A Worthy Cause

Police officers and firefighters visited children at a Hoopoe Books Share Literacy event to help them learn the importance of good reading and thinking skills.

The northern California chapter of Share Literacy located in Los Altos, California, mission is to reduce the growing literacy gap between rich privileged and poor at risk children and their families. Share Literacy promotes the development of reading and thinking skills by partnering with established early childhood education agencies serving poverty-level and low-income families, with after-school programs and with organizations providing ESL and adult literacy instruction. For information or to donate to this charity, click here.

Hoopoe Books Share Literacy Program distributed 23,240 books this year to help over 16,500 underserved Bay Area children learn reading and thinking skills, has received a $90,000 grant from the Kaiser Permanente Community Grants Program.

Just in time for the holidays, the grant will help spread cheer to children with the donation of over 10,000 Hoopoe books to charitable organizations and schools serving needy families. The books (some bi-lingual English-Spanish) are earmarked for holiday gift/toy programs. An additional 7,500 books have been requested for give-away programs in early 2009.

The Children’s Book Project/East Bay distributed 3,000 books to organizations including: the Oakland Housing Authority, Oakland Library (Second Start Program); Clinica de la Raza (affiliated with Reach Out and Read) East Oakland; Berkeley Library, Berkeley Reads, All or None of Us (a project of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children), Richmond chapter; and schools in the unified school districts of Oakland, Hayward, San Lorenzo, Alameda, San Pablo and Union City.

Snow and Rainbows in Oakland Today!

Today I felt like a little kid! As I was sitting at my desk in my home office, I heard the loud thud of hail on my patio. I ran outside to take a few snapshots. As I was driving my son home from school, the sun peaked out through the rain, and a brilliant rainbow put a smile on our faces.

Snow on the ground earlier this morning in Montclair, photo courtesy of Tom Kramer

Transfer Tax Change For Alameda, Ca.

Effective December 12th, 2008 the city of Alameda increased their point of sale city transfer tax from $5.40 per $1000 of purchase price to $12.00 per thousand. There are two transfer taxes involved in buying a selling a home; county transfer tax is a generally paid by the seller when a house is sold. The county of Alameda charges $1.10 per $1000 of purchase price, so if a house is $500,000 the transfer tax will be $550. City transfer tax varies city to city, this tax is generally split 50/50 between the buyer and seller. So if you purchase a house in Alameda for $500,000 both the buyer and seller will pay, $3000 each as part of their closing cost.

Charming Alameda

Recently, I was house hunting with a client in Alameda. A quick drive from Oakland across the Park Street bridge and I was in sleepy Alameda; a community I visit often for weekend soccer games. (My children both play soccer.) As Alameda develops and improves, it maintains the small town charm we love. Alameda is loved for its close proximity to the entire East Bay and San Francisco, the beach, the ferry system to San Francisco, the performing school district and tree-lined streets.

After I showed a few homes and parted with my client, I stopped for lunch at Tomatina and stepped into a cozy book store, Book Inc. I would love to live walking distance to Park Street and this revived downtown, "main street". With the newly restored Alameda Movie Theatre on Central to the Peet's Coffee; this is an ideal walking neighborhood.

I love this gorgeous building on Park Street, Alameda Ca.

Test Your Child's Toys For Lead In Oakland!

The Center for Environmental Health is offering free toy testing. There x-ray fluorescence analyzer will give you instant readings on lead and other potential hazards in your children's products. CLICK HERE for more information. Please come to one of the following sessions:

• Mondays through Thursdays, from now until December 23rd, from noon-6pm at the Center for Environmental Health (2201 Broadway, Suite 302, Oakland, 94612. By BART, get off at 19th Street Downtown Oakland station and walk north three short blocks to 22nd St.)
• Thursday, 12/11 from 11:30 am - 5:30 pm at Fruitvale Village / BART Station, E.12th Street and 34th Ave, Oakland 94601
• Friday, 12/12 from 2:00 - 5:00 pm at the Lincoln Square Recreation Center, 250 10th Street (at Harrison), Oakland 94607
• Saturday, 12/13 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at the Berkeley Farmer's Market Holiday Crafts Fair, Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park, Center St. and MLK, Jr. Way, Berkeley 94703
• Tuesday, 12/16 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at the Golden Gate Recreation Center, 1075 - 62nd Street, Oakland 94608
• Tuesday, 12/16 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at the Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 5366 College Ave, Oakland 94618
• Thursday, 12/18 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm at the Montclair Recreation Center, 6300 Moraga Ave, Oakland 94611
• Friday, 12/19 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1658 Excelsior Ave, Oakland, CA 94602
• Saturday 12/20 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm at the Berkeley Flea Market (Ashby BART), corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Ashby Ave, Berkeley 94703
• Sunday, 12/21 from 12:30 - 3:00 pm, at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar at Bonita, Berkeley 94709
• Monday12/22 from 4:30 - 6:30 pm at the deFemery Recreation Center, 1651 Adeline Street, Oakland 94607

Is a 4.5% Mortgage Interest Rate on the Horizon?

I surround myself with highly regarded professionals who support my clients and myself. This allows me to focus on one core thing; helping people obtain their real estate goals. Yesterday my client Jim called me and wanted to know more about the possible mortgage cut to a 4.5% mortgage interest rate. The following a fantastic email from Vince Wirthman of 1st Western Mortgage in Berkeley you can contact him at 510-527-2840.

If you have questions regarding home values or Oakland-Berkeley real estate, click the email button on the side of this blog, (deidrejoyner@gmail.com) or call me at 510.693.4253

Alright, everybody take a breath and let’s talk about what REALLY is going on.

Business television and newspapers are abuzz this morning with talk of "four and a half percent mortgage rates". The talk stems from a leaked story that the U.S. Treasury MAY intervene in the mortgage market, IN AN ATTEMPT to lower rates by AS MUCH AS a full percentage point below their current levels. Wow. That’s pretty specific.

As cited by the more responsible journalists however, the story is 100% speculation. Naturally, that doesn't stop the press from covering it. And, of course, it creates a wild frenzy of excitement in the real estate and mortgage industry and for homeowners. My message to Realtors and homebuyers in escrow or house-hunting and to homeowners who are refinancing is simple, and I state this with the full knowledge that at first glance some will think this self-serving – do not make the mistake of thinking that this hub-bub about 4.50% rates is a done deal. Do not stop your transactions or house-hunting based on something that may just as easily not happen. Talk this over in detail with your Realtor and mortgage professional and determine, for YOUR specific situation, what is the best course of action. As is the case with all things speculative, it's important to remember to look at the facts and not be swept up by the media-sponsored frenzy. So what are the facts? Here’s what we know:

1. The Fed and the Treasury do not set mortgage rates – Mortgage-Backed Securities traders do, based on simple supply and demand. Look at the chart below. This is today’s chart of the price of mortgage-backed securities. Notice that nothing significant has happened today (last green bar to the right). Right now, the price of mortgage-backed securities is up only 12 basis points. Price going up means rates improving. 12 basis points is nothing, and won’t even get a lender’s attention. Note also that on Tuesday, Nov. 25th (tall green bar 6 bars to the left of today), when the Fed announced their plan to purchase $500 Bn of mortgage-backed securities, prices immediately shot up 156 basis points. That move gave us an immediate improvement in mortgage interest rates of .50%. and that was before the Fed spent even $1 on any mortgage-backed securities. That is because the market is forward-looking and prices-in known factors immediately. Today’s speculative rumor has given us nothing, so obviously traders and mortgage bond investors do not believe it. Mortgage rates have actually worsened in the last 3 days.

2. Treasury or Fed intervention doesn't guarantee low rates indefinitely. The fact that mortgage rates are up by a quarter-percent since last week proves it.

3. Zero details about the plan have been confirmed. Everything you've heard about 4.5 percent rates is a guess at this point.

In order to ground my conclusions for this email, I sought out everything I could find about this story and have included some excerpts below for your review. Note that the language in these reports is purposely vague and quite weak. Maybe this rumor ends up being partially true, maybe it doesn’t. There are many reasons why it could happen, and there are many reasons why it wouldn’t. If something does happen, rates COULD go lower SOMETIME in the future. If nothing happens, rates could be higher by the time we know nothing is happening. We will just have to see how things develop from here.

“The Treasury’s consideration of additional efforts to breathe life into the housing market was first reported on The Wall Street Journal’s Web site. People familiar with the Treasury’s plans said that Treasury officials had met with top executives at Fannie and Freddie last week but that neither had been notified that any steps were taken toward putting such a plan into effect. By one account, the new program would be available only to home buyers, not to people who simply want to refinance their existing loan at a lower rate.” via NYTimes.com

Mortgage News Daily - The Journal reported that the government would encourage banks to issue new mortgage loans at lower rates by offering to purchase securities backed by the loans at a price equivalent to the 4.5 percent rate, funding the program by issuing Treasury debt at 3 percent. The Treasury Department plan is only in the talking stage and may not be ready until after President Bush leaves office on January 20 at which point it would be necessary for President-elect Obama to sign off on it.

CNN Money - Lobbyists are pushing the Treasury Department to consider a plan to purchase mortgage-backed securities in the hopes of driving mortgage rates to as low as 4.5%, an industry source said. Spokeswomen from Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae (FNM, Fortune 500) and Freddie Mac (FRE, Fortune 500), declined to comment.

"It is clearly designed to bring buyers into the marketplace and soak the inventory of unsold homes," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com. But others questioned whether rates would remain low and, even if they did, only a narrow slice of credit-worthy borrowers would benefit. Rates are already inching up, hitting 5.75% on Wednesday, said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH Associates. Several government attempts to lower mortgage rates this year have failed to have a lasting effect.

Finally, super-low rates could keep private investors out of the mortgage-backed securities market, forcing the government to remain the primary buyer of such investments, Gumbinger said. "I can't imagine there will be a significantly active marketplace of people who want to buy at these low rates," he said. (That would not be an acceptable long-term situation, and the Treasury knows that.)

Thomas Vanderwell had this to say on his blog “Straight Talk About Mortgages:

“So far, the market has shown that they would rather earn less (frankly close to zero) and invest in US Treasuries than they would invest in mortgage backed securities. Given the history of Fannie and Freddie recently (how many billions did they lose in the 3rd quarter?) I’m not sure anyone can blame them. Can you?

So if investors are avoiding Mortgage backed securities like the plague, and there are trillion of dollars of them out there, will the interaction by the Fed make a difference? And if no difference is made, how will we get 4.5% mortgage rates? And if we do not get these 4.5% mortgage rates that homeowners will now expect, how in the world are we going to sell homes to people waiting for cheap mortgages?

Shop Oakland and Give The Gift of Art

This weekend will be buzzing with fresh new art!

Creative Growth's Annual Holiday Sale opens Friday, it's also First Friday / Art Murmur in Oakland. Creative Growth Art Center serves adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities, providing a stimulating environment for artistic instruction, gallery promotion and personal expression, Click Here for more information.

This Friday evening from 5-9 ISSUES on Glen Avenue off Piedmont Avenue will host a special opening for artist, Olivia Allums. This show will feature 30 small paintings that feature signs from Oakland businesses. Click Here for more information.

My friend and client, Leah Rivers will sell her handmade jewelery including white pearl double-wrap dewdrop necklaces; contemporary new all-silver pendants on chains; unusual antique glass bead bracelets; earrings with deep red garnets, cheery green peridot, tourmaline, and turquoise; and many other fantastic jewelry creations.

When: Sat & Sun, December 6th & 7th10 am - 5 pm

Where: Whitney Smith Pottery Studio

539 Athol Ave. Oakland, CA

If you are going to shop, shop Oakland!

Open House Cheer at St. George Spirits - Alameda, Ca.

On the somewhat deserted Alameda Naval Base is St. George Spirits. Jorg Rupf started St. George Spirits 25+ years ago, with a vision of producing small batches of Eau de vie, (a clear colored fruit brandy). Using the highest quality fruit and ingredients St. George Spirits grew to America's premier craft distiller producing, Eau de vie, grappa, whiskey, liqueur, a reserve collection, and their insanely popular Hangar One Vodka.

The other week I attended Hangar One-St.George Spirits Open House. The old airplane hangar, now impeccably clean distillery was packed with ice sculptures, spirit tastings, music, catered food, and stations from local vendors such as Recchiuti Chocolates.

Upstairs in the private tasting room, a small group of people were able to hear Jorg speak about his methods while tasting his product, including his newest product line, Agua Azul. Agua Azul is made from 100% blue agave - (the tequila weed of the Agave tequilana species, is an agave plant that is an important economic product of Jalisco state in Mexico.)

Me, (Deidre) with Jorg

Recchiuti Chocolates had a table filled with amazing chocolates.

Jorg teaching his secrets to a small group of St. George patrons.

This Mid-Century Home in Oakland, CA Has Life!

I have had the great opportunity to work with many clients over the years and match them with houses that fit their personalities. Recently, my client Jorg came to me with a few items on his property wish list:

1. A home walking distance to shops
2. A property with a spectacular view
3. An older home with character
4. An Oakland home

Shortly into our home search we found the perfect house in the Upper Rockridge District of Oakland. Mr. and Mrs. Dondero purchased this piece of land in the early 1940's, but because of World War II they were unable to break ground for sometime. After 20 oak trees were removed from the lot, the Dondero's discovered that the house had a panoramic view. After discovering the breath taking San Francisco, Berkeley and downtown Oakland views, the house was designed to bring the view into almost every room. Being a prominent stone builder in San Francisco, Mr. Dondero integrated a variety of stone from various prestigious San Francisco buildings into his home. The walls are Venetian plaster, (Venetian plaster is a mixture of gypsum, sand and lime or mix of aged slaked lime, ground marble dust, and pigment. This mixture is usually tinted or colored before it is applied with a spatula or trowel.) Because the color is in the mixture, one can simply sand the walls when they are dirty or scuffed instead of painting them. After 59 years the walls are in fantastic condition.

This Oakland home has a distinct mid-century modern flare, on a level lot with courtyard and terraced backyard, immense rooms, floor to ceiling windows, stacked flagstone fireplace and more.

Well designed and constructed, most of the features and finishes are original and in pristine condition. Over the years there were a few enhancements, the stove that needed replacement was replaced with a Jenn-Air range complete with an oversized stainless steel hood, and the old absestos roof that saved this home from destruction during the Oakland Hills fire of 1991 was replaced with a composite tile roof, then topped with solar panels. At the close of escrow Jorg and I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Dondero as he gave us the guided tour of his masterpiece. Mr. Dondero remembered every nuance, every step and it was with pride and honor that he handed Jorg the keys.

Espaller is a horticultural technique of training trees, by pruning and grafting them to grow into this flat angular design. Popular in Europe fruit trees can grow in courtyards or against fences, yield fruit without taking up much space. I think this old world technique is stunning. Mr. Dondero says this lemon tree has been here for years.

The wooden cut-out panels that cover the windows that flank the front door have hinges and locks and open easily to clean the windows. The wooden angles remind me of a Greek key pattern.

Mr. Dondero is telling Jorg all of his secrets to maintaining the backyard and drains

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Suspend Foreclosures for Homeowners

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have directed their network of providers to suspend foreclosures and evictions proceedings from November 26th, 2008 thru January 9, 2009. The Streamlined Modification Program is scheduled for December 15th allowing delinquent borrowers who qualify to re-negotiate the terms of their loans to lower payments to no more than 38% of borrowers gross income.

Eligibility is determined by several factors: Homeowners must be 90 days or more late in their mortgage payments, owe at least 90% of their home's current value, live in the home on which the mortgage was taken and have not filed for bankruptcy.

For more information, click here.

Historic Oakland Craftsman Home in the Grand Lake District of Oakland

The other week, I visited 990 Vermont Street in the Grand Lake District of Oakland.  As I walked up the front steps and was greeted by the over sized front porch, I felt an immediate sense of comfort.  The inviting diamond latticed window panes, the rustic hardwood floors and  substantial rooms make this property feel like the perfect place to live, relax and entertain.  I learned that Ms. Dorothy Buckley owned this property for nearly 60 years, and it is evident that this house was well preserved. 990 Vermont is perfect for someone looking for original craftsman woodwork and a great walking neighborhood. (This property needs foundation help.  Many people fear foundation replacement, but you can live in a house while replacing the foundation. Contact me with your foundation questions. I purchased a home that needed major foundation work, and I have helped many homebuyers purchase homes with foundation problems. I have great resources and a list of reputable foundation professionals for the Oakland-Berkeley area and I am happy to share.) This home is currently listed with Valva Realty and I would be happy to schedule a showing.

Bay Area Weekend!

This Saturday I plan to attend the Bi-Rite Creamery Chocolate Bar Launch Party at Charles Chocolates in Emeryville.

Cost: FREE

Time:

1-5 pm- Location: Charles Chocolates Chocolate Bar 6529 Hollis St. Emeryville, CA 94608Contact: 510-652-4412 ext. 311 or events@charleschocolates.comTickets: Please RSVP to guarantee admission at

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/47291

This Sunday enjoy Cornucopia: A Black Pine Circle Arts and Crafts Festival

in West Berkeley

West Berkeley’s only Arts & Crafts Festival, unites residents, artists, and independent businesses in a celebration of qualities and values that make West Berkeley thrive. corn•u•co•pia brings together a multitude of entertainment, art activities, art and food vendors, and neighbors that represent the diversity and abundance of talent and ingenuity of this neighborhood. There is unity in diversity and nothing demonstrates this more than corn•u•co•pia.

Time:

10:00 am to 4:00 pm - 2016 7th Street and on the 7th Street block between Addison St. and University Ave.

For more information

click here

.

Creative Oakland Parents Make a Difference for Oakland Public Schools

(click on the picture to enlarge.)

Over the weekend, Redwood Heights Elementary School had their annual Harvest for Learning School Auction. This highly successful event is entirely organized and hosted by Redwood Heights Elementary School parents and it raised over $50,000 for the school. This event takes months of careful planning and I am happy to be a part of the auction committee.

This past October, Crocker Highland's Elementary School PTA hosted the Shades of Green Home Tour, showcasing the beautiful 1920's homes in Crocker Highland with a Green Garden Expo. (Click Here for more information on Shades of Green.) All of the proceeds went to Crocker Highland's Elementary School. This Wednesday Messy Monkey Arts presents, (with the help of Peralta parents) an art show at Swarm Gallery to benefit Peralta Elementary School. Click Here for more information.

Despite all of the negative media coverage, Oakland Public School District has great schools with great families.

Sold with Skill, Oakland, Ca.

This year I had the pleasure of helping Patri prepare and sell her beloved home in the Redwood Heights community of Oakland.

The three pictures below show the progression of the before and after.

Below is the note that Patri sent me after we successfully sold her home.

Dear Deidre, 

I wanted to take a minute out of my busy schedule to thank you for all of your help in selling my home.  I really appreciated all of your creativity.  You had great ideas in the preparation and marketing of my home.  You understood how much the house meant to my son and I, and took great care to showcase the special qualities that meant so much to us.  You were sensitive to my needs and had my interest at heart.  Selling a home can be scary, especially in our current market, and it was great to have you oversee the entire process, and be available for all my questions.  From the start you were right there, with honest answers, and great support. It was good to count on your unpressured help.

I would absolutely use you again!  I would be happy to serve as a reference to anyone who is considering using your services.

Thanks again, 

Patri

Picture of the Day - Oakland, California

Pictured above is a can of Campbell's Alphabet Soup, also known as Theo.  Theo is the very happy and adorable cousin of two Redwood Heights students, Eli and Josh.  Theo is dancing to the music of the school band during the Redwood Heights Halloween Parade.

Sad To See Businesses Go

I took this photo as the vertical sign from this vintage establishment was being removed.

This was the home of Walter Bennett Camera on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland. It is sad to see that after over 55 years in business this boutique camera store closed its doors. Understandably people were opting to purchase their cameras online or at larger electronic stores to save a few bucks. I admit, the last camera that I purchased was at a big electronic store in Emeryville as I wanted to purchase a camera at a cheaper price and with an extended warranty. The fact is we take these small businesses for granted; we walk pass them while they are in business and then we realize how much we miss them when they are gone.

Two years ago my family needed passport pictures and we got immediate service at Walter Bennett Camera. 

This holiday purchase unique gifts from smaller, independent stores.

Email me if you would like to receive my holiday newsletter with great discounts on Oakland and Berkeley businesses.

What Do You Think?

This colorful home on the Oakland-Piedmont border has just been renovated.  You can't deny the beautiful lines and design of this house.  I love the columns, the landscaping, and it's intricate details. There is no doubt that this home is an attention grabber, but tell me what you think about the color?  

Mid-Century Doors Made in USA!

If you are restoring a mid-century home don't forget the front door. Crestview Doors designs and manufactures mid-century doors inspired by 1950's and 1960's design. Check out Crestview Doors online, click here. The doors above are from Crestview Doors website.

Should you buy a house in Oakland or Berkeley now?

I am talking to people everyday who are on the fence about buying a home now. Is now the right time to buy a house, or should you wait to see what the Oakland and Berkeley real estate market will do. When looking at the graphs above provided by BrokerMetrics. Home prices in Berkeley are down only 3.8% since September 2006. In Oakland the median home price is down a 47.3% since September 2006. These numbers are good to view, but to really understand this real estate market, you need to know exactly what is happening in your zip code and neighborhood. Oakland has seen such a drastic drop in the median price of a house as this statistic includes sales all over the city. When you combine the sales in East Oakland, West Oakland and North Oakland, areas that have experienced a major decline in value, the entire value of the city is affected. Factors that determine value are: crime, the foreclosure rate in the neighborhood and the performance of the area school. Areas such as Rockridge, Montclair and Crocker Highlands in Oakland have seen drop in price, but overall they are still highly desirable resulting in less of a decline in value.

The question you must ask yourself before buying are: will I remain in my home for at least 7 to 10 years before selling? Am I okay with no increase in appreciation for a few years? What will I save in regards to the tax benefits of homeownership? (Contact your tax advisor to determine how the deductions of interest and property taxes will affect your bottom line.) If prices go up in a year or two, will I regret that I didn't purchase a home in a declined market, and lastly can I afford the mortgage payments with property taxes and insurance? (A good mortgage broker will provide you with spreadsheets of your monthly payments so you can plug those numbers into your monthly budget.)

I believe in full disclosure of the pros and cons of the big investment of buying a house. You should know there is a tax credit of up to $7500 for first time homebuyers. This incentive will expire June 2009. For more information, click here.

My blog is interactive! Do you have questions? Email me and I will respond. Send me an email at DeidreJoyner@gmail.com or click on the email me button on the side of this page.