ALAMEDA BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER GRAND OPENING   ALAMEDA BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER GRAND OPENING  On May 14, 2011 the Boys and Girls Club Youth Development Center will have it grand opening at 1:00 pm.  The Center is located at 1900 Third Street in Alameda.      The Youth Development Center has been in the works for 5 years.  There are many activity rooms, a teen lounge, a huge gym, music room, class rooms and a media lab. There is even a miniature medical clinic where volunteer physicians and dentists will provide free screening and health care.  A commercial kitchen where the Club directors may at sometime offer a teen-led catering business. Please go to The Alameda Boys & Girls Club for a 3D view of the Youth Development Center.     The Alameda ... 05/14/2011

ALAMEDA WALKS - JACKSON PARK AND THE COHEN ESTATE  ALAMEDA WALKS - JACKSON PARK AND THE COHEN ESTATE.  The Alameda Recreation and Parks Department sponsors ALAMEDA WALKS a program started in 2003.  The goal of the program was to get people out of their homes on Saturday mornings for a little exercise and a chance to learn a little about the City of Alameda.   Alameda Walks' second walk of the year is an Architectural Walk starting at Jackson Park on Saturday May 14 at 9 a.m.       The walk on Saturday begins at Encinal Avenue and Park Avenue.  Highlighting Jackson Park and following a route mirroring A. A. Cohen's influence in the area the tour will be lead by Dennis Evanosky and Eric Kos.  Dennis and Eric are the authors of the "East Bay Then and Now".  Dennis and Eric work for Stellar... 05/13/2011

ALAMEDA HOMES SOLD 2011 PART 2 ALAMEDA HOMES SOLD 2011 PART 2   Alameda is a community of about 75,400 people.  There are approximately 32,010 housing units in Alameda.  Alameda is a wonderful community which has been compared to a Midwestern town on the San Francisco Bay.  Our schools are very good, our weather is pleasant, our streets are tree lined and our neighborhoods are charming, and our Victorian homes are lovely.       However, just like everywhere, Alameda does have some distressed properties.  In the first quarter of 2011, 55% of distressed properties were in the $300,000 to $599,000 range.  Most of these distressed properties which sold in he first quarter were bank owned properties.     Seventy-two percent of the distressed properties in Alameda were 2 and 3 bedrooms.  A gr... 05/12/2011

ALAMEDA'S CITY PARKS - LINCOLN PARK   ALAMEDA'S CITY PARKS - LINCOLN PARK  Lincoln Park was one of three parks opened in Alameda in 1909.  The first thing you notice about Lincoln Park at its High Street entrance is the beautiful tall cast-iron fence and gate.  It is a remnant of a grand Victorian estate.    Originally Ohlone Native Americans lived in what is now the park and left shell mounds in the area.  The land was purchased in the mid 1800 from the Peralta family who held the Spanish land grant for the property. It eventually became part of one of the first subdivisions in Alameda.  It was a lovely area covered with oaks and meadowland and it stretched to San Leandro Bay.  Several owners of the property improved the land and built huge mansions on the ground.  The iron gate and fe... 05/10/2011

50,000 POINTS AND COUNTING 50,000 POINTS AND COUNTING  I noticed that a number of ActiveRainers reached the 50,000 point plateau this past week.  Count me in with that group.  I am now at 51,352.  Whoopee!     I am participating in the 31 Days in May blog contest so my points have been ticking up quickly.  When I started blogging in earnest in late January my points were a modest 5000+  I never thought I would reach 50,000 in 4 months.  I blogged when I reached my first goal, overtaking the number 2 person in my community.  My goal now is to be the number 1 blogger in Alameda, CA.  I still haven't reached that goal.  My friend and colleague, Jean Powers holds that title with 86,565 points.     Jean's a wonderful person and Realtor, but I am going to knock her off her pedestal as soon as... 05/09/2011

RENOVATION, REPAIR AND LEAD PAINT REMOVAL   RENOVATION, REPAIR AND LEAD PAINT REMOVAL  Spring has finally arrived here in Alameda.  This is the time when many people will be renovating their homes.  If you plan to paint your home soon it is not the simple process it used to be.  Now you must be concerned about hazardous lead paint.  If you are planning to paint your house you need to know the rules.  If your Alameda house has been painted with lead based paint in the past your painter must comply with EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule(RRP).   The RRP rules applies to anyone who is compensated and disturbs more than the six square feet of paint or painting surface in an interior room, or 20 feet square feet on the outside, or any window replacement or demolition including renova... 05/07/2011

PARK STREET SPRING FESTIVAL PARK STREET SPRING FESTIVAL  The 11th Annual Park Street Spring Festival in Alameda  starts on Saturday, May 7 and continues on May 8 from 10am to 6pm each day.   Its a Mother's Day tradition and the perfect place to find a gift for Mom.  There will be over 150 vendors and Park Street Merchants on Park Street from Lincoln Avenue to Encinal Avenue.   The Park Street Festival is fun for the whole family.  There will be continuous live entertainment running the gamut from Bluegrass, Fusion, Nu Jazz, Santana Tribute Band, Fund, R&B, Soul to Blues.    The kid's area is a special area for kids and their families on Alameda Avenue.  Bounce houses, giant slide, slot cars, face painting and a petting zoo will be featured.  On Sunday morning from 10am to Noon a puppet ... 05/06/2011

ALAMEDA 2011 FIRST QUARTER MARKET REPORT- ALAMEDA, CA   ALAMEDA 2011 FIRST QUARTER MARKET REPORT- ALAMEDA, CA  Just like the rest of the nation, Alameda's real estate is a state of flux.  The First Quarter 2011 statistics show some interesting trends.  The data is not guaranteed to be accurate but is derived from verifiable sources, EBRD and Terradatum.    It's not news that homes priced correctly sell quicker then those that are priced too high.  The following are some statistics which show just that.  Of the 73 homes sold in the first quarter 2011 in Alameda those that were priced right sold within weeks.  Homes that were priced too high languished on the market for an average of 100 days.   More good news about pricing your home correctly.  Those homes that were priced right sold at ... 05/05/2011

  Senior Living in Alameda Senior Safety program   Senior Living in Alameda Senior Safety program. Keeping seniors safe in their homes is the goal of the Senior Safety Program in Alameda.   The program offers free home safety visits to advise of any potential hazards in the home.  Any one who is 60 years of age or older and lives in Alameda is eligible to participate in the program.   Program director Erin Christ says, "The program has been very well received by those she has helped.  But we need to be sure that every single Senior in Alameda knows how to be safe in their homes."     The Program was initiated in Alameda January, 2010.  Since then Erin has surveyed over 200 homes.      Erin begins her assessment when she crosses the home's threshold.  During her assessment she points out... 05/04/2011

ALAMEDA CITY PARKS - JACKSON PARK   ALAMEDA CITY PARKS - JACKSON PARK   Recently I was enticed out doors by a beautiful spring day. I decided to take a walk to Jackson Park, a park near my office.  Many people were out enjoying the day, playing with their kids and walking their dogs.  As I walked around the park I wondered about the history of the park.  I knew it was an old park but I didn't know how old it was.  A light bulb click on.  Alameda Parks, what a great topic to introduce people to the City of Alameda and its charming neighborhoods.  This is the first installment in a series about Alameda City Parks     ALAMEDA CITY PARKS - JACKSON PARK  The park was originally a private landscaped promenade, part of a 1860 housing development created around the park land and a block away fr... 05/03/2011

ALAMEDA WALKS   ALAMEDA WALKS  The Alameda Recreation and Parks Department sponsors ALAMEDA WALKS  a program started in 2003.  The program was initially a collaboration of the Alameda Recreation and Park Department, Pedestrian Friendly Alameda and Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth & Families.  According to Patrick Russi, Recreation Supervisor, Alameda Recreation & Parks,  the goal was to get people out of their homes on Saturday mornings for a little exercise and a chance learn a little about the city of Alameda.  The first walk of 2011 will be held on May 7 at 9:00 a.m.starting at St. Joseph Notre Dame High School on Encinal and Chestnut Streets.          ALAMEDA WALKS are held 3 weeks each month from May to October.  The walks are usually an hour long and are easy unless other... 05/02/2011

STAGING ADVICE   STAGING ADVICE   I  attended a seminar last week in which a stager offered some advice to the Realtors in the audience.  She said the usual things about de-cluttering, cleaning, repairing and depersonalizing the home.  She said that statistic show that staged homes sell 78% faster than empty homes. She suggested agents should ask the seller what they loved about their house and what made living in the house special.  Staging the home to capitalize on those features will capture more buyers.                               Before and after staging photo courtesy of Stagedhomes.com  Then she moved beyond staging to talk about advertising, photos and the idea of creating a story about the house.  She advised Realtors that they should write a story about the property in their... 05/01/2011

WHAT'S YOUR SIGN? WHAT'S YOUR SIGN? No this isn't a pick up line from the 70's.  This is my answer to the ActiveRain/Kodak challenge.    My broker has very set ideas about what type of signs we use.  He likes uniformity, meaning signs, flyers and other advertising must be color coordinated with our logo in mind.  So when people see our signs, flyers, etc. they know they are seeing a Gallagher & Lindsey home for sale.  We consider use of signs an important marketing tool.  Neighbors, walkers, people driving through the neighbor all know that the house is for sale.  My company name and telephone number are on the sign.   My name, picture, cell number and website are on an attached ride.  Information about an open house is also on the sign post.   (Just take a short nap on your side before... 04/26/2011

LET'S TAKE A FLYER. LET'S TAKE A FLYER.  No I don't mean let actually take a flyer.  I am writing about the ActiveRain/Kodak flyer challenge.   I consider use of flyers an important marketing tool.  Flyer boxes attached to the sign post are kept well stocked with flyers.  Neighbors, people walking and driving through the neighbor can pick up a flyer and read about the house. In the future, I will be attaching a QR code to the flyer box which will lead a visitor to a virtual tour of the house.      Flyers must have a color scheme that is attractive to the eye.  My broker likes uniformity, meaning signs, flyers and other advertising must be color coordinated.  So when people see our signs, flyers, post cards, they know they are seeing a Gallagher & Lindsey home for sale. For branding and ... 04/26/2011

EARTH DAY IN ALAMEDA, CA   EARTH DAY IN ALAMEDA, CA  Alameda's Earth Day celebration was held at Washington Park.  The weather was beautiful, kids were having fun and the music was loud and good(I guess).  All in all, it was a wonderful day to celebrate the Earth and maybe think about a few things each of us might do to save it.  Happy Earth Day.   There were plenty of vendors present from groups concerned with conservation of our natural resources.  Ploughshares, an environmentally sustainable retail nursery specializing in organically grown California natives, drought tolerant and edible plants.  They are located on the former Alameda Navy Base.  Not only does Ploughshares sell plants, but they sponsor classes in composting and present gardening workshops. They handed out baby Califor... 04/22/2011

SUCCESS IN THE RAIN!   SUCCESS IN THE RAIN!  Here's my story.  January was a slow month for me.  I had been off the grid for 2 months because my husband had heart surgery and I became his caretaker. That is, a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, caretaker.              Anyway, after cleaning the house from top to bottom, organizing my shelves and cleaning closets I ran out of things to do or things I wanted to do.  So I decided to tackle ActiveRain again.  I became a member in 2008, but was unable to do anything with AR because I was too busy at that time.        So here I am in January trying to discover how to do this ActiveRain thing.  The first thing I did was to read posts.  No comments yet because everything seemed to be said that I might want to say.  Then I took some AR University cl... 03/28/2011

CLOSING GIFT   CLOSING GIFT - ActiveRain has announced another challenge, the March Kodak/ActiveRain Challenge,  in which we are to consider the importance of a great closing gift.    Since I represent mostly sellers, I don't give many closing gifts, the sale of their property is what they want.  When I do represent buyers who buy homes in Alameda I give them something that will help integrate them into the community and where they can meet other people who love this small island community with its' charming homes.     Alameda is a city with wonderful Victorian, Craftsman, California Bungalows and Art Deco homes.  The homes are an important part of our heritage and we cherish them.      There are two groups in Alameda which are dedicated to conserving those homes and educating the publi... 03/21/2011

PAY IT FORWARD - BY ACCIDENT PAY IT FORWARD - BY ACCIDENT.  I really enjoy reading the Pay It Forward blogs and hope at some time in the future I will be able to PAY IT FORWARD.  Turns out I may have participate in it without realizing it.    Here's what happened.  If you read my first blog (and who didn't?  Actually, very few read it.  After all it was my first.  What did I expect?) Where was I?  Oh right, if you read my first blog you may have noticed that my comments indicated that I was unable to embed my video.  Actually, I didn't even know that I was trying to "embed" my video.  I just wanted that screen with the arrow on it to come up.  I re-read my notes from Steven Graham's class on videos, but my notes were sketchy.  Next I enlisted the help of a friend.  We were able to inser... 03/18/2011

ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA PREPARES FOR THE NEXT DISASTER Alameda, California Pepares for the Next Disaster.  Japan had a GREAT earthquake and it was a scary event.  You can prepare for the next "Big One" whether its an earthquake  hurricane, tornado, flood or other disaster.  Being prepared will give you a certain peace of mind to help you cope with the stress of a disaster.     First you should make a plan.  Pick a location for your family to meet.  Build a kit, read the following for more information about a kit. And finally get involved.    If you live in Alameda, California the Alamede Fire Department sponsors a program, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).  CERT provides a 6 week training program free for residents and people who work in Alameda.  The next group of classes will begi... 03/15/2011

Photo GalleryDelightful TudorLiving room with gas-burning fireplaceNearly floor to ceiling windowsDining room with archwayKitchen with breakfast nookBright breakfast nookKitchen and laundry roomBonus play areaMaster bedroom on first floorMaster bath on first floorBedroom 2 upstairsBath upstairsFoyer2-car garage and back yardClassic arched entryPavers on drivewayDeck and backyardLandscaped yardExtra spacious garage with paversDeck in fenced in yardDescriptionFabulous Tudor with the perennial favorite configuration of 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, bonus room (play area) and 2-car garage. Located in the desirable East End, and literally just a couple of blocks around the corner to the beach, and near Alameda Town Centre.Wait, there's more!Long list of improvements to this already fabulous home, inc... 03/09/2011