I had a blast watching my son participate in the variety show!
Asbestos
Asbestos was popular among home builders and manufacturers in the mid and late 1900's. Widely used for its affordability and its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage. Asbestos was commonly used in electrical insulation and as an application for the exterior of heating ducts. When asbestos fibers are airborne, they can cause serious illness, so it is recommended that any asbestos in your home is encapsulated or removed. If you are looking at a property to purchase, do not be alarmed if you learn that the house contains asbestos, as I have first hand witnessed hundreds of homes with asbestos ducting. Every homeowner is different and you may opt to encapsulate the asbestos or remove it.
After living in a 1951 home with the original heating ducts intact that contained asbestos, I finally had the ducts removed when I replaced my furnace. The process entailed several guys from Synergy taking great care to tape off the the area surrounding the ducts that they were removing to ensure that no fibers would penetrate my home. After a FULL day of hauling 21 long ducts out of my home, they came back to check the air quality to ensure the asbestos levels were safe. The cost was $1500.
1936 Rancher Captured My Heart on Broker's Tour
Last Thursday I saw a house that I could picture my life in - 2665 Camino Lenada in Montclair. (Listed by Mindy Scott) I drive down this street almost daily during the school year to drop my son off at Montera Middle School and I never noticed it before. This street is typically tight with school traffic, but one of the special features about this property is that it is set back from the street on a large lot size, (.33 of an acre) with plentiful and easy parking. If you decide to utilize the public schools, Joaquin Miller and Montera are a block away. Additionally, Montclair Village is a few blocks away. This is not a mid century modern rancher, but a colonial rancher with 1930's details including, vaulted beamed ceiling in the living room and many traditional details. The house just feels good with breezy indoor/outdoor flow, large rooms and great separation of space with an ample master bedroom. Listed at $972,000, this home was my favorite property on Broker's Tour.
Tomato Season
I am loving this year's tomato season. The tomatoes this year are sweet and juicy and perfect for bruschetta. The best part to making bruschetta is it takes only a few minutes and an oven is not necessary. Simply dice tomatoes, and add salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, finely sliced basil and minced garlic to taste. Serve with sliced sourdough baguette that you can brush with olive oil and toast on your barbecue grill.
Yummy listing on tour last week...
Last Thursday on Broker's Tour I was enchanted by this storybook sweetie - 608 San Luis Road listed at $875,000 - Listed by Anne Van Dyke of Grubb .
- Set back from the street - studded with mature landscaping and trees
- Venetian plastered walls - curved corners
- Gourmet kitchen with wood burning pizza oven
- Views, Views, Views
The Market
Spring 2012 has shaped up to be a great for many sellers. Buyer confidence in the real estate market, continuing low interest rates and a lack of quality inventory has created multiple offers galore. Where I have seen the most action is: Piedmont, Rockridge, Crocker Highlands, Piedmont Avenue, parts of Montclair, North Berkeley and lower Berkeley Hills, parts of El Cerrito, Elmwood, Glenview, Lincoln Heights, North Oakland, and select homes in Redwood Heights and Upper Rockridge. Here are a few things buyers are going gaga for: Buyers know that the best investment is buying a home that will meet their needs for at least 7-10 years. Therefore, buyers are looking to purchase a home that they will not immediately outgrow - ideally having 3 bedrooms or some bonus space. Flow is important! Many buyers like open space, and really good indoor/outdoor flow. This is sunny California! Al fresco dining is becoming a must... Although many people like the idea of fixing up a property, a buyer would prefer to buy a home that is move-in ready with a minimal amount of work. Natural light! Natural light and the warmth of sunshine makes people happy! Original details including hardwood floors, vintage tiles, period built-ins and mature native landscaping.
Price is key: If your seriously ready to move, when pricing your home it’s best to let go of the idea of recouping what you paid for your house when you purchased it. Price your house according to today’s current market value using the most recent sold neighborhood data as a guide. You have the best chance of gaining market attention if you are priced slightly under market value. Price is a key part of your marketing and can make or break the momentum. Although I recommend pricing your home as low as you can go, always list your home at a price you are willing to accept if there is only one offer. Some homes are getting multiple offers and some are not and ultimately your house will sell, (if marketed correctly) at the highest price a buyer is willing to pay.
Some recent stories from the field:
- A completely renovated tasteful 3 bedroom/2 bath home in Redwood Heights with great indoor/outdoor flow recently received 5 offers and is pending substantially over the asking price
- A 3 bedroom/ 2 bathroom Berkeley brown shingle near the Live Oak district received 5 offers and is pending substantially over the asking price
- A completely renovated 4 bedroom home in Lower Rockridge received 11 offers and is pending over $100+K over the asking price
- A pristine mid-century in the Oakland Hills 2700+ square foot home with no view but a swimming pool and one bedroom pool house had 9 offers and sold over $80K over the asking price
- A small 800+square foot 2 bedroom/1bath cottage with new roof, large lush landcaped backyard in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood sold over the asking price with 4 offers
- A large 1940’s 2 bedroom home in the Laurel is now pending over the asking price after receiving 9 offers
- A Montclair level-in home with gorgeous outdoor spaces and walking distance to Montclair Village had 11 offers and is pending over $100K over the asking price.
Art
Lakeshore Avenue sidewalk
Oakland is full of public art and artist. Enjoy First Friday and Art Murmur tonight! Click here to learn more about Art Murmur.
Keep those original fireplace tiles
Capell hearth
I recently sold a home to an architect and a photographer. They have killer style and plan on transforming their "new" 1918 Haddon Hill, (Oakland) home into a showpiece. They were drawn to this home for the location - blocks to Lake Merritt, the great layout - the house has an open living room and dining room plus a huge eat-in kitchen that opens up to the backyard, and the natural light. They were not fond of the cheap Home D---t lights, the honey colored mass-produced kitchen cabinets and the scalloped edge trim that was added to the original built-ins - all things that can be fixed. The one thing that I really encouraged them to do is keep the original tiles on the fireplace hearth. Even if they choose to give this home a modern edge the textural tiles can compliment the house. I love mixing old with new and the warmth of these tiles, (see below) will anchor this room. I can't wait to see what they do!
Pictured below is another fireplace from a 1923 Haddon Hill home on Wesley Ave. I hope the new owner keeps this beauty.
Wesley hearth2
Buying a home in today's market
Compared to last year this is a completely different market for many reasons. If you are currently house hunting in the Oakland and Berkeley neighborhoods and are either tracking the market or bidding on homes, you are seeing multiple offers, aggressive bids that favor the seller. The areas that experience the most competition are, Rockridge, Elmwood, Crocker Highland, and Piedmont as well as scattered properties throughout Oakland and Berkeley that have a "wow-factor" about them. Twice in the past month, I have witnessed people dropping their appraisal contingency to get into contract. This means: A person offers $800,000 on a home, the appraiser deems the house to be worth $750,000, by dropping the appraisal contingency, the buyer is saying they will buy the house regardless of the appraised value. If they are getting a loan this would mean in the example above that they would have to put an extra $50,000 down. Many people are tired of waiting for the "bottom" of the market and want to be homeowners now. They want a place of their own. They may want to take advantage of low interest rates and they know that renting has no long term return on their investment. When supply is down and demand is high you will likely not underpay for a home, but there are ways you can make a smart move. A few of my tips were published in the San Francisco Chronicle last Sunday. Please contact me for more. (click on image to enlarge)
lunch on the lake
When Lake Chalet first opened up almost two years ago, I was so excited about this multimillion dollar restaurant opening in my beloved Oakland on a transformed section of Lake Merritt. I was disappointed the first few times that I dined, but I kept coming back, as I loved the space and lake view. I recently had brunch at Lake Chalet, the service was great and I loved my Crab Louis salad! Lake Chalet
Lake Chalet
Lake Chalet crab louie
Romance is in the air
People are falling in love, (again) with the Crocker Highlands district of Oakland. The 1920's and 1930's homes in this handsome polished neighborhood that flank the Lakeshore retail district and Lake Merritt are selling quickly. Since January, 11 properties a went under contract or have sold, averaging 14 days on the market. Take a look at this treasured community Red Oak style below and scroll down to view a Crocker Highland gem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=4PhwUhZiEsU&feature=endscreen
Earlier this week, I fell in love with Anthony Riggins' (now pending) listing on Sunnyhills Road. This 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival pictured below was my favorite from Monday's Broker's tour and only lasted 7 days on the market.
1164 Sunnyhills 11
1164 Sunnyhills 08
Sunnyhills exterior
1164 Sunnyhills 03
my home is in Redwood Heights...
In 1999, my husband and I purchased a major fixer in Redwood Heights. At the time my daughter Nia was 2 1/2and my son was 8 months old. I was so excited about moving into the neighborhood that I lived in during my elementary and middle school years. I visited Redwood Heights Elementary as soon as I was in contract on my house and found several teachers from my youth in the hallways. There was an immediate warmth that embraced me with this neighborhood. The reasons I bought in this community was the elementary school, the recreation center, the diverse community and it was a true neighborhood that fit my budget. I didn't want to compromise and purchase a small house that I would outgrow, I wanteda three bedroom, 2 bathroom home with a yard and a sidewalk out front. For my husband and I, it was not important to walk to BART or a high-end restaurant, as we just loved being a quick 5 minute car ride to almost anywhere we needed to be. 13 years later I am still in my 1951 Redwood Heights horseshoe shaped rancher and I have no intentions of moving. I have restored many aspects of the property, I know all of my neighbors and it is comforting and familiar like your favorite down throw. Over the past 3 years my neighboring houses are selling for less, making Redwood Heights a great place to invest. Here you can get a larger home in one of Oakland's stand out communities. Check out the newest neighborhood video visioned by and created for Red Oak Realty, Redwood Heights. (continue on below to view market stats.)
SalesPriceRH
Keep in mind the prices above are averages and will vary based up, size, condition, lay-out and upgrades.
bites in Oakland and Berkeley
I am a total foodie! I was raised on brown rice, tofu and carob and tasteless healthy meals. Back in the 1970's health food was not chic or delicious. My kids joke about me because most of my childhood memories are of my dad taking me to eat regular food, burgers, pizza or a burrito. In fact if I had a father daughter date, he would ask me what I wanted to do and I would reply, "eat something good". At the age of 19 I enrolled at the California Culinary Academy and worked in restaurants for the following 14 years. I was trained to makepâté and marzipan, but find my favorite foods to be simple clean food with full flavor. I am so impressed with the Oakland restaurant renaissance. Here are a few of my favorite picks in both Oakland and Berkeley. Keep in mind some menus are seasonal and may not be available at all times.
Ceviche @ Rumba al Sur
chopped salad @ Hawker Fare
Fritto platter @ Trattoria La Siciliana
Haven chicken
poached egg and bacon salad @ Southie
Cafe 15
Bar Gelato by Naia
Zut! in Berkeley
frozen chocolate pot de creme @ Boot and Shoe
pork and grits @ FIVE
mussels @ Hawker Fare
80 Selkirk Street Oakland, CA 94619
Interview with the Tanja & Adam:
Where have I been?
If you follow The Oakland Berkeley Journal, you find new articles almost weekly. I am a month behind, yikes! I thought December would be a month for me to catch up and write fun articles about fantastic dinner recipes and local restaurants, but instead I found real estate to be an extraordinarily busy month. In addition to helping my clients buy incredible loft space, hillside condos and Redwood Heights properties, my services include helping clients with market analysis for taxes, property separation and more. Every January, I reflect on how the previous year turned out, what I can do better and how can I provide a higher level of service. Red Oak Realty is a company unlike many in our industry. We are hyper-local, green, technically savvy, artist, charitable and always looking to improve our service. Yesterday, was our annual 2012 Kick-Off Breakfast and I was honored to hear nationally acclaimed real estate expert, Nancy Gardner speak and consult about our economic forecast; I love how Nancy speaks with such clarity and truth. (Call me to discuss her predictions) As tradition, awards were announced and cheer was raised and in the midst of it all, I was awarded Company-Wide Top Producer, an honor that I will cherish always. I thank you, my clients for your continued support and trust and for my clients to come, please know I will continue to provide service from my heart.
Happy New Year!
Deidre
Buyer Beware - all that sparkles does not shine
rotten-plywood-retaining-wall
Last month, I showed some clients an attractive house in one of our solid Oakland neighborhoods. The marketing campaign advertising this home as “all new” was an asset to my clients. They have good jobs and credit but, like most new homeowners, they can’t absorb the cost of any major repairs right now. The house had all the sparkle of a fresh remodeling project: fresh paint, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, new landscaping etc. It was the right house, in the right location, in apparently superb condition. My clients were excited and, after two visits to make sure, wrote an offer that was accepted. Next came the inspection period. Although everything looked perfect on the surface, it was still important to have reputable professionals give their independent opinions. The back story on this house is that it was purchased at a foreclosure sale, all cash, by a group of investors. They prepared it for resale and marketed it as having $80,000 worth of improvements.
Our inspections began with a three hour examination of all systems by my favorite home inspector. He checked the roof, the crawl space, and everywhere in between. What he found was substantial pest damage to the structure, an outdated electrical system with glass fuses, potential drainage problems, and a sewer connection that was inaccessible for video inspection. Based on this we got a drainage consultation from an expert who advised us that the house some of the work done to improve the house was not done to building code standards, that it needed $40,000 to $50,000 worth of structural work, and that we should get an engineering inspection, at an additional cost of $500, to confirm that this work would be enough.
Sadly, I sent my clients’ cancellation notice to the seller today. They spent several hundred dollars on inspections and had their hopes raised and crushed by the entire incident. But that is a much better outcome than they would have had if they had relied on superficial impressions given by the remodeling work. All buyers should have inspections on their properties. Whether it’s old, new, or “flipped” like this one.
What to Inspect When You’re Inspecting
Tips On Home Inspections
All home inspection should be done by an ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) certified inspector. These guys will look at everything from the foundation to the roof. They’ll inspect the electrical, plumbing, roof condition, foundation and everything in between. An inspection can cost anywhere from $585 to $ 650, depending on the size of the home.
Pest inspection of termites or beetles and all water damage. Approximately $235
Sewer – buyers are responsible for sewer lines until they hit the city main. For $75 your inspector can take a video camera into the pipe to check the condition of the pipes.
When to Get a Second Opinion:
Pest/Termite Inspections:
Recently a seller supplied an inspection report that had been done by an out-of-area pest inspection company. The report stated that there was no pest damage to the seller’s property.
I encouraged my buyers to get a second opinion. My clients employed a highly respected local company to do another inspection. The local company found $6500 worth of pest damage. Ultimately, I was able to negotiate a $6500 credit for this discrepancy.
Sometimes home inspectors will call for a second inspection. It could be for anything from electrical wiring follow up to having a structural engineer come to look at the foundation.
Anytime that this is suggested it is recommended that you have professionals look before removing your inspection contingency. (An inspection contingency is a period of time during an escrow that a buyer is allowed to investigate the condition of a home and neighborhood.)
Jason - Harry Clark
Paul
what's behind there
Rot
If Your Walls Could Talk
I absolutely love what Joyce did during her kitchen remodel. After renovating the kitchen and restoring the walls, she decided to create a "picture" of the history of her 1910 home. In the photo below you can see various wallpapers and plaster layered under the paint. A nice rectangle was evenly measured to create a custom work of art. Genius!
history of a home
Shower Pans and Real Estate Transactions
This happened last year.... I woke up abruptly at 2 am worried about the shower pan at a Montclair property my client was purchasing. In the disclosure reports the seller noted that a licensed contractor replaced the shower pan prior to listing the home. Yes, that’s a good thing but, since no one lived in the house since the replacement, the new shower pan had never been tested. Inspection reports often call for the replacement of leaky shower pans. To test one, the inspector stops the drain, runs water a few inches high, and then inspects the crawl space, garage, or room below it, (if there is not a nice finished room below). After tossing and turning from 2 am on, I left my home early the next day with towels in hand to test the shower pan. I put several towels in the shower drain and ran the shower until the water rose several inches high. I then went downstairs to the garage below the bathroom and waited. No water, great! The next day, I stopped by the house and the ceiling below the shower was soaking wet, we had a problem. I immediately called the listing agent, who in turn called the licensed contractor who had replaced the shower. We negotiated with the seller, and the shower pan was completely replaced for my buyer.
What happened? It turned out that when the contractor initially replaced the pan, he was trying to preserve the marble walls and did not bring the waterproofing membrane up high enough on the wall. When he replaced the shower pan for the second time, the original marble walls could not be saved and also had to be replaced. This situation could have been messy, but the agent representing the sellers was helpful and cooperative. He even sent me photos of the shower reconstruction progress. Below is a picture of the shower pan replacement in progress and the black paper is the water proofing membrane that was needed.
Shower replacement in progress
