Clogged Gutters be gone!!

It's that time of the year again when gutters need to be cleaned prior to rainy season. We just had a great product installed in portions of our gutters which prevents gutters from clogging.

There is an incredibly large, messy redwood tree which litters needles and branches several times a year. It's just a matter of time before the gutters & downspouts end up getting clogged with tree debris, problematic when our rainy season starts.

RainFlow will help to keep our gutters & downspouts clear, since the debris sits on top of the membrane which can then be blown off when we have our semi-annual gutter cleaning. Another plus, is that since the gutters are easier to clean, our twice a year service will now be less expensive!

Let me know if you'd like a recommendation to the installer & gutter cleaner that I work with. He did an excellent job, is reasonably priced & made a great recommendation to use this product in portions of our high debris gutter areas!

In this photo the RainFlow product starts to the right and you can see it's already working!

The Paperless Real Estate Transaction

In my constant quest to be eco-friendly both personally and professionally, I've been implementing a few environmentally friendly business practices.

Currently, I’m in the process of reducing the number of direct marketing pieces to a quarterly schedule, instead staying in touch monthly with friends and clients via electronic newsletters.

I've also successfully been working with electronic systems for about 2 years, creating a paperless transaction for clients who are buying or selling real estate. The response has been overwhelmingly positive from clients who appreciate being able to review documents online as well as securely sign the dozens of disclosures and reports electronically.

Gone are the days of having to kill a forest to buy or sell a home. It is technology which hopefully more of the real estate industry will embrace, especially considering that a typical transaction consumes 250-300 sheets of paper and can top 600 sheets with condo transactions. Additionally, the quality of electronic files is far superior to hard copies which lose print detail with each printing and faxing.

Clients, at their leisure, can go online to review & sign reports and disclosures. With their busy schedules of juggling work & family, they appreciate the convenience & efficiency of an electronic system. Clients also receive all their transaction paperwork on a CD rather than a hard copy; a format which is more convenient to store then a two to three inch paper file as well as it being easier to locate specific documents on disk. Clients also appreciate being able to contribute to being eco-friendly.

Title companies and lenders are also slowly moving towards the paperless transaction.

At the conclusion of a transaction, I also purchase carbon credits to further offset my carbon footprint.

If you’d like to learn more about paperless transactions, give me a call!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Wow, how time flies!!! I can't believe it's already July. As you can tell I've been remiss in blogging-sidetracked with work, revamping my website and just life in general. Whoever noted that time goes by faster as you get older sure wasn't kidding-I think faster may actually be a vast understatement; but I digress.....

Since this is a weekend of festivities full of BBQs and socializing & in case you are in charge of beverages, I thought it appropriate to comment on a few great wines that I had the opportunity to try at a friends birthday party a while back.

Dave's wife hired sommelier, Cortney Cochran to conduct an evening of wine tasting. The theme: Pinot or Bust!

It was a great evening and party. Courtney had a great line up. A few of my favorites were the 2005 Chalone Estate Pinot Noir, the 2006 Caitec Patagonia Pinot Noir & the 2006 Brooks Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

All reasonably priced and found at one of my favorite wine stores, K & L, conveniently located in S.F. and on the Peninsula.

Enjoy!!!

Upcoming Event- Green Building 101

Happy Sunday!!! If you're curious about green building and/or considering how to incorporate some green in your next renovation project consider attending this event.

From the latest Build It Green e-newsletter:

June Guild Highlight - Green Building 101: Everything You Wanted to Know About Green Home Remodeling and Construction but Were Afraid to Ask: Jennifer Love, Program Manager of several Build It Green programs, including the Ask an Expert Hotline and the Green Product Directory, will give an overview of the latest in green building practices and products, tailored to the needs of the audience. Come prepared to ask our resident expert your project specific questions from 5:30 - 7:30 pm on June 18 at SF Department of the Environment. RSVP required. For more information on this and other June Guild meetings, please visit the Guild pages on the Build It Green website.

Nicely updated 3-unit Edwardian near fantastic Glen Park location. Short walk to Glen Park Village shops and restaurants, Glen Park Canyon & BART. Easy access to Highways 101 & 280. Two 2-bedroom units will be DELIVERED VACANT. The larger 2-bedroom flat has updated galley kitchen- Corian counters, Sub-Zero refrigerator, cherry cabinets and dishwasher. Two flats have private garden access. Huge attic space. Potential to merge 2 units into 1 larger living space???

Additional property photos.


Not the right property for you? Create a property search. You will receive listings by email as properties hit the market that match your search criteria.

Reflections from a San Franciscan on Home Improvement, Real Estate & More!

Cheryl A. Bower
Realtor
Cashin Company Realtors
Cell 415.999.3450

cbower@cashin.com
www.cbower.com

Blog: http://lifeineabu.blogspot.com/

East Bay Green Home Tour

Build It Green Home Tour in Alameda & Contra Costa Counties on Sunday, June 1st

Build It Green is a great organization! They promote and support sustainable building practices. Their Green Home Tours are always educational and fun!

Details from their newsletter:

WHAT: A one-day self-guided tour showcasing 17 green homes that will introduce attendees to homeowners and building professionals who have built or remodeled green.

The tour covers the spectrum, from remodels to brand new custom homes, and will demonstrate materials and technologies such as solar hot water and solar electric systems, radiant floor heating, salvaged and FSC-certified wood products, bamboo, cork and natural linoleum flooring, recycled glass countertops, dual-flush toilets, green roofs, re-purposed shipping containers, rainwater collection systems, graywater systems and much more!

WHEN: Sunday, June 1, 2008 from 10:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.

WHERE: Seventeen homes throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties

• 5 homes located in Berkeley
  
  
• 4 homes located in Oakland
• 2 homes located in Livermore
• 1 home located in Richmond
• 1 home located in Martinez
• 1 home located in Orinda
• 1 home located in Walnut Creek
• 1 home located in Danville
• 1 home located in Fremont

COST: $30/person or $50/admits two. A tour guidebook is the admission ticket into all of the homes on the tour. Maps, directions, and detailed case studies are provided for each home.

Full details

New Listing: 3-Unit Edwardian near Glen Park

I'm back!! My buyers have been keeping me busy (a good thing); just successfully closed a 14 day escrow (great team work!) and I have two new listings hitting the market-this is one of them.

Now it's off to the Farmer's market to soak up the rays and indulge in a bit of delicious organic produce. Have a great day!!

Eco-Friendly Driveway

Considering a new driveway? There are lots of options available ranging from stamped concrete, to brick, to pavers, to permeable.

We went the route of a pebble driveway to replace the concrete driveway for a few reasons. It was economical, fast to install and permeable thereby reducing runoff & pollutants entering our storm drains.

My understanding is that storm runoff is one of biggest pollutants of our waterways. I'm in full support of making choices which will offset our impact on the environment.

Our initial thought was to install porous concrete pavers which have openings that can be filled with gravel or grass. We then decided on decomposed granite for the ease of installation and maintenance. It is also available in a few colors.

It's been two plus years and we've been really happy with the result. There is no worry about future cracking and settling as there is with a concrete driveway. No worries about staining either since we can move around or rake the gravel.

The drawback is the occasional required sweeping of stray pieces that end up on the path way or sidewalk and the difficulty in walking to the car in heels. Stray pieces can end up in the house on our wood floors if shoes aren't properly wiped at the door, but our floors have been getting a fair amount of abuse from two active dogs. It's a house well cared for and well lived in!

Blocking an unattractive view without blocking the light

I love this solution!! We live on a busy street and didn't want the view of cars and pedestrians nor did we want to feel like fish in a fish bowl when the drapes were open. This window is also huge at 12 feet across and drapes faded quickly due to southern exposure.

Problem solved with the installation of a window film. It is available in a few patterns including our first choice of a rice paper type of pattern. This product is great!! It lets in lots of light while providing privacy. It also allows the window to be unobstructed with curtains and curtain rods making the room seem more expansive.

In the evening there is a really cool kaleidoscope effect with the backdrop of car lights reflecting off the window, making the bamboo cast a moving shadow across the window.

This product is also quite reasonable & comparable to buying a nice set of drapes. Our installer, Steve Clark with Window Innovations was great and also able to accommodate our request of making a small cut out in the lower left portion of the window so that our kitties wouldn't miss out on watching foot traffic and birds landing on our bamboo.

I'm happy to provide a referral if needed!

I've been bamboozled!!!

I'll start off by saying that I've been addicted to bamboo for several years. It's amazingly beautiful, fast growing, and creates a calming sound when wind passes through the leaves.

My favorites are black bamboo, Bory Leopard & Giant Timber bamboo. These are all runners which spread rapidly and have given the plant a bad reputation as being invasive. Don't get me wrong, bamboo can be invasive if the correct measures aren't taken which is containment, containment, containment.

I've planted bamboo at three homes. Twice in the ground and once in raised beds. A word of advice, the raised bed method is the easier method (especially depending on soil type) since the bamboo is in an elevated planter box & it's a lot easier going up then digging down into soil 24+ inches to install 20+ mil plastic barrier, which is the alternative method of containment.

What a complete pain it is to install this barrier. I'm not getting any younger & shoveling and digging into our hard clay soil has definitely wrecked my back!!! At our current home, I was feeling especially ambitious and planted twelve 15 gallon containers of bamboo!

I managed to install this barrier around three bamboo plantings & then gave up. My mistake was in waiting a good year to have the two 15 foot sections of bamboo contained with the barrier. I hired this job out which was money well spent (especially since it was a birthday gift from my generous spouse who was concerned about our bamboo migrating to our neighbors yards).

It did manage to break free prior to containment and travel to one neighbors yard which I did eradicate.

We've been now living the good life for a couple of years, confident that our containment systems have been keeping our bamboo in line. Or so we thought.....

Last week, low and behold we're doing another yard project, replacing a magnolia tree that has never quite thrived in it's current location (perhaps the clay soil has been retaining too much water?) with a lemon tree which tend to be fairly hardy. As I'm digging down, I locate a fairly substantial tangle of bamboo roots which have wrapped around the perimeter of the magnolia plant roots!!!!! Yikes!!! Is this is a fluke or has my black bamboo, which is planted about twenty feet from the magnolia tree, broken free of it's barrier?


Oh Lucy, you have some esplainin' to do!!! I followed the instructions carefully as provided by my bamboo resource when installing the barrier. Please, please tell me it's a fluke; an errant hardy runner, for my back can't take any more digging in this impossibly hard clay.

All I can say is I've been bamboozled. Lured in by the beauty of bamboo and the promises made by the nursery. For now on, it's either raised beds for new plantings or sticking with the clumpers which don't need containment.

For now, it's going to be a cross my fingers approach and periodic checking of the liners. I'm hopeful that this was a fluke since the roots seemed to be brittle & dried out.

Meanwhile, as can be seen from the before and after photos, the bamboo has been doing a beautiful job of growing vigorously and screening out the neighboring house which looks into our yard.

Thinking about going solar?

With energy costs on the rise and an increasing awareness of environmentally friendly products and technology, solar systems are becoming a worthwhile investment, especially since there are rebates available to help offset the cost.

The technology is now more efficient (depending on the system, it is possible to sell surplus energy to your utility company) & incredibly streamlined with low profile roof lines which nicely incorporate solar roof tiles.

Doesn't that look more appealing than the solar systems of the 70's which not only had young technology issues but were eyesores, with bulky tanks and huge elevated panels?

It's exciting that eco-friendly products have made so many advances in the last several years, combining functionality with aesthetics with social responsibility.

An excerpt from California Association of Realtors:

The California Solar Initiative "Go Solar, California!" has established the goal of creating 3,000 megawatts of new solar-powered electricity by 2017, or enough to power 1 million homes. This program will allocate $3.3 billion to businesses, homeowners, and builders who qualify for rebates and incentives if they install solar systems on their homes or commercial buildings. The California Energy Commission funds solar electricity systems on new homes; the California Public Utilities Commission funds solar electricity systems on existing businesses and homes.

For more information, visit http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/.

http://www.recycleworks.org/greenbuilding/gbg_renewable_power.html

As with any home improvement project, I always recommend getting 2-3 estimates as well as doing a bit of homework on the various options available. There are several companies in the Bay Area who specialize in installing solar systems.

It's definitely on my to do list.

Cool Finds!!!

It was a good week for great finds!! This fabulous cabinet is from Craigslist-purchased at a reasonable & negotiated $500. It was missing a piece of glass in one of the doors which was fairly easy to replace, especially since I recruited my father-in-law's expertise.

Meanwhile, the space between the two sconces needed "something". A bit of research on Apartment Therapy brought us to Timeless Treasures in S.F. This is a great store which has a little bit of everything ranging from vintage finds to stationary to candles and soap. It took a solid hour to sort through the various letters & come up with the right combination of size, font, and color. The staff gal was sooooo patient with us, climbing up and down the ladder a few times to pull letters off the wall.

At last, we had the right combination after arranging 30+ letters.

A final stop to the S.F. Flower Mart rounded out the day where we found two fern embossed ceramic vases in the A & C style for a reasonable $13 & $16.

We're enjoying our transformed dining room!!

Cute Burlingame Rental

New Rental!!!! This is an adorable 2 bedroom, 1 bath home for rent in highly desirable Burlingame.

Features include:

Freshly painted exterior and interior in a warm, neutral palette.
Eat-in kitchen w/ gas stove
living room w/ fireplace
washer & dryer off kitchen
large, sunny yard (rent includes gardener for the front yard)
1 car garage & extra long driveway for additional parking

Garage has adjacent work shop & storage shed.

Walk to Burlingame Avenue for shopping and dining. Easy access to freeway 101; a short commute to San Francisco or San Jose.

One-year lease, first months rent, security deposit equal to a months rent, and clear credit report to move in.

Suggested rent: $2,500/month

Batter Blaster -A great way to start your Day!

Batter Blaster is my new, favorite product. What a great idea!! Pancake mix in a can. It's also organic and not terribly fattening (that is in it's pre-butter and maple syrup form).

For those days that you don't want to muss up the kitchen making pancake batter from scratch and/or don't have the time, Batter Blaster is the perfect solution. It can also be cooked up in a waffle iron. Heat up the griddle add a touch of oil and voila, a delicious breakfast in moments.

As for taste, I think it's darned good. Per the website, it looks like the creator (a San Franciscan who had trouble getting his product launched) is working on flavored batters.

You can find Batter Blaster at Mollie Stones, Whole Foods and now at Costco for serious stocking up.

Enjoy!

Build It Green

Are you thinking about making improvements to your home? Perhaps, you have a smallish project such as a bath or kitchen remodel?

Or, if you have an 80+ year old home like mine which has had minimal updating, a full face lift may be in order-then it's a matter of deciding whether to go the piece meal, room by room approach which may be more expensive in the long run but more economically feasible in the short run vs. the full on move into a rental to implement a complete top to bottom remodel.

Either way, spend the time up front to determine what products and finishes you want to incorporate into your project & come up with a master plan (which is subject to change as you move through your projects and as you live in your home using the existing space).

Research, research, research!!! The more informed you are about the project and what final result you'd like, the easier it will be to communicate your goals to your general contractor & designer. Your homework will result in a project that should be finished on time and with minimal surprises. Nothing adds up to project overages & delays more quickly than job changes after a project has started.

If you want to incorporate elements of green design & energy efficiency, seek out a professional who has experience in this field which is becoming more mainstream and in demand. Build It Green has a resource list of certified professionals.

A great store for environmentally friendly products is:
Eco Design Resources. Additional green resources can be found at my website under the "Bower Power Team" link.

There is also a plethora of design & renovation books available. A few of my favorites are: The Kitchen Idea Book, Good House Parts, & The Not So Big House.

If you have any concerns about over improving for your neighborhood or making the design too personalized or unique, consult with your Realtor for a second opinion on resale value & marketability. This becomes even more important if you are thinking of making a potential move within 3-5 years after project completion.

Is a Paperless Real Estate Transaction Possible?

It's unfortunate that in our electronic age we actually use more paper now than ever. Our paper consumption has apparently doubled in the last 10 years.

One industry where there is tremendous paper use is the real estate industry. For example, condo sales (which are usually the most paper intensive sale due to the 2-3 inch thick HOA documents) can have a range of 300-500 pages in a disclosure packet. Multiply that by the number of hard copies that go out to agents & potential buyers and we're talking several dozen pounds of paper!!

It doesn't have to be this way. The industry is slowly transitioning over to less paper intensive methods including online disclosures and various levels of a paperless transaction.

Online disclosures are great since they can be emailed to clients. These pdf files also make it easier to locate specific items of interest through a key word search. I rarely print disclosures, but rather read through them online with my clients who then electronically sign that they've read and approved specific documents. I then organize my files on my hard drive within a client folder. I also have two off- site back up systems since computers will and do crash.

Through the technology that I work with: electronic signature, efax, and pdf'ing of documents, clients are able to read and sign the numerous documents & reports associated with a purchase or sale with minimal interruptions to their work and/or travel schedule. There is also a higher level of security due to password protection and not having to schlep around pounds of sensitive documents which have the potential to be misplaced. Lastly, there is the piece of mind in knowing that I'm playing a small part in reducing paper usage.

The paperless transaction is also moving into the escrow & lending segments of a transaction.

Of course, all this great technology can't be utilized by the rare individuals who don't have a computer, then it's back to the traditional methods of hard copies.

Here are a few more tips on going paperless.

Make it a great electronic day!

Higher Conforming Loan Limits in the Works!

It was promising news last week with President Bush signing the new economic package. A feature of the package includes raising the conforming loan limits to $729,750 which would more accurately reflect the cost of housing in California. Currently, conforming loans are at $417,000 which doesn't benefit many Bay Area buyers when our median home prices range from the high $700's to low $800's.

Therefore, most buyers are forced into more expensive non-conforming jumbo loans, decreasing homeownership opportunities for many. Jumbo loans carry ~1% higher interest rate then conforming loans. The new limits will also provide some home owners new opportunities to get into a lower interest rate loan, thereby lowering their monthly payments.

It may not be until late spring when Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae have their systems in place to start processing applications under the new loan limits. Meanwhile, there are buying opportunities out there depending on price point and location. There are also some lenders who are charging no pre-payment penalties or fees to refinance into a new conforming loan if a buyer is currently in the process of making a purchase. Feel free to contact me if you'd like a referral to a loan consultant.

Cheese has never tasted better!!

I love this new product!! Formaticum a cheese paper that allows cheese to breath during storage. Have you ever noticed that some cheese, such as blue cheese, can be a bit slimy or slippery when you remove it from the store's plastic wrap? I was surprised that our blue cheese actually had a better surface texture (dry, not slimy) after it was wrapped in Formaticum.

Considering how expensive cheese can be (& how delicious!), a product that will make it last longer it a good thing! Formaticum is a great and relatively inexpensive wrap . I wish I had know about it years ago since we've probably thrown out a small fortune in spoiled cheese.

Available online or at Whole Foods.

TIC Fractionalized Loans Have a Great Track Record!!

It's refreshing to hear positive reports from one segment of the mortgage industry. Fractionalized TIC loans offered by just a few lenders, have an excellent track record of on-time payments and no foreclosures! A recent SF Gate article: Tenancy-in-common fractionalized loans weather the mortgage storm.

TIC fractionalized loans are relatively new as of the last 4-5 years. The appeal is this loan product offers less risk to a buyer who is purchasing into a TIC property. Traditionally, a group of say, three buyers purchasing a three unit property would all be under the same loan. As you can imagine, if one of the three partners defaults on payments, the other two partners are on the hook.

Then along came the fractionalized loan, which operates somewhat like a conventional loan. The drawback is that TIC loans can be a percentage+ higher than conventional financing. But, TIC's even with their risks, are usually a more affordable option than condos or single family homes. It's a foot in the door of San Francisco's extremely expensive real estate market.

What's impressive, is that this segment of the lending industry, due to their stringent lending standards (generally a 20% down minimum to buyers with solid credit scores & verified income), is doing extremely well and bypassing the mortgage meltdown woes.

The Beauty of Marmoleum

I LOVE this product!! One of the great perks that comes with home ownership is the ability to customize one's home. As a 15+ year property owner/investor, I've had the chance to try out a few flooring products.

Marmoleum hands down is my favorite for easy clean up, durability, and scratch resistance. It's held up extremely well to a busy household which includes 2 dogs and 2 cats. There is one scratch in the surface and that was caused by me being clumsy with a cabinet one hour post-installation (uuughhh!!). Otherwise, it's been scratch free for 18 months.

Not only is the scratch resistance impressive, but Marmoleum is really comfortable to stand on for long periods of time (for those serious chefs!) since there is a layer of cork under each tile . This product is also an easy install for the do-it-yourselfer (I installed it myself with a few basic tools). Lastly, you can't beat the reasonable price (~$4.50-5.50sf), the great colors and it's environmentally friendly to boot!

Give it a try for your next project-you won't be disappointed!

What and where is EABU?

EABU is our cool little spot in Eastern Burlingame, or as some of my friends like to call it, Barely Burlingame. Burlingame is one of those towns where there is no "wrong side of the tracks"; where fixers/updaters on the east side are selling in the mid-$800's on up, the streets are clean, neighbors are friendly, homes are well kept, and there is charm galore!

EABU is adjacent to a small sliver of San Mateo, which starts North of Peninsula Avenue, sitting between Highway 101 & Humboldt.

Our San Mateo neighbors include the famous Nini's Coffee Shop at 1000 N. Idaho, Anna's of San Francisco at 1001 Howard St. (it's so nice to have a bit of S.F. history on the Penin), Hot Wok Bistro at 1012A Howard St. (a new Chinese restaurant which is quite good!), and a mix of commercial/industrial businesses on the frontage road.

Travel a bit further to the East and we have the fantastic Coyote Point recreation area, which has a bit of everything including a museum, a marina, and world class windsurfing and kite surfing. My 2008 goal is to transition out of windsurfing and into kite surfing.

Travel North East & there is the much needed and necessary Burlingame Dog Park where I set loose our 10 month old, Border Collie/Whippet mix who is wired and built for speed. Our alternative parks include Washington Park at 850 Burlingame Avenue and Victoria Park at 30 Howard Avenue.

So, this is EABU. Our cool little corner, with good freeway access (S.F. is a quick 15-20 minutes without traffic), great outdoor recreation opportunities and good eats. We decided we'd take the lead as so many cities have and give our 'hood it's own abbreviated name. We have it pretty good in EABU.

Thanks for visiting and make it a great day!!