Zirana City Blog

By Mary Crowell

Recently I found this Chinese saying in a magazine and it spoke to me: 

Pleasure for an hour, a bottle of wine; pleasure for years, a marriage; 

pleasure for a lifetime, a garden.

Speaking of pleasure, my epiphytic cacti 

gave me such joy this season with about 75% of my large hanging plants blooming 

with no duplicates. For those unfamiliar with epis, as they are called, do a 

Google search with image for epiphyllum hybrids and you will see why they make 

me smile.

     Hope everyone was able to make it to the San Mateo County Fair this year, 

unfortunately I was in Alaska at a cousin’s reunion so missed all the fun of 

entering designs and specimens. I heard though, that there were beautiful cut 

flowers and potted plants along with some innovative balcony gardens. The 

amateur and professional gardens outside Redwood Hall were especially gorgeous 

along with the artful and creative floral designs. There were some huge 

challenges this year as floral arts had a new venue.

    September is also the month many garden clubs resume their meetings after a 

summer hiatus. There are many advantages to joining a garden club. You learn 

about horticulture and floral design and you widen your circle of friends and 

your plant population. I think gardeners, on the whole, are very generous and 

very friendly. All the bay area garden clubs and societies welcome new members 

with open arms, cuttings, plants, bulbs, divisions, diverse programs, tours and 

great eating treats at the meetings. Check with the San Mateo Garden Center or 

with me for a society or club that might interest you.

Join thousands of San Mateo County residents in the state’s largest volunteer event focused on protecting the marine environment. Each year, San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program (SMCWPPP) and the California Coastal Commission partner to coordinate Coastal Cleanup Day in an effort to engage people to remove debris from the bay and inland waterways; identify the sources of debris; and ultimately change the behaviors that cause pollution.

Since the program started in 1985, nearly 700,000 Californians have removed more than 10 million pounds of debris from our state’s shorelines and coast. When combined with the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by The Ocean Conservancy that takes place on the same day, California Coastal Cleanup Day becomes part of one of the largest volunteer events of the year.

August real estate sales activity for the greater Cupertino area continued at a pace very similar to previous months.  There were 56 closed sales in August compared with 49 for June and 55 in July.  There are currently 49 pending sales, slightly less than in the previous month possibly reflecting the longer period necessary to process loans.  Pending sales are homes that are under contract, or in escrow waiting to clear inspection and financing contingencies prior to close.  There were 97 homes for sale at the end of August compared with 117 at the end of the July.  It is significant to note that the summer market is usually a little slower than the spring and fall markets. 

There are still a significant number of homes that continue to sell above their asking prices.  The majority of these homes tend to be priced between $900,000 to $1,500,000.  There were 10 sales that closed above asking price in August compared with 16 in July.  Most, however, were not significantly over.  There were 12 home sales in the price range above $1,500,000 in the month of August, compared with only 3 in July.   

  For the most part, prices are holding steady.  Buyers are showing a disciplined approach and are doing their homework before coming to the table with an offer!  Lending restrictions are now much tougher than they were prior to the recent changes in lending practices.  It is imperative now, for Buyers to obtain loan pre-approval before seriously looking for a home. 

In response to a searing letter from San Mateo Supervisor Jerry Hill that took issue with the transparency of the board’s process for choosing a new garbage and recycle pick-up service, SBWMA has removed Kevin McCarthy, its executive director, from the selection process.

McCarthy was the source of Hill’s complaint. After SBWMA settled on Norcal Waste Systems, dumping Allied Waste which has held the contract for nine years, two weeks ago, McCarthy then took the unusual action of emailing the four unsuccessful bidders asking them to write a letter defending the SBWMA’s bidding process.

“[I] have a special and awkward request to make: can [you] write a letter stating that while you are certainly disappointed with the results and you not being selected you feel the rfp processes were conducted professionally, thoroughly and with the highest level of transparency and integrity,” McCarthy wrote in the Aug. 23 e-mail.

After that, Hill took issue with the transparency of SBWMA process which, he wrote, makes him “suspicious of what I’m getting from them.”

Besides removing McCarthy from the selection process, SBWMA chair Larry Patterson wrote that the executive committee will review and approve direct correspondence with the proposers regarding the selection process and the committee’s role in contract negotiations with the short-listed firms will be increased for direct oversight.

A lot of newspaper ink has been spilled lately over HR 3221 - the Housing and Economic Recovery Act - which was recently passed into law. This legislation could have significant implications for the Santa Clarita Valley housing and mortgage industries, so I wanted to point out a few things that could impact you or someone you know.
 
The main thing that may impact most first-time homebuyers is the elimination of what is called the “Nehemiah Program”.  The Nehemiah Program is a down payment assistance program where a home seller contributes up to 6% of the selling price of a home to a non-profit agency called Nehemiah. For a fee of about $400, Nehemiah then provides the money as a legal down payment to a homebuyer. This popular FHA program has helped over 900,000 families obtain homeownership since 2000, however, it is unpopular with HUD because many of these homes eventually end up in foreclosure.
 

As this new Federal legislation is currently written, the Nehemiah program will be phased out of homes insured by HUD for homebuyers on or about October 1. There is currently some discussion as to when the exact date will take effect, but if you know someone who is in interested in using this program to buy a home, they should have their FHA loan application in process prior to October 1.
 

San Mateo County Fair

August 8 - 17, 2008

Bright carnival lights, amazing entertainment, extensive educational experiences, thousands of exhibits and nearly 150,000 guests…all are trademarks of one of our area’s signature events, the San Mateo County Fair! August 8-17, 2008 will mark the seventy-fourth year for this community celebration, which continues to be enjoyed by patrons both young and young at heart.

Fair Hours:

Monday, August 11 — noon - 11 pm

Tuesday, August 12 — noon - 11 pm

Wednesday, August 13 — noon - 11 pm

Thursday, August 14 — noon - 11 pm

Friday, August 15 — noon to midnight

Saturday, August 16 — noon to midnight

Sunday, August 17 — 4 pm - 12 am

Monday, August 11

Seniors’ Day

Free admission to guests 62 & better/ Special entertainment and exhibits throughout the day.

Tuesday, August 12

Free ’til 3:00 pm

Free admission to guests entering

before 3:00 pm

Wednesday, August 13

High Five For Teens

$5.00 admission until 5:00 pm for teens. Teens entering before 5:00 pm also receive a coupon for $5.00 of a carnival wristband.

Friday, August 15

Dia de La Feria Preciosa

A celebration of Spanish influence, music, and entertainment throughout

the grounds. Special events, exhibitors, and food will be available.

Entertainment:

All Shows start at 7:30 PM unless otherwise noted.

Monday, August 11 — Drew Seeley

Tuesday, August 12 — Tower of Power

Wednesday, August 13 — Tower of Power

Thursday, August 14 — Pat Monahan

Friday, August 15 — ”Weird Al” Yankovic

Saturday, August 16 — Billy Ray Cyrus

Sunday, August 17 — Dia de La Feria Preciosa (2-7 pm)

He could be sentenced to a year in jail if convicted.

Dickenson was arrested July 11 after a woman reported the vice mayor had grabbed her purse and swung her to the ground about 4:30 p.m. at Redwood City Underground, 2650 Broadway, Redwood City, police said. Dickenson was taken into custody that afternoon but released on $10,000 bail that night.

The charges were announced Tuesday morning by San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. Those charges include two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and one count of misdemeanor false imprisonment. Dickenson will be arraigned Wednesday morning.

“We had heard the victim’s description of what had occurred and we had his description of what had occurred,” Wagstaffe told the San Jose Mercury News.

“We did some follow-up investigation … our ultimate conclusion was that we think that there are additional facts that corroborate her description of what occurred and not his.”

The woman reportedly told police that Dickenson was trying to keep her at the restaurant. When officers arrived, she had an abrasion to her left arm and armpit area and an abrasion to her right shoulder, Redwood City police Capt. Chris Cesena told the Mercury News.

Dickenson reportedly told police that she hit him in the head with her purse during a disagreement about their joint ownership of the  restaurant where the incident occurred. He and the alleged victim reportedly had been dating.

Dickenson’s initial appearance in San Mateo County Superior Court is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 13.

There are still a significant number of homes that continue to sell above their asking prices.  The majority of these homes tend to be priced between $900,000 to $1,500,000.  There were 16 sales that closed above asking price in June compared with 25 in May.  Most, however, were not significantly over.  There were only 3 home sales in the price range above $1,500,000 in the month of July.  In some cases the pricing strategy has affected the outcome, whereby, the homes are deliberately priced below the selling price the seller expects to achieve.  I observed one listing that languished on the market for about 60 days that was originally listed at $1,399,000.  It went through a couple of price reductions, eventually dropping to $1,150,000.  The home finally attracted the attention of a few home buyers who bid against one another and it sold for $1,298,000.  I sometimes pause at why more home buyers don’t just make an offer on homes that have been tested on the market for a few weeks.  By then, the sellers are getting anxious and  buyers might be pleasantly surprised. 

For the most part, prices are holding steady.  Buyers, for the most part are showing a disciplined approach and are doing their homework before coming to the table with an offer!  I have noticed with a few buyers, that if they detect there may be competing offers on a certain property, they become hesitant and may elect not to offer at all.

The supply of homes remains low by historical standards.  We are experiencing a stabilized supply of homes as we experience the summer selling season.  There is still an over supply of Buyers out there compared with the relatively small number of homes for sale.  The bulk of the buyers tend to be seeking homes that are affordable by our standards, priced below $1.5 Million.  The market trends at the moment would indicate a continued upward pressure on prices.  Homes priced upwards of $2 Million are tougher to sell.  Knowledgeable astute sellers who choose to act now can take advantage of prime market conditions unique to this area. 

Final thought:  Buyers who have been disappointed in recent months while shopping the market and have been scorned by the multiple offer experience, should consider getting back in the market.  We usually see an increase of supply as the Summer selling season catches steam.  Employers are still hiring, interest rates are moderating and this is still the number one place to live! 

Above comments are pertinent to Cupertino and surrounding communities, Sunnyvale, Saratoga, Los Altos, and Los Gatos.  The further you travel South in Santa Clara County, or head to the Central Valley, the more the picture looks like what you may be reading in the news about the troubled real estate market and rising foreclosure rate.