![](https://cdn.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/styles/bio_thumbnail_image/public/assets/images/bio_osmundson_ellen.jpg?itok=jXYLekMo)
Writer Ellen Osmundson, CIPS, is a sales associate with Prudential California Realty in Walnut Creek, Calif. She is a former columnist on real estate and culture for Sing Tao Real Estate Guide and the author of American Home Ownership: The Chinese American Dream. She may be reached at 925-939-7460 or Ellen.Osmundson@ Prurealty.com.