I am not an "original" or native born Alamedan. Nor do I know everything there is to know about Alameda. But I am making an effort to get to know more about this beautiful island.
Having lived in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Texas, and having sampled living in San Francisco apartment by the marina, a virtual warehouse loft by the Oakland Estuary before it was gentrified, and in a cozy cottage in downtown Mountain View, I can say without reservation that Alameda is my favorite of all.
My quick and easy resource for what life was and is like in Alameda is our own Alameda Magazine.
I especially like it when they feature stories about the history of the city.
The January-February 2008 issue was by far the best! The cover was a picture of a lady getting ready to dive in a pool in Alameda's version of Coney Island: Neptune Beach.
Another recent story was From Bayfront to Lagoons which tells the fight to retain Alameda's waterfront the way it was, to its eventual result of a landfill that has since developed into several residential communities, zig-zag patterns for a lagoon to give people their waterfront views, and the shopping area now known today as the Alameda Town Centre.
Welcome, Alameda Wine Company!
Alameda, we have arrived!
For all oenophiles in Alameda, this is wonderful news indeed!
It was a guilty pleasure to go to the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant at the Ferry Terminal in San Francisco, but we now have our own wine bar next to the Alameda Theater.
Today, a friend and I wanted to take a break after hours so we walked to Alameda Wine Company. That's one of the benefits of being downtown --- we walk everywhere. We were greeted by the very friendly Sal Lirosi and owner Karen Ulrich with whom we chatted up a storm. Although the Alameda Wine Company has been open only for about 18 days, they said they have a very steady stream of people who come before going to the movies, and end up skipping the movies and staying at the wine place instead.
Tonight, I picked the Malbec (this particular vintner is from Argentina). Fabulous!
Oh yes, did I mention that there are several choices of snacks to complement your wine? Pick the cheese....
Karen was opening several wheels of cheese most of which will be served by tonight. There are so many selections that this is as much a cheese tasting as it is wine tasting. As Karen was cutting the wheels, she would slice a piece for the three of us who were lucky enough to be sitting at the bar. There was one particular cheese with mustard seed that was incredibly yummy.
Note their latest newsletter
Because we came early, there were only a few of us there....but gosh, it felt like a party because we were all talking with each other, raving about the wines and the cheese that we were enjoying. Alameda Wine Company is going to be a favorite destination.
Folks who haven't yet discovered Alameda may want to come to one of the most fun events in the island -- the monthly Antiques Faire by the Bay http://www.antiquesbythebay.net/. It's billed as Northern California's largest antiques and collectibles show with over 800 dealers. According to theri website, everything sold at the show must be at least 20 years old, and no reproductions are allowed.
Whether you're a serious shopper or just want to hang out, this is a good place to be, especially with the City of San Francisco and the Bay as the backdrop, and with the wonderful climate. It's also a good excuse for people to get on their bikes and ride to Alameda Point (some folks from San Franciscos bring their bikes aboard the ferry for this event).
Here's what San Francisco Chronicle said about this faire: "Come early, Antiques Faiare is a buyer's market"
It's a bargain shopper's, home stagers' dream...all these wonderful stuff in one place!
Alameda, in spite of being a small island, has its share of restaurants that tickle the palate. Whenever we want to go out and get something to eat, we fight the urge to go off the island because there are so many to choose from. When I meet new clients who don't know much about Alameda, I take them to different restaurants so that they will see and taste for themselves what Alameda has to offer.
Here are the three newest restaurants in town. Life is good!
ITALIAN - Acquacotta
The newest addition is AcquaCotta http://www.acquacotta.net/ on Webster Street. They don't take reservations, so we ventured on a Saturday night at 7 pm and waited for a table. It was packed and noisy (concrete floors). But we didn't mind the wait because the bartender was such a joy. She kept us all entertained. When we couldn't make up our minds which wine to order, she let us taste two of our choices before we settled on what we wanted.
As delightful as the bartender was, we can't say the same for the waiter who may either be inattentive, inexperienced, or simply not good. He let our food get cold before he brought it out. As good as the food was, it was hard to overcome the fact that it had to be re-heated.
CUBAN - Havana
Havana's is presented to us as a fusion Cuban restaurant http://www.havanarestaurant.net/alameda-contact.html on Park Street. The first Havana is in Walnut Creek. Because we're from Florida, we are always looking and craving for good Cuban food. What we have is "sort of" Cuban. The nearest that came to what I remember as good Cuban food is their Ropa Vieja. This place is always rocking. We like the retro feel of the coctail bar, the pitchers of mojitos, the colorful pictures of life in Cuba. Some of the appetizers were tasty, and our personal favorite is the crab cakes.
VIETNAM - Dragon Rouge
People will likely disagree, but I thought the food at the Dragon Rouge http://dragonrougerestaurant.com/ on Encinal Avenue is better than Le Colonial in Oakland, and the people are less pretentious. I like the fact that three cousins started this restaurant to showcase their mothers' culinary skills. It's a family focused labor of love.
We thoroughly enjoy their signature Phantastic roll, anything curry, anything lemon grass....as a matter of fact, we've enjoyed everything we've ordered. There is a good selection. It isn't the usual Vietnamese fare of long lista and variations of the Pho, but if Pho is what your crave, it is great here, too. Since Dragon Rouge opened, I haven't ventured to Oakland for Vietnamese food anymore. Why bother? We have a terrific one right here.
It's happening! Properties are selling. As a matter of fact, compared to adjoining cities, we're beginning to see brisk movement.
HOMES IN CONTRACT
In March, we saw 70 properties go into contract --- and that's the second highest month in the previous two years (June 2006 was ahead by 74). That means that 24 percent of inventory sold that month.
Compare that to Berkeley where 54 out of 206 properties went pending, or 18% of inventory, In Oakland, 236 out of 3174 went pending, or 7 % of inventory.
SHORT SALES AND FORECLOSURES
From another perspective, we are also seeing our share of short sales and foreclosures.
Out of 163 active residential listings as of May 2, 2008, we have 17 short sales and bank-owned properties or 10% of total. Compare that to Berkeley with 16 out of 120, or 13% of total. Or Oakland with 788 out of 1816 or 43% of total.
PRICE IT AGGRESSIVELY
For a property to sell today, the sage advice is to price it ahead of the market (realistically speaking, even less than the nearest comparable). Classic example: a home on Garfield at the desirable east end of Alameda received an offer in less than 24 hours after it was posted and was accepted in 3 days. The secret? Price!
STAGING SELLS
And....without question, how it looks is critically important. Staging plays a very important role especially since there are many properties to choose from.
THERE ARE BUYERS OUT THERE
Serious buyers are seriously looking. Since I posted my new condo listing by the beach, we've had numerous showings, and we haven't even had our first open house yet.
TIME MAGAZINE SAYS "IGNORE THE HEADLINES"
Many Buyers believe they can afford to be choosy, and even wait. Maybe waiting isn't such a good thing. An article in Time Magazine on Feb. 14, 2008 makes the case against waiting to buy. It's titled "Ignore the Headlines". Here's the link to copy/paste. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1713483,00.html
WHAT'S HAPPENING
We are seeing a trend of more realistic and in many cases aggressive pricing among the homes for sale. Sellers are begining to see and accept the reality that the selling frenzy of two or even three years ago is no longer the case today. As such, they may be more willing to reduce the price when the REALTORs recommend it, and more willing to negotiate the terms.
Single family homes are still the draw. Even fixers are finding an audience. Sales of condominiums and townhouses slowed, and we've seen several price reductions. Condominiums are still taking a bit longer to sell, averaging about 70-75 days on market.
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Serving Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Helping my clients with their real estate needs. Experienced and seasoned short sale specialist. Call me for exceptional real estate service and results!
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