East Bay Realty Pro Blog

Yesterday, while at an inspection of a home I just sold in Alameda, I was told about a “spite house” only a few doors away. Built to “spite” a neighbor, at only ten feet wide, it is the narrowest house I have ever seen. Online research reveals that there are other spite houses around the [...]

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A couple of days ago, I was taking exterior photos of an upcoming listing when two dog-walkers passed. I had a laugh – hope you do, too.

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Talk about infuriating concepts! I just read this article, “PG&E Wants Rate Hike for Efficient Energy Users” and my blood is boiling.
Seems, in order to give price reductions to some of their biggest energy wasters, PG&E has filed an application to the state requesting a service rate increase of five per cent to the customers [...]

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In the midst of the urban space we call Oakland, runs a creek that covers over 2600 acres, emerging from the Oakland Hills and meandering through the city. About 80,000 folks live in the Sausal Creek Watershed area along with a myriad of birds, animals and plants. There are believed to be over 250 plant, [...]

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Yesterday, my wife and I attended a very special event, the 20th annual “Festival of Harps, a Celebration of World Harp Music.” We heard about it through the e-newsletter of our favorite harpist, Aryeh Frankfurter (Lionharp Music). The venue was the unique and fabulous Chapel of the Chimes on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. Built in [...]

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Huge earthquakes shook Samoa and Indonesia in the past few days. Scientists predict the Big One in Northern California within the next 30 years.
A large scale, fire/earthquake drill is taking place on October 15, at 10:15 AM when everyone is being encouraged to “Drop, Cover and Hold On” as though you were experiencing a major [...]

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There are so many things to see and do in the East Bay. Years ago, my wife, Sonia, started a list of “must do’s.” Eventually, she expanded it into what is now the Neighborhood Connections page on my Web site, East Bay Realty Pro.
The page not only contains lists (and links) to fun places throughout [...]

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With the weather being so wonderful, it is a great time to take advantage of Oakland’s free walking tours before they end for the season. Running from May through October, there are eight itineraries. A few examples are “Old Oakland,” “City Center,” “Uptown to the Lake,” and “Waterfront.”
Check the full schedule at the City of [...]

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I had a double reason to visit Oakland’s Montclair Farmers’ Market this morning.
Started in 2005, the market has been a huge success. A large section of LaSalle Avenue is closed to traffic and filled with vendors whose stalls are brimming with gorgeous fruits, vegetables, pastries, ethnic foods and so much more.
The primary reason for my [...]

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Sometimes it’s difficult to make social appointments when you work in real estate. My wife and I were planning to join this morning’s tour of Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery, “Noted, Notable and Notorious,” but work intervened. It may seem strange to some to go traipsing among the tombstones, but think about it as a place [...]

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