How was Make Westing? It was awesome. Great people watching.  Yummy food and drinks. The bar was packed when we started at 7:15 pm and even more so when we left at 10:30 pm. We’re coming back Monday or Tuesday when it’s hopefully a little quieter, so that we can play bocce ball.

*Uptown boundary to me starts on Grand Avenue (north), Telegraph (west), Broadway (east), and ends where Telegraph and Broadway intersects around 15th Street.

Typical question I get from homeowner is how much they should insure their home. I defer to the lender. Because the lender is also on title, they have a mandatory requirement of what homeowners should insure for since they want to protect their asset. However lenders cannot force homeowner to over-insure the property.

Depending on location of property, i.e., earthquake, fire, flood zone, homeowners may want to consider these additional coverage. My advice is to speak to a insurance consultant regarding costs. You probably want to speak to several.  It might be worth bundling auto insurance with home insurance for cost savings. You may also see who your friends insure with. Realtor can also provide you with referrals.

After you decide on the insurance carrier, inform the insurance broker with escrow number, escrow office, and contact number, as well as, inform the escrow officer with the insurance broker’s information. Because you do not technically own the property, hazard insurance is paid through escrow as part of your closing costs (which includes property tax, county transfer tax, escrow fees, title insurance for you and the lender, loan fees).

Enjoy your house. Maintain the property on regular basis. Check in once in a while and make sure you have adequate insurance, especially if you remodeled or modified the house.

One last word. Make sure you pay your insurance on time, otherwise you will get letter from your lender, “gently” informing you that they purchased a temporary insurance protection.

Oakland Marathon by lawrencegerald

If you’re not familiar with Oakland, few of the fabulous “walk to coffee” neighborhoods are Uptown, Piedmont Avenue, Temescal, and Rockridge. Uptown has that downtown vibe and is primarily made up of apartments and condo complexes with great restaurants like Flora, Pican, Ozumo, and Luka’s Taproom. 19th Street BART is close by. Piedmont Avenue feels like a small town with cute bungalows. Some of my favorite restaurants are Commis, Adesso, and Dopo. A bus will take you to MacArthur BART. Temescal may not look like much to the uninitated, but it’s another sought after neighborhood because of its close proximity to restaurants and shops. Heart of Temescal is 51st Street and Telegraph with restaurants like Pizzaiolo, Dona Tomas, Bakesale Betty, Scream Sorbert.

Bakesale Betty by stevendamron

Temescal also has a tool lending library, public pool, MacArthur BART, and Studio One Arts Center. Restaurants are continuously popping up and now stretch down to 40th Street including Aunt Mary’s Cafe, Remedy Coffee, and Homeroom Cafe. If you venture onto side streets, you’ll find tree-lined streets with mixture of bungalows, condos, and apartment complexes. Lastly when most people think of a nice Oakland neighborhood, Rockridge comes to the forefront with its arts & crafts homes, Rockridge BART, shops and restaurants like Oliveto, Wood Tavern, Market Hall, and library.

Wood Tavern by Kevin P.

Next year, I’m doing the half-marathon so that I can cover more Oakland neighborhoods on foot. I look forward to running through West Oakland, Montclair, Dimond District, and Laurel District. Let me know if you want to join me in the training.

Investing in bank-owned properties and foreclosures is not for the faint-of-heart. You need to really understand the process and be ready for any complications that arise.

On first level is the living room, formal dining room, kitchen, 1/2 bathroom, and a bedroom that would make an ideal office. Both the kitchen and the bedroom lead out to a large backyard with mature fruit trees including apple, orange, fig, plum, and more. Upstairs are two bedroom plus a sleeping porch and a full bathroom with clawfoot tub.

The house retained many of its original charming like douglas fir flooring, wood trims and moldings, picturesque windows, and detailed doors.

I ran into the next door neighbor who said she grew up in this house and helped to plant the fruit trees when she was a little girl.

The house will look refreshed with a coat of paint both inside and out.

It is a short sale, therefore requires a patient buyer. For more details about short sale process, disclosures, or to see the property, please contact me at ukang@grubbco.com.

If you would like me to take a snapshot of your neighborhood, send me an email.

Nationwide, 2005 was considered peak of real estate market with 2006 continuing to hold. Kensington followed this pattern as did North Berkeley 94707 whereas Berkeley Hills 94708 didn’t reach its peak until 2007.

It will be interesting to see what next year will hold. Will it continue a soft descent or will it level off? If you’re considering whether it’s a good time to start investing in real estate, I recommend you check out real estate investing for beginners. It’s a good start on how to get started.

You’re asking, what about the house? What is the house like?

The house is a traditional bungalow with hardwood floors, nice detailing, formal dining room, backyard with a patio, and a spacious basement.

The house is on an upslope which means it’s multiple steps up to the house. On one hand, these stairs will keep you fit. On the other hand, yes, you’ll be walking up these steps everyday. Being on an upslope also means you get a wonderful green vista looking out the front window.

House has a separate laundry room off the kitchen. In addition, a huge winding basement with room for workshop, wine cellar, and storage.

Life can’t get any better than this.

House was listed for $629,000 and sold for $629,000.