This article by Susie Wyshak first appeared in the Rockridge News and is edited for online reading. Enjoy! Get in touch to chat about your real estate goals over a pastry at Starter Bakery and learn all about living in Rockridge and the East Bay. The Rockridge community took Brian Wood by surprise. He opened…
An Airbnb guest asked me what restaurants I recommend in Rockridge that are in walking distance from my rental on Lawton Avenue. What better reason to compile some of my favorites! For their UC Berkeley graduation celebration, I gave them a list of very nice, high end restaurants that require reservations along with casual dining…
Building ADUs on a property with a single-family home or multi-family building has become the most popular way to think about multi-generational living or generating income during retirement. (The New York Times reports on the popularity of ADUs — although ignore the very low prices per square foot quoted!) But what if it turns out…
Murals on walls inside houses has been a time-honored tradition through the ages. In Berkeley, the murals adorning the walls of Pauline Kael’s house in Berkeley became legend. More rare is seeing murals, or little “spot” paintings, on the exterior of houses. There’s nothing I love more than seeing houses that reflect the passions and…
True confessions: I never had extermination done after buying my house years ago. After all, no termites were crawling or flying around. How did we know if the termites were old school or a current infestation? Then there was a live termite incident. Three different pest inspection companies did estimates, with three wildly different recommendations….
Holiday lights and cheer are ablaze this holiday season in Oakland, Piedmont, and nearby towns. Here are just a few holiday season events to get us out of the house and enjoying our fresh, rain-cleansed air: Temescal Artisan Craft Fair – Neither rain nor rain stopped Head West holiday gift fair vendors from showing up…
Do you want to be a house hacker and buy a multi-family property in Oakland to live in one unit and rent the others to pay for your expenses? Or do you need a vacant Berkeley multi-family property for for you and your family or friends? These Oakland Multi-family properties are in neighborhoods that most…
This little North Berkeley duplex is in one of the most popular neighborhoods. So why isn’t it selling after 2 months on the market…and a price less than what the owners paid a couple of years ago? Wisdom says a property not selling is always about price. For income properties, you need to make sure…
How hot was Walnut Creek in September 2022? Ask the seller of a fixer upper priced at more than $1 million. (And ask me if you’re interested in such a home.) Redfin ranked Walnut Creek at the top of its “Top 10 Most Competitive Cities in California” in September 22. And 7 of the top…
Buying a home in the East Bay may be the biggest financial decision of your life. Then again, you don’t want to wake up one day after 8 years of being at UC Berkeley and realize you’d spend $250,000 on rent without once considering buying. Count me as one of the people who wishes she…
