Michael's Blog

During the Alameda broker's tour yesterday I came across a unit that I just have to blog about. 

This particular unit was the highest priced unit at Park Webster Condominiums on Tuesday's tour.  The homeowner took pride in all the custom wood work throughout the unit.

In my humble opinion, the wood work looked like a very dated 1980s entertainment center.  It should all be ripped out by the next owner.

In the corner is a angled bookcase.  On the second shelf down from the top there it is.  A little wood cabinet about 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide.  On it's front door is a crucifix, this little cabinet looks suspiciously like bible.

Lit from above and hinged from the right, this cabinet opens up to reveal an area where some loved-one's ashes once resided.

Close the door to the cabinet and back away slowly......ICK.

I am sure that granny was a fixture at the cribbage games down at the rec center.  But, this gives and entirely new meaning to granny was a fixture when her little resting place is screwed down to the bookcase and is now a real estate fixture.

Close the door to the cabinet and back away slowly......ICK.

I've been commuting along the Oakland's watermelon coast going from San Leandro to Alameda. Locals will know what I am talking about.

It's a name I have nicknamed the stretch of San Leandro Bays' western shoreline.  It is Doolittle Drive from the San Leandro city limit to the Harbor Bay Isle bridge.  The name is in reference to a large piece of concrete shoreline stabiliazation that is painted to resemble a giant slice of watermelon.

[photo of the watermelon]

It's located just opposite the Western Air Museum at the Oakland International Airport.  It's really close to the rental car center.  I can just imagine the people flying into Oakland and taking the rental car shuttle bus to get thier cars and seeing this four foot wide slice of watermelon dipping into the waters of San Leandro Bay.

It's a classic example of pop culture art, folk art or graffiti depending on how you look at it.

Who else remembers the Snoopy and Red Baron wood sculptures along highway 80 in the mudflats of Emeryville?  I will aways refer to that area as Snoopy's dogfight area.

Art.com
A huge selection of artwork reprints lots of photos
http://www.art.com

As seen on TV
Clearing house for TV products.
http://asseenontvguys.com

Certified Staging Professionals Training
CSP Certified Staging Professionals
http://www.csptraining.com

JG International Furniture
Some nice pieces
http://whittierwood.com

Leelees creations
Realistic faux food (not recommended for staging)
http://www.leeleescreations.shoppingcartsplus.com

Maco Furniture
Unfinished Pine and Alder furniture...paint it stain it.
http://macofurniture.com

On the go living.com
http://www.onthegoliving.com

RESA
Real Estate Staging Associaton
http://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/

Star City
take a look
http://www.starcityhomedecor.com/links.shtml

Welcome Home Furniture Rental
Furniture rental
http://welcomehomefurniture.com

Harold Peary, a San Leandro native became a nationally known actor/comedian in the 1940s with his character Throckmorton P Gildersleeve or as he is best known as "The Great Gildersleeve".

The show the Great Gildersleeve was a spin-off of the Fibber McGee and Molly radio shows.  While still a part of the Fibber McGee and Molly show, the location was set in the town of Wistful Vista.  Summerfield became the location when the show was spun-off

Harold Peary went on after the Great Gildersleeve to voice acting in many classic cartoons for Rankin-Bass and Hanna Barbera. He also appeared in front of the camera in Pettycoat Junction, The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Brady Bunch.

Harold Peary was born in July of 1908 and lived to the age of 76 until he passed away in 1985.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gildersleeve

We had one of our Realtors showed up at the office today looking tired.  She had been with clients at the home auctions last evening till 1AM.

Her clients purchased a home and she gets at commission for signing her clients in.

I am going to have to watch for auctions like this. If not for clients but to pick up some investment properties

Http://www.USHomeAuction.com is the website for this auction company. 

Alameda's history so much revolves around the resort era and San Franciscans summering here across the bay.  It would be nice to honor that history with something that brings it back.

I would like to toss the idea out that it is possible to create a modern tribute to Neptune Beach's history.

A company called LANDRY restaurants built a restaurant complex called the Kemah Boardwalk near Houston Texas. Landry's which owns, Cadillac Bar & Grill, Rainforest Cafe, Aquarium, Saltgrass Steakhouse, Joe's Crab Shack and The Chart House located all these concepts together with some boardwalk styled attractions, shops and even a hotel.

Landry's could do something similar with the area just to the west of the town center in the area near the current McDonald's, County Court House and Post office.

Here is a link to the Kemah Boardwalk.  Http://www.kemahboardwalk.com

Just an idea I have at the back of my mind.  Not that Alameda would ever go for something like this.  Alameda has been known to be very cautious when it comes to growth.

The Greenslade House of Hamilton New Zealand is for sale. 1.75M $nz.  5 Bedrooms 3 Baths.  This post page is from the real estate office down in Kiwi.   I have emailed the agent asking for permission to repost the photos. In the mean time, here's the link

***edited 2/11/2008***  I heard back from the listing agent MaryAnn Pendy.  Thanks for the permission to repost these photos to this blog.

http://www.rwhamilton.co.nz/show?rd=1&ref=HAM17199#

It's a grand home built in 1911, Nationally recognized and designed by John W. Warren. 

My Great Grandfather and his brother were real estate agents in Oakland California back in the year 1900. Their "Greenslade Brothers Real Estate" office was located at 901 Broadway in Oakland.  The building is still standing and is part of the historic "Old Oakland" district.  It was the building where the Smart & Final Store is located.  I have to look for and post the photo I have of Theodore Henry Greenslade (My Great Grandfather) and Herbert Edgar Greenslade.

http://www.oldoakland.org/

My family goes back even further into real estate where in the Southern part of England, in Devonshire to be exact. The Greenslades of that area are really big into real estate with a company called Greenslade, Taylor & Hunt.  My branch of the Greenslade family came from the town of Tiverton Devonshire.

http://www.gth.net/

San Leandro is located just South of Oakland and Alameda. 

Interstates 880, 580 and 238 all run through parts of the town making San Leandro very commute friendly.  The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has two stations making access to San Francisco, SFO, Oakland International Airport and the Oakland Coliseum very easy.

Lake Chabot Regional Park borders the city to the East.  The San Leandro Marina, San Francisco Bay and Monarch Bay Golf Courses border the city to the West.  The marina has several water-front restaurants for casual dining.

Bayfair Center a large regional shopping mall and is located near the southern border of the city.  Bayfair has Macy's, Target, Bed-Bath-&-Beyond, Kohl's and Century Theaters 16 mega-plex.

Beyond Bayfair Center to the South is an unincorporated area of Alameda County that has San Leandro,  postal addresses. This area is generally considered to be the Ashland district of San Leandro.

In downtown San Leandro is the San Leandro Plaza Shopping center.  This was the historic center of town and redeveloped in the 1970's to create an open landscaped shopping plaza.  Downtown is also the home to San Leandro's City Hall, which has it's own community theater for live preformances.

San Leandro is home to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.  In the area around 139th Avenue, you can smell the chocolate in the air.

Here are some links to the area that you may find usefull.

http://www.hiltongardeninn.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=OAKSLGI

http://www.sanleandromarinainn.com/

http://bayfair.mallfinder.com/

http://www.prurealty.com/Michael.Greenslade/San%20Leandro%20Information.aspx

On Sunday January 27th, 2007 my wonderful father William Moor Greenslade passed away.  He was 76 years old.  He passed from a coronary event while doctors were trying to intubate him for breathing.

He had been the victim of a violent crime in 1966, where he had been gun shot in the chest.  My father never considered himself to be handicapped, in-fact, he cringed at the word.

in 2001, he suffered a massive stroke that atrophied his left side.  He still insisted on getting out and about for morning breakfasts with his friends.

It became time for me to cancel my week's floor time, I needed to be with family for the funeral arrangements.  I sent our office administrator an email explaining my situation.

My co-workers immediately began to offer their assistance in anyway they could.  Deborah put out the idea of sending some flowers to the house. My mother was getting flowers, It was such a nice gesture to send me flowers.  It came in a Proflowers.com box and addressed to me.  I opened it up in-front of my family who had begun to fly in from all parts of the country.  It was such an honor to me to say this is from my co-workers at my real estate office.

Dani and Nick came to my father's vigil service on Thursday evening to offer their support for me.  It was great to see people who cared about me and how I was feeling.  On the day of the funeral and the wake Ron and Linda from the office attended the ceremony and wake.  It was a good feeling to me to have "my friends" surrounding me.