Holiday fun for the family  It's really nice to be able to go on vacation with the whole family atleast once or twice a year. It's time to break away from the neverending paperwork, and the hustle and bustle of the city, and just be able to sit back, relax and watch the day unfold without worrying about deadlines. Here are some great family fun vacation ideas from Travel Zoo:  1. Italy - Al Gelso Bianco Resort & Winery in Tuscany  They have a cooking activity for young kids and will teach them Tuscan Cuisine, while parents can go on wine tasting. Plus other interesting activities you can book directly with them. They have different luxury apartments to accommodate your needs. 2. Bahamas - Atlantis Something closer to home, Paradise Island is the perfect getaway for families who love the... 04/19/2019

Five Things You’ll Want to Know About Life in Oakland   The City of Oakland gets 24.01 inches of rain every year. We shovel 0.6 inches of snow per winter. The sun shines an average of 165 days per year. But, thankfully, our average travel time to work is only 32 minutes. In January, temps range from 45 to 55 degrees, and 55 to 75 degrees in July. Source: National Association of Realtors  For more information on the current sales & price statistics, please visit:  https://www.car.org/marketdata/data/countysalesactivity  The bay area continues to be a popular place to call home.If you are ready to search for your next property,or are looking for your home value,visit: www.searchalleastbayhomes.comClick here for the monthly market reports! 04/18/2019

Things to do in Oakland - April 19, 26 Mark Eanes: Angle of ReposeManna Gallery is pleased to present recent work by Bay area artist Mark Eanes. “Angle of Repose” opens First Friday, April 5 and continues to May 11. On First Friday, April 5, Mr. Eanes will be present from 6 to 8 pm for his reception. At 7 pm, he will give a brief talk about his work and will answer questions from gallery visitors.Mark Eanes is a painter, printmaker, photographer, curator, and educator who has spent the last twenty five years living and working in Benicia, California. Mark is currently an Associate Professor at California College of the Arts (CCA), where he has taught for over twenty-eight years.Presented By: Manna GalleryDates: April 6, 2019 - May 11, 2019Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Friday, Saturday... 04/17/2019

Things to do in Oakland - April 20, 27, 21, 28 Nothing to do on a weekend? It's Springtime and everything is in bloom, it's time to head on out to your nearest farmers markets! April 20, 27 (Saturdays)Grand Lake Farmers Market"Grand Lake Farmers Market is widely acclaimed as the best farmers market in the East Bay. Oakland residents have made a ritual of this farmers market; anxiously awaiting Saturday morning to head over to Splash Pad Park to pick up their fruits and vegetables direct from their farmer and enjoy lunch on the lawn. The Oakland farmers market is open every Saturday, year-round, rain or shine, from 9am to 2pm."Presented By: Agricultural Institute of MarinRecurrence:Recurring weekly on SaturdayLocation: Splash Pad Park Address: Lake Park Ave, Oakland, CA 94610Phone: (415)... 04/16/2019

Update on Housing Vacancies  How does it affect you as a buyer, to know that a certain city has high housing vacancy rate? How about as a seller?According to an article from Realtor Magazine: LendingTree ranked the nation’s 50 largest metro areas from highest to lowest vacancy rates. The areas with higher vacancy rates tend to be more affordable to the average consumer—but not always, researchers note.San Jose, Calif.; Minneapolis; and Denver are the metros with the lowest vacancy rates in the nation, at 4.26 percent, 4.96 percent, and 5.35 percent, respectively. “Vacancy rates in these areas are low for a variety of reasons, ranging from strong job opportunities to a growing influx of millennial home buyers,” LendingTree says. “People looking to sell their home will likely have an easy... 04/14/2019

Why Oakland is one of the best places to visit in April? RESTAURANTS We'll take you on a tour around the world... actually.. in Oakland. If you haven't been to most of these places, we'll take you there, and taste the best food they have to offer, right here in Oakland.  PHILIPPINESFob Kitchen - if you haven't visited the Philippines and heard about the best local food it has to offer, look no further. FOB KITCHEN is located in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, tucked next-door to La Calaca Loca in the little Temescal Plaza near Telegraph Avenue and 51st Street. "FOB owners Brandi and Janice Dulce the first wife-and-wife team to infuse Oakland dining with entrepreneurial energy and culinary creativity. And finally, the food of the Philippines has been rapidly gaining notice in the B... 04/13/2019

Spring 2019 - Time to hit the Farmers Markets!  It's springtime once again and it's definitely something to be excited about as Farmers Markets in California sell the freshest produce and can be found across the Bay area!  I love going to Farmers Markets as I know that we are supporting our local farmers, we are helping protect the environment, we are connecting with the community, and we're living the healthy lifestyle.  Here's a list on some of the Farmers Markets local to our area, let me know your feedback and please share some of your greatest experiences when buying food from your local farmers markets. AlamedaYear-round, Tues. 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m.Seasonal, Thurs. 4–8 p.m.Taylor and Webster Sts.www.pcfma.comBerkeleyYear-round, Sat. 10 a.m.–3 p.m.Center St. and Martin Luther King Jr. W... 04/12/2019

Housing Market Likely to Cool going into 2020 - UCLA forecast   According to UCLA (CNBC Article) "The housing markets are softening in California, and it's not just the tony neighborhoods of San Francisco, Silicon Valley and West LA," said Jerry Nickelsburg, an adjunct professor at UCLA and director of the Anderson School of Management's forecast. "This is a statewide phenomenon.""With our national forecast for slowing economic growth, continued discussion on when the next recession will be, and the Fed indicating that the peak of the interest rate cycle could be near, we now expect weaker housing markets into 2020," Nickelsburg wrote in the forecast report. "As a consequence, our forecast for housing starts in 2019 and 2020 has been revised downward, with a recovery in building beginni... 04/11/2019

Oakland's Best Date Spots Most of us always try to make the first impressions last during the first date. Make sure to follow this guide from the SF Eater when planning for your first date in Oakland.   1. Ordinaire Ordinaire is a wine bar, wine shop, and bistro-style restaurant in Oakland, California. Located on Grand Avenue in the Grand Lake District, Ordinaire had its grand opening in September 2013. Ordinaire only sells natural wine, produced from organic grapes with minimal chemical and technological intervention.  2. Blue Bottle Coffee at W.C. Morse Trendy cafe chain offering upscale coffee drinks & pastries, plus beans & brewing equipment.  3. A16 Rockridge - Upbeat, contemporary eatery pairing pizza & Southern Italian plates with a lengthy wine list.  4. Commis  - Open-kitchen e... 04/10/2019

Monthly Market Activity for Single Family Homes in Oakland(includes Piedmont and Emeryville) The Median Sale Price for homes in Oakland during March was $854,000 with thehighest number of units sold in the $1m - $1.49m  price range. The Bay Area continues to be a popular place to call home. If you are ready to search for your next property, or are looking for your home value, visit: www.searchalleastbayhomes.comYou can also call me on my cell at 510-919-5741 for a more personal conversation.I would love the opportunity to earn your business.   04/07/2019

Client trust takes years to build Some people think I am selling houses, but in reality, I am building trust before we ever get to the sale. The more a client shares with me, the more I can tailor the process to what will work for them. This was a success story indeed!  "I had a very bad experience with the first agent i had chosen to help me sell my home. He was a friend of a friend but was not from the Oakland Area. So he was not able to come up with a good price for my small one bedroom home. I saw that around my moms neighborhood of the Laurel district , I gave a call ( to a local real estate office )and got Elisa Uribe. She was very responsive and Knowledgeable about the market in our area. She would market the home as a Condo comparable home . The strategy worked. We had two great... 04/04/2019

Keep Calm, and let me help you buy a home  Some people think I am selling houses, but in reality, I am selling a lifestyle. I cannot believe 8 years had passed since I was fortunate enough to help a client and a friend relocating to the Bay Area.  “I find myself erasing and revising repeatedly to get it just right-in the same way Elisa gets real estate...just right. Elisa was beyond professional with uncanny attention to detail. She is experienced, assertive-not pushy, a good listener and in the end knew when she had found the perfect home for us. Months after the fact she is just as attentive to every question, need and detail. Bravo!” - Aaron L., Montclair District, Oakland Even though the process of helping them buy a home is over, we have kept in touch and they have since moved on a... 04/03/2019

What are your favorite features of a home? We all have our priorities when looking for a home. It is a complex process and needs a lot of thought and consideration. Make sure to talk about the importance of each features with your family members.  1. LocationMost buyers consider this as their top priority when looking for a home. Most would like to have easy access to their jobs, schools, friends/family members, shopping, etc. Some would like to be in a quiet neighborhood away from all the traffic, while some prefers to be in a central location close to shopping, restaurants, etc. NeighborhoodScout is an online platform that helps people decide where to live next and is a great website for forecasting Real Estate opportunities. It is also very important to talk to your realtor, discuss ... 04/02/2019

Where to go next? Finding a home could perhaps be one of the biggest dilemmas a home buyer will have to face. Whether you're thinking if you can afford California, or much farther East, or south may feel too far away, or for young families looking for the areas with a good school district, for  millenials who are looking to find their American dream, there are a lot of factors to consider in choosing the perfect place for your family.  NeighborhoodScout is an online platform that helps people decide where to live next and is a great website for forecasting Real Estate opportunities. I often go thru a lot of factors when finding an area that's best for my clients. Most importantly: Affordability, Taxes, Employment Opportunity, Real Estate value and so on. Do extensive research, and alway... 04/01/2019

Home Sellers continue to slash prices - San Diego  According to an article from LA Times:Price reductions are more common in the winter months, but San Diego County hasn’t seen as many cutbacks since 2014 when the market was still crawling out of the recession.Twenty percent of homes for sale in February had a price drop, the most of any California city. At the same time last year, the percentage was 10 percent.Felipe Chacon, economist at Trulia, said the reductions in San Diego show a shift toward better conditions for buyers but it’s not like prices are suddenly affordable for the majority of the region’s inhabitants. The median home price was $542,000 in December, said CoreLogic, up 2.5 percent in a year.  If you are looking to buy or sell in the East Bay Area, please contact me for ... 03/31/2019

The Coolest Place to Getaway Kennedy Meadows This is probably by far one of my favorite weekend getaways. It is located in Tulare County, California. If you love hiking, Kennedy Meadows is the Gateway to the Sierra Nevada.   The combination of the campgrounds, the resort, and the pack station - all three spread along the bank of the Stanislaus River - creates a special ambiance hard to find anywhere else in the Sierra.   You can also go fishing, swimming, camping, hiking and target practice, and other recreational activities.   You can also visit some historical sites such as The Sonora and Mono Wagon Road, and the Baker Station.    Get away from all the hustle and bustle. Kennedy Meadows is the perfect weekend getaway. It feels good to rejuvenate at least once in a while.   How about y... 03/29/2019

Landscaped to Perfection If you are planning to sell your home, it is not only important to declutter, organize, and update the inside to make it as perfect as possible. Buyers see the front of the house first when viewing the online photos as well as during the showing. You should make a great impression on that too. A front yard that is beautifully landscaped, attracts more buyers and they would feel more eager to see the insides of the property.           Look for a Landscaping professional near you! Visit Thumbtack!    The bay area continues to be a popular place to call home.If you are ready to search for your next property, or are looking for your home value, visit: www.searchalleastbayhomes.comClick here for the monthly market reports!    03/24/2019

Five Secrets About Home Values in Oakland, CA   Oakland median estimated home value is $737,000. The median list price in 2018 was $639K — a +10.54% over the prior year. Values have risen +6.7% over the last 12 months The median home age is 74. The greatest number of homes sold were between 90-105 years old. For more information on the current sales & price statistics, please visit:  https://www.car.org/marketdata/data/countysalesactivity   Considering a move? Let me send you a free property evaluation.Call Elisa Uribe at 510-919-5741 or email at e.uribe@ggsir.com 03/23/2019

Great Resource to find great vendors! Homekeepr is a great resource in finding vendors and keeps you connected with your clients and agents. "HomeKeepr is the only platform where homeowners can discover home service pros powered entirely by real referrals from real people – not reviews. We’re able to do this by capturing the word of mouth recommendations that take place everyday between thousands of real estate agents and their clients in virtually every location across the nation." Find highly preferred pros near you!     The bay area continues to be a popular place to call home.If you are ready to search for your next property, or are looking for your home value, visit: www.searchalleastbayhomes.comClick here for the monthly market reports! 03/22/2019

Family-friendly places to visit in Oakland The City of Oakland is truly a destination all on its own. With competition just across the bridge, San Francisco is one tough city to beat. Find out why you should go and head east, Discover the Beauty of Oakland. Oakland A’s BaseballIt's a family friendly, fun and cheap day to spend the day at the ball game.  Oakland ZooCome face to face with giraffes, elephants and more. Ride the Gondola to see the beautiful views of the entire bay.  Chabot Space and Science CenterBlast into outer space, experience a digital planetarium, a large screen theater, hands-on activities and three powerful telescopes.  Grand Lake TheaterWatch a movie at the historic Grand Lake Theater!      The bay area continues to be a popular place to call home.If you are ready ... 03/21/2019