Nouveau Riche University

Real Estate Investment College 

Yesterday Owen Hennefer hosted a presentation by Nouveau Riche University at Keller Williams in Danville. Glenn Snow from NRU gave an hour and a half presentation on a very interesting real estate investment strategy.

Noveau Riche Univveristy is the ONLY real estate investment education company to have achieved the American Council on Education credit recommendation status.

The NRU business model doesn’t seem to be about seminars, books and tape sales. It’s heavy on education and then practical investment strategies - no gurus and blue light sales specials. They have a Concierge program that identifies and prepares investment opportunities for the NRU community that is very unique.

The whole concept is too involved for a blog post. Suffice to say that I am going to check into it further and am going to encourage my children, nephews and nieces to do the same. Today, I asked Owen for four more of the info packets and have mentioned the program to three other people just in passing.

I guess, I was impressed! If you’re interested in learning about real estate investing email Owen for a packet – he’s a great guy, easy going, and knows how to treat clients right.

Bay Area Bloggers Please Help Spread the Word 

Tonya, has been missing since last Sunday, February 18. Tonya is sixteen, a junior at Monte Vista and was last seen getting on Bart in Walnut Creek, destination Berkley. Any info call Contra Costa Sheriff's Office (925) 646-2441

Coming to you from Peets at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon -

What the heck is Feng Shui and should I be scared?

In the real estate industry Feng Shui is hot. We have San Ramon houses, offices and landscapes being Feng Shui-ed every which way but loose. Feng Shui is one of those eastern ideas/practices/disciplines that has become popularized in the West and dumbed down like everything else for minds educated on Cliff Notes, grade curves, expediency and “like, you know.”

I’m a fan and believer in Feng Shui. You might not get that from the opening paragraph.

Consider the 3 Principles of Feng Shui:

• Everything is Alive
• Everything is Connected
• Everything Changes

Feng Shui is about energy, relationships and time. Or dynamics, placement and change. Or, Feng Shui is the story of particular people in a particular place (house,office). Or maybe… the art of placement and relationship.

 A friend of mine, Barclay Law, who practices a form of it says, “I work with the aspects of your space within the context of time. This includes form, function, geography, orientation, direction, placement, boundaries, relationship, movement, energy, dynamism, and harmonics. Using the knowledge of Feng Shui, we can bring balance into your space resulting in a deeper sense of grounding and well-being.” 

Her website is Design With Feeling.  Here's a slice of her site.

These are the elements she says she works with.

• Space – geography, orientation, direction, placement, boundaries, relationship…
• Time – movement, energy, dynamism, change, harmonics, cycles…
• Form/Function
• Patterns – perception, intuition, influence
• Chi (life-energy) – life – boundlessness

There is also the Body of the Dragon = harmony, balance, centered, grounded

For her Feng Shui is creatively exploring the study of how to arrange your environment to enhance your life. It is very unique to each person/couple/family and space/place.

I introduced some friends of mine, Greg and Holly Beck (The Balloon Man) to Barclay. They are using her to help them with their house in Walnut Creek. Holly told me that it is fascinating to watch Barclay work – “It’s like each piece is speaking to her.”

Barclay’s philosophy mirrors that of Katherine Graham -

“To love what you do and feel that it matters –

how could anything be more fun?"

How Much Longer Can We Afford to Live in the San Ramon Valley?

Last week, a fellow agent explained the current Concord, CA real estate facts of life to me. According to him, the local Concord market is disintegrating due to the amount of people in upside-down situations. Being upside-down means you can’t sell your house for what you owe on it. You couple this with the number of 100% financed homes with ARM’s coming due, and you have a formula for tough times.

My fellow agent has a home on the market that he feels he will have a tough time selling as more and more upside-down homes are coming on the market and driving prices further down.

Yes, Concord is not San Ramon, but Concord is one of the nearby communities that lower income families look at when trying to find affordable housing. Some families are venturing out to Tracy to find affordable housing. (I am not saying that Concord is a low income town. If you have lived in the area, you have seen the outward bound march of affordable housing.)

I walked through part of an older San Ramon neighborhood a while back and talked to three people who were ready to retire but couldn’t afford to move – unless they wanted to move to Nebraska (new home prices and taxes).

I read on the Contra Costa Times website that the City of San Ramon and Sunset Development Corporation are ready to move forward on the “City Center” project at Bishop Ranch. It’s great that the city will have a new home, but what about all of the people being forced out of the community by the high cost of housing? What do you think the condos in this new development will go for? When affordability starts at +$700K – well, that’s a true oxymoron.

I’ve read recent concerns about all of the condo conversion projects in San Ramon that are reducing affordable rental properties in the area.

I read in the recent issue of Red Herring about the dwindling middle class in the Bay Area. According to the article, we face the very real possibility of a “haves” and “have nots” social structure.

So, I ask, How much longer can we afford to live in the San Ramon Valley?

By Craig Harper

The weather report this week kept forecasting rain showers off and on and I was not optimistic about getting a round of golf in.  Friday rolled around and hallelujah, the clouds parted and the sun began to shine through. 

I quickly checked the forecast which was - more rain Saturday and Sunday.  So, I checked on Golf Now and found a threesome spot available at one of my favorite courses, Dublin Ranch Golf Course.

I quickly called up a couple of buddies (Paul Volker and Terry Jacobsen) and made the reservations online.  I just love Golf Now’s service which allows me to find bargain rates at numerous golf courses around the Bay Area.  You can even specify the criteria you are looking for such as % discount, days of the week and the times you want to play. Simply input your criteria online and they email you everyday a list of courses and times that meet your search criteria. 

This is the same type of house hunting service that The Harper Team with Keller Williams Realty offers our clients.  Rather than spending time searching for a home online, why not let technology do the work and deliver the information that matches your search criteria right to your inbox.  For home buyers and sellers, there are over 150 search criteria that we can enter into the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) to find exactly what they’re looking for and then deliver it to them the minute it hits the market. 

It’s a great time saving service for Realtors®, buyers and sellers, leaving more time for getting out on the golf course with friends and clients.