You can see this home by appointment with us, OR you can see it on Open House – Saturday June 4th from 1:30-4:30pm and Sunday June 5th from 1:30-4:30pm. Stop by and see Howie!

Asking: $1,149,888

4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms

Almost 2,000 square feet of living space

8,700 square foot lot on a cul de sac

Pool

Courtyard

2 Car Garage

Family Room

Living Room

Dining Room

2 Fireplaces

Built in Cabinets and Speaker System

Updates throughout the house – new countertops, new faucets, fresh paint, new carpets!

We love love love the staging by Ciao Bella Interiors!

Photos were done by Sweet Poppy Studios

Boy have we been busy this month! we have 6 (that’s right! SIX) new listings. This one below is awesome and will be on the market very shortly. It features 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a beautiful pool, courtyard, family room, dining room, living room, and an updates all over the house! You will love the new counters in the kitchen and bathrooms. BEAUTIFUL! Asking only $1,149,888.00  This lovely home will be open this weekend, so I will do a full post with interior photos on Friday, but for now – here is a picture of the front. AND, as always, our clients get first priority to see our listings. So if you are interested, give Howie a call or shoot him an email! I know you all know how to get in touch with him – but just in case…. hclark@hcgrep.com or 650-222-2255. Happy Wednesday!

On that note, I have something fantastic for you today. A new listing in Redwood Shores. This listing belongs to our dear client and friend Mieke. Her family is very dear to my heart. That’s why i was so excited when Mieke called and asked us to help her sell her condo.  I enjoy it so much when we get to work with friends and share with them our love for property. It really makes our lives come full circle. Mieke and TO, thank you so much for trusting us with your beautiful home. We will help you get it sold and transition over to a new part of your lives. Oh, and we CAN”T WAIT to meet your new addition!

On to the property! 723 Portwalk in an upstairs, naturally light, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo located in sought after Redwood Shores. There are many things I love about this complex, but location is at the top of my list. You can walk to Oracle, take a quick bike ride to Cal-Train, or hop on the freeway in no time flat. Additionally, you can’t go wrong with all of the parks and water features in Redwood Shores. All of my clients that live in Redwood Shores SWEAR to me that just driving over into the area will lower your blood pressure. They say the atmosphere is relaxing and the perfect place to come home to at the end of a chaotic work day.

This property has so many wonderful features I couldn’t possibly list them all. I will list my favorites though! First, you can’t go wrong with the gorgeous vaulted ceilings. They let in a decent amount of light and it gives the condo a nice airy feeling. BONUS!

Also, I am obsessed with all the storage space this home contains. Not only does it have a detached one car garage, but it also has two closets in the master bedroom. This is rare people. Trust me. In addition to that, it has a storage closet on the balcony off of the master bedroom and another storage closet off of the deck in the front. The kitchen has extra storage above the cabinets. The laundry closet has added shelving on the side and extra clearance room at the top.  Even the furnace closet has extra space! Its wonderful.

To top it all off, this condo has a fireplace. Not common in condos and another total bonus feature. A few other mentionables – custom paint colors, updated doors, pergo floors in the kitchen, and many more too.All of this for the asking price of $449,000. Its worth every penny!

If you would like to see this property, or find out if you are qualified to purchase, just leave us a comment (we do love comments!) or send us an email. This one won’t be around much longer!

Oh – and here’s a picture for you of course!

404 Carlos Avenue, Redwood City – We love this property, and once you see it there is no secret why. It is on a fantastic corner lot and has a lot of extra space, including a formal living room. This is great home that has been very well maintained. It is also perfect for that buyer who wants to add their own touches. TODAY the price was reduced to $699,950. I have already taken 3 phone calls in the hour since the price was reduced. If you like it – you better hurry!

222 Laurel Street, San Carlos – An adorable condo here just a few blocks from downtown. It has just enough space for comfortable living and the location is to die for! Asking price is $275,000. Great place to consider for a starter property or even a nice location to downsize to for lower maintenance living.

2470 Edith Avenue, Redwood City – Large, split level home with a large utility room downstairs for activities and fun. The floor plan has wonderful features – including a separate dining room and a large eat-in kitchen. This home is on a nice cul-de-sac location and is a total gem. Great property for a buyer who wants to put in a little sweat equity to their new purchase. Asking price is $949,000.

428 Birch Street, Redwood City – This charming craftsman style house keeps our phone ringing all day! It has so much old world charm, and people driving by seem to absolutely love it! This home needs a lot more attention on the inside than it looks from the front, so its not for everyone. It features 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom with a little extra space off the detached garage. This home needs some serious updating but is ready for a new owner to take over. The price was reduced on Monday to $549,000 and I would bet its gone by the end of this week.

So there you have it. Our four active listings available this month. What happened to all the others? They already sold. But don’t worry – if you don’t see one above that sounds right for you we have more on the way. Just of the top of my head I can think of two or three coming in February that you will all flip for – a two bedroom condo in redwood shores, a three bedroom house in menlo park, and – well I guess you will have to keep checking here and see

I was going to post our 2011 inventory list for you so you can see what we are starting our new year out with, but instead, I thought I would post something a little bit more personal for you.  As a lot of you have found out, I like to take photos for fun. Its a hobby of sorts. You all only see the house photos though. Today I thought I would share a quick recap of some of the photos from 2010.

Enjoy!

Janice and Fiona as she graduates Kindergarten

Ella learning how to use a Mac, or showing us how to use it

One of Janice’s dance students performing at the end of year show

Roy and Veronica in the SNAC booth for the Vegas Fitness Convention

I think you can all tell this was the 4th of July – my favorite day of the year!

Janice and I went to Alaska in August – It was beautiful

I shot a wedding in October that was so fun

Fun at Thanksgiving with Cousins

Maya looking adorable

Abby throwing leaves for me in the fall

The newest addition to our family – my nephew Tyler!

On my last post I mentioned how excited we are over here for our clients and good friends Bob and Laura-Jane. Early this month they closed on their adorable new home. We were so excited for them! I even made a special trip to see Laura-Jane at work and give her the keys on closing day because I was so excited to see her face light up with joy over their new home. I cant think of two more loving, deserving people than Bob and Laura-Jane. They were the most patient buyers and the most cooperative as well. Bob and Laura-Jane actually purchased a short-sale property. It was a very trying transaction with a lot of ups and downs, which we hate to see happen, but short-sale transactions are highly volatile.  Bob and Laura-Jane stuck it out though and ended up with the perfect place to call home.

So the listing I have for you today is their previous home! It was just the right size for them for quite a while but now they have outgrown this cozy one bedroom condo. We know this is going to be the perfect home for one of you out there just as it was for Bob when Howie sold it to him many many years ago. When you walk in this is just one of those places where you want to sit right down and make yourself at home.  This condo is well within walking distance to downtown San Carlos. Its a great starter home, or even a great place to down size to when you are ready to have a lower maintenance place to live.  On top of all that – the price is an absolute steal. We are asking $275,000 for this sunny condo.

Bob and LJ – we want to thank you so much and tell you how much we LOVE working with you. You have been model clients, on both the buying and selling end! Thank you for trusting us with the purchase and sale of your homes. We know your old home here on Laurel is going to make a fantastic home for a new buyer and we are so excited to be part of that transaction.

Now for a few pictures, which really cannot do this condo justice!

I have been looking forward to posting this beautiful home for you all now for months.  We love this house, and I am sure you can tell why. Not only is the location fantastic, but the property has so much charm and uniqueness. I know this property is going to be a fantastic property for someone! The phone calls have already started to roll in.

Before I post the pictures – I want to invite you all to come by and see the house on Tour tomorrow (10/5/2010) from 9am to 2pm. I guarantee you this home is going to sell quickly so tomorrow is a great opportunity to come by and look around. Also, I will be there to answer your questions. We have full disclosures on this property for interested parties.

As always, we have wonderful vendors who have helped us make sure this property looks its very best for its market debut. If you ever see something you like about the property and want to know more about the work or the vendors – email us! We work with these people all the time – from carpet cleaners to landscapers – and I am happy to share them with you!

Asking Price: 899,888

Beautiful High Ceiling Living Room:

A Dining Room Large Enough to Entertain:

A HUGE Eat-In Kitchen:

A Great Family Room Downstairs:

Three Large Bedrooms:

A Retro Bathroom:

All Around Adorable:

King Drive was the home of our very good client and friend, Agnes. Agnes was an active member of the women’s club we do a lot of volunteer work with. She was also a dedicated mother, grandmother, and friend. Agnes passed away earlier this year and though its always sad to lose a friend and warm person, we take some comfort in the fact that it was her time to go. Agnes – your smiling face will be missed by us.

Agnes’ family called us for help (of course!) with the overwhelming task of organizing Mom’s stuff, deciding what to keep, what to donate, and what to store for a future decision. This process takes time and over the past several months we have grown even closer with Judy, Agnes’ daughter. Judy, thank you for choosing to trust us at such a sensitive time in your life. We loved working with you and the rest of your family. Anytime you need us, we are here!

Now Judy did an excellent job getting her Mom’s house ready for sale. With help from some of our referrals and Janice herself, King Drive was packed up, cleaned and on the market in no time flat. Janice is really excellent at this. She always seems to know someone who needs something – don’t ask Howie or I how she remembers all of this but she somehow does. I don’t think one property has gone by that has needed items moved or packed up without the client commenting to me about how wonderful it is to have a resource like Janice around when trying to get organized. It is one of her special talents.

After the house was about ready for the market and in its final stages of cleaning, Howie worked with Judy to get the price just right. The house sold right away with multiple offers! On Friday, the property closed escrow and the new buyers received the keys to their new home. From the sound of excitement in their voices they are going to be very happy.

On Friday another one of our properties also sold! (YAY – two in one day? AND on my birthday?? Hard to go wrong there!) 3358 Brittan Avenue, Unit #5 is a charming two bedroom condo in the lovely San Carlos. Located in the popular Brittan Heights complex, it was a listing that received an enormous amount of attention, phone calls, and showings. Brittan came to us in a way some of you might be familiar with – through our website!

William, the owner of Brittan, is an attorney located in New York. I was immediately smitten with his accent. William acquired Brittan by, get this  – Attorney’s fees from the opposing side.  That’s right. The property was given to him in lieu of a paycheck. Satisfied with the potential of the real estate market in the bay area peninsula, William took this payment and began his search online for an agent to help him deal with the property.  Now William is not a property law attorney, but he knew the importance of having an agent that knew the laws surrounding his property, the area, and how to work with an out of the area seller. He also knew he needed an agent to be his eyes, hands, and ears since this was a property that William would never have the opportunity to see.

William contacted us and told us that he selected our group to work with because we were not a large corporation, had been in business for a long time, and our website had a lot of information that other sites did not provide. He also liked how we were proximately located to the property. William, thank you for contacting us. We know how hard it is to put your trust into someone you have never met, but you did.

Since William did not know anything about the property he had just acquired, we had our work cut out for us! Was the property occupied? Vacant? In good condition? In need of some upgrades? After some initial investigating, Howie discovered that the property was in fact occupied by a tenant, with three dogs and two cats. The tenant had a lease, which had a just one short month left on it. The tenant and her pets moved out at the end of her lease. The property was ready for some love and upgrades. After the tenant moved out, William and Howie developed a plan for marketing and sale for Brittan. Shortly after, the upgrades began. Carpet and paint were selected and some new appliances were installed.  Howie coordinated the work and all of the bills were placed into escrow for payment at close. In just a few short weeks, Brittan was fresh and clean. It hit the open market and sold not long after.  On Friday, the new buyer received his keys to his new home. Light and bright, I am sure it will be a wonderful home.

The listing I have for you today came on the market SO FAST that I didn’t even have an extra day to give you an early sneak peek. That’s right – it was listed and on the market basically the same day.  2108 Camino de los Robles is a great property our clients Martin and Teresa purchased from us a little over four years ago when their adorable little girl was just about ready to start kindergarten.

It was Teresa’s goal to buy a home in one of the very best elementary school districts and so we settled on West Menlo Park. It was a very competitive market at the time when they bought, and we were over bid on several listings before we got this home. It was a struggle and SO hard for Martin and Teresa to be patient and wait for the right house for them. I spent many an hour consoling them over losing a house in multiple offers – but I am a very strong believer that you get the right house when it comes along.

The opportunity for Camino de los Robles was an interesting one. Unlike the other properties in the area, it was very hard to show to potential buyers because the seller’s wife was home ill. We took this as our golden opportunity and waited patiently to see it. As soon as we did Teresa and Martin decided to place an offer. By some miracle, we were the only ones to see it and thus the only ones to place an offer. In a market of multiple offers and overbidding, Martin and Teresa finally found their home.

Its been four years and its now time for their little girl to switch to middle school. In West Menlo Park, the elementary school only goes to fourth grade. So with that – I present to you 2108 Camino de los Robles! Its a three bedroom, 2 bath home with over 2000 square feet of living space. It has a living room, and a family room/dining room combo area. This home even has two fireplaces. Asking price is 1,249,000.

Teresa and Martin made several upgrades when they purchased this home but it was in almost original condition so this home is perfect for you if you want a great school district, would like to have a home where you can make some cosmetic upgrades, and you don’t have a lot of time for gardening.

Teresa and Martin, thank you so much for your repeat business and loyalty. We love working with you both and watching your little girl and little boy grow up. You are very special to us and we cannot wait to help you find your next home as well.