Hey there, I was doing a draw inspection this morning for a 203k loan in Burlingame CA & as I pulled into town I realized I was a little early. I had been wanting to try the House of Prime Rib there for quite some time but never found myself near there during a meal time. Drat!

But here is was, 12:30 pm and I was going. I waited for another person to open a parking place for me and pulled in. Something was wrong..it was a 24 minute parking space. NOT going to work. I need more time with prime rib, mmm. I walked to the door to find it was closed. They only open for dinner I guess. Wow, major bummer.

About that time I see to guys coming out of the Italian restaurant next door. I asked them how they liked it.. they weren't together but both shared what they had and said it was excellent. I walked in to see the place empty and asked John, the proprietor where everyone was. He answered "it is the restaurant business", busy one day and not so buy the next and you never know which way it will be.

I told him about the parking when he suggested I move my car to one of the spaces about to be vacated by the two that had just left the restaurant. I moved my car and almost headed to Benihana's across the freeway which is another of my favorite places. Something told me to go ahead and try this place.

It was Cafe' Figaro at 1318 Broadway, Burlingame

I asked if they had any specials today, John offered Salmon or Cod I believe it was, I tried the Salmon. I must say, when he served it, it took my breath away... it was a large dinner portion... I blurted out... that is a lunch portion... he laughed as he walked away.

It was all answered in a moment, with the first bite. I fell in love with it. Wow, a taste you just can't get enough of. While my first thought was to take half of it home and have it for dinner, I ended up eating it all and sopping up the juices with my bread. Fantastico, I can't say enough. This has to be the best kept secret in Burlingame.

The Salmon was cooked to perfection, so many over cook salmon but this was just right, propped up a little by some mashed potatoes of the likes I've enjoyed at Spagos, some vegies that includes broccoli, carrots, and two kinds of squash. I had to compliment the chef on the way out and service matched the taste. What a fantastic place, if you haven't tried it you are missing something, Burlingame. I told them I'll be back with my wife soon. M

Facebook and your private information, how private is your information on Facebook?

This morning while browsing Facebook I read a post from a friend who said she learned that her friends’ phone numbers were imported onto her contacts page. After reading this, I immediately checked my contacts page and in fact, all my friends’ phone numbers were listed. I did not know they were there until today. For this reason, you may want to think twice before posting any private information on Facebook.

The best way to communicate with friends on Facebook is by posting messages on their wall or sending the messages privately. If you are concerned about having your phone number being displayed on your friends’ contacts page and would like to remove your phone number do the following:

1. Go to my account tab
a. Click edit friends
b. On the left side of your screen, click contacts.
c. On the right side of your screen click the blue text (This Page)
d. Read the content of this page
e. There are two options, remove or cancel; choose the option that best applies to you.

This feature does not affect me personally, because I am a real estate agent. Now my friends will have my phone number at their fingertips if they know of anyone who is buying or selling real estate in the bay area. It is fine with me having my phone number displayed on my friends’ facebook contacts page. But if you are concerned about your privacy you may want take action immediately.

I am happy to announce that another of my short sale listings with Bank of America has successfully closed. Thanks to the seller, the patient buyers, and the cooperation of Bank of America's short sale department and customer relations.

We got the short sale approval in about 35 days. After the short sale approval it took about 45 days to close escrow because we were experiencing delays with loan processing. We requested two extensions and Bank of America was very prompt in helping us with each one.

Bank of America's short sale process is now fast and easy; I found working with their short sale team and Equator tehnology to be an excellent combination. During the short sale process, the homeowner was very cooperative and kept the house clean and appealing to potential buyers. The seller was very happy with the outcome of the short sale; because the remaining balance of the loan was forgiven.

The property was in great condition due to my client's pride of ownership. Even though this was a short sale, the seller kept the property in impeccable condition, so it was easy to find a buyer who could see themselves purchasing and living in a distressed property that looks as good as any equity-sale home. My client was an example of teamwork while processing a short sale.

The secret to a successful short sale listing agent is: never take NO for an answer, work hard-for the client's best interest and keep escalating the Short Sale case until you find the person who can really make decisions.

There are thousands of homebuyers and sellers searching the Internet for homes for sale or homes sold in San Mateo County and San Francisco, California. What they do not know is that they are searching in the wrong place -- much of this information is not current. The most popular real estate websites available to consumers do not offer updated MLS listing data.

The home-search data they provide does not come from the local multiple Listing Service (MLS) rather it comes from outside sources.

The agents who have submitted this information through a syndicated source to the website have to go back to the main source to change the status of their listings. These websites do not monitor the status of the listings they provide; so is up to the agent to update the listing status to pending or sold.

Here is an applications to expedite your Search for Homes in Burlingame California if you want to find out what homes are available in Burlingame or any other city in California or any other part of the United States. Happy Search!