Below are the housing stats for the city of Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon and Livermore. If you have any questions or would like any detailed information, please let me know .

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Driving around the Trivalley, you will notice a lot of open house signs during the weekends. Open houses have been a staple of real estate marketing for a long time. In more recent years, as the technology of virtual tours and videos have progressed, the effectiveness of open houses could be questioned. Nonetheless, many real estate agents still hold open houses and many home sellers today request them from their agent.

What home sellers sometimes fail to consider, are the dangers behind holding open houses. As most everyone knows, open houses are open to the public. Guests of open houses do not need to be accompanied by their real estate agents, as they would be when they make appointments to come see your home at a specific time and place. As a result, you are exposing your home to complete strangers. While some of these strangers will be legitimate buyers in the market, others will be neighbors just curious to see the inside of your home, individuals killing the afternoon and looking for decorating ideas, a potential buyer or seller wanting to meet a real estate agent–or worse of all–a possible thief looking for your valuables.

With so many unknown variables, here are some must take steps a homeowner should take prior to opening up the doors for an open house:

Ensure that your real estate agent meets and greets everyone at the front door to serve as the first line of defense against suspicious individuals.

Put away all of your medication drugs and empty the medicine cabinet. It has been known for individuals to go through bathroom medicine cabinets looking for pain killers and the like.

Any item of monetary or sentimental value should be boxed and put away. Small valuable items such as jewelry, cash and watches that typically sit on top of a dresser or on the bathroom counter are too tempting to just leave out.

Family photos should also be put away to protect the privacy of your family members. Not only will this depersonalize your home and help the potential buyers feel more ‘at home’, it will make sure that the wrong stranger does not have specific information about your family.

Put away all mail and bills. Identity theft is a major problem in our country, and by leaving your personal account numbers in view, will open yourself up to this issue.

So while there are some advantages of getting exposure to the market with open houses, there are also some dangers which all home buyers should be aware of to avoid any misfortunes.

Chris Kamali is a TriValley Real Estate Agent, helping clients buy and sell homes in Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Livermore.

The inventory today is under a 6 month average which is much better than most of the country and even some other parts of California.

Below are the housing stats for the city of Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon and Livermore. If you have any questions or would like any detailed information, please let me know .

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What’s the biggest change in the economy lately that truly affects us all…the price of gas. If you are like me, you have been keeping a close eye on the ever dropping gas prices we have been experiencing in the past weeks. I bet the company that sells those large numbers displays that the gas station use is busy sending out the number “two” as I am seeing what was once $4.55 per gallon down to $2.95 per gallon. (I heard yesterday that Costco in Livermore is $2.76)

So what do gas prices have to do with the real estate market? Well directly, probably nothing! Although the argument can be made that people can again afford to commute and thus secondary markets outside of the main business centers will thrive again. Or someone can argue that the lower prices in fuel will help the economy and as the economy improves, so does the job market and with the government lowering interest rates, buyers will again be able to afford homes and this will be the spark we need in consumer confidence.

While all of the above may be true for the market, what I take from the situation is much greater and valuable.

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With all of the waves in the financial market as banks are being purchased and companies going under, we are comparatively stable as a real estate market in the Trivalley. As you can see from the below graph, we had a increase in total homes sold in the Trivalley in May and have been hanging pretty steadily from there. I imagine that we will see the activity decrease in the final months of the year as we typically do.

The inventory today stands at about a 6 month average which is much better than most of the country and even some other parts of California. If interest rates continue to decline, we may see a bounce up in activity as a result. However, if rates increase because of the volatile market, we may see things slow down again heading into the end of 2008.

Below are the housing stats for the city of Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon and Livermore. If you have any questions or would like any detailed information, please let me know .

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The timing couldn’t be better.  With the recent financial rollercoaster leading to the constant up and down of the stock market, this weekend’s event in Dublin’s Emerald Glen Park is just what the doctor ordered.  The annual festivities held at Emerald Glen Park at the corner of Tassajara Road and Gleason Drive in Dublin kicks off on Saturday morning at 10AM.  The free event includes activities for the children age 12 and under (including a petting Zoo, Face Painting, Balloon Animals and more) while the older children can watch the skateboarding demonstrations or participate in the skateboarding competition held on Sunday.

Last year, more than 16,000 people attended the event celebrating Dublin’s 25th anniversary.  Hoping to draw more people this year, the theme is a global one introducing the attendees to many different cultures from around the world.  The shows scheduled include different dances from Irish, Indian, Brazilian, Chinese and West African groups to name a few.

A special concert is planned for Saturday night at 6pm where, Pete Esovedo, will be performing.  This is a great, free event you should take advantage of this weekend.

For more details, check out the Day on the Glen website.

Chris Kamali is a TriValley Real Estate Agent, helping clients buy and sell homes in Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Livermore.

While the home is a bit of a drive from the TriValley, a home this nice may be worth the drive.  The beautiful dream house featured on the popular TV show “The Bachelor” is for for sale for a smooth $11.5 million.  The home, situated on a 10 acres site in the picturesque Santa Monica Mountains, features 6 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, professional cook’s kitchen, wine cellar and bar, theatre and much more as you can imagine.

Click on the below link for the dedicated website for this home for sale, and if you are interested in purchasing this home, please give me a call. (Smile!)

Bachelor Home For Sale

Chris Kamali is a TriValley Real Estate Agent, helping clients buy and sell homes in Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Livermore.

Danville said hello to its newest major retail shop last weekend as September 6th marked the grand opening of the “Rose Garden” in Danville. The 44,000 square-foot retail center is at the corner of Sycamore Valley Road and Camino Ramon and is anchored by the Navlet’s Nursery. Brad Blake, and Blake Hunt Ventures are the developers and spearhead for the project which has been in works for some years.

Blake Hunt Ventures are tackling the Green on Park Place next.  The 27 Acre project will be on the corner of Hacienda and 580 in Dublin across the street from the popular Hacienda Crossings.  The new center will be anchored by long awaited Whole Foods and is sure to be a popular place for Trivalley residence.  With the existence of Hacienda Crossings and the upcoming development of Green on Park Place and the Promenade in Dublin Ranch, get ready to see a lot more retail and restaurants in Dublin which can only  be good for the local market here.

Click here to read more about this story.

Chris Kamali is a TriValley Real Estate Agent, helping clients buy and sell homes in Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Livermore.

Below are the housing stats for the city of Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon and Livermore. If you have any questions or would like any detailed information, please let me know.

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My wife, an English teacher at Pleasanton’s Amador Valley High School recently spent a week of her summer break to tutor at STEPS Community Prep School in Pleasanton for the first time. She was very impressed with the model behind this tutoring facility and the direct benefits it would have to the students. So I asked her share her thoughts about the prep school and how it is different from other facilities. Below are the benefits she saw in STEPS Community Prep School.

It is easy to see why so many Pleasanton families are choosing the tutoring services of STEPS Community Prep School. The team of teachers is comprised only of Pleasanton school teachers. This is what, perhaps, sets STEPS apart from other tutoring services. The teachers are highly skilled with the Pleasanton curriculum. They are able to combine their expertise with innovative teaching strategies. For example, a sophomore student seeking help in geometry will receive instruction from an actual geometry teacher from Amador Valley or Foothill High School. A student wanting to get instruction on writing will be taught the same format and requirements expected at Pleasanton middle schools at high schools. There is no question that this kind of specialized tutoring is rewarding for students when they see their own growth applied to the classroom.

A small group setting promotes individualized learning and in depth study. The Pleasanton teachers can adjust to students’ needs and foster meaningful collaboration among the students. In short, a student at STEPS can get the attention they need to meet their educational goals.

Classes are scheduled in relationship to the PUSD academic schedule. Continue Reading