Friday, April 30, 2010

Near Washington Hospital On Mowry Ave


There is an awful lot of new construction going on in Fremont near Washington Hospital on Mowry Ave. The hospital itself is under somewhat of a facelift just north of the main building. Furthermore, BART has undergone a massive project not near Washington Hospital on Mowry Ave but off of Stevenson, just across from the Fremont Police Station. Apparently BART is digging the tunnel for the new line. In addition, there is one building in particular that I pass by every day on my way to my office here http://tricityhome.com/fremont-office-visit.html. You may know it. It is on the corner of Stivers and Mowry, a brand new medical building.

I'm sure there must be some harried individual or two, being that workers are getting pressure to meet deadlines. The image above was taken one morning right on the corner of Stivers and Mowry-near Washington Hospital on Mowry Ave. Blinded by the rear of the lift device, a worker unknowingly moved the boom over and bent the stop sign a bit. Being that it was right there near Washington Hospital on Mowry Ave, it must have received a bit of attention. Perhaps he crane/boom/lift operator is now pushing a broom inside the building instead of operating the lift device.

I have not been by again yet at the time of writing this blog, but I am wondering if they discovered it after the fact then used the lift to try to straighten it back again. Regardless, it may never look the same. By Jeff Pereyda

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Re Facing Closet Doors Fremont-Parkmont


I purchased a home in Parkmont of Fremont (I wish I knew about http://www.tricityhome.com CA back in 99. It was built in 1978, so if you are like me and purchased a home built back then or even one built in the eighties, you may have those closet doors with the off white panels. These are the ones that look like fake wood grained contact paper over a wood panel framed in gold metal trim. My wife and I gave our bedroom a face lift recently that included re facing closet doors.

We got a whole new look re facing closet doors that we are very pleased with. Basically, we wallpapered the panels. But, in re facing the closet doors, there was more to it than that. First, we had to remove the panels from the guides by lifting up and pulling the bottom out of the tracks. Second, using a electric drill in reverse, I removed all the screws holding the panels in place being careful to place all the screws in one bin. In our case it was an old hat. Then using a hammer and a piece of soft wood, I tapped all the gold metal frames off of the panel. Since the closest doors take up practically the whole length of the wall, they are quite long and somewhat difficult to move around in the bedroom. The ceiling fan got whacked once or twice before I developed a technique that required both a certain movement together with an awareness of space--almost a zen thing. While removing the frames, it may be important to number the parts as you remove them to ensure proper replacement to the right panelswhen re facing the closet doors. I did mine by writing a-1 on the top frame as well as the panel, and then I wrote a-2 on the first side frame, a-3 on the bottom and a-4 for the last or left side. The next door would be the "b" series and so on. When you get to the rollers, be sure to observe how the went in. Some have different mechanisms and require an adjustment or two.

Once all removed and dismantled and organized in re facing the closet doors, it was time to get the supplies in re facing the closet doors. Here is what we used:

3 rolls of desired wall covering (we used a faux grass burlap texture with greens and browns in it. Our closet doors measured about 133 sq ft--get some extra) See image above.

1 box of wallpaper paste (even if you have self-pasting wall covering) I used Golden Harvet because it was inexpensive. Image below.

3 cans of spray paint that either matches, contrasts or complements your design choice of wall covering (we used a chocolate brown epoxy enamel satin finish)

2 cans of spray metal primer paint (paint will just barely stick to the metal unless you use a good primer--ask the store personnel)

I will have a short TIPS section below after the post.


So now we had to prime and paint the frames outside. This was a bit hard, but it was worth it. If you go to an auto body paint store (there is one on Peralta and Fremont you can buy a self etching primer spray). After priming according to directions and painting the frames, we realized that we needed to wall cover the back of the panels, not the front. The paste would work better against the wood back instead of the contact paper fronts. You could peel the contact paper off, but ours was hard to peel and peeled off in little bits at a time. So, wall covering the back it was. We chose to cover the panels after the frames were reassembled. Due to the tight clearances of the frame slots, adhering wall covering all the way to the edge of the wood panel first would create a thicker dimension along the edge, and fitting the frame slot would be difficult over both the wood and the wall covering. When the frames were brought in, it was time to assemble.

Assembling the frames on the panels was just a matter of following the letters and numbers mentioned earlier. With a tap here and there being careful not to scratch the frames, the frames were assembled. keep in mind, that if you are reversing the panels, that is covering the back, you will need to place a-2 side frame onto a-4 side panel. Remember you have to reverse. Now with panels done, it is time to cover. But first, do not forget to prime and paint the upper closet door slots attached to the ceiling. Just remove, prime and paint then place back on the ceiling with the screws.

Covering the panels, you may find it easier to place the panels on the bed (covered of course) or you can wall cover the panels when they are upright in the slots. It is up to you. I did both. You may want to review wall covering tips on the Internet if you need a refresher course. See TIPS below for a fast list of things to know. Once we had the panels covered, we trimmed the excess and placed them in the upper slots then on the rollers.

In short, we transformed our room into something that Martha Stewart would be very proud of I'm sure. I still can not get over the huge contribution the new closet doors made to our redesigned bedroom.

I hope you find this post helpful, and please feel free to write with questions or testimonies.

TIPS:

Don't forget to "book" your wall coverings--do not rush it.
Prime the wood with the box paste according to instructions before you adhere your wallcovering--this will prevent lift up.
Do not put seems together, even if you "book" the coverings. Your seems may separate and reveal the wood beneath. Instead overlap by about 3/16ths of an inch depending on your width.
Trim wallcovering after it dries not wet.
There are many different wall paper resources on the Internet (even though I may disagree on some points) Good luck.
Golden Harvest Paste worked well for a paste primer. By Jeff Pereyda







Monday, April 19, 2010

Fremont CA Real Estate Market



I got a kick out of the movoto website today when it listed the least expensive and the most expensive homes for sale in Fremont. I felt it was timely because I had a recent experience that identified with this somewhat. I while back I received a follow up call from a client who was in the market for a very expensive home in Fremont of several million in price. In preparation for the new home buyer in Fremont, weeks went by with much planning for the upcoming appointment--phone calls were made, calendars rewritten, plans changed, etc. in order to make room for the high priced Fremont home buyer coming into town. The time finally came when we were scheduled to go out looking for multi million dollar homes in Fremont, and they were a no show. Even worse--no call, no email, no text, zero. Even now, I still do not know what happened. I hope they are okay.

Meanwhile, I had a client following homes for sale in Fremont on my website diligently for some time. On the same day of the multi-million dollar cancellation, this faithful Internet home buyer emailed me and wanted to view one of the lowest priced condos in Fremont on Paseo Padre Parkway. with my day cleared off anyway, I had free time to go see the condo. I showed it to my client, she loved it and wrote an all cash offer. But wait, alas, the lower-end Fremont home buyer pulled a fast one.
Several days later, when we were about to get our reply to the offer, the buyer writes, "Are we too high in price?"
I replied, "actually, no you're perfectly priced."
She writes, "Rescind my offer, there is too much crime there!"
Digging deeper I send a crime report to nip this Internet weed in the bud. I sent the comparative crime reports to the buyer.
She writes back, "Wow! Okay, thank you, let's stay in the game. I'm in."
Next day, she writes, "It's too soon, we need to back out. Rescind my offer."
I had too much at this point.
I replied, "If your situation changes..." meaning--when you find your motivation for buying a home in Fremont, "call me." At the risk of sounding like a rant, I felt--when you find your motivation for buying a home in Fremont, go become some other agent's energy drain.

Ouch, both of those buyers hurt a bit.

Will they call? maybe not at this point. But, a short message to all Fremont home buyers out there. Contrary to a some beliefs, real estate agents work very hard for you. And, it costs a good deal of money just to be an agent, even more to be a broker. Please respect their time and their commissions. A colleague in my office, who is also a financial planner, told me that when someone asked her for a piece of her commission, she replied, "Well, it's not a good idea, see, the lender may think you cannot afford the house." Touche.
By Jeff Pereyda


Monday, April 12, 2010

New Homes For Sale--Union City Near BART



New Homes For Sale--Union City

Ryland Homes brought three decades of experience to the table when they decided to build new-homes-for-sale in Union City near BART. The Ryland Woodbury subdivision, off of Decoto Road and Alvarado Niles Road, was actually built in 1999. New-homes-for-sale in Union City near BART have thinned out recently, so when I did a search for New-Homes-For-Sale-Union-City on the Internet, the closest I found was Hayward and some parts of Fremont.

If new homes for sale in Union City are something you are looking for, then there is at the time of writing this post a Ryland Woodbury home getting ready to go on the market. A ten year old home is still relatively new to most buyers, and this Union City new-home-for-sale near BART is a real winner.

This new-home-for-sale in Union City near BART was hand-picked by the original buyers for several reasons. Although not a huge concern to the current owners, the front door faces North-North-East which can be important to many buyers seeking to buy a new-home-for-sale in Union City near BART today. A feature which carried more weight was having the option to choose the fifth bedroom instead of the loft--which they did. The Greenbrook model with the optional fifth bedroom instead of a loft ads flexibility as well as value to the new-home-for-sale in Union City near BART. Moreover the living room and dining room are combined into one great room and has a high ceiling which adds to the open feeling upon entry. The owners had no choice but to place this home high on their home buying list when they were shopping for a new-home-for-sale in Union City near BART back in 99. Some of the other reasons in choosing this new-home-for-sale in Union City near BART was that the Greenbrook elevation has a separate family room that is adjacent to the eating nook and kitchen area, and many home buyers want to be able to have that kind of "flowing" kitchen which does not cut off conversation with guests as they relax in the family room near by.

This new-home-for-sale in Union City near BART is located in a large cul-de-sac which has plenty of room for guest parking and residents can play on the street in a safer environment here than on a through street. It is very close to the Union City BART station and lots of shopping. It even received an above average walking score which only half of Union City can boast about. So, one might say that this is the "better" half of Union City.

Many home buyers out in the market now are getting frustrated from getting out bid on multiple offers, dealing with REO stress, and the worst of all, waiting for short sales that never come to fruition. I know this first hand because I have buyers who are frustrated of getting out bid on multiple offers, have REO stress, and the worst of all, they are waiting for short sales that never come to fruition. This home, however, is being sold by regular, common-sense sellers, real people who want to sell the house. No stress, but do not wait too long to decide to make this your new home. This new home for sale in Union City near BART has been well-maintained by the original owners who simply want to move closer to their careers. It is ready to sell, but it will not last long.

Take the first step. If you want a new home for sale in Union City near BART, you should give me a call--510 742 3212 or grab your agent and point them to this blog post. By Jeff Pereyda

Friday, April 2, 2010

San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate Has Something No Other Place On Earth Has


Besides boasting the Golden Gate Bridge and a few other San Francisco Bay Area things, (cable car, etc.), I recently read that San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate http://www.tricityhome.com has had something unique to the rest of the world and has for hundreds maybe thousands of years. San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate has nurtured an environment that produces Lactobacillus Sanfranciscensis, a world famous wild bacteria. Lactobacillus Sanfranciscensis is used to create San Francisco sourdough starter. It builds the foundation for dough in many baking recipes--most of all San Francisco sourdough bread. Actually, the bacteria has been shipped to bakeries all over the world for quite some time, so it is not unique entirely, but it is nice to know that it lives its naturally existing microbial life right here in my back yard, literally.

For a wiki read simply go here-- http://www.search.com/reference/Lactobacillus_sanfranciscensis

I also read that "starter" (in this case using a wild yeast) can be used in many other forms of breads. Italian Panettone, German Stollen, Greek Christmas or Easter Bread and of course, Hot Cross Buns, of which this latter bread inspired this post and its image above. Naturally, these a fore mentioned national breads have their unique starters, but I happen to be biased a bit towards our very own San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate sourdough starter. Apparently, it does the same job as regular bread yeast with a twist— Lactobacillus Sanfranciscensis, while eating away at the flour, harbors a safe environment for other bacteria to grow together with it, giving it the one-of-a-kind label it deserves.

Why mention it now? Once in a while I bake--sort of a downtime therapy that has its benefits. Spring has sprung, Easter is here and for my birthday I recently received, Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day, a practical book that takes Reinhart's world-renowned expertise and politely inclines it to our kitchens here at home. Aside from the Baker's Percentage Formulas in the back of the book, it's very straight forward. Intrigued by some of the recipes, I knew I had to try the San Francisco sourdough "seed culture" and work my way to sourdough "starter" pages 38-43 (a bit involved). Carefully following the directions, I mixed the San Francisco sourdough ingredients in front of my open window, just to be sure the bacteria flew in the mix. Slowly but surely, over the time span of about a week and a half, it worked. I thought I would share the interesting fact that San Francisco sourdough yeast lives here in our San Francisco Bay Area. This Easter, my family will get to enjoy genuine Hot Cross Buns from scratch with white fondant glaze.

Some day I may move from the San Francisco sourdough capital of the world, but even if and when I do, I will have to sneak some "culture" with me. The fact that I was born in San Francisco will always be a bit special to me, and taking a small piece of it with me wherever I end up will certainly be necessary, even if the piece of San Francisco is only microscopic at best.
By Jeff Pereyda