Archive for the ‘The Art of Real Estate Book’ Category

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Saturday, October 9, 2021
Debbi DiMaggio

Copy of Market (2)

A Word About the DiMaggio + Betta Group and a few recent sales.

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WE SELECTED THIS DYNAMIC DUO AFTER INTERVIEWING SEVERAL FIRMS, AND THEY PROVED TO BE WELL BEYOND BEING JUST THE RIGHT CHOICE.

I have participated in numerous real estate transactions, and three months ago, I would have had trouble imagining enjoying one, let alone a couple. But that was before I worked with Debbi and Adam of Highland Partners. We selected this dynamic duo after interviewing several firms, and they proved to be well beyond being just the right choice. The professionalism and rigor that Adam brings to the business side of the equation is perfectly complemented by Debbi’s simply superb sense of design and flair for style. I was especially impressed with the way she took the raw material of our beloved (and old-fashioned) Piedmont home, and breathed new life into it, giving it a totally contemporary feel and a consistent aesthetic, while respecting, and in fact actually enhancing, its vintage elegance and charm.

In fact, we enjoyed working with this couple so much that we invited them to work with us on our next transaction, as we sought, and quickly bought, our replacement home. I never thought I’d say this, but I almost wish that there was another real estate deal in the offing now that we’ve found such excellent and absolutely first-rate partners with whom to work! -Tony

DEBBI AND ADAM ARE TOP NOTCH!

Debbi and Adam are top notch! They helped me stage and sell my Oakland home quickly and with a great offer. I live far away and travel a lot, and I didn’t even have to lift a finger–they did everything for me! This team is worth their weight in gold and I look forward to working with them again on my next real estate transaction.  -Jennifer

DEBBI & ADAM HAVE VAST EXPERIENCE and WILL WORK WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

Debbi and Adam helped me considerably with the sale of my Piedmont home. It was a major project from renovation to final sale that took many months with construction delays and challenges. As a team they worked diligently and with care throughout that time, long before the “For Sale” sign hit the curb. From assistance with finding good vendors, to working to help me with the inspection process and finding a good fit with a home stager, it made my life in selling the property something less to worry about. They simply made my life easier and they gave great ideas along the way, while even daring the construction dust!

Anyone that is looking to put their home on the market would do themselves well to meet with Debbi and Adam. They have a vast collective experience of the market, and will work with you every step of the way in a straight forward, down to earth, smartly applied, but also light-hearted way that makes the experience for everyone involved work smoothly.-Carl

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DiMaggio + Betta Group, For Over 30 Years

Experience, integrity and connections are key to making sure their clients succeed in this fast paced, competitive market.

Real Estate has been something Debbi and her partner and husband, Adam Betta, have been immersed in since they first met in 1990. They began working together in San Francisco, where Adam was raised and educated, and where they started their family prior to moving to Piedmont where Debbi was raised and where they grew their family and purchased their first home.

Adam is the Broker of both CORCORAN GLOBAL LIVING Piedmont and Montclair offices; he is perceptive, discerning and an excellent problem solver with extensive experience as a business owner, Broker and top producing Realtor.

Debbi is a master marketer, social media guru and very tech-savvy, all crucial skills in today’s ever-changing, fast-paced real estate market. One of her favorite aspects of selling a home is in the preparation phase prior to market where she uses her design and style acumen to bring a home from lived in to staged to sell coordinating every detail from contractors and stagers, to home inspectors and photographers.

Together they have the skills, experience and knowledge along with their magnificent team they have created and cultivated over the years that has helped many of their clients prevail whether as a Buyer or a Seller.

Debbi, Adam and their son Chase Betta, focus on a variety of East Bay neighborhoods including but not limited to Piedmont, Upper Rockridge, Rockridge, Crocker Highlands, Montclair, Redwood Heights, Oakmore, Berkeley, Albany, Alameda, El Cerrito, Orinda, Lafayette and San Francisco.

What makes this team so successful is their enthusiasm to help not only their clients but their Realtor partners as well. The DiMaggio & Betta Group networks with a number of agents within California and throughout the country and believes in collaborating with top professionals in order to better serve the needs of their clients.

Experience, integrity and connections are key to making sure their clients succeed in this fast paced, competitive market.
Contact this top producing team so they can keep you updated on the latest real estate activities in their community, provide referrals and answer any questions you may have. They look forward to making your next transition seamless.

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Meet Chase DiMaggio Betta, The Next Generation

Chase Betta is the next generation of a family of real estate professionals dating back to the early 70’s when his grandfather Vince DiMaggio syndicated his first building in the Grand Lake neighborhood of Oakland. Chase has worked for Vince for as long as he can remember, and grew up learning valuable business acumen from his parents Adam and Debbi at HIGHLAND PARTNERS now Corcoran Global Living. A Piedmont native and longtime Bay Area resident, Chase has a special understanding of the markets in and around the flagship brokerage of HIGHLAND PARTNERS. He graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Studies and Communications, which he aims to use to further support his clients as they navigate the nuances of their own journey. Chase’s additional experience working for a commercial brokerage in Los Angeles adds to his already strong base of real estate fundamentals.

Chase is back in the Bay after travelling throughout Asia before the pandemic. While in the Philippines, he worked at a freediving facility where he met and made new friends daily. In his pastime, Chase likes to travel and stay active. As his passion for lacrosse shows, Chase is a strong team player — he has always skillfully combined interpersonal communication, physical activity, and a drive towards a common goal. He is excited to bring this tenacity to CORCORAN GLOBAL LIVING and the DiMaggio & Betta Group and looks forward to meeting you!

Buying, Selling, Investing, Leasing, Exchanging? How may we assist you with your real estate goals?

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Selling Your Home?

Saturday, March 27, 2021
Debbi DiMaggio

Looking to gain insight on real estate? Check out Debbi DiMaggio and Adam Betta’s Real Estate website, and get in touch for assistance with selling your home!14 (2)

Top Tips for Getting Your House Ready to Sell

Selling a home is a multi-step process. Taking a house from your family residence to an attractively presented listing requires a systematic approach and an eye for aesthetics. This is often a guessing game for sellers, but staging is, in fact, the most important step in preparing your home for sale.

Refresh Every Surface – Inside and Out

Staging actually starts with deep cleaning. Though a home may be broom-clean, you want it to look sparkling-clean for buyers. Your agent will probably recommend that you steam-clean the carpets, scrub the hard floors, and bleach the grout in the bathrooms. You may also want to power-wash your siding, driveway, and sidewalks to make the entire home gleam. Look for subtle signs of grime or built-up dirt on seldom-noticed surfaces, but don’t worry too much about scrubbing painted walls. We’ll deal with those next.

Repaint with This Year’s Neutral Colors

A simple coat of fresh paint can make a home look brand new. For this reason, every wall in the home should be repainted in fresh new hues. The colors most popular in the housing market shift from year to year. Your agent will be able to tell you which hues of paint look best in your home and will be most appealing to area buyers.

Strategic Furniture and Decor

With a freshly repainted home, it’s time to stage it with furniture.  You can stage with your own furniture, rented furniture, or even pieces your agent might have tucked away. The idea of furniture in staging isn’t actually to furnish a house; rather, it’s to give the impression of how each room can be used.

Moving Mountains Design explains going small and sparse will emphasize the spaciousness of each room, while still providing context for buyers to see “This is the living room,” or “This is the second bedroom,” instead of facing empty, featureless rooms. In other words, you’re sparking their imagination for how they will use the rooms.

In terms of decor, neutral is best, which means removing anything that reflects your own personal tastes. Potential buyers may not share those same tastes with you, and they may look elsewhere if you keep your personal style on display.

If you’re stumped on where to begin, you can search through local listings to see how other homeowners are staging their homes. Still need help? There are professional stagers who can help you make your home look fantastic.

Create Curb Appeal

Staging isn’t just about the home’s interior. Actually, many buyers will make up their minds whether or not they like your home based on the exterior. With that in mind, it’s crucial to amp up the curb appeal. Tidy the landscaping, manicure the lawn, and then add some blooming flowers for a welcoming appearance. Pay extra attention to your entryway, and if your front door looks tired, paint it and install new hardware. For the finishing touch, add a new doormat to greet house hunters as they arrive.

Take Amazing Photos

Once the house is staged, it’s time for photos. In the age of internet home searches, most people rely on property photos to cull homes. If you’re uncomfortable with a DIY approach, your agent will know exactly how to take a vivid and flattering photo-tour of the home. They will walk from room to room snapping photos in the best light and may come back for a better shot to make sure your online listing is perfect.

A proper presentation ensures your listing, showings, and open house events are top-notch. Clean, declutter, spruce up and arrange with house hunters in mind. By going the extra mile with your efforts, you’re sure to be rewarded with a quick sale.

First 6 Steps To Buying A Home

Friday, February 5, 2021
Debbi DiMaggio

What are the first steps to buying a home?

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That may sound like a basic question, but when you don’t buy and sell homes everyday, it is a very good question, and not basic at all. When buying or selling real estate, no question is insignificant, and all questions are good. Most importantly, it is never too early to begin the conversation. Whether buying or selling today or in three years, education is key to achieving your real estate goals.

6 steps towards buying your new home

  1. Locate an agent through referrals or research.
  2. Allow the Realtor you chosen to work with put you in touch with a reputable and experienced lender.
  3. Discuss your wish list with your agent but know more often than not you will not get everything on your wish list, but providing parameters such as neighborhood, price and bed/bath count is a good start. Depending on the market – for instance in the East Bay in Northern California inventory is very limited at any given time. The more restrictions or items on your wish list, the fewer homes you will be exposed to. It’s important to see a variety yet keeping in your budget, so you will come to understand the market.
  4. Your agent will set you up on an auto listing feed so you can see a variety of homes and keep a log. Oftentimes home buyers will change their parameters after becoming more educated and seeing various homes even neighborhoods.
  5. Keep your options open.
  6. Writing an offer and prevailing (in our market) is another subject of its own.

Order one of our books, The Art of Real EstateReal Estate Rules! 52 ways to achieve success in real estate.

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Downsizing — After Living A Lifetime in Your Home

Saturday, February 13, 2016
Debbi DiMaggio

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Every year homeowners consider selling their home but oftentimes just sweep that thought to the side. With the overwhelming task ahead – Where am I going to go?  How will I sort through a lifetime of treasures?  Where do I begin?  The seminar on January 13th addressed all of those questions and more.

Homeowners who have resided in their home for 20+ years attended the seminar to learn from the experts. Debbi DiMaggio, Realtor, Marketing Director and Partner at Highland Partners lead the Q and A after delivering her presentation – Demystifying the Downsizing Process. Experts included a lender, real estate attorney, CPA, 1031 Exchange Consultant and a financial planner. Read more about this event by clicking here.

Save the Date:

Debbi’s next event — Living In and Loving Your Home. Wednesday, March 2nd from 6-8PM at the Piedmont Center for the Arts just down the street from Highland Partners Piedmont.

Coming Soon:

Debbi’s new book is set to release this summer, “Real Estate Rules” – 52 ways to achieve success in real estate.

This book is a resource for Realtors seeking to improve their own business and is divided into quick and easy to read chapters with funny illustrations by animator and film director, Steve Hickner. Events will be updated on her Realtor Author Speaker Facebook Page.

If you have a question, don’t hesitate to call her. 510.414.6777 – she is always happy to assist.

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Debbi’s other books can be purchased on Amazon.com – Contained Beauty, Photographs, Reflections and Swimming Pools makes an ideal hostess gift, while The Art of Real Estate is targeted to buyers, sellers and Realtors alike.

Dymythisizing the Downsizing Process and Book Signing

Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Debbi DiMaggio

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The Art of Real Estate Book Signing and Seminar went off without a hitch.

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The rain even cooperated.

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Approximately 70 guests attended the presentation, a mix of longtime Piedmont homeowners, including Debbi’s loyal service providers she introduced to the audience. Attendees checked in at the Piedmont Center for the Arts just before 6PM and enjoyed a glass of wine by the Boisset Collection poured by Susie Garcia, Ambassador for the wine group.
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The guests mixed and mingled and by a quarter by six everyone had taken their seat. Each guest was provided a notepad, pen and Debbi’s detailed Power Point Presentation – Dymythisizing the Downsizing Process.

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Michele Duffy, Debbi’s Feng Shui consultant introduced Debbi and the event was underway. Debbi briefly introduced her 5 panelists, Alan Metheny, Wells Fargo Advisors, Mark Epstein, Real Estate Attorney,

Gary Wong, CPA,

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Toni Esposti, 1031 Exchange Specialist for OREXCO ( Old Republic Exchange CO )

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and

Debbi’s brother, Mike DiMaggio, Manager of Stearns Lending.

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Debbi highlighted the importance of properly preparing a home for market in order to gain top dollar for your investment. By a show of hands most of the guests have resided in their homes for over 20, 30 and a few over 45 years! No doubt these homeowners are sitting on a high value investment. She emphasized the importance of painting, staging and replacing light fixtures as a start. And reminded the group the importance of first impressions. Moreover she explained that the today’s buyer begins their search on line and if they do not like what they see they won’t take the time to step inside.

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She also detailed the importance of home inspections — inspections that the seller should provide up front on many, if not all of the systems in a home. After her presentation attorney and panelist, Mark Epstein opened up his conversation by stating how impressed he was with Debbi and how thoroughly she advised her sellers to disclose and to obtain pre-inspections.

 

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Debbi also explained her reasoning for having her seller(s) in the room while hearing offers on their home. Alan Metheny, panelist and Financial Planner for Wells Fargo Advisors agreed. He drew from his own experience when Debbi sold his mother’s home. He concurred with Debbi’s reasoning that a seller will hear inflections noted by the buyers agent during their presentation and will have a clearer picture of the buyer and the buyers agent through leading questions Debbi asks. If a seller is not present to hear offers oftentimes the multiple conversations cannot be easily translated. Alan went on to note that although in his family there were “many cooks in the kitchen” all trying to give their opinion, he was happy to report in the end everyone backed down and allowed Debbi to take the reins and do what she does best. The sale exceeded everyone’s expectations going well over the asking price.

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Michael DiMaggio of Stearns Lending shared interest rates noting he believed they would remain low, while Toni Esposti and Gary Wong provided excellent tax advice and strategies to save money.

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Rob Bond shared a few words after Debbi’s presentation touching upon the importance of doing the work and upgrades as Debbi suggested as well as having he home pre-inspected.

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He went on to say that all marketing was done well and professional and although many don’t partake, he agreed social media marketing was a must. Rob Bond is not only the publisher of Debbi’s two books, Contained Beauty and The Art of Real Estate her book co authored with her husband and partner Adam Betta but he is also a very satisfied client.

 

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In the end Debbi opened the floor up to questions

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and depending on the question the appropriate panelist would answer. Of course in true Debbi fashion she announced each and every service provider who attended the event. She repeated a comment made by a recent seller said to her — “you are like the conductor of an orchestra – you seemingly bring your people together and everyone works seamlessly side by side.”

Debbi went on to thank her loyal service providers including the panelists noted above… and Rob Terry, HIGHLAND PARTNERS Realtor and Coordinator, Nicole Peterson, Realtor and friend Debbi mentors, Dylan Garner, Home Inspector, Tom and Felix of Strauss Carpet, Michael Friedes, Designer, Steve Adams, Designer/Organizer, Shirley McElhattan of St.Paul’s Towers, John Holmgren, Lender, Stewart Anderson and Andrea Steiner of First American Title Co, Quentin Bacon, Photographer and Storyteller, Michele Duffy, Master Feng Shui Consultant and Publisher, Rob Bond to whom convinced her that longtime Piedmont homeowners really needed this seminar and to hear what she had to say.

Debbi even included a list of the names and numbers of her preferred provider list in her presentation and gave it out freely to her guests. A coveted list and a resource not many Realtors would openly share.

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After the presentation was over guests mingled a bit longer while Debbi autographed The Art of Real Estate on their way out. One resident even came down from her second home in Napa just to attend the evening. Debbi was overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation and was humbled by the attendance.

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Longtime Friends of mine, Piedmont Resident, Peggy Huntington
and past Piedmont Resident and Panelist, Alan Metheny
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 5 Key Takeaways to Remember:
1. A seller / homeowner can do as much as they choose or as little as they choose when preparing their home for market. Debbi will provide her wish list and guidance, but it is up to the seller to make final decisions.
2. Debbi has access to organizers, packers and estate sale providers to assist all of her clients with their downsize and move.
3. Debbi will organize, coordinate and manage the entire process.
4. A home is one of the biggest investments in a person life, so Debbi believes doing the preparation work prior to market will allow the seller to maximize their investment.
5. Debbi has a resource for every need you may have.
by Michele Duffy, Master Feng Shui Consultant
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