A new street sweeping schedule for Redwood City neighborhoods will begin on April 1^st. The entire City-wide NEW schedule can be viewed online now at www.redwoodcity.org/publicworks.

With the new schedule, any given neighborhood will be cleaned on the same identified day each month – for example, always the third Tuesday of the month, or the fourth Wednesday of the month, or the first Friday of the month, and so on.

• It’s easier for everyone to remember to move their vehicles off the street to make room for cleaning
• It makes for more efficient scheduling of the street sweeper.
• It ensures no conflicts with garbage and recycling pickup.

This year, to save on printing and postage and to be more green, the City will NOT be mailing out printed copies of the schedule. Instead, go to our Community GIS at www.redwoodcity.org/gis and click on “Search” then enter your address. General property information will appear on the right side of the screen, and near the bottom of that window will be your next upcoming street cleaning.

The new schedule will be included on GIS as of April 1 – until then, the existing schedule is displayed in GIS. You can view the upcoming schedule at www.redwoodcity.org/publicworks.

Have you checked out the Community GIS page? There, you will also note your street cleaning “District” (such as District 3B) – and by clicking on that link, you go to the appropriate street sweeping map and schedule for your neighborhood. If you want to see a map of all the street sweeping districts, go to the left side of the page, and under “Layers” click on “Other” and then check the box for Street Cleaning Districts.

As you know, street cleaning is performed once a month in residential neighborhoods to remove debris that may enter the storm drain system and San Francisco Bay, and to maintain a clean appearance of our roadways. REMEMBER: please move your vehicles from the curb and gutter on your monthly street cleaning day to allow the sweeper to clean in front of your home. Vehicles can be moved back to the curb once the sweeper has passed. When vehicles are not moved for street sweeping, the litter and debris will be an eyesore until the following months’ cleaning and, during the rainy season, can flow into the Bay.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to replace the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms this weekend for Daylight Saving Time. This year, Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 11. Fresh batteries allow smoke and CO alarms to do their jobs saving lives by alerting families of a fire or a buildup of deadly carbon monoxide in their homes.

CPSC estimates there was a yearly average of 386,300 residential fires resulting in nearly 2,400 deaths between 2006 and 2008.

Two-thirds of fire deaths occur in homes where there are no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. That is why it is important to replace batteries at least once every year and to test your alarms every month to make sure they work. CPSC recommends consumers have smoke alarms on every level of their home, outside bedrooms and inside each bedroom.

CPSC estimates there was an annual average of 183 unintentional non-fire CO poisoning deaths associated with consumer products between 2006 and 2008. CO is called the “invisible killer,” because it is a colorless, odorless and poisonous gas.

Because of this, people may not know they are being poisoned. Carbon monoxide is produced by the incomplete burning of fuel in various products, including furnaces, portable generators, fireplaces, cars and charcoal grills.

That is why it is important to have working CO alarms in the home, on each level and outside each sleeping area.

Though these might seem obvious, they definitely bear repeating —

The Redwood City Police Department wants to remind you that during this hectic time of year, don’t forget to take these easy steps to avoid a home burglary:

1. Make your residence look like someone is at home, even when no one is there.

2. On sliding glass doors, use a wooden dowel or a track blocker to prevent opening.

3. Always lock exterior doors and windows.

4. Don’t hide your house key in close proximity to entry doors.

5. Mark valuables with your driver’s license number, using an engraving tool, and take photos of valuables.

6. Secure guns in safes that are bolted to the floor or large enough that someone could not move without a lot of help.

7. Know your neighbors! Establish good neighbor relationships so that they will keep an eye on your home, especially if going out of town (and you do the same for them). Encourage neighbors to call the police if they see suspicious activity around your property. Give them contact numbers for reaching you.

8. Start a neighborhood watch group in your neighborhood.

9. If out of town, have your neighbor collect mail, newspaper, packages; leave a radio and lights on an automatic timer to make it look like you’re home.

10. Report suspicious people, door-to-door solicitation, strange vehicles in area, people asking for work, anyone with stories that don’t add-up, and anyone carrying items from someone’s home, or suspicious persons carrying back-packs or bags in the area.

11. Be careful of who you invite into your home.

It’s happened before, and it happens again.  This time, fortunately, some home break-in suspects were apprehended thanks to some brave citizen calling the police.

This can and does happen in any neighborhood, of course, but it’s still shocking and a little scary to see it in our own backyard.  Always keep your eyes open for people who look like they’re up to no good.  And hide your valuables!!

Police arrested three juveniles yesterday when information on a laptop the youths had led an officer to a Redwood City home where a computer had just been stolen — and two hours later, a separate burglary less than a mile away ended with the arrest of two suspects.  The 15-year old boys, all Redwood City residents, were arrested for the burglary on the 100 block of Turnsworth Ave (here in Edgewood Park).  An officer contacted the trio at about 10am because they appeared to be truants and discovered the laptop, police said.  The suspects had climbed through a window to enter the home, police said.  At about noon, a citizen reported seeing three people in front of her neighbor’s home on Fulton St.  Two of them went into the backyard and the third waited in front on a bicycle, the woman said.  Officers arrested 20-year old Melvin Argueta of Redwood City, who had a bicycle, in front of the home. Two other suspects ran out of the back of the home and began jumping fences. A 16-year old Redwood City boy was taken into custody on Birch St.  The third got away. A rock had been used to smash a window of the residence.

Kudos to the citizen that reported this to the police!

Four words a seller never wants to hear. And a message that us, as realtors don’t enjoy delivering to our clients.

However, it must be said, time and again, that this is a market of supply and demand. Influenced by economic factors, the job market, mortgage rates, and buyer attitude.

Supply and demand. Let’s face it, if no one comes forth offering you the price you want …. your chances of getting your price are slim. The only person who feels it’s worth that price…is you.  And hence, your home is overpriced.

Would it have been overpriced if you tried to sell it in 2004? Probably not, but guess what, the market (and world) has changed, and those “good old days” are long gone.

If your agent is a good agent, he/she will tell you what you NEED to hear, not what you want to hear. An agent who purposely overprices a home just to get the listing is doing the seller an immense disservice.

“But my agent sold more homes in this area than anyone else”.

That should only be the beginning. What’s more valuable — an agent who listed 32 homes and sold 25 – or an agent who listed twelve homes and sold all twelve.  So you need to ask yourself some questions: how many of his/her listings did not sell? How many were reduced over and over before they were sold? How long were the houses on the market?

It’s all about supply and demand.  And pricing your home right the first time is key.

When mortgage rates rise 1%, your purchasing power falls by 10.75%

Why? Because home affordability Is driven by mortgage rates.

Have you talked to a lender about how much home you can afford?  If you’ve ever bought a home, no doubt your agent asked you that question, or you wondered it to yourself. It’s the starting point for practically every home search in this country.

These questions — although rote for agents — serve an important purpose for buyers. (1) They put boundaries on your home search, and (2) They establish a price range for the homes in which you can actually afford to live.

They also put undue focus on “purchase price” as the key variable in home affordability. Purchase price has less to do with home affordability than you think. The real key to home affordability is mortgage rates.

1% Rate Change = 10.75% Purchasing Power Change

Mortgage rates have more influence on home affordability than home prices. If that seems strange to you, think about Q1 2011. Home affordability made all-time records that quarter. It wasn’t that home prices were suddenly lower than ever before. It’s that mortgage rates were.  With each tick lower for rates, purchasing power increased.

The math works in reverse, too. Rising mortgage rates harm affordability.

As an it-could-happen-to-anyone example, a home buyer in the Washington, DC metro area is pre-approved at today’s rates for a maximum $600,000 home, assuming 20 percent down. This is his “purchasing power”.

• The buyer shops for homes, armed with a $600,000 pre-approval.
• While he shops, mortgage rates are rising. They rise by 1 percentage point.
• The buyer finds a home for $600,000 and submits a bid.

Next, the buyer’s loan is denied by the lender. Rising mortgage rates zapped his purchasing power. For each 0.125% increase to mortgage rates, his maximum allowable purchase price fell 1.35 percent.

“How much home can I afford?” he asks the lender. Not $600,000, comes the reply. “Today, you can afford $535,000.”

October 1 Changes In Purchasing Power

The above example is somewhat extreme. It’s rare for rates to rise by a percentage point during the amount of time most people need to find and buy a home. We used the Washington, DC metro area as an example, though, for a reason. Washington, DC and its surrounding regions are part of the government’s “High Cost” areas for home loans. The local conforming loan limit is $729,750.

After September, those limits change. Starting October 1, 2011, in places like right here in Silicon Valley, local conforming loan limits will be lowered $625,500, rendering loans in excess of that amount “jumbo”. Mortgage rates on jumbo loans are often 1 point higher than for comparable conforming loans — and sometimes more. This means that, starting October 1, 2011, anyone whose mortgage will be “jumbo” will find themselves with 10.75% less purchasing power at least. October is less than 3 months away.

The 4th of July Redwood City tradition continues, as the Peninsula Celebration Association (PCA) brings tons of family fun all day long to Downtown Redwood City. It’ll be another great family 4th, and the entire community is invited to join family, friends, and neighbors for a spectacular day of celebration at the finest 4th of July party on the peninsula. All of the day’s details are online on PCA’s website at www.parade.org.

The day starts with a gourmet pancake breakfast benefit by the Redwood City Firefighters Association from 7:30 – 10:30 am at Station 9, 755 Marshall Street ($6 adults/$4 kids). As a special treat, as part of the Redwood City Fire Department’s 150th anniversary, there will be an antique fire engine display behind the fire department, at 700 Bradford Street.

Then comes the annual Parade Fun Run, this year benefitting the Redwood City Education Foundation. Information and registration is at www.paraderun.org. The race starts at 8:45 am at Brewster and Arguello streets, and goes 3.5 miles along the Redwood City parade route. Proceeds from the Parade Run support RCEF funding of music in our Redwood City schools.

After the run, the fabulous 4th of July extravaganza gets fully underway! It’s the 73rd Annual Independence Day Parade starting at 10 am. This year’s featured theme will recognize the Redwood City Fire Department’s remarkable 150 years of service. Leading the parade will be fire-fighting units from a number of local cities, including antique fire-fighting equipment. There will also be a fly-over of a restored Vietnam era Huey helicopter. The fly-over is sponsored by the Living Room Lounge at 2048 Broadway in Redwood City. This year’s parade is expected to have over 1,500 participants representing 78 organizations and will include the newly crowned Miss California, bands, floats, equestrian units, drill teams, vintage vehicles, and local performing groups.

The Annual Independence Day Festival will be going on from 9 am to 5 pm with fabulous arts and crafts vendors, a Main Stage featuring live entertainment, food booths, a children’s entertainment stage, and info booths from local non-profit service organizations. The festival will also have a children’s play area which benefits Adelante School. And, the ever-popular Battle of the Bands between Stanford University and UC Davis, plus a Classic Car Show from 8 am to 4 pm on Broadway featuring custom and classic vehicles with live entertainment in the Court House Square.

Please note that a fireworks display will not be provided this year. PCA reports that in the current economic environment it has been difficult to generate the funding and sponsorship needed to support the fireworks show. Both the PCA and Redwood City regret this situation, but remind the community that this year’s festival, parade, and other activities will be second-to-none. Over 40,000 people are expected to participate, as Redwood City’s 4th of July extravaganza is renowned throughout the region.

The Peninsula Celebration Association is very proud that the members of their organization have been involved since 1939 as a true volunteer group. Their goal is to help make Redwood City not just a place to live, but a real community of people who care. Visit their website at www.parade.org.

FREE Confidential Document Destruction Event for REDWOOD CITY Residents

You can get full destruction of confidential paper documents at this special event in Redwood City!

Saturday, June 11^th – 8 am to 3 pm

Redwood City Public Works Parking Lot

1400 Broadway, Redwood City

Bring your personal documents and confidential materials* for safe and secure on-site destruction – for FREE! No need to worry about paper clips or staples.

*Limit of 5 (five) boxes (10”x12”x15”) worth of materials per household.

Please be prepared to show proof of Redwood City residency.

For more information contact

Mike Gibbons

650-780-7464

mgibbons@redwoodcity.org