July 25, 2008

EB Tri-Cities Open Houses July 26-27

I thought I would try a little different approach to presenting some Open Houses for this weekend. I am only listing houses that fall between the price range of $500,000 to just under $700,000. Interestingly enough there were none for Hayward, Newark, or Sunol. But nonetheless, I hope this will give you a little bit of an insight into how similarly priced houses measure up in that mid-price range in the following cities:

FREMONT
4325 Millard Ave– 3/2 – 1201 sf ($433) $520,000 Sun 1-4
The big plus  for this house is that it’s on ¼ acre. It’s in the Irvington district, which I have mixed feeling about because I live in the district. Some parts of the area are becoming a little less desirable for established homeowners but for newbies and those that prefer ethnic variety this could be a good deal.
3548 Braxton Cmn – 2/2.5 – 1174 sf ($451)$528,888 Sun 2-5
This townhouse is in a very nice townhouse complex not too far from Fremont’s Central park where a lot of great upgrades are in progress, like a super nice swimming park that is slated to be ready for summer 2009. I, personally, have a problem with paying this kind of money for a townhouse though when I could have a place that has land with it.
4388 Dali St – 3/2 – 1256 sf ($452) $568,000 Sat 1-4
This house is in an area that affords easy access to the Dumbarton Bridge. But where are the pictures? I sure do feel slighted (not to mention wary) when I see a listing without pictures. At least I can look at the street view on the Google map!
38884 Stillwater Cmn – 3/2.5 – 1638 sf ($377) $618, 000 Sat/Sun 1:30-4
I like the looks and the area of this place.
4825 Los Arboles Pl – 4/2 – 1538 sf ($429) $659,500 Sat 1-4
While I am not crazy about this area of Fremont, I do like the glass squares in the bathroom. I have some sort of bizarre obsession with those things. Odd, I know!
299 Chase Ct – 3/2 – 1430 sf ($467) $668,000 Sun 1:30-5
And I have an obsession with the quaint little town of Niles. And this house is right next to Alameda creek that sports a super hiking/walking/running/dog walking trail!
4992 Valpey Park Ave – 4/2 – 1616 sf ($413) $668,000 Sat/Sun 1-5
Woo-hoo, I have got to say I like what they have done with this place. Uniqueness abides here folks!
35711 Ballantine Pl – 4/2 – 1714 sf ($408) $698,888 Sun 1-4
This place is in another favorite area of mine near Quarry Lakes. A great recreation place that offers hiking trails, swimming beach, fishing and lots of great stuff.
MILPITAS
747 Erie Cir – 2/2.5 – 1350 sf ($381) $515,000 Sun 1:300-4:30
A very nice looking house for the price but I do fear the Milpitas stench may be a little to close for comfort. Take your nose there on a hot summer day with a breeze coming from the East to determine this yourself.
1157 Park Heights Dr – 3/2 – 1146 sf ($476) $545,000 Sat/Sun 2-4
This looks good and is well away from the Milpitas dump.
33 Parc Place Dr – 3/2 -1530 sf ($369)  $565,000 Sat/Sun 1:30-4:30
Ah yes, a nice place but again, so close to the Milpitas dump. Why does that darn dump have to be THERE?
2089 Shiloh Ave – 5/3 – 1600 sf ($412) $659,000 Sun 2-4
Ooh, I like this house. And it is away from the blankety-blank dump.
1283 Belbrook Pl – 3/2 – 1484 sf ($471) $698,888 Sun 1-4
And just when I thought that perhaps if you paid more for a place it would be further away from ‘you-know-where’. Oh well…!
UNION CITY
32428 Springwood Dr – 3/2 – 1274 sf ($407) $519,000 Sat 1-4
This is a very nice looking house on a good size lot.
32748 Folklore Loop – 3/2 – 1582 sf ($417) $660,000 Sat 1:30-4:30
While I’m not particularly wild about this area of Union City this is a fairly new neighborhood so worth checking out.

July 23, 2008

Life is a Beach?

A friend sent me this picture of a housing development in Dubai where every house has its own beach! How cool is that? What a unique planning idea. Of course, looking at this housing development I wonder what happens during a storm. That  could be a total disaster. But the planners must have thought of that, right? It appears that it must be a housing complex built on land fill. It sure doesn’t look natural. What about earthquakes?

That is one of the things that always concerned me about the houses in Foster City and various other Bay Area locations built on landfill. I am originally from the Southern California area, Huntington Beach to be precise, and there was a housing development there built on top of an underground spring that kept sinking and they kept filling it and rebuilding houses on it, etc., etc.  I haven’t been there in years and sometimes I wonder what stage it is in now. It had become one of the local jokes in the area.

I can’t imagine any way a housing development in this area could do a plan like the Dubai ‘a beach for every house’  one but I have come up with a list of houses selling for under $700,00 in the EB Tri-Cities area that have their own personal swimming pool. These are just a few of my personal favorites because of the low price and good location areas (not on landfill!).

FREMONT
36255 Easterday Way – 3/2 – 1200 sf ($554) $665,000
This beauty is located near my favorite little town of Niles.
3619 Wyndham Dr – 4/2.5 – 1990 sf ($352) $699,950
Here’s a lot of house for the price.
HAYWARD
2274 Rosehill Pl – 4/2.5 – 2374 sf ($253) $600,00
This place looks fantastic. Why has it been on the market for 109 days?
3867 Oakes Dr – 5/2.5 – 2334 sf ($289) $674,888
Now this house is a real beauty. The sky in the listing pictures doesn’t look real though. What’s with that? We’re talking major blueness!
22745 Bayview Ave – 5/3 – 2779 sf ($252) $700,000
Okay, so this isn’t ‘under’ $700,000 but I’m including it anyways because it looks like a good deal.
MILPITAS
356 Perry St – 4/2.5 – 2001 sf ($345) $690,000
There’s a lot of potential in this place but it does require a bit more work, like finishing the pool. I think it would be worth it though.
NEWARK
36623 Darvon Ct -3/2 – 1565 sf ($319) $499,000
Did you know that the town of Newark is completely surrounded by the town of Fremont?
36291 Birkshire Pl – 4/2 – 1464 sf ($348) $510,000
This is a nice house and pool but I would be very careful if I had little ones around because the pool is just a few steps out the back door with no fence in between for protection.
36268 Bettencourt St – 4/2 – 1606 sf ($327) $525,000
Another good deal in Newark but the yard and pool need tender loving care.
36012 Burning Tree Dr – 3/2 – 1482 sf ($377) $559,000
Definite a cozy place and very close to the Dumbarton Bridge for anyone that works over on the Peninsula.
5415 Chapman Dr – 3/2 – 1628 sf ($415) $675,000
I have to admit, I have mixed emotions about presenting some of these places to you because I want some of them! So I am emailing the listings I really would like to buy for myself to my husband whilst doing this blog. And this is one of them!
UNION CITY
33135 Hemlock Dr – 3/2 – 1160 sf ($341) $395,000
Okay, so there’s something a little askew about living on a street named ‘Hemlock’ that is only a few blocks away from a mortuary…but come on…the price is definitely enticing.
2442 Balmoral St – 4/2 – 1888 sf ($270) $509,900
This is a great price for this bank-owned house. The back does face a semi-busy street but on the other hand, it’s close to shopping, freeways, etc.

July 18, 2008

Are You Upside Down?

Being ‘upside down’ is a state of financial bewilderment at owing more on your home than it is worth. With the increasing number of foreclosures, millions of Americans are becoming upside down in their houses. More homeowners are finding themselves in this precarious position and are walking away from a mortgage that is too high to pay. Foreclosures are at record all time highs and have doubled in the past twelve months and the number of defaults is increasing. Not only mainstream mortgages are affected but credit card and auto loan companies are report increasing delinquencies.

Real estate markets were driven by local economic and political forces but the liberalized mortgage lending has changed the mortgage market in the U.S. It isn’t only subprime mortgage borrowers that are in trouble any longer, conventional loans are in the foreclosure line-up and there isn’t much homeowners who are upside down in their house can do to get their home refinanced with falling home values. Some housing markets have already dropped as much as 50% in California.

The East Bay has already begun to suffer with lower prices and 2008 won’t be any better, according to the Housing Predictor forecast  that prices may fall an average of 9.1%.Now I didn’t find any ‘upside down’ houses in the EB Tri-Cities area, but I did find some open houses this weekend that are under $700,000 and worth a look-see:

FREMONT
4035 Heron Pl – 3/2 – 1375 sf $549,500 Sat/Sun 1-4
There are 5 or 6 community parks scattered nearby.
299 Chase Ct – 3/2 – 1430 sf $668,000 1:30-4:30
A lovely house in my favorite ‘Niles’ area of Fremont.

HAYWARD
503 Kim Pl – 3/2 – 1196 sf $380,000 Sun 1-5
Even though this is a great price it’s not in one of the better areas of Hayward.

MILPITAS
461 Taylor Dr – 4/2 – 1358 sf $507,900 Sun 1-4
This would be a great starter house.
311 Falcato Dr – 4/2 – 1675 sf $575,000 Sun 12-4
This one is definitely worth checking out.
747 Folsom Cir – 3/2.5 – 1698 sf $648,000 Sat 1:30-4:30
Ooh…I like this one!
1770 Golden Hills Dr – 4/2 – 1186 sf $660,000 Sun 1-4
This would be a great place to raise a family.

NEWARK
5415 Chapman Dr – 3/2 – 1628 sf $675,000 Sun 1-4
Nice place and a nice pool.

UNION CITY
32748 Folklore Loop – 3/2 – 1582 sf $660,000 Sun 1:30-4:30
This may be a little too close to an industrial park for some, but it is a charming place nonetheless.

July 7, 2008

Think Positive & Stay Cool!

Alrighty now, this is the first glimmer of hope I have read that I hadn’t thought about before (or at least thought of recently). Yet it makes so much sense. I read this article on Yahoo this morning and was happy to think about potential good news for a change. The key element for this ray of hope that I have? The first time buyer! Well of course that makes sense. This is the best time to buy that first time home, when the prices are at an all time low. And low interest rates boost that buying power even more. I know, this is nothing new, but it is easy to get lost in the sorrow blasted out every evening on the News. Just as slick advertising lures us into buying things we don’t need and eating foods that are unhealthy, listening to depressing story after story on the News grinds us into the dumps (and I’m not talking Milpitas). Sure the News provides a lot of good information and things that we need to be aware of, but being bombarded with depressing stories causes the rational part of my thought process to deteriorate. Hence, forgetting momentarily the way things always tend to go in cycles. Each one of these cycles may be composed of slightly different elements but it still goes in cycles. Thank goodness, eh?

We can take some of these negatives and make them positive though. One of them is the terrible heat wave expected this week in the Bay Area. I’ve gone through and found several listings in the desirable Niles and Quarry Lakes area of Fremont area and found houses and townhouses/condos that have swimming pools (I love the new feature in the listings that allow you to look at the street view):

35653 Linda Dr – 4/6 – 3640 sf  ($438) $1,595,000
I don’t know about you but something about 6 bathrooms for a 4 bedroom house certainly does peak my interest. NO waiting for bathroom-time! Oh yeah!

3379 Foxtail Ter – 2/1 – 750 Sf ($360)  $269,9000
A complex named ‘Mis-Match’. Now THAT is complex!

1041 Huntington Cmn – 2/2 – 840 sf ($333) $279,9000
Fresh corn right across the street, yummy!

38748 Crane Ter – 3/2.5 – 1438 sf ($334) $480,000
This looks like a fairly nice place but it is a condo and there are houses available for close to this price. Depends on what you want.

34731 Snake River Pl – 4/2 – 1828 sf ($273) $499,950
This is a lot of house for the price and it’s right across the street from a nice little park. Plus I like the street name!

34329 Gadwall Cmn  - 3/2.5 – 1637 sf ($336) $550,000
This is a super spacious townhouse that has the feeling of a detached house.

3619 Wyndham Dr – 4/2.5 – 1990 sf ($353) $699,950
I am sitting in my non-air-conditioned house right now looking at the pool in the description of this house and I so want to be there splashing around.

36453 Ames Ter – 2/1.5 – 1140 sf ($373) $425,000
You know what? Life in Niles is very desirable whether it be a townhouse or a single-family house. This place looks great.

243 D St – 3/1 – 1133 sf ($503) $569,950
Living in Niles I would really want to have a swimming pool. It is HOT here in summer but the small town feeling makes up for that…almost.

4251 Tanager Ter – 2/2.5 – 1471 sf ($319) $469,000
Okay, so I wouldn’t bother to scroll down towards the bottom of this listing description to look at the street view of the place. I found myself sitting smack dab in the middle of the freeway. Oops!

35611 Stowe Cmn – 3/2.5 – 1298 sf ($308) $399,900
I really like the window treatment off the kitchen of this townhouse. And ending the slide show with the glorious swimming pool is such a good idea right now. Ahhhh!

36134 Fanshawe St – 5/3 – 2326 sf ($301) $699,000
This is a lot of house folks. And French doors opening out to the pool – I’m sold. Oh wait, I fear my grown children would want to move home. Never mind. But it is a beauty.

3411 Peralta Blvd – 3/2 – 1192 sf ($469) $559,000
This is a very comfy looking house. And it is one of a dying breed of lots with no sidewalk in front (yet) so it still feels country-like.

5238 Fairbanks Cmn – 2/2 – 1100 sf ($391) $429,950
This is one heck of a well laid out condominium for its size. Very spacious in appearance and feel.

June 27, 2008

Bay Area: Do You Really Belong Here?

Forget your psychic friend and magic 8 ball. CurbedSF has it that today’s savvy home hunters leave it to programmers to come up with a way to tell them, via scientific survey, whether a neighborhood is a good fit or not. Indeed, Hoodeo is the “neighborhood match maker,” your online connector of human to ‘hood.

So I gave it a spin- God knows I am having a hard time finding a place I can afford in SF; maybe Hoodeo knows something I don’t.  Among its questions, the survey asks me if I wanted to stay in this city or if I would go anywhere. Since my job and friends and life are here, I actually do want to stay here, but just for fun, I chose “will go anywhere.” Hoodeo also smartly inquires how much I make and how much I “want to spend” on my next home, as well as how big I want it, cleverly reminding me that those square feet I desire will also have to be cleaned (I picked 1000 square feet, and since I had the option, 2 beds and at least 1.5 baths since I share with a man whom occasionally disgusts me). I decided the fair amount to pay, based on what we make, and that we would like to have money left over to travel and buy beer and such, would be 400 to 450K.

I should be, according to Hoodeo, living in Philidelphia. Wait, but you didn’t ask if I like sub-zero winters! I don’t!

Back to Hoodeo then, this time insisting on staying in the Bay Area. If I am to spend what I want to spend, I will need to think about Pacifica, San Bruno, South San Francisco, or– if I want the city proper– Bayview. Wait, you didn’t ask if I like gunfire in my front yard. I don’t!

Needless to say, Hoodeo has left some poignant questions off the list in determining if a ‘hood will fit you. For instance, nowhere am I asked what I think of On Deadline’s report that

Members of the Presidential Memorial Commission tell the San Francisco Chronicle that they’ve already collected 8,500 signatures on a petition to put the proposal before voters this November. If it passes, the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant would be renamed [the “George W. Bush Sewage Plant.]

To which I say: I am home.

June 25, 2008

Perk Up Those Ears!

One of my favorite houses near where I live is up for sale again! This house goes on sale about every 3 or 4 months and has done so over the last 2 or 3 years. It is now at its lowest price during that time. Check out 41467 Fremont Blvd., Fremont – 3/2.5 – 2278 sf on 1/3 acre for $885,000. It’s a great looking place but the location isn’t terrific because Fremont Blvd. is a very busy street, and since sidewalks have been put in around this house it sits very close to the street and people passing by. But I love this style house. It looks like a dollhouse! If only (as I posted on this house last year) I could muster up the money to move it to some grand lot in the foothills, where it so obviously belongs. It needs a space that will show off its grandeur. But alas, it is where it is. Still a great looking house though. While we are in this neighborhood, the Irvington District of Fremont, let’s see what else is going on. Some of these may stand a better chance after today of selling to buyers who are having a tough time qualifying for the stringent loan requirements. Apparently Congress is voting today on a change for the better. Let’s hope it passes. I hate to see the way the pendulum on mortgage loans swayed from extremely easy to extremely difficult to qualify. That was just plain irrational! Especially when you look at a Google map showing all the listings, because right now it looks like an ant infestation there are so many. Help! I present to you some very cool deals on houses in the Fremont and Milpitas areas based on $ per square foot:

FREMONT:
3300 Walcott Cmn #117 – 1/1 – 712 sf - $237 sf for $168,888
This condo is actually very spacious for only 712 sf because it is laid out very nicely. It’s close enough to Ohlone Junior College to make it a good investment for the parents to get and let their college student live in. Although my Grandpa always said to never, ever get in to financial deals with family and/or friends, times are tough now.

This next house doesn’t give an address but says it is very close to Lake Elizabeth (Central park is a super great park) and it’s only 10 years old to boot. At only $237 sf it’s almost too hard to refuse. Its stats are 7/2 – 2,346 sf all for only $698,888. I say run, don’t walk to nab this baby up. AND it is in a desirable neighborhood. I’m almost ready to write a check now.

4162 Bullard St – 3/2 – 1677 sf - $298 sf for $499,950
This house is a steal in the Irvington district. It’s clean, neat, and well presented at an amazingly low price. Landscaped with sprinklers and all. And with all these grass fires in California happening I would think sprinklers would be a great idea. Turn those puppies on when there is a fire nearby. That’s got to help, right?

Check out 40396 Canoga St – 3/1 – 1376 sf - $327 sf for $450,000
Okay, so I think this house looks a little boxy, but it is near my favorite park, Central Park/Lake Elizabeth. It also has RV parking so if you didn’t want to hang out at home maybe because you’re retired, you can just hop in the old RV and split for the wide open spaces. I LOVE to RV. We did that for our honeymoon in Canada. We have friends up there living in Lions Bay (a quaint community between Vancouver and Whistler) that let us take their RV for a drive through Canada. What a fantastic treat. They said we could use the RV for weeks (or they even were kind enough to say months). Months were tempting but we opted for 3 weeks. Spectacular scenery!! Anyways, back to Fremont and reality. The above houses are great deals that I would encourage you to look into. C’mon, do it, you know you want to!

MILPITAS:
Now Milpitas has been proving to be a real bargain hunters dream over the last few months. Check these places out (that are well away from the dump stench). Sorry I seem repetitive on the stench of the dump but my husband always relates a childhood story about whenever his family was in the car and riding by the Milpitas dump area on 880 no matter what the bad smell (even a skunk) when the kids would ask Mom & Dad what that bad smell was the answer was always “Milpitas”. Sad, but true, except for the skunk smell.

1445 Jupiter Ct – 4/3 – 2555 sf - $219 sf for $559,000 (reduced $60,000)
Well, this is a good deal but to say in the description “put in some sweat…” doesn’t sound too appealing when the temperatures here have been over 100F. But that’s not all the time and having a house to work on does keep you out of trouble! Working, raising kids, etc. the rest of the time assures no time for getting into trouble. This would actually be a great home for first-timers or someone who wants to invest in a rental. It is a lot of house for the price and it is in a good area.

256 Temple Dr – 6/3 – 2037 sf - $290 sf for $590,000
What is it with these 5+ bedroom houses for low prices (the Fremont one above with 7 bedrooms)? I thought families were supposed to be smaller these days what with over-population and all. I’m puzzled! This one has a good sized lot and is in a nice area to boot, so meander over there soon.

Both of these areas have lots of houses for sale so we’re talking great bargaining potential, so go see what you can find. You won’t be sorry.

June 16, 2008

Top of the Line New Listings in Fremont

1504 Lemos Ln 5/3.5 (2131) $999,999
This is probably one of the best areas for great schools. It’s not far from the beautiful foothills and in between two beautiful parks. Fremont’s own Central Park is quite spectacular and a new swim park is being added that will be ready next year about this time.

180 Montevideo Cir 4/3 (2503) $1,259,950
Another great looking house in the Mission District of Fremont. This place is very open and airy. Although I have been noticing over the years that the houses are getting bigger and the yards are getting smaller. And yet fewer people are having large family nowadays. What’s with that?

41431 Joyce Ave 4/4.5 (3300) $1,588,000
And yet another large house in the Mission District. This one is buried deep into the neighborhood so if you don’t like to be on or near busy streets this one would be a good choice.

44483 View Point Cir 5/3 (3418) $1,728,888
Now if I was to decide on a place to live in Fremont I would go towards the foothills. Just about every home nestled in the foothills has a fantastic view of the whole bay area. Granted, some of the homes (this one included) don’t come with that thrilling view right out the window, but you are just a hop, skip and jump away from the wonderfully grueling hike up Mission Peak. And if you survive that hike all the way to the top you also get a great view of the Pleasanton and Livermore areas.

42648 Baron St 4/2 (1779) $1,299,950
This one looks a little pricey for what you get but then again it is in the much desired Mission District of Fremont. What can I say?

44293 Hunter Pl 5/4.5 (4268) $2,156,888
Now this house definitely qualifies as a top-notched. I often go on walks through this neighborhood because I get some great gardening ideas from the homes here. And I can mentally pick them apart with very critical thoughts like: “why did they put that big fountain right there…how tacky”. Somehow this makes me feel superior because I can see all kinds of faux-pas’ in these muckety-muck houses. Hah!

180 Montevideo Cir 4/3 (2503) $1,259,950
Looking at the pictures of these homes I am noticing a definite trend in how they vacuum the carpets. They all have a fresh vacuum cleaner path with no footsteps on them. Sort of like the patterns on a freshly mowed baseball field. It bothers me and I don’t know why. I want to go stomp around on the carpet or some such silliness.

So obviously I have chosen a specific area of Fremont that I am rather fond of, the Mission District near the foothills and Mission Peak. I love it here and like to come here to hike, but feel totally stupid when I feel it necessary to ‘drive’ to where I want to hike, so these houses are all near many hiking trails all headed up to the top of Mission Peak. And believe it or not, on summer weekends it is next to impossible to find a parking place in the Mission Peak parking lot that provides about 30 parking spaces. Shows how many people feel they need to drive to a place to walk for exercise. We are a strange lot, us humans! As an added bonus there is a long-running rumor that M.C.Hammer (rap singer) used to have a spectacular house up in these foothills. When you take the trail behind Ohlone College up to Mission Peak along the way you can look down on what once was his house. It would be funny if he never really lived there but people kept pointing at it and saying ‘Look, that used to be M.C.Hammer’s house’. Can you imagine having random people driving by your house and pointing at it and whispering and making oooh’s and ahhh’s sounds? Is that a good selling point or not? I don’t really know.

June 9, 2008

Buy 1 Get 1 Free?

This really got my interest while perusing Yahoo this morning: Slow home sales? Buy one, get one free in San Diego

Yowza — now we’re talking good deals. Sure — get a car, an exotic vacation trip, etc. are really provocative and enticing, but a free house? I’d say San Diego has got it going-on! Come on Bay Area, we can do that. I can imagine some deals I would offer. Here are examples using some of the new listings on the market in the East Bay:

163 Linmore Dr., Fremont – 5/4 - 3437 sf $1,738,000
4189 Blewett St., Fremont – 3/2 - 1148 sf $434,950 (*FREE)

448 Pine St., Fremont – 3/2.5 - 2352 sf $1,168,888
5125 Shalimar Cir., Fremont – 3/2.5 – 1383 sf $569,000 (*FREE)

2740 Plover Ct., Hayward – 4/3.5 – 3489 sf $1,099,000
323 Solano Ave., Hayward – 3/1.5 – 1676 sf $414,900 (*FREE)

746 Kirkwall Pl., Milpitas – 4/3 – 2690 sf $1,099,000
1668 Pinewood Way, Milpitas = 3/2 – 1270 sf $459,900 (*FREE)

32433 Pacific Grove Way, Union City – 4/2.5 – 2139 sf $759,900
4814 Barbara Ct., Union City – 3/2 – 1320 sf $470,000 (*FREE)

*Keep in mind these are just pretend offers I have made up; each of these houses may be worth the asking price without any FREE offers involved.

I’ve always felt a love/hate relationship with marketing in any industry. But I have to say I have a love relationship with the real estate industry at the moment. Marketing bad food choices, bad habits, useless junk, etc. really irks me but this – marketing ideas that help the people and boost the economy can be good. I just wouldn’t want it to encourage more home building that could compromise the environment. Let’s utilize what we have already created instead of creating more, okay?

June 8, 2008

Spraying Deception Across the Bay Area

Outrage in the Bay Area against the planned apple moth spraying continued today, with a protest in Marin County.  Although there is no present danger to crops from the apple moth, the State plans to spray in heavily populated areas this summer - to include Marin, San Francisco, and the East Bay. 

Spraying of this pesticide, called Checkmate, was set to begin in August and could continue over five years.  The State obtained an emergency exemption from registration with the EPA - which means that spraying can begin without statewide approval.  If the apple moth were to gain ground, it could be devastating to many different types of crops, such as fruit trees, citrus and grapes.  But the residents of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties who were sprayed last year contend that the health risks outweigh the risks to crops.   After these areas were sprayed from September to December, hundreds of residents complained about health issues ranging from headaches to coughing and wheezing, and first time asthma attacks. 

State officials contend that the spray is perfectly safe, and that it is just a pheromone that confuses the male apple moths.  Residents contend that the testing was hurriedly done and not conclusive.  Based on the furor over this moth, Governor Schwartzenegger ordered a halt to spraying back in April until the spray could be proven safe.   The California Assembly also narrowly approved a measure in late May mandating that an EIR - or “environmental impact report” be done before spraying could continue. 

The facts are that hundreds had health issues the last time spraying was done, and these sprayings occurred over less densely populated areas.  The chemical used has not been classified by the EPA.  And some independent researchers have found that the chemical CAN cause respiratory issues based on the particle sizes in the spray - some of which are small enough to lodge deep in the lungs.   Spraying would have to be done every 30 days for years in order to completely eradicate the apple moth.  I see no tests showing the long term impact of this chemical on human health, or on other crops for that matter. 

Most Bay Area cities, including San Francisco and Fremont, have strongly opposed the scheduled August spraying.  Many residents say they will move if spraying continues.  What will this do to a state already beseiged by foreclosures and empty homes? 

I think our lawmakers need to think about the potential impact to the tax base if many people leave, or become ill - a concern that should be dwarfed by the real human issues here; the health of the people and the land. 

June 4, 2008

Living High On the Hog

Here is a list of the top 10 most expensive houses in the world over $1.5 million (check out the $$ per square foot on some of the places listed in the article):

1. London
2. Monaco
3. St. Jean Cap (France)
4. Courchevel (France)
5. Hong Kong
6. Manhattan
7. Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy)
8. Portofino (Italy)
9. Singapore
10. Tokyo

Okay — so now I don’t feel quite so bad about housing prices in the Bay Area. Except for the fact that I don’t really plan on living anywhere else in the world; so it’s like comparing apples to oranges. But it is still fun to mock other places, I suppose.

Here are a couple of places in the East Bay for $1.5 million or more:

430 Panorama Ct., Fremont – 5/3 – 2900 sf $1,699,000
This is described as a Mediterranean-style house so Italy eat-your-heart-out! What ‘would’ it sell for in Italy? Yikes! Guess we’re better off just keeping it in the upper-scale Fremont hills and learning to speak Italian.

Or, let’s live really ‘high-on-the-hog’ in another house described as Mediterranean-style at 44601 Gabrielino Trail, Fremont – 4/4 – 4713 sf $2,290,000
We could learn a couple of other languages whilst living here!

Or, scratch the language lessons, speak good old American-ese and live a thrifty-nifty life at 40467 Vogel Ct, Fremont – 3/1 – 950 sf $379,900
The Irvington District of Fremont demands no uppity, lotto-winning, exotic–lifestyle, yacht-owning people. Just fun backyard BBQ’s and down-to-earth livin’.

On the other hand, let’s take a look-see at Hayward fancy living. I think 3755 Arbutus Ct. – 4/3.5 – 4793 sf $2,497,000 rivals some of the homes I’ve seen in The Sound of Music! I can picture those kids on the staircase singing along with Julie Andrews. Oh yeah! Of course my kids would just have toys deposited on every step, hah!

Or who could resist a 2/1 – 1118 sf bungalow at 23098 Mansfield Ave., Hayward for $1,650,000?
Wait…that DOES sound like a house in one of the 10 most expensive places to live in the world. But, when you look closely you realize that it is zoned to accommodate up to 10 lots on 1.48 acres. This is actually a very good investment opportunity. Or an opportunity to build houses for your toddlers to live in order to save your sanity.

All kidding aside, this really does make me feel better about living here in the Bay Area even with the high cost of housing. Life is good here and gas is still cheaper here than in Europe, so far!