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…
Is that low house price for real? (“It’s in my budget!”) Berkeley and Oakland house hunters are all too familiar with house listings at prices that seem too good to be true. They often are! The East Bay has a long-time tradition of pricing homes for sale low to attract attention and drive the selling…
What’s the strangest thing you can grow in Berkeley or Oakland? SPONGES! Ask anyone where they think loofah / luffa sponges come from. I guarantee 80% of the time you will hear “the ocean” as an answer. Maybe even from yourself. My friend gave me loofah seeds from sponges she grew on the East Coast….
Home Price Data in neighborhoods near the Whole Foods that opened in December 2021 in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood The 94609 zip code includes the Temescal area around 51st and Telegraph. The 94618 includes Lower Rockridge and other parts of Rockridge I will pull new numbers every few months to see how the median estimated…
