Blog

Mar

The Sunken Ship at Castro Point

Posted In: For the Heck of It, Fun for Grown Ups, Fun for Kids, Richmond

Have you noticed the sunken ship sticking out of the water at Castro Point, near the Richmond Bridge? Last week the tide was scheduled to be extremely low, -2.68, so we knew it would be the perfect opportunity to get out and see the abandoned ship up close and personal. So we grabbed the drone and our cameras and headed [...]

Feb

Interest Rate Watch!!

Posted In: Economy, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, General Real Estate News, Mortgage & Finance

Finally some good news for the housing market! Mortgage rates went down again, with the 30-year fixed-rate down nearly a full point from November, when it peaked at just over seven percent!! According to Freddie Mac research, this one percentage point reduction in rates can allow as many as three million more mortgage-ready consumers to qualify and afford a $400,000 [...]

Feb

Breaking down the real estate headlines

Posted In: Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Local Market Statistics

The real estate headlines are all over the place, but one thing is constant amongst them, the market looks bleak and prices are dropping. Well sheesh, really? That is a little dramatic, ya think? I mean, our market is changing, but until we get some inventory on our hands, things here aren’t really matching the headlines. Click below to watch [...]

Feb

Magical Mushrooms Moments

Posted In: Alameda County, Albany, Fun for Grown Ups, Fun for Kids

Magical mushrooms around the bay? Yes! It used to be that you would have to head to the hills to see mushrooms, but not this year! The rains brought on some incredible fungi around town. After a friend showed me photos of some incredible mushrooms, I gathered up my family to go on a magical mushroom walk through the [...]

Jan

Albany Market Stats, Dec 2017 vs Dec 2022

Posted In: Albany, Local Market Statistics

Here are the stats for Albany, CA Dec 2017 vs Dec 2022

Jan

Ladybugs are everywhere!

Posted In: Alameda County, Fun for Grown Ups, Fun for Kids, Oakland

We have all seen a ladybug here and there, but have you ever seen thousands of ladybugs in one place? Every winter these “lady beetles” surf on over to the Oakland Hills and drop down at the exact same spot in Redwood Regional Park. They gather to keep warm and perhaps make a “friend” or two. Where to find the [...]

Nov

Oh, no! The roof sprung a leak!

Posted In: For Buyers, For Sellers, For the Home, Home Maintenance

It is Tuesday, and I am sitting here in my studio / office, catching up on some emails. The weather is forecasted to be rainy with a chance of thunder. Through the 20-light window panes I see the tree-tops near Strawberry Creek Park, watching bubbles rise up from the cafe below, when it begins to pour. I mean POUR. I [...]

Oct

Are these two (or three) disgusting items on your cleaning to-do list?

Posted In: For Sellers, For the Home, Home Maintenance

We all have lists, right? A packing list when going on a trip. A grocery list when we go to the store. A daily list of important tasks that we hope to get through in a day. Lists make us feel productive, and when we check off items on the list, we feel like we hit a home run. When [...]

Sep

Gratitude

Posted In: Berkeley, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, For the Home, Home Improvement, Lofts, Condos, & Townhouses

It’s a beautiful day in North Berkeley! Karl the fog is away and the leaves are starting to show their fall colors. Plus, it’s Thursday, which means it is Broker Tour day, the day that agents go out and preview all of the new houses that hit the market for the week. And sometimes we are lucky enough to get [...]

Sep

“But Mommy, there isn’t a kids room!”

Posted In: For Sellers, For the Home, Photos, Success Stories

I will never forget when I was looking at homes for my growing family. My daughter Melia, who was 4 at the time (now 15!), walks into a lovely home with me that had been staged by the Seller. It was clean and tidy, but it was hard to see the house beyond the owner’s large furnishings. Now, I’m trained [...]