1.      Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2.      Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

 3.      Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste… and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

 4.      Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it..

5.      If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house.. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6.      If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.

 7.      A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom – and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

 8.      It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door – understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9.      I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10.  Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11.  Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12.  You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13.  A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television.   (Find it athttp://www.faketv/.com/) 

Thanks for checking in… Your comments are always welcome…

Isi

Isi Wu… the realtor for you…

Serving clients throughout the Eastbay

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• Rain, Everywhere (sfist.com)

Have you ever heard about Walk Score?… This is a trend that is finding a place in the search parameters for a growing number of homebuyers… just thought it would be of interest to you if you’re not aware of it…

About Walk Score

Mission

The Walk Score mission is to promote walkable neighborhoods. We believe walkable neighborhoods are one of the simplest and most effective solutions to halt climate change, improve our health, and strengthen our communities.

Very soon all listings will read: Beds: 3  Baths: 2  Walk Score: 84. We want walkability and transportation costs to be a key part of choosing where to live.

Go ahead check your neighborhood Walk Score…   http://bit.ly/6a08VL

Why Walking Matters

Walkable neighborhoods offer surprising benefits to our health, the environment, and our communities.

Better health: A study in Washington State found that the average resident of a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood weighs 7 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.¹ Residents of walkable neighborhoods drive less and suffer fewer car accidents, a leading cause of death between the ages of 15–45.

“We are here to show those guys that are inching their way on the freeways in their metal coffins that the human spirit is still alive.”  - Patrick Swayze, Point Break

Reduction in greenhouse gas: Cars are a leading cause of global warming. Your feet are zero-pollution transportation machines.

More transportation options: Compact neighborhoods tend to have higher population density, which leads to more public transportation options and bicycle infrastructure. Not only is taking the bus cheaper than driving, but riding a bus is ten times safer than driving a car!²

Increased social capital: Walking increases social capital by promoting face-to-face interaction with your neighbors. Studies have shown that for every 10 minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities falls by 10%.³

Stronger local businesses: Dense, walkable neighborhoods provide local businesses with the foot traffic they need to thrive. It’s easier for pedestrians to shop at many stores on one trip, since they don’t need to drive between destinations.

Find the best neighborhoods for walking …  in the largest 40 U.S. cities… http://bit.ly/6a08VL

Good Morning My Wonderful Beautiful and Very Wet Bay Area!!…

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them -

Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit

and you’re keeping all of these in the Air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.

But the other four Balls – Family, Health, Friends and Spirit – are made of glass.

If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered.

They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.”

WORK EFFICIENTLY DURING OFFICE HOURS AND LEAVE ON TIME.

GIVE THE REQUIRED TIME TO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & HAVE PROPER REST.

30 second Speech by Bryan Dyson (CEO of Coca Cola)

Thanks for checking in… your comments are always welcome…

Isi

Isi Wu… the realtor for you…

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…

Greetings and Happy Happy Monday to You My Beautiful Wonderful San Francisco Bay Area… Hallelujah Hallelujah… the recent extensions for the up to $8,000 tax credits will certainly encourage first time homebuyers to become proud homeowners… but did you know there are other incentives established in various cities throughout our beautiful Bay Area?  Cities that participate have their own set of requirements and money allotments to help low and moderate-income households receive extra monies… to assist them in buying their first home… some of the cities will also allow folks who have previously owned homes within a certain time frame to apply … (each city has their own set of rules and guidelines, each city has different maximum amounts of money they will award each applicant and each have their own repayment plans … all depending on need… keep in mind its usually first come first serve until all the allotted amount of monies are used up… you will be required to attend workshops and attend a seminar or two to get into the program… all designed to inform and educate about the process)…

Lots of people have no idea these programs exist or they cant believe they exist.

Lets take the City of San Leandro as an example… when you attend a city run First Time Homebuyer Seminar you will learn ways to get up to $65,000 in home purchasing assistance!!… Over the past 2 years some 20 San Leandro households have made their first home purchase through this program.

San Leandro offers down payment loans up to $30,000 at 3% interest for 20 years. No payments are due for 5 years, nor does any interest accrue during that period. In addition the Federal Home Loan Bank WISH Program may also contribute $15,000, which is forgiven… you never have to pay that amount back. On top of this, the California Housing Finance Agency may lend an additional 3% of the purchase price… which is deferred for 35 years… and with the new extended federal tax credit of $8,000… makes this a huge opportunity for those who qualify for the help!!… San Leandro’s program allows a maximum of $75,000 for 1 person to earn in wages & $85,700 for a 2 person income per year… Buyers must also provide at least a 3% down payment… the home must be purchased in the city limits… more detailed information will be given at the seminars. You may download the city’s First Time Homebuyer Brochure in several languages at…

http://bit.ly/gddxt

Please pass this information on to those who can use it and most definitely look into cities you’re interested in… just google City of _______________________…

This is a wonderful thing…

As always… Thanks for checking in… your comments are always welcome…

Come back and visit all the time!!…

Isi

Isi Wu… the realtor for you…

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…

Wishing you and yours a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!  Although this year has been a rough one here in our beautiful, wonderful San Francisco Bay Area and all around this world of ours, a very good friend reminded me of the eloquent words of William DeVaughn which bears repeating:

“Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac, Gangsta whitewalls, TV antennas in the back. You may not have a car at all. But remember brothers and sisters you can still stand tall… Just be thankful for what you’ve got…”

Do you recall the song??…

Thanks for checking in… your comments are always welcome… Come back and visit all the time!!…

Isi

Isi Wu… the realtor for you…

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…

  “Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.” ~ Frank A. Clark

Helloooo My Beautiful Wonderful San Francisco Bay Area…  Just sharing this wonderful thought with you… Isn’t this one of the most loveliest, thoughtful gifts we can ever aspire to do for someone?… It definitely inspires and challenges  me to be a better person…

Happy Happy Friday… the weekend is here!… Cheers!!…

Thanks for checking in… your comments are always welcome…

Come back and visit all the time!!…

Isi

Isi Wu… the realtor for you…

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…

Just read this article by Gil Linton and thought it was pretty insightful…  It struck me that this same train of thought could be applied to how we view the business of real estate here in our beautiful cities by the San Francisco Bay … check it out..

http://tinyurl.com/yfy9onb

Your thoughts???…

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…

Greetings To You Today!!... Yesterday… I attended a class offered by my brokerage http://www.realtyworldnca.com… on Social Media… designed to give us insight and information on today’s technology and networking capabilities… all about the How’s, Why’s and What To Do’s and how to incorporate it all into my business… WOW what a concept!!… Help to Help Me in my work!!… Awesome… here’s my chance to go and get myself more informed… and Free… whats not to like?!?…

This class was jammed pack with information… great overview  but wished we had more time for Q&A and actual instructions on the downloading of all those tools… most of these tools were brand new to me… never had anyone share these with me (thanks so much Erin…our in-house social media guru)… I was so excited and anxious to start using them ASAP!!

I wanted to download these tools while still in class… NOT… the internet connection at the venue was faulty, my own air card wasn’t working correctly… nothing I did allowed me to download a thing… was advised to wait til I got home (better connection) to download… NOT… tried and tried over and over to download… I’ve learned over the years…with much trial and error and anxiety… one must be patient, stay calm (take deep breaths) and not get aggravated when working with the computer… nothing was working out right… went to bed… woke up this morning and the very first thing I did … (even before my morning coffee) was to get on my laptop to go at it again… NOT… to avoid bothering our in-house tech guru Ron… I called my local realtor board/tech support… NOT… they couldn’t get the downloads to take… sent emails to the various sites for help… (remember that saying… if at first you don’t succeed don’t give up… keep trying… ) so I reached out to our in-house tech guru Ron… Funny thing he was at that moment working on some of the same issues I was calling about…  he’ll send out update on the fixes later…

Moral to this story… there’s lots to learn, its all there for the taking, be patient, anything worthwhile will come in good time…

Have a Really Good Day All…

As always… would love to hear back from you… I welcome your feedback… Lets Start a Dialogue!…

Save Me in your Favorites and come back and visit all the time!!…

Thanks a Bunch for your time today…

Isi Wu… the realtor for you…

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…

click here for some Halloween fun….        http://bit.ly/3fr22S

Share some fotos from your neck of the woods… all over the San Francisco Bay Area and the Eastbay!!…

As always… would love to hear back from you… I welcome your feedback… Lets Start a Dialogue!…Save Me in your Favorites and come back and visit all the time!!…

Thanks a Bunch for your time today…

Isi Wu… the realtor for you…

Serving Clients All Over the Eastbay…