidette Barbie house....but it looks more like a cross between a zoo & a brothel to me!

Wok Kitchens, Floors 8-88, Multi-Generation Mansions: The Chinese Are Coming!

6/23/2012

Wall St Journal reports huge national trend of builders courting Chinese buyers. Where do they get all this cash from?! I'm Chinese and I have no idea! I'm such a "disgr-Asian"

History of Zoning Explains Classism & Racism

6/23/2012

Do you know why San Francisco banned laundromats in certain neighborhoods 1885? Zoning to keep the Chinese out! Why do the NYC high rises have same look stacked (smaller & smaller boxes on top of one another, with a crown on top)? Answer again is zoning! The Atlantic explains how the birth of zoning in America is a result of sociological racial and class agendas. Innerestin'!

Get a OctoLoan from OctoMom!

6/23/2012

OctoMom is now hocking loans! Makes perfect sense, right? You'd take financial advice from someone who popped out 8 babies with no job, can't pay her rent, gets evicted, and more! Unfortch, the loans offered have astronomically high interest rates and prey on people who aren't particularly money savvy (aka, her peers!).

Brokerage Owner Busts Own Agent Over Drug Deals!

6/23/2012

The owner of a real estate brokerage in Canada became suspicious when several homes one of his agents sold were later involved in drug busts! So he set up a sting with the local police & busted her. Geez, with employees like that, who needs enemies! The public already think realtors are just one step about attorneys (very low)...We don't need to be one step above crack dealers! LOL!

Live On the Sea For Long Periods on Time!

6/20/2012

Check out the SeaOrbiter, the worlds 1st vertical standing ship that is self sustained! French architect Jacques Rougerie & NASA designed this $52.7M project to study the ocean for long periods of time. I suspect if this is a success, it won't be long before this gets commercialized and fleets of these are built for those who never want to set foot on land again!

"Mountain of Agents" Rolls Out New Video

6/20/2012

You'll recall I interviewed Michael Becker from agent review site Mountain of Agents last year. They've just rolled out a funny new clip. "Our web video series focuses on a couple looking for a home, only to find themselves in bizarre situations - thanks to a real estate agent who isn't taking their best interests to heart." I know there are some uptight agents who won't get this but I think it is hilarious. More importantly, it underscores how important it is to vet an agent when selecting representation!

Kevin Costner Wants Privacy But Neighbor Wants View

6/19/2012

bunched up man scarves don't work on guys

SBView reports that Kevin Costner's neighbor says Kevin is blocking his rightful view of the ocean by erecting tall hedges. Kevin argues he needs his privacy. Who is right? The development has a rule that fordids hedges of 6 ft tall. Score one for neighbor. Kevin may be able to argue that his neighbor property and/or development does not have a view ordinance. I predict the neighbor will prevail in this lawsuit. Celebrity or not, rules are rules!

Mirror House...What is this for?!

6/19/2012

SF Bay Area Buyers Starved for Inventory!

6/19/2012

6 of the top 10 metros where housing inventory has plummeted are in California! From last year, the % of homes available to buy dropped 56% in Oakland, 49% in Fresno & Bakersfield, 41% in San Jose, 39% in Stockton & San Francisco. When you hear buyers complain "The inventory stinks!" "There's nothing new on the market!" , they ain't lying! Let's hope more listings hit. Gotta stay prayed up!

The Marilyn Monroe of Skyscrapers! Va-Va Voom!

6/18/2012

The Absolute Towers in Canada just snagged the award for Best Tall Buildings in the Americas. I can see why they're dubbed the "Marilyn Monroe of Skyscrapers." Look at those voluptuous curves!

Rodney King Dies: Race is Still Hot Topic..even in Real Estate

6/17/2012

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In light of Rodney King's passing today, I wanted to share this clip from today's UP With Chris Hayes. The discussion about "Race & Real Estate" proves we are still wrangling 2 decades later. Is housing policy an answer to gentrification? What do you think?

Yet Another House Hunters "Exposé" ...Yawn

6/17/2012

A few times a year another House Hunters expose surfaces. It's the same complaint; it's staged, it's phony, it's scripted. (But honey, 70%-80% of reality TV is fake! Just ask the Bachelor creator!) For some reason this latest complaint first seen on Hooked on Houses got picked up by lots of media outlets. This is gettin' old, folks! Let's revisit my prior post from Jan 29, 2012: So Tired of These "Is House Hunters Real or Fake" Articles! It's HGTV, Not PBS!

VIDEO: Bungalows, Maisons, Condos...What's the Difference?

6/17/2012

Differences in Maisons, Condos, & Bungalows -- powered by ehow

Is That a Jailcell For Sale!?

6/17/2012

Comes with washer , dryer and handcuffs

Herman is Top Agent Magazine's New Cover Boy!

6/12/2012

Top Agent Magazine just interviewed me! We discuss jaded clients, phony agents & why selling real estate is perfect for over-achievers! Enjoy!

Past cover boys include Mauricio Umansky (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) & Josh Flagg (Million Dollar Listing), as well as L.A. powerhouse agent Valerie Fitzgerald. What great company. I guess for once, I'm doing something right!

Real Estate Group Bans Smoking in ALL Its Apartments

6/12/2012

When you open a door to show a unit, and the first thing the viewer blurts out is, "Did someone smoke here?!", you know that cigarette stench is costing you money.

Well, The Towbes Group Inc. of Santa Barbara has decided to ban smoking in almost 2,000 apartments across 13 of its complexes. This isn't some attempt at improving ecology or health (although that is reason enough). The smoking ban is meant to cut costs, since cleaning apartments previously rented by smokers is generally 2x as expensive as that of non-smokers.

Is That a Donut?! Nope, It's an Apple

6/11/2012

What do you think of Apple's new Campus 2? It's a 300,000 sq ft spaceship donut equipped for 13,000 employees! Assuming Cupertino gives the greenlight, expect this campus to debut in 2015.

Rash of Real Estate Agent Murders!! Be Safe Y'all!

6/11/2012

There ain't no housing hilarity to this! Realtors are being slain across the country. It's an epidemic! RisMedia reports: 2 real-estate agents recently were killed in vacant homes for sale, & another was robbed....all within 1 week! Yikes!

A strangled Vivian Martin, 67, was found dead on the kitchen floor of a burning home she showed in Youngstown.
A real-estate agent who showed an apartment to a pair of brothers in nearby Boardman Township was robbed!
Near Kent State University, the body of 51-year-old Andrew VonStein, who had been shot once, was found in a vacant ranch-style house he was trying to sell.