The Peninsula Hub

San Francisco Peninsula Update on the Housing Market

Nancy Wierenga — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:28:11 +0000

On the San Francisco Peninsula there are 14 active and 16 pending sales in Burlingame. Low inventory continues to be a problem everywhere. It is amazing how agents keep coming up with properties to sell to their waiting “pent up” buyers. Our Burlingame office just had 50 offers on a pair of fixer properties in San Mateo, which sold all cash substantially over asking price. There is little new inventory coming on in Hillsborough, however the high end is starting to show movement with four properties over $10 million and two over $5 million now in escrow. This is very encouraging to see high-end buyers actively in the market. Our Palo Alto manager says the inventory is even scarcer (if possible) than last year – while the demand is higher. Lack of inventory is the biggest concern for agents and clients in the Redwood City-San Carlos area. Agents are working in a wider area in order to find properties for their buyers. In San Mateo, our manager sees a slight increase in listings. Homes that are off-market coming back on the MLS in the Woodside and Portola Valley area. Sales have picked up over the past two weeks. Everyone has lots of buyers – not too many sellers yet.

Uses for Holiday Cards

Nancy Wierenga — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 00:33:29 +0000

American card, circa 1940 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Holiday cards always make me smile and reminisce about the person who sent it. I really hate to dispose of them, so mine are still sitting in a basket – for one more look. This year I plan on recycling some of the cards by sending them to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. Please read below for further information on how to do this.

I also heard a clever idea for the family photo holiday cards. Take a picture of the card with your smart phone and then store it as the picture in your contact information. Then every time that special person calls you will see the wonderful family photo.

Donating Tips for St. Jude’s Ranch for Children

All types of greeting cards, including Christmas are accepted.
Only the card front can be used (please check to be sure the backside of the front of the card is clear of any writing, etc.)
They do not accept Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards.
5 x 7 size or smaller is preferred
To mail large quantities in the least expensive way, use the United States Post Office in a Flat Rate Box (available at the Post Office), which holds up to 70 pounds.
Mail donations to :
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude’s Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

Best Performing Cities

Nancy Wierenga — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:44:58 +0000

Cities on the Peninsula and in Silicon Valley have made the list of Best-Performing Cities nationwide by the Milken Institute.

The United States’ best-performing metro area is San Jose, the capital of Silicon Valley. Other cities with strong exposure to technological innovation scored high in the new ranking: Austin, Texas (No. 2, up from fourth place); Raleigh, N.C. (No. 3, up from No. 14); the Washington, D.C., metro (No. 5 from No. 17); and Cambridge, Mass. (No. 8 from No. 12).

San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City were ranked 36 on the list in 2012, compared to their 52 spot in 2011.

“People expect tech to be one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy, and it was,” Ross DeVol, chief research officer of the Milken Institute and one of the report’s authors, said in a statement.

“A perhaps less expected highlight of this year’s rankings is how the national resurgence in manufacturing is reflected in the greatly improved fortune of local economies, especially in the upper Midwest,” he said.

Among this year’s biggest gainers in large metros is Holland-Grand Haven, Mich., leaping 108 places to No. 40. Other Midwestern hotspots include Minneapolis-St. Paul; Gary, Ind.; Warren, Mich.; and Indianapolis. Each city moved up at least 70 spots in this year’s index.

The Best-Performing Cities index includes measures of job, wage, and technology performance to rank the nation’s 200 large metropolitan areas and 179 smaller metros.

Unlike other “best places” rankings, it does not use quality-of-life metrics, such as commute times or housing costs. In the Institute’s index, employment growth is weighted most heavily due to its critical importance to community vitality. Wage and salary growth measures the quality of jobs created and sustained.

Article compliments from Patch.

Celebrity Historical Homes For Sale

Nancy Wierenga — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:35:39 +0000

Al Capone’s house in Varadero (Photo credit: Dani Figueiredo)

Happy New Year Everyone!

Please enjoy our new Celebrity Homes that are Historical that are on the Market. Check out Regan, Al Capone, and Virsace…

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/legendary-celebrity-homes-on-the-market/13783107803

Spectacular Home

Nancy Wierenga — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:14:47 +0000

Check out Larry Hagman’s home for sale in Ojai! It is even narrated by himself. A spectacular home.

http://www.hagmanheaven.com/ojaimain.html

Santa Clause Town

Nancy Wierenga — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:02:48 +0000

Nowadays, the Christmas season and spirit kicks in before we’ve even had a full day to recover from our Thanksgiving Day feasts. Christmas trees are bought and decorated, old holiday jingles reverberate from radios reminding us of childhood, gifts are given and unwrapped and a little more quality time is spent with loved ones. As magical and lovely as the Christmas season is, it passes as quickly as it comes and we collectively set our sights on the new year and eagerly await the warmer weather of spring.

Now this usually is the case across the board. But not always. For the most festive town in America – Santa Claus, Indiana – Christmas never ends and is celebrated every single day of the year!

This small town of nearly 2,500 was established in 1854 as “Santa Fe” but had its request to establish a post office denied because there already was a town with that name. From that serendipitous moment, they reconvened and “Santa Claus” was ultimately chosen and they’ve been working for well over 100 years to do right by their namesake and celebrate Christmas year round.

Every street has a holiday themed name
*Image Courtesy of: Route Twelve

Santa Claus is more than just a town name. You can find an ode to the Christmas holiday everywhere you turn. Every street name was carefully chosen to have some sort of hint of Christmas in it. Who wouldn’t want to live on Reindeer Circle, Prancer Drive, Ornament East or Rudolph Lane? Every business in town have Christmas related names as well. You can visit Santa’s Candy Castle to satisfy your sweet tooth, have a cup of coffee and listen to music at Silent Night Cafe or even grab some dinner with the family at Frosty’s Fun Center.

Beyond the phenomenally decorated homes of Christmas Lake Village and large Santa Claus statues that outwardly show cheer; the people of this small town seem to carry within them the true spirit of Christmas 24/7.This is highlighted by a group of volunteers who call themselves “Santa’s Elves” who have replied to every single letter sent to “Santa Claus” (they get thousands of them from around the globe) since 1914!

Volunteers have answered every letter to “Santa Claus” since 1914!

San Carlos One of Top Real Estate Home Prices

Nancy Wierenga — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 05:10:13 +0000

San Carlos Tenth Most Expensive Real Estate Market in Country…

This home on Beverly Dr. in San Carlos is listed at $1,585,000, Courtesy of Coldwell Banker.

Credit Courtesy of Google Satellite

Credit Courtesy of Re/Max

$1,585,000" width="88" height="88" />Credit Courtesy of Coldwell Banker

How much does it cost to buy a four-bedroom, two-bath house?

This year, Los Altos/Los Altos Hills, at an average price of $1,706,688, is the most expensive market in the country when it comes to how much house your dollar will buy, according to Coldwell Banker’s annual Home Listing Report.

And San Carlos isn’t far behind, ranking 10th on the list, with an average listing price for a four-bedroom, two-bath home priced at $1,230,880 (wedged right between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Greenwich, CT). Belmont comes in at number 15, with an average home price of $1,098,777.

In fact, of the nation’s top five most expensive markets, four are on the lower Peninsula and Santa Clara County, and all are in California. Besides Los Altos, they include Saratoga ($1,582,434), Menlo Park ($1,506,909), and Palo Alto ($1,495,364). Newport Beach, in the No. 2 position ($1,658,000), was the only market outside of the Bay Area in the top five.

Coldwell Banker attributes Los Altos’ ranking to the confluence of tech and desirable locations. Google, Apple, Facebook and Stanford University are all located within 15 minutes of Los Altos, Coldwell Banker observed. And, so are the other top-five cities Saratoga, Menlo Park and Palo Alto.

And Los Altos Hills is the town that brought you the $100 million home, purchased by Russian tech investor Yuri Milner in 2011.

“The success of many of our native tech companies has shined a spotlight on Silicon Valley and our real estate market in the San Francisco Bay Area,” said Rick Turley, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in the San Francisco Bay Area, in a written statement.

In fact, among the top 20 most expensive markets in the country, ten of them are on the Peninsula or in Santa Clara Valley. They include the additional cities (in order of price) of Los Gatos, San Carlos, Cupertino, San Francisco and Redwood City.

High demand, low inventory, desirability and population projections all figure into the prices, Turley said.

Conversely, the most affordable was in Redford, Michigan, where the average a four-bedroom, two bath house cost $60,490—or 28 times less than the same house in Los Altos.

Coldwell Banker lists both the top 20 most affordable and the most expensive in the chart below.

For a state-by-state ranking , see this Coldwell Banker link.

Rank	Most Expensive State	Avg Listing Price	Most Affordable States	Avg. Listing Price
1	Los Altos	$1,706,688	Redford, Mich	$60,490
2	Newport Beach, Calif.	$1,658,000	College Park, GA	$62,080
3	Saratoga	$1,582,434	Detroit, Mich.	$65,155
4	Menlo Park	$1,506,909	Cleveland, Ohio	$70,0665
5	Palo Alto	$1,495,464	Poinciana, Fla.	$76,341
6	Los Gatos	$1,444,214	Hastings, Fla	$78,840
7	Rye, N.Y.	$1,312,250	Jonesboro, GA	$79,686
8	Kailua, Hawaii	$1,238,208	Park Forest, Ill.	$81,107
9	Carmel-By-the-Sea	$1,232,167	Augusta, GA	$83,966
10	San Carlos	$1,230,880	Johnstown, Penn.	$84,173
11	Greenwich, Conn.	$1,200,525	Cleveland Heights, Ohio	$84,535
12	Cupertino	$1,151,145	Saginaw, Mich.	$85,345
13	San Francisco	$1,132,086	Fort Pierce, Fla.	$89,292
14	Weston, Mass	$1,105,692	Country Club Hills, Ill.	$90,788
15	Belmont	$1,098,777	Irvington, N.J.	$92,264
16	Boulder, Colo	$1,084,183	Lehigh Acres, Fla	$92,819
17	Orono, Minn.	$1,070,203	Terrell, Texas	$96,329
18	Mercer Island, Wash.	$1,059,411	Warren, Mich.	$96,349
19	Darien, Conn.	$1,056,933	Ellenwood, Ga.	$97,850
20	Redwood City	$1,010,394	Maricopa, Ariz	$97,886

Biggest Gingerbread House

Nancy Wierenga — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:41:00 +0000

In keeping with its annual tradition, Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian opened up its life- sized cookie doorsfor guests to buy gingerbread treats and holiday décor in the lobby of the Victorian-themed hotel.

Santa Comes to Hiller Aviation in San Carlos

Nancy Wierenga — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:23:26 +0000

Join us for Christmas Carols by the San Carlos Community Band
Cookies, sodas and candy canes
Santa will be available from 10am-12pm to listen to the kids Christmas list
No Charge for Santa’s arrival – sponsored by the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce
Museum doors open at 9:30AM

Special Snow Globe with Your Address

Nancy Wierenga — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:21:27 +0000

Snow Globe icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a fun snow globe for this time of year. You just have to put in an address and it shows up with your house in snow. Of course, this is based in Google. I watch my house change all the time in google. All you need to do is:

ENTER YOUR ADDRESS and ZIP CODE (City & state not needed)

Then click the “Shake” button.

http://www.draftfcb.com/holiday2011/

My friend, Doug Anderson shared this with me and I thought it would be fun for everyone.

Happy Holidays!

Nancy