Relocating To Walnut Creek? Learn how to get $3,000+ towards your closing costs! Watch this short video to learn how!
Welcome to Walnut Creek, a city that embodies the perfect fusion of urban sophistication and natural beauty. As you consider relocating, this overview unveils the essence of Walnut Creek, offering insights into a community where vibrant culture, safety, and modern amenities converge.
Weather:
Walnut Creek's climate provides a delightful blend of warm summers and mild winters. With over 250 sunny days a year, residents can revel in a Mediterranean climate that welcomes outdoor enthusiasts and cultivates a year-round appreciation for the city's scenic surroundings.
Cost of Living:
Walnut Creek balances upscale living with a reasonable cost of living. Housing costs, everyday expenses, and premium amenities align to create an affordable yet sophisticated lifestyle in the heart of the East Bay Area. The city's offerings cater to diverse financial profiles, ensuring residents find their ideal comfort level.
Safety:
Safety is a paramount concern in Walnut Creek, with the city consistently ranked as one of the safest communities in California. A well-managed police force and community initiatives contribute to the overall sense of security, making Walnut Creek an ideal place for families and individuals alike.
Employment:
Walnut Creek's economic landscape thrives on diversity, providing employment opportunities across various sectors. From the bustling retail scene to the presence of major corporations like Kaiser Permanente and Robert Half, Walnut Creek offers a dynamic job market that attracts professionals seeking career growth and fulfillment.
Education:
Education is a priority in Walnut Creek, with schools like Northgate High School exemplifying academic excellence. Families moving to Walnut Creek can trust in the city's dedication to providing quality education for their children, fostering a supportive environment for scholastic achievement.
College and Junior Colleges in Close Proximity:
For those pursuing higher education, Walnut Creek strategically positions itself near esteemed colleges and junior colleges. Institutions like Diablo Valley College offer convenient options for advancing one's education, enhancing Walnut Creek's appeal as an education hub.
Cultural Interests:
Walnut Creek's cultural scene is rich and varied, with the Lesher Center for the Arts and the Bedford Gallery at the heart of the city's artistic offerings. Events, festivals, and historical landmarks contribute to the unique cultural tapestry that defines Walnut Creek.
Dining and Entertainment:
Walnut Creek's culinary landscape caters to diverse tastes, with local gems like Teleferic Barcelona and Broadway Plaza offering a large spectrum of dining experiences. Entertainment venues ensure that evenings are filled with music, theater, and dynamic experiences, establishing Walnut Creek as a vibrant social hub.
Kids Activities:
Walnut Creek is family-friendly, providing a plethora of kid-centric activities. Parks, community events, and programs like the Walnut Creek Library's story hours create an environment where children can thrive and create lasting memories.
Outdoor Activities:
Surrounded by natural beauty, Walnut Creek invites residents to embrace an active lifestyle. Parks, hiking trails, and recreational spaces provide opportunities for nature enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the city's scenic landscapes.
Commuting:
Efficient commuting options make navigating Walnut Creek and its surroundings convenient. Access to major highways, BART stations, and well-maintained roads ensures that residents can easily commute to neighboring cities for work or leisure.
Community Events:
Walnut Creek thrives on community engagement, with events like the Walnut Creek Farmers' Market and the Walnut Festival Parade bringing residents together. These events contribute to the city's close-knit community spirit.
Walnut Creek Market Update
First-Time Homebuyers Guide
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$1,050,000
Currently up 2.5% from a year ago
$815,000
Currently up 132% from 5 years ago
Elementary Schools:
Best Ranked:
2nd Best:
Best Ranked:
2nd Best:
Best Ranked:
2nd Best:
Best Burgers
Best Mexican
Best Steaks
Best Japanese/Sushi
Best Vietnamese
Best Indian
Best Breakfast & Brunch
Best Chinese
Best Sandwiches
Best Donuts
Best Thai
Best Pizza
Best Barbecue
Best Hawaiian
Best Italian (non-pizza)
Best Cafes
Honorable Mentions
Best Cocktails
Best Sports Bars
Best Wine Bars Nearby
Best Coffee Shops
Best HVAC
Best Flooring
Best Plumbing
Best Day Spas
Best Dentists
Best Massage Therapists
Best Gyms
Best Eye Doctors
Best Physical Therapists
Best Chiropractors
Best Golfing
Best Camping
Best Unique Activities
Lafayette
Ave. Home Value: $1,878,000
Population: 24,681
Livability Score: 83 out of 100
Pleasant Hill
Ave. Home Value: $986,000
Population: 33,913
Livability Score: 76 out of 100
Concord
Ave. Home Value: $744,000
Population: 120,826
Livability Score: 68 out of 100
Ready to discuss your future move? Let's talk! Book an appointment, or reach out to me directly at 209-771-2199.
11 Buyer Tips To Know
7 Pre-Approval Mistakes
New Home Obstacles
new construction
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The first step in purchasing a home is to get pre-approved. Meet with a lender, mortgage broker or bank to discuss your income, debts, and assets for pre-approval. After reviewing your information, the lender will tell you how much they can lend and at what interest rate.
Get pre-approved also shows sellers you're serious. Sometimes a pre-approval is required to view expensive residence, but it also speeds up the offer process once you select a home.
If your house offer is rejected, here are 3 immediate actions that can be taken:
Increase your offer: If the seller rejected your offer because it was too cheap, consider boosting it.
Ask for a counteroffer: The seller may reject your offer, but still be willing to negotiate by offering an alternative. This lets you change your offer or negotiate closing date or repairs.
Keep looking: If the seller won't negotiate and you won't raise your offer, you can look elsewhere.
Real estate agents receive a commission from sellers, usually a percentage of the sale price. The seller and buyer share the commission negotiated by the seller before listing the home.
Best part? Most buyers don't pay their agent directly. However, the commission is included in the home's sale price.
Buyers' markets are opposite sellers' markets. Supply over demand creates a buyer's market, providing buyers a negotiating advantage. More than a 7-month supply indicates a buyer's market and property value decline.
Common buyer's market causes:
-Lots of homes for sale
-Recessionary economy
-High mortgage or interest rates
-Mortgage approval issues or tighter lending constraints
-New home construction overexposure
In a seller's market, inventory is fewer than 5-6 months, hence prices rise. The low availability of properties on the market keeps housing prices rising.
Common seller's market causes:
-Home inventory shortages
-Economic growth and job creation
-Low mortgage or interest rates
-Reduced lending regulations or simpler mortgage financing
-Slower new construction homebuilding
The "Days on Market" is the number of days a property has been listed on the local multiple listing service. It starts the day the home is listed and will accumulate until the seller has accepted an offer and signed a contract.
Knowing the DOM for a home is critical to your negotiating power. Why? Because the number of days a home spends on the market directly affects the price of a home. This information can be used to the buyer’s benefit to negotiate a lower price.
Contingent means that one thing must happen before another. Real estate deals fall through if the seller or buyer don't meet specified standards. Contingencies, or contract “clauses,” safeguard any party from not obtaining funds, an inspection, or a variety of other possible situations that may arise,
Your home's value is estimated by an appraisal. The appraisal is completed by an appraiser who gives the lender or bank confidence that the property is worth a given amount. After the buyer and seller agree on the price, an appraiser performs a home appraisal to make sure the loan is justified and supported by the value of the home.
The fair market value is the price a buyer will pay and the seller will accept. Homes don't always sell for fair value.
If a buyer really wants a property or a bidding war breaks out, a buyer may offer more than the list price or fair market value.
After agreeing on pricing, the seller collects earnest money from the buyer and this money is called the earnest money deposit. This ensures that the buyer is sincere and not just negotiating deals with other house sellers.
Earnest money typically ranges from 1-3% of the sales price depending on the market. The buyer will get their earnest money back if the seller backs out. The buyer will lose their earnest money if they back out under certain conditions.
The earnest money deposit will go towards the closing costs the buyer is responsible for.
A list price is how much the seller lists the home for, which is also referred to as their “asking price.” The sale price is the amount of money the home actually sells for.
Title insurance protects homeowners from allegations made by previous owners, such as unpaid taxes or unfair contractor compensation. Title insurance covers legal bills and title disputes during your homeownership.
Two types of title insurance exist:
Selling a home normally requires lender title insurance. The lender is protected from housing claims with this type.
Owner title insurance is optional, but paying this one-time price will protect you from title issues for as long as you own the home.
Ave. Home Value:
$797,000
Population: 65,995
Livability Score:
62 out of 100
Ave. Home Value:
$1,565,000
Population: 72,685
Livability Score:
84 out of 100
Ave. Home Value: $1,078,000
Population: 81,940
Livability Score:
86 out of 100
Ave. Home Value:
$744,000
Population: 120,826
Livability Score:
68 out of 100
11 Curb Appeal Ideas
My Seller's Marketing Plan will get your home sold quickly for top dollar, check it out!
The primary reason for selling is when the market is thriving. With that being said, there are other reasons for considering selling. For instance, your family has outgrown your home and you're ready to downsize. You're also at a point where you don't want to deal with maintenance and you're emotionally prepared to deal with the selling process.
Location, size and layout, condition, features, and market conditions (supply and demand) all play a role in determining a home's worth.
An agent can perform a Competitive Market Analysis (CMA) to evaluate a home's value.
This answer varies on demand, house qualities, local market conditions, interest rates, among other considerations.
Timelines can be as quickly as a couple of weeks, up to 6 months. Properties usually average between 2-3 months under typical market conditions. The median number of days property listings spend on the market is from list date to closing.
Yes! Before listing a house, a home inspection is a good idea.
A home inspection reveals your home's condition and prospective issues. Always be proactive and consider important repairs and maintenance before selling your home to ensure your house is in good shape and that you won't be startled by future repairs.
From major repairs to staging, preparing a home for sale is essential to selling it.
Clutter and personal objects are usually removed first. If you have lots of stuff, you may require a storage facility. Remember that potential buyers want to visualize their belongings in the house, so make it as neutral as possible.
A deep clean, neutralizing decor, removing pet signs, improving curb appeal, and staging the home to highlight its strengths are other measures.
Buyers' markets are opposite sellers' markets. Supply over demand creates a buyer's market, providing buyers a negotiating advantage. More than a 7-month supply indicates a buyer's market and property value decline.
Common buyer's market causes:
-Lots of homes for sale
-Recessionary economy
-High mortgage or interest rates
-Mortgage approval issues or tighter lending constraints
-New home construction overexposure
In a seller's market, inventory is fewer than 5-6 months, hence prices rise. The low availability of properties on the market keeps housing prices rising.
Common seller's market causes:
-Home inventory shortages
-Economic growth and job creation
-Low mortgage or interest rates
-Reduced lending regulations or simpler mortgage financing
-Slower new construction homebuilding
The "Days on Market" is the number of days a property has been listed on the local multiple listing service. It starts the day the home is listed and will accumulate until the seller has accepted an offer and signed a contract.
Knowing the DOM for a home is critical to your negotiating power. Why? Because the number of days a home spends on the market directly affects the price of a home. This information can be used to the buyer’s benefit to negotiate a lower price.
Contingent means that one thing must happen before another. Real estate deals fall through if the seller or buyer don't meet specified standards. Contingencies, or contract “clauses,” safeguard any party from not obtaining funds, an inspection, or a variety of other possible situations that may arise,
Your home's value is estimated by an appraisal. The appraisal is completed by an appraiser who gives the lender or bank confidence that the property is worth a given amount. After the buyer and seller agree on the price, an appraiser performs a home appraisal to make sure the loan is justified and supported by the value of the home.
Title companies conduct title searches to inform buyers and lenders that the seller is the rightful property owner and can sell the property.
Title searches examine the home's history and owner to find liens and easements. A lien is a hold on the property to secure payment for IRS taxes, refinanced mortgages, federal mortgage aid programs, contractor liens, etc. Most of these concerns are resolved when the home sells and the liens are paid off or erased.
Selling your property often yields 90–92% of the sale price, depending on many conditions. Most include 5–6% realtor commissions and 2–4% taxes and fees. If you owe on an old mortgage, that'll be taken out as well.
Your closing agent will disperse monies to all parties on closing day. Your gains are paid by check or wire transfer.
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Andre is truly the best real estate agent I've met and an all-around fantastic person! After meeting many agents over the past year, it was a breath of fresh air to have someone who is truly on your side. It seems like every other agent just says "yes" to anything and doesn't actually listen to you. Andre always provides an honest opinion and helped us out in the following ways:
-Extremely attentive. His attention to detail was outstanding and noticed many faults with the listing that I would not have noticed. He helped us choose the best home by ensuring there were no major faults in the property we were selecting.
-Always available. Andre was always willing to make time for us and was willing to speak with us at any time of the day. A purchase this large comes with stress that can only be relieved when your questions are answered.
-Industry experience. His experience allowed him to quickly understand other selling agents and know when they were not willing to offer us a fair deal.
-Excellent negotiating skills. He was able to get us an excellent deal on a property that was thoroughly reviewed by both ourselves and Andre. Not only were we confident that he helped us select the property in the best condition, but we knew he negotiated the best price for us.
I would highly recommend allowing Andre to help you out. He is not like the rest, and really does make you feel like he's on your side.Thanks for your help Andre :)
Nick M.
Andre was so attentive to my needs in this transaction. He kept me apprised of what was going on every step of the way. Andre helped me to get a great deal on the property. He listened to my concerns and addressed them every step of the way. I highly recommend Andre to anyone who's in the market for a new home.
Laura S.
I can’t speak highly enough about Andre. After working with him I can tell why he had been referred to me. He was patient with us every step of the way despite the delays on our end. The entire process was seamless and as efficient as they come. Andre's communication was top notch in keeping us in the loop and was always available and responsive for our questions. He negotiated a great deal for us and I can’t recommend him enough.
Jennifer S.
Ready to discuss your future move? Let's talk! Book an appointment, or reach out to me directly at 209-771-2199.