Now for all you cat lovers. I like cats. My friends have cats and I'm perfectly happy to let them leap into my lap and pet them until they're finished with me and are ready to move on. But you see, that's just it. My experience has been, when you own a cat it's all about them. Now in my house, and my husband will be happy to attest to this, it's all about me! When I walk in my front door my dogs fight over who gets to say hello first, and I like it that way. There's something fabulous about looking down and seeing your four-legged friend wriggling out of it's skin just to have you lean over and give it a nice pat on the head or scratch on the chin. So we have dogs!
Fortunately for us and all the other dog lovers out there, Alameda is definitely a dog friendly town. I don't know that I've ever driven around town without spotting someone walking their dog. If you attend any of the street fairs or outdoor concerts, many of us bring our dogs, leashed with little blue bags at the ready, to share in the fun. If you attended this year's 4th of July parade, dogs were not only onlookers but key participants themselves.
Alameda also helps us spoil our dogs. For the pampered pooch a trip to Dog Bone Alley is an absolute must. There's always a bowl of clean, cool water out front and treats waiting at the register and it's loaded with fun and fancy goodies for our buddies. Now bathing is not something many dogs look forward to but Pet Food Express makes the job easier on both dog and owner. The individual stalls provide a choice of shampoos, cool air blow dryers and the toweling area really takes the pain out of this necessary task. Once you're finished, you can also take them for a quick rewarding walk along the estuary before heading home.
I'll probably get in trouble here, but we've finally given up on the Alameda Dog Park It's not the park we have trouble with, though the water area of the large dog park can be a mess, it's the humans. Too many times we've experienced problems because good dog park etiquette isn't followed. Owners often congregate at the entry of the big dog park and don't give incoming dogs the space they need to enter into a social setting. In the small dog park, you often find a group of owners sitting in a circle of chairs allowing their animals to behave aggressively with the excuse that they're just "behaving like dogs." The good news is, it's a quick drive to one of the most incredible dog parks around, Point Isabel . This is a must for anyone who wants to enjoy a remarkable off leash experience. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!
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Of course the real good news is the Alameda Real estate market hasn't gone to the dogs (sorry, I just couldn't help myself!) In comparing the housing statistics of June '09 to June '10, I believe we're seeing positive trends. For instance, we had about the same number of residential properties on the market; 140 in '09 and 139 in '10, but the number of homes sold increased 17.5% from 40 to 47. In turn, the average number of days a property was on the market dropped from 73 to 35!
Of course most of us want to know whether our home is worth more today than a year ago. If we go back to comparing this year to last, we'll find the average sold price has dropped by 5%, but the average price per square foot has increased 2%. So what does that mean for your home? Everything and nothing! Especially in Alameda, values can fluctuate block by block and even house by house. If you want or need to know the market value of your home, the best thing for you to do is have an Alameda Realtor prepare a comparative marketing analysis, ofter referred to as a CMA. The analysis will provide active and sold information on homes similar to yours and reflect any adjustments made to arrive at the comparative valuation. Don't feel you can only contact a Realtor if you're considering selling. There are many reasons you may need the information and, as long as you make them aware of your needs at the beginning, they should have no problem assisting you. Of course, to make it really easy, just call me up and I'll be happy to help you out!
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Okay, finally, file this one under - Are you kidding me! Are you kidding me? - My husband and I were taking our dogs for an early evening walk on Monday and decided to make it a nice stretch and head for Park St. We were walking along taking in the beautiful weather, admiring gardens and proudly showing off our little tribe. Then we turned from Central onto Park towards Encinal and I saw it - a team of workers installing steel folding security gates on Park St! That's right, Park St! Even more shocking is the gates were being installed for the eyeware shop moving from around the corner. I mean, really! It came as quite a surprise to me that, compared to Central Ave., Park St. is such a high crime scene!!
So this week I have to give a big "Shame on you" to Perfect Vision. I'm sure it has something to do with insurance but, really, Are you kidding me! Are you kidding me?
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All righty then, until next week, go out and make it a good one!
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