The neighbors in San Ramon CA are dancing in the streets. At least the ones near the corner of Bowlin Ave & Tareyton Ave. I’ve been driving by this boarded up eyesore for the past two years wondering what the story was.

If my facts are right, the previous owner, who was going to remodel it, died. It’s been a withering eye-sore ever since. The good neighbors have mowed the lawn weeds every now and kept an eye on it to prevent vandalism or squatting.

Well – no more!

I stopped in and talked to Brian, the new owner, who is doing a complete remodel on the place – adding over 1000 square feet.

This house is a perfect example of why we think this neighborhood between Montevideo and Pine Valley represents some of the best home appreciation possibilities in San Ramon, CA. We’ve written about it before:

• San Ramon CA - Move Up Buyers Dream
• South San Ramon - Perfect Storm of Opportunity

Brian tells me this is not going to be the same house when he is through with it – only two interior walls will remain as they are now. A whole new floor plan is going to emerge.

I think this house will be a good story to follow to help illustrate why we think this area of San Ramon is so full of possibilities for above average home appreciation in the next few years.

Craig & Tracey are experts in this neighborhood as are Kris & Dennis Viers, two of our strategic partners who do loans. Contact Craig if you want more details on this neighborhood - (925) 984-4910 

I was talking to Dr Anita Haque, Livermore Chiropractor, and her husband, Don Parker, Personal Fitness Coach, today about Internet marketing and promotion. We met at barnes and Noble out in Hacienda Crossing for about an hour.

I’ve pitched four chiropractors on the opportunity for chiropractors to dominate Google search results in their geographic over the last two years and not one of them has caught the vision. Dr. Haque and Don did.

I’ll be talking to a San Ramon chiropractor tomorrow and I’m looking for a female personal trainer in the San Ramon Area to also be part of the team. Within six months of launching our online effort, I expect these four individuals to dominate the TriValley area for organic search results.

Dr. Haque told me she will be addressing Ware Malcomb, an architectural and design company for commercial real estate with a local office in San Ramon CA tomorrow.

“At this ‘lunch and learn’, my presentation will include the four main essentials of health,” said Dr. Haque. 

The 4 Essentials of Health are:

• Food
• Water
• Oxygen 
• Nerve Impulses

“Three of the four essentials are obvious however putting it into action is easier said than done. I plan on bringing a little humor and providing people in this company some easy and creative ways to become more efficient at eating, exercising and drinking more water (not coffee).”

“The fourth essential, nerve impulses, is an area of my expertise.  Since nerve impulses are basically the messages that allow the brain to communicate to the body and vice versa,  eating right, exercising and drinking more water will not make much of a difference if these impulses are not working properly.  This is where posture, stress  and the subluxations is discussed since it has a huge effect on nerve impulses.” – Anita Haque, D.C.

I’ll be interested to hear how the group at Ware Malcomb in San Ramon responds to this insight from a propfessional chiropractic doctor who walks the talk.

Here are a few facts and pointers for first-time homebuyers in San Ramon and Dublin CA:

• More and more innovative mortgage packages are being created, offering the borrowers options between 3% and 5% down. Some lenders offer zero down, if you have excellent credit. For first-time
  buyers, it's in your best interest to do some serious comparison-shopping.
• Every lender works with its own rates, based on their standards as well as the type of loan being considered. Rates change every day, so once you've made the decision to buy a house, check rates
  with more than one lender, and check on a daily basis. 
• Job stability is important, but the five-year rule is merely a myth. For example, if you have worked in public relations or some other industry for 10 years but have had three jobs in that time, because you've stayed within the same business, lenders will often consider this as continuous employment, especially if you've made advancements. In addition, solid credit and a larger down payment can compensate for work history in some instances. 
• It's true that credit is very important when qualifying for any loan. However, if you have been out of a bankruptcy for two years and can provide a good letter of explanation to the lender, it will usually be
  accepted. If your credit is in bad shape, consider a credit counseling service to help you get back on track. Generally, this can be done in as little as 12 to 18 months. 
• As you make financial comparisons between renting versus owning, be sure to consider tax deductions. When you buy a home, the closing costs, mortgage interest, and points are all tax deductible.

The wisest moves a first-time homebuyer can make are conduct research and ask questions. Purchasing a house is never easy for anyone. However, interest rates are currently lower than they've been since the 1960's, so if you can buy a house, this is probably a great time.

Of course, this information is just as valid for first-time buyers in Concord, Martinez, Walnut Creek and the rest of California. 

Yesterday was the huge neighborhood garage sale in San Ramon. Over 40 homes participated in the event which was sponsored and organized by the the Harper-Mees Team.

All-in-all, it turned out to be a pretty big success for most of the participants despite the flood of last minute homes signing up and a few things dropping through the cracks as a result. Many of the participating homeowners stopped by "garage sale headquarters" to enjoy the live music provided by Still Rockin' a group of "oldies but goldies".

Everything Jane and I brought down from Walnut Creek disappeared. I call that a huge success for us - nothing to load back in the Jeep and haul home! Not bad since we brought down a chunk of I-Beam and a commercial grade plumber's snake to get rid of.

The weather was great and most homeowners reported a lot of activity and appreciation for the neighborhood event. These two youngsters loaded up on items to amuse themselves with.

Tracey and Kris Viers went around to as many homes as they could to distribute muffins to homeowners that had to get up early to prepare their driveways for the event.

Though the event had a few glitches, it was great fun and we plan on organizing another in September after school starts so parents can recycle those clothes that won't fit their growing children anymore.

Personally, I was a little disappointed in the amount of food we collected for the Contra Costa Food Bank, so that is one area where we will focus our attention for improvement.

Leave us a comment on your experience. Let us know what you think worked and what didn't so we can improve on September's San Ramon Neighborhood Garage Sale. 

According to DataQuick and other sources, the rate of foreclosures in the East Bay is accelerating. Lenders are implementing programs to expedite the process of removing REOs (bank owned properties) from there balance sheets. We are also hearing reports that they are delaying the process in areas where they already have high REO inventories.

Taking a quick look at two Internet resources, we find the following stats for Danville and San Ramon, CA:

Home sales activity is picking up in Danville and San Ramon. If you need to sell, now is the time to jump in. As part of your due diligence, be sure to identify any homes in your immediate area that are in the foreclosure process.

Pricing your home right to compete against bank owned properties is a must in this changing real estate market. We can help – Call Ginny at (925) 699–3328