The Voice of East Bay Living

How can you go wrong with the motto: "we are very proud to feed you good food." Summer-Summer Thai Eatery  located at 5885 Hollis St. Emeryville. It looks kind of dark from the street but upon entering you are greeted by a very cozy and comfortable interior with wonderful food and drinks.  I stumbled upon this delightful place with a good friend after a long Sunday open house and was delighted with the whole package. 

Chop Ba r is a Jack London Square Eatery located at 247 4th St. of Uptown Oakland.  The name comes from West Africa and means a roadside bar/restaurant that also serves as a gathering place for the community. Situated in the heart of businesses, condos and chic urban live/work spaces, this trendy restaurant has an air of relaxation and fun.  Visit  GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at  ssabine @grubbco.com 

Following steps with Albany, the Berkeley  sewer lateral  ordinance is making a good change for buyers and sellers. Previously if the sewer was not in compliance  at close of escrow, the buyer or seller had to leave a bond for $4,500 with EBMUD, as a guarantee that the work would get done withing 6 months. The new ordinance is waiving the $4,500 deposit in favor of a signed contract with a reputable sewer company to do the work after the close of escrow (within the six month time frame).  It is expected that Piedmont and Berkeley will follow in the steps of Berkeley's new decision.  Also the mandatory RECO ( Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance ) may soon become voluntary instead of required at close of escrow. The city may offer homeowners rebates and incentives to participate in energy efficient upgrades. Visit GlassSabine.com

Here is our newest North Berkeley listing. It is truly one of the most elegant and fabulous homes that we've represented!

There  is a trend in the marketplace right now where the sales price of some homes is not listed in the multiple listing service at close of escrow. This requires a special form and normally is requested by the buyers. They want their privacy. Why? They don't want their neighbors to know how much money they have or they don't want the public knowing how much over the asking price they paid for their new home. On June 13th, the MLS changed the rules stating that the actual sales price must be entered on all listings.  This new ruling is to go into effect by mid-July 2014. This will make life a lot easier for agents and appraisers as well.  We are also closely watching the prices. In the midst of all the oh wows, the reality is that the high end market is not totally back to the 2006 market. In fact, some of the high end listings in Piedmont are sitting. In the Claremont district, we are seeing some sales drifting toward the three million mark but not four million which ...

Piedmont Piano Company located in Uptown Oakland at 1728 San Pablo is an incredible retail piano store by  day and on weekends it offers amazing concerts with many famous musicians from all over the country. It has been a family run store for over 30 years and is yet another one of the many jewels you will find in uptown Oakland. Visit GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at ssabine @grubbco.com 

(Fragile by William Buffett) In California, this summer we are dealing with a drought. In many countries throughout the world people have been experiencing serious drought for many years. In Ethiopia for example, 8 million of the country's 60 million people are at immediate risk due to drought. A few weeks ago Berkeley Rotary had an amazing guest speaker, Angela Mason ,who works with the World Vision Organization. She is especially focused on those countries who do not have enough water. She believes  that the future wars of the world will not be fought over oil but rather over  water. In most parts of the world, there are no hot showers, no clean water and no flush toilets. There are actually more cell phones in the world than toilets. Across the world, women spend two hundred million hours per day collecting water. In fact, most women around the world get up at midnight and walk all night to get water for their families. Angela has worked tirelessly collecting funds t...

Art Murmur Oakland ,the first Friday of every month in uptown Oakland. This is such a fun event with many spontaneous artists and musicians at every corner. Visit GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at ssabine @grubbco.com 

Just Around The Corner   A16 - a16rockridge.com.com 5356 College Avenue McNally Irish Pub - 510.655.3929 5352 College Avenue Hudson Bay Cafe - 510.658.0214 5401 College Avenue Bittersweet Chocolate Cafe - bittersweetcafe.com 5427 College Avenue Soi Four Restaurant- soifour.com 5421 College Avenue A Cote Restaurant - acoterestaurant.com 5478 College Avenue Enoteca Molinari - enoteca-molinari.com 5474 College Avenue Sukho Thai Restaurant - 510.420.8600 5498 College Avenue Uzen Restaurant - 510.654.7753 5415 College Avenue Oliveto Cafe - oliveto.com 5656 College Avenue For a complete guide visit www.rockridgedistrict.com Prepared by: Sheila Sabine & Judith Glass 510.326.5055 ssabine@grubbco.com jglass@grubbco.com    

1. Prices will continue to rise. The most recent home price expectation survey shows that home values in the next five years will rise 30.8% ( most optimistic ) and 9.4% (most pessimistic). 2. Mortgage rate interest rates are increasing. 3. Either way you are paying a mortgage. If you are renting you are paying the owner's mortgage. If you own your home you're paying your own mortgage AND getting tax benefits. 4. Now is the time to make a move. Visit GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at  ssabine @grubbco.com 

Did you realize that 35% of all offers are all-cash in this market? There is a lot of transfer of wealth going on in these all-cash offers. Buyers are reacting in the heat of the moment. The buyer is the driver in this decision – the buyer says ,"I want this house and I want it now." Some buyers are deciding to get financing after the close of escrow. This process is called delayed financing. The buyer has six months after the close of escrow of his new home to close escrow with the refinance (Go visit your favorite lender for more details) This week's market odometer is on cruise control. Last month there were 5 to 10 offers while this week many houses are getting 3 to 5 offers. Buyers are still putting their very best offer on the table and sales prices are still way above the list price.   The strategy for the Spring and Summer market has been to list below market value to attract multiple offers. For this coming Fall, the statistics are showing us many...

Last week I attended  the West Coast San Francisco Designer Showcase and this week I attended the East Coast House Tour in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn . In a 50 year span, Boerum Hill has gone from a little known neighborhood to a brownstone hot spot.  With prices in Manhattan skyrocketing, Brooklyn has been the logical next step for many young families. The tour included very old homes preserving the antique look to very  modern residences. Also a community park was featured as well as a public school with its eco-friendly playground complete with organic vegetable gardens and green turf grass. It is easy to see why Oakland is being called the new Brooklyn with its burst of restaurants, art, and rising home prices.  Visit GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at ssabine @grubbco.com 

I recently attended the San Francisco Decorator Showcase held at 3660 Jackson, a very wow mansion -each room  being decorated by different top area interior designers. This wonderful event began in 1977 with the purpose of raising funds for San Francisco financial aid dept. It was truly a very exciting event with the creative spirit so alive and well- another tribute to living in the Bay Area. Visit  GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at  ssabine @grubbco.com 

Yes, it is true that in the Bay Area we are exposed to  some great  art.  However, the best is yet to come when you visit the Met in New York City.  Founded  in 1870, it is the largest art museum in the U.S. with over two million art works, second most visited in the world next to  Le Louvre in Paris. Situated next to Central Park it takes up over two million sq. ft. Visit  GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at  ssabine @grubbco.com 

You can either swim in the pool or not--market continues on its high speed roller skates. Within the Grubb Company, since January 2014 the dollar volume is up 58% over last year. Over all in the East Bay, the median sales price is $840,000 with average days on market of 14 days. As inventory starts to expand and the buyer pool gets spread out in the market place, we could see more of a cruising speed instead of high gear. Visit  GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at  ssabine @grubbco.com