Photo courtesy of Tim Larson of Grey Clad Mystery

We all search for perfection in the real world. We look for the perfect person with whom we can bond. We look for the perfect culinary or wine-tasting experience. We look to catch the perfect wave. We look to achieve the perfect SAT scores; well, you get the picture. We all strive toward that elusive dream of perfection in whatever it is that we deem important in our lives.

Fast forward to the way in which buyers/consumers search for the perfect place to call home versus the way in which real estate web developers construct a real estate site. In his funny and illuminating article entitled Rethink Real Estate Search, in Inman News, Marc Davison, of 1000 Watt Consulting points out that real estate internet sites are engineered by programmers–”guys and gals with 180 IQ’s–guided by folks who get their kicks from Excel.”

A programmer might construct a search by zip code, or create an application that includes home-value estimates that “can never be accurate, no matter how many Ph.D.s are thrown at them;” or create searches that are “cluttered by advertising;” or provide maps that are either “hybrid,” “satellite” or “list” views (“humans don’t search from space”), instead of speaking to what real people are looking for when they search for the perfect place to live.

And while it is true that statistical data has demonstrated that over 80% of buyers/consumers begin their search for the perfect home online, their home search continues off line, on the ground, and at the local level in conjunction with a real estate professional

A real person–a “human,” if you will, pursues their search for a home by actually driving through neighborhoods, by talking with neighbors, by “test-driving” the commute from work to a prospective home, by asking about the neighborhood schools and test performance, by checking the proximity of schools to the home under consideration; real people ask about whether the home or condo has a yard large enough for a pet or a garden, whether the house has a home office, a main floor bedroom, a hobby room, a media room, a living room in addition to a family room, a master suite downstairs, a chef’s kitchen, a finished garage; whether the garage is attached or detached, a two or three car garage, where the neighborhood shopping centers, parks, fitness center, bike paths, movie theatres, restaurants, local pharmacy, cleaners, barber shop are located–you get the picture: the things/stuff/features that make a home the fulfillment of a buyer/consumer’s dream home and a neighborhood that is a perfect fit for their lifestyle.

The buyer/consumer wants to have a dialogue, a conversation, with their real estate agent about what the buyer considers to be the most important features in their search for the perfect home. This then, as Marc Davison suggests, can be formatted in an innovative way by programmers who would create a “natural search paradigm” that would describe homes in a manner that reflects how people really think.

And by the way, buyers/consumers want to see pictures, lots of them, and not crummy, blurry pictures, and not three pictures of toilet bowls with the seat raised, as Lynne Pope illustrated in her recent post. Imagine buyers finding an unlimited number of pictures, say 50 photos–more than enough to capture the essence of the room’s space and with descriptions that stir the imagination and paint a picture of what it would be like to live the lifestyle that this home evokes.

And what about creating and sharing a video of the neighborhood amenities–a journey into the heart of the community, highlighting the nearby pools, spas, tennis/sports courts, parks, restaurants, shopping centers, and schools.

Now I’m sure that you get the picture–in focus, evocative, and enlightening–and so will the buyers if you dialogue with them about what they would like to see in their search for the perfect home. And maybe the conversation will inspire change—moving the discourse toward a more perfect home-buying experience on-line through a human centric search algorithm, and off-line, through the human contact with your local real estate professional.

“Sex and the City,” the movie, opened Friday to the tune of $26.9 Million based on the strength of sales by women and their friends (the buzz) resulting in sold out shows.

Your home for sale is the equivalent of an opening–it has to have the right “buzz” to be included on the buyer’s short list. Whether or not you have a successful opening can impact how many dollars you may gain or lose in terms of the sales price of your home. You usually do not get a second chance to make that all important first impression.

Your house for sale has to entice the buyer. If you were meeting a blind date, you would not don an ordinary “house dress,” but rather you might slip into that killer Little Black Dress, and accessorize it, perhaps, with a pair of strappy Manolo Blahnik heels, the latest “it” handbag, and an alluring “come hither” scent–in other words you would be “dressed to kill.” Your house needs to be “dressed to sell,” when a prospective buyer drives up to the front of your home for sale. Does your house have that all important “it” factor?

If not, you would be well advised to obtain a makeover (and it doesn’t necessarily require an extreme makeover) prior to putting your house on the market for sale.

In her article entitled Staging is House Marketing, Marion Duffy aptly points out that “You want your house displayed so as to give shoppers an idea of how your home may fit into their lifestyle. This is staging. Staging sets your house apart from the houses on the rack or the rows of houses.” Indeed, your house needs to appeal to the emotions of the buyer.

In a related article entitled Intuitive Home Finding, Lynne Pope paints a picture of how a buyer perceives their home: “When you think of a home, you look into your heart and you picture it, a picture so clear you feel it in your soul, the place you’ve dreamt about and longed for, ” namely, your Ideal Home. Indeed, your home may well be compared to one’s perception of an ideal soul mate. The image arises from our dreams…Your house is now the star of the Silver Screen: Ready, lights, camera, action!

Photo is Courtesy of StarPulse.com

Everyone has his/her own reason for moving from one place to another. Over the past century we have become an increasingly mobile people. We uproot ourselves and our families seeking a better life, reinventing ourselves.

We move for a job relocation. We move to improve the quality of our lives and of those of our children or grandchildren. We are looking for a vacation or second home. We are looking for a retirement community. We are looking to move near excellent schools for our children or future families. We are seeking to move close to a university environment. We are looking to move from a colder to a milder climate. We are looking to move from a large single family home into a condo, town home or high-rise. We are seeking to move from a condo or town home into a larger single family home. We are looking to move to a golf course community. We are seeking to move to a coastal or a beach community. We are looking to move to a safer environment. We are looking for cultural enrichment.

In short, welcome to Irvine, CA whose everyday motto is “another day in paradise.” Irvine, CA has a dynamic and healthy business environment. Irvine, CA has real estate catering to the taste of one and all: homes, properties, condos, high rise and low rise town homes, second homes, vacation properties, golf course communities, beach communities, and retirement communities.

Welcome, home to Irvine, CA where lifestyle and real estate meet and fulfill the wants and needs of people of all ages in which one and all find their very own piece of paradise.

Google, a sponsor of Earth Hour, actually reminded me by turning their screen to a black background from 12:01 a.m. on March 29th through the end of the day. So when I tried to “google” something I was brought to a black screen with the words ” We’ve turned the lights out. Now it’s your turn – Earth Hour.” Thanks to Google for reminding those of us who “google” all the time to do our small part to help spread the global word and help tilt the world toward the greening of our planet.

And that’s my word on the subject.

Peet’s was founded by Alfred Peet, on April 1, 1966 in Berkeley, CA., determined to provide an alternative to the poor quality of coffee being consumed by Americans at the time. His style of coffee was a radical departure from what was then available, “emphasizing smaller batches, freshness, superior quality beans, and a darker roasting style that produced coffee with richness and complexity. ”

The new store will have its opening this coming Saturday, March 29th at 6:00 a.m. As part of their grand opening, customers will receive a half-pound of coffee beans withthe purchase of any espresso drink, and complimentary coffee and tea will be served throughout the day.

We were visiting our son over Easter weekend up in the Bay area and happened on a delightful fair in Yountville, a small but notable community in Napa valley. We had decided on visiting Napa for a little bit of wine-tasting, and wound up discovering an annual festival replete with wine-tasting, live music, and delectable hors d’oeuvres offered up by the local wineries and notable area restaurants.

It was perfect in that one could park one’s car and saunter from booth to booth sampling each distinctive treat. Oh, did we mention reasonably priced as well. We purchased a number of tickets which we used as script toward food and drink. A generous sampling of wine was equivalent to two dollars (two tickets), as were many samplings of tasty tidbits. The firemen served up a great sampling of BBQ ribs, and bistro Bouchon offered up their signature chocolate delight.

For those of you who haven’t yet experienced Yountville, it is home to one of the best restaurants, and several great bistros in the region and, perhaps, the country. For a very special occasion, such as a round-numbered birthday or important anniversary, you might want to make plans to visit the French Laundry, housed in an unassuming building in the heart of town. It is one of the most divine and memorable dining experiences you will ever have. However, it requires planning. One cannot decide to go on the spur of the moment. Rather you must make reservations 60 days in advance of the date you plan to dine.

On the other hand, you can dine more spontaneously in one of the other well-acclaimed bistros in town. Check out Bouchon Bistro, Bistro Jeanty, or Ad Hoc for a very satisfying culinary experience.

So if you happen to be in the Bay area on the Saturday following the Spring Equinox next year, plan on venturing up to Yountville in Napa for a most enjoyable day.

Venturing into real estate can be compared to jogging in that just as you would want to get a health check-up before embarking on any serious exercise program, so too would you also want to get pre-approved by a lender to see if your current financial “health” can support a housing payment.

Exercising, like real estate, can seem daunting: it takes research and commitment to do both right. But while you can exercise on your own, some choose to seek the assistance of a fitness trainer or coach to help follow an exercise program; similarly, some find that looking for real estate on their own suits their needs just fine, while others, though, recognize and seek the value that a real estate professional can provide to the process.

While jogging ultimately enhances your overall well-being, energizes both your body and your mind, and allows you to take charge of your life, real estate instills a sense of pride of ownership, enhances your self-esteem, and allows you to be the master/mistress of your own castle.

Furthermore, as jogging or any consistent aerobic exercise will stave off diseases and extend the quality of your life, owning your own home has historically been a source of tax relief, enhancing your net income, and allowing you to have more disposable income for even a little self-indulgence on occasion. (Like, for example, enjoying that aged-to-perfection glass of wine—which, coincidentally, could help break down plaque build-up in your arteries just as a morning or afternoon jog would!)

As jogging and exercising regularly could actually add quantitative and qualitative years to your life (if coupled with other healthful lifestyle changes and activities, of course), owning your own home is a major step towards enhancing your future, securing your retirement—and fulfilling the American Dream of home ownership.

The return of the swallows to San Juan Capistrano has become a symbol associated with Saint Joseph’s Day on March 19th of each year and is celebrated as the day that marks the annual arrival of springtime, a time of renewal and rebirth.

However, Eric and I have come to view the first day of spring, as the date upon which we first sight the red-winged blackbirds by the Upper Newport Ecological Preserve where we have jogged since 1999. Like clockwork, the red-winged blackbirds arrive and announce that it is indeed springtime.

Their name reflects the fact that the male birds have red shoulder patches when they are in flight. They migrate over the Pacific Flyway and inhabit the wetland areas of the fresh and saltwater marshes making the Back Bay one of the places where come to nest.

Last week we were sure that we would have our first sighting. But the weather turned cold as strong winds swept through Irvine. Today we went on our usual jog, and Eric observed, looking at the snow-capped mountains of Mt. Baldy against the clear blue sky that the blackbirds intuitively knew that winter was still with us. Indeed, we’ll just have to wait and see. But it is certain that once we sight the red-winged blackbirds at the Back Bay, we can be assured that Spring will have arrived just as sure as the sparrows return to the beloved Mission at San Juan Capistrano.

No, we are not talking about running for elective office during this hotly contested 2008 Presidential election year!

Nor are we talking about running from declining home values!

We are talking about running for the pure fun of it.

We do it to extend our quality of life, boost our mental attitude and lose weight to boot (without dieting). As a matter of fact, you can eat more, and still shed the pounds if you exercise regularly. Oh, we know all about the stuff of “We don’t have enough time to….” Well, our advice is to find the time! We started running (or jogging) in 1999, and have continued on track (with minimal back-sliding).

Some benefits are lower blood pressure, reduced propensity for diabetes, heart disease, breast and prostate cancer, bone loss, weight loss, resulting in an improvement in overall well-being, and upping your energy level so that you can deal with higher gas prices, the ups and downs of the economy, and declining home values!