Think "Value," Not "Bargain!"
What's New?
There are currently 22 active listings in Piedmont, making this week's total the high point in 2008 thus far. Ranging from a low of $899,000 to a high of $5,600,000, there seems to be a home for every price point.
Let's begin with Angela Grubb's latest visual treat on King Avenue. This home tells two stories. From the outside, it's an unassuming gray-shingle, but inside, it reveals a modern, daring and sophisticated 2-story contemporary that offers 6bdrms/6bths, level entry with wet bar, formal living and dining rooms, library, family room, study and massive chef's kitchen. With a large open floor plan that surprises and delights at every corner, this unassuming façade is really a transplanted New York Penthouse (sans Central Park) complete with breathtaking floor to ceiling glass walls looking out onto a beautifully landscaped level garden with built-in pool! One-of-a-kind? I suspect so. Exquisite? Absolutely! To see photographs, click onto:
www.Grubbco.com
For Mid-Century Modern, check out Glen Alpine Road. This 4bdrm/3bth home offers the complete California lifestyle with large open floor plan and backyard featuring a paddle tennis court (think trikes, bikes and basketball hoops!). Just up the street from Hampton field, it's a trendy opportunity in a terrific location and perhaps, this week's best value!
Not every home is worth the climb, but make an exception for 95 Oakmont Avenue. Work your way up the brick stairs and you will find a charming and elegant 4bdrm/3bth multi-level Mediterranean with vaulted living room ceiling, formal dining room, remodeled kitchen, secluded brick patio and lush landscaping. It's a little bit of Italy right here in Piedmont. (Now all you need is an olive orchard or two!) Bellisamo!
Perhaps my favorite home this week sits in Upper Rockridge on Amy Drive. This impeccably Smart and Sophisticated 4bdrm/2bth Prairie Style Beauty, featuring open floor plan, chef's kitchen, and family room leading to lovely garden and patio is a winner! Remodeled from top to bottom, it's truly a "turn-key" home in a charming neighborhood. (Make sure you ask for the Fortuny chandelier when negotiating your offer!)
What's Coming?
Buyers are coming! With lenders reentering the marketplace, buyers are following, chasing better interest rates, strong inventory and motivated sellers. However, value is being defined house by house and property by property with the best choices still demanding (and getting) top dollar. Good buys do exists and they are worth pursuing, but multiple offers are not a thing of the past. Last week saw six offers on the duplex I highlighted off Piedmont Avenue a few weeks back. With the rental market ratcheting up, rents are on the increase! This is a great time to be thinking investment opportunities.
What's Pending?
What's pending is a late spring market! I want to repeat that as we see more affordable money make its way to the market - as demonstrated by Wachovia Bank, Union Bank and ING this week - we are sure to see buyers follow suit. With strong inventory just now debuting, get ready for a healthy and active late spring market. It's all about media perception and availability of funds.
Perception cuts both ways. If the media has convinced you to hold out for the "bottom," be careful. Wait too long and you'll find yourself back in competition, potentially paying a higher price than you might have if you had stepped forward alone. In a shifting marketplace, it's easy to play the waiting game, but not always the wisest move. Don't think "bargain," think "value!"
What's Happening?
Appraisals are happening and more often than not, it's not one, but two (even three) appraisals a bank is demanding before underwriting a loan. Now, more than ever, you will want to get your mortgage-lending piece in place before entering the marketplace. Make sure you work with a very experienced mortgage broker/bank, a top-notch title company, and a well-regarded Realtor. There are bound to be a few surprises in this newer market, and our ability to anticipate and respond to much more stringent guidelines, benefits everyone involved - especially you! This isn't the time to be working the discount angle. Experience is more important than ever!
Did you know The GRUBB Co. has 41 years of experience in the Piedmont/Oakland/Berkeley marketplace? That's a lot of collective creativity and power!
What's Fun!
The CSL Kitchen and Home Tour is fun and it's coming this April 25 and 26! This annual Piedmont event is more than just a vicarious view into other people's stunning homes, it's a fully orchestrated boutique and luncheon as well. Invite a new friend, your mother-in-law or even, your good-natured husband and spend a few hours supporting a very worthy cause while getting inspired!
My colleague, Debbi DiMaggio, is still seeking volunteers for this fun-filled event. To participate, and receive a complimentary ticket and lunch, please contact her at debbidimaggio.com or here at GRUBB Co. (510) 339-0400 and thanks for your support!
The Piedmont Plug!
The Piedmont Choirs Administration Seeks New Offices!
Did you know that Piedmont is home to one of the most prestigious and acclaimed children's choral programs in the world? (It's true.) With more than 350 students actively recruited from all over the East Bay, Piedmont Childrens Choirs study, train and perform both locally and abroad, emphasizing ensemble performance, vocal technique and musical theory. Amazingly, the whole program is run from cramped headquarters right above the Piedmont police station!
Having outgrown this space, it is now time for the administrative offices to move. They need a reasonably priced office space, approximately 1500-1700 square feet, including 4-5 office spaces, within 5-10 minutes drive from their rehearsal spaces in downtown Piedmont. (They would also consider consolidating the administration and rehearsal spaces into a larger facility/campus if one could be procured.) Friends of the choirs, please contact Cynthia Doll at cdoll@piedmontchoirs.org with any leads. Your help is greatly appreciated!
THANKS FOR READING!
For more information about any of the properties or events listed above, please call me at (510) 339-0400 x264, or simply respond to this email. I'd love to share my real estate tips and my experience in the Piedmont community with you!
Feel free to visit my website at JulieGardner.com for more information as well.
There are currently 22 active listings in Piedmont, making this week's total the high point in 2008 thus far. Ranging from a low of $899,000 to a high of $5,600,000, there seems to be a home for every price point.
Let's begin with Angela Grubb's latest visual treat on King Avenue. This home tells two stories. From the outside, it's an unassuming gray-shingle, but inside, it reveals a modern, daring and sophisticated 2-story contemporary that offers 6bdrms/6bths, level entry with wet bar, formal living and dining rooms, library, family room, study and massive chef's kitchen. With a large open floor plan that surprises and delights at every corner, this unassuming façade is really a transplanted New York Penthouse (sans Central Park) complete with breathtaking floor to ceiling glass walls looking out onto a beautifully landscaped level garden with built-in pool! One-of-a-kind? I suspect so. Exquisite? Absolutely! To see photographs, click onto:
www.Grubbco.com
For Mid-Century Modern, check out Glen Alpine Road. This 4bdrm/3bth home offers the complete California lifestyle with large open floor plan and backyard featuring a paddle tennis court (think trikes, bikes and basketball hoops!). Just up the street from Hampton field, it's a trendy opportunity in a terrific location and perhaps, this week's best value!
Not every home is worth the climb, but make an exception for 95 Oakmont Avenue. Work your way up the brick stairs and you will find a charming and elegant 4bdrm/3bth multi-level Mediterranean with vaulted living room ceiling, formal dining room, remodeled kitchen, secluded brick patio and lush landscaping. It's a little bit of Italy right here in Piedmont. (Now all you need is an olive orchard or two!) Bellisamo!
Perhaps my favorite home this week sits in Upper Rockridge on Amy Drive. This impeccably Smart and Sophisticated 4bdrm/2bth Prairie Style Beauty, featuring open floor plan, chef's kitchen, and family room leading to lovely garden and patio is a winner! Remodeled from top to bottom, it's truly a "turn-key" home in a charming neighborhood. (Make sure you ask for the Fortuny chandelier when negotiating your offer!)
What's Coming?
Buyers are coming! With lenders reentering the marketplace, buyers are following, chasing better interest rates, strong inventory and motivated sellers. However, value is being defined house by house and property by property with the best choices still demanding (and getting) top dollar. Good buys do exists and they are worth pursuing, but multiple offers are not a thing of the past. Last week saw six offers on the duplex I highlighted off Piedmont Avenue a few weeks back. With the rental market ratcheting up, rents are on the increase! This is a great time to be thinking investment opportunities.
What's Pending?
What's pending is a late spring market! I want to repeat that as we see more affordable money make its way to the market - as demonstrated by Wachovia Bank, Union Bank and ING this week - we are sure to see buyers follow suit. With strong inventory just now debuting, get ready for a healthy and active late spring market. It's all about media perception and availability of funds.
Perception cuts both ways. If the media has convinced you to hold out for the "bottom," be careful. Wait too long and you'll find yourself back in competition, potentially paying a higher price than you might have if you had stepped forward alone. In a shifting marketplace, it's easy to play the waiting game, but not always the wisest move. Don't think "bargain," think "value!"
What's Happening?
Appraisals are happening and more often than not, it's not one, but two (even three) appraisals a bank is demanding before underwriting a loan. Now, more than ever, you will want to get your mortgage-lending piece in place before entering the marketplace. Make sure you work with a very experienced mortgage broker/bank, a top-notch title company, and a well-regarded Realtor. There are bound to be a few surprises in this newer market, and our ability to anticipate and respond to much more stringent guidelines, benefits everyone involved - especially you! This isn't the time to be working the discount angle. Experience is more important than ever!
Did you know The GRUBB Co. has 41 years of experience in the Piedmont/Oakland/Berkeley marketplace? That's a lot of collective creativity and power!
What's Fun!
The CSL Kitchen and Home Tour is fun and it's coming this April 25 and 26! This annual Piedmont event is more than just a vicarious view into other people's stunning homes, it's a fully orchestrated boutique and luncheon as well. Invite a new friend, your mother-in-law or even, your good-natured husband and spend a few hours supporting a very worthy cause while getting inspired!
My colleague, Debbi DiMaggio, is still seeking volunteers for this fun-filled event. To participate, and receive a complimentary ticket and lunch, please contact her at debbidimaggio.com or here at GRUBB Co. (510) 339-0400 and thanks for your support!
The Piedmont Plug!
The Piedmont Choirs Administration Seeks New Offices!
Did you know that Piedmont is home to one of the most prestigious and acclaimed children's choral programs in the world? (It's true.) With more than 350 students actively recruited from all over the East Bay, Piedmont Childrens Choirs study, train and perform both locally and abroad, emphasizing ensemble performance, vocal technique and musical theory. Amazingly, the whole program is run from cramped headquarters right above the Piedmont police station!
Having outgrown this space, it is now time for the administrative offices to move. They need a reasonably priced office space, approximately 1500-1700 square feet, including 4-5 office spaces, within 5-10 minutes drive from their rehearsal spaces in downtown Piedmont. (They would also consider consolidating the administration and rehearsal spaces into a larger facility/campus if one could be procured.) Friends of the choirs, please contact Cynthia Doll at cdoll@piedmontchoirs.org with any leads. Your help is greatly appreciated!
THANKS FOR READING!
For more information about any of the properties or events listed above, please call me at (510) 339-0400 x264, or simply respond to this email. I'd love to share my real estate tips and my experience in the Piedmont community with you!
Feel free to visit my website at JulieGardner.com for more information as well.
posted by Julie at
2:08 PM
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