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Last Monday I feel in love with this romantic, Mediterranean-Art Deco home in the Crocker Highlands District of Oakland on Broker's Tour. This house is currently listed with Dolores Thom and Pacific Union. Offered at $969,000. If you have any questions please email me. DeidreJoyner@gmail.com.
Notice the built in pieces of sculpture.
Throughout this home you will find art embedded into the walls.
Yesterday I held open two enchanting cottages on Fremont Street off of Powell Street in Oakland, on the Emeryville Border. When walking into the front owners cottage with hardwood floors, tansu chests, and bountiful windows, I felt immediately smoothed from my busy morning. The previous owner incorporated modern amenities such as stainless steel gas range with overhead microwave and updated bathroom with river rock shower to create the ultimate fusion of east meets west, and storybook meets city. Off of this cottage is a beautiful deck with plants and space for lounging.
The back cottage is currently rented and the tenant is paying market rent. The detached garage has been converted with permits to a legal office/workshop studio with bathroom. Every week I view many properties and this legal duplex is my favorite property from last week.
This listing is currently listed with Red Oak Realty.
The keys are exchanged and the torch is passed.
I have had the great opportunity to work with many clients over the years and match them with houses that fit their personalities. Recently, my client Jorg came to me with a few items on his property wish list:
Shortly into our home search we found the perfect house in the Upper Rockridge District of Oakland. Mr. and Mrs. Dondero purchased this piece of land in the early 1940's, but because of World War II they were unable to break ground for sometime. After 20 oak trees were removed from the lot, the Dondero's discovered that the house had a panoramic view. After discovering the breath taking San Francisco, Berkeley and downtown Oakland views, the house was designed to bring the view into almost every room. Being a prominent stone builder in San Francisco, Mr. Dondero integrated a variety of stone from various prestigious San Francisco buildings into his home. The walls are Venetian plaster, (Venetian plaster is a mixture of gypsum, sand and lime or mix of aged slaked lime, ground marble dust, and pigment. This mixture is usually tinted or colored before it is applied with a spatula or trowel.) Because the color is in the mixture, one can simply sand the walls when they are dirty or scuffed instead of painting them. After 59 years the walls are in fantastic condition.
This Oakland home has a distinct mid-century modern flare, on a level lot with courtyard and terraced backyard, immense rooms, floor to ceiling windows, stacked flagstone fireplace and more.
Well designed and constructed, most of the features and finishes are original and in pristine condition. Over the years there were a few enhancements, the stove that needed replacement was replaced with a Jenn-Air range complete with an oversized stainless steel hood, and the old absestos roof that saved this home from destruction during the Oakland Hills fire of 1991 was replaced with a composite tile roof, then topped with solar panels. At the close of escrow Jorg and I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Dondero as he gave us the guided tour of his masterpiece. Mr. Dondero remembered every nuance, every step and it was with pride and honor that he handed Jorg the keys.
Espaller is a horticultural technique of training trees, by pruning and grafting them to grow into this flat angular design. Popular in Europe fruit trees can grow in courtyards or against fences, yield fruit without taking up much space. I think this old world technique is stunning. Mr. Dondero says this lemon tree has been here for years.
The wooden cut-out panels that cover the windows that flank the front door have hinges and locks and open easily to clean the windows. The wooden angles remind me of a Greek key pattern.
Mr. Dondero is telling Jorg all of his secrets to maintaining the backyard and drains
The other week, I visited 990 Vermont Street in the Grand Lake District of Oakland. As I walked up the front steps and was greeted by the over sized front porch, I felt an immediate sense of comfort. The inviting diamond latticed window panes, the rustic hardwood floors and substantial rooms make this property feel like the perfect place to live, relax and entertain. I learned that Ms. Dorothy Buckley owned this property for nearly 60 years, and it is evident that this house was well preserved. 990 Vermont is perfect for someone looking for original craftsman woodwork and a great walking neighborhood. (This property needs foundation help. Many people fear foundation replacement, but you can live in a house while replacing the foundation. Contact me with your foundation questions. I purchased a home that needed major foundation work, and I have helped many homebuyers purchase homes with foundation problems. I have great resources and a list of reputable foundation professionals for the Oakland-Berkeley area and I am happy to share.) This home is currently listed with Valva Realty and I would be happy to schedule a showing.
This year I had the pleasure of helping Patri prepare and sell her beloved home in the Redwood Heights community of Oakland.
The three pictures below show the progression of the before and after.
Below is the note that Patri sent me after we successfully sold her home.
Dear Deidre,
I wanted to take a minute out of my busy schedule to thank you for all of your help in selling my home. I really appreciated all of your creativity. You had great ideas in the preparation and marketing of my home. You understood how much the house meant to my son and I, and took great care to showcase the special qualities that meant so much to us. You were sensitive to my needs and had my interest at heart. Selling a home can be scary, especially in our current market, and it was great to have you oversee the entire process, and be available for all my questions. From the start you were right there, with honest answers, and great support. It was good to count on your unpressured help.
I would absolutely use you again! I would be happy to serve as a reference to anyone who is considering using your services.
Thanks again,
Patri
This colorful home on the Oakland-Piedmont border has just been renovated. You can't deny the beautiful lines and design of this house. I love the columns, the landscaping, and it's intricate details. There is no doubt that this home is an attention grabber, but tell me what you think about the color?
I am talking to people everyday who are on the fence about buying a home now. Is now the right time to buy a house, or should you wait to see what the Oakland and Berkeley real estate market will do. When looking at the graphs above provided by BrokerMetrics. Home prices in Berkeley are down only 3.8% since September 2006. In Oakland the median home price is down a 47.3% since September 2006. These numbers are good to view, but to really understand this real estate market, you need to know exactly what is happening in your zip code and neighborhood. Oakland has seen such a drastic drop in the median price of a house as this statistic includes sales all over the city. When you combine the sales in East Oakland, West Oakland and North Oakland, areas that have experienced a major decline in value, the entire value of the city is affected. Factors that determine value are: crime, the foreclosure rate in the neighborhood and the performance of the area school. Areas such as Rockridge, Montclair and Crocker Highlands in Oakland have seen drop in price, but overall they are still highly desirable resulting in less of a decline in value.
The question you must ask yourself before buying are: will I remain in my home for at least 7 to 10 years before selling? Am I okay with no increase in appreciation for a few years? What will I save in regards to the tax benefits of homeownership? (Contact your tax advisor to determine how the deductions of interest and property taxes will affect your bottom line.) If prices go up in a year or two, will I regret that I didn't purchase a home in a declined market, and lastly can I afford the mortgage payments with property taxes and insurance? (A good mortgage broker will provide you with spreadsheets of your monthly payments so you can plug those numbers into your monthly budget.)
I believe in full disclosure of the pros and cons of the big investment of buying a house. You should know there is a tax credit of up to $7500 for first time homebuyers. This incentive will expire June 2009. For more information, click here.
My blog is interactive! Do you have questions? Email me and I will respond. Send me an email at DeidreJoyner@gmail.com or click on the email me button on the side of this page.
Mediterranean inspired homes often have strong influences from the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, Spain, Portugal, North Africa and Italy. Mediterranean homes built in North America in the first half of the 20th century often have ideas from native Americans and European settlers and this style of architecture is also known as Spanish Eclectic. Some of the characteristics of this style includes, low-pitched roofs, red roof tiles, little or no overhanging eaves, (an eave is the edge of the roof. Eaves usually project out the side of the house.) and stucco siding.
1925 Oak Crest Drive is my favorite home from Monday's Brokers Tour. This Spanish Eclectic home has the earthy texture of its Mediterranean influence combined with the modern edge of art deco design. This stately home gives off a calm and relaxing vibe when you enter the door. I can imagine this home through the various seasons. Enjoying the warm breeze on a hot summers night with the numerous windows opened, or sitting in front of the angular plastered fireplace warming up to a crackling fire on a chilly winters night. Features that I adore are the iron scroll work detail along the rear exterior of the house, the clean lines of the stairway banister, the vintage light fixtures throughout the house and the etched vintage shower door in the bathroom.
This home will speak to a person who is yearning for a larger home with with tranquil views of San Francisco and the Oakland Hills. Someone who wants modern convenience of a solid surface kitchen counter tops and high efficiency appliances accompanied with every 1938 detail still in tack. This home is located in the Oakmore Highland neighborhood of Oakland a community of well manicured homes built between the 1930's and 1950's. Oakmore Highland's is located just below highway 13 between Lincoln and Park Blvd.
This house is currently listed with Coldwell Banker for $1,099,000 and the photos are courtesy of Bonnie Ross.
Currently I am in search of the perfect home for my buyer clients who are relocating to Oakland. Although this home is not a good match for my clients needs; I was and am intrigued by this mystical home. This 1924 traditional home has an old world quality,that makes you wish you could see this home at its birth. The walls, casings,and vintage door knobs are in pristine condition. The grand staircase and turned wood railing lead to a large landing perfect for a library. The views of Downtown Oakland and San Francisco are fantastic and the since this home escaped the 1991 Oakland Hill Fire, the terraced backyard is studded with mature landscaping.
This four bedroom,2 bathroom home is available for the first time in 51 years,and it appears that the owner loved his home for many years.Listed for $999,000. This home is captivating, email me if you want a tour.
Cheers!
This home is listed with Tim Gullinksen, and the photos are courtesy of Tim.
Over the last week, I have been house hunting for my buyer clients in both Oakland and Berkeley. Buyers are looking for houses in the best locations that will hold their value throughout any real estate market, (with sensible floor plans). Because most sellers are holding off on selling as they are waiting for a better real estate market, quality inventory is low. Buyers are still out there hoping to take advantage of the real estate market slow down and folks are getting frustrated by the selection.
The people who are choosing to sell their homes are homeowners who want to move up. They realize that they will not get as much money for their home, but they also know that they will not spend as much on the larger home. (Depending on the area)
Other homeowners are selling their homes due to divorce, job relocation, empty- nesters who want to downsize and death. (People who have lived in a home for decades until they died).
There is a great deal of inventory in the transitional neighborhoos at low price points, but for folks who want to purchase a home with a price tag of $550K-$800K you have company. I am seeing multiple bids placed on 3 bedroom houses in prime locations that will hold their values. The exception is when a house is over priced to begin with as these houses sit on the market until the price drops.
Overall, the Oakland and Berkeley real estate market will continue to be a strong market for real estate, as we are close San Francisco and we have the best weather and sense of community!
This grand house was my favorite new listing from yesterday's Broker's Tour. What's not to like about this grand dame? With beamed ceilings, handsome woodwork, natural light, oversized rooms and stately entry, this John Hudson Thomas, 1912 home in picturesque Crocker Highlands is an entertainers dream.
This home is currently listed with Pacific Union and photos are courtesy of Teri Carlisle. List Price, $2,350,000 (6 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms) This property is being shown by appointment, email me for an appointment.
The year was 1936:
This classic Crocker Highland home is calling my name. With its handsome original woodwork, stunning staircase with scrolled railing, vintage stove, extra large rooms, and fantastic layout, I am envious of the person who will call this place home. 950 Park Lane is a home in need of system upgrades, but with a little sweat, vision and money; this house will be a masterpiece.
If I were to buy this home for myself, I would polish it back to its glory day of 1936, keeping every bit of its original charm. I would study the style of the 1930's and I would implement that era with a few modern and energy efficient upgrades.
This beautiful Oakland home was my favorite house from yesterday's Broker's Tour.
This home is currently listed with Tarpoff and Talbert and the photos are courtesy of Pat and Anet. I am happy to schedule a private showing of this wonderful home.
Whether it is a beautiful kitchen, the sculpture of tree branches, or a painting, I love art! Recently, I held an art gala at one of my recent listings in the Redwood Heights district of Oakland, featuring the art of Hope Meredith. As we staged the beautiful 1941 bungalow preparing it for the market, we hung Hope's original art in every room. Once everything was polished, and the fresh flowers were in place, it was time for an open house/art gala. Both neighbors, friends, and perspective homebuyers mingled while enjoying wine, snacks, the house and art. Viewing art in the ambiance of a home is quite unique and special, and I am happy to announce Hope sold 6 pieces from her collection. This is what Hope said about the experience, "Deidre created an art opening within an open house- what a great way to showcase both, the house and the artwork! I never saw anyone do this before. I hope it's an idea that catches on! "You might remember me marketing this home, I advertised it as Javier's House located at 3318 Jordan Road; it successfully SOLD! To view this recently sold property go to, www.3318Jordan.com.
Last week I met two of my buyer clients at my new office, (I am now at Red Oak Realty in Oakland) to write an offer on a house in the Berkeley Hills. My clients are great and I REALLY enjoy working with them. They offered to pick up a pizza pie from Zachary's, so we could eat while we burned the midnight oil.
Since this was the first offer we were writing together, we discussed everything and talked out several scenarios, as we were writing with competition. (We knew there were 3 to 4 other offers coming in on this particular house.) As we were eating pizza and brainstorming together, the room was full of laughter as we were having fun writing the offer! When you are working with a Realtor who is well suited for you, writing an offer can be a pleasurable process.
A few months back these same clients were considering writing an offer on a different house, but they decided not put their hat in the race. This is what the wife wrote to me in an email, and she approved me sharing this with you.
..."Mostly, thank you for holding our hands, encouraging us, for your wise feedback and counsel, and ultimately giving us this space to do the soul-searching in finding the right house. I'm enjoying all of the people I'm meeting along the way (Diane, Laurel, Lara) and I can see very clearly how your wonderful relationships are such an advantage in this process. Probably not many people say that in the middle of the process (even when that process means deciding not to put an offer in), but we feel well-represented." - Deidre's current buyer
By the way, Zachary's Pizza is one of my favorite pizza spots! For the son's baby shower, I requested Zachary's Pizza for the menu. Zachary's is locally owned and has been an Oakland and Berkeley favorite for 25 years! Visit Zachary's online at, http://www.zacharys.com/
Pictured above is the winning artwork by Donna and Tony Aweeka, Oakland, CA. Photo from Zachary's website.
It doesn't matter how many times I see deer cross the road, it always brings a smile to my face. I took this photo as I was leaving a house on Keith Avenue in the Berkeley Hills off of Marin. I was driving with my friend and colleague Nicole, and I asked her to stop the car so I could take a snapshot. I felt like a tourist! This reminds me of when I was showing property to a family from Russia who was thinking about purchasing a home in Berkeley. As we were looking out at the up-slope of the backyard in the Berkeley Hills we saw a few deer grazing on vegetation and the wife said to me, "how sweet they put real deer in the yard for staging". When you are out driving along Grizzly Peak or Skyline Blvd. it is amazing that we live so close to trails and wildlife. We sometimes forget about this as we are driving downtown or across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco, but this is one of the reasons living in Oakland and Berkeley is so supreme!
What is value? The worth of something compared to the price actually paid. Because of the recent down turn in the real estate market, your house might be worth less than what you paid for it. For some of you, you are taking the declined market in stride, as you have no intentions of moving out of your home. For others, you feel trapped. You feel that you want to be able to sell your home at any time without taking a loss. Fortunately, many areas of Oakland and Berkeley are holding strong and in some cases seeing multiple offers. Unfortunately there are communities that are suffering. If the purchase price of your home was more than it is currently worth, there is the possibility you could get your property taxes reassessed. Fidelity National Title has created an informational website regarding Proposition 8 , a constitutional amendment that allows a temporary reduction in assessed value when a property suffers a decline-in-value. Click Here to view the website! Remember home equity is really ghost equity; it doesn't count as money in your pocket until you cash out.
Photos from my evening open house/ art gala at 3318 Jordan Road
Here are a few easy tips for buying a home regardless of the market. Visit a perspective home several times in the day and in the night. Remember you are not just buying a home, you are buying a piece of the neighborhood, you should be comfortable with the package. Definitely keep in mind price and comparable homes and what they sold for, but most importantly listen to your voice. After you view a home, are you thinking about it when you go to bed? How about when you wake up? Can you imagine yourself sitting on your coach relaxing? Remember, you will have to make adjustments to your wish list and you most likely won't get everything on your list, so be realistic. When you feel like the house is right and you decide to write an offer, I will do everything that I can to negotiate strongly on your behalf, so be prepared, when I call you and say, "we got it!'.
Yesterday I hosted an evening open house/ art gala with refreshments at my listing on Jordan Road in Oakland. My goal was to connect with the community, give home buyers an additional evening open house to view the property, as well as give them an opportunity to meet the neighbors and better learn the community. I was thrilled to have a steady flow of neighbors, friends and perspective home buyers. Thanks for your interest and support!
For the last few months I have been working on this beautiful 1940's home in Redwood Heights. Every improvement that has been made over the past few weeks have been meticulously chosen to satisfy this home's new owner. I call this home Javier's House. Here Javier lived and played, and together with his mom, made many memories. This house is on an over sized lot with two backyards! In the second backyard Javier's uncle built a handsome fort which served as a catalyst for many an adventure as well as sheltered Javier and his mom from a summer's hot night. It is my job to market all of my listings in the best manor to entice as many home buyers as possible. Sure I have seen listings that fall short of their advertisement, but I do believe you will be refreshed when you visit this home. SAVE THE DATE! Sunday June 1st I will be hosting the first open house/garden party. Come, say hello and join me for a lemonade out in the garden.
Today I held open 5200 Mountain Blvd. for the first time. It is always interesting meeting and talking with homebuyers and hearing their thoughts about the market. As I welcome people into the house, I strike up conversation by offering to answer their questions about this home or the real estate market in general. I also ask them what homes stood out for them as they went house hunting. (I love to hear feedback from active buyers.)
Today, I heard a comment about the Laurel and Maxwell Park districts being over priced for where it is. (The gentleman also, said he could be bitter since he had a chance to buy a home in the Laurel 10 years ago for $100,000!) For people who are buying homes in the high $400,000 to the low $500,000 range, you differently have to make concessions. Buy a bigger house in a "less desirable" neighborhood or a smaller house in a "more desirable" neighborhood.
My suggestion is this: a house should fit your needs for 7-10 years in this real estate market and you should buy the best neighborhood you can. Remember you can't move the house. (Well technically you could...) If you are not sure about a neighborhood investigate it! Visit a home of interest 3 different times, in the day, in the night and if possible on the weekend, walk the neighborhood and talk to the neighbors. If the next door neighbor is nasty to you, then do you really want them as your neighbor?
You can visit 5200 Mountain online at www.5200Mountain.com, now available for $529,000. Pictured above is a map of the walking trails near this home and a shot of the diningroom.
Realtor, CA DRE #01451749 – Red Oak Realty
510 693 4253 / deidre@redoakrealty.com / 6450 Moraga Avenue, Oakland CA 94611
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