On August 2nd, the City of Santa Clara will participate in the 28th Annual National Night Out program. This event, designed to promote neighborhood spirit and to increase positive police and community partnership, encourages residents to close and lock their doors and spend an evening outside with neighbors and friends. These events can range from casual or informal potlucks or ice cream socials to full blown block parties. For more information on this city-wide event, contact DeAnna Black at 615-4878 or at dblack@santaclaraca.gov. You can also check out the National Night Out website at http://www.nationalnightout.org/nno/. Moreover, if you are relocating to the Silicon Valley or thinking of downsizing or “rightsizing” feel free to call the Boyenga…

 

The new API scores have just been released and the good news is that Santa Clara and San Mateo counties have 13 of the state's top 15 elementary schools,  and 10 of the top 25 middle schools are in the South Bay as well!  The three top elementary schools based on the state's Academic Performance Index are Milliken in Santa Clara, and Murdock-Portal and Faria, both in the Cupertino Union School District.

Also in the top 15 are three more in Cupertino: Garden Gate, Regnart and Dilworth.  Also scoring high are Mission San Jose and John Gomes from Fremont Union.  Moreover in San Mateo County the Hillsborough School District has two elementary schools:  North Hillsborough and West Hillsborough Elementary.  The only other elementary school in San Mateo

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If you are looking for some family Halloween fun this weekend then you may want to make it out to the Howling Halloween in Downtown Los Gatos (A Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza for your Dog!) Ghost Judges will award prizes for Best Costumes!  Saturday October 23rd, hours are from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Also this weekend and  next there is Goblyns Glen in Vasona Park, featuring a haunted house for the little ones, spook train, and Carrousel ride.

For Howling Halloween please visit this website for details:

http://www.societydog.com/index.php?x=event_detail&id=592

 

 

FOR GOBLINS GLEN: 

Park in the Oak Meadow parking lot.

Here are the hours of operation:
 
We are have broken out the Haunted Attraction for children and adults. Goblyn's Glen a Trick

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An interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about Hedge fund tycoon John Paulson may make you think twice about the bond market, as well as housing and gold.  Simply put with our nation being the most indebted in the history of the world there is only one way for interest rates to go and that is up, up, up.  Realistically it is not a question of if it will happen, it really is more a matter of when and by how much. I believe this is a very cogent assessment on the where the bond market is going.

In fact our team is advising all of our clients if they have the ability to get low interest loan/s, we can and will provide the guidance they need to take advantage of the investment opportunities available in the Silicon Valley real estate

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Don't miss out, there is a small window of opportunity of roughly one month to take advantage of the combined home buyers tax credit.  In order to take advantage of both the federal and state tax credits, a first-time homebuyer must enter into a purchase contract for a principal residence before May 1, 2010, and close escrow between May 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010, inclusive.  Buyers who are not first-time homebuyers may use the same timeframes to receive up to $16,500 in combined tax credits if they are long-time residents of their existing homes as permitted under federal law, and they purchase properties that have never been previously occupied as provided under California law. For more information on how to take advantage of the combined tax credit feel

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Great news for new home buyers in California, as the federal home buyer tax credit is finishing up on April 30th a new law, AB 183 allocates 200 million to the credit for homes purchased between May 1st to December 31, 2010.  For all the first timers on the fence, it does not get much better then this!  Now here are the qualifications that you will need in order to take advantage of this tax credit today! 

 To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase. If you or your client purchased a home between January 1, 2009 and November 6, 2009, please see: 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. Which Properties Are Eligible? The Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit

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There is not a day that goes by without hearing from someone how bad the real estate market is, and how terrible business must be.  My first response is to ask why they feel the real estate market is so bad, and what is there reasoning for this assumption.  Most of what I hear is that they read or heard it in the news or heard national statistics on homes sales, foreclosures, or some other type of  housing data source.  Then I spend the next fifteen minutes explaining the marketplace though it is not always good news, and I do not tend to sugar coat the marketplace, I do explain all the opportunities that abound, whether it is a 900k fixer upper in Los Altos hills, or the rental income possibilities in downtown San Jose, maybe it is that perfect probate

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