It is important to not only hire a local realtor who knows your neighborhood, but someone who works for a company you recognize. Here are the reasons why:

1) A local realtor will have access to local buyers and sellers!

2) Typically, a local realtor will attend local events and real estate tours. That knowledge will help buyers be more comfortable with your home as they can learn about local events, discuss the local listings and areas of interest easily from the knowledgeable realtor doing the open house.

3) A realtor who is with a company you recognize generally has more resources, more contacts and more training. I work for Coldwell Banker, one of the largest companies in the country. I am offered training 5 days a week, a weekly tour of new listings, access to thousands of agents that I can ask questions of and obtain resources such as the best plumber or someone who restores barrel ceilings.

I highly recommend, whether you are buying or selling, that you always interview at least two realtors to find the best fit for your needs.

The market this week seems to be a smidge better than last week (yes, smidge is a technical term ;).  The count (how many houses on market) last week was 262 and this week it has dropped to 245 for area 10 (Willow Glen). What I find interesting is that it looks like more sellers are accepting contingent offers- There are 7 contingent out of 14 sales for the last week.

Translation: HALF of the pending sales are contingent on that buyer selling their house first…

My pick of the week is 901 Pine Ave. It is a house that I remember when it was on market about 5 years ago. It is quite memorable!! Right across from River Glen Park no windows yet, AMAZING skylight, open plan with in-layed hardwood floors 3 bedrooms 3.5 baths for $900,000!!!

1830 sq ft. and 7100 sq ft. corner lot. Beautiful Asian inspired gardens! Roman showers in two of the master suites and a private hottub off one of the master bedrooms as well! Open house this Sat and Sun with Coldwell Banker’s Chris Conklin.

I know it is not news for many. However, here is a chart that I find comes in handy. Santa Clara had a change of -16.40% in ONE YEAR!

Source: DataQuick Information Systems, www.DQNews.com Media calls: Andrew LePage (916) 456-7157 or John Karevoll (909) 867-9534

Copyright 2008 DataQuick Information Systems. All rights reserved.

I showed a beautiful house in Saratoga today! New house that in my opinion was built to sell not to live in. It has a lot of wonderful features, dark floors, cool lighting and chandeliers even an arched fireplace and spiral staircase.

Lots of curves

While my clients enjoyed the details, we commented on how one would lay out furniture as most of the walls are artistically curved. Guess you would need to buy all new furniture or buy the staging furniture (darn, who wants new furniture???-yes, read sarcasm in my tone

Three things builders and architects should to keep in mind when building a spec house:

1) Buyers want obvious places to put their furniture and ESPECIALLY their TV and family room furniture

2) Buyers like yard! They really do! Do what you can to make the yard look large and usable!

3) Master bedrooms in the back of the house- every time!

Curves are pretty, just keep it minimal and usable!

My friends at lookiloos.com wrote about this gem of a store, moveitelsewhere.com in Willow Glen. I have been there many times and recommend you check it out!

Once you find this place, you can't help but think you might need a secret password to get in. It's only open three days a month and it's easy to drive right past without noticing. Move It Elsewhere is in an unassuming warehouse at 350 Lincoln Avenue in San Jose, just past San Carlos Street. When it's open, a sign dangles out front: "Estate Sale," it says.

It's a consignment store, actually, filled with used furnishings, pots, china, and patio furniture that owner Suzanne Comaroto acquires from her moving business. She moves senior citizens into retirement communities _ and she has an answer for what to do with all their belongings.

"Their kids don't want their stuff so I opened this consignment store," Comaroto said.

She sells it for them _ and gives them a commission. That means for three days every month, the public _ that's you and me _ get to take a look at antique dining room sets, Asian armoires, mid-century buffets, and costume jewelry.  That's 15,000 square feet to wander through, mind you. (Don't miss the second floor filled with odds and ends.)

During last weekend's opening, customers seemed to be leaving by the armload. Prices are set to sell _ "50 percent off everything" the sign says.

The next opening is Sept. 21, 22, 23rd. For more information go to moveitelsewhere.com.

This one has a clean-out. Great idea as they do tend to get clogged

I have heard the term ‘french drain’ many times in my 7+ years of real estate. It seems to be a buzz word in my little world lately. And, I remember well digging them with my dad as we fixed up houses growing up! It is a great concept for a 10-20 year (relatively inexpensive) fix to a water problem under a house or eating at a foundation. The end of the drain is typically filled with gravel and sand and close to the end of the yard. I have seen people put portable fire-pits on top or simple bushes/ferns around the area. It is certainly not good for grass or patios as you may need to access the area every 10 years or so.

What do you think of French Drains? Any advise or suggestions are welcome!

Many buyers these days are looking more closely at chimneys. Often there are hairline cracks that can be a fire breach and very dangerous. A qualified mason will need to rebuild, patch or otherwise repair. Of course some buyers opt to just not use the fireplace… Here is a new listing in the area where it sorta goes without saying… when buying a house, get inspections done and read them!

Chimney damage with the classic Willow Glen settling

I went to the Donor Reception for the Willow Glen Library today. What a wonderful community event! It was fun to see our family name in lights and see some neighbors and friends as well as an AMAZING new library that our tax dollars funded!

The library is BEAUTIFUL and is well received (well, people always seem to find something to complain about, but I am not going to get into that here).

New San Jose Library in Willow Glen

The thing that struck me besides the huge media room and beautiful art work and architecture was the fact that not only can you EAT in the library, you can BUY FOOD in the library! I remember sneaking food into the library when I was in high school (granted, that was a while ago…).

Vending machines inside the library!

Please be sure to support and patronize (not sure if that is the right word if it is FREE) your local libraries! Keep your community strong!

Mounted police, K-9 unit, fire trucks, Ace Hardware, finger printing and local vendors! Saturday, Aug. 16 the first annual Safety Fair with P.A.L. soccer. Free event for vendors and participants! And there are a few playgrounds and restrooms for added convenience (wink).

Come check it out! Great safety information and fun for the kids!

Willow Glen Safety Fair