Silicon Valley and Beyond

Gravity Bistro and Wine Bar in Palo Alto

The Dawn Thomas Team — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:02:15 +0000

A few weeks ago couple friends and I went to Gravity Bistro and Wine Bar in Palo Alto to test it out for an upcoming private party. Our friend is turning forty, and he is somewhat of a food an wine buff. We wanted to find something that was had interesting wines, an urban sophistication and ambiance as well as great food.

We were not disappointed. There is a casual dining area downstairs with an inviting bar. Upstairs is a cozy dining room with a very cool over sized community table. The wine list has a ton of unusual wines, but with a quick description of what we were after, the server was able to offer some outstanding options. All perfectly paired with our artisan cheese and charcuterie selections.

Reading through the menu, we had much discussion on what to order- everything looked so good! The prices were so reasonable we thought that the portion size might be small, but they were generous. I ended up with an amazing Bucatini, a couple delicious bites of my friends duck confit, and a Brussels sprout salad that was out of this world!

Needless t say, the 40th Birthday party is getting booked there!

This blog is courtesy of The Dawn Thomas Team who is an award-winning Real Estate Agent team at Intero Real Estate Services in Los Altos 650-947-4661. We help nice people with selling and buying homes from Palo Alto to West San Jose!

I bought a house- who moves my stuff???

The Dawn Thomas Team — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:41 +0000

We all focus on the offer and escrow process, but often the stress begins for the buyer when we are in contract. Inspections are done, the loan is being processed and contingencies soon to be removed, and now I need to pack my life and move it!!!???!!! Yikes, it can all happen so fast, and no doubt it usually happens when you have a huge work deadline, one of your kids has the flu and the other a major science project due. That is what we call Murphy’s Law, and that is where we can help!

Figuring out what to move and what to eliminate/sell/donate ahead of time is crucial. People move for all different reasons. If you are an established couple getting married, combining households, blending families, or downsizing it may be a good time to take stock of and thin things out. If you need help with that kind of thing, Kuzak’s Closet may help with a consultation.

Finding a good mover and getting a quote will put you at ease. Towards the end of the month movers can book up so plan ahead. They can come to your house and take a look at your belongings to give you a quote. Getting this done early in the escrow process can give you some peace of mind. Check places like the Better Business Bureau or Angie’s List. Graebel Movers is always on our list as we work very closely with them. We’ve referred several clients to Graebel and all report back to us with rave endorsements! Make sure whoever you use is licensed by the PUC (Public Utilities Commission).

If you are just starting out, you may consider some good friends, and a U-Haul. The cost for this is generally just pizza and beer, but we only recommend payment on completion! We also caution you that even though going the “friends” route is at a cost savings on the surface–that is if nothing goes wrong. Remember if your “free” movers break something–like my client’s Big Green Egg that shattered all over the street when his friend dropped it–the cost to you could be far greater than it would to be sure your belongings are safe and insured should something happen in the transition.

Give us a call if you have any questions or need a copy of the handy utilities information sheet we have ready to send to you!

A Snapshot of the Los Altos Real Estate Market Trends

The Dawn Thomas Team — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:31 +0000

The Los Altos Real Estate Market isn’t considered entry level for most. Even here in the land (once again) of IPO’s like LinkedIn, Facebook, and thousands of overnight millionaires. So let’s focus on the move up buyer who finds their way to Los Altos. Assuming this isn’t the “forever” house but a great place to raise kids and enjoy life for a while. Let’s say 10 years…..what does that look like?

Is it a good investment over time? Most people would agree that turnover in a condo is more liekly a 3-5 year plan….maybe a 7 year plan more recently with the economic downturn. But a house, in an area like Los Altos with top rated schools can easily be a comfortable 10 year plan. Based on the past 10 years, the graph says it all!

Maybe it’s hard to imagine another housing boom right now, but as we all know history tends to repeat itself. Even if it doesn’t, the odds are if you are buying a home soon you will be looking at a graph 10 years from now with a knowing smile on your face!

Hungry? Come to Palo Alto’s Gourmet Food Truck Meet-Up at the 3rd Door!

The Dawn Thomas Team — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:00:42 +0000

If you have never heard of the 3rd Door in Palo Alto, or have yet to check it out, this Friday, January 20th would be a great time! The Gourmet Food Trucks will be there (some great one’s like: Nom-Nom, Shackmobile, Sanguchon and House of Siam) and with food in hand you can grab wine or beer carefully sourced from artisan breweries. All of the profits are donated to WANDA (Women’s Achievement Network and Development Alliance) a non-profit that helps to increase the economic self-sufficiency of low-income, single moms in the San Francisco Bay area.

WANDA provides education and mentoring but more importantly, (and what I think really sets them apart) a structured 2/1 savings match program that is used by qualified fully employed single moms toward an asset-based goal such as a home or an education. This savings approach helps provide a way out of poverty because earnings are not simply consumed; they provide an alternative and opportunity to create wealth and end the cycle of poverty.

While you are there, be sure and check out the 3rd Door. It is a very cool and unique concept, a combo of great food, wine, fitness and social events. They have a modest membership fee which is offset by a food and beverage credit, and of course all proceeds go to WANDA.

They also make a mean cappuccino!

The fun starts at 5:30PM.

Ante up! for a good cause of course!

The Dawn Thomas Team — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:48 +0000

Ok, we all have a big football weekend ahead of us with our very own 49er’s hosting the Giants on Sunday! So why not head out Saturday night for a night of Poker sponsored by the Silicon Valley Lions Club to help raise money for some local charities??

This is the Second Annual Silicon Valley Lions Club Charity Poker Tournament to benefit community causes. ALL funds raised in this tournament will be used for our community projects. The Silicon Valley Lions Club uses its charitable funds to support Eye Glasses for under privileged children in Mountain View, the Mountain View Fire and Police Department’s Cops and Gobblers Program, Back Packs for kids and many, many more projects in the Bay Area.

Tournament Grand Prize is a 50″ HDTV. Final Table will win prizes. They will be playing standard No-Limit Texas Hold’em. Buy-in is $30 and rebuys at $15 for those ambitious players who get out a little too early. The event will be held at Hope Services, 460 East Middlefield Road Mountain View, CA 94043 on Saturday January 21st, 2012. Doors open at 6pm; first hand is at 6:30pm.

Complimentary snacks are provided, and there will be a Cash bar serving Wine, Beer and Cocktails. “Our Hope Services Branch” will be serving Arnold Palmers. All you can drink APs and a slice of Pizza for $5!.

If you are a bit rusty on your poker game, Zynga’s version on Facebook is sure way to get some practice between then and now!

To Register visit http://svlions.eventbrite.com/

Thinking of Buying or Selling a Home? You are not alone!

The Dawn Thomas Team — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:35:03 +0000

Something is in the air……Even in the midst of one of NFL playoff games, and by any account the most exciting last five minutes of any game ever, the open houses were full of potential buyers. GO NINERS! Colleagues have been reporting record turnouts to their open houses, and we certainly don’t disagree. So if you are like the folks we saw this weekend at the open houses, or a seller who is thinking now might be the time, we have some valuable information to help you along the way.Buying a home or selling the place you have is more than just a major lifestyle change; for many people it’s the largest financial transaction they will ever undertake.

Because of this, we have sent some valuable tips that provide sellers with strategies they need to get their home sold quickly and for the best possible price. And because it takes both a buyer and a seller, buyers will learn how to master the current market and acquire the home of their dreams.

Know someone else who would find this information helpful? Share it with family and friends!

If you’re thinking about buying or selling soon, or know someone who is, it’s important to lean into the knowledge of a local agent who can guide you through the process, and you know that I am always here to help.

Please call for an estimate of your home’s current value or to discuss your situation, goals and options.

Joan Brown’s at the San Jose Museum of Art

The Dawn Thomas Team — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:00:18 +0000

The San Jose Museum of Art Presents: This Kind of Bird Flies Backwards: Paintings by Joan Brown (Oct. 14, 2011-March 11, 2012) This exhibition explores the work of this beloved and pivotal Bay Area artist in the context of the womens’ movement and stakes a claim for her place in American art history. Joan was a San Francisco Native who studied at what is now the San Francisco Art Institute and was considered a notable member of the “second generation” of the Bay Area Figurative Movement.It includes many rarely seen paintings from private collections and the artists estate. Cost is $8 ($5 seniors, students, free to children under 6).

The Truth about the American Real Estate Market

The Dawn Thomas Team — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:56 +0000

If you watch the news or read the newspaper, it can be difficult to keep up with the state of the economy. Even more to the point, the Silicon Valley rarely follows the rest of the country! If you are interested in Real Estate in areas like Los Altos, Mountain View, Menlo Park and Palo Alto (to name a few), you are all to familiar with what I am talking about! Over the last century, the real estate market has had its share of ups and downs, none as dramatic as the highs and lows experienced during the past decade. However, the pendulum is on its way back, signaling the recovery of the housing market. Although the housing slowdown has fostered anxiety among investors and homebuyers alike, real estate has been, and will continue to be, a good long-term investment.

To help separate fact from fiction, I have timely information about the historical trends that have shaped the real estate market over the last century and offer valuable insight into its recovery. America’s Best investment! part provides an outline of historical trends in home values, mortgage rates and home equity over the last century. Part two gives an overview of homeownership trends and demographics. Feel free to share this information with your family or friends who are looking to buy a home.

If you have questions or would like for more information about the local real estate market, please feel free to contact us directly!

Parking enforcement alert from the Los Altos Chamber!

The Dawn Thomas Team — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:00:27 +0000

Thanks to our friends at the Los Altos Chamber, we are helping to spread the word about the changes to the parking enforcement.

The Los Altos Police Department, which recently has not been enforcing 2 and 3 hour parking violations due to downtown construction, will begin enforcement on January 11 now that the holiday season has ended and construction is almost complete. This is a good time for business owners and employees who do not regularly park in the “White Dot” spaces to make these New Year’s resolutions: 1) buy a $34 parking permit 2) park in the white dot spaces and 3) keep prime customer parking available in front and back of businesses. Please see White Dot information and support our downtown business community: White Dot Info (Story in this week’s issue of the Los Altos Town Crier: Parking Enforcement Returns

On January 25, 8:30-9:30 AM, there will be a Employee Permit Parking White Dot Appreciation & Information Breakfast. The event is hosted by the City of Los Altos, Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, Los Altos Village Association and the Passerelle Investment Company.

Bottom line, an annual pass is $36 a single parking ticket is $54. Sounds like a no brainer!

What to Do About Multiple Offers: Real Estate on The Peninsula

The Dawn Thomas Team — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:09 +0000

As a homebuyer, have you run into multiple offers yet? If you have not and are looking for a home anywhere on The Peninsula—especially in Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Los Altos, or Mountain View—consider yourself lucky! We’re going to try and help you by explaining why they occur, when they occur, and what to do, so read on…

Why multiple offers are prevalent in our marketplace:

Sheer lack of “good inventory” for at least the past year. In most of our Silicon Valley market, available homes for sale have been down by roughly 50% that of previous years—month over month. Supply is LOW and demand is HIGH!
Sellers have been hesitant to sell their homes due to the fluctuation in the marketplace and incorrect reports from the media. The fact is, if a homeowner needs to sell because of an empty nest, extended family moving in, or relocation, now is as good a time as any to sell as we reported on in mid-2011 (Window of Opportunity is Closing).
The IPO Buzz—Unless you’ve been under a rock, some of the largest IPO’s are slated to happen in 2012. (Facebook IPO to be biggest since 1999). With a few thousand instant millionaires threatening to be on the street, the home prices have already increased.

SELLERS—this doesn’t mean that you can go crazy on your asking price! It’s a known fact that if you price your home competitively, your chances of multiple offers driving up your sales price have a much greater chance of happening.

What to do if you are facing a multiple offer situation as a homebuyer?

The following is taking into account that your Real Estate Agent is very skilled at negotiations, by the way!

There are a couple schools of thought or ‘formulas’ my colleagues and I have recently seen:

My good friend and Top-Producing Lender partner, Rob McCarthy of 101 Loan, Inc. reported:

“A rule of thumb, my buyers have used is for every buyer you know that is making an offer, add 1% to the list price.

As an example: A property that is competitively priced at $800k with 5 offers already on the table, the 6th offer/buyer will most likely want to offer 6% over the asking price to get the offer accepted or to “stay in the running” with the other potential buyers. A smarter Seller with an experienced Listing Agent will list their property at current market value [or a tick under] to get the buyer excitement going so they receive multiple offers and get over asking. Some buyers don’t have the stomach for this, but if they are like many who have made offer after offer to only get denied, stepping up to the plate is what’s needed to get the house.”

Rob’s advice about pricing a property is exactly what I share with my Sellers all of the time.

Another suggested ‘formula’ that you may want to consider is for every offer that you know is going to be presented, add the following amount PER OFFER (including your own):

If the home is listed between:

$200K – $400K, add $2500 per offer
$400K – $800K, add $5000 per offer
$800K – $1M, add $7500 to $10K per offer
$1M-$2M, add $10K per offer
$2M – $5M – $20K per offer depending on property, amenities, and location

No one wants to pay more than they have to, but no one wants to lose on a home either! A home is, after all, an asset that creates wealth and provides you with the lifestyle you desire in the meantime. Let me know if you have any comments, questions, or experiences you would like to share. I want to see you win!

Cheers,
Dawn Thomas, Broker Associate
Intero Real Estate Services
650-947-4661