Seismic Rebates For New Home Purchases in Berkeley

Are you purchasing a home in Berkeley?

Have you purchased a home Berkeley within the last year?

If your home needs seismic repairs such as, bolting your foundation to the mudsill, improving a substandard foundation, or removal of an un-reinforced masonry chimney, you can now get a rebate back from the city!

Berkeley is giving a dollar for dollar rebate to new homeowners for up to ½ percent of the homes purchase price. The city is putting aside a portion of your city transfer tax and will give a rebate if the work is completed within a year of purchase. (That is $3000 for a home that was purchased for $600,000)

To qualify your home must be 5 units or less, have a wood frame, be built prior to 1989,plans must be approved by the city prior to the start of work and they must be done with permits by licensed contractors. (There are more requirements check with the City of Berkeley)

Click here to view more information on this seismic rebate.

For many of us our home is our only asset. Add strength to your investment and utilize this rebate, what a great incentive.

Coming Soon! Satisfying Mid Century Beauty

Coming September 16th, a satisfying Mid Century beauty in Upper Laurel! This 1957 home is perfect for someone who wants a move-in ready home with a sensible floor plan in an established neighborhood. I can’t wait to show off this impeccable home in the Upper Laurel District of Oakland. I can imagine the raised flower and vegetable beds that will bask in the sunny oversized backyard. I would retreat to the downstairs den to stay cool during the summer while I read a book or watch a comedy. How wonderful it would be to live worry-free in a home that boasts a new furnace, roof , hot water heater and more.

As soon as the final details are complete, including mid century staging by Form Vintage Modern on College Avenue I will post photos!

Coming Soon! New Articles about Oakland and Berkeley

I was just blessed to have 5 days in Cabo San Lucas with the fam, and now I am gearing up for the first day of school this Monday coming up.

I promise new articles next week. In the meanwhile here is a picture of my son Miles and his best friend Jack after skateboard camp.

Sheila Metcalf Tobin

I love how you can see the wood grain, it adds warmth and texture.

When I went to the one year birthday party for Mignonne, (a French inspired home store in Old Oakland), Sheila Metcalf Tobin was a featured artist and in attendance.

Sheila is a Berkeley resident transplanted from the South. She creates inspiring drawings on wood. (Finely finished wood canvases that her husband creates.) Sheila's inspirations are the earths harvest and her family traditions. Some of Sheila's work are one piece of art divided into multiple pieces, much like a quilt. Her grandmother was a quilt maker and Sheila is making her grandmother proud with her modern take on a 300+ year art form. Check out Sheila's website at, www.SheilaMetcalfTobin.com

Love It! Buy It In Oakland!

I love a home that smells good. Whether it is garlic and onions sautéing or cookies baking, nothing is as inviting as a heavenly scent. Sometimes when I visit open houses in the area, (Oakland and Berkeley), I see Realtors burning fragrant candles or simmering mulling spices on the stove. The purpose is to draw people in, and have them linger.

I am a candle addict and it is amazing how expensive candles are!!! Diptyque Candles are $80, imported from France and have a cult following. Is it worth spending so much money on something that will last 60-100 hours? We live in a society where luxury goods are in high demand. We really can't afford it, but we want it, so we charge it. My grandmother, who lived through the depression, had tapered unscented candles for special occasions only. Perhaps she had a few pillar candles for emergency purposes, but she would never burn candles while she was enjoying an evening at home! To burn candles essentially is like burning money.

So let me get back on track, I indulge in candle. I have tried dozens of brands and fragrances and I have two favorites. Slatkin Pamplemousse (grapefruit) for $28.00 and Bluewick GuavaPeel for $32.00.

These two candles give you the biggest bang for your buck, as their delectable aroma will fill more than a room.

If you live in the Oakland/Berkeley area take a trip to Rockridge Home on College Avenue. This is a fun and independently owned home furnishing shop. When you walk into Rockridge Home, the aroma of Bluewick’s GuavaPeel candle will draw you in. (They always burn this candle during store hours.)

At Rockridge Home you can buy several sizes of this amazing candle and you have the benefit of smelling it before you buy it. (Shop at Rockridge Home for wedding gifts, candles, sofas, coffee tables and more.)

Coming Soon!

Location: Upper Laurel

Are you yearning for a roomy mid century home with original period details? How about a level lot for a gardener’s paradise? My up coming listing on Enos Avenue is what you have been waiting for. This 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home is move-in ready and waiting for your personal touch. Downstairs has an extra large rumpus room, large attached two-car garage, room for a third bathroom, plenty of storage and a new sliding glass door leading to the patio and plentiful yard. Appreciate the impeccable condition, the new roof, furnace, and hot water heater and a home built the old fashion way. (Built to last.)

Currently no photos are available, as the seller and I are working together to get this beauty ready for you.

This photo is of 35th Avenue and MacArthur in 1940, in the Laurel District of Oakland

courtesy of the Online Archives of the Public Library

DWR Sample Sale

Do you have a mid century or modern home? ... or maybe you want to add a few cutting edge pieces to your traditional furniture. Design Within Reach is having a Sample Sale next weekend!

*If you click on the postcard it will enlarge to read easier.

Mignonne is One!

Johnelle Mancha, Proprietor of Mignonne (Johnelle and her mother, Kimberlee are a mother-daughter team that love everything French) Also pictured is Johnelle's brother.

Alfonso Dominguez, (Johnelle's fiancee and business partner, they own Drift)

Mignonne Decor is a boutique in Old Oakland offering new modern and quality vintage objects in an inspiring environment. This is the place to go for hostess gifts, a unique treasure, or inspiration.

For Mignonne's first birthday party champagne and refreshments were served, bistro tables surrounded the boutique, and a DJ played an eclectic arrangement as people mingled and shopped.

As an Oakland Realtor and resident I want to shop in Oakland and this is the exact type of business Oaklanders have been craving. You would see a boutique like Mignonne on Union Street in S.F or Fourth Street in Berkeley, but being that Johnelle is an Oakland native, we are privileged to have her on our turf! Please take the time to visit Mignonne and support one of Oakland's own!

Home Maintenance

Wouldn't it be great if all the maintenance your home needed was dusting and cleaning like this miniature model home. Often folks purchase a home, do cosmetic upgrades when they can afford it and only think about the structural or system maintenance when the hot water heater breaks or the roof leaks.

Unfortunately homeownership is a never ending project, but fortunately the benefits are worth it. (Even in this softer real estate market, the long-term appreciation growth, factored with the daily reward of sleeping under your OWN roof is very rewarding.)

Here is one thing to add to your to do list:

Have a termite inspection every five years. (A licensed inspector will look for active infestation of termites, as well as dry rot, fungus and other problems that can affect your home.) No home is in perfect condition, (even new construction),but fixing problems before they spread will save you money in the long run.

I really like Dan Marzilli from GenTech Construction and Termite, but I have several other highly regarded companies to pass on.

Email or call me, I am your Oakland-Berkeley area Realtor, and I am here to help!

510.693.4253 or deidrejoyner@comcast.net

Do you want a fixer in Oakland or Berkeley?

Is this is the type of property you are searching for?! Call your Oakland and Berkeley Realtor, Deidre Joyner!! :)

Oakland's Carrot and Stick Press

As your Oakland Realtor, I want to support our city and our businesses. I love the paper goods that Carrot and Stick Press creates. (In Oakland) Their designs have a timeless feel with a bit of whimsy. View the imaginative designs at, www.carrotandstickpress.com

Here is statement from the owners/artists of Carrot & Stick's:

Carrot & Stick's work is a partnership between form and function, old-fashioned sensibility and newfangled design. Susie and Julie design stationery and products that they want to use: cheerful note books to throw in a purse or to keep by the phone; paper place mats to dress up outdoor dining or to use for dinner in front of the TV; place cards that inspire the hostess to pull out her “good” china and play matchmaker with the seating chart; gift cards which really do make it better to give than to receive; and finally, folded notes, because a handwritten note is always appreciated.

Carrot & Stick's work has been featured in many national publications including Vogue, Martha Stewart Living, Harper's Bazaar, and The New York Times.

Mellow Yellow

Are you thinking of painting? Yellow is said to create joy, bring concentration and heal digestive ailments.

Every so often I see a glimpse of yellow that strikes me. Yellow is cheery and retro but, not a color that I would consider for my 1951 Oakland Ranch home. When I imagine yellow, I think of the Cleaver family and a kitchen with yellow walls and a red laminate kitchen table with chrome edging... Today I picked up my Design Within Reach catalog and saw this photograph of a room painted yellow. It changed my mind of yellow. This mustardy shade is warm and modern.

Do you want interior design advice? As a design buff and an Oakland Realtor I have a great deal of advice to give. (For free!)

Sephora's Opening in Emeryville

I just realized that I didn't post this earlier. As a Sephora shopper I was invited to the grand opening of the Emeryville location. (It opened July 5th) My girlfriend Asha and I took our daughters for the ribbon cutting and grand opening party. There were exquisite chocolates from Cocoabella Chocolates, (San Francisco) a DJ, and extra staff available to answer questions and give makeovers.

It was the ultimate girl night!

Photos of Asha and Deidre and my daughter Nia and Asha's daughter Dominque

Urban Living Tour, Oakland

Mark your calendars for the Urban Living Tour, benefitting Rebuilding Together Oakland. Sunday September 15th from 11 am - 5 pm. The tour will start at the Historic Oakland Train Station. The tour promises to celebrate the East Bay's unique urban fabric.

I searched for more information without luck, but the event sounds tempting and it is for a good cause. 100% of the proceeds will go to Rebuilding Together Oakland. Rebuilding Together Oakland (RTO) rehabilitates the homes of low-income elderly and disabled homeowners, so they may live in safety, comfort and independence. For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.

This photo is of an Amtrak train approaching the Oakland Train Station at Jack London Square. (Where the tour begins!)

Oakland and Berkeley Battery Recycling

Whole Foods in Northern California is now a battery recycling drop-off location.

I have been wanting a convenient location to recycle my used batteries, as it is not environmentally sound to toss batteries in the garbage. Batteries are hazardous waste, that release toxic chemicals and they should be deposed of properly.

Thanks Whole Foods!

In the Green

If you have browsed through my blog, you will see various interior colors and the effects that colors have on the majority of the population.

So what do you think about green?

Touring homes for sale in Oakland and Berkeley, I think sage green is the number one color right now. I love green with lavender and red, and I even love this lime green, pictured here.

Green creates security and it has also been known to heal the heart.

By the way, this photo is from the 2006 Decorators Showcase House in San Francisco. I absolutely love this bathroom sink, as it is fabricated out of Corian. That means no rotten wood vanities in the bathroom, no grout or mildew, and it comes in five colors. The sink was designed by Steven Miller Design Studio.

One more thing!! The green walls are covered in glass, so you can Windex,(or vinegar and water) your walls clean.

Dining Out In Oakland

Oakland Restaurants!

A Cote - 655.6469

Bakesale Betty - 985.1213

B Restaurant - 251.8770

Bay Wolf - 655.6004

Blackberry Bistro - 366.1088

Cesar - 883.0222

Citron - 653.5484

CreAsian - 895.8028

Dona Tomas - 450.0522

Dopo - 652.3676

Fenton's Creamery - 658.7000

Full House - 482.2200

Garibaldi’s - 595.4000

Gregoire - 547.3444

Holly's Mandarin - 652.9678

Italian Colors - 428.8094

Jojo - 985.3003

Le Cheval - 763.8957

Levende East - 835.5585

Lo Coco's - 652-6222

Mezze - 663.2500

Oliveto - 647.5356

Pearl Oyster Bar - 654.5426

Phnom Penh House - 482.8989

Pizzaiola - 652.4888

Soi Four - 655.0889

Soizic Restaurant - 251.8100

Uzen - 654.7753

Wood Tavern - 654.6607

Zachary’s Pizza - College Ave - 655.6385

Outdoor Movies in Old Oakland

Do you want some free family fun! Pack your camping chairs and blankets and take the quick drive to Old Oakland for a free outdoor movie.

The 4th Annual Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema series

My family and I have gone several times and we felt like we were in a different world watching a movie outdoors in quaint Old Oakland.

Schedule:

August 18 - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE-- preceded by short by Oakland filmmaker Anthony Lucero

September 15 - THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL -- preceded by short by Oakland filmmaker Manijeh Gonzalez Fata

October 20 - BABE

Location: Old Oakland, 9th and Washington

Time: Films begin at sunset. The start time is earlier as the year progresses.

Seating: Limited chairs provided -- feel free to bring your own

Parking: Free parking at 8th and Washington. 12th Street BART two blocks away. Or ride your bike!

Questions? Call the Oakland Film Office at 510-238-4734 or go to, Film Oakland.

Summer Outdoor Movies in Redwood Heights, Oakland

Innovations in Art in partnership with The City of Oakland -

Office of Parks & Recreation

presents Moonlight Movies in the Park

Fridays Kids Flicks @ Redwood Heights Recreation Center

Movies begin at dusk.

Movies are as follows.

Week 1: July 27 - The Wiz

Week 2: August 3 - Akeelah and the Bee

Week 3: August 10 - Shrek

Week 4: August 17 - Shrek 2

Please visit the website www.moonlightmovies-inthepark.com for

information about this event and movies in the park at other sites.

Suggestions for your comfort:

Wear warm clothes

Bring cushion as seating

Bring a warm blanket

Tall lawn chairs in the rear

For more information call Breht @ 510.482.7827