Doug Fuller's Eye on Real Estate

Hey FB Millionaires! Here Are The Top Ten Reasons To Move To The East Bay

dfuller — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:35:59 +0000

With the IPO of Facebook, the San Francisco Bay Area has a sudden influx of new millionaires. Sure, you can buy a house in Palo Alto, Redwood City or San Jose (after all, you are a millionaire now). But you can have SO much more for your money over here in the Easy Bay! Here are the top ten reasons you should consider buying your home in one of our fine East Bay cities (Oakland, Piedmont, Berkeley, Emeryville, Kensington):

Top Ten Reasons You Should Live In The East Bay:

1. Oakland is the center of the Bay Area culinary universe. It’s true! Where once was a wasteland is now a hotbed of yummy delights. Don’t believe me? Clearly the New York Times thinks so. But so does Diablo Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Examiner. With hot new restaurants like Bocanova, Hibiscus, and Wood Tavern, you definitely won’t starve for delicious food. Feeling thirsty instead: Oakland boasts amazing watering holes too. From the sleek Bar Dogwood, to the retro-hip, Bar 355 or grunge art bar, Cafe Van Kleef, you won’t die of thirst either.

2. Have kids? The City of Piedmont School District is consistently rated amongst the top 10 school districts in the state.

3. Need Play Space? The East Bay Regional Park district boasts over 111,000 acres of public land in 65 different parks. There are over 1200 miles of trails in the hills for walking, biking, and horseback riding. If that isn’t enough for you, there are city and county parks here as well.

4. Need a home with some significant square footage? The average price per square foot in Piedmont is $342. In Palo Alto the average price per square foot is $1,128!!! You can definitely make your millions go farther here than there!

5. Its a lot less foggy over here, and warmer in the Summer. It really is (you can still look across the bay, though, at the fog blanketing the West Bay)!

6. Oakland has a thriving art scene. Once a month the enormous Art Murmur takes place in Oakland’s Uptown District. There you can enjoy hundreds of small local galleries, local artisans, food trucks galore, and all of the funky fun that is Oakland’s Uptown District. Want more offbeat art? How about the Albany Bulb? Want to learn to weld, make jewelry, or spin fire? You and your kids can take industrial arts classes at Oakland’s own The Crucible.

7. Oakland has consistently been referred to as one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. If you appreciate diversity, diverse opinions and variety all tied up in an air of mutual respect, then the East Bay is for you.

8. How many parking tickets have you gotten in front of your San Francisco flat? Parking over here is almost never an issue. You will gain days of your life back by avoiding the constant need to circle around in search of a parking spot.

9. The locavore movement is alive and well here. There are over 35 Farmer’s Markets to choose from on the weekends- with 12 of those in Oakland alone! My favorites are the market near Lake Merritt on Saturday (includes jumpy castles) and a very groovy version that takes over the DMV parking lot in Temescal on Sundays.

10. Lastly, you will love flying again with the easy navigation, parking and smaller security lines at the Oakland Airport. Tickets are often cheaper than SFO, too!

So, new Facebook millionaires… what are you waiting for? Give me a call and I will be happy to take you on your own private tour of the Bay Area’s best kept secret!

Opulence in Oakmore Highlands

dfuller — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:15:43 +0000

Historically relevant and comfortably opulent home. This illustrious Oakmore Highlands residence has been restored to perfection by its current owners. Enjoy unsurpassed views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and beyond. This gorgeous home boasts 4 generous bedrooms and over 5ooo square feet of living space. Enjoy the pool and amazing deck with San Francisco as your backdrop.

Views For Days!

dfuller — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:45:37 +0000

With a Berkeley address, and Oakland schools, houses in 94705 can sometimes be confusing. But you will forget all about the confursion when you enter this beautiful home and see the sweeping views of the bay. Twenty-three Bay Forest features 3 big bedrooms and 3 full baths, situated in a nearly 2500 square foot lot. Built in 1993, this house is in great shape and ready for its new owner.

Forty Years of Mortgage Rates

dfuller — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:07:12 +0000

Take a look at this – average mortgage rates for the past 40 years. Just in case you were holding out for rates to drop even further. As you can see, mortgage rates have been below 5% only for the past 1 year. The previous 39 years shows mortgage rates as high as 9% and 10%! Rates are amazing right now. If you are considering searching for a property but still holding out for lower rates, look over the chart again. I suspect these are the lowest rates we will see in our lifetime.

If you get a mortgage below 4% in 2012, how do you think you will feel in 5 or 6 years?

Thanks to Don Gates for this chart!

Oakland is HOT! (At least the New York Times thinks so)

dfuller — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:14:33 +0000

For the second time in as many weeks, the City of Oakland has been prominently featured in the Sunday New York Times. Yesterday’s story detailed the “Great Wall” in downtown Oakland. In conjunction with Art Murmur on the first Friday of every month, enormous movies and video art are projected onto the side of a building at Grand Avenue and Valley Street. The videos are curated by the nonprofit that now runs the Art Murmur. Last month’s show included animated films from South Korea, France and China.

If you have not yet been to Art Murmur, you must make a pilgrimage. Parking can be a huge bear, but the monthly festival is located very close to the 19th Street BART station. The next Art Murmur takes place on February 3rd from 6-9 PM.

The City of Oakland…. proving Gertrude Stein wrong every day.

Manhattan’s Most Expensive Apartment – EVER

dfuller — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:55:50 +0000

There are luxury properties, and then there are LUXURY properties. Welcome to THE most expensive apartment ever sold in Manhattan. For a mere 88 million dollars, the 22-year-old daughter of Russian billionaire Dmitriy Rybolovlev, Ekaterina Rybolovleva, now owns the swank apartment overlooking Central Park. You read that right: TWENTY-TWO years old!

The apartment at 15 Central Park West is one of the toniest addresses in NYC. It features 10 rooms including 4 bedrooms, a wraparound terrace of over 2,000 square feet, 4 bedrooms and 2 wood burning fireplaces.

The sale works out to be about $13,000 a square foot. What a commission on that one! Here is the view:

Storybook Tudor

dfuller — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:24:04 +0000

A beautiful Tudor style home in the desirable Normandy Gardens neighborhood of Oakland. This is a nicely updated home. The kitchen boasts granite counters, tile floors, and an eat-in breakfast nook. With a formal dining room, a cozy fireplace and finished basement, this home is ready for its new owner to love and enjoy it.

Country Manor

dfuller — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:00:41 +0000

Come and visit this spacious French/ English country manor. Great for entertaining with a chef’s kitchen, 6 burner Thermador professional range and hood, Amana refrigerator, and Bosch dishwasher. Behind the home you will find a detached studio/ guest house. In addition to the 4 bedrooms and 2 baths, the home boasts a rumpus room, office space and beautiful random plank hardwood floors. Enjoy the outdoors in the hot tub on the large exterior deck.

Emeryville Condos

dfuller — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:17:07 +0000

~~Four condominiums~~ strike that.. there are two left now! in the heart of Emeryville. Just two blocks from most major Emeryville employers, these units boast new kitchens and baths, flash hot water heaters, a new roof, new windows and new or refinished flooring.

Units A, C and 2 are 2 bedroom/ 1 bath units (2 at 642 square feet and 1 at 815 square feet) listed at $140,000 and unit 1 is a 3 bedroom/ 1 bath (1,461 square feet) listed at $225,000.

Holiday Lights In The East Bay

dfuller — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:51:44 +0000

When I was younger, my family would always pile into the car and drive to the streets where the residents really went over the top with holiday lights. I remember oooing and ahhing at how far people had gone with lights. If you are in the East Bay and want to know where to go, here are some of my suggestions:

1. Picardy Street in East Oakland. Just about EVERY house on this entire street has lights and each house is connected to each other with a strand of lights as well. Here is where it is.

2. Or you can jump over to Alameda and take a look at “Christmas Tree Lane” - Thompson Avenue between High Street and Fernside if you want to see the definition of “over the top.”

3. The Oakland Zoo offers Zoolights every holiday season. Check here for the details.

4. Here is a website that gives you some specific addresses in the East Bay to check out.

5. Tilden Park’s Christmas Fantasy - At the Tilden Merry Go Round

6. The Mormon Temple in Oakland always has a spectacular light show.

7. Children’s Fairyland offers Fairy Winterland each December

Whatever you do, enjoy the holiday and have a great new year!