Tag: bay area

Perspective On Interest Rates

Jay Vorhees at JVM Lending shared a blog about interest rates recently, which I want to discuss further here. You can see Jay’s blog at JVMLending.com right here. Basically, Jay acknowledges that rates are about 2% higher than they were when they bottomed out after COVID first hit. They are back to 2009 levels now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are “high.”

When you look at the rates over the last 50 years (see below), you see that current rates are still very low compared to many other eras since 1971. By the end of the 1970s, the average rate was over 15% and over 18% by 1981. In fact, throughout the 1980s, rates hovered around 10% while the economy boomed.

Even in the 1990s, when many people reading this blog may have been purchasing a home, rates were around 8% with the occasional dip below 7%. The rates as we know them now only dropped into the 5% range after the 2008 economic collapse. I bought my first home in 1992, we paid 8 % interest and then refinanced about 7 times over the years. Initially it was an interest only loan. It wasn’t until I divorced and bo0ught him out of the house that I financed into a fixed rate.

So, yes, rates are a little higher than our recent “all-time lows,” but they are still MUCH lower than they have been in decades past. Hopefully that helps put it into perspective a little bit. Rates are likely fall in the next year as there is a lot of talk about a recession, so these current higher rates might not last long.

I highly recommend the link below Barry Habib has an amazing track record on predicting the future of the mortgage industry. To learn more about the rates, recessions, and demand, watch the video linked below. Barry Habib, who comments on mortgage and real estate markets on TV regularly, has some interesting information to share:

https://thenationalrealestatepost.com/barry-habib-calls-it-again/

New Listing: 2913 Dorothy Dr. in Pleasant Hill

Just listed Dorothy for sale in Pleasant Hill! It is a contemporary filled with light 1,544 square-foot, 2-bed, 2-bath home with a zen-vibe, listed for $1.1M. It is centrally located in Pleasant Hil and has easy access to I-680, Highway 24, shops, and BART.

There is a detached garage, which is being used as a flex space. It could be converted into an ADU!

Highlights:

  1. Spacious primary bedroom
  2. New HVAC in 2017
  3. New Bosch dishwasher
  4. Anderson windows throughout
  5. Backyard Oasis of fruit trees – (cherry, fig, apricot, lemon, lime, nectarine, pomegranate, pears, and grapes – plus flowering plants!).

Maybe best of all, there are no rear neighbors, with a deck is conveniently located off the kitche/dining area. Please send me a note if you, or anyone you know, is interested in looking at the property!

Hot Boys: REALLY HOT!

I now have a different understanding of the word “hot.” New to Walnut Creek, Hot Boys is a hot chicken joint in the old Mel’s Diner space on the corner of Main and Cypress. It is a restaurant where California meets Tennessee, taking a nod from Nashville’s penchant for hot chicken.

You can order a fried chicken plate or their “Sando” (a chicken sandwich) in varying degrees of heat. I like hot and spicy food, just not so hot that I can’t taste what I’m eating. I ordered a Sando (medium hot) and the manager asked me what my tolerance level was. After I told him, he recommended mild-plus instead.

I wish I had ordered mild or “training wheels.” Oh my goodness, was it hot! I ordered a hard cider with my meal, so I got a side of fries instead of the meal combo and it was a LOT of fries (good to feed 2-3 people). When I asked to try the “special sauce,” he gave me two fries with the sauce. It definitely helps with the spice level, along with the coleslaw and pickles that are on the Sando.

I am not used to eating this kind of food (super spicy and deep-fried), so after only being able to eat half the Sando, my stomach was a little upset. It was really good, but I’m not sure I can eat it again. Maybe when my sons come to visit, I’ll try the mild version and see how I feel. My sons, of course, will likely want to show off and order a hot version that they’ll regret after one bite!

I liked the multi-colored scheme inside and the art on the outside of the building. They incorporate it all through their booths and hang flags from the ceiling, which takes you back to a youth of a distant past. There are also a couple of video games in the back. There are a few other sides, like collard greens, mac and cheese, swamp fries, loaded fries, and something called “Donuts,” along with a revolving list of beer.

For what it’s worth, I have a writer on my team who used to live in Walnut Creek and then moved to Nashville for a few years (and now lives in North Carolina), and he says he won’t believe Hot Boys lives up to real Nashville hot chicken until he tries it for himself!

(Featured image from Beyond the Creek)

Coffee Shop Roulette

I tried Public House in Lafayette recently. It used to be The Coffee Shop. We also had a Coffee Shop in Walnut Creek, but now Rooted has moved into that space. It’s coffee roulette! Anyway, I enjoyed my stop at Public House and highly recommend it.

They start with breakfast and then turn it into a beer garden in the afternoon. It has a really great outdoor space, but does close a little early (8 p.m.). Some good-looking menu items include breakfast burrito and braised short rib melt, but you can’t really go wrong.

The adult drinks are good, too, and as mentioned, the outdoor space is worth the visit alone on a nice day. It kind of reminds me of a good brewery set up. They also have indoor seating, some gift items, but the draw is the outside space. They also host events and parties in that space. I tried a margarita, tacos with chips and salsa on my quick visit, but will definitely be back for more!

Community Earth Day Event!

On Earth Day, I teamed up with a bunch of neighbors through Parkmead Community Association and event organizer Karen of The Cleanup Crew to walk around Parkmead and pick up trash. We focused on the main neighborhood, Parkmead Elementary school, and the 680 on-ramp right near there.

We picked up a ton of trash and even got four additional bags’ worth on the on-ramp. Someone dumped some of their own trash on the side of the ramp, which CalTrans will come by and pick up. We had lots of families, so the ones with small kids cleaned at the school and Tice Creek.

We worked under the underpass by Kaiser and there was lots of trash on Lilac, including many cigarette butts (they have to go off property to smoke). Nobody really cleans around that area, or into the chain-link fenced area across from Hickory Pitt by the Kaiser offices.

Karen (“The Litter Lady”) has been coordinating trash clean-up in Walnut Creek for some time and gave an intro. She was wonderful, and it was a day well spent making our little slice of the town look beautiful again. Please take care of our home and throw your trash away!