What is my real age?

 I am not sure whether I appreciate people getting up and offering me a seat on the Metro 

( once and forever known as the subway by me and my peers) in NYC and BART here, or feel "outed" as a senior.
Being older in a world of younger friends, clients and colleagues is challenging when you do not look ( my assessment) or feel your age. I think that the date on my birth certificate was a mistake, but knows it could be true.

I am an iPhone Addict !

I saw this on Face Book and after lol I realized that I am part of the problem.

http://themetapicture.com/people-kept-complaining-this-restaurant-sucked-look-what-they-found-out/

Last month I began my 35th year as a Realtor.

This month I am delightfully busy, entering a new decade with my birthday, and enjoying my seniority both in Real Estate and in life. Last month I began my 35th year as a Realtor.

It seems like just yesterday that I first became a Realtor.  It was May of 1979. My husband, Dennis, had a Broker's license and I had my agent's license. We had taken the tests on a lark. We didn't have a plan. I was teaching and Dennis was a contractor and we were raising our two young sons. Neighbors told us that they were moving and that they would pay us 3% of the price that they wanted for their home if we brought them an offer. We called the children's piano teacher and told her that there was house for sale across the street from us. She laughed and said that all of her student's parents wanted her to move close to them so that they would not have to drive. But as luck would have it, she and her husband liked the house and bought it right away. We earned almost as much in one sale as I was making for a whole year of teaching. What a way to live, we thought. So we picked a name, "The Hendrickson Company", got ourselves finger-printed and filled out a lot of forms. And just like that we were in business as a mom and pop Real Estate company working out of our Shattuck Avenue home. Other friends, fellow nursery school parents, wanted to sell their home so we listed it and began advertising it and ourselves, meeting enough clients to sell 7 homes before the end of 1979.

And the business grew from there. We bought our house on Arch Street in the spring of 1980 when rates were 12, if not 18%. We patched together a deal where seller carried our mortgage until we could sell our house on  Shattuck Avenue. We made the offer on Monday, she accepted it on Wednesday, we signed our docs on Thursday and closed on Friday.

The fastest sale I ever made was my own. 

After more than 20 years, I left The Hendrickson Company and at urging of some friends joined Red Oak Realty.

I have three new listings that I plan to showcase at the beginning of August: 1316 Shattuck Avenue a 2/1 with a huge back yard in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto. It’s a duplex with a studio apartment attached to the back that could easily be combined into a 3/2,  6211 Telegraph Avenue, a nearly 1300 square foot 3/ 2  condo with an open floor plan in lower Rockridge, and 937 Stannage Avenue in Albany, a cozy cottage with a sunny private yard and two extra work spaces. 

And look for an extraordinary mid-century modern with killer views coming in September . It is in Kensington a short walk from my house.

I just closed 233 Orange Street a mid-century modern penthouse in Adams Point for more than 25 % over asking with 15 offers. And representing buyers, I sold a condo at 200 Second Street in Jack London Square. And I am about to close 1907 Curtis Street in Berkeley. Later this month 1201 Pine Street will close as well. It is a loft style condo in The Pacific Cannery Lofts, a David Baker building in West Oakland.

I am delighted as always to be working with smart, kind and fun to be with sellers and buyers. I am never too busy for more business.    I have an exceptional assistant, an great agent in her own right, Kim Markison who makes it possible for me to be available to more of you.

Thank you for supporting me as I do what I  love to do, working with the best people and most interesting properties both residential and commercial. While most of my business comes from you and the sellers and buyers you refer me to, I have had great success as well with YELP which is a continuing source of new people who I probably would never have met.

 

 

Red Oak Realty Nominated for Innovator Award

I have been a Realtor at Red Oak Realty since the end of 2000 after many years with
"The Hendrickson Company",  a Berkeley based " Mom and Pop" company that Dennis and I started and ran.

The changes and innovations at ROR since 2000 are awesome especially in the last few years under the leadership of owners Vanessa Jones Bergmark and Kevin Hamilton whose vision make them winners every day of the week whether recognized locally ( we are seriously local), nationally or just by those they lead and support and always by ME.
 
It is a privilege to be part of the Red Oak Realty Community which is as much like a family as one will allow it to be.

http://www.inman.com/2013/07/03/introducing-2013-innovator-awards-finalists/

So You Want to Buy A Fixer ? ! ? ! ? !

How to Assess the Real Cost of a Fixer-Upper

When you buy a fixer-upper house, you can save a ton of money, or get yourself in a financial fix.

Make sure you have the time, skills, and desire to embark on home improvement projects before buying a fixer-upper house. Image: Somos/Veer/Getty Images

Trying to decide whether to buy a fixer-upper house? Follow these seven steps, and you’ll know how much you can afford, how much to offer, and whether a fixer-upper house is right for you.

1. Decide what you can do yourself

TV remodeling shows make home improvement work look like a snap. In the real world, attempting a difficult remodeling job that you don’t know how to do will take longer than you think and can lead to less-than-professional results that won’t increase the value of your fixer-upper house.

• Do you really have the skills to do it? Some tasks, like stripping wallpaper and painting, are relatively easy. Others, like electrical work, can be dangerous when done by amateurs.

• Do you really have the time and desire to do it? Can you take time off work to renovate your fixer-upper house? If not, will you be stressed out by living in a work zone for months while you complete projects on the weekends?

2. Price the cost of repairs and remodeling before you make an offer

• Get your contractor into the house to do a walk-through, so he can give you a written cost estimate on the tasks he’s going to do.

• If you’re doing the work yourself, price the supplies.

• Either way, tack on 10% to 20% to cover unforeseen problems that often arise with a fixer-upper house.

3. Check permit costs

• Ask local officials if the work you’re going to do requires a permit and how much that permit costs. Doing work without a permit may save money, but it’ll cause problems when you resell your home.

• Decide if you want to get the permits yourself or have the contractor arrange for them. Getting permits can be time-consuming and frustrating. Inspectors may force you to do additional work, or change the way you want to do a project, before they give you the permit.

• Factor the time and aggravation of permits into your plans.

4. Doublecheck pricing on structural work

If your fixer-upper home needs major structural work, hire a structural engineer for $500 to $700 to inspect the home before you put in an offer so you can be confident you’ve uncovered and conservatively budgeted for the full extent of the problems.

Get written estimates for repairs before you commit to buying a home with structural issues.

Don’t purchase a home that needs major structural work unless:

• You’re getting it at a steep discount

• You’re sure you’ve uncovered the extent of the problem

• You know the problem can be fixed

• You have a binding written estimate for the repairs

5. Check the cost of financing

Be sure you have enough money for a down payment, closing costs, and repairs without draining your savings.

If you’re planning to fund the repairs with a home equity or home improvement loan:

• Get yourself pre-approved for both loans before you make an offer.

• Make the deal contingent on getting both the purchase money loan and the renovation money loan, so you’re not forced to close the sale when you have no loan to fix the house.

• Consider the Federal Housing Administration’s Section 203(k) program, which is designed to help home owners who are purchasing or refinancing a home that needs rehabilitation. The program wraps the purchase/refinance and rehabilitation costs into a single mortgage. To qualify for the loan, the total value of the property must fall within the FHA mortgage limit for your area, as with other FHA loans. A streamlined 203(k) program provides an additional amount for rehabilitation, up to $35,000, on top of an existing mortgage. It’s a simpler process than obtaining the standard 203(k).

6. Calculate your fair purchase offer

Take the fair market value of the property (what it would be worth if it were in good condition and remodeled to current tastes) and subtract the upgrade and repair costs.
For example: Your target fixer-upper house has a 1960s kitchen, metallic wallpaper, shag carpet, and high levels of radon in the basement.

Your comparison house, in the same subdivision, sold last month for $200,000. That house had a newer kitchen, no wallpaper, was recently recarpeted, and has a radon mitigation system in its basement.
The cost to remodel the kitchen, remove the wallpaper, carpet the house, and put in a radon mitigation system is $40,000. Your bid for the house should be $160,000.
Ask your real estate agent if it’s a good idea to share your cost estimates with the sellers, to prove your offer is fair.

7. Include inspection contingencies in your offer

Don’t rely on your friends or your contractor to eyeball your fixer-upper house. Hire pros to do common inspections like:

• Home inspection. This is key in a fixer-upper assessment. The home inspector will uncover hidden issues in need of replacement or repair. You may know you want to replace those 1970s kitchen cabinets, but the home inspector has a meter that will detect the water leak behind them.

• Radon, mold, lead-based paint

• Septic and well

• Pest

Most home inspection contingencies let you go back to the sellers and ask them to do the repairs, or give you cash at closing to pay for the repairs. The seller can also opt to simply back out of the deal, as can you, if the inspection turns up something you don’t want to deal with.

If that happens, this isn’t the right fixer-upper house for you. Go back to the top of this list and start again.

G.M. Filisko is an attorney and award-winning writer whose parents bought and renovated a fixer-upper when she was a teen. A regular contributor to many national publications including Bankrate.com, REALTOR® Magazine, and the American Bar Association Journal, she specializes in real estate, business, personal finance, and legal topics.

The housing market is finding its footing: Affordability is up, home inventory is shrinking to normal levels in many areas, and foreclosures are down. But there are many legislative and policy issues affecting home owners. Keep on top of them here.

  

     

 

I am busy getting everything set up to introduce my new listing in bustling Adams Point which is having a resurgence of activity and rising prices.
This listing, a fantastic 1172 SF, 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath PENTHOUSE with 450 SF ( per Sellers' measurements) , has no shared walls, 2 car gated garage parking and a private elevator key,  is truly a one of kind opportunity.
233 Orange Street Unit 401
Listed for $419,000 Open Sunday June 2 and June 9th -2-4:30.
Check my website and the flyer for a list of amenities and local treasures.http://www.justsellmyhouse.com/233-orange-oakland-penthouse.html

Look Behind My Ears

I can hear again and I know why ! I finally bought myself a pair of hearing aids at the Center For Better Hearing Aids. I had been tested at my beloved Kaiser many times and told that if I wanted to I should buy some hearing aids which might help my mid-level loss in both ears. After a flirtation wit a pair I bought there I returned them because "they didn't make much difference".

As a Realtor at Red Oak Realty in Berkeley, it is essential that I hear what my clients are saying all the time, that I do not miss the nuance of their comments. Until now and for a very long time that has been a more of a problem than I was willing to admit.

This winter I allowed myself to see Greg at The Center for Better Hearing in El Cerrito Plaza ( plenty of parking) where over three +/- months working him I came to understand that I do have a serious hearing loss which has been corrected.

Greg's style was to work patiently and meticulously with me on a regular basis, sometimes once a week, until the hearing aids were working effectively, feeling comfortable and staying put in my ears the way they must or else " why bother".
I wore the testers with Greg's adjusting them until they were perfect; at least perfect for me, and I trusted that the whole idea that wearing hearing aids was a significant addition to my life.

When we achieved that status he ordered me a pair of " ruby red"  hearing aids which turned out to be less Wizard of Oz sparkly shoe color and more muted red. We were initially disappointed but decided that it was a better color to blend in with my hair.  BTW, you cannot tell that I am wearing them unless I whip them off to proudly show them to you.

I was and am delighted with the attitude and intention of everyone at the Center and the care and kindness that I received. If you need hearing aids or even think that you do,  take the plunge as i did and make an appointment to explore the possibilities. The visits are free, including the testing, until you decide to buy the hearing aids. I am sure that you can pay a bit less at other venues but I know that you will not get better care insuring that you have bought just the right hearing aids for your loss and life style and achieved a clear understanding of what is causing your loss, than at The Center for Better Hearing Aids, nor could you work with nicer and more competent people.
BRAVO TO GREG AND HIS STAFF, AND TO ME WHO FINALLY BIT THE BULLITT AND CAN HEAR WHAT YOU ARE SAYING !

The Center for Better Hearing Aids is located in El Cerrito Plaza between See's Chocolates and the ones I now prefer at Trader Joe's.
    

 

Aw, we're all out of suggestions. But you can always search for more.

Write a Review