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Client Resources

The Buyer’s Guide


Everything worth knowing before your first offer.

Everything I wish every buyer knew before their first offer, in one place — written for the East Bay specifically: the customs, the costs, and the competitive dynamics of this market.

Inside the guide


Financing first

Pre-approval versus underwritten approval — and why the difference wins offers.

Reading a disclosure package

What the reports actually say, and the red flags worth slowing down for.

Anatomy of an offer

Price, contingencies, timelines, and the levers that matter beyond price.

Contingencies explained

Inspection, appraisal, and loan contingencies — what each protects, and what waiving really risks.

Closing costs & escrow

Who customarily pays for what in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and the timeline from acceptance to keys.

After you close

Property taxes, exemptions, and the first-year homeowner calendar.

Draft outline — the full guide will be available as a download once finalized.

The Bay Area Newsletter

One email a week. Where the market is, and what it means.

Browse past issues →