Gas Price Watch

With soaring gas prices at the pump it's always great to know where the best bargains are. Here are several tools that will help you find the cheapest gas prices in the Bay Area.

GasPriceWatch.com All areas
San Jose Gas Prices
Find The Best Gas Prices In The East Bay
Gas Prices in San Francisco

Cheers,

Mark

Your Silicon Valley & Sunnyvale Real Estate Professional
Mark Thomason
RE/MAX Real Estate Services
408.850.3085

Heads Up for my Valued Clients,

Interest rates are set in two primary ways. With the Fed meeting today and tomorrow, remember that short term rates (credit cards, ARM’s, HELOC’s) are highly influenced by the Federal Reserve. And the Fed keeps a close eye on inflation: if the Fed fears that prices are rising too fast, it will raise rates to slow the economy. But longer term rates, like 30-yr mortgages, are set in the open market. They are partly a bet on how well the Fed will control inflation but also reflect supply and demand. Basically, if there are lots of people with money to lend, and not so many who want to (or are able to) borrow it, rates go down. Rising commodity prices, however, are complicating the Fed’s job – it cost me $40 to fill up my car yesterday on my way to buy rice!

Call me for current market…

Cheers,

Mark

Your Silicon Valley & Sunnyvale Real Estate Professional
Mark Thomason
RE/MAX Real Estate Services
408.850.3085

"Set the stage"

Hire a staging expert. Staging is to the interior of a home what curb appeal is to the exterior -- nipping and tucking, furnishing and accessorizing, buffing and polishing until the place looks like a model home, without appearing too clinical. The new look will pay for itself in terms of sales speed or a higher sales price.

Cheers,

Mark

Your Silicon Valley & Sunnyvale Real Estate Professional
Mark Thomason
RE/MAX Real Estate Services
408.850.3085

Economic Stimulus Payment On The Way
The U.S. government began distributing economic stimulus checks today, several days ahead of schedule. Tax filers who qualify and who opted for direct deposit may receive their checks as early as this week. Review your finances before spending your stimulus check. Consider using this money to pay off any high-rate loans, such as credit card debt. Or begin building an emergency fund. April is Financial Literacy Month, so take this opportunity to learn more about your personal finances.

Cheers,

Mark

Your Silicon Valley & Sunnyvale Real Estate Professional
Mark Thomason
RE/MAX Real Estate Services
408.850.3085

Happy Monday:

This is a good article I wanted to share with you from The Wall Street Journal about credit scores, their current relevance, and what you can do to get yours the highest possible.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120882316731333133.html

Cheers,

Mark

Your Silicon Valley & Sunnyvale Real Estate Professional
Mark Thomason
RE/MAX Real Estate Services
408.850.3085