San Carlos Parks & Recreation Department

San Carlos Parks & Recreation Department 12 hrs · September is National Senior Programs Month! Come check out the updated Adult Community Center and the programs we have for adults over 50! Join our new fitness center, take a tap, fencing or boot camp class, or work on your flexibility and balance! We have it all for you. https://www.facebook.com/scparksandrec/posts/1243633229022448

Palo Alto proceeds with storm water management fee increase

By Jacqueline Lee, Daily News Staff Writer Posted: 08/30/2016 08:47:19 PM PDT | Updated: a day ago By Jacqueline Lee Daily News Staff Writer PALO ALTO -- Money from a proposed increase in storm water management fees would be spent more to cover operating costs than make capital improvements, the Palo Alto City Council decided Monday, reversing a decision made earlier this year. The council previously approved a resolution calling for a monthly fee of $13.65, up from $13.03. The initial breakdown was going to be $6.62 as the base and $7.03 for capital improvements. Now, the allocation $7.48 as the base and $6.17 for improvements. City staff told council members that initial calculations were off because they were tied to fiscal year 2016 instead of 2017 and more money is needed for operating costs. A public protest hearing on the rate hike is set for Oct. 24. Property owners can file written objections to the fee increase until then. If a majority does so, the council has to terminate the fee increase process. If there is no majority opposition, then the city will conduct a mail ballot election on the fee increase, sometime between Jan. 11 and Feb. 28. If approved, the new fees would go into effect June 1 and generate about $6.9 million in annual revenue for the next 15 years. In early 2015, the city identified about $37 million worth of needed capital improvements. Property owners currently pay about $12.63 per month in storm drain bills. Advertisement Current fees will expire in June. If no action is taken to approve updated fees, the rates will revert to $4.25, an amount property owners approved in 2005, which city leaders say is not enough to maintain operations. Email Jacqueline Lee at jlee1@bayareanewsgroup.com or call her at 650-391-1334; follow her at twitter.com/jleenews.

Menlo Park: Sidewalk dining to expand on Santa Cruz Avenue

By Kevin Kelly, Daily News Staff Writer Posted: 08/31/2016 04:16:26 AM PDT Updated: 08/31/2016 11:23:19 PM PDT By Kevin Kelly Daily News Staff Writer MENLO PARK -- Menlo Park is finally ready to roll out an expanded downtown street dining program. What began as a pilot at Left Bank restaurant on Santa Cruz Avenue in May 2014 will expand to five additional eateries and a furniture store along the main downtown street as soon as October. All seven establishments enrolled in the program will receive "semi-permanent" concrete decking along the street, which entails the removal of two to three parking spaces outside each business. Street cafes outside Left Bank, LB Steak, Galata Bistro, Angelo Mio, Mademoiselle Colette, Bistro Vida and Harvest will provide seating for as many as 200 people. The city planned to begin construction in July, but improvements to meet federal disability requirements took longer than expected because of the sidewalk's cross slope and the need to "add railings along the sidewalk because of a trip hazard," according to Housing and Economic Development Manager Jim Cogan. Construction of the street cafes, all of which are between the 600 and 800 blocks of Santa Cruz, is to begin in September and last roughly three weeks. The street cafes will remain in place for three years, the life of each agreement. The cafes are designed to be easily taken out if there is a change of ownership or an establishment opts not to renew the agreement. Advertisement In May, the council authorized spending an additional $350,000 toward the program, on top of $165,000 allocated through the Downtown Specific Plan, for a total of $515,000 coming out of the 2016-17 budget. The businesses' combined share of the base design is $169,000, the city will cover the remaining 80 percent. The city has stated that each street cafe should be unique, but businesses must pay for any custom features. The program is open to additional businesses. Email Kevin Kelly at kkelly@bayareanewsgroup.com or call him at 650-391-1049.

Just Approved: FHA condo approval grants breathing room for borrower

Published 3:55 pm, Friday, August 19, 2016 Mortgage agent: John Holmgren. Property type: Condo in Alameda. Loan type: FHA HECM reverse mortgage. Rate: 4.463 percent initial rate; 9.463 percent lifetime maximum. Backstory: Ruth Masonek of Preferred Properties contacted John Holmgren about an Alameda client who had recently been laid off. Unable to find new employment, the client struggled with her mortgage payment and other financial obligations, as Social Security was her only income. While the homeowner had a good equity position in her home, the sale proceeds would not be enough for her to pay all cash for a replacement residence. Holmgren evaluated her prospects for qualification for a new home purchase. While he found that she would not qualify to buy a new home in the Bay Area, she would qualify for a FHA reverse mortgage. The HECM reverse mortgage is a federally insured loan product that eliminates mortgage payments by allowing interest to accrue until such time as the homeowner no longer lives in the home. Since it was important that the property appraisal come in at a particular value to make the reverse mortgage possible, Holmgren also contacted one of his local appraisal sources to confirm that the appraised value was likely to be sufficient. In this case, the challenging factor was that the condo project was not FHA approved, a requirement for anyone wanting to get an FHA reverse mortgage. Based on his experience with regular home mortgages, Holmgren knew that it was possible to secure FHA condo project approval fairly readily. He coordinated efforts with the homeowners association, the unit owner and a project approval consultant to secure project approval in less than three weeks. Once this approval was obtained, the reverse mortgage was secured and now the homeowner will be able to live in her home as long as she wishes without financial insecurity. John Holmgren, Holmgren & Associates, (510) 433-8809, john@mortgageholmgren.com.

Condo Legislation Passes U.S. Senate

The U.S. Senate has passed H.R. 3700, the "Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act," by unanimous consent. This legislation includes reforms to current Federal Housing Administration restrictions on condominium financing, among other provisions, and is long supported by both the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Changes include efforts to make FHA's recertification process "substantially less burdensome," while lowering FHA's current owner-occupancy requirement from 50 percent to 35 percent. The bill also requires FHA to replace existing policy on transfer fees with the less-restrictive model already in place at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. C.A.R. would like to thank the 19,000-plus California REALTORS® who responded to NAR's Call-for-Action and urged their senators to pass this legislation and offer relief to home buyers. What makes REALTORS® so strong politically is the number of constituents we have in every congressional district. Even if your business model is not based on condominium or Rural Housing Service transactions, all REALTORS® need to band together to support homebuyers to help ensure future transactions, and that is what California REALTORS® did with H.R. 3700.

Study finds racial disparities in roadblocks to homeownership

For release: July 14, 2016 Racial disparities in roadblocks to achieving American Dream Prospective home buyers want current presidential candidates to address housing affordability LOS ANGELES (July 14) – Prospective home buyers face numerous challenges when it comes to achieving the American Dream, and homeownership obstacles vary among ethnic groups, according to a poll conducted by leading think tank the Futures Company in partnership with the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ (C.A.R.) Center for California Real Estate. For all respondents, saving enough for a down payment is the biggest barrier to becoming a homeowner, cited by nearly one in three (29 percent) prospective home buyers, followed by housing supply constraints (27 percent), access to credit and financing (22 percent), and personal debt (19 percent). These hurdles diverged across race and ethnicity. Thirty-one percent of non-Hispanic whites said constrained housing supply was the most likely deterrent to becoming a homeowner, while a third of Hispanics cited access to credit and financing as their primary challenge in buying a home. African-Americans (33 percent) and Asians (32 percent) both cited a lack of down payment or savings as the main prohibitive factor in purchasing a home. “With record high rents and only about a third of the state’s households able to afford to buy a median-priced home, the dream of owning a home in California is evaporating,” said C.A.R. President Pat “Ziggy” Zicarelli. “It’s even more discouraging for prospective ethnic home buyers who must face greater obstacles to scrape together a down payment or obtain credit and financing.” Homeownership and sense of well-being The poll also found that the vast majority (84 percent) of respondents agree that owning their own home gives them a greater sense of well-being and control over their environment. Across all incomes, races/ethnicities, and generations, respondents overwhelmingly agreed on the positive impact of homeownership on their personal satisfaction and health from having greater control over their environment. Housing and retirement strategy In connecting housing to opportunity, nearly three in four (72 percent) agree that owning a home is part of their retirement strategy, believing that homeownership is a tool for long-term financial security among those who plan to buy a home or currently own one. Presidential candidates and housing policy Lastly, nearly three-fourths (70 percent) of survey respondents who plan to buy a home agreed that they would like the current presidential candidates to address how to make housing more affordable in their campaigns. And, across all incomes, generations, and races/ethnicities, consumers were strongly in agreement that housing affordability should be a top priority on the presidential campaign trail as candidates make their pitches for ballots in the lead-up to the November contest. However, housing affordability and solutions to reduce the cost of living have received noticeably little attention this campaign season. Other than releasing plans to increase the five-decades-low homeownership rate, the presumptive nominees, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, have not issued comprehensive housing policies, including action items to address the significant housing affordability crisis. The Center for California Real Estate (CCRE) (centerforcaliforniarealestate.org) is an institute from the California Association of REALTORS® dedicated to advancing real estate knowledge. The goal of the center is to arm C.A.R.’s 185,000 members with ideas that help them become more knowledgeable, professional, and insightful in their work as practitioners and stakeholders in the future of real estate. To fulfill this goal, CCRE regularly enlists the foremost experts on topics of pertinent interest to the industry. Leading the way...® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with 185,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles. # # #

Must-Have Design for Multigenerational Living

Daily Real Estate News | Monday, July 18, 2016 Multigenerational living is on the rise, due to grandparents moving in or millennials returning home. A record 57 million Americans – or 18.8 percent of the population – lived in a multigenerational family household in 2012, according to the Pew Research Center. Read more: Top Housing Preferences Depend on Your Age The homebuilding industry is paying close attention to this trend. They're changing design options to better accommodate multiple generations living under one roof. The Huffington Post recently spotlighted several key elements multifamily developers and homebuilders are keeping in mind when it comes to the demands of multiple generations in one home: Open access: Ensure access for every generation, from those who require a wheelchair or walker (by adding extra space through doors and hallways) to baby proof kitchens for young children. Model homes are merchandising these principles in homes they stage. More than one master bedroom: Aging parents moving into a home may increase the need for a second master suite with its own bathroom. This allows older generations to feel like they have their own space. Suite additions: In-law suites may be an alternative than an extra master bedroom. These mini apartments usually contain separate entrances and kitchens. More than half of home buyers aged 55 and older said they’d be willing to pay more for homes with in-law suites, according to a survey conducted in 2013 by NAR. Current zoning laws may restrict the presence of some of these structures, however. Privacy: When more people are sharing a home, privacy becomes more of an issue. One way to achieve greater privacy is to zone living areas to show potential owners how they can use one space for multiple functions and also accommodate different generations at the same time. For example, versatile living areas can help, such as by taking a large open area and designating spaces for built-in storage or shelving for toys that could present hazards for seniors. Source: “5 Design Features That Help Sell Multi-generational Housing,” The Huffington Post (July 14, 2016)

How to Avoid Identity Theft When Moving

Daily Real Estate News | Monday, July 18, 2016 The moving process can make your clients more vulnerable to identity theft and other forms of fraud, since often personal financial information isn't adequately protected. As if moving wasn't stressful enough on its own, it can take nearly six months for a person to recover from identity theft during a move. Read more: Take Control of ID Theft People can do a few things to protect themselves from identity theft during a move, says writer Adam Levine, author of “Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers, and Identity Thieves." He says to focus on the 3 M’s: 1. Minimize your exposure 2. Monitor your accounts 3. Manage the damage. Here are some of Levine’s other tips: Don’t share too much: Before, during, and after a move, avoid sharing too much information with those you don’t know, whether in person, on the phone, or via social media, Levine writes. Secure electronics: Set long, strong passwords, and use two-factor authentication whenever possible. Secure computers, smartphones, and tablets. Protect documents: Shred sensitive documents you no longer need. During a move, carry your personally identifiable information with you and in one box. Monitor for fraud: Check your credit score and consider enrolling in transactional notification programs. You also might consider subscribing to various credit and fraud monitoring services to alert you to any sudden changes on your credit report. Watch your mail: Your mail will be influx when moving so look into doing more online billing and autopay to prevent lost or forgotten bills. Make address notification a priority: Notify federal agencies that send you mail of your new address. Compile a list of places to inform of your new address, such as the Social Security Administration, IRS, and Department of Motor Vehicles. Source: “Moving: A Dangerous Time for Your Identity,” Credit.com (June 9, 2016)

These Real Estate Markets Are Getting Very Hot

Daily Real Estate News | Tuesday, July 19, 2016 In a handful of markets, home prices are surging faster than inflation. However, rising home prices and the increase of bidding wars in some markets are due to a housing shortage and are not a sign of a housing meltdown, realtor.com® reports. Read more: 3 Reasons We're Not in a Housing Bubble Also, “only the most qualified buyers are able to get financing” for mortgages, says Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com®’s chief economist. “Flipping is back to normal. And we’re building about half as many homes as we need.” Smoke analyzed the 50 largest metro markets in the nation and looked at their housing trends from 2001 through 2015. He says there are some markets where the high prices likely can’t be sustained and are showing signs of overheating, though none of the metros are currently in “bubble” territory. “There are places that have risks,” Smoke says. “But even those places do not resemble what they looked like in their actual bubble years.” Realtor.com®’s research team pinpointed six factors that create a housing bubble to assess the 50 metro markets, including how quickly price appreciation has been climbing, the number of homes being flipped, how many buyers are getting mortgages, home prices compared with wages, home prices compared with rental costs, and the number of new homes being built. Smoke says the following six cities were showing the most signs of overheating: San Jose, Calif. San Francisco, Calif. Austin, Texas Salt Lake City, Utah Dallas, Texas Los Angeles, Calif. Source: “Bubble Watch: Could the Housing Markets in These Top Cities Be Getting Too Hot?” realtor.com® (July 18, 2016)