East Bay Real Estate

Would you believe the San Ramon Marriott is one the hottest East Bay party spots!
.

Who could imagine that one of the BIGGEST New Year’s Eve celebrations is at the San Ramon Marriott? This is one of the biggest and most elegant New Year’s Eve parties in the East Bay. More than 2,000 people will be enjoying live bands, casino gaming, a DJ, drawings and prizes – all within the Marriott’s two huge ballrooms! Semi-formal and formal dress is required if you want to hang with this crowd. It has been a sellout for the past nine years so make sure you get your reservations NOW!
.

For one of the most ELEGANT New Year’s Eve dinner spots you will need to get a table at Bing Crosby’s in Walnut Creek. Bing’s is an unforgettable dining and party experience created by Jeff Dudum, with icy martinis, and my favorite live piano bar. The restaurant created four distinct areas to dine and party; the lounge and piano bar, the Oscar Room, the Country Club Room, and the Wine Room. Bing Crosby’s memorabilia is all over the restaurant. Katherine Crosby, his widow, is one of the partners and contributed much of the historic memorabilia. This East Bay hot spot is a tribute to Bing Crosby and his successful career as a singer, actor and radio personality. Call today or you won’t get in.
.

If your are looking for a very INTIMATE New Year’s Eve celebration, then see if you can still get a table at The Peasant & The Pear in Danville. Owner and Chef, Rodney Worth, has created one of my favorite intimate restaurants in the East Bay. It is a sentimental favorite of mine because we first began dining at the location when it was the French restaurant, La Salamandre. In fact, when it was La Salamandre we booked out the entire place for my wedding. Now that it is Peasant & The Pear, Rodney Worth has hit a home run. It’s name is the inspiration from the fact that the site of the world’s largest pear orchards was in the San Ramon Valley at the turn of the century. Along with their rustic menu the name was created. You will be dazzled by what they are creating for their New Year’s Eve banquet. Check it out for an intimate New Year’s Eve experience.

And, remember the quote from Dean Martin, “If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t even putt.” Until next time…

No Comments yet »

Some homeowners who have great credit and can’t afford their home anymore are in trouble!
.
We have a customer who owns a home in the East Bay that has lost his job, he maximized a mortgage on his home purchase two years ago – which means he put as little down as possible. His lender – one of the country’s largest banks, was very cooperative in providing his current mortgage.
.
Our customer is a very hard working person, who has worked hard to meet all of his financial responsibilities. Because of his credit payment history he has great credit. We started a discussion with him several months ago regarding what alternatives he had regarding keeping his home after a sad turn of events in his life because of a downsizing company. Because of the price corrections the past two years his home will likely sell in today’s market $50,000 less than the mortgage owed.
.
During the past month of discussions with his lender we began to understand the alternatives that were available to him. What we discovered was very disturbing to us. Again, our client’s first objective is to do the right thing with the bank mortgage holder and to do all he can to protect his credit. As of today it appears the bank has no interest in doing either.
.
We have been dealing with the bank’s customer service office in the Mid-West. They do not know our customer and they don’t know the East Bay real estate market. All they know is they have a huge stack of foreclosures on each of their desks that they are dealing with more everyday. The current bank policy is to not deal with any homeowner regarding negotiating a short sale of their home until:
.

• The homeowner is at least three months behind in their mortgage payments.
• The homeowner will need to have been served the notice of foreclosure – the homeowner brings the three month’s of mortgage and interest payments current.
• The bank has delivered the eviction notice to the homeowner after the notice of foreclosure has been served.
• The homeowner has no other assets to bring their mortgage current or pay for any difference in the sale of their home.

.
Given this timetable our client’s best game plan with the bank would be to stop making all mortgage and property tax payments until the bank legal evicts him out of his current home. What a ridiculous game plan! The homeowner will ruin his credit, however he will be able to live in the home for seven or more months before he is required to vacate the home! The bank would probably get a higher price for the home today rather then what they will net months from now when they have a vacant home to sell. Plus, they will not have received any debt service on the home for months!?
.
Because of my disbelief in what I learned from this lender regarding our client’s situation, I called several of my contacts in local banks. I discovered that a consumer has a much better chance to work through mortgage problems with a local bank than a national one. The local banks understand the local needs and you are even able to meet face to face with a foreclosure counselor in many of them. We are beyond frustrated and our client is in disbelief that this is his only alternatives. We welcome any of your experiences with similar situations with foreclosures and short sales.

4 Comments »

Our family sends you Holiday greetings and best wishes for 2008!
.
This is the time of year that all of us spend time with family and friends, and remembering the many blessings that we receive each day. One of my wishes for you today is that it is not a time that is only focused on a few days in December, but actually everyday. There are so many grateful moments that we need to pay attention to each day! There are people to love, to serve, and even to just listen to that will improve whatever condition they are in. There is a quote I really like, “If you are wondering if your mission in life is complete, it is not if you are still alive.” Below is a prayer that we will be using at our Holiday celebration dinner. Make a copy of it and review it from time to time. It means a lot to us.
.
Dear God, this is the Season of getting together with our loved ones; feast, toast, enjoy the blessings of life - and give thanks. Thanks for life all around us, under foot, and overhead.
.
Thanks for the ability to remember the things that we love as well as to forget how much we’ve been hurt. Thanks for fine young bodies and old, venerable minds; for sun on our faces, the rain on the roof, and the food on the table grown by people we don’t even know.
.
Thanks that the jets overhead aren’t dropping their bombs, that our healing hands have a place to practice, that children are born every minute of the day, and that death is there to gather us up at the end. And thanks for at least a few days a year when we all take the time to get some perspective.
.
Best wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season with your dear family and friends!

1 Comment »

Bodegas Aguirre Winery in Livermore has already risen to the top of the wine industry lists!
.
What a wonderful surprise is awaiting you on Tesla Road in the Livermore wine region of the East Bay. You are going to discover what one of my real estate clients has created from just a dream twelve years ago to one of the top wineries in the East Bay – Bodegas Aguirre Winery.
.
The owner of this award winning winery is Dr. Ricardo Aguirre and his lovely wife, Margarita. Dr. Aguirre is a surgeon at Valley Care Medical Center in Pleasanton, California. Their daughter, Sylvia, and her husband, Victor, are the winery managers. Plus, they have a great staff hosting their weekend wine tasting which are always unforgettable. Can you tell I am a raving fan of this winery and the product they are producing? Well, I am. ( Some of

you remember that I used to write a wine article in the local East Bay newspapers highlighting my special discoveries, so it is not unusual that I continue my wine detective work every chance I can.)
.
What started out as a hobby for Dr. Aguirre has turned into a remarkable success story. He is a self-taught wine maker after taking a winemaking course at the University of California – Davis. He planted 12 acres of grapes in 1995 which included Cabernet and Merlot, and then purchased seven

more acres the following year and planted Petite Sirah. Every aspect of the winery – from growing the grapes to blending and bottling the wines has Dr. Aguirre’s finger prints all over it.
.
Bodegas Aguirre Winery bottles over ten different wines – all reds except for the knockout Chardonnay that is currently in the barrels for release next year; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Trio, Postre (desert wine), Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, Merlot Reserva, Petite Sirah Reserva, and Castello Nuovo. “The Petite Sirah is our signature wine. The Petite Sirah recently won a “ten best” award for overall wines, while the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were finalists. ( I just joined their wine club after barrel tasting their latest Zin and Chardonnay.)
.

Here is what Laura Ness, a national wine reviewer had to say during her visit to Bodegas Aguirre Winery, “His first vintage – the 2002 Petite Syrah Reserva – was rated #1 at the Tri-Valley Wine Competition. He hit a bulls eye with this one. If you’re looking for a classic “black and blue” pie in your face wine, this will be your next best friend.”
.
One of the most unique labels in the Livermore wine region is on all of their bottles. It was inspired by a painting that Dr. Aguirre owns. The artist is Carlos Canas from El Salvador who was a protégé of Pablo Picasso. Not only is the wine a work of art, but their labels are the perfect accent for what you will discover in each of the bottles. Stop by some weekend and be prepared to taste great wines and to even bring some home. Let me know what you discover.

No Comments yet »

Jim Walberg and the Tri-Valley Realtors provided dictionaries to 3rd grade classes.
.
Jim Walberg adopted Doughtery Elementary School’s third grade class and provided dictionaries for all of them. This was part of a school district-wide project from the Realtors Valley Marketing Association that adopted all the third grade classes within the Pleasanton and Dublin school districts.
.
The Realtors are the worst group of professionals in keeping the community informed as to the MANY ways they support and give back to their local communities. This is one of the most giving group I have ever participated in. Sometimes I think that consumers view Realtors as just trying to close their next escrows because they need to money. That may be true for a very small minority of them, but the large majority of Realtors are constantly looking for ways to support the needs of their community. The needs of the local schools are some of the most important ones on which they focus.
.
As most of you know, the local schools are usually under funded in many areas of their budgets. In spite of that fact, the health and quality of our East Bay Schools continue to be ranked in the highest categories in the State. One of the key reasons for that is the support of the parents and the business communities. It is in all of our self-interest to have the best possible educational experience for our children. If that was not the case, it would negatively impact so many aspects of our economy – from real estate values, to the ability of companies to attract great employees.
.
It takes so little effort to make a difference in the needs that surround us in the East Bay. Take a moment and see if there is something you might assist with in your local community. There are hundreds of opportunities that will make a difference in the quality of the lives of those around us. Let me know what you discover and how you are involved in your local community.

No Comments yet »

This is the third time in Jim Walberg’s very long real estate career that his peers have honored him with this award.
.
The East Bay Real Estate community announced this year’s recipient of Realtor Of The Year last week. This year’s recipient is Jim Walberg from The Bay Area Team at Keller Williams Realty – Danville. The criteria for this award is based on the Realtor who has significantly contributed to the professionalism of the industry and service to the community. It is an honor that is awarded from the East Bay real estate community of Realtors and Affiliates. This is the third time in the past 18 years that Mr. Walberg has been the recipient.

.
He was selected again as the 2007 Realtor Of The Year because of his 35+ years of service to many of the Bay Area’s community needs. When asked to comment on the award Mr. Walberg gave a few words for the audience to remember. “To whom much is given, much is required.” Some of the organizations that have benefited from Mr. Walberg’s community involvement are; Rotary International; Contra Costa Food Bank; Adopt-An-Angel; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; Contra Costa Winter Special Olympics; The One Warm Coat Project; Toys For Tots; and, many more. Mr. Walberg continues to live his life using Rotary International’s model of “Service Above Self”. He describes his experience as a long time Realtor in the East Bay with Keller Williams Realty as having a career with having, a business worth owning and a life worth living. The entire real estate community congratulations Mr. Walberg on this significant acknowledgement of his commitment to extraordinary service to others.

.
Mr. Walberg is the owner of The Bay Area Team – a realty group in the San Francisco Bay Area servicing the residential real estate needs of that region, Worldwide Properties 4 Sale – an internet center featuring homes and deeded fractional ownerships that are for sale from the BVI, to Tuscany, to Thailand, Caribbean Islands Realty – a real estate group based in Red Hook, St. Thomas, and Navigate The World – a charter vacation yacht brokerage company booking vacations on the world’s finest yachts. Contact him anytime. He would enjoy chatting with you.

2 Comments »

The 2008 GT-R Nissan was snuck in to the back door of the Auto Show this past weekend!
.
I had my monthly breakfast with my dear friend and client, Wally Birchfield – Nissan’s Regional V.P. – Northwestern Region. Our conversations focus on many different life topics. But, this morning they focused on how to create extraordinary customer service moments for our clients – his in the car business, and mine in the residential real estate business. We both enjoyed reviewing Jeffrey Gittomer’s book, “Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless” – a book I know you all will enjoy if you are in any aspect of the customer service business. Wally also views his car dealers as his key customers and he surprised and delighted them last week by taking them and their wives to San Francisco for a visit to the San Francisco Auto Show. The purpose of this field trip was to introduce the Bay Area to the new Nissan GT-R concept car that is about to go into a limited production worldwide – only 10,000 will be built. The car enthusiasts will go head over heals regarding this monster road race car.
.
Whether on the road or the racetrack, the GT-R has always represented ultimate performance combined with handling qualities that stay faithful to the driver’s wishes, in all conditions! At the Tokyo Motor Show in 2003 Nissan announced the next-generation GT-R would be rolled out in 2007 and now it is here! The production model is now only two years away. With the reveal of the GT-R PROTO they have rocked the racing world with a performance racer modified for the road.
.
The GT-R PROTO U-Tube provides for the first time a clear indication of the final design direction for the production model to be launched in 2007, the first all-new GT-R in eight years! Stay tuned. I will be having breakfast again with Wally Burchfield in the next few weeks. I will update you regarding how someone in the East Bay can get in line to purchase one of these monster road racing performance cars. Let me know if you want more information.

No Comments yet »

The East Bay Real Estate community leads the Holiday collection of food and funds.
.
None of you will ever meet Peg Deslaurie. She died five year ago of cancer. However, her legacy within the East Bay Real Estate community has never stopped. She was a Realtor in my Danville office for many years and was the champion of the East Bay’s Food Bank projects. She introduced this project to our real estate community and engaged all of the Brokerages and marketing associations to participate and to invite their client base to participate, too. Not only was this a Holiday project, but it was a Summer project, too, for the Food Bank’s Summer lunch program for kids who would not be able to have lunch because they were not in school.
.
In addition, the Realtors Marketing Association in the Tri-Valley created a Peg Deslaurie Community Service Award that is given each year to the Realtor who stands out in their commitment to community service. Before Peg passed away, she asked if I would promise to continue this project within our real estate community. I have kept my promise.

.
Because of Peg’s example and leadership the Food Bank project within the East Bay Real Estate community has not only continued, but it has expanded. Because of the work of Realtors and their client bases, there was over 5,000 pounds of food collected and over $2,500.00 of cash donations to the Food Bank! This program supplies over 70,000 meals a month for those less fortunate than us, and would not have any meals without this important project.
.
There is still time to help! You can drop off non-perishable food and/or checks made out to the Food Bank to our office all the way up to December 21st – 500 La Gonda Way, #102, Danville, California, 94526. Or, you can mail checks to our office to the attention of “Jim Walberg”. The Food Bank is able to buy $6 of food for every $1 that is donated because of their agreements with grocery companies. Thank you in advance for your participation in this very important project!

No Comments yet »

In the early 1970’s Contra Costa had 40,000 horses and lots of horse property choices.
.
Horses were THE deal in the East Bay in the early 70’s, however today there are very few property choices left for the East Bay equestrian community. In the early 1970’s Contra Costa County had the highest number of horses per capita! In Danville the main retail store was Flanigan’s Tack Store. It is now Two Left Feet dance studio. The Rising Loafer breakfast and lunch spot on Hartz Avenue was the fire station. Primo’s Pizza on the corner of Diablo Road and Hartz Avenue was the gas station. Beverages & More on Diablo Road was Diablo Foods Market and they still had hitching posts for those who wanted to ride their horses downtown for shopping. Time has obviously changed the landscape of the East Bay. One of those changes is very few horses are left..When I first arrived in the East Bay I purchased two horses, in spite of being a surfer kid in Southern California up until 1970. So, I still have a lot of horse friends in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of them called us up and asked us we would represent them in the sale of their equestrian estate – for $3.7 million! We obviously said YES!
.

What an amazing jewel of a horse ranch this is; 26 acres adjoining Mt. Diablo State Park – which has over 175 miles of riding trails. It is an old farm house that has had four months of completely remodeling it in order to bring it up to the standards of what amenities one would expect in 2007. It is a breathtaking redo. It has 3,400 square feet, 4-bedrooms, 3.5-baths, a bonus room and an office/loft, all right in the middle of an old English garden. In addition, there are two barns and a horse paddock.

(There is even a chicken coop that has had up to 30 hens laying eggs every day.) Plus, there are five fenced pastures, an arena, and fenced pasture right in front of the farm house. Again, this is a jewel that has not surfaced for 30+ years in the East Bay. It is called Cricket Hill Farm. Let me know if there are other equestrian property jewels that you want others to know about by leaving a comment. I will make sure I mention them on this blog site.

.

If you are a horse person and you want one of the equestrian jewels of the East Bay give me a buzz. Until next time…

No Comments yet »

The 31st Annual Lighting Of The Old Oak Tree is another example of the definition of community.

I have lived in the East Bay since 1970 and have seen community traditions come and go. However, one that has endured as a shining example of how a community defines its quality of life is the annual lighting of the Old Oak Tree in Danville the evening after Thanksgiving. This year it was the 31st tree lighting and it was the one of the earliest lightings in history.

The Town of Danville’s vice mayor, Candace Anderson said, “It’s a wonderful event this is all about increasing the Town’s sense of community. It’s a chance each year to be downtown with all your neighbors.” Along with the 7,500 people that strolled downtown last Friday night, the San Ramon High School Chorus lead a Holiday sing-a-long with Ken Abrahms as their director. Father Christmas and the Snow Angel performed the ceremonial tree lighting from 6:15PM to 6:30PM with the magical “ooohs and ahhhs” from the little kids as well the adults.

After the tree lighting most of the downtown businesses stay open late and host music and entertainment for all the families that walk around town until about 9PM. The co-sponsor of the event is the Danville Chamber Of Commerce and their president, Melony Newman, said, “When you bring that many people downtown, there is also going to be a great benefit to the downtown businesses that also participate in the magical night that starts the Holiday season for the entire community.”

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley will feature the “Christmas Memories” exhibit from now through January 5, 2008. The exhibit features toys and keepsakes from previous Valley generations for all of us to enjoy. In fact, Santa Claus will be visiting the museum on December 15th and December 22nd for any of the Valley’s children that might want to stop by for a chat.

Danville is one of the great examples of creating a quality of life for the San Ramon Valley that adds to the reasons why families find this community so desirable to live in. Let me know some of your Holiday traditions that have been a part of your family celebrations. Until next time.

No Comments yet »