The Real Story with Adam and Sherry

We’re in the middle of June and the market continues to be a little wonky in Contra Costa County. We had another agent say that “it’s a property-by-property market.” And we couldn’t agree more. Listen as we explain what we mean by that and how it affects both buyers and sellers in the East Bay. In today’s podcast we focus on flippers, which is someone who buys a property with the pure intention of...

Worried about buying a money pit or a house that’s unrepairable? In today’s podcast we discuss how to determine if an issue is cosmetic, structural, or an incurable defect. Surprisingly, sometimes our best advice is to talk our clients out of buying a house. What homes or issues do we try to talk our clients out of purchasing? Well, it often depends. What are incurable defects in a home? Incurable...

Our Contra Costa County market is certainly in a transitional market. In shifting markets it’s important to look at trends and consider recent sales to help determine strategy when pricing and/or offering on homes. HOAs are when a group of homes (Condos & Single-Family Homes) are part of an association that is governed by a board of directors, made up of a homeowners, and a property manager th...

Sherry’s been on vacation for four days, listen as Adam updates her on what changed in the East Bay real estate market while she was gone. As real estate agents, we have lots of business and real estate transactions that are probate and trust sales. Need a trust or a probate lawyer? Reach out we know a guy! What is a probate sale vs a trust sale? Listen as we define executor, administrator, and tr...

We often talk about specific real estate terms and in this episode, we define them! What is a fixer vs a contractor’s special? Does fixer mean uninhabitable? What is a seller’s market vs a buyer's market? There are three factors that often affect a seller's market, listen to find out. What characterizes a buyer’s market? What is a transitional or balanced market? And how are inspections af...

Our Spring Market is loaded with inventory, fewer buyers, buyers going after the same homes, and a sluggish market under 500k in Rossmoor.  To learn more about our current East Bay Real Estate market, what factors are driving it, listen to today’s podcast.  And then we zoom out to explore how the entire real estate industry is structured.  What is the NAR (National Association of Realtors) and why...

What is a reverse mortgage? How do they work? Who can get one?  And how is it structured? In today’s podcast, we are joined by Martha Echols with Mutual of Omaha to discuss the benefits of reverse mortgages. To learn more about Reverse mortgages and if they might be a good option for you or your loved ones, listen to this week’s podcast. Adam Hamalian and Sherry Hutchens are real estate brokers (R...

What is Clear Cooperation and why does it matter to consumers?

Here in the East Bay, spring is in full bloom and so are our allergies! Listen as we discuss our local market activity. And then stay to find out how important communication is in our professional life and with our clients. Learning to communicate with people is more than just active listening. How does that translate while working in real estate? Find out how we learn what our clients are really...

Early spring market is blooming in East Bay. Listen as we provide a local market update and discuss our current market activity. In this week’s podcast we have special guest Ray Badock a California property insurance broker with RC Fischer. Insurance has become a major homeowner issue in California, especially after the recent fires. Ray Badock answers what are your options when looking for home i...

What’s it like to work with an obnoxious client? Sherry shares what it’s like to work for her business partner and is he really that difficult?  This week we are joined by Jen Kline the Managing Broker from Kline Mann Realty Group a Northern California native serving Placer, Sacramento, El Dorado County and South Lake Tahoe. We discuss what motivates us, what is our why, how we approach difficult...

We were just awarded Dudum’s President Club Elite 2024.  We’re very proud to have helped so many clients, family, and friends through the homeownership process. While being recognized by our Broker for the 10th year in a row feels good, the reward is in the work.  In this week’s podcast we explain what we would tell our out-of-state family and friends to consider when hiring the right real estate...

We’re prepping 6 new listings for the Spring Market!!  It’s a first for us to be prepping so many properties in January.  And from what we hear from title companies, stagers, and coworkers, is we aren’t unique.  Join us for this week’s podcast where we discuss what we encourage our sellers to do to the exterior of their homes, specifically landscaping and gardening as they prep for sale in the Spr...

Come with us as we discuss updating a family home built in 1912.  For the last 50 years this home has been a rental and received repairs but not major updates. Adam and his brother, with the help of contractors, tackled a number of home improvements and pre-sale updates.  Here’s an incomplete list of improvements- change windows to dual pane, change dressing room in primary bedroom into an ensuite...

2025! New year, new hopes and dreams! Here we are starting Season 2 of The Real Story w/ Adam & Sherry! And we are starting off the season with our very first podcast guest in season 1 Arlo Zoerner with CrossCountry Mortgage, our favorite lender. As we look at the new year, you might be thinking of buying or selling a home in 2025 and funding is always a part of that. Arlo gives us a snapshot...

Happy New Year! As we celebrate the beginning of a New Year we love to look back over the last year, which was really challenging in real estate.  Join us as we reminisce about 2024 our best transactions, our opportunities for learning, and the major issues real estate faced in the Bay Area and nationally. After reviewing the last year, we examine our goals for 2025.  Listen as we lay out our reso...

We’re recording the last week in November and discussing all things Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble. Thanksgiving is all about tradition and gathering with family & friends.  What better time than to discuss formal dining rooms.  Are they in or out? What’s the best oven; gas or electric? Listen to how cornbread dressing with jalapenos and cranberries almost caused a revolt. And the long list of si...

As our Bay Area real estate market begins to slow down due to the holidays, we focus this week’s episode on agents and specifically on managing time and tracking our to-do lists. How do we maintain business while generating new business? How do we manage the details within a transaction as well as the longer-term marketing that keeps our business thriving? Listen to this episode as we share our se...

Speed round with Adam & Sherry!  Which do you prefer, Lowes or Home Depot? Listen as we discuss the pros and cons of our favorite hardware stores. Find out whatdrove Sherry to tears.  And which one caters more to contractors? In this week’s episode, we wax nostalgic discussing our hardware store experiences. Adam Hamalian and Sherry Hutchens are real estate brokers (REALTORS) working in Contra...

Should you buy as much house as you can? In this week’s episode, we explore the best practices for buyers and their budgets.  Step one a buyer needs to get pre-approved for a loan first.  This does two things for a buyer; 1. Allows them to write a strong offer, and 2. Allows them to know what their budget is. What should be included when calculating a new homeowner’s budget? Listen as we detail al...

As we enter Thanksgiving, and the giving season, what are the best ways to give back to those around you?  This week we talk with Devona Brazier the Director of Outreach with Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church (WCPC) about their yearly food donation drive. Eachyear we participate, encourage our neighbors, and help facilitate donations by offering convenient drop off locations and by picking up food...

Happy October! Real estate in the Bay Area is pretty unusual for October this year. Usually, our industry picks up after Labor Day but not this year. Listen to find out why! In today’s podcast we talk with special guest Molly Berry from Poet Street Designs. Molly does it all and doesn’t just design but manages her projects as well; from ordering light fixtures, getting permits, translating between...

We begin today’s podcast by discussing our real estate market by the numbers offering an in-depth analysis of the Bay Area real estate market. In this episode we dive deep on Prop 33 which is the latest effort of the state to change rules for rent control that were based on Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995. To potentially combat the housing shortage, Prop 33 is being introduced again.  How...

Independent real estate appraiser, Jon Baumgartner, shares from his 30+ years or experience appraising in the San Francisco East Bay. If you have question reach out to Adam and Sherry or directly to Jon at JB Residential Valuation Services: 510-715-0097 or jon.baumgartner21@gmail.com. Adam Hamalian and Sherry Hutchens are real estate brokers (REALTORS) working in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties...

The Real Story with Adam & Sherry – Episode 23 – FromRookie to Pro: Mentorship Insights for Newer Agents We’ve been asked to be mentors within our Dudum Real Estate Group!  It’s a huge honor that we’re really excited about.  We share our Broker’s belief in mentorship and becoming a top professional; knowledgeable, ethical,and a leader of our industry. What do new agents need to know about the...