Rosetta Colbath

I'm showing property in East County, Oakley, Brentwood, Antioch, and Pittsburg. I actually have some really great buyers who are smart, have the capacity to close the deal and listen to my advice.... love when that happens. Our first time out we saw a few great houses, one of which was good enough to inspire them to write an offer ( It actually had a working toilet... yippee) We wrote a very good offer. 50% down! 20K over price! AS IS!, quick close! .... Geez, that's the most beautiful offer I've written in years!! I thought it was a slam dunk, WRONG the thing had 15 offers and it went for 80K OVER price...WTH??(What the heck??) It must have been all cash because I don't see how it is EVER going to appraise.

... and we call it: the iPad."

Prophetic? Or will it be on the "Worst technology of 2010" list? Who knows. But, if you want to learn more about Apple's latest leap into the world of high tech, there's great coverage available here.

Ok it looks really cool and it may have great applications, but how do you carry this thing around? Its too big to fit in a pocket. There will probably be a whole generation of carrying cases made to fit it. Will it team up with MLS so that we can ditch our Supra Key and use it to open lock boxes? It would be cool if one gadget could preform all of the tasks in our lives but for now I have too many things to carry around. In my purse currently I have; My wallet, cosmetic bag, car keys, supra key, various client files, aspirin, camera, Blackberry, Blue tooth, water bottle, a note book, post it pad, pens and pencils, and a few reading materials for when I'm waiting in a line.... its a big purse. So The IPad can replace some of those things but then again I'm still carrying around paper items that my Blackberry is supposed to handle and I dont think the BB cameras are worthy of my grandchildrens smiles. . I think until someone figures out how to implant my brain with this technology im going to have to keep buying bigger purses.

For all of you folks who have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for property prices to hit bottom before sticking your toe in the water and looking for a home to buy, now may be the time. John Walsh, the president of Data-Quick, a national company that provides up-to-date information on home sales, both values and volumn, recently stated that he believes we'll refer to the beginning of 2009 as the bottom of the market.

The problem for those of us Contra Costa County home hunters is the continued lack of inventory which probably wont improve much until the lenders stop holding foreclosures off the market and speed up the short sale process."

My Office www.RosettaTheRealtor.com is in the chic town of Walnut Creek. www.walnut-creek.org Walnut Creek is nestled in the foothills of the majestic Mt. Diablo in the San Francisco East Bay. As a relocation specialist some of my favorite client adventures have been introducing newcomers to this area. So, here is a list of the 10 greatest things this town has to offer.

1. Very Fine dining. I have made a New Years resolution that I think I will have no problem keeping... to try every restaurant in WC and report on it. What gives me the credibility to be able to do such a thing? I was born a foodie. I love to eat. Being born and raised in Southern Italy, my palate for good food developed early. Southern Italian cooking is by FAR the best in all of Italy as are the southern people. Example... In Florence they may have the David ... but they don't put salt in their bread!! I remember the first time I bit into a piece of bread in Tuscany I actually spit it out it was so bad!! So stay tuned for my restaurant reviews!

2. Tiffany!! www.tiffany.com Yay when Tiffany opened her Very Fancy store on a prominent corner in downtown Walnut Creek... well that's when we went glam! The little blue boxes with their shiny surprises inside are my favorite presents of all time!!!

3. Yogaworks. www.yogaworks.com Have you been to this place??? OMG As soon as you walk in you feel your pulse start to slow down my furrowed brows start relaxing and my shoulders automatically drop elongating and relaxing the muscles in the neck... at that's just walking through the front door!! The atmosphere is intoxicating. My favorite class, the Restorative with Sarah... she transports me to elements of relaxation I never even knew existed! Downward dog is not part of this class. That's a good thing for me since hanging upside down is not my idea of bliss.

4. Forma Gym. www.FormaGym.com The most beautiful gym I have ever walked into. The doors open and immediately the sounds of the fast tempo percussion blasting hits your chest so that your heart rate quickens as you leap two steps at a time to the main desk. You WANT to keep moving in this place! I hired a personal trainer to crack the whip and finally help me get in shape. Damon Fletcher, this kid is like a walking anatomy textbook. Smart, Knowledgeable, easy on me at first but.... He promises I'm in for some fat burning sessions to come! The energy in this place is felt by all the trainers and clients alike. Everyone is like family here..... Actually my family.. hehe... My Son Robert, owns the place, my older daughter, Angelina, is the manager and my younger daughter, Mandy is the perky front desk receptionist. So... proud Momma for sure!! :) I can get you a good deal on the membership.

5. The Regional Center for the arts. www.lesherartscenter.org A spectacular circular shaped building that is so elegant and bright Maria Callas would have loved to call this opera house her home! I have attended many musicals,plays seminars and ballets. My favorite... the Walnut Creek Ballet school recitals. My grand daughter in her fluffy pink tutu skipping along the stage after a giant battle with stage fright...priceless.

6. The New Walnut Creek Library. www.newwclibrary.org. This promises to be a hot spot destination. The building is still under construction but already looks like its been transported From a Frank Gehry collection of 2050. More news on this once I get to walk through those doors.

7. The Day Spas. Ok these have been only getting better with time. First up. Changes Salon and Day Spa. www.changessalon.com These people have the total spa experience down! When you go in for a service you get it all. From the fluffy white robe, to the foot soak with aromatherapy salts while sipping hot tea in a quite candle lit room filled with the sounds of a bubbling brook... this all before anyone lays a hand on you... be prepared to receive some pampering. If you are brave enough to go for a Brazilian, you must ask for Margo, she's the only one that makes this very unpleasant task actually tolerable. As I try out the other spas I will be reporting.

8. Di Pietro Todd Salon, www.dipietrotodd.com DPT coming to Walnut Creek was like the Tiffanys of hair design opening its doors. DPT has been open almost 1 year now. Dylon the owner looks like he belongs in Hollywood doing hair for Angelina and Brad. His studio is open and airy with stark white walls sporting splashes of color offered by the art installations of hand picked amazing local artists. His colorists are some of the best in their field. Jennifer will even weave you a custom looking wig that looks so natural you may mistake it for your real hair and accidentally come in for a haircut.

9. Plenty of parking Garages. Ok so the meters are a HUGE pain with most of them being only 1 hour and the zippy ticket writers always one minute behind you. So while the tickets are a whopping $35, there are 2 locust street garages that are only $3.00 for the whole day!! What a deal!! One is behind the Opera house and the other across from Pete's coffee ... better yet there are another 2 garages on both sides of the street at the very end of Locust that are FREE Yippee! Everything in Walnut Creek is walking distance so use the garages and avoid those nasty parking tickets.

10. Walnut Creek Office of Alain Pinel Realtors. www.apr.com This is the place I call home. We have led Contra Costa in sales, we are centrally located with 42 professionals most of whom have been career agents spanning decades of experience. The staff are some of the most dedicated support people in the industry. The manager brings in up to the minute relevant information to every office meeting and the technology here is truly state of the art.

So, there you have it... 10 wonderful things about the town I call home. Call me for a tour of the many beautiful places you can purchase to live closer to all of this wonderfulness. You can search for listings on my site www.RosettaTheRealtor.com