San Jose Real Estate * REALTOR ® * Richard Gonzalez

SOFA Restaurant

Eulipia is located in the South First Street Area(SOFA) and directly across from Eulipia is a beautiful new high rise condo and loft development called Three Sixty Residences. I passed by Eulipia many times since the downtown revitalization began thirty years ago, I even remember having dinner a few years back and for that reason I decided to give it another try.

As I previewed the menu from the window I noticed Eulipia’s California Cuisine had a large variety of options including steak, seafood, pasta. when I walked in I was immediately seated and served a warm basket of bread which by the way was the way I like it; Crunchy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. The atmosphere was dark with candles on the tables. Perfect for a first date or dinner before heading to the theatre across the street at the California Theatre. There is also a large bar if you decide to to have drinks and appetizers.

Dinner Menu

Starters range from $8-$12  including a Ahi Tuna Tarter that looked great. I overheard another customer state to the manager that the the Ahi was especially good. Most of the main courses are in the $20 – $30 range.

Lately I tend to gravitate to fish but was tempted by the “10 oz Blackened Rib-Eye Steak” but ultimately gravitated to the “Atlantic Salmon Roasted with Cashew Nuts”  marinated in Dijon mustard, with season vegetables and lemon butter.

It was excellent to say the least and the portion was a larger than the usual California Cuisine size.

Eulipia’s Legacy

After the meal I had a conversation with Mark McCandless who stated that Eulipia’s legacy has been 30 years in the making. An incredible stretch by any restaurant. The owners are Steve and Mike Borkenhagen who by the way also have another restaurant in Los Gatos called Valerianos.

My take away

Downtown continues to make strides in the revitalization and through the entire process Eulipia continues to be a perfect example of a romantic restaurant in a city that continues to grow.

Eulipia Menu

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Entree Price: $20 – $30

Address:

374 S. 1st St

San Jose, Ca. 95113

(408) 280-6161

Eulipia Website

Santa Clara County sales are down but so is the inventory reported DQNews.com. The article published today states that January 2010 sales are down from December 2009 but those are normal levels for this time of year.

Limited inventory equals less sales activity

The article also attributes this to various factors including tax credit, financing and lack of inventory. I know this already but in our case  our clients are experiencing very limited inventory as the main factor.

Trend should continue in 2010

While sales have fallen in recent months we are going to continue to see this trend in the Silicon Valley mostly because of HAFA and as the demand for housing continues to remain high. Another contributing factor is that sellers not in foreclosure who would normally consider selling are staying put as the economy continues to recover.

The chart below shows in increase in sales volume for Santa Clara County and an improvement in the Median sales price.

	Sales Volume			Median Price
County	Jan-09	Jan-10	%Chng	Jan-09	Jan-10	%Chng
Alameda	994	936	-5.8%	$300,000	$341,000	13.7%
Contra Costa	1,333	1,078	-19.1%	$220,000	$257,250	16.9%
Marin	122	153	25.4%	$525,000	$535,000	1.9%
Napa	78	87	11.5%	$370,000	$350,000	-5.4%
Santa Clara	1,037	1,137	9.6%	$400,000	$451,000	12.8%
San Francisco	229	311	35.8%	$562,000	$629,000	11.9%
San Mateo	273	355	30.0%	$489,500	$579,000	18.3%
Solano	560	462	-17.5%	$192,500	$201,000	4.4%
Sonoma	424	334	-21.2%	$299,750	$325,000	8.4%
Bay Area	5,050	4,853	-3.9%	$300,000	$350,000	16.7

source dqnews.com

Click here to read the DQNews article

Procrastinators assemble!

Here are a few of the Valentine’s activities happening this weekend at Santana Row for those of you who have waited to the last minute to make plans with your significant other.

Dining at Santana Row is always fun.

Click here to see all Valentine’s dining specials at the Row

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Burke Williams is having a spa promotion that should sit well with anyone who loves a little TLC.

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Pinkberry has a promotion though 2/19. I personally havent tried Pinkberry but there is always a line out the door. Share one with your honey.

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Swing Your Sweetheart this Sat, Feb 13th from 3-5pm in Park Valencia! Professional instructors from Cheryl Burke Studio will be teaching a complimentary dance class. While you’re there, enter to win a Romance Package including a night stay at Hotel Valencia, dinner for two on The Row & complimentary dance classes from Cheryl Burke Dance!

Mortgage Protection for Silicon Valley homebuyers

The California Association of REALTORS has decided to extend this offer to 2010 and while the media continues to announce the Federal tax credit I am concerned that message is not getting out to everyone. Most buyers are unaware of this great program for first time homebuyers and have not registered themselves for this complementary program.

I have even talked to REALTORS who are unaware of this program and should be advocates for this piece of mind. The program is available to all first time homebuyers who used a REALTOR and are member of the California Association of REALTORS.

If you already closed escrow you can still take advantage of this program by filling out the application and including a copy of your purchase contract and HUD 1 final closing statement.

Whats the benefit you say?

Through the C.A.R. Housing Affordability Fund’s Mortgage Protection Program, first-time home buyers who lose their jobs due to layoffs may be eligible to receive up to $1,500 per month, for six months, to help make their mortgage payments. A qualified co-buyer also can participate in the program, and receive a monthly benefit of $750 per month for up to six months.

Who Qualifies?

• TO QUALIFY FOR THE MORTGAGE PROTECTION PROGRAM APPLICANTS MUST: ·
  
• Be a first-time home buyer – someone who has not owned property in the last three years (includes co-buyer).
• Open escrow April 2, 2009, or later, and close on or before December 31, 2010 (purchase agreement cannot be dated before April 2, 2009)

• Use a California REALTOR® in the transaction (fee for referral does not qualify)

• Purchase the property in California

• Be a W-2 employee (cannot be self-employed)

Fill it out sign it, have your REALTOR sign it and mail it. It’s as simple as that. Don’t forget to add this to your list when you close escrow.

http://www.car.org/members/hafmainpage/carhafmortgageprotection/

Buying a Silicon Valley home in 2010 can be a challenge but if it’s on your list of resolutions then here are a few tips that you should know to prevent you from falling off the wagon during the process.

Short Sales

The buzz of the 2010 real estate industry is Short Sales. I attended a hand full of conferences last year and short sales were the topic of discussion on everyone’s mind including all the major banks and asset managers of REO properties.

In November Bank of America / Countrywide for instance partnered with equator.com a REO management tool used by REALTORS and asset managers to handle the sales of foreclosed properties. The management system is a task based system that helps to speed the processing of REO’s and now short sales beginning with Bank of America.

Equator.com has now begun to reduce B of A’s timeline for short sale approvals from six months to 45 days. Lightning fast by our experience negotiating short sales with Bank of America over the past two years. This trend will continue as investors look for ways to streamline the slow daunting process we have grown accustomed to in a short sale.

TIP: Short sale buyers should always investigate who the note holder is before making an offer. Knowing who the note holder is will help set your expected timeline for a successful close of escrow. Wachovia short sales are lightning fast because they own the loans and have decision makers in every county. Others like WAMU can be a challenge to say the least and are currently taking up to 5 months for a short sale approval once you are in contract.

REO

Inventory levels are very low but there may be a significant influx of REO properties from shadow inventory that banks are apparently holding. Some even continue to speculate that we will have a tsunami of inventory hit the market based on data from the Royal Bank of Scotland that shows over 3 million home owners 90 days past due and half of them are in foreclosure.

The reality is that the Silicon Valley will not likely see a large influx as a result of this inventory. Most of it is centered around the conforming $417,000 and lower price range. Waiting for REO’s to fill the void in Silicon Valley may keep a buyer on the sidelines for most of if not all of 2010.

TIP: A FHA 203k loan is an excellent loan that includes the cost to repair and remodel a REO home. It really is a great product and should be your primary loan option if you are intent on purchasing an REO home. 203k loans are great negotiation tools because the seller only has to repair health and safety issues leaving you room to negotiate while most other buyers are unable to participate.

Presentation of your offer

I recently listed and sold a home in Gilroy and received 40 offers on the home. During the process of evaluating the offers with the sellers I did my best to help the buyers agents in presenting their offers in hopes of giving every buyer an opportunity . What I realized is that merly making an offer is not enough and helped me make important adjustments in the way I submit offers.

Your offer should always have the following additional information:

• Pre-Approval letter – Preferably from a well known financial institution or an approval from your mortgage broker with the lenders name that you intend to use. If possible a conditional approval would be better but some lenders will not provide that unless you are in contract.
• Proof of funds to close – It’s critical to show the seller and the listing agent that you have the financial means to close escrow.
• A cover letter to the sellers – A letter with a picture of your family introducing yourself and telling them how much you love their home and will continue to give it the love they did. Provide details about your appreciation of the sellers upgrades and if possible any similarities that you may have with the sellers(kids, job industry, neighbor relationships, ect.)
• Comparable sales - Have  your REALTOR provide a list of three sold and pending comparables to make your case why your offer should be considered. Firing off low ball or high offers to a seller will most likely put your offer on the rejected pile because you submitted an offer with a purchase price that will not appraise.

TIP: Communication between your REALTOR and the listing agent is essential. Establishing a relationship with the listing agent is critical and can increase your chances of successfully negotiating with a seller.

Most buyers are taking up to a year to get into a home. Don’t be discouraged if you are still looking in September, the persistent buyer always finds a home.

Happy New Year and happy hunting for your home in 2010.