Irvine Real Estate Blogger

Photo of my very own “I Voted” Sticker

Exercise Your Political Muscle and Vote!

Exercise is good for your body and mind. Exercising your political muscle strengthens your community and the nation. Your vote matters. Just do it!

Go on, get to the polls and vote!

Photo courtesy of The Truth About Mortgage
With the financial markets in turmoil, and with the luster lost in the real estate market, one wonders where the savvy buyer/investor is placing his/her dollars. If you remove gold bullion, and/or stashing your money under the mattress from the safe haven equation, I would say that the REO (real estate or bank-owned) market is currently vying for the home buyer’s/investor’s cash.

I’ve been tracking the REO market here in Irvine for my buyers and sellers. Buyers want to know that if they decide to purchase a home now that their investment is protected from a further market decline. They feel that if they focus on foreclosed properties, then they have, to some extent, a built-in cushion just in case the real estate market experiences further declines. Whether or not this perception proves to be true is still debatable. However, this is the buyer’s/investor’s view of the current state of the real estate market. (more…)

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

(more…)

I decided to play the interviewer at my Open House yesterday. Yes, I am one of those real estate agents who believe in holding Open Houses as one way to market and expose a home to potential buyers, and to answer questions swirling around in the minds of buyers and sellers in the Irvine neighborhoods in which we market and sell homes. Yes, It’s real life, real-time interacting with your potential home buying/selling community; “pressing the flesh,” so to speak. And to be quite honest we have actually sold quite a few of our listings and/or our collegues listings through the contacts we have made holding Open Houses. However, yesterday, I decided to ask John and Jane Doe, and Mary Q. Public the following questions:

1. On which sites do you search for properties, and

2. If you could make one change that would enhance your online home searching experience, what would that change be? And the answers were enlightening:

(more…)

Is there a place for Open Houses in a real estate agent’s marketing strategy these days? Elaine Carlson, of PalosVerdesSource.com, exploses this issue in her article entitled “Is the Jig Up on Open Houses? There is no short answer.

Open Houses can be a viable, valuable marketing tool under certain circumstances and in particular niche markets. Real estate is after all local, and buyers often like to check out neighborhoods and houses up close and in person without having to commit to using the services of a real estate agents in the beginning stages of their search.

Just as many buyers prefer to view homes first online, anonymously, and educate themselves before actually making contact with a real estate professional, buyers also utilize Open Houses as a way to familiarize themselves with those particular communities in which they may ultimately have an interest in purchasing a home or condo. (more…)

There is light at the end of the tunnel…

It began this spring with whispers and mumblings in the real estate community and blogesphere. Buyers were emerging from their winter doldrums and showing up at Open Houses–at first checking house prices; not commiting, but still demonstrating a measurable interest in real estate.

While the reports from the established media were still cast in colors of May gray, and June gloom, the tweets and twitters from the chorus of real estate agents in their respective local nests were singing a different tune and what a sweet tune it has turned out to be.

Open the curtains, raise the windows, throw open the doors, and inhale the fresh air of a changing season in the real estate market. The flowers are in full bloom and their fragrance fills the air. The birds are singing and a new day is dawning here in Irvine and in the local housing markets around Orange County.

Psst…if you haven’t heard, homes are selling and they are selling in healthy numbers. Active listings down; pending sales up; inventory is rapidly being absorbed–these positive trends continue to emerge in the Irvine, California and Orange County real estate markets.

Irvine and Orange County housing sales reported to the MLS continues to be strong. The past two weeks have seen sales in greater numbers. Inventory continues to fall by an average of about 100 listings per week, compared to increases of approximately 200 listings per week at this time last year. The current inventory in Orange County number 1600 fewer homes than at this time last year. Active listings in Orange County have fallen below 15,000, and the index of how long it would take to sell/absorb the existing inventory at the current rate of sales is at its lowest point since August of 2006. In our local Irvine housing market, we currently have a total of 839 active listings in the Multiple Listing Service. Those homes/condos reported as in Back-Up or Pending Sales (in escrow) number 272 which indicates that it would take only three months to absorb/sell the existing inventory at the current rate of sales.

Buyers have a real opportunity to realize their dream of home ownership at significantly lower prices and favorable interest rates.

• Check out the fascinating oral history (50th Anniversary) of “How the Web Was Won” in Vanity Fair http://tinyurl.com/46tblt #
• “The Medium is the Message”: Meet the world of Web 2.0 Politics.Do you see the correlation here for Real Estate?http://tinyurl.com/5873uv #
• Irvine, CA was named safest city for the 4th year in a row among big cities (w/ population above 100K residents) http://tinyurl.com/5bzcv7 #
• Geez, Inventory in Irvine is down, pendings & back-ups are way up. Does anybody out there here the thunder? #
• Homes for sale in Irvine MLS: (Actives) 844; Pending and Backup Sales (In Escrow) 266; that’s just a little over 3 months visible supply #

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As a veteran real estate agent, the message reverberated loud and clear: “Innovate or Disintegrate,” as Jessica Swesey writes in her fairwell article as a columnist for the Inman News.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years as editor of Inman News, it’s that companies that do not innovate die–or worse, become irrelevant, which is much like being buried alive.

I hope that those in the real estate industry see the changing market as their opportunity to innovate. The Internet, open source, social media, the sub- prime disaster and housing downturn have changed consumers forever. Real estate needs to adapt to these changes.

Those who do not innovate will become irrelevant to these changing needs.

Indeed, real estate agents must embrace the new medium of the Web 2.0 by creating a voice through a network of interactive communication and participation, and by going beyond the static page of a Web 1.0 presence to deliver rich original content and information to the home buying and selling public.

In the 1960’s, Marshall McCluhan, a media analyst, wrote a book from which the title became the common vernacular for the transformative power and influence of the medium of television, still in its infancy: namely, The Medium is the Message.

Every generation has their medium and those who succeed in embracing the medium connect with the people with whom they communicate. In the realm of politics, President Franklin Roosevelt used radio–the medium of the day to connect with the depression-era populace by way of the intimate Fireside chats.

President John F. Kennedy used the new medium of the time, television, to connect with an unprecedented seventy-seven million Americans (over 60% of the adult population,) to win the Kennedy/Nixon Debates in the eyes of the public and ultimately win the Presidency. At the time, CBS news correspondent, Charles Kuralt, declared that “Kennedy’s skill with the medium helped to make television the nation’s ‘new front porch’.”

Fast forward almost half a century, and the political pundits are now attempting to deconstruct Barack Obama’s below the radar successful candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency.

In Frank Rich’s Op-Ed article entitled, One Historic Night, Two Americas, he points out that “the Obama forces out-organized the most ruthless machine in Democratic politics because the medium of their campaign mirrored its inclusive message.” In other words, they empowered the ordinary citizen rather than relying on the typical top-down hierarchical structure of the past.

“Such viral organization and fund-raising is a seamless fit with bottom-up democracy as it is increasingly practiced in the Facebook-YouTube era, not merely by Americans and not merely by the young.”

Out with the old ways of doing business; in with the new social media.

He goes on to point out the similarities between Hillary Clinton’s and John McCain’s strategies in their respective “cultural tone-deafness” and “stodgy generic web site(s) ” in which their “blogs, video and social networking are static and sparse,” and how both Clinton and McCain repeatedly invoke “I,” in their respective speeches, while Obama’s message invokes the inclusiveness of the “Yes, we can” mantra: speaking to a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-generational inclusiveness–a post boomer, post-partisan inclusiveness that jettisons the baggage of the Me-Generation and embraces the You-Tube, MySpace, Facebook generation. “His [Obama's] vocabulary is so different from that of Mrs. Clinton and Mr. McCain that they often find it as baffling as a foreign language.”

In Rich’s opinion Mrs. Clinton and Mr. McCain see change as “nothing more than a marketing gimmick,” while Obama uses the message of change as a sea-change of all inclusiveness and optimism. “On one side stands Mr. Obama’s resolutely cheerful embrace of the future… On the other is John McCain’s promise of a wise warrior’s vigilant conservation of the past.”

Parallels may be drawn in the real estate industry as real estate agents continue to cling to old ways of the “I’s” instead of focusing on the all inclusive “we” or “you.” Indeed, there are the veteran real estate agents who remain comfortable with the methodologies of the past–reluctant to embrace the new technologies–even the most basic ones in the face of the public’s desire to have a free flow of information available to them when they want it and on their terms.

Others of us are empowered, energized, and willing to embrace the kind of change necessary to educate ourselves as we move toward understanding the new message of inter-connectivity and seek to immerse ourselves in this new medium, resolving to deliver the information that the buyers and sellers desire in an interactive Web 2.0 way.

The real estate agent who seeks to remain vital in this rapidly changing industry needs to evolve and embrace the new message of total transparency with the free flow of real estate information, including real-time market trends and statistics, accurate and available “sold” data, access to real-time mortgage rates, original hyper-local community information, instant chat and instant messaging. We need to embrace and disseminate the information through the new medium of Web 2.0 real estate whether it be in the form of an interactive web site, blog, and other social media, such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, and the newest micro-blogging phenomenon, Twitter.

For those real estate agents who wish to experience the new Medium and Message first-hand from the internet gurus, such as Pat Kitano of TransparentRE, Kevin Boar of 3OceansRealEstate, and Dustin Luther of 4Realz, check out the Real Estate Connect Conference in San Francisco from July 23rd – July 25th. You will be inspired to find your own voice and re-construct your business for the new Web 2.0 real estate community.

If you’ve watched Sabrina Soto on HGTV’s “Get It Sold”, you know that she takes a home that’s been languishing on the market, makes some changes, rearranges, spruces it up, stages it, and it sells… Even if you haven’t watched the program, a home that is well presented will sell faster.

Take a good look at your home… Is it ready for its debut–it’s entrance–in our current Buyer’s market? Would you buy it if it was for sale? In today’s market, it needs to stand out among the inventory. If not…

Here are some low-cost ideas:

• The Brush-Off: Freshly painted interior and exterior walls in neutral colors are appealing, and tell the prospective buyer that your home has been well maintained. Call your Home Owner’s Association (if you have one) for exterior paint brands and colors. There are several “green” paints–low Volatile Organic Compounds or VOC’s available for interior paint.
• A Place for Everything: Remove clutter from exterior and interior stairways, bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom counters. Observe the one-appliance kitchen rule: just one on the counter, whether it’s your coffeepot, toaster, or food processor. This says there is plenty of cupboard and counter space.
• Counter Proposal: Your kitchen should sparkle and give the impression of plenty of working space. Be sure the faucets don’t drip, and the built-in appliances work.
• It Makes Scents: Borrow a friend’s bread maker if you don’t have one. The smell of fresh bread is almost irresistible, and gives a warm welcome. Do not use floral room sprays; they make the buyer wonder what you’re trying to cover up.
• Take a Powder: Put away shavers, makeup, curling irons, hair dryers, etc. Shine bathroom tubs, sinks, fixtures, and mirrors, and put out fresh towels. The caulking around the tub/shower and grout around tiles should be free of cracks and dirt. A good way to clean the caulk is with a toothbrush and liquid sink cleaner.
• Plenty of Hang-ups: Neat and orderly closets reveal plenty of storage space is available. Dispose of unwanted or unneeded clothing to a favorite charity. Store boxes of files, holiday decorations, etc. in the garage or at a storage facility.
• Beauty by the Yard: Make a great first impression by having the lawn neatly mowed and edged, flowers planted (especially fragrant ones), bushes trimmed, and the yard of free of garden tools and toys (swing sets excepted).
• Doing your Homework: You will rarely recoup the dollars invested in major home improvements just prior to selling your home. Exceptions: upgraded kitchens and baths.
• Take a Good Look at Yourself: Would you buy your home if it was for sale? If not, use these low cost investments that will return greater dividends.

The key to selling your home in a reasonable time frame and maximizing your sales price, especially in today’s market where there are many homes from which to choose, is to prepare your home for sale before its debut. Remove the clutter, the personal effects and paint the walls in neutral colors. Create an environment that can suit many buyer’s tastes. By depersonalizing your home, buyers will visualize your home as their home, and it will be as good as sold.

Photo is Courtesy of HGTV’s “Get It Sold,” by Sabrina Soto

“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

Answer: Both of them have had their homes foreclosed upon.

Jose Conseco, a former American League MVP, in remarks made on the TV show “Inside Edition”, said that he “walked away from his $2.5 Million Encino home “because it didn’t make financial sense for me to keep paying a mortgage on a home that was basically owned by someone else.” Didn’t make sense to pay his mortgage (hmm) on a home that was basically owned by someone else (Who would that have been? Maybe the bank that lent him the mortgage?).

Meanwhile, USA Today reported that “The credit crunch is hitting the halls of Congress, with reports from California that a member of the House lost her house in foreclosure earlier this month.” Congresswoman Laura Richardson had her home foreclosed upon as a result of borrowing $60,000 out of it for her congressional campaign. She had initially taken out a loan out on her three bedroom home in Sacramento 17 months ago for $535,000 (100% financing), and then borrowed an additional sum bringing the indebtedness to $578,000 when a “Notice of Trustee’s Sale” was published in March of this year. Richardson who earns $169,300 a year as a congresswoman was also reportedly behind on her taxes by almost $9,000. “Washington Mutual ended up writing off nearly $200,000 of that debt to get rid of the home,” according to the Press-Telegram.

What ever happened to the notion of noblesse oblige? The idea of living up to your obligations? If our elected politicians and sports celebrities can walk, then I can certainly balk, or at least blog about it.

When I decided to take up blogging, thanks to an inspiring web 2.0 seminar held by two great instructors/coaches and self-described geeks or propeller heads, Kevin Boar of 3OceansRealEstate.com and Pat Kitano of TransparentRE.com, I promised myself that I was going to do this blogging thing the right way. I would not be a once-in-awhile, maybe-I’ll-get-around-to it-tomorrow sort of blogger. No, not me. I wasn’t going to be just a middling blogger. I was going to throw myself into this new medium and do it the right way–blog frequently and provide useful, if not inspiring, real estate content. As a newbie blogger, I would blog consistently and with gusto.

Like everything else I pursue, I threw myself into this new blogging thing, and was having a great time honing my imperfect writing skills and overcoming my initial write fright, when the business of real estate hit me square in the center of my blogging life.

While all those would-be buyers and sellers were waiting for the market to plummet or soar (depending on their respective perspectives), I was blogging away, and having a great time doing so. Then all of a sudden, out of the sunny, southern California blue skies came a bolt of buyers, who actually wanted to buy the houses they had looked at, and sellers who actually wanted to price their homes and condos realistically to sell. Taken by surprise, I found myself awash in paperwork (albeit digital paperwork, but nevertheless,paperwork–the stuff of purchase contracts, disclosures, and inspections sort of paperwork) and no time to blog!

Now my days (and nights) are filled with doing the business of real estate, i.e., showing properties, arranging for photo shoots and virtual tours, inputing listings/homes for sale, writing contracts, scheduling property inspections–in short, I am engaged in the practice of buying and selling real estate which is what, after all, I am supposed to do. But now the guilt has set in. I feel like a binge-eater after abandoning a healthy diet and exercise program. Blogging is like exercise, you need a frequent dose of it to lead a healthier, happier, more productive interactive, social-networking life.

And so this blogger is back…and so is the business of buying and selling real estate in Irvine, CA. And I can attest to that.

No, I don’t mean the Realtors that are newly licensed, but Realtors have been master recyclers for years.

Going green is the “trend du jour”. Many commercials, many TV shows and many magazine/newspaper articles are talking about going green to protect the environment. I applaud these efforts!

My frugal grandmother said “use it up, wear it out, make it do.” That’s part of going green. Another part is reusing current products in a new way… buying used furniture and repainting it or adapting it to a new use. Another part is using products that are renewable resources… for instance, if you want hardwood flooring, use bamboo rather than oak or maple. Even soft thirsty towels are now available made from bamboo. Rather than vertical or mini-blinds made from plastic, use natural wood renewable products. Green products are becoming increasingly available, and at competitive prices. Check your local home store for additional ideas.

What does this have to do with Realtors?

Realtors are the master recyclers, and have been for many years. Selling “used” homes to new owners is the ultimate in going green!

Want to help the environment? Buy a home!

They are both solid investments in your future.

According to the National Association of Realtors, on average the value of a home doubles every ten years. In addition, most people’s personal wealth comes from real estate. A personal note: I bought a condo in Irvine in 2000 for $178,500; I sold it in 2007 for $429,000. You can do the math, and see that I made a nice profit, even after paying all costs of the sale.

Education produces the same profit potential. High school graduates don’t have much future earning power. College graduates at the B.A. or B.S. level have a much higher earning power. And it increases exponentially with a Master’s Degree or Doctorate Degree. Whether it’s for yourself or your children… just keep writing those tuition checks… there will be future pay-back in terms of long-term earnings.

In Irvine, we are fortunate in having several higher level education opportunities. Several two-year colleges in the area, regional four-year colleges including the award-winning Chapman University, and the Irvine campus of the prestigious University of California.

And what about current investment in real estate? Interest rates are still at historic lows, and prices of Irvine real estate are comparatively low. It’s a great time to buy! A possible scenario: a home you could have bought two years ago for $600,000 is now priced at $500,000 or less. Given that real estate always appreciates over time, doesn’t that sound like a good time to call a Realtor?

As of 6 pm on April 23rd there are 887 active listings in Irvine; 479 of them are under $729,750 (the new guidelines for first time buyer loan programs); 411 of them are two bedrooms or more with one or one and one-half baths; 391 of them are two bedrooms and two baths. If you are not a first-time buyer, there are still many opportunities for continued home ownership: 133 2-bedroom, 2-bath homes priced up to $500,000; 258 2-bedroom, 2-bath homes priced up to $600,000.

Isn’t it a good time to call a Realtor?

Google reminded us to turn out the lights during Earth Hour, and now while “googling” something, I am reminded that today, April 22nd, is Earth Day.

Before moving to Irvine, California, we lived in Tucson, Arizona.

Most people think of the desert as rugged and hearty, certainly not fragile and fleeting. With the temperature hovering over the century mark from April through November during the daytime, one can only imagine how difficult it is for the flora and fauna to thrive and persevere.

I am reminded of a flower that blooms only one summer night in Tucson, and closes up at sunrise the very next morning, called the Night Blooming Cereus, or Queen of the Night.

I am reminded how fortunate we are here in Irvine, California to live so close to the Upper Newport Ecological Preserve, a sanctuary for migratory birds, and other critters including ourselves.

I am reminded that Sabino Canyon–a desert oasis in Tucson’s Coronado National Forest–had as a reminder of its fragility at its entrance which read:

Leave only footsteps, and take only memories…

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.

For those of you who weren’t aware, the hour between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., on Saturday, March 29th was designated as Earth Hour–the hour where people were called upon around the world to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, and heighten our awareness by bringing “light” to the subject of energy conservation on a global scale ultimately benefiting our planet as a whole.

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.

The Annual Persian New Year celebration will take place in Irvine’s Mason Regional Park this coming Sunday, March 30th. This day long celebration is the culmination of the Persian New Year, “Norooz,” which began on the first day of Spring. On the 13th day of the New Year or “Sizdeh Bedar,” families and friends gather in the park to picnic as an annual rite of renewal to start the New Year fresh. Thousands of people are expected to partake in the New Year’s celebration. We wish all our friends a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

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.