Owner: Green Mortgage Group URL:http://www.greenmortgagegroup.com/ Join Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:43:57 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Green Real Estate in the San Francisco- East Bay Area including the Pleasanton Tri-Valley is the focus of our mission. The mission: To educate and inform home owners and clients looking to expand their knowledge of home loans, “Green ideas”, and Real Esta Site statistics:Click here
16 story building in Dublin, California??? Grafton towers poised to change Dublin Sky Line 2007-11-14 21:53:21
When a friend asked me if Dublin
was really going to allow a 16 to 21 story
building to be built, I knew I had to jump right on with research on whether this was a possibility. To my shock and dismay, I discovered indeed, it was a possibility. A proposal was submitted by Charter Properties months ago to develop Grafton Plaza, which will be residential towers, and Campus Office, which will have administrative and professional buildings, retail shops, and gas stations. This area is set to be located near Dublin Boulevard and Grafton Street. Thanks to the local citizens and Jeff Keihl, founder of stopgraftontowers.org, Dublin has put a stop to the obscenely large tower project and is requesting the project be lower to the ground. A Charter Properties representative has asked the city council to “let it go forward with a project that we can redesign in conjunction with the staff that will be more in keeping with the community’s existing character and height Read more:California
Avignon Community, Pleasanton’s Gem built by Centex Homes-GREEN Lifestyle 2007-11-13 23:32:48
No longer are GREEN homes unique among the mass. Nestled in Pleasanton, Avignon has become the FIRST All-Solar, ZERO Energy community in Alameda County. Located west of the luxurious Ruby Hill community, Avignon has distinctive estate-style homes providing a state-of-the-art look at the future of solar energy for homes in the Bay Area.
So what sets this GREEN community apart form surrounding luxury homes? One word: DESIGN. You can experience your investment of a GREEN home while enjoying the gratification of living in “guilt free”.
The features of this community stand alone. In fact, I would say you’re buying into a lifestyle. Imagine living in a home that has instant hot water so none is wasted; a home that comes with all CFL bulbs as a standard; a home that has not only your safety but our environments in mind. When you commit to buying into the Avignon community you are essentially helping the overall quality of our earth and all you have to do i Read more:Homes
Oak Grove Update: The Right & Left Side of the Oak Grove Tree- 2007-11-12 21:46:22
The Oak Grove
Development in Pleasanton, CA has become a wildly debated issue. The past week in the Pleasanton Weekly I noticed two opposite opinions large as day regarding this matter that I felt needed some explanation.
The Left Page Opinion States:
Presented by Keep Our Park Committee-
To summarize this side, they are for Pleasanton slow growth, and support the donation of the 496 acres set to be donated to Pleasanton to remain as open space. http://www.keepourpark.org/
The Right
Page Opinion States:
Save the Pleasanton Hills-
This side doesn’t take much summarization; they would like to keep the hills. http://www.savepleasantonhills.com/
My thoughts are, if Pleasanton doesn’t own the land right now, which they don’t, shouldn’t we be happy with the donation of 496 additional acres? At least we know what we’ll have at the end of the day.
Like I said before, I think Pleasanton has done a great job in city planning so why would there Read more:Update
Pleasanton’s Luxury GREEN Home of the Week: All-Solar, Zero-Energy Marvel 2007-11-10 18:38:30
I had the pleasure of previewing an amazing home in the Avignon Community, which is located right in the heart of Pleasanton. This Green home represents one of the future homes in Pleasanton Luxury
GREEN Community’s. Avignon is the first All-solar, Zero-Energy
community located in Pleasanton, CA.
Located at 951 Mingoia Street, (West of Ruby Hill) Pleasanton CA in the Avignon community this gem is loaded with luxury GREEN features.
Sustainable in design the Luxury GREEN Features are:
Sun Tile’s Solar
Power System- Tiles that blend in the roofline while adding architectural style
Ultra High Efficient (14 SEER) dual zone heating
2 On demand energy-efficient tank less water heaters
Anderson Windows 400 Series low-e windows
Certified wood framing and engineered wood products for subfloors and sheathing
R-15 wall insulation and R-49 attic insulation R-30 above garage/cantieviler
Come and enjoy this home that is open this Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm in Pleasanton. For fu Read more:Marvel
Oak Grove Pleasanton: Moving Forward, What did YOU miss? 2007-11-09 00:12:51
Well you missed the vote on Tuesday night if you didn’t read my news update. Good for you I have an update on the Oak Grove
community set for construction in Alameda County, Pleasanton.
The Pleasanton City Council approved the second reading of the Oak Grove project despite the fact the backers of Save the Pleasanton Hills initiative announced plans to move forward with the referendum to oppose the development. The 51 luxury homes being built in Pleasanton have been challenged due to the size of the luxury homes.
The Pro’s and Con’s of the Oak Grove in Pleasanton Are:
PRO as I stated earlier this week that the Oak Grove developers are donating some 496 acres of open space to Pleasanton to maintain the character of the Pleasanton Ridge Lands.
CON the homes that are proposed will be up to 12,500 square feet and three story’s tall.
My position on this is as follows: I highly believe in intelligent development, which I feel Pleasanton has done an amazing job w Read more:Forward
, Moving
Berkeley Approves Solar Power Real Estate Initiative- Orange you Smiley NOW? 2007-11-07 22:39:07
The Berkeley
City Council has given the green light on a new green initiative: a solar power loan program that would be the first of its kind in the nation.
Last night the city council unanimously approved the bill that would loan current homeowners the up-front cost of installing solar panels on their home. The average cost to install these amazing energy conservers is $20,000-30,000 depending on how large the home is.
During the next 8 months the city staffers will completely work out all the financial, legal, and tax details in order to submit the proposal for final approval by the council next summer.
It states in the approval that, “The initiative calls for the city to facilitate a 20-year loan with a small interest - perhaps as low as 2 percent - to individual homeowners. Homeowners would pay back the loan every month along with property tax bills.” Since going solar usually means a zero dollar electric bill, it could end up costing homeowners nothing.
Som Read more:Estate
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Pleasanton Down Payment Assistance Program: The Jar is Half FULL 2007-11-06 22:07:55
Pleasanton’s Down Payment
Assistance program has been around since 2003. In late 2006 Pleasanton temporally lost its funding; which since has been restored by CALHFA. In order to maximize the success of the program, the Pleasanton City Council will be meeting November 6 th to recommend the following modifications to the Pleasanton Down Payment Assistance Program
.
Amendments include:
Modification of co-signer restriction
Deferral of payments and interest on the first 10yr- amortization loan for the first 3 years
50/50 split between City and CALHFA funds
Increase in loan amount from $40,000 to $60,000
The program changes, due to be approved tonight, will be a great value to First Time Homebuyers looking to purchase Real Estate in the Fantastic Pleasanton Community. The amendment mirrors down payment assistance programs that have been very successful by our neighbors in Livermore and Dublin. The commission will also recommend that from the department they will solicit input from
Oak Grove Development Approval Planed for Tonight: 11-6-2007 2007-11-06 16:19:21 Tonight
the Pleasanton City council is set to hear the second reading on the development of the Oak Grove
Project in Pleasanton. The Oak Grove development being built by Charter Properties is slated to construct 51 custom home sites on the Pleasanton ridge lands. The developer is donating some 562-acres to the city for designated open space.
Tonight’s Pleasanton City Council meeting is held at the City Council Chamber located at 200 Old Bernal at 7:00p.m. A summary of the ordinance will be published in 15 days in the Valley Times newspaper.
Read more:Approval
, Development
First-Time Home Buyer Assistance: Part 2- City of Livermore First-time Home Buyer Down Payment Assistance Program 2007-11-05 21:53:24 ”What First
Time Home Buyer
programs are available right now?” My answer in part two of this series, just as it was in part one is, “It just depends what city you live in.” Let’s say, however, that you live in Livermore, CA. This city has done a fantastic job bringing their community a great First-time home buyer program enabling Livermore to put key’s in homebuyer’s hands. Livermore’s Down Payment
Assistance Program
may be one of the quickest programs to qualify homebuyers with a 10 day close; making it very desirable for us brokers to work with.
Highlights Include:
LOW 3% Interest Rate
30yr term
No Pre-Payment penalties
Deferral Period- 30 years or time of sale or refi
NO city equity participation
43% DTI allowed (CLICK HERE) for DTI Explanation
NO Live/Work requirement like surrounding area programs
Loan can be used with CALHFA finance programs
Livermore has truly created a program that is both buyer friendly and extremely
Vampire Electronics- 4 Billion a year killer 2007-11-05 20:14:51
I, like most people, do not think to unplug appliances or other electrical devices plugged into an outlet when I leave the house or walk out of the room. However, WE ALL might want to start. “An estimated 5% of U.S electricity - or $4 BILLION A YEAR - is wasted by appliances on standby mode, and the Department of Energy says that figure could rise to 20% by 2010.” Why do most Californian’s forget to do something so simple as turning off power strips when we leave the house or go to bed or unplugging the coffee maker? Some speculate it’s because we see it as an inconvenience. Well to make this point more clear, California Legislators have passed the VAMPIRE SLAYERS ACT, which will detail how much energy certain appliances can use. In the meantime, we can all help cut down power usage by converting to Energy Star Appliances or simply remember to unplug those appliances; together both things will make a huge difference.
Read more:Vampire
Green is infectious: A GREEN Tom Sighting Confirmed While Watching the Broncos on Monday Night Football 2007-11-19 21:57:03
That is correct; I said a GREEN Tom instead of Tom Green. The GREEN Tom sighting today at the Pleasanton Windermere Real Estate Office was a confirmation that the GREEN mentality in Real Estate is spreading. I do not see any sign of paper coffee cup’s anywhere in this photo.
If you see a GREEN Tom sighting in your office I highly suggest you DO NOT APPROCH IT and remain still. Please report any sightings to Green Mortgage Group. Thank You.
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, Football
, Monday
, Night
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Pleasanton’s Oak Grove- 496 reasons to be INFORMED: 2007-11-17 18:34:13
Today when opening my mail I realized how hot of an issue Pleasanton’s Oak Grove
- Keep Our Park Mission is. Below is the leaflet that came in the mail. Please see keepourpark.org to see the piece is a reasonable size.
Oak Groves “Keep Our Park Committee” is urging voters not to sign a referendum that will stop the current agreement between the city and the developer to donate nearly 500 acres of open space to Pleasanton. Oak Grove is supported by the Pleasanton City Council and this advertisement was sent with the help of Charter properties (the developer of Pleasanton’s Oak Grove Community).
Safeway goes GREEN as I order my Mocha Choca Whataa… 2007-11-16 22:37:22
As I ran on empty in my fridge for a little over a week I gathered up enough will power to run to the super market for my grocery adventure. You never quite know what will present itself as you travel down the frozen food aisles. To my dismay on the left of the dairy aisle was, what I call, the “Month of Green”; yet another discovery was uncovered.
Safeway
has now stocked reusable grocery sacks for sale! Pick up 1, 2 or 3; they are durable and you can fit allot more grocery’s per sack compared to their plastic counter part. So the next time you are ordering up your Venti mocha choca frappe latte, it may be a good time to order the tall and invest in a reusable grocery sack or two.
Read more:Mocha
Pleasanton Oak Grove Update- Look Left; Look Right their there 2007-11-25 21:26:16 Protesters surrounded Home Depot, Tully’s Pleasanton, Pleasanton Farmers Market, Safeway and Pleasanton Walmart. Everywhere I went this weekend both sides of the issue on Pleasanton Oak Grove
development were out in full force. For an update on the debate see my previous article presenting the sides by following this link: Oak Grove Pleasanton. (more…)
Read more:Right
, Update
Credit Theft: How to Put Credit Fraud Behind the 8 Ball 2007-11-22 22:50:59
Will “freezing” your credit report keep scammers from stealing your name?
I recently read in Decembers issue of Money Magazine that the big 3 credit bureaus- Equifax, Experian and Transunion- gave consumers access to freeze their credit reports. When you opt to freeze your report with the three credit bureaus it makes it virtually impossible for someone to apply for credit or receive a loan with your assumed identity.
While it sounds like a foolproof idea it may not be for all.
Freezing your report does not come without cost or time. You may ask, well how do I do it? To freeze your credit report it involves a written request sent to all three bureaus seperately; with proof of I.D. Each bureau charges $10 for a setup fee. However; each time you need to “un-freeze” or thaw your credit to gain access, for example a Refinance, each Credit Company will charge an additional $10.
I believe th
Happy Thanksgiving! The one item I can go without being GREEN-TURKEY 2007-11-21 21:28:39 HappyThanksgiving
to all the loyal Green Real Estate and Green Mortgage readers!
Take a moment this Thanksgiving and appreciate the time you can share with your friends, family, and loved ones. Be grateful of all the opportunity we enjoy; and appreciate all the soldiers that are providing us that freedom.
San Francisco Ban’s Plastic Grocery Bags: Hitting the ground running today- 2007-11-20 22:23:56
In San Francisco
no longer is the question; Paper or Plastic
? Tuesday November 26th marks the birthday for San Francisco
’s ban on plastic bags in Grocery
and drug stores.
Plastic bags by the numbers. (Borrowed from SFGate.com)
180 million
Roughly the number of plastic shopping bags distributed in San Francisco each year.
2 to 3 cents
Amount each bag costs markets, compared with anywhere from 5 to 10 cents for a biodegradable bag.
4 trillion to 5 trillion
Number of nondegradable plastic bags used worldwide annually.
430,000 gallons
Amount of oil needed to produce 100 million nondegradable plastic bags.
Source: S.F. Department of the Environment; Worldwatch Institute
San Francisco is not the pioneer in banning plastic bags in grocery stores. Ireland has outlawed plastic bags throughout the whole country. I think it’s a great message in California that even the little things count to helping our environment.
What Read more:ground
, Hitting
, running
Pleasanton Avignon: Why pay for PG&E when you can just buy a bigger TURKEY? 2007-11-20 21:04:16
This great opportunity is still present in an ALL-Solar Community in Avignon Pleasanton. With a state-of-the-art solar roof, you are sure to have a GREEN conscious month when you have a little or NO electricity bill.
It may be a short week with the Thanksgiving Holiday but this home is in no way short on Luxury and GREEN Amenities in Avignon Pleasanton.
Take an afternoon off work, defrost your turkey, and call Susan Schall or visit her FABLOUS website at http://www.fablousproperties.net/ and take a look at my favorite home two weeks running at 951 Mingoia Street, Pleasanton in Avignon Community.
Luxury Green Real Estate: My Challenge to YOU- 2007-11-30 23:15:01 Sunday Dec 2nd my favorite Pleasanton LuxuryGreen
Real Estate
Team Donna Garrison and Susan Schall of Keller Williams will be holding an open house at 951 Mingoia St, Pleasanton CA. This very “GREEN” home is located in Pleasanton’s Avignon Community built in 2006 by Centex homes. You must see this home to believe what it has to offer.
I challenge you to find GREEN Real Estate
in the Bay Area that can match this. (more…)
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The newest addition to GREEN Building: EcoRock- Drywall for your home 2007-11-29 23:13:21 The newest Green Product set to be released the first quarter of spring 2008 is Eco Friendly Drywall. I’m sure most homeowners in the Pleasanton Bay Area have experienced the costly prices of redoing or upgrading your homes, mainly due to a rise in shipping costs. Not only do we have to mind our wallets on other spending habits just to pay for fuel in our cars, we are constantly being penalized to help pay for the import of goods from China; one of the main products being drywall. Why not cut fuel costs, lower CO2 emissions, and create hundreds of jobs in the United States? Well, that’s just what the idea is behind an amazing new product called, EcoRock.
(more…)
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Oak Grove Pleasanton Weekly Update: Pleasanton Resource for the Community- 2007-11-29 23:00:44 So as we rapidly approach December in Pleasanton we grow closer to the Dec 6th deadline for the referendum of the development of Pleasanton Oak Grove
. A new Pleasanton community to consist of 51 Luxury Homes nestled in the Pleasanton Ridgeland’s.
As the Independent Newspaper reported on Friday the Save the Pleasanton Hills initiative has already collected 3,500 signatures thus far. By Dec 6th the side needs to collect 4,000 in order for the Oak Grove Development to go to the polls. (more…)
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East Bay Housing Auctions: So there is no one buying Real Estate??? 2007-11-29 13:28:24 Housing AUCTIONS- Go where the VALUE takes you.
We haven’t seen auctions in Bay Area Real Estate
for quite some time. However they are a rapidly growing trend with all of the Bank Owned Property (REO) that lenders have on their balance sheets.
My experience last week at a Sacramento Housing Auction was a successful one. Clients I brought and pre-approved purchased two homes roughly $100,000 below list price.
Sound good to you…? (more…)
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, Real Estate
Google grows roots for the FUTURE of GREEN Energy-RE 2007-11-28 21:37:17 In this case RE does not stand for Real Estate; Google
has decided to redefine it. Google announced their strategic initiative today to develop electricity from alternative GREEN technology. Deemed RE<C Google GREEN project is focused on solar thermal power, wind power technologies, enhanced geothermal systems and other potential breakthrough technologies. For the Google’s GREEN press release visit RE<C.
What I found most inspiring… (more…)
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Pleasanton Christmas Tree Lighting: Pleasanton Hometown Tradition- 2007-11-27 13:23:13
It’s time once again to gather the family and make your way to the Pleasanton Hometown Celebration. Each year Pleasanton residents gather for the annual Christmas
tree lighting and Holiday Parade (Marching band and all). (more…)
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Part 3: Dublin, CA First Time Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance Program- Unlock Hidden $$$ 2007-11-26 22:16:18 Similar to Part One’s “The City of Pleasanton” and Part Two’s, the “City of Livermore’s Down Payment
Assistance program”, Dublin
offers a great opportunity to buy your first home.
Many First
Time Home Buyers ask me what cities are offering to make home ownership affordable. First Time
Homebuyer programs provide financial assistance to first time homebuyers within a certain income range to buy their first home in the form of a deferred loan. Here is a list of available programs that the City of Dublin, CA offers for First Time Homebuyers Down Payment Assistance. (more…)
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East Bay to create “GREEN Corridor” 2007-12-07 22:10:16 An article in the East Bay Business Times gained my attention when I read the title. Four Mayors from Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville and Richmond have joined forces and have gained attention of many. They have vowed to be at the forefront of environmental innovation.
The East Bay “GREEN Corridor” partnership will be a collaborative effort to lead business in environmental innovation, emerging GREEN business and industry, GREEN jobs and renewable energy. (more…)
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Featured Pleasanton Homes of the Week through my eyes ‘@@’ 2007-12-07 18:22:23
Favorite Eco Home- 951 Mingoia St. Pleasanton $1,619,000
Mingoia is still the same great house but with an all new Eco-Friendly price. This Fabulous Eco-Home is listed by Donna Garrison and Susan Schall of Keller Williams. Contact your Eco-Team at www.FabulousProperties.net.
951 Mingoia St, Pleasanton is located in the Avignon Community built by Centex Homes
. Besides seeing myself living here the family I see living in this Eco-Conscious Luxury home is young and professional. With a tech or banking background you will see the value the Eco-Features and embrace the social responsibility you will instill in your children. Can’t wait to be your neighbor! This is the family I will see every Saturday at Tully’s
Downtown Pleasanton- 667 Saint John Street, Pleasanton $1,169,000 Open Sunday 12/9
www.667SaintJohnStreet.com
You can’t beat the location of 667 Saint John St. Pleasanton. Enjoy the downtown Pleasanton charm and Pleasanton’s award winning schools. I can see a y Read more:Featured
Lawsuits and Litigation Certainly to Begin as Bush Administration Announces Mortgage Freeze 2007-12-07 00:44:13
Yes, I do believe this is better than nothing. How do you repair a car tire with duct tape though?
The Bush Administration
announced today their solution for homeowners in trouble due to the Mortgage
Meltdown. We are all aware of what the problem is and probably where it came from. Ok, let’s just highlight what the bush administration proposed.
5 year freeze in loan rates for those who QUALIFY??? To qualify homeowners must have or be: (more…)
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GREEN Real Estate can apply to what’s in your mail box also…RIGHT? 2007-12-06 20:23:57 A good friend and Associate who I feel is a Real Estate
Professional and at the top of his game when it comes to Marketing Real Estate sent me this great email with a great new product. I thought it warranted a mention to you, the GREEN readers that support my efforts in Green Real Estate. (more…)
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