Join us for a Festival...Meet the Green Businesses in your community.  Prizes, BIG prizes from our sponsors, test ride a scooter, see the alternative fuel vehicles, Prius and more...demos on composting, water filtration systems, solar comparison, and much more.  See the flier http://www.greenfestcontracosta.com/ Why Realtors?  Well as you may be aware Realtors live in homes and "farm" neighborhoods where they live and work.  They want their neighborhoods and their clients neighborhoods to be healthy and sustainable for current and future value. So it's a natural for Realtors to be involved in the sustainability movement locally and globally.  Realtors have reason to refer businesses to their clients on a daily basis so more than any other profession we have an impact on the improvements... 07/10/2010

I have been organizing and sponsoring a Community Garage Sale for the Walnut Green Homeowners located in the Northgate community of Walnut Creek the last 4 years.  I've had quite a few agent friends ask how I do it so I thought I'd just write a blog outlining the process and time frames. WHERE TO START OR HOW TO SELECT A COMMUNITY:  If you have a farm area, that's a great place to start.  My farm includes 228 homes within a planned development.  If you don't have a farm, select a specific neighborhood and keep the number of homes manageable.  Your own neighborhood may be a good place to start.  Pick a date/time for the event...I choose a Saturday and it runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  I set a sign-up deadline date 2 weeks before the actual event. What's the best time of year for the garage... 07/09/2010

The following numbers represent the real estate market activity for Walnut Creek, CA for the month of June 2010. There are currently 107 single family homes in "pending sale" status. The high price is $1,825,000 and the low price is $299,888.  There are currently 81 condos/townhomes in "sale pending" status. The high price is $604,900 and the low price is $89,000. 07/01/2010

Terrific Thursday morning to all, Pending home sales off 30%, jobless claims came in higher than expectations. Be careful W-St will be trying to recover lost ground! Rate Guard Update Have a great day! 07/01/2010

Wonderful Weds Morning to all, Private payroll added far fewer jobs, however Chicago Purchase Managers index was slightly up which shows some economic growth/ demand. Be very careful as W-St will be attempting to recover from Tues selloff putting pressure on bonds. Rate Guard Update Have a great day! 06/30/2010

Terrific Tuesday morning to all, Europe fears of debt repayment have W-St selling off this morning. Home prices inched up, and consumer confidence is down again. Rate Guard update Have a great day 06/29/2010

Buyers...when buying a home, make sure you get a Home Inspection...it's for your protection! When purchasing a home, there are many inspections that will either be required by your lender, or highly recommended by your REALTOR®.  One of the most important inspections you should have is a Home Inspection.  It will give you a good indication of the home's condition and bring to your attention any health and safety issues that need to be addressed. The following is a video that will give you a good idea of what to expect during a Home Inspection.  It doesn't cover everything they do, but I've tried to highlight the main ones.  For an average size house, you can expect about a 3 hour inspection.  I always encourage my clients to attend ALL inspections with me so they can talk directly to th... 06/28/2010

Walnut Creek, California Real Estate- Walnut Creek Real Estate Market Update For May 2010   The Walnut Creek, California Real Estate Market gained in May 2010. A total of 60 homes sold in May, three more than in April 2010. Homes also sold for closer to their asking price in May 2010, 97.5% versus 94.3% in April 2010. Homes that were sold in Walnut Creek, California had an average listing (asking) price of $733,936 and the average selling price was $723,310. The number of days on market decreased in May to 28 days. The Walnut Creek market has been showing signs of stabilizing over the last few months. The average selling price of homes in January 2010 was $538,000.      Month, Year Sold Average Listing Price Average Selling Price Days on Market May 2010 60 $733,936 $723,041 28 April 20... 06/26/2010

Northgate in Walnut Creek, CA is a wonderful place to call home.  There are 49, single detached family homes available for sale in Northgate.  Prices range from the low $500,000's up to $3 million.  There are some great choice of homes in each price range. If you are thinking of moving to Walnut Creek and would like more information about this beautiful city, please give me a call at (925) 765-4339 or feel free to search the MLS. 06/24/2010

Terrific Thursday Morning to all, Jobless claims slightly better than last week, advise locking before GDP report tomorrow. Market is correcting down at the present. Rate Guard Update Have a great day! 06/24/2010

Wonderful Weds morning to all, New home sales came in way off with the Fed Tax Credit ending. The FED's Interest rate decision is due out later today. Rate Guard Update Have a great day! 06/23/2010

Creepy, damp crawl space under the house...who would go in such a scary place?  It has to be inspected so who's going to brave it?   I'm representing some buyers on a Short Sale Transaction and during the Pest Inspection, the crawl space had standing water so the inspector would not go in there.  I had the Home Inspection set for the following day and after learning they would not enter either with standing water, I had to find someone brave enough to check a few things out.  The time clock was ticking and we needed to know a couple of things...like where is the water coming from, how long has it been there, is there any contact with the water and wood beams, has there been any shifting of the beams off the piers...etc. I certainly understand the safety concerns with the mixture of wate... 06/21/2010

The following numbers represent the real estate market activity for Walnut Creek, CA for the first two weeks of June 2010. There are currently 118 single family homes in "pending sale" status. The high price is $1,825,000 and the low price is $299,888.  There are currently 95 condos/townhomes in "sale pending" status. The high price is $589,000 and the low price is $89,000. 06/17/2010

Good Morning Leaders, Positive news for bonds this morning. Please keep in mind the current rally will NOT last forever, once Europe fears subside a correction will hit. Grab you favorite Realtor and get in contract ASAP. Rate Guard Update Have a great day! 06/17/2010

In the past I have written about my son Corbin.  He is my baseball player.  Two years ago while in East County Little League his AA Team, the Giants won the Tournament of Champions.  Last year he moved to Continental Little League and his team won the Title for Continental at the AAA Level, but lost the first game of the TOC's. Corbin is the Good Looking one Right Front (there left)! This year he is on another winning team.  The Diamondbacks at the Major League level in the Continental Little League went 19-1 and won the Major League Title.  Tonight they start the TOC's against Hercules/Pinole Little League.  They have a very good team and suspect they can win it all.  As an 11 year old Corbin has played a utility roll this season at First Base, Outfield and some pitching.  Win or lose ... 06/16/2010

There are four Walnut Creek homes for sale that are over 3000 s.f., priced under $1 million.  Since the median price for this size Walnut Creek home is $1.4 million and curious minds want to know, I headed out with my camera to preview each home to answer the burning question, "Why are these homes priced below $1 million?" 156 Del Monte Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94595 - $999,995                           Watch the visual tour for this home 3439 s.f. gorgeous custom home in Stone Ridge Estates.  4 bedrooms plus an office 3 bathrooms 2 fireplaces huge updated kitchen that opens to the family room, high ceilings with a ton of windows 3 car garage Private setting conveniently located less than a mile from the wonderful restaurants and shopping in downtown Walnut Creek. Schools:  Parkmead Elem... 06/09/2010

The Walnut Creek Chamber Art & Wine Festival returns to beautiful Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek!  Date and Times:  Saturday, June 5, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, June 6, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Festival admission is free.   Featuring top-quality music and entertainment on two fully-equipped sound stages.  The festival showcases thousands of distinctive hand-made crafts and works of art from more than 200 artisans, award-winning local and regional wines and micro brews, ethnic and traditional festival fare from local restaurants, loads of children's activities, and two perennial favorites - the Art & Wine Festival Train and the Grape Stomp Competition. Fun for the whole family!  The expanded Children's Area features inflatable jumpies, giant slide, challenging 25-foot rock cl... 06/05/2010

The following information provides a brief overview of the Walnut Creek, CA community located in the 94596 Zip Code.  This is a general community overview to be followed up on a regular basis by local information on the community & events. Population Comparison between 94596 & The State of California Household Breakdown between 94596 & The State of California Household Income Information for 94596 Compared with The State of California Median Home Price Data & Net Worth Comparison between 94596 and The State of California   06/03/2010

The following information provides a brief overview of the Walnut Creek, CA community located in the 94597 Zip Code.  This is a general community overview to be followed up on a regular basis by local information on the community & events. Population Comparison between 94597 & The State of California Household Breakdown between 94597 & The State of California Household Income Information for 94597 Compared with The State of California Median Home Price Data & Net Worth Comparison between 94597 and The State of California 06/03/2010

The following numbers represent the real estate market activity for Walnut Creek, CA for the month of May 2010. There are currently 110 single family homes in "pending sale" status. The high price is $1,599,000 and the low price is $299,888.  There are currently 85 condos/townhomes in "sale pending" status. The high price is $589,000 and the low price is $89,000. 06/03/2010