Andy Named One of 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders
I’m tremendously honored to announce that I was recently named as one of Inman News’ 100 Most Influential Real Estate leaders in 2010.
The Inman 100, an annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in Real Estate, recognizes those power brokers, thought leaders, experts, insiders, and visionaries who influence the real estate industry with their words, actions, insight and innovations.
This latest list recognizes brokerage company executives, technologists, government leaders, media players, economists, online luminaries and other industry heavyweights who hold the power to move the industry forward during this prolonged period of economic hardship and uncertainty. Individuals on the list were selected after a nomination process and an Inman News editorial review.
The reason I made the list is that a few years ago, I organized an event in San Francisco called Real Estate BarCamp, where real estate professionals could get together in an open and unstructed format to lead group sessions on the topics that they’re passionate about.
Building on the success of that first event, I encouraged others to organize events in their area and to date there have now been over 50 local RE BarCamps held across the world.
RE BarCamps have become a catalyst for us to bridge our online & offline worlds and allow us to share and learn from each other, while building relationships with some of the brightest & most forward thinking people in the industry. It’s something that I’m extremely proud of and look forward to each one I attend.
Ginger Wilcox, Brad Coy and I continue to organize the annual SF event (Summer 2011 will be our 4th!) and I continue to help local organizers put on successful RE BarCamps in their backyard.
Home for the Holidays, Albany Residents?
Albany homeowners can participate in a fantastic winter race. The City of Albany’s Last Run 5K will take place on Saturday, December 18th at 5 p.m. The race begins in front of the Judicial Building at the corner of State and Park and continues through Washington Park. The Capitol Holiday Lights will guide runners through their race. Runners should not experience overlapping, as some course remapping has been done for this year’s event.
Official Last Run race windshirts will be given to the first 1,000 runners. First place awards will go to one male and one female athlete and awards will also be given to the top three finishers in each category. Online registration closes on December 15th at 9 p.m. Pacific Time and costs $20 prior to December 3rd and $25 until December 17th. Race day registration will be $30. Packets are available for pick up at City Hall on December 17th from 11a.m. to 6 p.m. The post race awards ceremony will follow the race at the Egg at the Empire State Plaza Concourse in Albany.
Berkeley Hills Homes Under Frost Advisory
Berkeley Hills homes are currently under frost advisory and in some parts have light snow already this winter. It’s pretty chilly outside, so make sure you bundle up and drive safely if road conditions are less than ideal. According to weather.com, there are a few things you should know if you must drive on icy roads in Berkeley Hills.
Go slowly and leave three times your usual spacing between cars so you have time to stop when needed. When you do stop, brake gently and ease off the brake if you feel the wheels locking up. Use low gears and turn on your lights to make your car more easily seen. Do not pass snow plows and wait until they have cleared your road before driving on it, if possible.
If skidding becomes an issue, take your foot off of the gas and evaluate where the skid is happening. If your front wheels are the issue, place the car in neutral and refrain from steering until the car has slowed. If your back wheels are skidding, steer in the direction you want to go slowly. Pump your brakes, unless you have ABS. If you have ABS, steadily push the brakes.
A Great Reason to Make Berkeley Your Home
If you needed a great reason to make Berkeley your home, consider the cultural experiences that could be yours! German violin virtuoso Christian Tetzlaff may be one of those. A once in a lifetime opportunity awaits you as he performs at Zellerbach Hall at the University of California at Berkeley on Saturday, December 4th at 6 p.m. and takes you on an unforgettable musical journey! The essential Bach sonatas and partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001-1006) combined with Tetzlaff’s musical integrity, insight, and technique will result in a remarkable marathon performance.
The program consists of J.S. Bach: Sonatas Nos. 1-3 and J.S. Bach: Partitas Nos. 1-3. Prices for the concert begin at $34 and more information is available by calling 510.642.9988 or by clicking here. Plan now for your night out, by reserving your space at the Adagia@Zellerbach’s buffet. This new addition to Zellerbach Hall, located in the mezzanine, allows you to get a bite to eat over the dinner break, from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m.
Residents Volunteer to Improve El Cerrito
Enjoy working in the garden at your El Cerrito home? Here’s a service opportunity where you can use your skills to benefit your El Cerrito community. Friends of Five Creeks is meeting on Saturday, December 4th for a work party from 10a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meeting at Creekside Park, the day’s event is focused on mostly rather light, easy planting without steep, muddy slopes, along with time to enjoy nature and celebrate the season.
Friends of Five Creeks is an all-volunteer group of East Bay area residents working hands-on for clean water and healthy watersheds. They seek to protect and restore natural areas on the urbanized east side of San Francisco Bay. In November, volunteers planted over three hundred natives plants on Cerrito Creek. Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month (except on holidays) at 7 p.m. at Albany Community Center. Call 510.848.9358 or click here for more information.
Improve Safety in Your El Cerrito Or Kensington Home
Are your First Aid and/or CPR skills a little rusty? If you own or rent a home in El Cerrito or Kensington, you are in luck! Specialized training is available to you through the Fire Department.
The El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department will offer classes in CPR and First Aid on December 11th. Adult CPR with AED, Child CPR, Infant CPR, and Basic First Aid certifications and renewals will be available. CPR will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and break for lunch (bring your own). First Aid training will start at 1 p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.
Priority registration is available to El Cerrito and Kensington residents. A $25 processing fee is required for CPR certification and a $50 fee will be needed for CPR/First Aid certification. Classes will be held at Station 72, located at 1520 Arlington Blvd., in El Cerrito. More information is available by calling 510.215.4550 or emailing here. fire@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us.
If You're Keeping Up With the Latest Foreclosure News, You'll Want to Check These Posts Out
Here’s a double dose of foreclosure related info from the folks at ForeclosureRadar which I thought you’d find useful.
First off, COO Mark C. Skilling fills us in on “What’s new in Sacramento? (SB 1178 / SB 1275 / AB 1639)”. Looks like some more foreclosure related legislation is headed our way, including:
- Extending borrowers protections from personal liability purchase money loans that have been refinanced (SB 1178)
- Delaying the start of the foreclosure process until after final determination of a loan modification request (SB 1275)
- Providing a way for borrows to be compensated if their home is sold at auction by the lender’s mistake (SB 1275)
- Delaying the start of the foreclosure process until the completion of mediation between the borrow and lender (AB 1639)
For a full breakdown, check out the entire post where he breaks the bills down in detail.
Also worth checking out is founder & CEO Sean O’Toole’s powerpoint deck from his recent talk at SJREI ‘”Foreclosures: Market Update & Opportunities” which does an excellent job of breaking down where we are, how we got here and gives his take on where we’re headed and where the opportunities are. I’ve included screen shots of a couple of slides below and definitely recommend downloading & checking out the deck.
[video] East Bay Trustee Sales Decline in Holiday Shortened Week.
Last week’s holiday shortened auction schedule resulted in an overall decrease in the East Bay Trustee Sale numbers across the board. As a result I focused mainly on the percentages in this week’s video. After a dramatic jump last week in properties taken back by the banks as REO, this week’s numbers showed a reversal of that trend.
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