Every Menlo Park Neighborhood EXPOSED — Prices, Schools & Lifestyle

Every Wednesday at 12PM PST, I interview and introduce a top real estate agent from all across the country to hear about how they got into the business, what they are seeing with real estate impacts with COVID, and the economic drivers of an area!--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

7 Okt 202031min

Every Tuesday, I go into detail a question I frequently get asked. This week, I'm going to show you the 2 worst questions to ask a Realtor.So, you are thinking about buying or selling a property, but you’re a nervous wreck. Don’t worry it’s totally NORMAL. One of the ways to ease your anxiety is to make sure you hire the right Realtor. Our job is to point you in the right direction and act in your best interest.Buyers and sellers today don’t need to use an agent, but with the right one you can make sure you make a wise investment. Knowing the RIGHT questions to ask a Realtor is the first step to finding the right agent for you. Before I tell you what questions to ask a Realtor, let me give you two you should not ask.#1: What company do you work for?This is definitely the worst question to ask a Realtor because it doesn’t matter. Prior to the evolution of the MLS and most of the online real estate search sites, the company a Realtor worked for used to matter because they may have controlled listings. In today’s market nothing could be further from the truth. Real estate companies have the business model of attracting talent to their business. It’s the agent who will make the difference in making a wise financial decision, not the company on their business card. Just because an agent is associated with the biggest company in town does not make them any more qualified than the agent at a very small office. Some of the best Realtors work for the smallest companies. If your Realtor constantly talks about how big their office is and how many sales their office had, they most likely lack their own personal experience and have to justify it with leveraging their companies statistics. This is why I never mention anything about a team number or a company stat because it isn’t the production of that individual.#2: How long you been in the business?Just because a Realtor has been in the business 25 years does not make them any more qualified to handle your transaction. What if they only do 4 deals a year? I would have major doubts about them because why hasn’t that Realtor continued to have an upward trajectory? How can they be stuck for so long? Would you rather work with someone who has been in the business for 4 years that has done over 100 transactions or the “experienced” agent who has done 4 deals a year for 25 years straight? You might also want to consider that the most important skill to hire in a listing agent is their marketing skills. The real estate industry has gone online and therefore the skills a good agent had 20 years ago are totally different from what they are today. Is your agent Tech savvy? Do they know where the market is going and are they leveraging those changes? Chances are a younger, more online marketing savvy agent, would have a better success in exposing your home to thousands of potential buyers through in depth marketing strategies as opposed to the older agent who has no idea how to use social media. Think about who is buying in most places today. I would focus more on the number of deals they have done on their own along with their public reviews than how long they have been in the business.I hope this video helped you understand what’s truly important. Thanks for watching another episode of my Tuesday Tip series.---If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

6 Okt 20205min

Every week, I go over news that can affect Bay Area Real Estate. I look into news and data that can affect the Silicon Valley Real Estate Market. Tune in weekly and ask me anything!Mortgage rates decline this weekhttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/mortgage-rates-decline-this-week/Pending home sales at an all-time high! Now what?https://www.housingwire.com/articles/pending-home-sales-at-an-all-time-high-now-what/Mortgage applications decline 4.8%https://www.housingwire.com/articles/mortgage-applications-decline-4-8/New home sales hot but not bubblyhttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/new-home-sales-hot-but-not-bubbly/No housing market slowdown as real estate agents report a busy fallhttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/no-seasonal-slowdown-this-year-as-real-estate-agents-report-a-busier-than-usual-fall/Home-price index gains the most since 2018https://www.housingwire.com/articles/home-price-index-gains-the-most-since-2018/Real estate: Big Texas investor scoops up eight Oakland apartment complexeshttps://www.eastbaytimes.com/2020/10/01/real-estate-big-texas-investor-buys-eight-oakland-apartment-housing/Real estate: Bay Area buyers grab big Sunnyvale apartment complexThe Landmark apartment complex is latest to trade hands in a Sunnyvale districthttps://www.marinij.com/2020/10/01/real-estate-bay-area-buyers-grab-big-sunnyvale-apartment-complex/--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

2 Okt 202019min

Welcome to my new PropTech Talk Thursday series to take a look and provide my candid thoughts on new Proptech businesses. These could range from products to companies leveraging technology to improve all facets of real estate. The Real Estate industry is one of the slowest to adopt technology but there are many opportunities along with money chasing these opportunities. This week let me introduce you to Roofstock.Based in Oakland, CA, Roofstock has raised $50M earlier this year for a total of $133M. They started their business in 2016 and have become a great option for people to be exposed to the world of owning single family rentals throughout the US. So what do they actually do? They are a platform where buyers can purchase properties from sellers. They have done over $2B in completed transactions.What’s special about them? They make it really simple to see available properties that are potential homes to purchase in over 70 markets. They show you the financial projections and the homes are typically already being rented out to generate income minimizing the need to find a new tenant and start cashflowing. They also showcase information about the area which is very helpful for those that are not familiar with the location.What are things to be aware of? Let’s analyze their business model. They take 2.5% from the sell side, and 0.5% from the buy side. If they have done over $2B in transactions, they generated $60M in revenue over the last 4 years which is no small feat. However, they also raised a total of $133M so where is that money actually going? The cost of the platform isn’t that complex, but it must be a huge cost to market for people to come to the platform to buy investment properties, but also sellers to sell here instead of selling through the traditional route with using Realtors. Their client acquisition cost must be pretty insane.What they are doing here isn’t unique for those that are familiar with this business model. They are a basically a massive online turn key provider which proposes an easy solution for investors that want exposure to rentals out of the area. However, you want to be careful with all of their projections. It’s really convenient for investors to be able to see all these properties but how good are these properties really?Even in a high appreciation market like the Bay Area which does between 5-6% a year on average over the last 40 years, this town in Texas is projecting 4.4% which is pretty aggressive. If you connect with local turn key providers that don’t have this kind of marketing budget, you may be getting better deals with more meat on the bone. The benefit of Roofstock is that they are a big brand so familiarity may help get you started into the space but to keep building up your rental portfolio might be a different matter.If you are looking to get your foot into the door of investing in out of state, this is a great option as it’s a big brand that simplifies the process. However, if you want better returns, it may be better to connect and compare with some local provider, that would not have this same kind of premium on homes. You can simply Google turnkey (city) to find them.So what do you think? Is this an option that you would consider? Leave it in the comments with your thoughts and if you would just buy a home yourself, and do your own renovations.--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

1 Okt 20204min

Every Tuesday, I go into detail a question I frequently get asked. This week, I'm going to show you how to decide if hiring a Realtor is worth it.Are you thinking about selling your house but don't know what route to take to sell it? Is it even worth using a Realtor? I mean using a Realtor sounds expensive, and I know about all these newer options to buy or sell, are they better?The short answer on whether or not you should hire a Realtor will depend on your situation and who you hire. I'm not talking about the company or brokerage you hire; I'm talking about the individual agent.TIME OUT… Here's how you decide if a Realtor is worth it or not. Their involvement in the transaction creates a better outcome for you. Sometimes that is marketing to as wide of an audience as possible, maximizing your profits with the right strategy, and other times it's in results like selling it fast. It really depends on your situation.You could also hire a flat fee type of brokerage where they will sell your house for a lower than a traditional fee. Yes, you'll save money on paper initially but are you really getting more in the long run? Many times when using a flat-fee type service, you as the owner, will be doing the majority of the transaction on your own, don’t expect much communication or strategy discussions, and will lead to generally MUCH bigger mistakes. I have personally been a buyer of many of these flat fee services and I can let you know that a majority of paperwork is missing and their work ethic and communication is subpar. Think about it, if they have no upside, and they are getting the same flat fee either way, what's their motivation to push and get more money for you? They are actually incentivized to take any deal to get this off their plate so they have less to juggle with. But, you get what you pay for. There’s no right or wrong, it depends on your goals.OR you could go with the modern approach of selling your house and hiring a real estate agent like me. Either way, this isn't about whether or not you use a Real Estate Agent. It's about which is best for your specific situation.Most times, if you need to sell super fast and you don't want to maximize every dollar out of your home, then yes, selling directly to an investor or one of these large ibuyers like Opendoor might be a good option for you. Or you could go the concierge route and HIRE an agent Like ME. You see, the only reason I have a job is because my involvement in a transaction creates a better outcome than when I'm not. In other words, I make people a lot of money.But this video has nothing to do with me! It's all about giving you the information you need to make good selling decisions. And that's why I'm giving you my entire real estate marketing plan for FREE. As long as you are willing to do my job for FREE, I want to be the one to show you. Now you might be wondering why a real estate agent would show you everything they do to sell a house without having to hire them? Why would a complete stranger show you how to avoid hiring them. Well, that's because I know it's a lot of work and requires a lot of skill, but hey if you are willing to do it, then I believe you deserve to keep any savings you get. And if you feel like it's too overwhelming, then you can always call me, and I'll sell it for you in no time, plus handle all the paperwork, marketing, negotiations and leveraging my network of thousands of agents. Selling real estate shouldn't cost 5-6%. It should net you 10-20%. But now you have all the information to make your own decision.So if you are interested in learning how to sell your house WITHOUT hiring an agent, here's a step by step marketing plan. I want to show you how to replace me. Hey, just maybe…. If you find it to be too much work, you might give me a shot at listing your home.--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

29 Sep 20204min

Every week, I go over news that can affect Bay Area Real Estate. I look into news and data that can affect the Silicon Valley Real Estate Market. Tune in weekly and ask me anything!The real reason Amazon is sinking $1.4 billion into new officeshttps://www.fastcompany.com/90543442/the-real-reason-amazon-is-sinking-1-4-billion-into-new-officesAverage mortgage rates tick up this weekhttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/average-mortgage-rates-tick-up-this-week/5 reasons mortgage rates will rise in 2021https://www.housingwire.com/articles/pulse-dave-stevens-5-reasons-why-mortgage-rates-are-going-to-rise-in-2021/Housing market stays hot into fall with mortgage applications up 6.8%https://www.housingwire.com/articles/housing-market-stays-hot-into-fall-with-mortgage-applications-up-6-8/Homeowners gain over $620 billion in equity in second quarterhttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/homeowners-gain-over-620-billion-in-equity-in-second-quarter/Real Estate Home prices post record two-month gain, FHFA sayshttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/home-prices-post-record-two-month-gain-fhfa-says/Sales of existing homes surge to a 14-year highhttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/sales-of-existing-homes-surge-to-a-14-year-high/Builder confidence reaches 35-year high in Septemberhttps://www.housingwire.com/articles/builder-confidence-reaches-35-year-high-in-september/Latest Market Data for all counties in the Bay Areahttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P5T3T4doU9vutLotcKnZ0WCZahU0nvKn1khR-QQsrTI/edit?usp=sharing--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

25 Sep 202019min

Welcome to my new PropTech Talk Thursday series to take a look and provide my candid thoughts on new Proptech businesses. These could range from products to companies leveraging technology to improve all facets of real estate. The Real Estate industry is one of the slowest to adopt technology but there are many opportunities along with money chasing these opportunities. Do you want to transform smartphone photos of any property into an accurate 3D model? Let me introduce you to Hover.Based in San Francisco, CA, Hover has raised more than $87M in funding to date backed by prominent investors like Google Ventures, Menlo Ventures, and Home Depot.So why create a 3D model of the home in the first place?They have 3 main target markets.1) Homeowners can be able to easily visualize their home, get accurate estimates from contractors, and be on the same page with contractors/insurance adjusters2) Contractors are able to use this technology to measure more accurately and faster, and design and provide better estimates.3) Last but not least are the adjusters. Home insurance adjusters can settle claims faster, lower costs with greater accuracy, and also start collecting the data of all of their policies to track homes in a level they have never done before.I’ve heard of companies that take satellite images to be able to share that information with insurance companies to be able to give more accurate quotes but also recommendations. It’s better to take care of or even replace a roof than trying to repair the damages after a roof leaks.This company takes it to another level by being able to do a 3D scan of an exterior home. When I sell homes, we use a tool like Matterport which creates a dollhouse view for the interior but this is a convenient way for the exterior.It is incredible to see that using pictures from smartphones, that there is the technology already involved to 3D map homes. This is an incredible amount of insight for homeowners, contractors, but is the most interesting from a business of the insurance providers. It is always more cost effective for insurance providers to be able to see things and repair things than having problems. So now that insurance companies has all this data, they can work collectively with homeowners to reduce costs and possible major repairs.So what do you think? Are you OK with insurance companies being able to have so much data of your home? Would this help you with any major renovation or restoration projects?--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

24 Sep 20203min

Every Tuesday, I go into detail a question I frequently get asked. This week, I'm going to walk you through what to do when your house refuses to sell.--If you’re interested in buying, selling, or investing in residential or commercial real estate in the 📍SF Bay Area, contact me today!📧Spencer@spencerhsu.com📞 (408) 547-4590⏰ Set up a time to chat: https://calendly.com/spencerhsure🌍 Find your dream Bay Area home https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/bayarearealestate📸Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerhsure🧑‍💼 Let's connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerhsu🛎 Don’t forget to subscribe for the latest real estate tips and updates: https://forms.gle/c5xkznHLTBh7Yzgi7🏠💲 Track the value of your home and see if it's beneficial to refinance! http://bit.ly/3aFdyMW--My Background: Born and raised in the Bay Area, I spent 11 years as Technology Sales Manager before becoming a Realtor. Having personally invested and done renovations through house flips in the Bay Area, I wanted to help busy professionals in the Bay Area tech industry find their dream home by leveraging tech, data and local insights. Our team specializes in creating trusted frameworks of buying, selling, and investing in the Bay Area. In 2022, we are thrilled to share that we have helped 80 clients in the Bay Area with their moves, which positions our team as the Top 1% groups in the country. Looking forward to helping you into your next home and save/earn you more money!Spencer Hsu, MBA, RealtorSpencer@SpencerHsu.com408-547-4590EXP Realty DRE #02077253https://www.homesbyspencerhsu.com/#BayAreaRealEstate

22 Sep 20203min