344 Skander Lane
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Categories:
Real Estate
Real Estate Pleasant Hill
You are about to read something you will not find on any other Realtor's web site.
We are not #1. We're not even #2.
Being the biggest brokerage in town is not our goal. Having the happiest, most satisfied and loyal clients in town is our goal. Clients who can't wait to get home to tell all their friends and family about us. Clients who write to tell us what a pleasure their home buying or selling experience was. That's our goal.
We don't care if we're number one, as long as our clients are happy. By comparison, being number one would probably be easier, but we don't mind the challenge.
To meet our goal, we've adopted a few core principles.
- Your time (and ours) is too important to waste. In today's world, our time is the most valuable commodity we have. It is too valuable to waste showing you properties that don't fit your needs, too valuable to waste "selling" you on something you don't want, too valuable to waste talking you into something you are not interested in, and too valuable to waste feeding you a line of salesman B.S. in order to close a deal.
- A satisfied client is not good enough. If you are only satisfied, we didn't do our job. We don't want to just meet your needs. We don't want you to just have an "OK" experience. We want you to move into your new home thinking, "Wow! they were amazing!"
- Strive for perfection, every time. Anything less than an A+ performance is unacceptable. Call us picky, call us meticulous, but in the end if every aspect of the transaction is not perfect, we have failed.
- Our integrity is something we won't compromise. We personally hold ourselves to the highest ethical and moral standards. Regardless of how tough a situation is, or how difficult a decision is to make, we will not sacrifice our principles for the sake of closing a deal. In the end, we may lose a client or anger a colleague, but our integrity will always remain above reproach.
We invite you to contact us at 925-890-4482 to experience the difference not being #1 can make.
PROFILE
- Ecole Nationale des Beaux arts de Paris
- Architecture and Sculpture
- I have been a custom home builder for 38 years
- In the 24/680 corridor for 24 years
- Real Estate investor for 12 years
- Helping buyers and sellers and property management at Hitchcock Reality
Categories:
Real Estate
Categories
Real Estate
Business Type:
Agent/Agency
Business Type: Property Management
Business Type: Residential
Business Type: Property Management
Business Type: Residential
1928 Contra Costa Blvd
Pleasant Hill CA 94523
9258904482
Thank You
Dear Chris: Thank you very much for showing us your two properties in Pleasant Hill. We very much liked both of them (especially your Schruberry property). It was a great pleasure to listen to you and your helpful commentary to two SF-area strangers. However, we did locate a house
in Danville that suits our collective needs and is close to not only office mates/Bart for Steve, but a community college Leslie is interested in. However, we have no hesitation in recommending your services to anyone we know is relocating to the SF East Bay area. You were extremely
helpful and pleasant. Please let us know if there is any way we can assist you in return, advise potential clients, and feel free to use this email as a testimonial if you desire.
Thank you again. VR Steve Mogan, COL (ret), US Army
- VR Steve Mogan, COL (ret), US Army
22 months ago
To reach excellence
22 months ago
To be a Real Estate agent these days is to be a friend, a psychologist, an economist, an advisor, a consultant, a political analyst, a financial and market analyst, a savvy investor, a mortgage and appraisal knowledgeable. I am conscious that I will need much more skills in the near future and will never stop learning as long as I want to help the community with the best quality services.
In order to practice well I have to open my mind to so many different situations, make the abundant documents understandable to everyone and have all the arrangements necessary in place for a smooth process.
Realize! This is very complicated, very demanding and intense. I have long days and I love it.
Most Recent Comments (1 Total)
Comments
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Eliza Winters
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August 18, 2011
I love your philosophy on what it takes to be an agent. I share much of the same philosophy with how I act as a landlord. I want to provide quality to all residents. I feel guilty sometimes that I have to run tenant screening ( http://www.advantagetenant.com ) before I allow someone to rent, but you probably feel the same way with clients that you work with. I need to make sure that the complex stays up to standard for the other residents and you need to make sure you aren't wasting your time showing homes out of their price range. Love the philosophy!
Diablo Valley Real Estate Customers
22 months ago
My goal is to help Diablo Valley customers to achieve their most successful real estate transactions. As an agent, I like to offer buyers or sellers, the accurate market analysis to reach the price they should pay for their dream home. I have never felt more strongly that anyone who has ever considered purchasing real estate should do it now. The strong influence of a relentless flood of foreclosures and a lackluster economy sets a very attractive buyers market. Still, a lot of Contra Costa residents are waiting for a lower bottom. I'd like to remind everyone that nobody has control over any kind of market, so when you find the right home , the right price for your budget, the right location, just BUY IT. In the mortgage corner, the new legislation was signed to bail out the financial industry. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) hopes that it will provide relief to homeowners struggling with foreclosure woes. It also hopes to calm the fears on Wall Street by offering support and financial relief to the beleaguered government-sponsored mortgage institutions, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Homeowners with negative equity or who where behind on payments, had little or no option for refinancing into a more favorable loan, leaving foreclosure or a short sale as the only alternative. Under this act, the FHA can now refinance those homes at up to 90% of the current Value. The current lenders will forgive the remaining balance of the loans. The catch? Homeowners will be required to share in the future appreciation (50-100%) with the FHA and must meet a payment burden test to qualify. Uncle Sam will now issue a tax credit of 10% of the home purchase price up to $7,500, for first-time homebuyers through July 2009. The credit must be repaid over 15 years. The temporary loan limits were set higher at $729,750 until their expiration date on December 31, 2008. The minimum down payment for an FHA loan will increase to 3.5% from 3.0%. The media is all too happy to report on bad news, throwing gas on the fire and hurting the greater housing market. All the ingredients are in place for a housing rebound in the Danville, Pleasant Hill and the Lafayette areas (Lamorinda). There is just one missing ingredient: a series of media reports that buoys the confidence of all buyers waiting for signs that the bottom has hit.
Here is a clock that I hand carved for the movie "The Bicentennial Man"
22 months ago
Pleasant Hill, quiet community of the Diablo valley, doesn't have anything glamorous like Hollywood, just is the location of my modest studio. Nevertheless some wood clocks for the movie, staring Robin Williams, the Bicentennial Man, were born here. After many drawings and real scale clay models, I had to move and execute my work in the San Raphael area.
What a thrill to use my art in the movie industry, tune Heart with Art with the challenge of everybody's different personality. Thank you to the entire staff and a special attention to Ann and Isaac, who gave me all the support and opportunity to realize this hand carving project all the way to the end.
The spirit of Michelangelo alive in the Diablo Valley
22 months ago
Carving this thirty six inches high piece of earth colored lime stone was inspired by my mother's soft face.
I was in my twenties, artist, making my living from my sculpture, trying to keep alive the spirit of the Italian Renaissance Stone Carvers.
Finding inspiration by hiking Briones State park in Lafayette, Pleasant Hill trail, Mont Diablo and this valley. Nature offers a large variety of colors, textures and forms in a such strong way that I can't sculpt anything for few days, when I come back to my studio. Then the magic happen and I can create again with inspiration.
Green Is The Trend For Diablo Valley Residents
22 months ago
Green energy is getting affordable and we are going to see in the next decade a huge improvement in this utilization, in cars, commercial and industrial buildings and in residential housing.
The Diablo Valley offers a great possibility. Lafayette, Pleasant Hill and Danville in California are perfect areas to benefit from the Pacific coast wind for windmills and the sun exposure for photocells utilization.
Twenty eight years ago it was a real adventure to build my own windmill. Not too much literature and manufacturers to buy from. So I had to find a used alternator.
Buy some fir, being the best wood for a small propeller, which I had to carve myself to the right profile and assemble the whole thing together on the top of a 35 foot pole like you see in the picture. In building our homes, let's consider a budget for green energy.
Danville Art - Fountain at the Danville School
22 months ago
This fountain was a donation by Bob and Brenda Markstein of Diablo in recognition of the 2001 graduating class, at the San Ramon Christian Academy. I was involved in executing this project, because of my close relationship with the Markstein family who gave me the opportunity to build several projects at their residence over a couple of decades.
Art like this piece is a message of Tranquility, Love and Balance that we often forget to include in our daily life, whether in school, church or home. Ownership of real estate, especially in the Diablo valley, gives us the chance to express ourselves through fine art, music, poetry, and literature in any form we like. Keep this spirit.
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About Us
You are about to read something you will not find on any other Realtor's web site.
We are not #1. We're not even #2.
Being the biggest brokerage in town is not our goal. Having the happiest, most satisfied and loyal clients in town is our goal. Clients who can't wait to get home to tell all their friends and family about us. Clients who write to tell us what a pleasure their home buying or selling experience was. That's our goal.
We don't care if we're number one, as long as our clients are happy. By comparison, being number one would probably be easier, but we don't mind the challenge.
To meet our goal, we've adopted a few core principles.
- Your time (and ours) is too important to waste. In today's world, our time is the most valuable commodity we have. It is too valuable to waste showing you properties that don't fit your needs, too valuable to waste "selling" you on something you don't want, too valuable to waste talking you into something you are not interested in, and too valuable to waste feeding you a line of salesman B.S. in order to close a deal.
- A satisfied client is not good enough. If you are only satisfied, we didn't do our job. We don't want to just meet your needs. We don't want you to just have an "OK" experience. We want you to move into your new home thinking, "Wow! they were amazing!"
- Strive for perfection, every time. Anything less than an A+ performance is unacceptable. Call us picky, call us meticulous, but in the end if every aspect of the transaction is not perfect, we have failed.
- Our integrity is something we won't compromise. We personally hold ourselves to the highest ethical and moral standards. Regardless of how tough a situation is, or how difficult a decision is to make, we will not sacrifice our principles for the sake of closing a deal. In the end, we may lose a client or anger a colleague, but our integrity will always remain above reproach.
We invite you to contact us at 925-890-4482 to experience the difference not being #1 can make.
Property Management & Leasing Services
Our sister company, Hitchcock Properties, is a full service property management firm providing leasing and ongoing management services for single family homes, town homes, condominiums, mobile homes, apartments and other multi-family properties. We have a full staff of leasing agents, property managers, maintenance personnel, contractors and after-hours emergency service providers to ensure top notch care of your property and its tenants.
Don't settle for just any Realtor or real estate company for your property management services. When it comes to managing your income properties, experience counts. The staff at Hitchcock Properties has over 25 years combined experience in professional property management!
Leasing Services
We are available to assist landlords with the placement of tenants in their properties, independent of their use of our ongoing property management services. Our marketing campaigns and tenant screening techniques are carefully designed to obtain the ideal tenant at the highest market rates in the shortest possible time. Our leasing services include:
- Comprehensive Market Lease Rate Analysis
- Property Inspection and Analysis
- Full Marketing Campaign
- Listing of Property on Multiple Listing Service (optional)
- Showing Property to Prospective Tenants
- Thorough Screening of Tenant Applicants
- Preparation of all Lease Agreements, Disclosures & Other Paperwork
- Documentation of Property Condition Prior to Occupancy
Property Management
For those landlords who wish to be buffered from the day to day hassles of property repairs, maintenance, rent collection and tenant issues, we offer our ongoing property management services. Property owners may utilize these services regardless of their use of our leasing services. Our property management services include:
- Day to Day Management of Property
- Collection of Rent
- Responding to Tenant Inquiries, Problems and Concerns
- Coordination of Property Repair and Maintenance Needs
- Periodic On-Site Inspections of Property
- Detailed Monthly Accounting Statements
- Detailed Repair and Maintenance Logs
- Detailed Tenant Communication Logs
- Coordination of Tenant Evictions (additional 3rd party and eviction fees may apply)
- Responding to After Hours Tenant Emergencies
- Act as a Liaison Between Tenant & Landlord
- Tenant Move-Out Property Inspections
Fee Schedule
Our property management and leasing fees are some of the most competitive in the industry, while still maintaining an unmatched level of client and tenant care. Our fee schedule is as follows:
- Leasing Service: ½ of 1 month's rent or 6% of the value of a 1 year lease if rented via the Multiple Listing Service with a cooperating agent or broker
- Property Management: 5% of Monthly Rent ($65 monthly minimum)
Sellers...
Unless you've been living in a cave for the last couple years, you've probably noticed that the balance of power in the California real estate market has shifted back into the buyer's hands. The days of just throwing your house on the market and waiting for the offers to roll in are a thing of the past.
Now, more than ever, quality representation by a skilled Realtor with a carefully crafted sales plan is vitally important. Every Hitchcock Realty agent has been extensively trained to provide our exclusive 60 day action plan. It brings together nearly twenty marketing and advertising items into a cohesive campaign structured to sell your home at maximum value in the least amount of time.
Buyers...
If you are currently in the market to purchase a home, you have likely found yourself with lots of options to choose from. Many sellers and their listing agents are bending over backwards to get you to consider their homes. But how can you tell which ones are the great opportunities and which are the turkeys? And how do you make sure you get the best deal possible?
That's were the services of a skilled buyer's agent come in. Getting a terrific deal on a quality home is no accident. It requires a careful investigation and evaluation of the home, its sellers and the homes they are competing with.
Also required is an artful presentation of not only the purchase offer but you the buyer as well. At Hitchcock Realty, everything from the first call to the listing agent to the presentation of the offer is carefully crafted to ensure that it and our clients are perceived in the best possible light.
Property Management & Leasing Services
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Property Listings & Home Valuation
Listing Watch - Stay on top of the market! With homes selling in a matter of days, you can't afford to browse active listings every few days. Sign up to receive property listings by email as soon as they come on the market.
Home Valuation - Wondering what your home is worth? Get a FREE market analysis of your home's value by email.
Mortgages
Mortgage & Financial Calculators - All the real estate calculators you could ever ask for in one place! Calculate a monthly mortgage payment, find out how much you could qualify for, compare multiple loan options, see if refinancing makes sense and more.
Today's Mortgage Rates - Stop guessing what your mortgage's interest rate could be. See actual mortgage rates that are available today!
Mortgage FAQs - Interest only? 5/1 ARM? Jumbo loans? Confused about all this mortgage lingo? Find the answers to all your mortgage questions here.
Informational
Renting vs. Owning - Wondering if you're ready to stop renting and become a home owner? This case study explores the advantages and disadvantages.
Community Information - Look no further for Contra Costa community information. Find population statistics, home values, school rankings and more.
School Information - Contra Costa school district statistics, rankings, demographics, web site links and more by city.
How to Choose a Realtor - Confused about how to select a Realtor to help you buy or sell a home? Don't just pick the first one you meet or the one Aunt Judy's neighbor's secretary used 4 years ago. Get out there and interview 2 or 3. Here are the top 10 questions to ask when interviewing potential candidates.
Community Information & Links
The communities listed below are limited to those that we service. If you'd like information on an area not available here, please let us know.
Click here for California Department of Education's Academic Performance Index reports for Contra Costa County schools.
Alamo
| Population: | 15,626 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 20.6 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $1,286,000 - Average: $1,430,920 - High: $3,350,000 - Low: $435,000 - # Sales: 187 [2] |
| School District(s): | San Ramon Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | n/a |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Antioch
| Population: | 100,000 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 26.9 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $418,000 - Average: $423,764 - High: $990,000 - Low: $137,000 - # Sales: 1,412 [2] |
| School District(s): | Antioch Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.ci.antioch.ca.us/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Bay Point
| Population: | 21,534 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 9.3 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $335,000 - Average: $345,028 - High: $629,000 - Low: $170,000 - # Sales: 191 [2] |
| School District(s): | Mount Diablo Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | n/a |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Blackhawk
| Population: | 10,048 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 9.3 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $1,254,000 - Average: $1,456,626 - High: $5,275,000 - Low: $560,000 - # Sales: 117 [2] |
| School District(s): | San Ramon Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | n/a |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Concord
| Population: | 124,700 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 31.13 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $430,000 - Average: $428,677 - High: $2,900,000 - Low: $127,000 - # Sales: 1381 [2] |
| School District(s): | Mount Diablo Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.ci.concord.ca.us/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Danville
| Population: | 43,303 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 18.1 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $820,000 - Average: $868,529 - High: $3,400,000 - Low: $355,000 - # Sales: 604 [2] |
| School District(s): | San Ramon Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.ci.danville.ca.us/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Lafayette
| Population: | 24,546 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 15.2 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $895,000 - Average: $1,017,779 - High: $2,710,000 - Low: $450,000 - # Sales: 205 [2] |
| School District(s): |
Alcalanes Union High School District (9-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile)
Lafayette School District (K-8) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.ci.lafayette.ca.us/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Martinez
| Population: | 36,700 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 12.5 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $447,975 - Average: $485,326 - High: $2,100,000 - Low: $235,000 - # Sales: 516 [2] |
| School District(s): |
Martinez Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile)
Mount Diablo Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.cityofmartinez.org/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Moraga/Canyon
| Population: | 16,686 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 9.3 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $750,000 - Average: $771,850 - High: $2,825,000 - Low: $260,000 - # Sales: 178 [2] |
| School District(s): |
Alcalanes Union High School District (9-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile)
Moraga School District (K-8) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.ci.moraga.ca.us/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Orinda
| Population: | 18,069 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 12.8 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $995,000 - Average: $1,134,963 - High: $3,300,000 - Low: $351,000 - # Sales: 195 [2] |
| School District(s): |
Alcalanes Union High School District (9-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile)
Orinda Union School District (K-8) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.ci.orinda.ca.us/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Pacheco
| Population: | 3,562 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 0.7 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $395,000 - Average: $421,954 - High: $665,000 - Low: $265,000 - # Sales: 31 [2] |
| School District(s): | Mount Diablo Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | n/a |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Pittsburg
| Population: | 60,525 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 15.6 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $380,000 - Average: $393,098 - High: $750,000 - Low: $218,500 - # Sales: 529 [2] |
| School District(s): |
Pittsburg Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile)
Mount Diablo Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.ci.pittsburg.ca.us/pittsburg/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Pleasant Hill
| Population: | 33,537 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 7.1 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $541,000 - Average: $552,323 - High: $1,025,000 - Low: $211,000 - # Sales: 368 [2] |
| School District(s): | Mount Diablo Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Walnut Creek
| Population: | 66,000 [1] - (Resident Statistics) |
| Size: | 19.9 Square Miles |
| Home Values: | Median: $633,000 - Average: $633,604 - High: $2,000,000 - Low: $184,000 - # Sales: 774 [2] |
| School District(s): |
Mount Diablo Unified School District (K-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile)
Alcalanes Union High School District (9-12) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) Walnut Creek School District (K-8) - (GreatSchools.net District Profile) |
| Official Web Site: | http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/ |
| Affordability Rank: | $$$$$$$$$$ [3] |
Other Links
Contacting Christian Rousset
Phone:
Email:
Mail or In Person:
Contra Costa County Web Site: http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/
Contra Costa County Office of Education: http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/
California Department of Education Academic Performance Index Reports for Contra Costa County Schools
Contra Costa Historical Society: http://www.cocohistory.com/
Notes:
I invite you to contact me via any method below:
(925) 890-4482
crousset@comcast.net
1928 Contra Costa Blvd.
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523