Harv Balu, Realtor

10/31/2026

Most nights we come home through the garage. Tonight the front door clocks in.

One night a year, the whole street does the same small thing. A porch light goes on, then the one next to it, then the rest of the block, and for a few hours nobody needs a name or a reason. Just a light on.

Some of us have waved at the same house for nine years. Tonight might be the night that changes. Or it might just be a nice evening and a bowl of sweets. Either way, it counts.

Happy Halloween.

10/22/2026

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10/09/2026

Single story in Newark's Lake neighborhood, with four bedrooms on an 8,058 square foot corner lot and no HOA, listed at $1,550,000. Open house this Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4 PM.

4980 Stafford Pl is a 1968 ranch on a court, with 4 bedrooms and 2 remodeled full baths on one level, 1,707 sq ft. According to the listing, it was remodeled with City of Newark permits. The kitchen is updated with stone counters, the family room has a brick wood-burning fireplace and sliding glass doors to the back patio, and there is fresh paint inside and out, with new laminate flooring and new carpet. Out back is a fenced yard with mature trees, and there is an attached 2-car garage.

📅 Saturday, October 10 + Sunday, October 11
🕐 1 to 4 PM
📍 4980 Stafford Pl, Newark 94560
Walk in, no appointment needed.

I'm hosting both days and available to represent buyers. Come with your questions, and bring your agent if you have one.

🔗 Photos and open house details: HarvRealtor.net/4980
🔗 Full listing and live MLS data: https://www.harvrealtor.com/CA/Newark/24-41148841-4980-Stafford_Pl--94560
🔗 Newark market report, September 2026: HarvRealtor.net/NewarkSeptember26

Harv Balu, REALTOR® | REALTY EXPERTS® | CA DRE #02195792
📞 (510) 600-3425 · ✉️ [email protected]

Equal Housing Opportunity. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. MLS 41148841.

#94560

09/25/2026

A single story house in Hayward, fully remodeled inside, on its own 5,000 square foot lot, with no HOA, at $898,000. I am hosting it this weekend.

31967 Albany St sits in Fairway Park: 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths, all on one floor, 1,276 sq ft. The kitchen is built around a high-end Bertazzoni 36-inch gas cooktop and oven, with solid wood cabinetry and a farmhouse sink under the window. New high-end European oak hardwood floors run through the main living spaces, a brick fireplace anchors the living room, and both baths were rebuilt, one with a freestanding soaking tub and a separate glass shower. Out back is a level, fenced yard, newly landscaped, with a wood deck and mature trees.

Come walk it and ask me the question I would ask first about any 1951 house: what is behind the walls. On this one the remodel went past the finishes, with new electrical and new copper plumbing. For market context, the typical Hayward single family home sold for $935,000 in August, at 102.2% of list, in a median of 16 days.

Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 1 to 4 PM
31967 Albany St, Hayward 94544
Walk in, no appointment needed.

Open house details: https://HarvRealtor.net/blog/31967-albany-st-hayward-open-house

All 40 photos + live MLS data: https://www.harvrealtor.com/CA/Hayward/24-41148631-31967-Albany_St--94544

Hayward market report, August 2026: https://www.harvrealtor.com/HarvRealtor-hayward-market-report-august-2026

#94544

09/18/2026

The Fed raised rates this week. Your mortgage rate did not move, because it was never listening to the Fed in the first place.

Here is the part the headlines skip. The 30-year fixed tracks the 10-year Treasury, not the federal funds rate. On September 16 the Treasury closed at 5.00%, its first close at that level since July 2007. Want proof the two move independently? In late September 2024 the Fed cut half a point, and the 30-year fixed climbed from 6.08% to 7.04% by mid January.

In Fremont dollars: principal and interest on a $1,000,000 loan runs about $798 a month more today than it did at February's low. Same house, same loan.

Buying? Get pre-approved a quarter point above today's rate so a small move does not push you out of your range.

Selling? Before you cut the price, price out a rate buydown. Same dollars, roughly 3x the monthly payment relief.

HELOC? That one is tied to prime and moves now. Fixed mortgage? Nothing changes for you today.

🔗 The full breakdown, with the charts: https://harvrealtor.net/blog/fed-rate-hike-september-2026-bay-area-buyers-sellers

Harv Balu, REALTOR® | REALTY EXPERTS®
📞 (510) 600-3425 · ✉️ [email protected]

Rates as of 9/16/26 are market averages, not APRs. Examples are principal and interest only, not a loan offer. Equal Housing Opportunity.

#94538 #94536 #94539 #94587 #94560 #95035

09/07/2026

Today is for the people who built it.

Every home in the Bay Area has someone's hands in it. The framers, the electricians, the roofers, the crew that poured the driveway you park on. Most of them never see the housewarming.

So today, no market stats. Just thank you.

Happy Labor Day from my family to yours.

Tag someone who works harder than they let on.

Harv Balu | REALTY EXPERTS®

#94539
#94560 #94587

08/01/2026

Eleven. That is how many detached houses are for sale in ZIP 94043 right now, against 38 condos and townhomes. I am hosting one of the eleven this weekend.

1603 Morgan St is a single-story ranch at the end of a cul-de-sac: 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 1,234 sq ft on a 5,000 sq ft lot. High-ceiling living room plus a separate family room, central AC, 2-car garage, washer and dryer included, no HOA. Out back there is a deep, level yard with two mature persimmon trees and, per the listing, room for an ADU (verify that with the City of Mountain View before you count on it). Two tenths of a mile from Crittenden Middle School. $1,980,000.

Come walk it and ask me the two questions everyone should ask about this one: why the price per square foot reads high for the neighborhood (small house, valuable lot, priced under its own AVM average), and what the property taxes will really be after a sale (not the $3,279 you will see online).

📅 Saturday, August 1 + Sunday, August 2
🕜 1:30 to 4:30 PM
📍 1603 Morgan St, Mountain View 94043
Walk in, no appointment needed.

I am hosting both days and available to represent buyers.

🔗 Full breakdown + printable flyer: HarvRealtor.net/1603
🔗 All 36 photos + live MLS data: https://www.harvrealtor.com/CA/Mountain_View/24-41142686-1603-Morgan_St--94043

#94043

07/24/2026

OPEN HOUSE THIS SUNDAY, July 26, 1 to 4 PM.

341 Imagination Pl, Milpitas. A 3 bed, 3 full bath Parc Metro condo that lives like a townhome, listed at $1,068,000.

Here is what makes this one different. There is a full bedroom and bathroom on the main floor, with no steps at the entry, so guests or family have a real space of their own. Upstairs you get two primary suites, and the main one has a walk in closet and double vanity. Three full baths total, which means mornings actually work.

A gas fireplace anchors the living room, the kitchen has maple cabinetry and a gas range, and the private front patio faces the park. The HOA runs $295 a month and includes the pool, spa, clubhouse, and playground.

You are minutes from the Great Mall, Milpitas BART, and the I-680, I-880, and CA-237 corridors.

Come walk through it Sunday. No appointment needed, and I am happy to talk through the Milpitas market while you are there.

🔗 Open house details and photos: HarvRealtor.net/341

🔗 Full listing and live MLS data: https://www.harvrealtor.com/CA/Milpitas/24-41141835-341-Imagination_Pl--95035

🔗 Milpitas market report, June 2026: HarvRealtor.net/MilpitasJune26

Parking tip: park along Celebration Dr, then take the lane beside the park fence. The home faces the park.

Harv Balu | REALTY EXPERTS®
REALTOR® | GRI, CIPS, PSA, FTBS | CA DRE #02195792
(510) 600-3425 | [email protected]

#95035

07/19/2026

What's your home really worth in today's market?

Every month I break down what homes are actually selling for across Fremont, Union City, Newark, Milpitas, San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. Real numbers, plain English, no jargon.

Thinking about buying or selling this year, or just curious? Ask me for a free home valuation. No pressure, no obligation.

🔗 Free valuation and monthly market reports: HarvRealtor.net
🔗 Search homes: HarvRealtor.com
🔗 Book a free consultation: calendly.com/harvbalu/buyer-seller-consultation

Harv Balu, REALTOR® | REALTY EXPERTS® | DRE #02195792
📞 (510) 600-3425 | ✉️ [email protected]

#94539 #95127

A human-prepared home valuation, not an algorithm's guess. Free, no obligation, usually in your inbox within a couple of hours.

07/03/2026

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a bold idea became a country.

This Fourth of July, we're not just celebrating a holiday. We're marking 250 years of America, of big dreams, hard-won freedom, and the belief that where you start doesn't decide where you can go.

That belief is a big part of why I do what I do. Helping people plant roots and build something lasting in a place they're proud to call home is the American dream in action, one front door at a time.

Here's to 250 years of freedom, and the best is still to come. Happy Fourth of July! ⭐