This weekend we will hold the following homes open:

Sunday 8/23 from 1-4 pm: 10435 Moretti Drive, Cupertino
Sunday 8/23 from 2:30 to 4:00 pm: 10518 Sterling Blvd., Cupertino

If you are looking for a spacious home that's ready for a home business, look no further!

1620 Fruitdale Ave., San Jose

Beautiful home filled with charm! Nestled on a large corner lot, this home has incredible curb appeal with beautiful greenery and surrounding florals. Single-story with huge floorplan, this home is a must see! Huge eat-in kitchen plus formal dining room, family room, living room with fireplace, gorgeous hardwood floors and LARGE bedrooms! This home has it all and it's move-in ready. Garage has been converted into desirable office space with laminate floors, shelving & closets, windows & A/C!

Click here to view the virtual tour!

Check out this link for information on a loan program for first-time buyers in Santa Clara. It's based on funds availability, so if you are looking to purchase in Santa Clara and don't quite have 20% down, you might check and see if this is still an available program.

Oddly enough, it's not uncommon for a perfectly good dishwasher to break from non-use.

Yep, that's right!

Use your dishwasher! Lack of use causes the motor to freeze. Often singles or young couples don't cook at home frequently, so the use of the dishwasher isn't practical. We recommend property owners advise their renters to use the dishwasher at least once a week to keep the motor from seizing up.

Are they really helping the buyers? July 30 new regulations are affecting buyers now…who went into contract thinking that a 17-day financing contingency would be plenty of time. Now there are hold periods in effect due to Reg Z, and lender has to review signed seller disclosures before the loan process can move forward, including ordering the appraisal. That's the summary. So one week into the contract, the lender may not yet be able to order the appraisal due to the disclosure review period.

What if the appraiser brings the file in under sale price? There's an appeal board. How does this affect the buyer? Say the appraisal comes in $35K under the sale price due to an appraiser unfamiliar with the area…..or comps that are all trashed REOs…..real estate agents and loan officers can't go to bat for their clients and provide supporting data to help the appraiser.

So the laws to help "guide" the loan process keep the honest people honest, but it seems like they're going to put unnecessary burden on buyers and sellers alike. Thirty-day escrows may be a thing of the past.

Click here for some details about July 30 regs.