2242 Gladwin Drive in Walnut Creek, California, priced at $645,000

Wonderful South Walnut Creek Location

Desirable end unit. Amenities offered: Community swimming pool, tennis courts and club house. Dues only $750 a year.

• 3 spacious bedrooms
• Extra large master suite with own balcony
• Some nice local views
• 2.5 bathrooms
• Square footage is 2,149 per public records
• Lot size is 3,150 per public records
• Inside laundry
• 2 car garage with auto opener
• Private back yard, great for entertaining
• Central air and heat
• Ceiling fans
• Mirror closet doors
• Wood burning fireplace

For more information, contact:
Leila Hamalainen
925.975.5221
www.LeilasHomes.com

1843 Woodsdale Drive, Concord, California, offered at $385,000

Open Sunday, February 28, 2010 from 1-4 pm.  Come join us for hot cider!

• 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
• Dual pane windows
• Laminate flooring and hardwood flooring
• Open and airy floor plan
• Eat-in kitchen
• Fresh exterior paint
• Covered patio with a park like yard
• 1,571 square feet
• 8,300 square foot lot

For more information, contact Bev Marshall of J. Rockcliff Realtors
925.825.7915
BevHouses@aol.com

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1129 Ptarmigan Drive #3 in Walnut Creek, California offered at $199,000

NO STEPS  to this single level home in Rossmoor. End unit includes large, private patio. 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths. Fresh paint and flooring.

Easy living in Rossmoor, Walnut Creek’s fabulous 55-and-over community. 2 golf courses, 3 pools, full gym and lots of clubs and activities. You won’t get bored unless you want to get bored!

Come and see it, we’d love to show it to you.

Built in 1967

1,049 square feet

2 bedrooms

2 full baths

1 covered parking space

HOA Dues are $666/month.

Click here for more information.

 Offered by:

5501 DeMarcus Boulevard #649 in Dublin, California offered at $228,000

SOMA Style loft, spiral staircase, stainless steel, granite kitchen, view, top floor, walk to BART.

Enjoy Big-City style in the suburbs. Loft living in a 3-year-old building across from BART station. Modern kitchen with Granite counters and stainless appliances. Climb the spiral staircase to the loft and patio. Secure building with assigned parking. Lots of natural light with high, high, high ceiling!

1 bedroom

1 bathroom

950 square feet

Built in 2007

1 car garage

HOA Dues: $347/month

Bonus room in Loft

Click here for more information.

 Offered by:

5910 Horseman’s Canyon #6A in Walnut Creek offered at $399,500

NO STEPS on first floor of luxury building, includes 2 parking spaces, close to elevator.

Care-free living at Pinnacle Ridge in Rossmoor, a 55-and-over community in Walnut Creek. Nestled among the Redwood trees, plantation shutters throughout, spacious and modern; one of the last developments at Rossmoor.

2 bedrooms

2 full baths

Built in 1995

1,415 square feet

2 covered spaces

HOA Dues: $648/month

Click here for more information.

 Offered by:

When I sent out our most recent StagersLIST Newsletter I offered to blog articles for our members. Consy offered this one, and I think it is very educational. Consy is a Feng Shui practitioner, writer, speaker and home stager in Washington.

REAL ESTATE AND STAGING WITH FENG SHUI by Consy Malasoma

The recent headlines announced that December 2009 had the lowest home sale values since 1963. We are now seeing lenders, builders and the federal government’s Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac change the process of qualifying and buying the American Dream of owning your own home. Many neighborhoods in pockets of the U.S. have lost home values to short sales and foreclosures and the end is not yet in sight. So how does Feng Shui play a role in meeting the challenge of this economic meltdown?

When preparing a home for sale, those of us that live and breathe Feng Shui understand that a key element is to clear out the clutter that has accumulated and set our intention to allow fresh, new energy and new beginnings into our lives. Clutter translates to stagnant energy in our spaces and creates an impediment to the introduction of the desired new energy. Another Feng Shui aspect is tapping into Nature’s five elements: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. The combination of these elements equally represented in a décor or building’s interior adds a sense of beauty and balance. There appears to be a natural order to our Universe and more and more healers know it plays a large role in our lives.

Curb appeal using Feng Shui is another logical and necessary step in the preparation of a property. A meandering, curved walkway to the main entrance is much more visually pleasant to straight, linear lines. A clean front door with fresh potted plants and outdoor lights in working order is another must to showcase a property whether it is on the market for sale or occupied. Care, upkeep, and maintenance are a sign of pride of ownership and love for a property. This equates to higher property values and a sense of community in a neighborhood.

According to the Chinese, we may not have control over our birth date, or the birth luck that we have in our lives, but with Feng Shui there is some measure of control over our environment by where we choose to live, the “lay of the land” and the rivers and valleys we choose to live on and around. Feng Shui is more popular today than ever before because we look for ways to de-stress, to connect back to nature, to meditate and find the time and space to connect with our Spirit and with others on a meaningful level.

Realtors, builders, stagers, architects and even zoning officials would be served well to work with a Feng Shui practitioner. A great example is the house or building that sits on the T of a street that virtually has energy or Sha Chi rushing towards the main entrance. It is similar to pushing strong energy towards the structure. I have dealt with several clients who could not understand why their home business failed or their luck changed after moving into a different property. Compass directions, water ways, steep hillsides and busy intersections all have an impact on our homes and eventually on our lives.

Attending a planning commission meeting in your community to look at the parks we play in and use for future generations would be enhanced with curves, colorful beds of flowers and places to meet and congregate which are all Feng Shui elements.

Using the Bagua or nine sections of a home or commercial office lends to a natural flow between rooms, hallways and doorways. Feng Shui principles use the natural beauty and co-existence in nature to promote balance and feelings of well-being in the interior and exterior of a home. Wind chimes at the front or back door clear the Chi or energy and have a lifting affect. Using colors according to the elements of nature accent architectural features that help to showcase a home.

A home staged with design enhancements and Feng Shui elements is sure to improve salability in a slow market. Refer to the IFSG website for a practitioner in your area for tips and ideas for your property.

Prepared by: Consy Malasoma of Consy Malasoma Design/ www.consymalasoma.com
Consy is a Red Ribbon Professional at the International Feng Shui Guild
425-891-9018 425-891-9018
702-245-6855 702-245-6855
Consy@ConsyMalasoma.com

Open Sunday, 2/21/10, from 1-4pm
Join us for hot cider!

•3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,361 square feet
•Updated eat-in kitchen with laminate floors
•Living room with fireplace
•Formal dining
•Fresh interior paint
•New carpet
•Inside laundry
•2 car garage
•Walk to shopping & transportation
•HOA $250/month, community pool, 2 nice patios and park-like grounds

For more information, contact Bev Marshall of J. Rockcliff Realtors
925.825.7915, BevHouses@aol.com

Webinar – Learn How to Make Your Photos Market Ready with Jackson West!

This Saturday, 2/13/10 at 7pm ESTjoin this one hour webinar for only $25.

Have you met Jackson West?

Jackson West is the owner of Reveal Estate Home Staging and a Certified Staging Professional Trainer. Jackson’s work has been featured in Home Staging for Dummies, as well as in several issues of Staging Standard Magazine.

Jackson has a penchant for excellence when it comes to presenting photos. Grab this opportunity to see live how he does it. You can have great photos too!

This webinar is an online course, you sit in the comfort of your own home, in front of your computer, listening and watching a presentation with a LIVE host. It is interactive and you can ask questions. Please call 1-888-782-4464 1-888-782-4464 to secure your spot. Or click here to register for the webinar.

I was lucky enough to meet Jackson in person last month in Las Vegas. He’s a lot of fun and he knows what he’s talking about. Do yourself a favor and sign up for his webinar, you will be happy you did!

Photos courtesy of Jackson West