Ok, sometimes showing homes to clients can be unexpectedly fun. Today, I had a great set of clients visiting from out of town, touring some nicer homes in Oakland. At the third house on our tour, I used my lock box to open the front door (after calling ahead to conform) and the alarm begins counting down. I look at my MLS sheet and realize there is no alarm code to turn it off. 

Great!

Then, as I'm standing there wondering how loud the alarm will be when it goes off, the dog runs out the door and takes off up the street. Panicked, my clients and I chase the dog up the street into a neighbor's yard when the dog decides to hide in the bushes. After 5 mins. of coaxing him out of the bushes with some steak supplied by the neighbor, the dog then runs back…

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One of the undiscovered gems of Oakland is the Union Point park near the Park St. bridge leading to Alameda. Formally a vacant, weed covered lot the area has been transformed into a waterfront park including a Children's play area with a Sailing ship climbing structure, a Bridge to nowhere, a semi-circular pier / art installation and its centerpiece, a bougainvillea covered spiral hill in the middle. On weekends the park is a great place for picnics and gatherings right next to the water. There are BBQ grills and plenty of open space for throwing a Frisbee or football. From the top of the hill you are treated to a beautiful view down the Oakland estuary, with the barges, fishing boats and ships of the adjacent Coast Guard Island. Studded with artwork,…

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I just read an interesting article on the state of home sales in parts of Oakland.  Low priced ($200,000 and less) homes are becoming very attractive to investors. They can buy a home, rent it out, and still have positive cash flow because of the strong rental market. Many investors are coming in with all-cash offers for a smooth transaction with the bank.

The median price of a home in Oakland is now $330,000 which is roughly half of what it was only 18 months ago. What is driving homes sales up and prices down is the amount of REOs (bank-owned) and short-sales being sold. 50% of homes sales last month involved foreclosed homes, but foreclosures only represented 14% in Dec. 2007.

Banks are also starting to list their homes low and let the market…

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While on my way to meet a friend at the new Alameda Theater I was reflecting on the diversity of retail opportunities on the 3 short blocks of the central Park Street shopping area.  After the movie, we wandered down to Tomatina for an early dinner.  As we walked, I began to take note of which businesses were on Park St. and I was pleasantly surprised.Starting at Lincoln and Park Street, and continuing down just 3 short blocks to Encinal, a shopper can find two antique stores, a large bookstore, four children’s stores selling toys and clothing, your standard Peet’s and Starbucks, a coin dealer, two bicycle shops, a store devoted to dogs, a large shoe store,  a handsome high end clothing store, and restaurants too numerous to list, but with food choices…

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When I first came to Alameda, I was charmed by its home town appeal unlike so many large cities in the Bay Area.  Much of it seemed to be part of an old movie set with tree lined streets, Victorian era homes situated around mossy green parks, and children playing games in the school yard.  While my arrival was more than 15 years ago, I am pleased to say, that the charm is still there–and more.It has rebuilt one of its most attractive Art Deco theaters–the Alameda Theater--into an award winning complex, and yet continues to support a tiny, but mighty, theater in the round at the other end the island-the Altarena Playhouse. It’s Fourth of July parade is one of the largest west of the Mississippi, and children and parents from Cub Scouts, churches, the Boys…

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There are many wonderful places to go on walks in the East Bay. Nature jaunts within the many East Bay Regional Parks, and architectural walks through gorgeous old neighborhoods, will entice you to while away the better half of the day.

When in the mood to get away from it all, I usually head to one of the beautiful East Bay Regional Parks that reside within the Oakland hills. 

One of my favorites is Redwood Regional park, where you can really feel miles away from the urban hubub. Beautiful old Redwoods and grassy meadows make it a perfect place to hike, workout, picnic or just play with your kids in an oxygen rich and car free zone.

Equally as beautiful, is Joaquin Miller park just south of Montclair on Highway 13. This park provides wonderful hiking…

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One of my favorite quick lunchtime meals is sushi from Sushi King in the Marketplace on Park St. in Alameda. It is a very small open air stall with only 4 seats and lots of fabulous to-go sushi. Everyone working there is pleasant and friendly and they treat their customers like 'kings'. They don't have as many fancy fish options like toro or aji but the fish is very fresh and healthy. My usual is the spicy tuna roll and a maguro nigiri. Where else can you sit in between a fresh fish market, JP Seafood, and a butcher, Baron's Meats, and eat fresh sushi?

Baron's has been around since 1915 and they store aged beef in glass lockers for their customers. You can order your personal steaks cut from your very own side of beef. Very Cool.

Also…

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It's that time of year again, Tax time! One of the first things I do for the new year is send my clients a copy of their Settlement Statement (or HUD-1) . If you bought or sold a home last year it is time to get all your paperwork together and send it to your tax preparer (or just do it yourself!) The HUD-1 sheet is a breakdown of all the costs incurred in your recent home sale /purchase. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requires that the form be issued in all real estate transactions in the United States which involve federally related mortgage loans. I always give my clients a CD copy of all the disclosures and Escrow paperwork but sometimes a hard copy in the mail saves a lot of frustration and time. Trust me, whoever does your taxes…

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I always take info from the internet with a grain of salt but here are a few figures I found. 

 

Top 10 Worst States For Foreclosures

Top 10 Worst States For Foreclosures in 2008

1. Nevada – 1 in 61 households
2. California – 1 in 88 households
3. Florida– 1 in 95 households
4. Michigan– 1 in 102 households
5. Ohio– 1 in 107 households
6. Colorado – 1 in 109 households
7. Arizona – 1 in 112 households
8. Georgia– 1 in 142 households
9. Indiana– 1 in 196 households
10. Texas– 1 in 205 households

Top 10 States With Least Amount of Foreclosures in 2008

1. Vermont – 1 in 12,294 households
2. South Dakota – 1 in 4,693 households
3. North Dakota – 1 in 4,288 households
4. West Virginia – 1 in 3,071 households
5. Mississippi – 1 in 2,501…

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