In Piedmont, Rockridge & Montclair there are lots of opportunities to enjoy the Holiday season that don’t cost anything. 

On Wednesday, December 3rd at 7:15 pm, the annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Piedmont Community Center.

The Holiday Stroll in Montclair Village is on Thursday December 4th at 6 pm.  Entertainment to be the Girl’s Choir, California Revels, Pacific Boy’s Choir & the Piedmont High School Jazz Band.  Santa arrives at 6:20 !

If you enjoy holiday light displays, visit Picardy Drive in Maxwell Park and also 56th, 57th and 58th between Brann & MacArthur. 

Don’t miss the elaborate outdoor creche and light display at the Mormon Temple on Lincoln Ave.

Happy Holidays! 

The Headline on the front page of the Sunday Chron on Nov 9 was an attention grabber. I checked to see how my zip code fared, since it is one of three that are shared by both Oakland and Piedmont and some Real Estate data sources combine both cities.   The article suggests the Median Price per square foot is a more useful metric because Median Price “….. can be skewed by the number of homes that change hands at the high or low ends of the market.”   Which also means an area where most of the homes sold are in a similar price range (Rockridge) there will be less change in the Median Price per square foot than an area with a huge spread between the low and high end. (Piedmont)  The data used in the Chronicle article was provided by Data Quick.  The chart below is data found on Multiple Listing Service with the percentage change in Median Price and Median Price/square foot Piedmont, Rockridge, Montclair & Crocker/Lakeshore.

When I used the tool on SF Gate to view “Home Prices Per Square Foot”  the numbers were off quite a  bit from MLS.  It appears Data Quick lumped together the 94611, 94618 and 94610 zip codes in Piedmont & Oakland.  However, MLS data trends were similar to Data quick. 

The new Haven’s Elementary School will be a beautiful architectural enhancement to Highland Ave and also  provide seismic safety & accessibility improvements for students.

After thorough review of needed building requirements, the PUSD  is moving forward with a design and proposal by developer Mark Becker, Former Board Member Jim Nybakken and President of Webcor Builders, Andy Ball to replace Havens Elementary School. If all goes according to the proposed timetable, the work will begin immediately after the finish of the current school year (June 2009) and be completed in time for the start of school in August. 2010.

June Monach, President of the Piedmont Board of Education says “…….a recommendation for an interim housing plan for Havens students is in the works so they will be safely away from new construction.  The goal is to stay within budget, minimize disruption of learning and keep the school together.”  Ms Monach noted, “…..the character of the design for the new Havens is inspired by the Ellen Driscoll Theatre” (building on left in the image below)

Aerial view of the new Haven’s School Campus including a new playfield!

Click on PUSD Bond Program for more information about the design and construction effort that will strengthen and improve the seismic safety of school facilities on five Piedmont school campuses.

The red bar in the chart below  shows the number of homes changed to Pending status in Piedmont, 94610, 94611 and 94618 in Oakland in the month of October.  The blue bar on the chart shows the number of  homes “Active” on Nov 1.   While one month is a brief time period to measure absorption rate, the result shows neighborhoods in 94610 (Crocker Highlands & Lakeshore) and 94611 (Montclair & Piedmont Ave area) are moving through existing inventory a bit quicker

 Simply stated, there is about 3 months of inventory available in Lakeshore & Crocker Highlands,  3.6 months in Monctlcair & Piedmont Ave, 4.6 months in Piedmont and 5.5 in Rockridge.    For now  it seems areas with a lower  Median Price are selling inventory at a faster clip…not always the case.

Visitors to Open House at www.1915Cortereal.com are drawn because of the homes’ unique location on a cul-de-sac.  It’s just a short walk following the sidewalk  on Cortereal through the walkway/tunnel at the “bowl-end” of the street to the top of La Salle Ave in the heart of Montclair Village!

Since the desirability of “walk to coffee/walk to transportation” locations is increasing with younger buyers as well as empty-nesters I compared the Walk Score & price for a few homes in Piedmont as well as the Rockridge & Montclair (94611) neighborhoods of Oakland. 

www.WalkScore.com  “……..calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking.”    While Walk Score doesn’t calculate factors such as; weather, street lighting, access to public transit or topography (hills) it’s a useful tool you can consult as easily as google maps when you’re checking out homes for sale in neighborhoods that may not be familiar.