The Voice of East Bay Living

L'Ecole Bilingue- 1009 Heinz Ave. -Berkeley,CA. An interview with my niece, Marketing Director at EB For over thirty years,this wonderful school has provided a bilingual international environment where children from pre- school through eighth grade can be exposed to French, English, Mandarin and Latin. Representing more than 50 nationalities, EB students are able to flourish in a diverse and vibrant community. Learn more about Life at Ecole Bilingue Interested in learning more about Berkeley? Contact Sheila Sabine ssabine@grubbco.com

Our current market compared to 2016 Pending from January 1 through February 21,2017 in Oakland, Piedmont, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Albany and Kensington Single family residences 2016:                       Single family residences 2017: 115 Houses.                                                         40 houses DOM- 22.                                                            DOM- 23                      Median price-$980,000.                                 Median price -$1,081,000 This is a seventeen percent increase in price over last year.       Interested in learning more about this property and the Bay Area Real Estate Market? Email Sheila Sabine at ssabine@grubbco.com

598 63rd street/ corner of 63rd and Shattuck - located in Bushrod - 2017 Redfin hottest neighborhood Located at the corner of two bike lanes, 598 63rd is perfect for cycling. Each unit will have their own bike parking area in the private garage. The BART station is a nine minute walk providing easy access to San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley.  For those trips where  you still need to drive, each  parking spot at 598 63rd has been pre-wired to accept type II electric car chargers. All landscaping has been selected to be drought  tolerant. Low water demand plants paired with a rainwater harvesting system means no irrigation and lower HOA fees. LED lighting is used througout the project- on average every LED bulb will save a lot of money. Interested in learning more about this property and the Bay Area Real Estate Market? Email Sheila Sabine at ssabine@grubbco.com

Are you considering scaling down and moving to Mexico? Here's a peek at what this lifestyle would look like... Scaling down Life on the farm

According to most recent survey  there are 55,000 new jobs in Oakland and 42,000 new  households at the beginning of 2017 : 49% are renters  51% are homeowners There are not enough places to rent or buy. Where will Housing  meet the demand? What will this mean to  prices in our area? Here are some most recent sales in the last few weeks in Oakland :  -Forest Hill listed for $749,000-pending for over 1,100,000 -51 St. listed for $1,095,000- pending for over 1,300,000 -Hampel listed for $795,000 -pending for over  1,150,000 Interested in learning more about the Bay Area Real Estate Market? Email Sheila Sabine at ssabine@grubbco.com

1 Fernhoff Court, Oakland CA. 94619   List price $1,195,000   Shhh-don’t tell anyone—the best kept secret in the Bay Area is Hillcrest  Estates, a   sophisticated  and private neighborhood just minutes away from Montclair  village. In  the heart of this  exclusive neighborhood  is 1  Fernhoff  Ct.  The  residence  is tucked away from the street at the end of a  winding driveway , giving it the  feel a  country  estate. As you enter the gated entrance, the magic begins. An intimate courtyard leads you to the level in entrance, and voila, space, light and comfortable  living greet  you with open arms.  S tretch out in extra-large living room and family room both with fireplaces and French doors leading to the private patio and rear gardens. Entertain in the convenient kitchen, equipped with wet bar and adjacent to formal dining room with dramatic vaulted ceilings. Choose between two master suites equally tantalizing or spread out in any of the other three bedrooms.