What a great game last night. Our home team beat the Portland Trailblazers 111 to 106 and it was an exciting game for all four qurters. The upcoming star Anthony Morrow has a great shot and plays good defense. He's similar to Stephen Jackson in a way. I will post the home court pictures I took from the game. The Warriors are still a great team even without Baron Davis and I hope they make it to the playoffs. 11/19/2008

I know it's been a while since I've posted a blog.  I have been focusing my attention to my client.  We have located a home and made an offer. I have been all over Oakland and Richmond lately looking at some really awesome Victorian, Craftsman and Tudor style homes.  zWe've been looking at fixer-uppers and contractors specials. On the flip side I have seen so many homes, my general knowledge of the area and the existing inventory shoots way up the scale! I'll have many more homes to add to my flip files spot-lighted homes blogs.   11/12/2008

Two buyers were vying for the same waterfront property that is being sold as a short sale. Buyer 1, an investor, offered cash, but the proceeds would be less than what the lender needs to approve the sale. Buyer 2 offered slightly more, was putting down 50%, was preapproved. He was following up almost daily regarding when the lender would accept his offer. He kept trying to amend his first offer, then giving deadlines for a response or he would rescind. Finally, we accepted the Buyer 2's offer only because it was higher than the first, and this offer would meet the lender's requirement. We're in contract less than one week. Then BOOM! The Buyer 2's lender, who preapproved him in the first place especially since he was planning to put 50% down, rejected the loan. The lender said: "I am ... 11/01/2008

  While browsing through REO listings in Oakland CA, I came across a duplex that is listed at $37,500. Yes, you read that right. The MLS confidential remarks said "Go see 1st, then call." Before taking my clients to see the property, I checked the history, and saw how many times it was listed until the bank finally foreclosed at $338,960.  So I thought perhaps they left off a digit --- and maybe the REO agent meant $338,500. HUFFY REO AGENT        I called the agent asking if the price is right. He called back, he said the price is right. He huffed that he specifically said see the property first before calling, and that if we had gone there first, that we would notice the house next door has slid down the hill. He said if agents did what he instructed, then he wouldn't have to return s... 10/27/2008

When you hire a mold remediation company, always ask if they will guarantee that their work will pass a mold clearance test by a qualified third-party mold inspector or industrial hygienist. Just this week I put bids for mold remediation work on three properties that have already had mold remediation work performed but by companies that do not guarantee that the property will pass a mold clearance test when the work is complete. What does this mean?  It means a lot of wasted money and time as the mold will now have to be remediated properly.  Doing a poor job on the initial remediation can actually make the situation worse by spreading mold spores throughout the entire house instead of containing it to one room.  This is the case for two of the properties I recently encountered in Oakla... 10/23/2008

In the Elmhurst section of Oakland California, near the corner of 98th Avenue and International Boulevard is the Elmhurst Presbyterian Church. This church according to my father and that what was told to him from his parents and grand parents that his Great Grandfather was the pastor-reverend that built the Elmhurst Presbyterian Church. William Moor Greenslade was a Civil War Veteran who served in the Army of the Cumberland as a member of the 81st Regiment of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry.   During that time the family lived in Livonia Indiana just east of French Lick. In 1898 he moved to Elmhurst and lived there until after the death of his son Theodore in 1907.  The family then moved to Morgan Hill California, just South of San Jose. We were going through some old boxes of my father'... 10/17/2008

city or town where property is located: oakland, ca. neighborhood where property is located: san antionio park price the property is currently listed at: $230,000 homes in the same neighborhood are selling for: $160,000 - $565,000    286,000 median  difference in value between this property and the comps: $56,000 to median  Probate / short sale / R.E.O. / 1031 exchange / traditional: this home is a short sale On visual inspection of this property I have noticed that the following repairs would make a difference.  Here is a list of suggested projects along with the estimated costs involved. Please consider the cost price estimates to be for supplies only.  These postings are for contractor investors or serious do-it-yourself homeowners. Agents please do not forget to supply estimated co... 10/14/2008

Whereas it is a mixture of pride and ego that I have intermittently been considered "creative", I am flattered that the outlet that is active rain allows me not only to rant and ramble-but to be recognized for doing so--thank-you active rain!!! Which brings me to the real meat of my post: I am sad. I might be getting a new listing and I am ambivalent about it. Why? I am currently working on three listings in East Oakland-all three are a grand total of less than $800,000. I ran into a former colleague over the weekend. She told me that someone walked in to her new office and was plunking down $3 million for a condo. With transactions in the $200's and $300's, I couldn't even conceive how many it would take to achieve that lofty level. I recall a decade ago in Oregon when some agents woul... 10/07/2008

I wanted to share with you the mortgage calculator tool that can be found on my Prudential Website (The Webtop).  It's available to you and all who access it 24/7.    www.prurealty.com/michael.greenslade/mortgageInfo.aspx Here is a break down of what a 6% fixed 30 year mortgage will cost you.  For the samples below, I just did the price buckets at each 100,000.00 increment up to the jumbo conforming limit. $ 100,000.00 at 6% over 30 years = $ 599.50 / mo $ 200,000.00 at 6% over 30 years = $ 1199.10 / mo $ 300,000.00 at 6% over 30 years = $ 1798.65 / mo $ 400,000.00 at 6% over 30 years = $ 2398.20 / mo $ 500,000.00 at 6% over 30 years = $ 2997.75 / mo $ 600,000.00 at 6% over 30 years = $ 3597.30 / mo $ 700,000.00 at 6% over 30 years = $ 4196.85 / mo $ 729,750.00 at 6% over 30 years = $ 4... 10/07/2008

 Here are the Prudential California Reatly Open Houses for October 5th, 2008.  Representing the combined offices of Piedmont (ave), Montclair and Grand Lake   See also: http://activerain.com/blogsview/720232/Open-House-Guide-for for additional open houses this weekend! 10/04/2008

Is this a bit like where in the world is Carmen San Diego?  Going Green in Oakland!!! Margarido House, Oakland Hills, California Cindy and I attended the opening of a LEEDS rated sustainable home hosted by California Homes and Design magazine.  They built the home in an area ravaged by the 1991 Oakland Hills fire and it stands among old and new construction on the street. It is modern in look and any minute about to receive its LEEDS rating.  Leeds requires 102 points for Platinum Rating, it is expected to have 118 points.  The home is also GreenPoint Rated.  But fascinating and beautiful with amazing views of the San Francisco Bay from most windows, it is breathtaking.  When you add to that the green features, it is just overwhelming to see the task undertaken by the owner/developers M... 09/22/2008

Located in beautiful Alameda County lies the culturally diverse city of Oakland, California. Just east of San Francisco via the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the city lies in the “East Bay” area. While you could commute into the city of San Francisco for dining or shopping, residents Oakland have enough activities right in their own proverbial backyards to make the journey unnecessary. The weather here is not the foggy, misty gray that most imagine when thinking of the Bay Area. Rather, the weather tends to be temperate, with hills buffering Alameda County's cities to create a variety of microclimates. Temperatures in Oakland tend to hover around the 60-degree range throughout the year. In the fall, dry winds called Diablos (Spanish for "devils") sometimes blow through the hills, cr... 09/19/2008

My clients who are sisters, are buying their first home together. They're both young, in their twenties. Because of their family background where both parents believed in owning real estate, they have an innate desire to own their own home. They are preapproved, have saved up for their downpayment, and are eager and serious buyers. I've never seen buyers who exercise as much due diligence as they do in their selection of property, and then in their buyer investigation. Property 1 was an REO. It was a house with extensive remodeling projects in process, but not completed. We competed against another buyer, and won. During the investigation period, the sisters researched the permit history, and discovered that not all the work had permits, and the ones that did had expired. Knowing the ch... 09/17/2008

Not all probate listings involve deceased parties. Sometimes the owner is physically or mentally sick and unable to care for himself much less the property. This is called conservatorshipr or sometimes probate conservatorship. If the probate sale is indepedent administrator GREAT...it's a regular sale. If it's with court confirmation...more complicated...more players, more time involved. 10% of the purchase offer is required in a cashier's check. In some cases when there are no offers, the court may make an exception and go with less. "Delivered to you herewith is a certified cashier's check in the sum of $_____________________, being a minimum of ten percent (10%) of the purchase price, balance to be paid within 30 days of court confirmation." No contingencies. Buyer may do inspections... 09/13/2008

I was thinking about what to blog today and I though that I would blog about something that tied in with yesterday's posting. Yesterday I had mentioned that to our East is a vast expanse of open land and parks that strech all the way to San Ramon and Danville. I want to mention today that we have a wonderful atttraction high in the Oakland Hills.  The Chabot Space & Science Center is the third reincarnation of the Oakland Observatory.  The first location was located downtown in 1883.  The second location, built in 1915 was located on Mountian Boulevard in the Leona Heights neighborhood.  They have a fantastic IMAX dome as well as a full dome planetarium. They have viewings through the space telescopes on Friday and Saturday nights.  I am going to have to do that one of these evening.   ... 09/12/2008

Today was our Prudential Grand Lake office meeting.  After going over the new listings, changes and closes we went on our Prudential tour of the Piedmont, Montclair and Grand Lake office new listings *** Another great reason to list with Prudential *** One of the homes on today's tour was over on Osborne Court in the Piedmont Pines area of Oakland.  I noticed that many of the homes in the area ring true to W.R. Yelland as the architect for the tract! I had never been up on Castle Drive before, but as I drove up the hill, there they were a whole grouping of Yellandesque designs.  I just love being a Realtor and exploring areas I haven't been to before. I have been in the proximity of this area before, because on the other end of Holyrood Drive is Ascot Drive and another known documented ... 09/09/2008

Just look at those beautiful obelisks near the front door. I had driven past this house a few years before.  It had caught my attention that it could be a Yelland!Back then I remember saying to myself, it looks like a Yelland but what are those crazy obelisks doing there.  I was unfamiliar with that design detail in his designs at that time. When I started showing the S.E. Taylor Residence designed by Yelland, I started noticing some simularities between that home and the one I had seen years before.  In fact I remember that the S.E. Taylor house had me fooled for years too.  I remember hearing from the Oakland Heritage Alliance (Betty Marvin and Gail Lombardi) that there was a Yelland on Alma Place off of Park.  I had always assumed (and correctly at that) 816 was the Yelland in quest... 08/12/2008

Well, I was thinking about what to blog about again today.  I was drawing a blank.....again.  Then it occurred to me that I am going to be doing some community service volunteering. It's been a while since I've given a tour.  I am a docent - tour guide at the Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate in Oakland, California.  I have been volunteering there since 1987. I used to give tours all the time when I worked a 9-5 Monday through Friday job.  I was able to give to Sunday tours no problem.  Being a Real Estate Agent I find my Sundays are taken up with open houses or showing clients around and hopefully writing contracts... Not only has Real Estate cut into my volunteer time but so has being caregiver for my mother who is being treated for cancer.  I really don't mind, you've got to do what y... 08/08/2008

    1) What's your first name? "Jack London George" 2) Which city do you live in? Oakland, Ca. 3) Neighborhood or district within that city? East Lake District 4) Do you own or rent? Own 5) What occupation are you in?  Real Estate and other things. 6) Favorite restaurant?  Mimosa on Lake Park Avenue (Near the Grand Lake Theater) 7) Do you have a business you'd like to promote? George has an 1870's Bar where Jack London used to frequent.  It's restored back to it's original state.   George rents it out for television, movie, music video and commercial filming.  07/28/2008

About a week ago I got a call from a buyer of a property in Oakland, CA, who told me that he's purchasing a bank-owned property and is in escrow but he found out that the water supply line connecter to the water heater suddenly failed and that there is water "everywhere" and that it happened almost two weeks ago! The buyer's agent is telling him not to worry about it but he asked me to take a look.  I went to the property and took moisture readings and wow, the drywall was saturated as well as under the kitchen cabinets and the place was beginning to smell that familiar smell of mold beginning to grow. The buyer's agent was still telling me it's not really a big deal but I had to let her know that it really is a big deal.  If the area had been professionally dried out right away, there ... 07/22/2008