Walnut Creek Lifestyle

Upcoming Events- July 2013

Sculpture in the garden

Enjoy unique sculptures by over 50 artists beautifully arranged in the Ruth Bancroft succulent garden. Sculptures will be on display daily from 10 AM-4 PM until Saturday, July 13th. The garden is located at 1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors.

Blues & Brews

Craft beer, delicious food and free music…what more could you ask for? The 4th annual Blues & Brews festival will take place Saturday, July 27th in Pleasant Hill Park from 12 PM- 6 PM. Tasting wristbands are $35 in advance or $45 at the door. New this year will be a pre-party concert in the park by the Big Jangle band Friday, July 26th from 6 PM-9 PM.

Broadway Plaza Summer Concert Series

Part of Broadway Plaza Tradition, free concerts will be offered every Thursday from 6:30PM-8PM in the Stanford’s parking lot. Acts include:

July 11: Pride & Joy
July 18:Nick Colionne
July 25: The Sun Kings
August 1: Tainted love

Kristin’s Intentional Truth Market Update – July 2013

Interest rates are going up, however it is still the best time to buy a house as outlined in the graph below. With a 4.5% rate, 27% of your monthly payment goes to principle, whereas at a 7% rate, only 9% goes towards equity. (*Freddie Mac 30 year). Walnut Creek’s inventory increased May-June from 95 to 125 homes a 32% jump. During the same period the median listing price in Walnut Creek decreased 5%. What does this mean in the next few months? Most likely we will see a more level playing field that doesn’t favor the seller as it has in the past year. Please see the comparative market analysis below for what is going on in our own Parkmead area.

	Price	Rate*	Principle & Interest
2002	600,000	6.99	3,987.79
Today	600,000	4.40	3,004.57
		Monthly Savings	983.22

Proud recipient of BHG gold award!

I am honored to have received a coveted Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gold Award! This award recognizes my performance as a real estate professional and ranks me among the top 5% of all agents in our national brand. Thank you to my clients and the Walnut Creek community for giving me the opportunity to serve you!

Pier 1 Imports Finds a New Home

After 15 years at its previous location at 1902 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Pier 1 Imports has made its new home at 1902 Mt. Diablo Blvd.

Although the move seems small, it brings huge improvements for the popular home furnishings retailer. A much larger store allows for new and exciting merchandise, complete with new fixtures for an improved shopping experience. Perhaps the greatest improvement this new location provides is expanded and more accessible parking for customer convenience.

Pier 1 Imports’ inventory offers an amazing variety of merchandise including furniture, home décor and culinary items from around the world.

Hopefully its beautiful new location hosts a bright future for this Walnut Creek business!

Pier 1 Imports original street-side location.

Walnut Creek’s new and improved Pier 1 lmports store front.

New Listings in the Parkmead Area!

2057 Magnolia Way

A custom home with amazing views and a fabulous deck. It was previously listed last year for $2,350,000 and now on the market for $2,099,000. There are many appealing aspects to this property including a great deck, grassy areas and a large driveway. Beautiful finishes, but not exactly kid friendly as the backyard is situated on a down slope. The biggest issue is how do you price this house? There are not too many comparisons close by as it is surrounded by older $700,000-$900,00 homes, yet it is a fantastic location and ever so close to downtown Walnut Creek. What are your thoughts???

1730 Poplar Drive

Can it command a $839k price?

There is no garage as it was converted into a master bedroom. However, the living space is all on one level, it is updated and larger than it looks – 5 bedrooms with a nice deck and a garden area.

I say yes, it will sell for this price and possibly higher. 5 bedrooms and walking distance to Parkmead Elementary? Absolutely!

What’s New in Walnut Creek this Week?!

Upcoming Events: 6/17-6/23

6^th Annual June Wine Walk:

Date: Wednesday, June 19^th

Time: 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM

Stroll through beautiful Downtown Town Walnut Creek while enjoying unique tastings from over 15 local wineries! The event will begin at Pro Home Systems located at 1561 Civic Drive, here you will receive your commemorative tasting glass and a map of businesses participating. During the event, you will also be able to enjoy stunning art displays and live music. Tickets are available for $40 the day of the event, or $30 pre-sale from these locations: Atlas, Mechanics Bank, Main St. Postal and Walnut Creek DBA Office. All proceeds from the June Wine Walk will be donated to the Walnut Creek Aquanauts.

Senator Desaulnier Town Hall Meeting- Health Care Reform:

Date: Thursday, June 20^th

Time: 7:00 PM- 9:00 PM

California State Senator, Mark Desaulnier invites you to attend a town hall meeting to learn more about how the Affordable Health Care Act will benefit Walnut Creek residents. The meeting will take place at the Walnut Creek City Council Chamber, located at 1666 North Main St. To RSVP, visit https://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/SurveysDirect.php?district=SD07&survey=3387&.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Walk:

Date: Saturday, June 22^nd

Time: 8:00 AM

The American Cancer Society is sponsoring at 5K walk around Heather Farms Park. This is a free event to raise awareness for cancer research and to provide support for both cancer survivors and those currently battling cancer. Registration will begin at Heather Farms at 8 AM, the walk will begin at 9 AM. Come enjoy a beautiful Saturday morning in the park and support a great cause! For more information, contact Ashley Fairchild at Ashley.Fairchild@cancer.org.

Free Advanced Compost Workshop:

Date: Saturday, June 22^nd

Time: 10:30 AM- 12:00 PM

A free workshop hosted at the Walnut Creek Library for those who want to learn more about organic gardening and natural ways to control pests. For more information, Email Ashley@wastedivision.org.

Chic color styles for your home

I am considering doing some remodeling and updating my oldest sons bedroom as he only visits occasionally. I really like all the Gray tones and will probably use something in that spectrum.

12 Tried and True Paint Colors for Your Walls

Houzz– Kitchen, Bathroom and More »

Find Home Improvement Professionals– For Example:

Melbourne Architect · Burlington Architect · Orange County Architect · Brisbane Architect · Charlotte Architect · Portsmouth Architect · Miami Architect · San Francisco Architect ·

Another Sunset Park Listing

I recently sold 1924 Pomar in this complex. Up until this time the market was lagging and the few sales were closing in the low to mid $300,000. As Spring sprung, inventory was extremely tight and Pomar had 9 offers and closed for $420,000 the winning bid removed their appraisal contingency. With prices on the upswing, Sunset Park has seen a handful of new listings and prices continue to rise (although as more hit the market I am sensing some stabilization).

Please stop by for my Twilight Open April 18th for Wine & Cheese from 5-7 pm or Sat. 2-4 pm & Sun 1-4 pm Open Houses

Close to shopping, Iron Horse Trail, Heather Farms Park, Freeway access & Bart!!!

Updated Kitchen

Cozy Dining Area

Bright & Sunny Patio

Fountain Head – Art In Walnut Creek

The Artist: Seyed Alavi – His works are degined to encourage viewers to question the poetic role space plays in our daily lives. He created Fountain Head, which is located in front of Mechanics Bank on the corner of Main & Duncan Street.

Alavi wanted to create work that would offer a playful and evocative focal point, as well as a gateway for Main Street, which once used to be known as Four Corners at Main & Mt. Diablo. Fountain Head is a commentary on the role of the fountain itself. Historically, fountains have been at the center of community life, providing critical agricultural and social sustenance. Alvai became intrigued by the overlapping notion that both the human head as well as the fountain have been considered sources of wisdom and life in western and eastern cosmologies. Alvai decided to place the water spout at the skull’s apex bringing together the concepts of birth, rebirth, wisdom, and community.

I also like how the city has incorporated flowers and a peaceful place to sit. What are your thoughts on this piece of art?

165 Twin Peaks for Lease

This house is for rent, offered at $9,950 per month. Ideal for the A’s baseball player or Oakland Raider football player!

It includes a 4 car garage, 6127 sq. ft. 5 bedrooms & 4.5 baths overlooking Walnut Creek and amazing views of Mt. Diablo, especially from the infinity pool. For those of you who live in the neighborhood, this home during construction burned down twice within two years. I will never forget waking to noises at 5:30 am on a Saturday morning in July day of a Dewing Park swim meet. Embers were floating down the hill onto roof tops and everyone was out watching and watering down their roof tops. A year later appx. the same weekend, it was torched again. The Police never found the arsonist, however once it was completed, it was left alone.