California Real Estate Insider

Pleasanton, California

Incorporated in 1894, Pleasanton was founded and named by an Alameda County Justice of the Peace named John W. Kottinger, in honor of his friend, Major General Alfred Pleasonton, who was a member of the Union Army Cavalry. The current spelling of Pleasanton is a result of a U.S. Postal Service employee’s typographical mistake.

In 1917, Pleasanton was the backdrop for Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, a family movie staring Mary Pickford. This was no small feat considering that less than seventy years before that, in the 1850s, Pleasanton was ruled by bandits and desperados and carried the nickname of “The Most Desperate Town in the West”. Prospectors were often times ambushed by bandits (like Joaquin Murrieta) as they made their way back from ‘gold country’. The bandits would then make a quick getaway to Pleasanton where shootouts on Main Street were quite common.

According to the latest U.S. Census, the population of Pleasanton is 67,724 and is the wealthiest midsize city in the United States. Mostly known for hosting the Alameda County Fair during June and July (http://www.alamedacountyfair.com/) and the Stoneridge Shopping Center, Pleasanton is also home to the Safeway Inc. headquarters, a large AT&T campus (formally SBC), and several business parks; the largest being the Hacienda Business Park. To emphasize outdoor dining and the increasing foot traffic, Main Street was redesigned in the 1990s. Phoebe Apperson Hearst called Pleasanton home while living on a 500-acre ranch in a 50-room mansion. Her prime Pleasanton real estate is now the site of Castlewood Country Club.

The city of Pleasanton has three high schools – Amador Valley High School, Foothill High School, and Village High, which is a continuation school. Amador Valley High and Foothill High are ranked among the top 300 schools in the country. There are also private schools in Pleasanton, including Carden West School.

For more information on the City of Pleasanton and Pleasanton Real Estate, please visit http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasanton,_California/

Livermore, California

Established in 1869 by William Mendenhall, and named after his friend Robert Livermore, the city of Livermore was officially incorporated on April 15, 1876. Robert died in 1858 so he never knew the honor of being a city’s namesake. Much of present-day Livermore real estate is actually a part of Robert’s original ranch, which was granted to him in 1839. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livermore,_California/

After gold was discovered in California, many prospectors made the one-day journey to Livermore from San Jose by horse or stagecoach, and turned Livermore into a popular ‘pit-stop’ on the way to the Mother Lode in their search for golden riches.

Today, Livermore is thought of as the easternmost city in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the doorway to the Central Valley. As of January 1, 2005, the population of Livermore was 80,723.

Livermore real estate includes the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the California site of Sandia National Laboratories, a new state-of-the-art public library, as well as a Hindu temple visited by the San Francisco Bay Area’s large Indian communities. Livermore, and the valley at large, also boasts the Livermore-Amador Symphony, the Livermore Valley Opera, the Valley Choral Society, the Valley Dance Theatre, and the Del Valle Fine Arts, which helps produce Chamber music concerts.

Since 1918, the city of Livermore has been home to the Livermore Rodeo, often referred to as the “World’s Fastest Rodeo” because of its claim to have more riders per hour than any other Rodeo.

Livermore High School was the first union high school in California, with its establishment in 1891. There is also Granada High School, and Vineyard High, which is offered by Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) as a school for independent study. At the college level, there is Las Positas College and its Sister college in Hayward, Chabot College – both of which are a part of the California Community College system.

For more information on the City of Livermore and Livermore Real Estate, please visit http://www.ci.livermore.ca.us/ & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livermore,_California

San Ramon, California

San Ramon is part of Contra Costa County in Northern California, with a population of 44,722 as of the 2000 U.S. Census.

California High School is San Ramon’s primary high school and is considered to be one of the best high schools in California. It has a strong and growing football program, which is thought to be one of the top programs in the North Coast Section (NCS) conference. Due to the naming of the valley, which includes San Ramon, Danville and Alamo, San Ramon Valley High School is actually located in Danville. New schools are being built to help accommodate the fast growing Dougherty Valley development, with Dougherty Valley High School set to open in 2008.

Many of San Ramon’s residents are computer programmers, software engineers or are somehow related to the ever-growing technology industry. The city is host to “Primo’s Run For Education”, a 5½ k marathon, held at Iron Horse Middle School. Every year on Memorial Day, San Ramon presents an Art and Wine Festival. The city is also the home of Dilbert, a wonderful comic strip about office life, created by Scott Adams who worked in San Ramon.

For more information on the City of San Ramon and San Ramon Real Estate, please visit http://www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ramon,_California/

Dublin, California

Just north of Interstate 580 in Alameda County, Dublin Boulevard, mostly an east/west running road, was a part of the Lincoln Highway and later U.S. Highway 50. The street originally curved south near present day Hansen Drive and followed what we now call Dublin Canyon Road towards Hayward. There are several historical Dublin real estate marks where Donlon Way crosses Dublin Boulevard including The Murray Schoolhouse (established in 1856 with only 50 pupils), and the old cemetery where people were buried even before it was officially established in 1859; members of the Donner Party are buried here.

Dublin is widely known for its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade which is followed by a weekend fair offering a wide range of knick-knacks and other traditional fair items.
Dublin real estate will soon welcome its own IKEA store, set to finish construction in 2008.

Dublin is home to Valley Christian School, a private prep school of 1,300 students ranging from preschool to high school. There is also Dublin High School, with roughly 1,300 students and 80 teachers.
As of the 2000 census, taken by the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Dublin had 29,973 people with 9,325 households and 6,508 families.

Mayor Janet Lockhart first took office in 2001 after being appointed to fill the empty seat left by Guy S. Houston, who stepped down to take a run a the California State Assembly. Mayor Lockhart was officially elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.

For more information on the City of Dublin and Dublin Real Estate, please visit http://www.ci.dublin.ca.us/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin,_California/

Real Estate Remodeling: Where to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck

When you want to do some remodeling in preparation for selling your home, you don’t want to have to invest a great deal of money. The idea is to increase the value of your home prior to selling, without having to be overly concerned about recovering the cost. More than an exact calculation, it’s largely a matter of having the satisfaction that you’re making reasonable improvements that will make both parties happy — you and the prospective buyer.

Shop Around for the Best Prices
In order to maximize your return, which is the part that will increase the satisfaction level on your side of the bargain, you want to check for the best prices and, if you can, do as much work as possible yourself. Depending on the kind of work you need to do, you can find good sales and discounts at many home improvement stores. If you look for discontinued and sale items you can find deals on things that will appeal to a buyer but cost very little money.

Appliance Upgrades
If you have appliances to replace such as a washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, and the like, scratch and dent sales are a good place to shop. You’ll find a large selection of items that have minor scratches, many of which cannot be seen once you put the appliance where you are going to use it. For example, a washer may have a scratch on the side that will be hidden by the dryer, yet because of this flaw, the price is substantially reduced.

As long as the appliances are in good condition there is no need to replace old appliances with new ones just because you are going to sell the house. If you need to solve the problem of an appliance that may become an issue because it is not working, you may even find appliances at second-hand stores.

Flooring
New carpeting can significantly add to the appeal and value of your home.
At carpet outlet stores, you can find end pieces of carpeting left over (remnants) from cuttings. If you know how to properly install carpet, or if you get an experienced professional to install it, no one will ever be able to tell that the carpeting was not custom measured.

Fresh Paint
Some fresh paint can perform miracles on your real estate. If you go to discount stores you can find the paint you need at a reasonable price. Don’t worry about color when you’re selling your house–the purpose is to do some home improvements that will increase your home’s value. In fact, some people prefer white walls because it goes with anything, while others would prefer to repaint when they move in, and white paint makes that easier for them.

Remodeling Makes a Difference
Remember, it’s not how much you pay, but the quality of the remodeling projects that you undertake, that will make the difference. Don’t overdo it, but make sure to take care of areas that are in need of remodeling — carpeting, tile, appliances, painting (inside and out), replacing worn shingles, replacing broken shutters, refacing kitchen cabinets, and other similar projects to present a pleasant and inviting appearance.

Article provided by Colorado’s Automated Homefinder – a Louisville real estate company.