Jan

14

When CFL’s Break- You Need To Know!!

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance

We are all making an effort to become more green.  The easiest switch is changing out your lightbulbs.  So when I walked into a house over the weekend I noticed that one of the CFL’s was broken.  I thought, “Hmmm, this can’t be good.”  It never occured to me what would happen if it did break.  Here is what I [...]

Jan

10

Contra Costa County Homeowner Repair Loans

Posted In: El Cerrito, General Real Estate News, Home Improvement, Home Maintenance, Kensington, Mortgage & Finance, Richmond

          Did you know that there are programs out there to help low-income homeowners fix up their homes?  In Contra Costa County there is a program called the Neighborhood Preservation Program which is operated by the CCC Building Inspection Department.  The program, created in 1975, makes loans to very-low and low-income homeowners to help fix up [...]

Nov

03

Berkeley Burglars Kicking in Doors in the Hills

Posted In: Berkeley, Home Maintenance

COMMUNITY CRIME ALERT – BURGLARS KICK DOORS IN THE HILLS Berkeley, California (Friday, October 24, 2008) – City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) Property Crimes detectives are alerting the community about a series of daytime burglaries that have been plaguing the North Berkeley Hills in the past two months. I have clients and friends in the hills. They know people [...]

Oct

02

Need a chimney cleaning?

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance, Neighborhood Businesses

(sing to the tune of the Calomine Lotion jingle) “Icky, sticky, drippy, crusty…oh I see that shiny stuff-y!” (end song) You know what I am talking about, right? Huh? CREOSOTE! That black stuff that sticks to the inside of your chimney. The stuff that, when you open your flue, sometimes trickles down in a fine, powdery substance. Did you know [...]

Jun

26

Becoming Green, Go Solar Water Heating

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance, Neighborhood Businesses

Most of you know that I am becoming, well, green. And to some people (like 4 year old JJ) I have been green for awhile.I am trying to do my part at protecting and sustaining the environment. Outside of the home I try to walk or BART as much as possible, I support local and green businesses, I combine errands [...]

Mar

31

Aye, what a messy closet you have

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance, Neighborhood Businesses

Let me set the mood: I am with a buyer, we walk into a multi-million $ house up in the hills, admire the stunning views from the living room, imagine cooking dinner on the gleaming Viking Range, walk on the refinished hardwood floors through the hallway, open up a closet in one of the bedrooms and *BOOM* its time to [...]

Nov

20

Childproof your home in minutes!

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance

So my daughter is becoming mobile. I got down on all fours, which, coincidently is right at her level, and went exploring through my house. Oh the things that I saw. Oh man, we are in for it. As I am taking her around to other people’s homes I am realizing how unsafe many homes are for the tots in [...]

May

14

Whatcha gonna do wit all that junk?

Posted In: Home Maintenance, Neighborhood Businesses

Got junk? Don’t know what to do with it? If you live in San Francisco, people will just throw it on the curb with a sign that says “free” and know that someone will take it. But here in the East Bay, we have some other options for you. WOMEN’S DAY TIME DROP IN CENTER WDDC is located in Berkeley [...]

Apr

17

To arm or alarm?

Posted In: First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Home Maintenance

One of the worst things about showing a house is when there is an alarm on it. Sure, the listing agent does their best to explain to you how to deactivate it, but that doesn’t always help when your heart rate is shooting through the roof and all you can hear is the “beep…beep…beep.” At one house, neither the client [...]

Nov

16

Does that drip keep you up at night?

Posted In: Home Improvement, Home Maintenance

The past decade has proven an increasing demand for water in our homes, industry, and agriculture, resulting in water shortages in many parts of the United States. In certain parts of Texas homeowners can only water their lawn on Thursday’s between 5pm and 10pm. One can only assume that this upward trend will continue and this, together with the effects [...]