Oakland Ca Real Estate's Blog: All Categories

Berkeley California has been an icon for progressive change for years, and the RICO ordinance is another reflection of this. This law reinforces the city's commitment to being a model for energy conservation.

RICO stands for Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (city of Berkeley ordinance 6099), and it's meant to ensure that anyone buying real estate in Berkeley is informed of their duty to comply with the energy conservation efforts of the city.

Under the ordinance, the responsibility of the following are transferred to the buyer upon close of escrow:

1. Insulate the ceiling to an R-value of 30

2. Seal and insulate furnace ducts to R-value of 3

3. Insulate storage water heaters to an R-value of 6

4. Install low-flow shower and faucet devices…

It's interesing to see how the Bay Area real estate market is acting right now. According to Dataquick, the median Bay Area home price rose over 6% in April, even though sales are down significantly. It seems a bit odd, but our market hasn't been very "typical" at all in recent years.

Normally we would expect prices to be falling slightly along with sales activity, but the opposite seems to be happening. I think it may suggest that there are less buyers overall right now, but there's still enough buyers out there who want to live in the Bay Area, and who are willing to compete with other buyers for the home of their dreams. We are still seeing many properties that fetch multiple offers and end up selling for more than the asking price. These properties…

Oakland's City Walk is a community of 252 homes, consisting of flats, lofts and live-work city residences. It will feature 6 levels of metal stud construction, with below-ground parking and 2500 sq feet of retail space at the ground level.

These condos are centrally located, and according to City Walk they feature the following:

• Gated Community
• 24 hr concierge and fitness center
• covered garage with motorcycle and bike spaces
• high quality steel and concrete construction
• floor to ceiling windows
• spacious, well designed floorplans
• Urban retreat with Zen-like sensibilities
• First class design and finishes in the homes and common areas
• Structured Cat5 wiring

The units range from 570 sq ft studios at…

Here are the 15 steps that need to be taken to purchase a home:

1. The Initial Interview

• Determine what you need and want in your new home

• Discuss the parameters of your search

• Discuss financing

2. Get Pre-Qualified By a Lender

• Obtain a pre-qualification letter

3. Property Tours

• View available properties that match your needs and emotions

• Listen to you carefully to find out what features you need in your ideal home

• Provide you with information about the current market and what it means to you

4. Find the Home That Matches Your Needs and Write The Offer

• Writing the offer will take between 1-3 hours

…

The Golden State Warriors have made it to the playoffs for the first time in 13 years! Not only that, but we blew out Dallas at their home for the first game! Now I know, the second game didn't go so well, and Baron Davis and Jackson should have been a able to keep their composure. However tonight Dallas comes to Oakland for game 3, and I have a feeling that Nelle gave them a good speach about keeping composure and not letting emotions get to them.

I'm happy to see Oakland's team finally shine in the spotlight!

Update- Ok, I guess the Jazz were a little too much for us. Boozer and KiriIinko presented us with some size problems. Im still proud of the Warriors for shocking the world by taking Dallas out of the playoffs! I take my hat off to them, and I…

If you are searching for Oakland real estate and you aren't familiar with virtual earth dynamic mapping, then you should visit the Prudential Bay Area real estate search engine to check it out. This technology uses satellite imagry which allows you to zoom in and get a "bird's-eye view" of the street, neighborhood and home you are interestred in. The detail is amazing, and it gives you a perspective that is almost better than being there in person. If you arent familiar with an area, you can zoom out and get a feel for where the freeways, parks and transportation are located. You have the ability to zoom in and out from way out in space all the way down to street level and explore as much of the landscape as you like.

Curious about what's in the yard of…

One of the realities of the real estate world is that when housing and economic activity declines, there are more homeowners who end up facing the foreclosure process. When appreciation is high for a sustained period, such as the Bay Area market from 2001-2005 people tend to be more aggressive and will go to great lengths to buy. In fact, lenders were going to great lengths to lend to those who were not well qualified. In many of these cases, borrowers chose interest only loans with balloon payments and took out second, third and even fourth deeds of trust. Many of these buyers expected the market to continue the way it had, which would mean double digit appreciation for the foreseeable future. Of course we all witnessed the market come down in 2005, with…

Signature Properties is touting it's Broadway Grand development as Oakland's new premier condo community. Located at the corner of Broadway and Grand ave, this seven story art deco-inspired building is centrally located to Lake Merritt, Old Oakland's Farmers Market, the Paramount Theatre, Bart, and Jack London Square.

Signature states, "Every inch of this new sleek and stylish condominium neighborhood has been designed for comfort and style." The eight floorplans range from one bed/one bath condos at 722 square feet that start at $419,900 to four bed/three bath townhomes at 2108 square feet that start at $899,900. The price of the units also varies depending on where they are located in the building.

One interesting aspect of this project is that when…