Happy Holidays

1
Whats Happening in Real Estate Compliments of
Kimberly J. Miller, Realtor Red Oak
Realty kimberly_at_redoakrealty.com
December, 2005
Happy Holidays!
Dear family, friends, clients and
colleagues, What a year this has been! My
business has been absolutely booming. Since
January, Ive sold 10 houses and have another
thats set to close in a couple of weeks. All my
listings have sold over asking including stellar
results on a house in Berkeley that sold 201,000
above list price. Thanks to the diversity of my
wonderful client base, I have also had the
opportunity to expand my expertise in a number of
bay area markets beyond my regular sales in
Oakland and Berkeley. I am also proud to
announce that I have been given two awards this
year for top producer of the month in my Red Oak
Realty office. It seems like the current market
trends are on everyones mind these days. Are
housing values going to continue to climb? How
will interest rates affect the future? Is this
the time to buy or sell? In keeping with my
mission to keep you all well informed, Ive
included a report for summer home sales. Of
course Im always happy to talk to you personally
about whats happening in real estate and to
answer your specific questions. Just give me a
call! Best,
Kim
MEDIAN SALE PRICES BY COUNTY
Source Data Quick
Fall Real Estate Report MEDIAN BAY AREA HOME
SALES AND APPRECIATION SLOW IN FALL
After reaching record sales of 13,014 home sales
and a new median price peak of in 619k in
August, the market has slowed this fall. In
September, predicted that the market was likely
to remain stable for the year. However, values
fell slightly in Alameda and Contra Costa
Counties through the fall. This drop was driven
primarily by lower buyer confidence and
increasing interest rates, prompting many buyers
to pull out of the market for a time. As a
result, the number of houses available rose
dramatically in September and October. Total Bay
Area home sales in September were down 7.8 from
the previous month and down 7.2 from the same
period last year. October saw a similar decline
with sales down 6.2 from September and 6 from
the previous year.
Median Home Prices Alameda Contra Costa
Counties
Source Data Quick
Analysts view these recent changes as an overall
normalizing of the market -- meaning that buyers
now have a chance to join sellers in the drivers
seat. This is great news for many buyers who
have grown weary of the battle to buy their house
while completing with multiple offers. Sellers
are watching the market closely to see what will
happen to the spectacular appreciation gained in
the last few years. The first quarter of 2006
will give us all more information about the
market may be headed. In the meantime, this
Octobers sales were still the third highest
since 1988 and appreciation over the last 12
months has seen an overall increase of 17.2 -
well above national and historical norms.
Call me at 510-469-6289 referrals to your
friends is the heart of my business.
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A Clients Testimonial My partner and I were
not planning to move.  We had settled rather
nicely into our 2 bedroom house in the upper
Eastmont of Oakland.  We got a call from Kim to
see a house about 1 mile from my partner's work
in North Berkeley.  The house was fabulous!  The
sellers were anxious to sell as they had already
purchased their next home.  Kim helped us write
our offer that same night and got it into the
seller's agent early the next day.  With one
round of negotiations the house was ours!  We
were thrilled!  But now what do we do with the
house we already own in Oakland?  Over the next
two weeks Kim helped us prepare our house to
sell.  Giving us ideas to maximize the charm of
the house.  Between brokers tours and a well
advertised open house we received offers on a set
day.  We were delighted to find out that 3 offers
had come in for our house.  One of the offers was
just perfect, the right terms and the right
price!  From beginning to end Kim took care of
all the details, she made sure we understood the
full process of buying and selling and really
took care of us.  It was financially scary to
have bought a house before selling our current
house but Kim's expertise and energy got the job
done!" Trisha
Walsh
Would you like to learn how I can do the same for
you? Give me a call at 510-469-6289 or you can
email me kimberly_at_redoakrealty.com

• Kimberlys 2005 Sales
• Whether you are buying or selling a home, you
  have unique needs that require special attention.
  My individualized approach includes a specific
  strategy based on each clients goals and my
  knowledge of the local market. Together, we have
  achieved outstanding results.