East Bay Real Estate

East Bay Real Estate: Capt. Sully & Lorrie Sullenberger To Lead Hike July 24th

Jim Walberg — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:39:31 +0000

Obviously, all of the Bay Area knows that Capt. Sully and Lorrie live in Danville. The are avid supporters of the projects that Maria Shriver leads, one of which is Best Buddies Challenge September 11^th at Hearst Castle. This is a major fundraiser with Audi as the sponsor. Sully and Lorrie will be participating in the Best Buddies event which is a bike ride from Carmel to San Simeon along the coast. To be a rider you need to raise funds as your entry ticket.

So, today I received an email from Lorrie asking if I would help spread the word about a hike they are hosting on July 24^th at Oak Hill Park, in Danville which starts at 9AM and ends at noon. It is a fund raiser for the Best Buddies – Team Maria event. The hike’s donation is $45 a person or $150 for a family of five. To RSVP send an email to bjibby@deweysquare.com. It will a fun morning of hiking with friends and neighbors as you get the latest updates of what Sully and Lorrie have been doing since he became the “Hero Of The Hudson”. Until next time…I remain on duty as your lifestyle detective in the Bay Area.

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East Bay Real Estate: 2010 Update – Short Sales Replacing REO’s!

Jim Walberg — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:15:12 +0000

Banks do not want to repossess homes anymore! They have more bank-owned homes than they ever wanted and there are too many more foreclosures sitting in the wings . Banks have learned that a Short Sale is probably less costly in the long run and instead of taking the home back they would rather work through the Short Sale as a much better alternative. ( A Short Sale is where the amount owned to the lender is more than the home is worth, and the bank is willing to less to satisfy the loan.) The real estate market place has changed dramatically in 2010 because of this banking-wide decision. Even the Federal Government has created ways for Short Sale sellers to be able to come back into home ownership quicker with new lending guidelines that don’t cause such chaos with these sellers credit ratings as long as they have been current with their mortgage payments – Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA.

Our first Short Sale was in January 2008. We found a buyer with an acceptable purchase offer and began the negotiation process with the lender. It was such a cumbersome and confused process that the escrow did not close until July of 2008 – seven months! Today, the time it takes to secure a lender approval for a Short Sale has gone from months to sometimes less than a week. Banks are now putting people and streamlined processes in place to handle short sales just in time. There are thousands of adjustable-rate mortgages set to convert over the next few years, with the Short Sales numbers expected grow - borrowers who can’t make their mortgage payments with the higher interest rates after the adjustments.

“Distressed” homes already make up a large chunk of the local real estate market. Nearly half of the homes sold in the Bay Area between September 2009 and this past February were short sales or foreclosures. And the market share of Bay Area short sales rose from 15.65 percent in September 2009 to 18.64 percent this past February. And, we still see some softening of prices in the $1 million+ price range in our region which may create a result of an increase of Short Sales in this price point as the year progresses.

Banks have a huge financial incentive to keep those homes out of foreclosure. The cost of maintaining such properties, which has been estimated at $50,000 or more per house, is their responsibility if a home goes into foreclosure. And the federal government has stepped up to the plate too, starting a new federal program that offers cash incentives for lenders who help to push short sales through – Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA

The sales are easier on borrowers, too. Short sales have a much smaller impact on a borrower’s credit score than foreclosures do, and borrowers are eligible for government loans sooner if they’ve sold their home as a short sale, instead of a bank foreclosure. But, just because someone has successfully completed a Short Sale, it may not mean that the forgiven debt on the home is now in the past. Click on this link for some Q&A on this topic.

We are available NOW to answer any of your questions about Short Sales and if this method of selling your home would apply to your situation.

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East Bay Equestrian Update: SonRise Equestrian Foundation Changing Kids Lives!

Jim Walberg — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:12:21 +0000

If you love horses can you imagine the impact a horse could make in the life a child at risk or who is disabled in some way? Well, that dream is coming true every day for some very special kids in the East Bay everyday! Melanie Buerke had this idea several years ago and the dream is now a realty – SonRise Equestrian Foundation at Charles Wilhelm’s horse training center on Crow Canyon Road. Here is their mission statement:

“SonRise Equestrian Foundation is a non-profit organization making a positive difference for children and youth living with social, emotional, or physical challenges including terminal illness. Participating children develop confidence, integrity and responsibility through mentoring and peer relationships centered around the care and enjoyment of horses.”I first met Melanie at our Rotary Club’s Tuesday morning weekly breakfast meeting. She was our presenter that morning and all of us were moved by her story and what the results her program is getting. That morning we learned that causes of the struggles in some cases of these kids are organic and in others environmental. Regardless of the cause they are helping these kids to transform their lives and to become productive citizens within our community. All of their services to kids is free and funded by donations from people who share their commitment to address the needs of these special kids. Our Rotary Club is now part of their funding team.

At SonRise we believe that strong, loving relationships are a necessary ingredient of a contented heart. We see time and time again, children thrive simply by receiving the unconditional love of a concerned mentor and a special horse. We believe in the necessity of belonging to a nurturing community.

SonRise Equestrian Foundation offers four distinct programs:

In the Saddle—a one-on-one horseback riding program that teams up one child, one mentor, and one horse 100% of the time. This ensures no hurting child gets lost in a crowd, and keeps our program extremely safe.
Team Rehab—a working ranch program where children work in teams doing ranch chores and caring for horses in need of rehabilitation.
Traveling Tails—a miniature horse hospice program which brings minis to children’s hospice care homes to visit children who are near the end of life.
HorsePlay Day— they offer HorsePlay Days quarterly, where children from their program and those on the waiting list are invited to the ranch for a day of group fun. In these four hours children participate in horse related games, crafts and activities ranging from roping to bareback riding to red/light green/light on horseback.

SonRise also has a program for unwanted or abused horse. When one of these horses is taken in the SonRise staff immediately begins a careful rehabilitation process, which addresses the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of their equine companions. During the rehabilitation period which can last from as little as one month to as long as a year or more, each horse is tested to see if their temperament will allow them to become an “equine angel” that joins the SonRise team as a partner for the in-need and at-risk children enrolled in the horsemanship program.

Finally, SonRise Equestrian Foundation believes that the joy and the love of horses shouldn’t just be for children who can afford them. All children should have the privilege of the healing love that comes from horses. CONTACT ME for more information on this important project in our East Bay Community.

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2010 ReBarCamp – East Bay: Best Practices Of Social Media Marketing

Jim Walberg — Sat, 22 May 2010 00:12:19 +0000

Last Wednesday, the East Bay had it’s first REBarCamp held at the brand new condo complex at 555 Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek. BarCamps have been produced all over the country for the last several years by dedicated volunteers. But, none have been delivered to the East Bay until last Wednesday with Nate Ellis from Keller Williams Realty as one of the key leaders of the event. It is a very odd “non-conference” of exchanging ideas of the latest technologies related to internet marketing and the effective use of Social Media as part of creating relationships with people who need to Buy or Sell real estate, or are in need of any other service related to the transaction such as escrow/title, mortgage services, and various suppliers.

The sharing that happens at a BarCamp is meant to accelerate all of the participants skills related to the effective use of internet marketing and social media strategies in order to grow that individuals business. During the day-long event each person looks at the board for the time slots that have a topic they want to attend. At the East Bay event I was one of the presenters on the topic of “Blogging As A Lead Generation Machine”. The intense 30+ minutes of sharing strategies allows the audience to gather the information they specifically want to integrate into their business practices and then allows them to quickly move on to their next chosen session. Another one was Team Building using The Marshmallow Challenge as the method of learning.

A representative from Carpet Now wrote about their experience at ReBarCamp this week and said, “We had the chance to see and hear from many of the visionaries and thought-leaders in the area of Social Media and Internet Marketing. Then, when more top agents show up, it’s something special – Jim Walberg, for example, a highly respected international real estate agent from our area, just bolstered and amplified the credibility of ReBarCamp – East Bay.”

The one day event is not structured as a typical planned conference would be. Every BarCamp is not planned out in advance. Nobody is paid to deliver a session. Anybody can deliver a session and attendees are strongly encouraged to participate. My first REBarCamp was in San Francisco last year and was held at the Trulia headquarters in SF. When I arrived at 8AM in the morning it appeared to be controlled chaos. As you enter the event you are asked if you will be a presenter or a participant. A presenter writes the topic of their short session on a 3X5 card and hands it in. After registration is over, a board will be put up that details each session and what room they are located in throughout the day. The length of the sessions are typically from 30 minutes to 45 minutes depending on the RE BarCamp event.

Look for the next one coming in the East Bay this summer. Contact me today for more information about the Summer ReBarCamp. Until next time…your East Bay lifestyle detective remains on duty.

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East Bay Real Estate: Danville Is Still Horse Country!

Jim Walberg — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:13:47 +0000

Have any of you wondered how The Bay Area Team became the top real estate group selling equestrian property in the East Bay? Well, the answer to that question began to unfold 40 years ago in Danville. OK, close your eyes and see if you can imagine the 40,000+ horses were packed into Contra Costa County in 1970 when I first arrived in Danville from Redondo Beach. In 1970 Contra Costa County had the highest number of horses per person than any other county in the U.S.A.! Surprised? Yep, I was, too. So, I decided that this “surfer kid” who loves all things connected to the ocean better get with the program and get into the world of horses, wells, septic tanks, fences, horseshoes, and hay. Within a short period of time I had two quarter horses and a big old draft horse. We kept them at a 40 acre horse boarding ranch owned by Mrs. Freitas. She and her family had owned the property since the 1870’s. It was about a half mile from the 680 freeway and Sycamore Valley Road.

That era in Danville was the very beginning of the development explosion that happened all over the East Bay. In 1970 the farthest out development in Danville was less than one mile from the 680 freeway. Flannigan’s Tack Shop right in front of the Big Oak Tree on Diablo Road was the largest retail store in town. Almost all of the horse community was Western riders. The Shoe Stable on Diablo Road owned by John May and his wife was THE place you would shop for women’s shoes, and the Village Theater on Front Street was actually showing featured films. The Rising Loafer on Hartz Avenue was the fire station, and Primo’s Pizza on the corner of Hartz Avenue and Diablo Road was a gas station. We would ride down town and tie our horses the hitching posts located all over town – even in front of Diablo Foods that is now BevMo. We would casually take off in the afternoons and ride all over Mt. Diablo State Park. How 40 years has changed the entire landscape and experience of our Valley.

Because of the speed of the housing boom within the San Ramon Valley, the horse community had to keep moving east of the freeway out to Tassajara Road in order to afford land for their horses and homes. Today, the Tassajara Valley is THE center of the horse world in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. The access is now from three different directions – the 680 freeway coming from Danville, the 580 freeway coming from Pleasanton, and from Highland Road coming from Livermore. The horse country also changed to mostly Hunter/Jumping, Eventing, and Dressage events. The Western riding community is a small fraction of what it once was. But, you can still run into horse riders on Mt. Diablo who are training for the Tevis Cup – 100 mile endurance ride non-stop from Tahoe to Auburn.

Today when you drive out Tassajara Road or Highland Road you will still discover some of the most beautiful horse properties, gentlemen estates, and horse training centers in the Bay Area. Just for fun drive down the many of the roads off of Tassajara and be amazed at what you discover - Finley, Bruce, Johnston, Highland, and Marciel. If you are considering any aspect of horse property in the Bay Area, please contact us. We have represented the vast majority of the equestrian properties sold and purchased in the East Bay the last three years. We would be glad to be of service.

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East Bay Real Estate: Earth Day – 40th Anniversary!

Jim Walberg — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:38:26 +0000

Who could imagine 40 years ago that the idea of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson’s “environmental teach-in” had it’s beginning in a few key communities, including the Bay Area. After decades of focusing our world’s awareness about environmental issues that ALL of us experience each day, has now created a modern 21^st century world that understands how we treat our environment is not a dress rehearsal.

An example of how the Bay Area has lead the way from the very beginning of this movement is Save The Bay. Save The Bay was founded in 1961, as “Save San Francisco Bay Association” by three East Bay women who were watching the Bay disappear before their eyes. Kay Kerr, Sylvia McLaughlin and Esther Gulick set out to stop the City of Berkeley’s plan to double in size by filling in the shallow Bay off-shore. They mobilized thousands of members to stop the project, and their resounding victory was repeated on Bay fill projects around the region.

This first modern grassroots environmental movement in the Bay Area won a revolutionary change – tens of thousands of Save The Bay members forced the State of California to acknowledge that the Bay belonged to the public. Save The Bay won a legislative moratorium against placing fill in the Bay in 1965, the McAteer-Petris Act. The Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) was established by the State to plan protection of the Bay, regulate shoreline development, and ensure public access, which at the time was almost non-existent. (Check out the State Of The Planet report from the United Nations to get an even better awareness of the importance of Earth Day.)

In the East Bay there are two groups that walk the talk of the principles of Earth Day. Sustainable Lafayette is a network of residents and organizations located in Lafayette, California, about 20 miles east of San Francisco, who are actively sharing ideas and solutions for how to make their homes, businesses, and community more sustainable. Many cities, towns, and counties across the country have created citizen groups to pursue sustainability. Lafayette’s approach is unique–to grow a “network” of residents who are focused on sharing real world success stories and best practices that will contribute to our community’s sustainability.

“Sustainable” means to live in a way that can be continued indefinitely without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The essence of this is a stable relationship between human activities and the natural world, which does not diminish the prospects for our children and their children to enjoy a quality of life at least as good as our own. This requires that we take no more from the environment then it can replenish, and give no more then it can absorb. In other words, adopting lifestyles that respect and work within the earth’s natural limits and maintain the health of the eco-system that we all depend on.

In Danville two sisters with successful first careers decided to get into the environmental space of fashion – A Lot To Say! PLEASE check out what they have created! Their thought was that for people to spread the eco word with apparel, there had to be something that was hip, interesting, fashionable and wearable.

They came up with a concept for a green t-shirt line that utilized the power of the written word. The message on the apparel was informative and empowered people to do more, even if it were only one small thing a day. They believed this kind of “in me, on me , around me” approach would be successful in educating people on the green space to embrace a new awareness about sustainability and responsibility to the planet. It was an immediate hit and snagged placement in the gift bags at the Grammys, Sundance and The Image Awards.

They have evolved into the pioneers of the ultimate sustainable, environmental shirt that is an amazingly comfortable fabric made entirely of RECYCLED BOTTLES. They next discovered a sustainable alternative method of dying other than using water based dyes – these methods is AirDye® technology from Colorep®, a forward thinking company that pioneered this technology that uses NO WATER in the application of color to fabric. That meant almost no water would need to be destroyed in coloring our shirts, thus helping to preserve precious water supplies. ALL of their shirts are made in the USA as part of their mission to keep people in our country working. All of us can make a difference in our homes, communities and the world. It just takes a commitment to DO IT! Let me know the actions you are taking each day to create a sustainable world.

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The Bay Area Team: 2010 Sponsors Of Tassajara Valley Little League

Jim Walberg — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:17:57 +0000

The Bay Area Team’s motto regarding community service is, “To whom much is given, much is required.” We are constantly looking for opportunities to give back to our community. For the first time in 40 years we decided to address the decreasing revenues of little league program and become the corporate sponsor of Tassajara Valley Little League program for 2010. Today was photo day for all of the baseball teams, and what an unforgettable day it was – plus some great baseball was played by all ages. Before the games started then had the “Hitting, Running, & Pitching” competitions, again for all ages. This day reminded me why our country calls this their National Sport. WOW! What a day filled with smiles.

The San Ramon Valley Little League program was founded in Danville in 1958 by a group of men belonging to a Dad’s club. The league started out with only four teams and its players had to be a minimum of nine years of age to participate. The San Ramon Valley Little League’s original baseball field was located on Love Lane in Danville that was part of San Ramon High’s athletic field. The league’s “founding dads” were Claude Artero, Bill Davies, Jim Dietrich, Rod Fraser, John Hatcher, Rod McMillan, Bill Moreland and George Olson. And, George Olson was the first President of SRVLL.

In 1970, due to its increasing numbers, the league was split to form two leagues, San Ramon Valley Little League and South Danville Little League. Later, South Danville Little League split off to form the Canyon Creek Little League, covering the area south of Danville. This south Danville League is now known as Danville Little League. In 1992, San Ramon Valley Little league and Danville Little League split yet again due to their increasing sizes to form Tassajara Valley Little League, located from Scenic Drive along Camino Tassajara through the Blackhawk area.

The mission of the combined San Ramon Valley Little League programs is, “To build character through good sportsmanship and to emphasize athletic and academic excellence among participants through competition in the sport of baseball for kids of all ages. This is done in a SAFE environment that balances integrity, respect, competition, fun and fair play.”

Since 1978 this amazing little league program has produced more championship teams than most leagues dream about. Here are some of the highlights of their achievements over the past 32 years of building skills, team play, character, and sense of true accomplish – all within the sport of baseball’s little league program in the San Ramon Valley.

Little League U.S. National Champions
Senior World Series Runner-up
Senior Western Region Champions
Senior California State Champions
Junior California State Champions
Senior United States Champion

Congratulations to the athletes and parents who support this important and memorable experience for our youth. We are very proud to be on this year’s corporate sponsors. Play Ball!

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East Bay Real Estate: Become A Buyer NOW!

Jim Walberg — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:09:25 +0000

Sellers need to have their homes standout from the “crowd” of similar homes currently on the market. Remember in my recent posting that Smart Sellers are on the market NOW!, well, time is running out for Bay Area Buyers to continue getting the best buys. Interest rates are rising, and so are home prices in many local East Bay markets. Sellers need to become a Buyer NOW!

Real Estate is always a local. Know your local market! Many of the communities in the East Bay real estate markets are on their way back up from a three year meltdown. Some communities still have a year or two left before they recover – primarily the $1 million+ markets. As a Seller you MUST know your micro-markets in order to price your home appropriately, or you won’t even get a nibble. In addition, even the price ranges in each of the local markets make a difference as to which homes are more likely to sell quicker. Real estate sales data to evaluate your situation can only be two to three months old because of the rapidly changing markets. And, make sure you have hired a Realtor who specializes in your local region.
Check out who is buying in your market area. Who are the Buyers and why are they buying? Some of the factors besides the economic meltdown that are effecting home prices are; is there a healthy employment base in your region; what is the relocation market like for transferees to your community; what price points seem to be closing escrow more than others? Again, you need to work with a professional Realtor who can assist with providing you this critical information.
Interview a professional Realtor! When you are interviewing a Realtor, ask them about your local market conditions. Ask them about how many days on the market are the typical listings taking to sell. Ask them about the months of inventory currently on the market. The pricing of your home will be greatly impacted by the months of inventory. Finally, ask them about the last two month trends regarding the absorption rate of homes similar to yours – are they declining or rising.
What will your house actually sell for? It doesn’t matter what your home is listed for. It only matters what it actually sells for. Again, review the last two months of sales of similar homes in your community to get an idea of what that will be.
Consider getting “in front of the market” with your listed price. If your specific local market home pricing is still declining, and you and your Realtor can determine the actual downward pricing trend, price your home as to where you think the price will be in three months from now! If you are willing to use this strategy you will have the competitive edge over all the competition of similar listings that are chasing the market with price reductions each month. The caution on this strategy is that it is almost impossible to raise the price of your home when the market turns upwards, as is happening in the East County communities!
Do you really have to sell your home now? If you need to get a higher price than what the current market will bare, then the BIG question is, “Can I wait to sell my home when the market reverses it’s downward trend?” If your answer is YES, then take it off the market, and continue to do the fix-ups that will allow it to be in the best condition possible when you put it back on the market at a later time. If the answer is NO, then Sellers need to get to “what is” regarding the fact they may not get their home sold for the price they hoped for, price it accordingly.
As a Seller the key is to become a Buyer as fast as you can. If you are not moving out of the Bay Area, remember, you will be purchasing a home in the SAME market as you sold your home. It will not serve your long term plans to hang out being a Seller when you will be able to purchase your next home in similar market conditions.

Sellers need to become Buyers TODAY if they want to take advantage of both sides of our Bay Area real estate markets. Interests are still very attractive, and they are rising. If you plan to sell your home in 2010, do it NOW. The second half of the year will not have all of the same advantages. Until next time…I always welcome you thoughts and opinions.

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California “Short Sale” Sellers Facing DISASTEROUS 2009 Income Tax!

Jim Walberg — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:36:23 +0000

There are tens of thousands of homeowners in California who have sold or are selling their homes for less than is owed on them to the mortgage company. This is called a “Short Sale”. The Federal government has decided not to charge income tax on the amount of the debt that was forgiven because of the Short Sale for many qualifying sellers. ( Speak with your tax adviser to see if you qualify.) California’s Franchise Tax Board was in alignment with the IRS not taxing this forgiven debt as ordinary income for those who qualified. So, for those Sellers who qualified, in 2007 and 2008 California followed the Fed’s position on this debt NOT being taxed as ordinary income. HOWEVER, the California law was NOT extended for 2009! What this means is that California’s Franchise Tax Board will be charging an income tax on this forgiven debt, and tax it as ordinary income! I, Jim Walberg, am not a tax adviser, however, IF THIS TOPIC APPLIES TO YOUR SITUATION CONTACT YOUR TAX ADVISOR TODAY!

A bill was passed by the California legislature two months ago correcting this difference in how the Federal tax is applied to this forgiven debt for those who qualified, compared to how California is now treating this forgiven debt. It was submitted for signature to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk, and ALL of those citizens in California that are effected expected him to sign it which would cause both the Feds and California income tax systems to be back in alignment around this topic. Last Thursday Gov. Schwarzenegger VETOED the bill because he opposed some of the bill’s provisions about tax penalties for businesses. This has been a SHOCKER for the California Short Sale residents, the banks, and the real estate industry. The legislature is immediately drafting a separate bill to fix the mortgage debt cancellation issue, and Gov. Schwarzenegger is saying that he will support it. HOWEVER, it is April 5^th and all tax filings are to be made by April 15^th – ten days from now. The bill is not expected to arrive on Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk in time.

Here is an example of the impact on these Short Sale homeowners who would fall into the the category of owing California tax on the portion of their Short Sale that was forgiven by their lender. Let’s say they owed their bank $700,000, but they sold their home “short” for $400,000. This would create a $300,000 debt forgiveness from the mortgage holder/bank. If this law is NOT corrected, that $300,000 could be listed as ordinary income in 2009 or 2010 and be taxed at up to 9.55%, depending on the homeowners tax bracket. That would generate a potential tax bill of $28,650!!!

Lynn Freer is the president of Spidell Publishing. Her company publishes tax law information for tax payers. She was quoted this week as saying, “So, those taxpayers are losing their home, their credit is ruined, and they end up owing on the forgiven debt as income they never saw or received. It’s kind of phantom income.” Since it is ten days from April 15^th, the deadline for filing taxes, she suggests that these homeowners who are being taxed unfairly may want to file an extension. Please contact your tax adviser today in order to determine if a filing extension is what you should consider! In addition, spread the word that all of us need to contact our California state representatives and let them know to get this discrepancy in the tax fixed immediately.

Let me know your thoughts about this mess. Until next time…your East Bay Realtor remains on duty.

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Luxury Marketing Council: Jim Walberg On The Panel For “Alpha Agent’s” Event

Jim Walberg — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 03:48:32 +0000

Who Said You Can’t Sell Luxury Real Estate Online? Success Stories and Strategies from Those Who Can AND Do!

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – (April 22, 2010) Jim Walberg, a business owner in the San Francisco Bay Area, and REALTOR®, who is well-known for his results in the world of internet marketing as it relates to the sale of luxury real estate globally, shares his effective strategies with the San Francisco chapter of The Luxury Marketing Council’s Annual “Alpha Agent” Event April 22, 2010 at One Hawthorne Luxury Condominiums – 645 Howard Street. This is the annual event attended by the top 150 Realtors representing luxury estates and residences, and equestrian properties in all of Northern California.

Each year the San Francisco chapter of The Luxury Marketing Council conducts over member educational and networking meetings and events. The Annual “Alpha Agent” Event is their most popular. The April 22^nd event will focus on the use of on-line marketing strategies for the sale of luxury real estate with emphasis on Blogging, profitable use of Social Media and the structure of the Virtual Office. LMC participates in the intelligent exploration of the best marketing practices and trends in all the luxury marketplaces.

Five years ago, Walberg had a vision of an internet lead-generation strategy that would allow people to buy or sell properties anywhere in the world, and do it virtually. He decided to start with the Caribbean and the San Francisco Bay Area. He started by creating www.EastBayRealEstate.com and www.CaribbeanIslandsRealty.com as his internet beta test sites.

“I have spent almost 40 years in the San Francisco Bay area and the Caribbean as a business owner, REALTOR®, and a sailor, so I know these regions of the world very well,” said Walberg, the 62-year-old owner of www.TheBayAreaTeam.com – one of the most successful real estate teams at Keller Williams Realty in Northern California and Hawaii. “At the beginning I was unsure about any lead-generation results from my experiment. I was just dreaming and playing. But, after five years of perfecting my internet marketing strategies, it was confirmed that my vision of creating an internet lead generation machine which allows us to do business with people anywhere in the world, from anywhere we are in the world, is really possible. We are now doing it every day!”

Walberg’s experiment has produced significant results for his two real estate companies. “One hundred percent of our Caribbean real estate results are coming from inquiries from our website/blogsite, and it has significantly increased the results of our Bay Area real estate practice, too,” he said. “We are receiving inquires each day from over 16 countries, including Asia, Europe, South America, and Canada! This has created revenue results to our real estate businesses beyond our expectations!”

Walberg was recently honored at Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate’s conference at the Ritz Carlton in Vail, Colorado with their 2009 Best Global Networking Award because of effectively growing his real estate businesses through participating in international luxury real estate events and through internet networking strategies. Because of Walberg’s global network, he is able to serve his international market of Buyers and Sellers at the highest levels.

About Jim Walberg

Jim Walberg has been a member of the San Francisco Bay Area business community since 1970. He and his wife Ann Marie are the owners of The Bay Area Team at Keller Williams Realty based in Danville, California. He has been inducted into the REALTORS® Hall of Fame for the East Bay, and he is in the very top Escalon of Realtors nationally. He loves sailing in the Caribbean, traveling the world, collecting fine wines, reading, stream fishing, and skiing. However, the most important part of his life is his personal faith, his loving wife and business partner, and their three adult children. www.eastbayrealestate.com.

About The Luxury Marketing Council

Founded in 1994, The Luxury Marketing Council Worldwide is an exclusive, “by invitation only” collaborative organization of 2,800 top CEOs and marketing executives who represent more than 860 major luxury goods and services companies. A representation of members include American Express, Baccarat, Baume et Mercier, Bergdorf Goodman, Blue Star Jets, Cartier, Christie’s, David Yurman, Leading Hotels of the World, Maybach, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Mercedes-Benz, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Montblanc, Movado, Neiman-Marcus, Richemont, Sotheby’s International Reality, Steinway & Sons, and Virtuoso. For further information about the Luxury Marketing Council logon to: http://www.luxeSF.com/.

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