Welcome to 2021!

Nobody can say that 2020 was bad for real estate…certainly in the bay area! Everybody adjusted to working out of their houses, apartments, condos, townhouses AND the interest rates continue to be so low!

I think because Alameda has ferry service and bus service to SF (when we’re not in lockdown), consumers feel like they’re stepping back in time when they cross over our bridges and drive through the tube.

I know I felt exactly the same way when driving my first CADEAU (a 67′ VW bug) from Newport Beach to Alameda, over the High Street Bridge, full of wedding gifts for me and Carl. And I’ve been here ever since – and we raised our kids here.

When I hit High Street I looked around and thought ‘What is this place?” It was like stepping back in time. There were ancient houses here, some parks and it seemed like a friendly enough place.

A common theme seems to be that homeowners want to have more space and because we can work virtually, that means out of state and to places less crowded and where family and pets can breathe. It means having a garage re-built into an office, or taking a bedroom and making it an office. None of this stuff about being on a Zoom meeting in your kitchen or living room.

Homeschooling? It’s amazing what teachers can do virtually. But it’s clear that we need to have our kids and grandkids learn to socialize with other kids. My daughter-in-law is one of my heroes….she teaches science to middle schoolers. Those were my worst years ever…on any level.

Bottom line….prices go way up when interest rates go way down. And companies have decided that maybe they don’t need all that office space in SF or even in the Harbor Bay Biz Park.

We can all Zoom, locally or across the world.

DEFINITIONS:
AC (active contingent on selling another property)
PCH (price change)
PSB (pending sale, want backups)
DOM (days on market)

(You may see some duplicates and I can’t seem to get rid of them!)

These stats go back to just before Thanksgiving 2020.

Active listings 31 (including 4AC 2 PCH)

DOM high 1341  low 8  avg 124  med 70

Pending listings 7 (incl 1 PSB)

DOM high 67  low 3  avg 27  med 21

Sold listings 53

DOM high 104  low 0  avg 16  med 10

Questions about the market? Let me know!

We need more rain! Pray for it!

Best, marilyn

Check out my ‘for fun’ blog  Boomer-Chick-Musings !