Elaine King's Real Estate Blog

The holiday spirit is in the air at Summerset in Brentwood.  Residents are decorating their yards and their homes; as well as filling grocery bags with food for needy Brentwood families.  Each year, Summersetters donate non-perishable food for “Feed the Children” and purchase gifts for needy Brentwood children via the angel gift giving tree and toys for tot drive. 

Each community hosts its own Christmas party, but other holiday events are open to all Summerset residents. Each Summerset resident receives a monthly activity calendar, allowing you to partake in the activities at any of the four Summerset locations.

Currently, there are 27 homes for sale in Summerset, a 30% increase from last year.  Prices range from $200,000 for 1300 sq. feet in Summerset 1 to $549,950 for 2857 sq ft home in Summerset 3.  (A third of these homes have been on the market more than 100 days.)  Most homes in Summerset are gently used, but are missing the updates that today’s buyers seek.  Homes priced under $300K tend to move quickly.  Here is a link to current homes on the market.

Not sure that you want to live in a retirement community?  Try renting!  Rents start about $1250/month for a duet (attached unit with a 1 car garage), but rental units under $1500 go quickly!  Here is a link to current Summerset rentals.

The Date: The first Thanksgiving was on September 8, 1565 near St. Augustine, Florida. Thanksgiving was a traditional New England holiday that celebrated family and community and descended from Puritan days of fasting and festive rejoicing. Abraham Lincoln, spurred on by the lobbying efforts of writer Sarah Josepha Hale, proclaimed an annual national day of thanks in 1863 for the many blessings enjoyed by Americans. 

It wasn’t till later in the 19th century, though, that the popular image of the “First Thanksgiving” took root. Earlier, while the Indian wars were still raging, scenes of settlers and natives engaging in a joint gathering seemed inconceivable.

In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt modified Lincoln’s chosen date of the last Thursday of November to the second-to-last Thursday of November in order to extend the post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas shopping season. J Then in 1942 FDR signed a law making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November, a law which is still in effect today.

Why a Turkey?  One story tells of Queen Elizabeth (16th century England eating a roast goose at a harvest festival, and upon hearing that the Spanish Armada had sunk on its way to attack England, the queen ordered up a second goose to celebrate the great news.  Thus, the goose became the favorite bird at harvest time in England. When the Pilgrims arrived in America from England, roasted turkey replaced roasted goose as the main cuisine because wild turkeys were more abundant and easier to find than geese.

Why Pumpkin Pie?   In 1621, at the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, they ate pumpkin custard flavored with maple syrup and spices, baked in pumpkin shells.  In 1796, an American cookbook by Amelia Simmons was published. It was the first cook book that developed recipes for foods native to America.  Her pumpkin puddings were baked in a crust and similar to present day pumpkin pies.

Wishing you…  sincere Thanksgiving wishes for a day spent with loving friends and family enjoying great food.  I personally give thanks for my health, the abundance of America, for family & friends, and for the day we set-aside to give gratitude.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Hannah Nicole Vineyards is offering its acoustic weekend afternoons for your enjoyment.  Come out to Brentwood and enjoy a bottle of wine from their tasting room and grab some cheese, salami and crackers from their gift shop or bring your own picnic! 

Artists are scheduled to perform between 1 and 4 PM. Tickets are not required to enjoy the music and it is open to all ages! If the weather gets cold or wet, the music will be moved inside; so you can enjoy the tunes while you’re warming up with a glass of your favorite red!  

Below is a schedule of Acoustic Afternoons performances… 

November 19 – Chris Ahlman

Country influenced vocalist.

November 20 – Owen Plant

 Encore appearance by this eclectic artist who fuses island, classic and rock styles

November 26- Steve Marvel

Crowd favorite! Always a good afternoon of entertainment and music with Mr. Marvel!

November 27 – Toree McGee is Back!

A talented emerging voice with a strong set list and a great guitarist!

November is here and the leaves are just starting to fall in Summerset, an over 55 “active adult” community located in Brentwood.  This past weekend, was a yearly craft fair benefitting the Summerset 2 Social Club.  Now, plans for food drives, parties and charity donations are on the calendar.  Holiday tours of San Francisco, Santana Row, and the Dickens Christmas Faire are just some of the plans on the upcoming calendar.  One thing for sure, you can definitely fill your calendar when you live here at Summerset!  Each community has its own home owner’s association (HOA), recreation center, pool/hot tub, tennis court, bocce court, workout room, pool table and activity director.  Once you are a resident of Summerset, you will receive a monthly activity calendar, and can attend activities at any of the four Summerset locations.

Currently, the number of homes available in Summerset has been reduced to 26; that is a great statistic, as it represents less than 2% of all homes in the development.  Prices currently range from $250-$550K.  Smaller sized homes move quickly, especially those priced under $250K!  Here is a link to current homes in Summerset!

Homes for rent in Summerset have also been snatched up quickly these past few months.  Renting is a great option if you are not quite sure you are ready to live in a retirement community; while enjoying all the benefits of an owner.  Rents start at $1250 for a duet; however, currently the lowest price rental is going for $1625.

Should you have any questions about Summerset, call me.   I live in and enjoy sharing the opportunity to tell others about Summerset.  Wishing you a Happy Autumn Season!

Yesterday, I attended “The BIG EVENT”, hosted by Contra Costa  at the Lesher Theatre in Walnut Creek.  Two main speakers were there speaking: Robert Kleinhenz PHD, Deputy Chief Economist for Calif. Assoc of Realtors (CAR) and Gov Hutchinson, asst. general counsel & VP of  CAR.  This once-yearly meeting talks trends/forecasts and new laws coming into effect on January 1^st.  The event is open to members of the Contra Costa Assoc. of Realtors. Below are some highlights of the talk:

• Unemployment for California remains around 12%. (10% in Contra Costa.)  The non-farm recession job losses are about 1 million jobs; however, since Jan 2010, 222,400 jobs have been added to the state. 
• The economy is recovering, but moving slow.  GDP for 3^rd quarter 2011 was 2.5% for the same time last year, it was 2.7%. 
• Consumers are not spending, and also DRAINING down their savings.  This will be a slow healing process, as consumer spending is needed to improve the economy.
• Interest rates are historically LOW, and this makes it a great time to buy.
• The California median home price is $287,400, down 8.3%.
• 2012 is predicted to mirror 2011 in the California housing market.  We are close to record affordability.  34% of buyers are first time buyers.
• Tax credits helped sales in 2010; they say this is a transition year and sales have to move forward by themselves.   Equity sales rose in 2011.
• There will continue to be foreclosure thru 2014!
• Current inventory in CA is 5 months; down from 7 months.  Homes over $1 million have a 10 month inventory and those under $300K have a 4.7 month inventory.  Broken down by inventory type, in California there is a 2.6 month inventory for REO’s. A 5.9 month inventory for regular sales and ad 7.9 month inventory for short sales.
• Most buyers shop for 4 months before contacting an agent; 80% of buyers used an agent.
• Financing continues to be a challenge.
• Some new laws going into effect 1/1/12: Landlords can prohibit smoking and it must be written in the lease.  Tenants can display political signs.  HOA transfer CANNOT be more than $250, and HOA MUST discloses if unit cannot be rented out.  If a home is listed for less than the liens, than it MUST be listed as a short sale.
• If a DRE member is on the Top 500 tax delinquent list, they will lose their license. WOW!
• For a link to this speech go to: www.car.org/marketdata and then click the speech section on the left hand side.