This Just About Sums It Up

Jobs and Wozniak were tinkering around in “the” garage.  Diesel trucks carrying fresh picked fruit were rolling into the canneries in downtown San Jose.  And my parents had just moved our family to San Jose when I started high school.  I’ve seen the transformation from sprawling fruit orchards to Silicon Valley.  Attracting the engineers, marketing gurus, and venture capitalists from around the world; creating a meteoric rise in real estate prices that was hard to believe, even as it happened.

I am second generation in a real estate family where my mother was one of the first women in the real estate profession. My father was a teacher, and owner of the California Academy of Real Estate.  Not hard to see why I studied real estate, and related classes in my studies at Brigham Young University.  Returning to Silicon Valley to live and begin working in real estate, I started my first and only career with Ram Realtors.  First year in the business I sold the most expensive home ever sold by my company, a small Monte Sereno estate for a whopping $435,000.

Years passed, I met many new clients, sold a variety of homes and gained valuable experience with each home sold.

I got married, had two daughters and found that being Dad was a great way of life.  Raising my daughters provided opportunities to participate in school functions, girl scouts, church camps, and family reunions.  I’ve enjoyed Alaskan fishing trips, skiing the Sierras with my two little ladies, bicycle touring western states, and water skiing the Delta with a boat full of teenagers.

My real estate career continued through decades with 18% interest rates, the Gulf War, Y2K, the .com bust, and the bank bail-out of 2008.  Living these years has given me valuable perspective in consulting with today’s clients who ask:  When should I buy or sell?  What areas are best to buy in?  What things should I do to prepare my home to sell?  Where can I get the best financing?

My daughters are grown, married, and I now have 2 little guys who call me Grandpa.  I’m big-time into ballroom & swing dancing and “digging in the dirt” in my garden.  Stronger each day is my passion for real estate.  Giving advice and quality service that makes a real difference in getting top dollar in selling homes, and in purchasing that elusive “first” or “dream” home.

As far as living in Santa Clara County…. Here is my top 10 List:

• September & October warm days and cool nights
• Juice dripping fresh fruit and veggies from the central valley
• We Got ‘Em All: Warriors, 49rs, Raiders, Giants, A’s, The Big Game, Spartans, Sharks, Quakes, and every size and color of volley, soft, tee, pickle, tennis, and golf ball.  (did I miss any?)
• Concert venues, My #1 is the Mountain Winery
• “Smokin” hot dancing, ballroom, swing, salsa, and tango
• Downtown dining & festivals in Saratoga, Los Gatos, Campbell, San Jose, and Mt View
• Hiking Rancho San Antonio, Los Gatos Creek trail, and Vasona Park
• Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Museums with out of town guests
• Springtime spectacle of blooms and blossoms
• Slopes to the east, sand to the west, redwoods up north and garlic down below