15 Minutes of Fame??

Yes, that is yours truly standing by the Marin IJ news paper box pointing
at the article entitled "Families endure on Railroad Ave." Please try the link below to reach the piece written by Mr Brent, my favorite professor of brews and news...

http://www.marinij.com/ci_10838889?source=most_viewed

Hoping this finds everyone well and getting ready for the Halloween weekend. Frankie, TommyBoy and I are off to Fallon-East of Reno to visit Mr. Mitch Lee. Can you say "Road Trip"?! It also happens to fall on my birthday, it should be a nice visit with my oldest friend; we both landed at Lu Sutton School here in Novato in the 4th grade.

If you keep an eye on the real estate market, and who doesn't, you have most likely read that sales are up, prices are down and most everyone is on the sideline, waiting to play. Condos here in Novato are currently driving the Marin market, a lot of investors and 1st time buyers are jumping in to take advantage of the low, low prices...Please call or write me if you want to chat about the real estate market, or the Whole Foods Market, opening in Spring of 2010 or the Millworks 124 condos, rising across the Railroad tracks from our humble abode.
Get out and vote and Peace to all...Stevie out

Market heating up...

Hope this finds everyone well as Fall comes in...Lots to catch up on but first...our North Bay Real Estate market seems to be heating up. The entry level condo/townhouse market is seeing multiple offers, I know because a client has been out bid on two different condos in the last two weeks!
Also seeing homes going into contract all across the board. Lets hope this is the start of a comeback for our local economy. Home sales help fuel and drive so many other jobs and businesses, we need people to keep moving forward!!

Am including a photo of Betsy and Caity on the 1st day of school last month. It's awesome that Miss Cait has started at Novato High School!


Swami Tommy's BBQ Experience was grillin and selling lots of tasty treats at the 3rd Annual Blues and BBQ Festival two weeks ago in San Rafael. It was great to see so many friends and family having fun at the event.

Last weekend the band I play bass in, Damn Neighbors, played at Derek's housewarming party here in Novato.
Always a blast to be out playing music with the boys in the band. Hope to play for you all, someday soon. Keep moving straight ahead everyone, and take care!
Say, call or write me with any thoughts or questions on Real Estate, I would love to chat with you!

Hot fun in the summertime...

Hoping your summer is going great, we've been heating up here in the North Bay. Speaking of getting hot, Swami Tommy's BBQ Experience team hit the beach at the Russian River Beer Revival and Cookoff this past August 16th. We took 2nd place for best chicken, out of 30 BBQ teams!!
The photo shows our 2nd place chicken grilling with the River rolling on. It was the 5th time Tommy and I competed at this awesome fundraising event. It was so nice to get an award. The 2nd photo shows the Swami with his "trophy" an old motorcycle tire! That's Dan, me, Swami Tommy and Winter, our hard grilling hard working team, at the end of a very long day.
We will be cooking and competing again at the 3rd Annual Blues, Brews and BBQ's event in beautiful downtown San Rafael on Saturday, September 13th. Please come on by and try some of our award winning BBQ while listening to some great blues music. Last's years event was big fun with great crowds and of course great eats.
And, if you have any questions about our local real estate market, write or call me. It is a really good time to buy as the prices are amazing right now. Keep me in mind for your real estate needs and try to stay cool...take care and see you out there! Steve

Highway 97 to Bend...

We spent a week up in Bend, Oregon recently, and as always it's a great place to vacation!
As I like to say the area has big mountains, big trees and big lakes and rivers. Lots of fun from the tax free shopping to Goodys Ice Cream Parlor every day and night in Sunriver, loving the carmel corn, oh yeah. Saw the Bend Elks play in their cozy ball park, great to watch the sun setting over the Cascades with a ball game in front of you.
Trout dinners on the Deschutes River, sunset on Pilot Butte, hikes along Sparks Lake, and more shopping. Fresh strawberries and great local eats at the Munch and Music by Mirror Pond.
Mom's new dog Digby was a lot of fun, he loves to play and give you kisses.
The photos are of Betsy and I on the Soda Creek Trail, and a great shot of Sparks Lake that was taken by Caity.
Keep having fun in the Warm Summer Sun!!

Tanks rolling thru...

Downtown Novato this last 4th of July!!
Hoping your Summer is flying by like ours here in the Valley of No Regrets.
Time to catch up or is it ketchup on my fries please.
The 4th of July here in Novato is always big fun and this year was no different. I went down before 8am to put some folding chairs in a spot on Grant Ave and was surprised to see how many people where already set up.
The tanks are part of the large, amazing collection of vintage military vehicles from Joe Garbarino.
There are well over 100 entries each year in the parade and it is always fun to watch the show go by. Seems like every other year one of we three are in it. Last year Caity marched and I rode on the float for the Novato Heat Softball Team.
Who doesn't love a parade?!!
Chat with you soon and Blog you sooner!!
Take care, Steve

almost summer time...

Hope this finds you well! The spring wind is blowing hard mixed with the loud, non-stop noise from the Millworks/Whole Foods mega complex across the tracks from us. Speaking of tracks, the work crews are keeping busy with the crossing guards getting them ready for the freight trains to start rolling thru our town. Am guessing the trains will be back late summer. Our household is looking forward to hearing that lonesome whistle blow and to hear and feel the trains rumbling by.
Spent last Friday out at Infineon Raceway for the practice rounds of the 2008 Wine Country Classics. Fridays are great because the crowds are low and it's free to enter. I've got lots of cool photos from the "pits"; write me if you want to see more.

The 2008 Novato Girls Softball season came to an end a few Sundays ago. Our team the Bradley Real Estate Blue Flames spent a lot of time on the road this year, playing from Petaluma's cold and windy fields down to Redwood High with San Anselmo in between.
The closing day photo herewith shows Caity Summer holding her 3rd place finish along with her 1st Golden Glove award. A much earned trophy as the girl can really pick 'em up and put them out on the field. Our awesome parents this year saw fit to vote me as Positive Coach of the 2008 season, a very nice, very special honor from the league. Thank you for the award, it was a great way to end my 9th and last year of coaching in Novato Girls Softball.

Now, get out there and play, or walk, or start grilling!! See you all soon! Steve

Spring showers...

will bring more blooming flowers!!
We had some much needed rain this last Saturday morning. I put on my rain gear and went out and worked on Caity's rose bush. The big plant seems very happy now, I'll post a photo when next it blooms, should be in a week or so.

Softball has ended with a big bang. I will do a post in a few days showing a shot of our favorite player, Miss Caity Summer.

The wild and never too boring Railroad Ave neighbors have been working with the City Staff and our Mayor Pat Eklund, trying to come up with a solution to the parking issue on our street. There will be a City Council meeting tonight, May 27th, to address and hopefully set up a restricted parking zone in front of our homes here.

The real estate market is slowly moving. More and more homes are coming on the market, with not as many going into contract. It still seems like a great time to buy, maybe a condo to add to the rental market?? Please keep me in mind, should you have questions or hear of any one thinking of making a real estate move. Keep reading and I'll blog again soon...take care!!

Hope you are staying cool...

We here in Novato, the Valley of Gentle Seasons, are in the midst of record setting heat, pretty wild as we are still a few weeks away from the start of Summer. Speaking of wild, the Tower of Butter Band played a few weeks ago for the Butter and Eggs Festival in beautiful downtown Petaluma. Photo herewith was taken by Miss Caity Summer, shows me, my fave drummer Den and Wild Bill on lead vocals.

Novato Girls Softball 2008 season is winding down. For our Bradley Real Estate Blue Flames, it's been a fun, challenging season, with many, many, road games from Larkspur all the way to the Eastside of Petaluma.

Picture of A Happy Mothers Day@the Beach!!



I was asked recently to speak to the 8th grade class of Hill Middle School in Novato. It was Career Day and I got to talk about the always interesting, hardly boring Real Estate market and how you go about helping people get the home of their dreams. The one thing I should of stated, is what an amazing time it is to buy homes here in Novato, right now. Loans are available at low rates and the pricing should be very tempting to anyone that has been sitting on a fence, waiting to jump in. Come on people, time to get moving!!

Hoping all is well with you and yours and hope to talk to you soon, take care!!

Checking in...

Hope all is well with you, the girls and I are doing fine!!
Last Thursday we went to the Palace of Legion of Honor in San Francisco.
Always inspiring in so many ways! The photo is of a blown glass sculpture by a French artist whose name is Chuy. He currently has 2 pieces installed at the Palace(not the Cow Palace!) and 2 at the DeYoung. After coffee and a yummy devils food cupcake, we then hit the beach. The next photo is of Bets and I on top of a gun installation at Baker Beach. Both photos taken by Miss Caitlyn, who will be studying digital photography at Marin School of the Arts, this coming fall, go Caity!!





Please, call or write me with questions about Real Estate, or Softball, or the new band I am performing with in Petaluma CA at the Butter and Egg celebration on April 26th!! See you there!

Spring has sprung...

It has been a while since my last entry...hoping this finds you and yours well and ready for the warm weather!! Novato is buzzing with lots of new building, mostly commercial, and things are mostly blooming outside our windows. Caity's basketball team the Liberty just won the Novato City Championship!! Great photo with her teammates and Coach Tim, who keeps reminding us of all the City titles and the State Title that Caity has been a part of. Shows Caitys hard work and determination in helping her and her teammates reach their goals.
And, speaking of goals, I am very proud to have been a part of Jen and Den's goal of home ownership in the recently closed purchase of their classic rancher, here in Dennis' hometown of Novato!!
It is so rewarding to work with buyers and sellers these days, it seems more difficult than in the past, but it's a great feeling when peoples dreams come true.
Please call or write me with your real estate questions, check out my still new website at www.HomesOfMarin.net.
I will update you all on Novato Girls Softball 2008, very soon...take care!

the sun is shining somewhere...

just not here in Novato. We are getting lots and lots of rain. It's a good thing as Stafford Lake was the lowest I had ever seen it recently. The photos are from our annual New Years Day trip to Point Reyes North Beach, bringing in 2008. It was sunny but brisk, great salt air, picnic and even tossed the football around.
Novato has gotten great press lately, as being named the best suburb town to live in.
Great schools, low crime, great weather and lot's of good family things to do!
Dining at Finnegans recently, good food and drinks there, everyone I recommend it to, loves it.
Good to see Tom at Powells Sweet Shoppe the other day. Amazing collection of candies and fun things to buy. Caity's basketball team The Liberty are doing well and having fun. I've had the chance to coach 2 practices and they are a great group of girls.
Novato Girls Softball starts this March, it will be Caity's and my last season together. It's been a blast, coaching 8 of the 9 seasons she has played, very proud of my girl.

Real Estate in Marin: it's moving, slowly, but, buyers are coming forward to take advantage of the great prices and low interest rates. It should continue to be a good year for buying and selling property, please call or write me if you want to talk about the market, I'm ready to listen and help!
Hope to write soon, take care!!

State Champs...

Our Novato Wildcats U14 Girls Soccer team won the coveted Founders Cup
tourney with a 1-0 victory over the Central Marin Dixie Breakers on Sunday, December 16th, 2007.
The team won all six of it's games over two weekends at the newly improved Morgan Hill Soccer complex. I am very proud of the girls and was very glad to be assistant coach watching over the defense for head coach Matt Grandi.
The 1st photo was taken by me shortly after the ref blew his whistle three times indicating we had won. Jan Grandi scored our only goal with less than 2 minutes to play in the game. Caity had driven the ball up and passed to her for the assist. The next 2 minutes really felt more like 5 minutes as the Breakers threw everything they could at our team, but the Wildcats kept their cool and won the championship. I have coached soccer and softball for many years but this was a very special team and a great group of girls.
I hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Year and talk to you soon! Steve