Hello September! Let Fall begin!
Real Estate in the News
San Jose and San Francisco rank in the Top 10 of U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 Best Places to Live in the U.S. rankings, which compares the 150 most populous metro areas in the U.S. based on affordability, quality of life, desirability, job market, and net migration. Courtesy of U.S. News
Redefining Luxury Through Countertops
While one might be well advised not to go chasing waterfalls, the design world is all over it; because nothing captures our marble-loving hearts like waterfall countertops. With an edge that cascades seamlessly to the floor, this expanse of stone can be a decadent focal point that links floor design with cabinetry. Courtesy of Elle Decor
Garden Zoning – 15 Ways to Divide Your Yard and Maximize Outdoor Space
Discover how clever garden zoning can turn your yard from a one-dimensional space into a series of beautiful outdoor rooms – from sophisticated terraces to children’s play areas. Courtesy of Homes and Gardens
30 No-Cook Appetizers for Super-Easy Entertaining
On really warm days spent cooking over a hot grill, it’s nice to have a few fuss-free options that skip the heat but keep the flavor. Enter these no-cook appetizers. Courtesy of Martha Stewart Magazine
Valspar Unveils Its 2023 Colors of the Year
The right paint color brushed on the wall doesn’t just change how a room looks, but also how it feels. This year, for its 2023 Colors of the Year, Valspar is tapping into color psychology. Courtesy of Real Simple
DID YOU KNOW?
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92% of home sellers who sold within the last year had accepted some buyer-friendly terms. 41% had accepted some contingencies in the contract. (MARKETWATCH)
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UK house price growth slowed less than expected in August (prices up 10%) as a lack of housing supported prices, despite falling household incomes and rising mortgage rates. (FT)
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Goldman Sachs economist Ronnie Walker said housing starts have dropped 20% from their peak and existing home sales have dipped by 30%…..but let’s not forget all of this is being compared to extreme activity in 2021. High mortgage rates at 5.8% — they were just 3.2% in January — are partly to blame. Sales and permits have fallen more sharply in regions where they increased the most in the earlier part of the pandemic, suggesting a retreat from the pandemic-related boost to housing. Walker estimates existing home sales will fall another 12% by the 4th quarter, and new home sales will be flat. He estimates house price growth every quarter will slow to 8.5% in the 3rd quarter and 3% in the 4th quarter, which will take the year-over-year rate down to 14% by the end of 2022. In 2023 Walker predicts home price growth will stall completely. (MSN)
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Economist Steve Hanke predicted last year that U.S. inflation would be somewhere between 6% and 9% in 2022. Now the model is running at between 6% and 8% at the end of 2022 on a year-over-year basis, and 5% at the end of 2023 going into 2024. (Marketwatch)
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Blackstone’s single-family investment arm announced that it was pausing all home purchases in 38 U.S. cities as markets cool. But while sales activity is slowing and prices are cooling due to rising interest rates, experts say only a matter of time before institutional investors, with their ability to buy homes in cash, return to the market in full force with an even bigger advantage over individual homebuyers and mom-and-pop investors. (BISNOW)
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At Amazon – and arguably at any company with any sizable in-house engineering team – technology is and always will be just a tool to apply to achieve a better business outcome. In Jeff Bezos’s seminal 1997 shareholder letter, you’ll find that the word ‘technology’ doesn’t appear in that letter, at all. Not once. The letter focuses on how Amazon will continue to improve the experience it offers customers to achieve better business outcomes, and, by doing that, how it will focus on maximizing the present value of future free cash flows. Amazon’s 2010 Letter describes many of the technologies that Amazon deploys – but all of them are simply a means to an end, a way to solve a problem or capitalize on an opportunity. Technology is the fundamental tool we wield to evolve and improve every aspect of the experience we provide our customers. Sound familiar? (Greg Hart, COO COMPASS, ex-VP Amazon)
- By Leonard Steinberg
PEAR and WINE FESTIVAL
This annual event celebrates Moraga’s pear and wine history with pear pies for sale, pie-eating contests, wine tasting, many community booths, jumpers for the kids, and live music.
Saturday, September 24th, 11:00 am-3:00 pm
Moraga Commons Park – 1425 St. Mary’s Rd., Moraga, CA
Walnut Festival
“Celebrating 86 Years of MUSIC, COMMUNITY & KINDNESS BRINGING US TOGETHER”
September 22-25, 2022 – Heather Farm Park – 301 N. San Carlos Dr., Walnut Creek
2 bd | 2 ba | 1402 sf | 0.37 ac
Represented Buyer! | List Price $3,700,000 | Sold Price $3,700,000
4 bd | 5.5 ba | 5416 sf | 0.49 ac
Represented Seller! | List Price $3,559,800 | Sold Price $3,499,800
4 bd | 3.5 ba | 4305 sf | 0.47 ac
Represented Buyer! | List Price $2,999,000 | Sold Price $2,905,000
4388 Mansfield Dr., Danville | Offered at $2,249,800
4 bd | 3 ba | 3488 sf | 0.26 ac
1605 Riviera Ave. Unit 601, Walnut Creek | Offered at $1,728,800
2 bd | 2.5 ba | 1923 sf | 3-car garage
2020 Victorine Road | Livermore | Offered at $16,898,800
5 bd | 5F/2H ba | 8144 sf | 107 ac
3409 Blackhawk Meadow Drive | Danville | $2,199,800
4 bd | 3 ba | 3278 sf | 0.17 ac
237 Still Creek Road | Danville | Offered at $4,998,800
5 bd | 4F/3H ba | 5829 sf | 0.48 ac
5487 Blackhawk Drive | Blackhawk | Offered at $3,788,800
5 bd | 3.5 ba | 4244 sf | 0.48 ac
3188 Ashbourne Circle | San Ramon | Offered at $3,298,800
6 bd | 6 ba | 4633 sf | 0.44 ac
Offered at $10,000/month for Lease or $3,198,800 for Sale
5 bd | 4.5 ba | 4059 sf | 0.60 ac
3649 Deer Trail Drive | Blackhawk | Offered at $2,798,800
5 bd | 3 ba | 4022 sf | 0.16 ac
4157 Quail Run Drive | Blackhawk | Offered at $2,799,800
5 bd | 3.5 ba | 3604 sf | 0.19 ac
27 Sugar Pine Lane | Blackhawk | $2,198,800
4 bd | 3 ba | 2946 sf | 0.15 ac
2027 Cedarwood Loop | San Ramon | Offered at $1,494,800
5 bd | 4 ba | 2254 sf | 0.09 ac
1756 Cole Ave #302 | Walnut Creek | Offered at $1,899,800
2 bd + Study | 2 ba | 1868 sf
0 Highland Road | Pleasanton | Offered at $2,200,000
279.72 Acres! | Endless Opportunity!
599 Justin Morgan Road | Alamo | Offered at $4,288,800
4 bd | 3F/2H ba | 4679 sf | 0.53 ac
