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For 2013, Sereno Group ranked 61st in sales volume, 5th in average sales price, and 15th for overall percentage increase over the past five years.

When a San Jose first-time home buyer begins hunting for the prize that has to serve both as a satisfactory home base and a solid investment, most feel a mixture of excitement (a home is a landmark achievement!) and maybe just a touch of apprehension. Like any expense you’ve never encountered before, it’s appropriate to take extra care the first time out — and to pay attention to what experience teaches. Along those lines, here are some mistakes that are easy for a first-time home buyer to make. Fortunately, they’re also easy to sidestep:

1. Waiting for a better rate

Adjustable rates may well be about as low as they’re going to get right now – and some signs point to an increase in the coming months. For a San Jose first-time home owner who will be taking out a loan, if the property is right, hesitating to make a commitment based on a loan rate gamble is seldom a good idea.

2. Thinking short term

Consider thinking of a home as a lifetime investment. Even for those who are single or newly-wedded, it’s possible that being open to a house with extra rooms could end up saving considerably on moving, transaction and agent fees, taxes, etc. It’s equally important to look at neighborhoods and how they are changing and developing. If you do resell your home, location can make a big difference in how. 

3. Underestimating hidden costs

The monthly mortgage payment isn’t the ultimate bottom line. When a first-time home buyer comes across a property that fills (or exceeds) everything he or she has been looking for, if the mortgage payment looks to be right, it’s easy to overlook other homeowner expenses. Experienced buyers make hardheaded estimates of maintenance fees and property taxes — they will be every bit as consequential as the mortgage bill. 

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose in August from a year ago by the most since February 2006 as stronger demand boosted values.

The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property prices in 20 cities increased 12.8 percent from August 2012, more than forecast, after a 12.3 percent gain in the year ended in July, a report from the group showed today in New York. The median projection of 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 12.5 percent advance.

Tight inventories have boosted prices as buyers compete for a limited number of properties for sale. While housing continues to be a source of strength for the economy, higher mortgage rates and limited improvement in the labor market and wages risk slowing the pace of progress.

“There’s still decent enough demand with little supply so home prices continue to perform,” Kevin Cummins, an economist at UBS Securities LLC in Stamford, Connecticut, said before the report. “It’s unclear how much rising mortgage rates in the last few months slow housing sales in the near future.”

As of August, average home prices in the U.S. were back to their mid-2004 levels, and the 20-city index was up 22.7 percent from its March 2012 low.

Estimates in the Bloomberg survey ranged from year-over-year price gains of 11.6 percent to 12.9 percent. The S&P/Case-Shiller index is based on a three-month average, which means the August figure was influenced by transactions in July and June.

The July reading previously was reported as a year-over-year advance of 12.4 percent.

Monthly Gain

Home prices adjusted for seasonal variations rose 0.9 percent in August from the prior month after a 0.6 percent increase. That compares with the Bloomberg survey median of a 0.7 percent increase.

The month-over-month price gains were led by Las Vegas, followed by Los Angeles and San Diego. Property values rose in all 20 metropolitan areas.

“The monthly percentage changes for the 20-city composite show the peak rate of gain in home prices was last April,” David Blitzer, chairman of the S&P index committee, said in a statement. “Since then home prices continued to rise, but at a slower pace each month. Recent increases in mortgage rates and fewer mortgage applications are two factors in these shifts.”

Unadjusted prices climbed 1.3 percent in August from the previous month.

The year-over-year gauge, which uses records dating back to 2001, provides a better indication of price trends, according to Karl Case and Robert Shiller, creators of the index. Earlier this month, Shiller was one of three economists awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for research on how financial markets work and assets such as stocks are priced.

All Increase

All 20 cities in the index showed a year-over-year gain, led by a 29.2 percent increase in Las Vegas. Values advanced 25.4 percent in San Francisco and 21.7 percent in Los Angeles.

Higher borrowing costs are already starting to bite. Fewer Americans signed contracts to purchase existing homes in September, the National Association of Realtors reported yesterday. The group’s index fell 5.6 percent, the most in more than three years and the fourth straight decline.

Existing-home sales, measured when a deal closes, also fell in September for the first time in three months, the Realtors’ group reported last week. Purchases dropped 1.9 percent to a 5.29 million annual rate.

Mortgage Rates

The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 4.58 percent in the week ended Aug. 22, the highest level since July 2011. It’s since fallen, averaging 4.13 percent for the week ended Oct. 24, according to Freddie Mac in McLean, Virginia.

Homebuilders and their suppliers are getting a lift from the housing recovery. Weyerhaeuser Co., a timber supplier and developer based in Federal Way, Washington, expects to close more than 1,100 homes in the last three months of this year, up about 35 percent from a year ago, President and Chief Executive Officer Doyle Simons said.

Today’s Internet-savvy home seller knows that before potential Willow Glen buyers even make their way to a home’s online listing they may already have been exposed to the property’s pictures posted elsewhere. Since first impressions can be decisive, it’s all the more reason to heed something that advertising professionals have always known: the viewer’s eye is automatically drawn directly to any visible flaws.

That’s why, if you want to entice more buyers by posting the most attractive teaser pics of your Willow Glen home, you need to think in staging terms. Professional staging is the most foolproof way to create flawless images, of course — but there are also some easy and inexpensive approaches to creating eye-pleasing images of your home.

Get your Stuff Out 

The first rule of staging a home in Willow Glen is to make it as inviting as possible — and nobody feels at home when they are surrounded by a stranger’s stuff. Remove the blankets piled on the couch, and take down the Spiderman posters from Junior’s room. When a viewer’s eye goes to a personality-defining detail, it usually shapes the whole impression. Making your home a blank canvas will allow prospective buyers to picture their own belongings fitting nicely in place. 

Call the Professional Cleaners 

You need to get every inch of the home as clean as possible for it to be inviting (and worth the asking price). This means cleaning things you probably haven't even considered before, like the garage door and the sliding window tracks. Hiring a professional crew for even just a day can do wonders to create a ‘like new’ aura. 

Adjust Lighting  

One of the things that make staged homes look so warm and welcoming is great lighting. A lot of us have gradually adopted minimal lighting at home — something that can be reversed with a few extra lamps and higher-wattage bulbs. As we approach the end of Daylight Savings Time in a few weeks, that can make a stark difference.