Green House Real Estate

Elliot Sets Intentions for New Year's Eve

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:27:00 +0000

Our family set the Intention for a warm weather vacation this year!

House of Breath, Quote by William Goyen

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:30:00 +0000

"that people could come into the world in a place they could not at first even name and had never known before; and that out of a nameless and unknown place they could grow and move around in it until its name they knew and called with with love, and call it HOME, and put roots there and love others there; so that whenever they left this place they would sing homesick songs about it and write poems of yearning for it, like a lover;..."

Buying a House in Berkeley

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:09:00 +0000

Words of Wisdom

My son Elliot recently explained to me, "Buying a house is like jumping over something high. The longer you put off making the jump, the more reasons you find not to do it."

Snow in Montclair? Oakland, California

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:17:00 +0000

This is the snow this morning in Montclair, Oakland. Wow!!!!

Opening Doors in Berkeley

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:33:00 +0000

Berkeley Home Values

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:23:00 +0000

Zillow Home Value Index ~~ $ 663,900 -3.4 % Y-o-Y

Calculated 11/02/2009 (Includes data and transactions through 09/30/2009)

Zillow Home Value Index

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Oakland Home Prices and Home Values

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Zillow Home Value Index ~~ $349,700 * -11.5 % Y-o-Y
Calculated 11/02/2009* (Includes data and transactions through 09/30/2009)

Zillow Home Value Index

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Keep Calm and Carry On

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:33:00 +0000

Keep Calm and Carry On

I have loved this slogan, just as it is. There have been numerous parodies on the notion, such as,
"and now freak out!"

With the economy down and the real estate market a challenge, I feel good in my tee shirt, reminding me to follow these directions.

Keep Calm and Carry On!!!

Happy Holidays from Elliot and Walt

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:16:00 +0000

The Claremont Neighborhood of Berkeley

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Seasonal Cooking ~~ A Holiday Ginger Cake

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Elmwood LuLuLemon

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:52:00 +0000

Does it Make a Difference if it’s Green?

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:48:00 +0000

Does it Make a Difference if it’s Green?

I was in Trader Joes this weekend and saw a woman shopping with her adult daughter.

The daughter put a package of tomatoes in the cart and the mom said loudly, “Oh no! Those are expensive!”

“They’re organic mom,” said the daughter.

“I don’t care! They’re expensive.” The daughter found the conventionally grown tomatoes and replaced the organic pack in the cart.

This got me thinking… Does it Matter if it’s Green?

I am a green certified Realtor. Does that make a difference? D.J. Grubb says no. Even my son asked, “How does it help people if you’re green?”

In many cases the green choice is the more expensive choice, not in the case of real estate services, but what I’m asking here is do we care? Would you pay more for something knowing that it’s better for the environment, or would it be a feature that you appreciated, but not at an extra cost?

And do we section off our purchases into green and non-green, for example, most Bay Area folks would avoid buying food from China, and look for local choices when possible, but happily shop at the GAP. American made clothing is often cost prohibitive and the LEED Platinum home up on the hill for $5.8 million, well that’s just silly.

But seriously, as Michael Pollen says, give up eating meat one more day a week than what you currently do and you can make a difference, and keep carrying in your recycled bags.

How Do Real Estate Agents Get Paid?

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:33:00 +0000

A quick word on how real estate agents are compensated.

Because we live in the Bay Area, I assume that sophisticated buyers know this already, but I have actually had a buyer tell me, (after the fifteenth house on the tour) “You get paid to do this by your broker.”

The first thing to understand, is that our sole source of income is the commission paid by the seller on a successful closed escrow. The buyer pays nothing. The myth of the buyer getting a better deal going through the listing agent is also silly. In that case, it’s a much better deal for the listing agent who gets paid double, and the buyer has no one in his camp. There are times when double ending a deal can work for a buyer, but in our area, it is usually important to have your own representation.

The seller usually pays his broker 5 or 6%, which is then split with the buyers broker, so 2.5 or 3% goes to the buyers agent and then their broker takes a split. An average split is 70% to the agent.

In round numbers:
500,000 x 2.5% = $12,500
$12,500 x 70% = $8,750 per transaction

It looks like a lot to me too, but unfortunately, most agent don’t sell a house every month, the average agent in Berkeley makes a sale every few months, so dividing $8,750 by three months changes the picture dramatically. Your agent has to be a pretty good money manager to make $2,917 work.

I like to mention this, because in most cases, when you go to work tomorrow you will be paid in two weeks for that work, whereas we can work together for a year before you find the perfect house. You should take time in finding the right agent and then stick with her through the process. It can take time, especially in our market!

Opening Doors in Berkeley

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:30:00 +0000

How Much Do Real Estate Agents Make?

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:21:00 +0000

This Chart Shows the Average Berkeley Agent Pay for 2009

Real Estate Sales Agent - Berkeley, CA 94705

10th%

25th%

75th%

90th%

$40,296

$41,182

$53,622

$64,061

Source: HR Reported data as of December 2009

Solar Trash Compacting In The Fruitvale

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:57:00 +0000

Solar Trash Compacting In The Fruitvale

In the revitalized Fruitvale District; were the La Farrine sits across the street from Farmer Joe’s, in front of the Peets Coffee, there is a solar trash can that generates its own power to compact the trash. I love to see the City setting this example, serving as a reminder every time we see it, to reduce and reuse.

Peace in Berkeley

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:46:00 +0000

Farmer's Market Pumpkin Display

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:42:00 +0000

Little Girl Admires Holiday Pumpkins, (mom watches)

Keep Your Holiday Shopping Dollars Local!

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Berkeley Condominium Buyers

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:31:00 +0000

A First Time Buyer Photographs her New Condominium

Elmwood LuLuLemon Saves the Day!

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:22:00 +0000

Opening Doors in Berkeley Real Estate

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:17:00 +0000

.... a few favorite restaurants in the East Bay

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:55:00 +0000

East Bay Restaurants… Where to begin?

My clients just drove their red Jeep Cherokee from Ohio this past Wednesday, and are anxious to settle into Montclair, where they are looking for a home. They were a bit tired, but planning to go out for a celebratory dinner and had made a reservation somewhere that I considered, not the best choice.

But where to send them? I could eat my way from North Berkeley to Downtown Oakland, without taking a breath, but if they didn’t want to drive and just wanted a relaxed setting, and I could only pick one? Shoot.

Recently I have been eating at Pizzaiola, a lot. It’s priced right, we get great service and we can walk in when we go at 5:30. That’s early for some, but easy. With a twelve-year-old in tow, I love easy!

But if I am there on Telegraph already and I feel like ordering an amazing marguerita, I love Dona Tomas, and if I am really after Mexican food, possibly even better is…at 8^th and Broadway, Tamarindo.

But what if I don’t know what I want, maybe small plates is the way to go. A Cote is still my favorite, although Cesar with it’s two locations is convenient and the Marc 49, located back on Telegraph at 49^th, has inexpensive, good wines and yummy small plates.

I’m getting full already and I haven’t even tapped fine dining or pizza.

Crispy Fall Mornings in the East Bay

nbailey@GRUBBCO.com (Nicole) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:35:00 +0000

This morning I am taking a walk up Telegraph Avenue this morning. The air is crisp like fall but even in front of Bake Sale Betty’s, smells mostly of auto exhaust and freeway fumes. Mostly due to the dry spring and summer, everything has a thick layer of grime. I want to Oxi-Clean the entire block. Still, I love this time of year. I like to get out of my car and walk as much as I can.

It could be that this Seattle girl just can’t stand the summer heat, but I like to think of it as something more. I look forward to the fall where food is so much a part of getting together with family, and traditions as simple as a rich corn pudding tie family members together over a rustic table setting. Growing up, fall meant putting up jams and tomatoes, fresh peaches and sour chutneys to be served all winter long on hot, home-baked sourdough bread. These days I don’t get to do much canning, but cooking and fall weather and home and family are very much wrapped up in how I live my life and where I fit into my neighborhood.

In Seattle, the first of October meant the delivery of a cord of wood. It was my job and my little brother’s to stack it neatly behind the “barn,” an addition my dad installed into our 1950’s home, in our Seattle suburb. I would never burn wood these days to heat my home, but find it interesting that even in Berkeley, folks are still defending the right to use their fireplaces. I say everything like that has to stop, and pretty darn soon.

Some East Bay neighbors resist further development in the neighborhood to varying degrees. Everyone has his or her pet reason to object. It’s true that we don’t need a Starbucks, but it is clear to me that in order to reduce cars and clear the air, people need to move into cities, not out of them. Infill development, such a nasty word, is the only answer to reducing cars on the road and I defend my right to breath clean air even at 51^st and Telegraph Avenue.

As citizens, we could understand that development will come, and get our demands in early and often. We should require builders to plant all the trees we want. We can take back much of the concrete jungle that is modern Oakland. We can demand mini-parks with every new multi-family construction permit approval. The trees that exist in our neighborhood now are token vestiges of what were once here. It shouldn’t be too hard to understand that when development goes up a few more stories, there is more vacant land at street level to plant the trees and foliage we need to combat the smog that our cars are putting out.

And it’s not just about buying a Prius. It is time to own up to the idea that everyone in the family cannot own a car if the quality of our life to continue as it has been. It is clear the Temescal wasn’t designed for cars at all. Very few businesses have parking spaces and yet without a trolley traveling up and down Telegraph and Claremont, there isn’t enough reliable transport for most people to justify getting rid of their second car particularly after they have bought and paid for it.

I’d be willing to bet that Oaklanders considered themselves the height of modern when the E-Train tracks were removed in the fifties and the road was repaved and widened leaving Claremont Avenue residences on the street. But today my work as a real estate Broker has me confronting the market realities. The top criteria of young families buying homes in our area, is the walk-ability of their perspective neighborhoods. Families want to walk out to coffee and the market without fear of being run down by SUV’s.

The new businesses coming into the Temescal are drawing a critical mass of like-minded people who want to take their Blue Bottle coffee at the bar in Pizziola rather than in a paper cup with a plastic lid that has only one use. The money we save on our automobiles will more than make up for our expensive coffee and the people we meet will add a richness and diversity to our lives that we will never get from riding in a car.