Updated: Jul 18, 2023
To protect the data within the brokers tour/open house reports, reports can now be found in the member portal.
Login to https://mdweb.mmsi2.com/obar/ and find reports under "Quick Links" on the homepage.
To input listings/learn more about brokers tour, visit https://www.bridgeaor.org/virtual-brokers-tour.
More than 8,000 property owners in Alameda County are about to get a reduction in their property taxes, according to an announcement issued by County Assessor Phong La on Thursday, June 22.
“After careful review of home sales data, we determined that 8,352 property owners who recently purchased homes throughout Alameda County will receive a reduction in their property taxes,” La’s announcement stated. “We worked with BRIDGE Association of Realtors and Bay East Association of Realtors to gather the necessary data to make the determination.”
Reductions will range from 5% to 10% depending on the city and community for most homes purchased between January and October 2022.
“It is our goal to get the most accurate value possible when making assessments,” La stated. “We are grateful to the staff of both BRIDGE and Bay East for helping us compile the market data needed to make these assessment reductions.”
In addition to the residential property reductions, the Assessor’s Office granted reductions to 2,274 manufactured homes and 121 commercial/industrial properties. Total assessment values were reduced as follows:
8,352 residential properties = $900,634,331.
2,274 manufactured home properties = $23,735,632.
121 commercial or industrial properties = $170,144,955.
Proposition 8 is a California constitutional amendment that allows a temporary reduction in assessed value when a property suffers a decline in market value. For property tax purposes a decline in assessed value occurs when the current market value of your property is less than the assessed value as of lien date, January 1st.
“The Assessor makes every effort to consider declines in value and to assess all property at the lesser of market value or factored base year value each year without the need for individual owners making an informal request or filing a formal appeal,” La’s announcement stated. “Alameda County has been and will continue to be proactive in reviewing assessed values to ascertain whether temporary reductions are warranted.”
For more information on Proposition 8, the Alameda County Assessor’s Office website.
On June 12, 2023, a real estate agent heading to the Broker’s Open House in Oakland was accosted by two armed men as he approached the house. The men demanded the agent’s possessions and the agent refused and was struck on the forehead with the gun. The agent quickly ran inside the house and locked the door and the men fled without obtaining any of his possessions. The agent believes that the men were waiting for an opportune moment to rob someone who was vulnerable, and no other people were around. The Seller indicates that this type of event has never occurred at the Property and does not believe that the perpetrators targeted the Property but rather, they targeted the agent who was by himself.
BE DILIGENT! This is not an isolated incident.
As a REALTOR®, it’s important you have a personal safety protocol in place that you use every day with every client, like when meeting new clients, showing properties or sharing information online.
Always meet new clients at the office or in a neutral location, like a coffee shop
Share your schedule with a colleague, assistant, or family member
Communicate safety concerns on your listing (poor cell phone signal, etc.)
Do not overshare about your personal life
Do not host open houses alone
Check your cell phone battery and signal before heading to an appointment
Direct clients to walk in front of you when touring a property, do not lead them
Never go into attics, crawl spaces, or garages where you could be trapped