Coastal Real Estate and Lifestyles

For when you’re ready to leave the ocean and go to THE lake.  My brother asked what resources I had for an upcoming  Lake Tahoe trip he is planning.  I immediately tapped into my Homescopes partner, Kappy.  Thanks to Kappy Mann in the Tahoe/Truckee region for sending these sites to check out if you’re planning a Tahoe getaway for a Fall weekend, upcoming Holidays, or next summer.  Or just call her directly if you want to talk with a local expert at 530-400-0531.

www.TruckeeReservations.com

www.stayinlaketahoe.com

www.mytahoetruckeevacation.com

www.truckeerentals.com

Kappy notes that a couple of them are Coldwell Banker sites and that she’s worked with them.

If you’re planning a trip, the Tahoe-Sierra destination is a frequently visited area by Half Moon Bay area and San Francisco Bay Area locals for year round recreation.  This is also a destination site for second homes and/or investment properties for San Mateo County residents. 

Diverting myself from my normal business reading first thing in the morning, I allowed myself to get into the Halloween spirit. 

 Check out theses gourds! 

A human face-shaped pumpkin grown in 1938.  With a candle inside one of those on Halloween night… yikes!  or add a little voice box behind it saying “help me…help me…” (that was hubby’s contribution).

Or what about what EPCOT is doing - growing pumpkins in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears…Sounds like an activity for artists who like to use food as their pallette.  It also sounds like a perfect Coastside class - Parks & Rec or a collababoration between one of the farms and a local artist .  With an abundance of farmers and artists, imagine what someone here could create.  There could also be a separate contest for Pumpkin Festival for the best pumpkin “design”.

Blue Sky Farms got our local coastside children involved in growing pumpkins this year with their own contest, including winnners for “Most Lopsided”, “Clearest Complexion” and “Cutest” among other categories.

This week’s social networking led me to share this stunning photo of Pillar Point Harbor with you.  If you want to read the story, it’s below the photo.  Otherwise, enjoy this local image in honor of Earth Day (Wednesday)…it just took me a couple more days to get this to you.  Photo taken by Treve Johnson.  Use this link to Treve’s PhotoShelter to purchase photos and gift items from his collection.

It started by my asking a question on LinkedIn to offer my niece some good contacts to assist in her job search following graduation from UCLA this June.  I sent the question to my network, which, by the way, generated several great responses. . .plus I enjoyed hearing from some people I hadn’t chatted with in a few months.  One of those people was Treve Johnson, who I met while working on a high-end property listing a few years ago.  He provided a thoughtful answer to my question, which I provided, along with the others, to my niece.  I clicked on his site and saw a great photo “In Praise of Earth Day” and quickly sent him an email asking if he’d send one of his Half Moon Bay Coastside shots so that I could also honor our little corner of the earth and showcase his talent at the same time.  This waterfront photo is what he sent.  Enjoy.

Thanks Treve!

The Coastside is known for spectacular Fall and Winter sunsets.  One of the most beautiful I’ve seen is in a photo taken by local photographer, Michael Wong, of Spring Mountain Gallery in Half Moon Bay.  That photo is in the header of my website.

I just happened to have my camera as I was leaving the office one night this week and caught this one from the building’s parking lot.

We have much to be thankful for, those of us who live here.

A great west side Half Moon Bay neighborhood with very easy access to the Coastal Trail!

• Just north of the Strawflower Shopping Center

• South of open fields, recreational horse-back riding, and westside Miramar

• Due east by a short distance of the Pacific Ocean, Coastal Trail and beaches

Streets within this neighborhood provide cozy ranch style homes and a few two-story contemporary style homes.  Most, not all, were built between 1968 and 1978.  Average square footage of these homes is approximately 1682.  There are a few cul-de-sacs - this home for sale is on Marie Court listed by Susie Hughey-Haas.  The last sale in this neighborhood was in our current Q4 with the sale in October and the close of escrow in early November.

 The homes along Pilarcitos, the oceanfront portion of this neighborhood, are newer with an average age of 19 years, and larger, with an average square footage of approximately 2400 square feet.  The last sale on Pilarcitos was in Q2 2007.  Two homes on Pilarcitos have been on the market within the last year but are currently not in the MLS.

In the last 30 days in this neighborhood only:

• 1 property sold - 14% off list price for cash offer - within first 90 days.
• 2 single family homes are available listings
• 2 residential lot is an available listing (1 R1 and 1 PUD)
• 1 property is in contract
• 1 property reduced price
• 2 properties became expired listings

This interactive Google Map has many Half Moon Bay area points of interest so you can see the distance from this neighborhood to businesses, like coffee shops, other neighborhoods, etc.
View Larger Map

Link to Homes for Sale in Kehoe - Casa Del Mar neighborhood right now.  (Note:  Hawser is in the Seahaven neighborhood, but the MLS shows it in this neighborhood.  It’s nearby but not the same neighborhood.)

The calendar was blocked out one recent Saturday morning so that I could spend a wonderful morning with long time friends at The Clay House in Montara making succulent wreaths!  We made them now so that they will be a little more filled in by the Holidays.  One of the organizers used Martha’s instructions as a guide, then bought the supplies and a few plants and we all split the cost.  We were to all bring succulent cuttings from our gardens.  Doing it this way, it cost us $17 each to make a wreath.

On prior Martha Stewart projects I would sometimes attempt, I have found her instructions to be for the natural born crafter, of which I’m not.  So I was happy when we started by making one together to see what “worked” and what didn’t.  Then we each began on our own wreaths. 

We cut the 24 inch wide wire roll into 8 inch lengths, filling it with moistened sphagnum moss and soil, then closing the wire together, bending it into the wreath shape and securing the ends.  I know it sounds easy, and it is.  The hardest part - basically requiring a little patience and manual dexterity, oh, and close-up vision - was securing the wire together.  A small pair of pliers does the job.  We used chopsticks to poke holes in the wreath, but as the instructions say, you could use a pencil or screwdriver.

It took about 2 hours to make our wreaths, including laughter, sharing stories, helping each other, and admiring along the way.

This is what I made.  If I can do it, anyone can!

Thank you to Clay House team!

You can always call Nancy at The Clay House for class & event information - 650-728-CLAY.

You can see them all over the Half Moon Bay Coastside this month.  Here they are on neighborhood sidewalks and providing color to an otherwise bare residential lot in Miramar. 

I first noticed them a few weeks ago on a walk with my friend along the Coastside Trail in Half Moon Bay.  She would like them in her yard, she said.  Every since then, I’ve been noticing them everywhere. 

While I do know the names of a few local varieties, I don’t know the name of this one.  I’ve heard these called “painted ladies”.

Their vibrant pink color is starting to fade now that it is almost September.  If you missed them this year, look for them next August.  They are stunning as a blast of color on a foggy day.

And my camera was the conductor while holding 620 Ruisseau Francais, Half Moon Bay open last weekend.  This is a 5 bedroom home in the quaint neighborhood of Frenchman’s Creek.  Offered for sale for $899,000 by the CBHMB Bell-Fisher-Fowler team.

I was heading home tonight after previewing properties in Daly City for my client around 6 p.m.  I’d been noticing the blast of pink wildflowers on the Montara bluffs for a few weeks and decided to finally take a picture. 

This is southside of Devil’s Slide (Highway 1) view of Montara. 

 I turned around to take this picture - the road and view I had just passed:

If I’m traveling north for any reason, I’ll travel via Devil’s Slide and enjoy the scenic views…along with the tunnel construction for the time being…  I’ll take this route to get to Pacifica, San Bruno, the airport (SFO), South SF, Daly City, San Francisco, and Marin.

Yes, we’re spoiled!