The Emerald Hills Blog

One of the unfortunate downsides of the economy being in the tank is that burglaries and thefts are on the rise.   People are simply becoming more desperate for quick cash, so they are helping themselves to anything of value.   One way to combat this type of crime is to organize your neighbors into a Neighborhood Watch Program.  The Redwood City Police already has the support and infrastructure in place to support these types of programs and they have scheduled a special seminar to h

San Carlos recently had a rash of vehicle vandalism, and now residents in the White Oaks neighborhood are seriously thinking about forming the City’s first Neighborhood Watch — so it’s clear the idea is spreading into neighboring communities.  There simply aren’t enough police in any community to keep tabs on this type of activity.

If you’re interested in starting a Watch in your neighborhood, The City of Redwood City just announced that they will be holding a meeting on how to start your own program.  Here’s a copy of the email the came from the City:

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Here’s a great way to build community right in your neighborhood – consider starting a neighborhood watch!  It’s easy and Redwood City’s Neighborhood Liaison program will help. Check out this great workshop that will provide you with…

The Simple Steps of Starting a Neighborhood Watch

Saturday, March 14th ~ 10 – 11:30 am
Community Activities Building
1400 Roosevelt Avenue in Redwood City

To RSVP or for more information contact Erica Spacher, Redwood City Neighborhood Liaison Coordinator, at 780-5905 or espacher@redwoodcity.org

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So the message here is simple…

Get involved, and make your neighborhood safer!

Shopping for a home?  If so, then you’ve already seen that daunting stack of paper that comprises what we commonly refer to as “The Disclosure Package.“   In this era of information overload, I think our attention span as a society has been forced to be shorter to absorb everything that’s thrown at us every day.  But make no mistake, this is a stack of paper that you’ll want to read from cover-to-cover if you want to protect your rights as a buyer.

While there are many documents that comprise a  typical disclosure packet, and it’s important that you read all of them,  there are 4 documents that buyers and agents typically zero in on immediately:

1. Transfer Disclosure Statement/Seller’s Supplemental Checklist…

(Commonly referred to as the TDS and the SSC).  These two forms used in conjunction with each other are designed to enable the seller to disclose anything and everything they know about the home or the neighborhood that may materially affect the value of that property.   Completion of these forms by the seller is required by law for a real estate transaction.   There are exceptions — the most common example is when a trustee is selling a home that they inherited (but never lived in) or were granted through a court proceeding.    But these two forms are the primary method for the seller to communicate as much about the home as possible.

So if they added a bedroom to the home, or the bathtub overflowed and ruined the floor back in 2003, or the neighbor’s 12-year old thinks he’s the next rock star….all of these things MUST be disclosed by the seller.   As you can imagine, issues surrounding these two forms are probably the most common cause of real estate litigation.   Read these carefully, and ask questions.  Lots of them.

2. Natural Hazards Disclosure Report

This is a report that is generated by an independent agency such as Property ID or JCP,  and it discloses known natural (and man-made) hazards that exist at this parcel site, or in the neighborhood.    If you want to know if the home is sitting on an earthquake fault, or whether it’s in a flood zone, or if there are any submerged fuel tanks nearby, this is the place you’d look.

Note that this report also has a really handy section on property taxes too.    They will spell out all of the “supplemental” tax items that will carry over with the sale of the property (School Bonds, sewer fees, library fees, etc…) so that you can calculate what your property taxes will be.    This form is a “must read” as well.

3.  Preliminary Title Report

This report is issued by a Title Insurance Company and is a preliminary look at the condition of the title of the property…or, in other words, whether the property can legally be sold by the current owner.  It’s also a declaration of the Title Company’s offer to sell a policy to insure the validity of the title.   Key things you’ll see on a title report?

1. Who is the owner of record.  Sometimes there are secondary owners on title.
2. Any liens that are recorded against the property (loans, mortgages, claims.)
3. Any past due property taxes.

The title report should also declare if there are any Conditions, Covenants, and Restrictions (CC&R’s) that apply to this property.   If there are, be sure to ask for a copy of them.

Pest and Property Reports

The sellers aren’t required to provide a property or pest inspection, but good agents will insist on getting them done before the home hits the market.  If they’re in the disclosure packet, read them thoroughly.   Even new homes aren’t perfect, so it’s critical that you know what you’re getting with a particular house.   Does this mean you don’t have get your own inspections done?  Not at all.    You have a right to get your own property and pest inspections done as well.  It’s just a bonus to already have one done.

Summary

Are there more documents than these 4 in a typical disclosure packet?  Definitely…and you should read the entire packet thoroughly if you’re considering purchasing a home.  (In fact, good agents will insist that you initial that you have received and read the document.)  But if you want to get a quick understanding on a particular home, these 4 will get you most of the way there.

Just a friendly reminder to spring forward tonight, since Daylight Savings starts on Sunday.  Don’t be late for whatever you have on tap for Sunday!

Like every other industry today, real estate has become increasingly dependent on technology.  In fact, one could easily argue that the real estate industry has been chronically slow to take advantage of the latest advancements that come out of our own area.  Coming from a technology background, I couldn’t agree more.  The utility of technology in this industry is woefully inadequate.  With nearly 90% of all home buyers starting their home search on the internet, this is a recipe for disaster.

How will this change going forward?  Web 2.0 will change everything.   The increasing focus on video content will completely change how agents market themselves and their listings, and will greatly enhance the client’s real estate web experience.   While there are many companies, both large and small, from which we draw on every day, these 5 are the most important, and most heavily utilized:

1. Google:  Let’s face it..if you can’t find it, you can’t see it.  They own the majority of search traffic on the net, and they constantly change how that game is played.  With Yahoo now distracted with survival, Google will become increasingly important.  Watch how they will start eating into Microsoft’s cake soon.
2. Cisco Systems:    Since the vast majority of web traffic still flows through their routers, Cisco is still the king of the internet backbone.  They recently rolled out their vision of the “new web” bringing a much more personalized web experience to each user, and video is key to this experience.
3. Apple:    Talk about your “all in one” shop — this is it.  There is no other company that offers the ability to create, distribute and view video content more easily than Apple.   Without leaving your chair, you can easily create impactful video, post it onto a custom website or blog,  and then distribute it to the planet via ITunes.   It can then be viewed on an iPhone or a Nano…  You get the picture.  Clearly Apple does.
4. Research in Motion:   The maker of the Blackberry personal communicator.  They own the market for “smart phones” that allow users to make calls, surf the web, and send emails from anywhere.   Palm’s Treo is another choice, but more Treo users are switching to Blackberries than vice versa.
5. Hewlett Packard:  With all the excitement surrounding Apple, the reality is that the Windows world still rules the roost.  HP has quietly wrestled the PC crown away from Dell several quarters ago.  Combine this with the fact that HP owns the personal printer market, and their influence is huge.   They get the whole portability game too, with unique tablet PC’s, portable printers, and digital cameras.

Are these the only important companies to the industry?  No way…there are hundreds more, but these are the top.

Honorable Mentions:  Adobe (where would we be without pdf’s?), Microsoft, Intel, Palm, Yahoo, WordPress….

The Grand Jury yesterday ordered the Sequoia Union High School District to clearly define capacities at their four high schools in an effort to control the enrollment imbalance problem that is threatening to alter the “open” enrollment policy. This primarily affects Carlmont High School, and those who are planning to send their kids there starting next fall. Considering enrollment versus capacity, Carlmont is considered to be over their capacity by at least 200 students. Click here for the complete article, courtesy of the Redwood City Daily News:

Sequoia to Clarify Enrollment Policy

For those of you concerned about getting into Carlmont, you owe it to yourself to take a closer look at Sequoia High School. Things have changed dramatically at this school, and if you’d rather have a student-to-teacher ratio much less than the 35 or 40:1 that you’ll get that Carlmont, this is the place to be. See my previous post regarding Sequoia:

Sequoia High School — the Best Kept Secret

For those of you familiar with Red Morton Park, the City installed a very cool skate park right next to the athletic fields several years ago.   Although bikes are supposedly prohibited from using this park (and there are numerous signs to this effect) they have used the skate park extensively to practice their stunts.  Despite police enforcement, including handing out numerous citations to repeat offenders, the bikes have had free reign of the park.  Having seen it first hand, the mix of bikes and skateboards doesn’t work.

The City is now planning to erect a fence around the park that will make it more difficult for bikers to gain access to the park.  For more details, see the attached article in the Redwood City Daily News —>  No Bikes Allowed

As Yogi Berra would say, “It’s deja vu all over again.” Southern California is fighting yet another dangerous and destructive wildfire. This beckons the question — when was the last time there has been a fire of any magnitude in Emerald Hills, or any surrounding community?

That’s exactly my point.

Although we don’t often share the unique weather conditions that make SoCal ripe for this kind of runaway wildfire, we are more vulnerable than you might think. You only have to look at the Oakland Hills fire of the 1990’s for proof. There are eerie similarities between the two areas: decades of unabated brush growth, hilly terrain, and narrow access roads. Along with Palomar Park, certain parts of Emerald Hills certainly fall into this category.

While it’s unlikely that we’ll ever experience the confluence of events that made the Southern California fires so destructive, there are several things you can do to safeguard your home (just in case):

• Clear the brush. Trim wild and overgrown brush back from your property line. Establish a fire-safe perimeter around your home.
• Fire-proof your roof. While cedar-shake roofs are asthetically appealing, they pose a fire hazard as the shingles get older and drier. Remember that wildfires often “skip” across treetops and rooftops. Consider a fire-resistant composite shingle when you replace your roof.
• Know your escape routes: Clogged traffic getting out of the Oakland Hills imperiled many of the residents as they tried to flee. Make sure you know your neighborhood well, and have a couple of escape routes in mind to avoid getting caught in a potentially fatal traffic jam.

Let’s hope this never happens in our area. But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared, just in case.

Last night, a public meeting was held by the San Mateo County Planning Commission to understand the opinion of residents of the Emerald Lake Hills neighborhood regarding the usefulness of the Emerald Lake Hills Design Review Committee. As you may recall, the Committee was comprised of Emerald Hills residents and was once chartered with making decisions on the architectural style, size, and appearance of new home construction and remodels in the neighborhood. Several years ago, the Committee was disbanded after strong opposition from neighbors and residents, some of which coined the phrase “Style Police” when referring to the Committee.

The details of this meeting are nicely covered in the following article in the Redwood City Daily News. Click here for the complete article: Agreeing to Disagree

“San Mateo County’s Top Teacher Named” was the headline in this past weekend’s edition of the Redwood City Daily News. Who was the recipient of this award? Science teacher Jack West at Sequoia High School. I mentioned in the previous post that Sequoia’s Principal Morgan Marchbanks has assembled the best and the brightest on her staff — I guess this really drives that point home. (Trust me, there are many more great teachers like Jack at this school, too.)

As a degreed engineer, I took LOTS of science and physics in college — if he can make such tough subjects fun and engaging, he deserves the award and a standing ovation.

Click here for the the article from the Redwood City Daily News:

http://www.redwoodcitydailynews.com/article/2007-11-11-rwc-teacher

If you live within the Sequoia High School District and have a child who is nearing high school age, you’re probably somewhat aware of the challenges the school board is facing with balancing the enrollment at the four high schools. The problem is that while enrollment is flat or down at Sequoia, Menlo Atherton, and Woodside high schools, Carlmont is literally bursting at the seams. Why? Since the City of San Carlos made that fateful decision over 20 years ago to tear down their perfectly good high school, many of the residents have taken advantage of inter-district transfer option and have sent their children to Carlmont, which is closer for a lot of us than Sequoia. In the past 20 years, the demographic make-up of San Carlos (and surrounding communites) has changed entirely, and the number of children approaching high school age is at record levels. Consequently, the “open door” at Carlmont may close this year for many families who would like to attend but don’t live within the Carlmont district. I posted an article earlier that outlines the problem in a little more detail; click here for more info —-> http://sf-peninsulablog.com/?p=20

But that’s just the background, and not the reason for this post. Being residents of San Carlos and having the first of our three kids entering high school next year, my wife and I are part of this group of parents who just assumed we’d apply for a transfer and follow the droves of other San Carlos families to Carlmont (even though we’re in the Sequoia district.) I mean, who would go to Sequoia, right? I’ve lived in either Redwood City or San Carlos for the past 43 years — you just didn’t go to Sequoia because you wanted to — you went because you had to. So if you had asked me 6 months ago if I was going to write an article like this I would have laughed (long and loud, for that matter.) Hey, old perceptions die hard.

Fast forward to present…. As part of this re-balancing process, parents who wish to apply for an inter-district transfer MUST first tour their designated high school, and their child must “shadow” another student there for a day. For us, that meant reluctantly going to Sequoia and going through the motions just to confirm what I thought I already knew.

And I’m glad that I did, because I couldn’t have been more wrong.

This is not your father’s Sequoia High School. When Principal Morgan Marchbanks took over the helm of the school nearly 9 years ago, she essentially picked the school up by its collective feet and shook out everything that wasn’t working. In it’s place she implemented leading edge educational programs such as the International College Advancement Program (ICAP) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which provides students with study options that are so advanced that students actually get college credit for some of these courses.

Realizing that programs don’t implement themselves, Principal Marchbanks embarked on an aggressive recruiting campaign to attract the best and brightest teachers and administrators to breathe life into not only the core academia, but the arts and trades (such as dance and woodshop.) One of those key hires was vice principal Bonnie Hansen, who together with Principal Marchbanks, has created a leading-edge learning environment where challenges are abundant for every student, and respect is mandatory for anyone who steps foot on the campus.

This school has a buzz and vibe that I haven’t felt at other schools that I have visited. Combine all of this with the first rate facilities and Stanford-like campus, and the recipe is ripe for success. But don’t take my word for it — check it out for yourself. Because if Morgan Marchbanks and her staff have their way (which I have no doubt they will) Sequoia High School will soon have the same problem that Carlmont has — more students will WANT to come here than they will have room for.