Nicole Bailey

This house once held Bernard Maybeck's Packard. He designed and had it built when La Loma was still a country lane and he could drive up into the front door, which are now connecting French doors.

It is the perfect size for a pied-a-terre, a secret hideaway where you unplug your laptop and turn off your mobile phone. Be sure to bring a stack of your favorite books, your French press, Peets coffee, and your enough firewood to waste away an afternoon or two.

For Sunday March 1st, 2009

I am at 6851 Aitken in Montclair, Oakland. It's supposed to be a torrential downpour, so I'm not sure who will visit, but I will be there from 2-4:30pm.

Happy house hunting in the rain! Just for fun check out the Maybeck cottage at 1471 La Loma. This space was originally designed by Bernard Maybeck to house his Packard, back when La Loma was a country lane. Also up 100 and something steps is a cottage way up on Panoramic, above the UC Berkeley Stadium. Very interesting historically, but not much to live in! Number 10 Buckeye in Upper Rockridge and 7030 Broadway Terrace are my picks of tour for this week!

Best,

Nicole

The National Association of Realtors is (finally) Going Green!

I've been pleasantly surprised to discover that my new brokerage, The GRUBB Company promotes Green Real Estate with it's agents and clients. Our Broker, John Karney is a marine biologist by training and is well founded in the science of global warming. Coming from a scientific background, he is wary of Green-Washing and I felt myself heaving a sigh of relief when I saw the intelligence with which the topic of "Green Real Estate" has been addressed in our office.

The new Green Certification offered by NAR is a big step in the right direction for creating awareness with Realtors and I am looking forward to adding that certification to my Build it Green designation.

There has been an emphasis in green building of consumerism. Just replace that old thing with the new, new green technology. This is great when we are talking toilets and refrigerators, but I just want to point out replacement should not always be the first line in our green arsenal.

Shopping, remodeling, new foundations... none of them are as green as doing nothing, but they might be safer and more beautiful!

Being green can take a lot of research, so don't let yourself get Green-Washed!

What Are They and Why Should We Care?

There are over 87 species of wild bees in and around Berkeley. These are not even the hiving bees that we are familiar with but bees that live singly in old wood and other wild places they can find to shelter.

These bees are the workhorses of food pollination. Many people have heard of the large scale honey bee colapse but don't realize that just by planting California Native plants in their gardens they can sustain dozens of species of wild bees right here in town.

With drought conditions being what they are, planting soil appropriate, sun appropriate plants are more important than ever and will provide habitat for hummingbirds, bees, and other flying creatures.

Consult the list of hundred's of flowering plants that are attractive to bees at the UC Berkeley Website.

Have you considered Kensington?

Kensington, located just north of Berkeley is a charming hillside community with many view homes.

With a good community school and a year round farmer's market, this neighborhood boasts pride of ownership with a small town feel.

The town center has a community bulletin board where flyers for lost dogs and tutoring get posted and neighbors keep in touch with the goings-on. The housing market has been consistent, if slightly off due to the downturn, but still, if you are looking for a walking neighborhood with a small town feel, consider Kensington.