Rockridge Rocks!

We have a new listing coming on at 5899 Lawton Ave in the Rockrdige district of Oakland. The house is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath modern home which features concrete floors, new counter tops made from recycled material, new paint & fixtures. The floor plan is ideal with the master bedroom on the bottom floor leading to the backyard, and two bedrooms opposite of each other upstairs. There is a bathroom conveniently located on both levels. Not only is this house fantastic but the location is incredible and just a few steps from College Ave.

College Ave runs through Rockridge, Elmwood and Central Berkeley. The part of the College Ave located in Rockridge has some of my favorite shops and restaurants. From Lawton (3 minute walk),  turn right and head North on College, you will pass by many cute shops and restaurants. At Market Hall you can find 8 unique shops including my favorite wine shop, Paul Marcus Wines and my favorite butcher, Sun Farms. Not only can you get some shopping done for the dinner party that evening, but you can also grab a bite to eat at Oliveto either downstairs for a casual experience or upstairs for a fine dining experience.

At the corner of Keith and College, you can also find BART, public transportation that runs throughout the East Bay. The district of  Rockridge is centrally located with easy access to all freeways including, Hwy 24, Hwy 13, Hwy 580 coupled with the BART stop makes Rockridge ideal for commuters.

Further South, you will find additional dining and shops including a few of my favorite wine bars/restaurants. Both TOAST, a restaurant with small plates and an incredible wine bars (make sure you try Andrew lane Wines) and Wood Tavern where you will find incredible American cuisine and a forever changing menu is worth the short walk.  Afterwards, head over to Tara's Organic Ice Cream shop where you will find unique flavors like plum-ginger, pumpkin or lavender. It's definitely worth crossing the street.

In addition to the fabulous shopping and dining in Rockridge, it is home to one of my favorite parks, Lake Temescal. Here, you can enjoy an afternoon of laying under the trees, hiking around the lake, fishing, or taking a swim. A few friends from my mommy group and I met here the other day with our babies and had a lovely picnic. It was nice to get outside and completely forget that I was in the hustle and bustle of a major city.

Once you begin to explore Rockridge and pick your own favorites, you will see why this district is such a hot spot and why so many want to live here. Real estate values have held strong through this rough economy and the community just keeps getting better!


By Gina Odom, Realtor: ginaodom@gmail.com

Eat Real Food Festival at Jack London Square this Weekend!

The third annual Eat Real Food Festival is making a stop at Jack London Square this weekend. Beginning Friday and going through Sunday, the festival will host approximately 60 food trucks, 30 craft vendors, artisan producers and culinary instructors for our delight.

The entry is FREE and the food typically costs less than $5 a pop. It's a fun and affordable way to venture out and try new food. In addition, there will be plenty of demonstrations given by the various culinary instructors who will be present.


East Real Festival
1-8 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun. Jack London Square, Oakland. Free. All transactions are cash only. eatrealfest.com
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By:
Gina Odom at www.eastbayspecialist.com

Property Tax Increase for San Francisco City & County

It's going up from $1.164 to $1.1718 per $100. Check it out:

http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2011/09/san_francisco_property_tax_rate_set_to_increase_067_per.html