Anna May's Blog » General

Open House During Rush Hour?

Anna May — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:39:25 +0000

What better way to capitalize on evening rush hour traffic? I’ve had very successful open house traffic in the past when hosting an evening open house. People drive by, see the signs, stop in, and they remember my listing.

Well, much to my surprise last night, there were very few visitors to our rush hour open house.

What a blessing! For a home that’s so centrally located to everything, the fact that there was little traffic is actually a GOOD thing! Many potential buyers have already asked about the traffic on this little street because they have children.

NOW I can with full confidence say that the traffic is minimal, based on my experience being at the home.

I’m so excited about having the opportunity to experience for myself yet another virtue of the home…

A Workshop: What First-Time Buyers Should Know

Anna May — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:45:55 +0000

Join me and Chase Loan Officer Mansoor Niazi!

Saturday, August 7th, 9:30-11 a.m.

Chase Bank, 22370 Foothill Blvd
Hayward, Ca 94541

We will discuss how to:

Evaluate the financial difference between renting vs. owning your home
Determine if is the right time for YOU to purchase
Negotiate the right deal — how to make the most of the relationship with your REALTOR
Understand your mortgage options to make the best selection for your needs
Get started creating your Legacy Through Home Ownership!

Snacks & coffee will be provided courtesy of Chase. RSVP to Mansoor Niazi by calling (925) 339-8713 or by e-mail: mansoor.niazi@chase.com, or to Anna May by calling (510) 886-ANNA or e-mail AnnaMay@AnnaMayRealEstate.com.

Fixing Up Our Home

Anna May — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 07:19:26 +0000

It’s been 6 years in this home and I’ve been very lucky. All I’ve needed to do was fix some leaks and paint the sunroom, add an exhaust fan to a bathroom, replace the kitchen floor and re-finish the deck.

It seems that 6 years is the breaking point for this house. So this morning we wrote up a list of what we need to do before our big day here at home next month. Here’s what we aim to do (or have someone else do) by August 28th:

Get the roof cleaned … or replaced?
Replace the wind-blown spark arrestors
Clean the glass-roofed sunroom on the third floor
Replace the doorframe on the back door
Pressure-wash the house to determine if we should paint all or just parts
Replace the bathroom window (I’d like clear glass to see the view…)
Get rid of more ugly clothes. Merging two adult households has been a space-challenge!
Have a professional landscaper come out and help appease our neighbor of the bamboo growth
Test the hot tub (smile)

The best incentive to clean the house is to throw a party!

Education Mini-Forum, Part 3 of 3

Anna May — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:57:04 +0000

Thanks to all those who attended our Education Mini-Forums in the last couple months! In June we discussed #2 of three things children need in their lives that cost NO money:

High standards
A caring adult
Meaningful participation

Here’s what we learned from each of the three panelists:

The local high school counselor representing a CURRENT hands-on perspective of her experiences dealing with youth on a daily basis referenced several challenges, including:

attendance
attitude
how to act/how to dress, etc.

The large company employer representing youth’s FUTURE employment opportunities gave us a blatant example of how “the bar has been raised” and that many employers inform potential applicants “Do NOT apply for this job if you are currently unemployed“.

And finally, we had mentor & mentee success stories to represent REAL examples of of how powerful it is to have a caring adult in a child’s life.

We conclude our 3-part Series with #3, “Meaningful Participation” and now leave it up to YOU to take the lead and get involved. In addition to getting involved with “Be a Mentor“, here are some local events and ways to participate:

FREE Events for Kids and Teens
FREE Music and Movies at Hayward City Hall
Hayward Area Recreation & Parks District: http://haywardrec.org/
Hayward Area Historical Society: http://haywardareahistory.org/events/

(June Education Mini-Forum sponsored in part by Anna May, Greg Jones and Be a Mentor)

“Horton Hears a Who” by Dr. Seuss

Anna May — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:46:10 +0000

As I recall, Horton the elephant tried desperately to save an inhabited little “world”. He believed in something so strongly that he inspired the inhabitants of this little world, the “Whos”, to fight for their existence.

And all it took to be taken seriously was one last little “Who” to raise her voice and make some noise.

Although I personally decided not to run for re-election, I’m a bit emotional over the results of the most recent election on June 8th. There were people so well-qualified who didn’t win, truly good people with their hearts in the right place and their integrity intact.

Never before have I been emotional about any election, not even my own election and victory as a political newcomer two years ago. There are two ways to go with this:

Shall I step back and not care as much?
Or shall I put the pedal to the metal and get out there full force to help a candidate campaign to win?

There are so many mixed feelings I have about this because I’d never been particularly political. One reason is because of the “typical politician-type” who quite frankly, is a complete turn-off for me. However, I’ve always wanted to do the right thing for my community, be a responsible citizen, pay my taxes, floss daily, etc.

A vast majority of my community feels the same way I do about how deeply they want to get involved in politics…

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” — Dr. Seuss (?)

UPDATE: MY Own Loan Modification Endeavor

Anna May — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:39:57 +0000

Today I received a Fedex package from my lender wondering why I have not yet submitted my financial information.

It made me suspicious.

Why would my bank care if I haven’t turned in the info? They shouldn’t be in a hurry to modify my loan, right? They’ll miss out for allowing me to pay less, right?

So in my skeptical mind, I determined that they’re just nosy and want to know my financial info whether or not they eventually modify my loan.

You might remember from an earlier post that I had a couple things I wanted to do before turning in the loan mod paperwork anyway:

finish filing my 2009 taxes
balance my checkbook

Furthermore, I had doubts about my loan mod being taken seriously since I figure the banks won’t sympathize with folks who have reserves. (sigh) In my experience, the banks are more interested in accomodating higher-risk folks rather than modifying loans on those who are most likely to pay. Odd…

Helping a Colleague

Anna May — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 00:42:37 +0000

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, what’s good for a colleague is good for the company, what’s good for the company eventually benefits EVERY BODY!

I write this as I’m showing a colleague how to post blogs on her web site…

“It’s Someone Else’s Job” (Kids Can’t Do It Alone!)

Anna May — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 02:38:47 +0000

Education Mini-Forum #2

Saturday June 12th, 10:30 a.m.-Noon at Hayward City Hall, Room 2A, 777 B Street

Last month in Education Mini-Forum #1, our guest speaker was Dr. Marlena Uhrik of the California Department of Education. Dr. Uhrik listed three things children need in their lives that cost NO money:

High standards
A caring adult
Meaningful participation

On June 12th, we will cover #2 of Dr. Uhrik’s list with the following panelists:

A local high school counselor to represent a CURRENT hands-on perspective of her experiences dealing with youth on a daily basis
A large company employer to represent a child’s FUTURE employment opportunities
Mentor & mentee success stories to represent REAL examples of how powerful it is to have a caring adult in a child’s life

This event is FREE and the public is welcome!

(Sponsored in part by Anna May of Realty World Neighbors and Greg Jones of Gregory Jones & Associates)

Toilets Seats and Homes For Sale

Anna May — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:25:01 +0000

Here’s something that REALLY amuses me:

Photos of homes for sale with shots of the bathroom toilet seats left up!

How many do you think you can find while browsing the internet?

Try this link and go on your treasure hunt!

Reptiles and Mom’s Cooking

Anna May — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:29:02 +0000

The advantage of having my own blog is that I can write about whatever pleases me.

Two things have pleased me in the last few weeks:

1) The Reptile Room on “A” Street. Last month I spent some time with my friend’s 8-year old and was delighted to bring her to this wonder in downtown Hayward. They have all kinds of exotic little creatures! (Amazing…and also cheap entertainment if you need something to do one afternoon!)

2) Mom’s cooking!