August 20th, 2007 - Homebuilders See Signs of Stability

July 22nd, 2007 -
Why Hasen't My Home Sold?

July 3rd, 2007 - To Buy Or Not To Buy

June 22nd, 2007 - A Successful Transaction

June 4th, 2007 - What's A Title?

May 28, 2007 - Whats a blog?

What's A Blog, And What Does It Have To Do With Real Estate?

A few months ago, an acquaintance of mine approached me asking if I’d be interested in creating this blog for the Press Democrat. Thoughts began whirling around in my head, all of them wondering what on EARTH a blog is… My anxiety level reached Mt. Everest proportions and I wondered what I would be getting myself into. Was it some new creature from a Harry Potter book? Maybe a model home built in a marsh bog. Or perhaps a decorated, fallen log? And why would he want me to make one?

Well, once I found out what blogs actually are (and if you don’t know, you’re reading one right now), thoughts again began to whirl and twirl in my head, but this time it was about what a wonderful opportunity I was facing! I’ve been in real estate in one form or another my entire life, going back to my father – a brick mason in Scotland. I enjoy real estate and take a genuine pleasure in helping people learn more about it; helping them discover something which could change their financial future. And, yes, most of my job does entail working with new home builders, but I look forward to this chance to spread some hard-knock knowledge around to everyone. With that said, please feel free to email me at jscally@nat.com if you have any questions about real estate, no matter how small you may think it is. My goal is to educate you on what I feel are really important things in your life. I had to learn the hard way and if I can spare you that grief, great!

Just to give you a little background on myself, I became a real estate agent in 1987, working deals through from the acquisition of raw land to the construction process, helping builders set up subdivisions. I have sold and closed over 2000 new homes. For the past twenty years, for a handful of times each year, I visit new home communities in Sonoma County to gather data on each subdivision to provide an in-depth project profile snapshot for my builder clients. It always amazes me how dynamic this industry can be – it’s always changing, making slight alterations, and fitting itself to an often-transitory group of home buyers. For example, I’m seeing more and more “green” homes being built. We are all starting to recognize the importance of renewable energy and it’s showing in the homes being built now in Sonoma County.

Five years ago I joined North American Title Company (a company which handles escrows and title insurance on all phases of land acquisition, construction, and home purchases as well as all types of mortgage financing) as Vice President of New Home Builder and Commercial Services. In this capacity, I’ve also been able to work with the Home Builder Association and am in my fourth year as their chairmen of the membership committee. I’ve also been very active with many other regional boards and committees, further educating the public about home ownership. I look forward to answering any questions you may have.