Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog

Welcome, have a roll of the dice and a thank you to the two dozen people who sent in their great content.  Here we go…

A deuce and a one: hop, hop, hop and onto the purple tile of Juniper Networks.  Coming in with the fifth largest market cap in this game, $11.44 billion, we have Maureen Francis and her 10 Things You Can't Do If You Want to Sell Your Home.  Jonathan Greene covers this ground from a different perspective in his 5 Ways to Be Awesomely Awesome (and Get It Sold).

Have another roll.  It's a nine.  Let's move quickly, it'd stink to have to spend an entire turn talking to the guy in jail about his backdated stock options!  For the money he made, he can afford his own fifty bucks to get out of there.

Ah, the Electric Company, PG&E.  Coming in with the fourth largest market cap of $17.34 billion, we have Nigel Swaby and his Real Estate Questions and Answers – All About Purchases.  His story about due diligence is an important read for consumers.

Okay, boxcars, nice roll!  Twelve spaces ahead brings us to big red Oracle.  Coming in with the third largest market cap in the game, $93.26 billion, is Toby Boyce and his What Does an Experienced Realtor Provide for You?  He runs the numbers and the results are surprising.

Lucky seven brings us to Cisco green and the second largest market cap of $153 billion.  Hauling in this kind of dough is YBother's techie post on 10 Reasons Why Smart Homes Can't Get Into Your Home.  [ed. Geek alert.] Those of us with piles of unused X10 switches feel your pain.

A pair of fours.  On the bright blue Boardwalk square, winning the Google prize with the number one market cap of $143 bill… oh wait, uh, oops… is Dan Melson and his How to Effectively Shop for a Listing Agent.  The format and length can be intimidating but for consumers there are gems in there.

Again, thank you to all who sent in your work.  You made it really hard to choose only five.  Please pass GO and collect your well-earned $200 from the next host, the Salt Lake Real Estate Blog.

Apr.03.2007 [ Filed under: Silicon Valley News ] 3 Comments »

Bubble bloggers everywhere rejoice as their lightning rod David Lereah, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors resigned today.  "I'm leaving to spend more time with my family," he is quoted as saying. 

Pat Verdevoogd Combs, President of the National Association of Realtors announced in her press release, "We appreciate the service and dedication David has provided us over the years.  He's been a valuable contributor and spokesman."

Insiders tell a different story, though.  People from NAR headquarters in Chicago are quoted as saying there was a fallout between Mr. Lereah and his information staff.  Sources inside have stated Mr. Lereah was heard mumbling, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling," as he was leaving his office just last night.

"We presented him with data about job market expansion, but he wouldn't hear anything of it," lamented an anonymous source.  "He just wanted to talk about fear.  It's as if he had an agenda." 

Upon hearing the news, entrepreneur and serial masochist Casey Serin said, "I'd like to comment but I'm busy promoting myself around the country."

However, noted housing bubble blogger Inflate This said on his blog, "This is a great victory for all consumers because now, the mouthpiece for radicalism has effectively been eliminated.  The balance to The Force has now been restored." 

Hundreds of thousands around Silicon Valley are lining up to sell their houses while they still can.

Happy April Fools! 

[ed.  Someday, the voices of pragmatism will be as loud as the radicals on either side.  Come April 2, may level-headed people balance the Force once again.]

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Apr.01.2007 [ Filed under: Silicon Valley News ] 4 Comments »

One great way to spend weekend mornings is to check out the freshest produce, delivered right into your town by the local Northern California farmers.  Not only do you get to pick from the best fruits and vegetables the area has to offer, but you also help your dollars go back into the local community.

The Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association publishes a detailed calendar to where you can find the local farmers markets (and what vendors will be there) in your area and the SFGate publishes a more comprehensive list of cities, but no vendor information. 

Here's a sampling of the farmers markets in the cities across Silicon Valley and the rest of the Bay Area; many are open year-round and some of them are open during the weekdays too.

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Mar.17.2007 [ Filed under: Activities, Bay Area Info, Neighborhoods, Silicon Valley News ] 2 Comments »

Jonathan Greene over at Real Opinionated blog tagged me for 10 things people didn't know about me beforehand.  The spin is that one of them is a complete fabrication, bogosity incarnate!  So without further ado…

1/  My middle name is Dominic.

2/  I've had brain surgery.

3/  Jonathan got better SAT scores than I did.

4/  I'm searching for the world's best clam chowder.

5/  I'm deathly afraid of roaches.

6/  I'm really proud of my high school for reopening only a few months after Katrina hit.

7/  My favorite geek moment is texting my friends from the top of Uluru.

8/  I drew a daily comic strip about a wizard in a bathrobe for three years.

9/  I moved to 9 different cities across the U.S. before 15.

10/ MIT was my first choice school. 

BTW, I'll spot people one.  #3 is completely true!  Thanks Jonathan, a little introspection is fun!  You can check out the full thread on his Tampa real estate site.

Dearest reader, please consider yourself tagged at your leisure.  Free… um, smiles… for anyone who posts their 10! ;-)

Mar.15.2007 [ Filed under: Silicon Valley News ] 11 Comments »

Now that the bloom is off the predatory lending rose for this real estate cycle, it seems impossible for people in the Bay Area without a six-figure income (and challenging even for those with) to purchase their own home. 

After all with a February 2007 median sale price for single-family homes of $790K in Santa Clara County (and $870K in San Mateo County), the amount of the mortgage and its monthly payments seem insurmountable, particularly in the face of all the 1% interest subterfuge that's been going on.

I ran across an article on My Money Blog that outlines the steps Bay Area woman took to buy her own home and discusses the trade-offs she made.  She not only made sure she was in a good position to buy a house, she was also willing to make some hard decisions.

Some of the hardest decisions she had to make were in terms of her goals and financial attitude.  Here are some of the things she did right and some of the questions you should ask yourself, whether you earn six-figures or not.

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Mar.13.2007 [ Filed under: Bay Area Real Estate, Home Buyers, Mortgages, Silicon Valley News ] 2 Comments »

Here's a roundup of some of the best articles I read from recent carnivals which will help folks looking to buy a house, save money for real estate, and keep their financial troubles to a minimum.  These posts definitely deserve the distinction of being true Blog Gems!

- Carnival Towards Better Life: The Digerati Life's article Avoid a Bitter Feud: Estate Planning to the Rescue!

- Carnival of Personal Finance: My Two Dollars' article Why We Save Our Money 

- Carnival of 30s and 40s Finances: YBother posts 10 Money Tips for Almost Everyone 

- Carnival of Real Estate for Consumers: Jonathan Greene and the Tale of the Terrible "F" Bomb

- Carnival of Improvement: Getting Green's The One True Secret of the Rich

And a thank you to My Wealth Builder for shouting out When Not to Buy a House as their top carnival pick from the Carnival Towards Better Life.

Mar.12.2007 [ Filed under: Silicon Valley News ] 2 Comments »

Just in time for your weekend plans, I've updated the section on Walking Tours and Hiking Trails Galore to include another great Bay Area hiking site that has detailed pictures of the flora, fauna, creepy crawlies, and other skeptical natives you might encounter on your next outdoor adventure.  Oh, and it's got my two favorite trails too!

Mar.09.2007 [ Filed under: Silicon Valley News ] Comment Here »

A sincere thank you to Larry Cragun of Real Estate Undressed for nominating the Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog article Real Estate Myths Home Buyers Fall in Love With as one of February's "Magnificent 7 Consumer Articles." 

Some of the other authors featured have written other excellent articles which aren't featured in the round-up, but are great reading from their archives:

- Rhonda Porter writes about the factors you need to consider when applying for a mortgage in How Strong Are Your Legs?

- The Northern Virginia Real Estate Guide published A Sad, Sad, Sad True Story about a good family trapped in a bind by unethical behavior.

- Lisa Dunn posts a Minnesota Baby Boomer Study that highlights some important and some amusing insights about the Boomer population.

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Mar.05.2007 [ Filed under: Silicon Valley News ] Comment Here »

Whoever said "virtue is its own reward" didn't know that the 511 Rideshare Rewards Program is giving away up to $100 in gasoline and Safeway gift cards to new carpoolers in the Bay Area. 

To encourage Silicon Valley commuters to make the switch from "California carpools" (you know, where everyone going to the same place uses their own car) to real ones, they're giving away $10 in swag every five days you carpool — and one person who carpools over 40 days will win $1,000 in cash!  The program ends Halloween 2007 or when the money runs out.  

For carpool newbies, the next logical question is, "Where do I find a carpool partner?"

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Mar.03.2007 [ Filed under: Bay Area Info, Commuting, Silicon Valley News ] Comment Here »

Ever wondered how your favorite shopping mall rates or whether there might be a much nicer one within a few minutes of where you're going now?  Scott Parsons of the BIGMallRat Guide to Shopping Malls has a solution.

His site focuses on Northern California and Reno, Nevada and rates some of the biggest shopping malls in and around the San Jose area.  He brings us this beautiful picture of the Stanford Shopping Center courtyard in Palo Alto to the right.

There's no surprise Santana Row (it's more urban experience than pure shopping mall) and Valley Fair get 10 out of 10 ratings and there's also strong coverage of malls in the East Bay, including the 10 out of 10 rated Stoneridge Shopping Mall, Walnut Creek's upscale Broadway Plaza, and the Fremont Hub — which didn't fare so well in the ratings!

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Mar.01.2007 [ Filed under: Bay Area Info, Silicon Valley News ] Comment Here »

A big thank you to the folks at RealTown for naming the Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog their Blog of the Day!  RealTown bills itself as an online real estate community which makes it similar to ActiveRain.  The main difference is that RealTown emphasizes its discussion groups while ActiveRain emphasizes its blogs and ties to its consumer-focused sister site Localism.

The Frugal Duchess, Sharon Harvey Rosenberg, gives a mention to our Valentine article Real Estate Myths Home Buyers Fall in Love With.  Her timely article on Red Carpet Payola illustrates some of the behind-the-scenes dealmaking that goes into what you see at the Oscars.

And a big shout out to Jonathan Greene at Tampa's Real Opinionated as well for the mention as a top consumer content guru.  Jonathan is an Air Force Veteran who's served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that service in itself is a lot more than a real estate blog aspires to be.  Some of the blog gems on his site are Help! My Listing Expired! the Tampa Bay FSBO Survival Guide.  He's recently done a complete redesign of the site with the help of the Real Estate Tomato, and the results look great.

Feb.26.2007 [ Filed under: Silicon Valley News ] 1 Comment »

Six billion dollars.  $6 billion.  That’s what Americans spend each and every year on caring for their lawns according to Warren Schultz, author of The Chemical-Free Lawn.

But there is a growing trend among homeowners, particularly those with already precious little spare time and owners of investment properties.  This trend involves words that get avid gardeners’ blood boiling but are very effective in reducing the amount of maintenance time your landscaping requires.  What gets gardeners so upset?

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Feb.25.2007 [ Filed under: Bay Area Real Estate, Silicon Valley News ] Comment Here »