Michael's Blog

On the Western edge of the city of San Leandro is the San Leandro Marina, Oyster Bay Regional Park and the Monarch Bay Golf Course.

The Marina was concieved in the early 1950s and built in the late 1950s to early 1960s. 

Along the shoreline are restaurants:

• Pelusso's Blue Dolphin Restaurant.  A fine dining establishment with banquet facilities. This building was built on pier pilings and was closed and torn down in recent years.
• El Torito, this building was originally the Casa Maria Restaurant. The restaurant later became Tia Maria Restaurant.  Similar restaurants were built at other Marinas including Berkeley.  The Chain restaurant company El Torito now operates in this location.
• Horatio's a fine dining establishment offering excellent food was the last to be built.

 http://www.ci.san-leandro.ca.us/PWMarina.asp

There is some recent debate as to whether or not to dredge the marina's channel that runs out into the middle of the bay. 

It is my personal opinion that the channel should be dredged!   There may come a time after an earthquake when the Marina may have to be used as an East Bay ferry terminal.

There is a hotel at the Marina, it is called smartly enough "The San Leandro Marina Inn". http://www.sanleandromarinainn.com/  The Marina Inn is a great place for business travelers due to it's picturesque waterfront location and location to the Oakland International Airport.

There is a ParCourse exersize circuit out on the berms that create the Marina Park and lagoon.

The golf course started out as the Tony Lema Golf Course (Named after a local golfing champion). It was later renamed Monarch Bay Golf Club. http://monarchbay.americangolf.com/  and http://www.golflink.com/golf-courses/course.asp?course=102345

Well, another week has gone by.  Wednesday, I took my mother to another one of her chemotherapy appointments.

As I had done in the past, while she was getting her infusion, I took the walk down to Starbucks.  I had my usual, a Vente Mocha not-too-hot with whip (whip me).  I also picked up another gift card to give to the other caregivers back at Doctor Darosa's office.  While I am indulging in my mocha I sit in one of the upholstered chairs and write a quick little note on the little envelope that comes with the gift card.

"I too am a caregiver and I know what you are going through.  I am taking care of my mother who is going through chemotherapy currently.  I know how important it is for the caregiver to just sit back, relax and take a break sometimes.  Here is a gift card for a drink at a Starbucks"

I then enclose one of my Prudential cards with the gift card.

I came back from the Starbucks and handed the card off to Tina one of the chemo nurses and asked her to give the card to one of the caregivers.  Unlike last week, Tina waited until I was gone to give the card out to one of the caregivers.  I actually like it that way it's more anonymous and random that way.

I'll find out from Tina next time I see her how the caregiver liked getting a "little break".

If you're ever at the Castro Valley Starbucks located at Lake Chabot Road and Castro Valley Boulevard on any given Wednesday around 10am, be sure to say hello.  I'll be the one filling out the gift card envelope.

I think this would be nice if every Realtor would bring along a gift card to their doctor's appointments too and give the caregivers they run across a little break in their lives!

At the East end of Dutton Avenue is the Oakland enclave of homes known as Sheffield Village.  Sheltered from Oakland by the Dunsmuir - Hellman Historic Estate and the rolling hills to the East of the area.

Back in 1928, the site of Sheffield Village was to be Saint Mary's College.  It was during an 11th hour bid that Moraga won out and took the bid from what was then San Leandro.

Developer E.B. Fields and Architect Irwin Johnson created a wonderful "Leave it to Beaver" suburban community.

Sheffield Village was one of the first planned communitues after World War II.

The streets in the area are all named after British sounding places such as Covington, Roxbury, Danbury and Middleton.

The Oakland Cultural Heritage Alliance gives walking tours during the summer months and Sheffield Village is often on of the tours each year.  The neighborhood has been given the status of "Historic District".

For the most parts the homes are 1940's ranchers and Cape Cods.  Homes most always have wood burning fireplaces, large lots and hardwood floors.  The homes are well kept and the tree lined streets make for a great neighborhood. 

Close to shopping just thru the Marlow Drive under pass, MacArthur Boulevard offers shops and restaurants.

Come by, drive around and give this area of Oakland a look or a second look.

I have a client who may be interested in this.

(Another Agency has this Listing and it is not my Listing). 

 The Common Area Courtyard.

 From The Front Door Looking In

 From The Outside

 Exposed Ceiling Rafters and Arched Attic Window

So anyway, I posted this pictures here for my family and friends in Myspace.com could take a look at this unit.

If you know me and my love for historical older buildings, you'll know how cool I think this building is.  I hope that I can get my client into this one.  What a Rush that would be.....  I'm putting it out there to the universe to make it happen (the secret) 

Yesterday after mother's chemo appointment, she wanted to get something to eat.  If she wants to eat, we eat.  I don't question her chemo non-reactions or actions, so we went out for lunch.

We went out to the China AA Buffet on Mission Boulevard in Hayward.  First time there and it was very good.  I was totally surprised by the choices offered.  I know mother enjoyed her meal.  That is always a very good thing.

While dining my cell phone rang.  It was Chris from Nouveau Riche University wanting to know "If I would like to make more money, more often".  Well, sure I would like to do that.  They were having a seminar that evening at the Hilton Garden Inn in Emeryville that evening at 7pm.  I would be able to go if interested.

I said sure I could free up some time to see their presentation.  It was interesting to note that you had to dress in business casual to attend.

I also needed to call Chris when I reached the lobby to let him know that I had arrived and signed in.  Well, I called Chris when I showed up and he met me in the lobby.  He was like glue on me for the first five minutes.  He and the other sales people associated with this Nouveau Riche University were all slick model/actor looking people.  You know the type, if they were actually salespeople they would make a ton of money legitimately.

I was sort of dissappointed with the presentation, no soft drinks, no appetizers, I had foregone dinner for this presentation.  They had pictures of ice water and a bowl of cheap hard candy at the back of the room.

The presentation started and this one guy was telling us how he had worked in education and industry but was selling his time for money.  He was giving up all his time with his family for working for an employer.

The next presenter was a nice and entertaining person named Clifton.  He was telling us how he had signed up with NRU and within a month he had purchased a property with positive cash flow of 600 per month.  He went on to tell us about the property concierge and how you can purchase properties with just one click of a mouse button.  But you needed to be at a higher level to be able to access this information.

www.propertyconcierge.com and then login as quest.

Oh yeah, he bought the property sight unseen. The company NRU was so respectable that we should never question the offerings either.  They (NRU) finds the property, rehabs the property, rents the property, manages the property and then offers it to you all as a positive cash flow offering.  Just one click and it's yours.  You're gonna be buying a property with nothing down and using that "OPM" other people's money.

Now for the multi-level marketing part of this program.  You can make extra money by spreading the word about NRU.

The tuition for the Nouveau Riche University 20 day Real Estate education "regents" program is $16,000.00 with $3,500 worth of books and media known as the collection.  Once you get four other people to join in you can now earn 50% commission on each new person.  That would be $9,750.00 for each person you sign up at that "regents" level.  You can get all down loaded to a debit visa card twice a week!

http://nouveauscam.blogspot.com/

• The presentation departed from being an education opportunity about 1/2 way through and became all about signing people up.
• The people sitting around in the audience were plants.  I thought the guy next to me would wet his pants each time the speaker said something like "wouldn't you like to make more money too?"
• If the property concierge was such a great deal, why aren't the principals in this endeavor taking advantage of these proprieties?

My shout out to Chris, who read my activerain blog to recruit me for this presentation.  Chris, you can make more money without going to jail in this pyramid scheme.  If you want to find some positive cash flow properties, consult a real REALTOR.  It takes access to the MLS, county tax records and an Excel spread sheet to determine and find positive cash flow properties.

Well, today was another day taking care of mother and taking her to her doctor's appointment for her weekly chemotherapy appointment.

As I had blogged before

http://activerain.com/blogsview/298734/Caring-for-Caregivers on 12/06/2007

http://activerain.com/blogsview/419709/Here-we-go-again on 3/12/2008

I wanted to take care of some of the other caregivers I came across while taking care of my mother at the oncologist doctors while she was getting her chemotherapy.

Well, having had my first transaction close through escrow and with a little cash in my pocket.  Today, while mother was getting her infusion, I walked about a mile down the  road the the Starbucks at the corner of Lake Chabot Road and Castro Valley Boulevard.

I ordered myself a vente mocha with whip and not too hot.  I also purchased a gift card for a caregiver back at Dr. Darosa's office.  It didn't matter who the care giver was, I just wanted the card to go out to a caregiver.

When I got back to the office, I jotted down a little note about taking care of caregivers and how they could use a break every so often.  I explained that I am also taking care of my mother and that they should enjoy a break on me.

Well, I handed the card to nurse Susan and she took the task of giving it to a caregiver.  She wasted no time and gave it to a young lady who was taking care of her father in the other infusion room at the other end of  the office.

Well, a few minutes later this young lady popped her head into the doorway of our infusion room to thank me.  We (mom and I) invited her in for a nice conversation.  She is going through the same thing that I am.  She too is a middle child taking care of the parents.  She too also has two brother, neither of which is actively involved in taking care of their ailing parents.   She was very greatful in getting the gift card and she said that she sure could use a break.  I explained my sitiuation and that I totally understood where she was at in this point of her life.  I told her every so often to just take a deep breathe and count slowly to 10 and let the stress out.

I feel that I did good and got some good kharma out into the universe.  I will do the same again next week when we go back to the oncologist for that weeks infusion.  I will try to make other people's life better.

Hopefully, it will all come back to me later when these people need to sell or buy they will remember that nice realtor in the chemo doctors office that gave them a nice break from the stress of daily caregiving for a loved one.

I have followed the secret and this has got to come back as some good in the future for me.  Everyone if you can pray for my mother that would be cool too.

Have a great day

Well, I made the move.  I am now working out of the Grand Lake Oakland office. The office is located at 3320 Grand Avenue in Oakland's Lake Merritt area.

We are located down the street from the old 1930s movie palace, the GrandLake Theater.  The theater has seen much better days.  Once adorned with columns topped with statuary and lots of architectural ornamentation.  Today only about half of it's original detail remains. I see old photographs of the theater and the area around it on the walls of this office.  I get saddened to think of how far it has fallen.

The current owners of this movie palace are avid anti-war and anti President Bush activists.  Each week on it's grand marquee is some sort of political whoo-ha babble.  I wish they would spend some of their energy into fixing this wonderful landmark building.

I am on floortime duty as I write this today.  This office has good foot traffic and potentially a really great client base. Piedmont an elite posh community within Oakland is just up the road from this office.  The existing agents at this office tell me that the floortime here is "OFF DA HOOK"

I had my very first close......(pause of applause).......... It was a deal here in Oakland and it was for a foreclosed property, I represented the buyer and it was an all cash offer which propelled us past the other 13 offers that came in on the property.   Now I am waiting for the commission check to show up.......(pause of applause)..........

So I am still learning my way around this office and the area.  There is 4 hour free parking under Interstate 580, which is only a very short walk from the office.  I can use the exercise, so it doesn't bother me.  Now I need to get used to the "system" here in the office.