This is how long it takes to sell a house

by Kathryn Vasel @KathrynVasel November 27, 2017: 1:13 PM ET Three weeks. That's how long it takes to sell a home these days, according to the National Association of Realtors. Five years ago, the median number of days on market was 11 weeks. Low housing supply has pushed up home prices and created multiple offer situations and bidding wars throughout the country. "The inventory shortage and the growing economy and job creation has increased the interest in homebuying," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR. "There is just not enough inventory; people need to fight over the few homes available on the market." Historically, roughly 1.2 million new homes hit the market every year, he said, and so far this year, only 800,000 have been built. "It's been below that in prior years, and in the past decade greatly lower than that. Today's shortage is largely explained by a decade of underproduction." In some hot housing markets, three weeks is an eternity. "If we make it three weeks in our market, there is something wrong," said Darlene Umina, a real estate agent in the Boston area. "These days, you know within the first weekend whether the price was right." The median home price has shot up almost 9% in the past year to $561,300 in Boston, according to Zillow. John Kasprzyk sold his home in Waltham, Massachusetts, in September in less than a week. The home hit the market on a Wednesday and he had an all-cash, inspection-free offer that was $41,000 above his asking price before the end of the weekend. It was one of 11 offers he received. "We knew the market in that area was hot, but we didn't expect a cash offer to be this high," Kasprzyk said. "It was a big relief to walk away with equity." He purchased the home five years ago for $455,000 and sold it for $630,000. Across the country in San Francisco, one of the hottest markets in the country, real estate agent Erin Thompson has had buyers show up to an open house and hand her an offer. Offers well above the list price with no contingencies are common. "It can be very exhausting for buyers," she said. To be successful, house hunters need to be prepared with a loan pre-approval letter, know their budget and home must-haves and be ready to dedicate their weekends and evening to touring homes -- and battling crowds. Earlier this year, Umina hosted an open house where she had to stand outside to greet potential buyers because it was so packed. She ended up with 18 offers on that home, three were all cash. To help get their foot in the door, buyers in Denver have increasingly been adding escalation clauses to their offers, where buyers pledge to beat a competing offer up to a certain amount. Denver's market has been on fire recently, with home prices jumping more than 7% in the last year. Steve Thayer, owner of Keller Williams Action Realty in Denver, said he's sold more than a dozen homes in less that two weeks so far this year -- many of them going after one weekend. He's also gotten a few blind offers from buyers before they've even seen a home. "One of the challenges in this market is getting to Saturday [for the open house], he said. "People are begging to see the house early and before it's ready to show." CNNMoney (New York) First published November 27, 2017: 12:54 PM ET

For many, the rent is still too damn high

For many, the rent is still too damn high by Kathryn Vasel @KathrynVasel December 14, 2017: 12:04 PM ET Millions of Americans can't afford their rent. Nearly half of all renter households -- almost 21 million -- were considered cost-burdened in 2016, according to a new report from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. That means they pay more than 30% of their income to cover their housing, which includes utilities. Some renters are in an even tighter jam: 25% of renter households pay more than half of their income for housing. The good news is that the number off cost-burdened renters is dropping. In 2014, 21.3 million renters were shelling out more than 30% for housing. Losing such a big chunk of your paycheck to housing can have a long-term impact on savings and force tough spending decisions. It can also worsen inequality among renters, the report found. "It can mean trade offs for other areas of your budget, like food, health care expenditures or transportation," noted Jonathan Spader, a senior research associate at JCHS. The amount of money the lowest-income renters had left to spend after paying their housing dropped 18% from 2001 to 2016. The improving economy and rising wages have helped ease the cash crunch for some renters. But the influx of more high-income renters has also played role in the reduction. Affluent renters have driven almost 30% of renter growth in the past decade. In 2016, more than 18% of renter households earned at least $100,000 -- up from 12% in 2006. This shift, along with high building and land costs, has caused developers to focus on bringing more high-end units to market, which pushed up the median asking price for new apartments 27% between 2011 and 2016. That's left lower-income renters in a bind since the supply of affordable rentals for low- and moderate-income households has not kept up with demand. "We've seen fewer and fewer rental units available at lower price points," explained Spader. "There are two primary challenges, one is to expand the availability of rental assistance and the other is to find ways to increase the construction of new rental units that are made available at lower price points." The lower your income, the more likely you are to feel squeezed by your rent. Middle and low-income renters are the most likely to pay a disproportionate share of their income to cover rent, according to the study. Over the past 15 years, more than half of the growth in cost-burdened renters has been among those earnings less than $30,000. "As you move up the income spectrum the level of cost burden decreases," said Spader. "But the other trend that comes out is that the cost burden is the most severe at the lowest income levels." The number of renters earning between $30,000 and $45,000 paying at least 30% of their income jumped to 50% last year, up from 37% in 2001. It jumped to 23% from 12% for those earning $45,000-$75,000 Among those earning less than $15,000, 83% are considered cost burdened. Where you live can also play a role in how much of your paycheck is dedicated to housing. More than half of renters in California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii and New York are housing cost burdened. Cities that have seen their population count pop have also seen rent prices soar. For instance, the median rent in Denver has increased at twice the national pace. The states with the fewest share of cost-burdened renters include Montana, North and South Dakota and Wyoming, the report found. CNNMoney (New York) First published December 14, 2017: 12:04 PM ET

Housing shortage: New report shows how California cities and counties stack up

By KATY MURPHY | kmurphy@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: February 1, 2018 at 3:34 pm | UPDATED: February 2, 2018 at 7:30 am SACRAMENTO — Nearly all the cities and counties in California — 97.6 percent — are failing to approve the housing needed to keep pace with population growth and will be subject to a new law that aims to fast-track development, according to a report released by the state Thursday. The state’s housing department released lists showing that more than 500 cities and counties are not on track to meet guidelines for the development of market-rate housing, affordable housing or both. Those jurisdictions will now lose the ability to reject certain types of development projects under legislation that was signed into law last fall. Only 13 cities and counties, including Foster City, Hillsborough, San Anselmo and Beverly Hills, made the grade. “When 97 percent of cities are failing to meet their housing goals,” the bill’s author, Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said in a statement Thursday, “it’s clear we need to change how we approach housing in California.” Senate Bill 35, which Wiener carried last year, kicks in when cities or counties lag behind on annual progress reports. It applies only to projects that comply with a city’s zoning rules, pay the prevailing wage, and ensure that at least 10 percent of the new units are affordable, or priced below market rate. (The prevailing-wage requirement only applies to projects with more than 10 units.) For cities such as Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Walnut Creek and San Jose — which met their market-rate housing goals but didn’t issue enough permits for affordable housing to stay on track — the law applies only to proposed developments in which at least half of the units are affordable, or below market rate. Others, including Menlo Park, Richmond, Santa Rosa, Carmel and Alameda and San Mateo counties, came up short on both market-rate and affordable development, which means the new law would apply to both kinds of projects. SB 35 aims to make the permitting process faster and less cumbersome in those areas, with the hope of boosting the housing supply and stabilizing soaring housing costs over time. The progress report was published by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which is managing the new law’s implementation. The department found that 70.1 percent of all cities and counties fell short of the state’s guidelines for both market rate and affordable housing. Another 27.5 percent approved enough market-rate housing, but not enough affordable housing. California has set guidelines for development, measured by permits issued to builders, since 1969 in an effort to discourage cities from impeding growth. Those guidelines are set during 8-year cycles through the bureaucratically titled Regional Housing Needs Allocation, which housing policy wonks call RHNA (pronounced REE-na). Critics say the state lacks power to enforce the guidelines, however, and many cities lobby to have their goals reduced, or ignore them altogether. Wiener has a pending proposal, Senate Bill 828, to change how those numbers are set. The very short list of cities and counties that are on track to meeting the state’s affordable housing development goals was not a shock to Matt Schwartz, president CEO of the California Housing Partnership, a non-profit housing organization based in San Francisco. He believes the state needs to offer more rewards to local governments that are approving affordable housing projects — and perhaps withhold some transportation funding for those that don’t. “What’s the penalty if I don’t meet my RHNA affordable housing goal? What’s the incentive if I meet or exceed those goals?” he asked. “Not much.” Reporter Louis Hansen contributed to this story. These Bay Area cities and counties are failing to meet all of their housing goals — both market rate and affordable: Alameda County, Capitola, Carmel, Clayton, Concord, East Palo Alto, Emeryville, Hayward, Los Altos Hills, Martinez, Menlo Park, Mill Valley, Millbrae, Monterey, Moraga, Newark, Novato, Pacifica, Pinole, Pleasant Hill, Redwood City, Richmond, San Bruno, San Leandro, San Mateo County, Santa Cruz County, Sausalito, South San Francisco, Tracy, Union City, Vallejo The Bay Area cities and counties below are not issuing enough permits for affordable (below market rate) housing, but are on track to meet their goals for market-rate housing: Alameda, Albany, Antioch, Atherton, Berkeley, Brisbane, Burlingame, Campbell, Contra Costa County, Cupertino, Daly City, Danville, Dublin, El Cerrito, Fremont, Gilroy, Hercules, Lafayette, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Marin County, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Oakland, Orinda, Palo Alto, Piedmont, Pittsburg, Pleasanton, San Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo, San Pablo, San Rafael, San Ramon, Santa Clara, Santa Clara County, Sunnyvale, Walnut Creek, Woodside Statewide, just 13 cities or counties are on track to meet both goals. They include Foster City, Hillsborough, San Anselmo, and Napa and Sonoma counties.

Housing in 2018: San Jose neighborhoods top the nation’s ‘hottest’ list

Housing in 2018: San Jose neighborhoods top the nation’s ‘hottest’ list SAN JOSE — More bad news for people house-hunting in the Bay Area: Of the 10 hottest neighborhoods in the country this year, according to the real estate website Redfin, nine are in the San Jose metro area. The last is in San Francisco. Redfin experts say that’s largely because tech workers, even very well compensated ones, are getting priced out of the San Francisco Peninsula. Others are drawn by new jobs from companies such as Google and Apple — or by Google’s plans to build a downtown campus around San Jose’s largest transit hub, Diridon Station. “While the San Francisco Peninsula has traditionally been the hottest of the hot places, we’re seeing it become unaffordable for even the tech giants that helped create its demand in the first place,” said Redfin Silicon Valley agent Kalena Masching. Start your day with the news you need from the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our new Morning Report weekday newsletter. Compared to Palo Alto, where the median sale price last year topped $2.5 million, and San Francisco, where the average home sold for $1.3 million, San Jose’s median home price of over $1 million (and rising) apparently looks like a deal. Topping the list is San Jose’s Bucknall neighborhood, where the median sale price last year was $1.57 million and 100 percent of homes sold for above list price. In recent weeks, Masching said, open houses have been swamped, homes have been getting 15 to 20 offers each, and people have taken off work to check out houses the moment they come on the market. She’s also noticed something else: “What we’re seeing is a disregard for recent comparable sales and people deciding what the home is worth to them and just giving that as their offer.” The demand for real estate in the South Bay has been well documented; late last year, Zillow predicted the San Jose metropolitan area would be the hottest housing market in the country in 2018. But that it landed nine neighborhoods out of 10 on Redfin’s latest list surprised even Redfin economist Nela Richardson. The interest, she said, is fueled by a lack of housing supply throughout the Bay Area — and “speculative interest” in Google’s expansion. “Basically Google’s just extending its tentacles,” Richardson said, “and yet it’s having a dramatic effect on one city.” Redfin created the list based on the increase in the number of homes marked as “favorites” in each area and the number of page views on Redfin.com. As Redfin noted, this further uptick in interest will only put more pressure on the housing market. In December, the San Jose area had the lowest rate of homes per sale that Redfin had ever recorded — anywhere in the country — and its home prices rose a whopping 31.9 percent from the previous year. With two neighborhoods on the list, San Jose’s prominence was worrisome to the city’s mayor, Sam Liccardo. “We typically would welcome being on a top 10 list of hottest anything,” Liccardo said, “but in this case our housing market has been plenty hot for plenty long enough, and we need to get about the business of cooling the market by building the supply that’s needed for the thousands of families who are struggling to survive.” REDFIN’S 2018 HOTTEST NEIGHBORHOODS LIST 1. Bucknall (San Jose) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,565,000 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 100 percent How much above list price: 23.8 percent 2. Cambrian (San Jose) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,244,000 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 100 percent How much above list price: 18 percent 3. White Oak (Campbell) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,010,000 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 66.7 percent How much above list price: 5.7 percent 4. Ortega (Sunnyvale, San Jose metro area) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,920,000 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 100 percent How much above list price: 16.5 percent 5. West Santa Clara (San Jose metro area) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,237,500 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 90.3 percent How much above list price: 16.1 percent 6. Sunnyvale West (San Jose metro area) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,945,000 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 91.3 percent How much above list price: 18.3 percent 7. Lakewood (Sunnyvale, San Jose metro area) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,200,000 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 92.3 percent How much above list price: 21.3 percent 8. Sunnyside (San Francisco) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,272,500 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 89.5 percent How much above list price: 25 percent 9. Blacow (Fremont, San Jose metro area) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,005,000 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 91.7 percent How much above list price: 9.4 percent 10. Rex Manor (Mountain View, San Jose metro area) Median sale price (Dec. 2017): $1,500,000 Percent of homes that sold above list price (Dec. 2017): 83.9 percent How much above list price? 14.4 percent Source: Redfin

Homeowners: Here's what's in the tax bill for you

Homeowners: Here's what's in the tax bill for you by Kathryn Vasel @KathrynVasel Republicans on Friday unveiled the final version of their tax bill, and it has new restrictions for some homeowners. Senate and House Republicans have reconciled their versions of tax legislation and the final plan shrinks some popular deductions. Lawmakers aim to vote on the bill next week and then send it to President Trump's desk. Here's a look at what the changes could mean for future and current homeowners: Downsized mortgage interest deduction New homebuyers would now only be able to deduct interest on the first $750,000 of mortgage debt on a newly-purchased home. That's down from the current $1 million threshold, but higher than the $500,000 limit the House proposed in its tax overhaul in November. Current homeowners would not be affected by the lower cap. The deduction has helped make home buying more affordable for some homeowners. While the median home price nationwide is currently $254,000, buyers in some cities face much higher price tags. The lower limit could make it harder for house hunters in expensive cities. For instance, in New York City, nearly 64% of mortgages on homes sold this year were over $750,000, according to data from ATTOM Data Solutions. And in San Francisco, 58% of home loans exceeded the new cap. Some experts worry the increased threshold could keep people from selling their homes, which could squeeze the already short supply of housing. "The mortgage interest deduction change will put downward pressure on prices as well as sales," said Joe Kirchner, senior economist at Realtor.com. Current homeowners might hesitate to trade up to a more expensive house if the price tag is too high to take full advantage of the deduction. The new cap would also apply to mortgages on second homes. The original House bill wanted to eliminate the deduction on second homes. Less reason to itemize Homeowners must itemize their taxes if they want to claim the mortgage interest deduction. But since the final bill calls for nearly doubling the standard deduction, far fewer Americans are expected to itemize come April. "In my generation, before we had a home we took the standard deduction, but as soon as we bought a home we started itemizing because that mortgage interest deduction was so significant," said Kirchner. "Now with the higher standard deduction very few people will itemize. It will virtually eliminate the deduction on a practical level." The final tax bill also eliminates the deduction for interest on home equity loans. Currently that's allowed on loans up to $100,000. Limit on property tax deduction Taxpayers will no longer be able to fully deduct state and local property taxes plus income or sales taxes. Instead, the legislation allows individuals to deduct up to $10,000 in state and local income and property taxes or state and local property and sales taxes. That means homeowners living in high-tax states like New York, California and New Jersey could see an increase in what they owe Uncle Sam in April. Nationwide, 4.1 million Americans pay more than $10,000 in property taxes, according to data from ATTOM Data Solutions. Tax break stays for home sellers Both the House and Senate bills originally wanted to scale back a tax break for homeowners when they sell their home for a gain. Taxpayers will still be able to exclude up to $500,000 (or $250,000 for single filers) from capital gains when they sell their primary home, as long as they've lived there for two of the past five years. Earlier tax reform proposals would have increased the live-in requirement to five out of the last eight years. CNN's Lauren Fox and Phil Mattingly contributed. CNNMoney (New York) First published December 17, 2017: 12:17 PM ET

3 ways tax reform will hit home values

Real Estate Special Report by Kathryn Vasel @KathrynVasel January 10, 2018: 12:49 PM ET The recent surge in home values could slow thanks to the freshly passed tax overhaul. Sweeping tax legislation was signed into law by President Trump at the end of 2017, and experts said some of the changes, including a lower threshold on the mortgage interest deduction, a cap on the state and local deduction and a higher standard deduction, could be a drag on home appreciation. "In a way, the federal government is extracting itself of its encouragement of home ownership," said Jonathan Miller, president of real estate appraisal firm Miller Samuel. The hit to home prices will depend on location. "There are clear winners and losers," said Adam Kamins, senior economist at Moody's Analytics. "States in the Northeast and along the coasts are hit pretty hard, and states in the South and Mountain West come out ahead." Home prices nationwide are expected to be around 4% lower over the next 18 months compared to where they would have been absent any tax changes, according to report from Moody's Analytics. But that 4% decrease will be unevenly distributed. Homeowners in high-taxed states and expensive housing markets could face the brunt of the impact thanks to the scaled-backed deductions on mortgage interest and property taxes. For example, home prices in Westchester County, a New York City suburb, and Essex County in New Jersey, could be 11% below where they would have been without the tax legislation, according to Moody's. In Manhattan, New York, and Lake County, Illinois, the difference could be a 10% decline. Here are a few forces that could drive down home prices: 1. Lower mortgage interest deduction could keep high-end buyers on the sidelines The new tax law, which is now in effect, lowers the amount of interest on mortgage debt that can be deducted to $750,000 -- down from $1 million. That makes it more costly for buyers of expensive homes to borrow. Plus, the mortgage interest deduction is less valuable under the new tax code. In order to take the deduction, homeowners must itemize. But because the standard deduction has increased to $24,000 for couples, fewer people are expected to. The smaller cap means only 14.4% of homes are worth enough to make itemizing advantageous, according to Zillow. Shrinking tax breaks could force sellers to factor that into their asking price. ... and sellers reluctant to sell The lower cap applies to new mortgages. That means mortgages closed before December 15, 2017 are subject to the old $1 million threshold, which could mean homeowners with mortgages above $750,000 have less incentive to trade up to a bigger home, adding more pressure to the already tight housing supply. 2. Property tax cap makes buying less attractive The new tax law also places a $10,000 cap on the amount of state and local property taxes -- plus income or sales taxes -- filers can deduct. Real estate agents in high-taxed markets frequently tout the ability to write off property taxes to potential buyers. But that selling point won't be as strong as it used to be. More than four million Americans pay more than $10,000 in property taxes alone, according to ATTOM Data Solutions. In some counties, more than half of residents pay at least that much. In Westchester County, 73% of homeowners pay above the new cap in property tax, according to ATTOM. "By setting a $10,00 cap nationwide, you are placing high-cost markets on the same plane as low or middle-cost markets," said Miller. "Every homeowner has a dollar amount they can afford or want to spend on a purchase. The more these other costs rise, the less room there is for payment of principal and interest." 3. Home loans could get more expensive Experts also worry that adding an influx of cash through tax cuts while the economy is at full employment could increase inflation pressure, which may lead the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates, sending mortgage rates higher. Mortgage rates have been sitting below 4% since mid July, which has helped offset the rise in home prices. But if rates move higher, borrowing becomes more expensive, putting high-cost homes out of reach for many buyers. CNNMoney (New York) First published January 10, 2018: 12:49 PM ET

Why you want Amazon to be your new neighbor

by Kathryn Vasel @KathrynVasel January 24, 2018: 1:09 PM ET Amazon has narrowed down its hunt for a second home to 20 locations. And the chosen city is likely to get an economic jolt -- particularly to its housing market. The company announced in September that it plans to open a second corporate headquarters, and a nationwide bidding war soon broke out. Some cities offered massive tax breaks, while others got creative with their courtship. Tucson, Arizona, sent a giant cactus to CEO Jeff Bezos and one Georgia town pledged to name an area "The city of Amazon (AMZN)." The second headquarters is expected to cost at least $5 billion and create as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs -- no wonder cities rushed to lay out the welcome mat. The selected city will get an immediate boost to jobs and wages, said Javier Vivas, director of economic research for Realtor.com. It will also push up home prices and lead to new home construction in neighborhoods within commuting distance from the headquarters location, he added. When a big company moves into a new town it tends to have a ripple effect on the local economy: job creation strengthens, some wages increase and home prices rise. Just look at what happened in Reno, Nevada, after Tesla opened a massive battery factory: Home prices have soared 43% since the fall of 2014, following the start of construction on the Gigafactory, according to Daren Blomquist, senior vice president of communications at ATTOM Data Solutions. The same phenomenon occurred when Apple moved its headquarters to a new location in its home city of Cupertino, California. In the three years following the project's approval, homes located within a mile of the new campus appreciated three percentage points faster, on average, than the rest of the county, according to Realtor.com. Just how much home prices will rise in Amazon's chosen city will depend on a variety of factors: the existing inventory, recent home price performance, demand and the space available for new construction. Of the 20 cities, those that have seen more modest home price growth than others on the list stand to gain the most, according to Blomquist. He pointed to Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, as the markets that could see the biggest gains. "The impact in markets where there has been single-digit appreciation ... we could see a jump, at least in the short term, to double digits of 10%-20% or even more appreciation for the first year," he said. In places where housing is already in limited supply and building regulations are prohibitive -- like New York and Boston -- home values could rise even more with a surge of new residents to staff the new headquarters. For instance, home prices in Boston have jumped 8.4% in the last year to a median home value of $568,300, according to Zillow. If Boston becomes the new home of Amazon, it would be "chaos," according to Fernando Ferreira, an associate professor at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. "The housing market would be three times worse than it already is," he said. Markets with existing inventory and space and fewer obstacles to building will be able to more easily handle the need for new home construction, experts said. The big winners in the chosen city will be current homeowners who will likely see their home appreciation rise when Amazon moves in. "If you are in a larger house and ready to downsize or move, this will be a pure gain for you," said Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, professor of finance and director of the Center for Real Estate Finance Research at New York University Stern School of Business. Another indirect advantage for the winning city: Rising home values will likely to lead to higher property taxes, which could help boost a city's budget and services. "As property taxes and revenues go up, that can go to schools and improve their quality and better fund programs ... and infrastructure," said Van Nieuwerburgh. Related: In booming economies, food banks are busier than ever On the downside, a big jump in home prices means renters or wanna-be homeowners in the selected city could lose out, potentially forcing some long-time residents out of the city. "If you are a first-time homebuyer in the selected city, this is bad news," said Van Nieuwerburgh. "Property prices will go up and you will have to borrow more." CNNMoney (New York) First published January 20, 2018: 11:04 AM ET

To-Dos: Your February Home Checklist

Keep your home fresh and organized this month while you plan for warmer days ahead Laura Gaskill February 1, 2018 Houzz Contributor. I cover topics ranging from decorating ideas, product picks, Houzz... 1. Rotate your mattress. Before you put on a fresh set of sheets, take an extra minute to rotate the mattress if you haven’t done so recently. Rotating your mattress every few months will help it wear more evenly and extend its life (and comfort). 2. Pack up a bag of old sheets and towels to donate. If you bought new sheets or towels during January white sales, make some room by letting go of an old set or two. Homeless shelters and some churches will accept donations of bedding and towels in good condition, and animal shelters are often in need of towels. Really worn linens can be cut up and used as rags or dropped in a textile recycling bin. 3. Clean entryway floors. If winters are cold where you are, road salt and melting snow can mean entryway floors take a beating. Pick up clutter and give the floors a good mopping. To keep floors looking their best between cleanings, stash a few old towels in a basket near the door to wipe up messes. 4. Keep sidewalks and entryways free of ice and snow (even while you’re away). Ice and snow can make walkways dangerous for visitors. Aim to shovel snow promptly, and sprinkle gravel, straw or wood chips to provide traction. Frequent, light shoveling is better than letting the snow build up. And if you plan to be out of town during an expected winter storm, hire someone to clear the sidewalk and front steps of your home while you’re away. Your neighbors and mail carrier will thank you. 5. Cook to stock up your freezer. A few hours of cooking on a weekend can produce major dividends if you focus your efforts on big-batch suppers that can be frozen and reheated later. Knowing that you have homemade soup, stew, chili or casseroles in the freezer makes facing weeknight dinners much less stressful. Just add crusty bread and a simple salad and dinner will be ready in no time. 6. Organize bookshelves. Pull out volumes that you didn’t enjoy or are finished with and sell or donate them, leaving a bit of extra room on each shelf for new titles. And if you get distracted by beloved old books you had forgotten about, just roll with it. After all, there are few better places to spend a winter afternoon than in a comfortable chair with a good book. 7. Refresh your movie-watching zone. Winter is a good time to catch up on movies you missed in the theater or to binge-watch your favorite shows. So why not make your movie-watching zone as comfy and cozy as possible? Start by vacuuming the floors and upholstery (using a vacuum attachment) and by clearing away clutter. Next, assess your collection of movies and games, donating extras to charity. Finally, make sure there are plenty of comfortable pillows and throws and lighting that can be dimmed. 8. Boost warmth. Stay toasty and save on energy bills by blocking drafty doors with door sweeps or door snakes and warming up with rugs, throws and duvets. For even more energy savings, shut doors to unused rooms, move furniture away from heating vents and close the chimney flue when it’s not in use. 9. Check bathrooms for moisture, mildew and mold. It can be hard to give bathrooms enough ventilation when the house is closed up tight for winter. Unfortunately, that buildup of moisture can lead to mildew or even harmful mold. Give the bathroom a thorough cleaning, paying special attention to grout, the ceiling and any other areas showing signs of excess moisture. 10. Clean the dryer vent (and check for blockages outside). Having the buildup of lint cleaned from your dryer vent at least once a year is essential to keeping your dryer working efficiently and preventing a potential dryer fire. In winter, snow can block the exterior vent, so take a walk outside your home to inspect the vent and remove snow or debris if needed. 11. Start planning for a spring or summer home sale. If you’re considering putting your home on the market this year, it’s a good idea to start the process now. Set a timetable, interview potential real estate agents and make a list of projects that need to get done to help your home show well. 12. Indulge in weekly fresh flowers. With Valentine’s Day happening this month, the markets will be filled with fresh flowers at good prices. Treat your home to a bouquet of fresh-cut blooms once a week to add a little cheer — spring may still be a ways off, but that doesn’t mean your dining table can’t look like a garden in bloom!

Familiar San Carlos dining spot to close after 34 years

For Depot Cafe, it’s all about family Familiar San Carlos dining spot to close after 34 years By Anna Schuessler Daily Journal staff Feb 2, 2018 Updated 2 hrs ago 3 Mary Noviscky, owner of San Carlos’ Depot Cafe, serves customers in the restaurant’s final days. Slated to close Feb. 18 after 34 years at its location at the San Carlos train station, the restaurant has suffered in recent months amid construction of a new transit center. Anna Schuessler/Daily Journal After 34 years hosting meetings between friends, family breakfasts, lunch breaks for nearby workers and even parties to mark the end of soccer season, San Carlos’ Depot Cafe owner Mary Noviscky is ready to hang up her apron. With her business situated in the city’s historic train station next to its Caltrain platform, Noviscky, a Redwood City resident, has become accustomed to mornings starting when she arrives at 5:15 a.m. to open the doors of her restaurant at 599 El Camino Real by 6 a.m. She’s learned customers’ names, remembered their breakfast and lunch orders and knows by heart the ebbs and flows of the seemingly endless stream of customers walking into her restaurant over the years. The Depot Cafe will be closing after 34 years at the historic San Carlos train station. Owner Mary Noviscky said her patrons have been hard pressed to find parking near her business as a new transit center has gone up adjacent to her business. So in the days since the Daily Journal reported she is closing her restaurant Feb. 18, she’s been navigating a range of emotions alongside her customers, from shared sadness to joy in the many memories they have shared. “It’s a hectic busy,” she said, adding that some customers have fought tears upon learning about her business’ closure. “It was very hard for me to make this decision and give up.” A self-described people person, Noviscky said the loyalty and support of her customers have sustained her in her 45-year career in the restaurant industry. But despite their kindness, recent changes to her business’ parking as a new transit center has gone up adjacent to the historic building in the past year are among the many challenges her business has struggled to overcome lately. Losing six of the 12 parking spots previously available to her patrons and asking them to walk a short distance from the new lot to her restaurant have proven to be a deterrent for many, especially those with disabilities or other health issues, said Noviscky. Aimed at providing commuter parking and designated drop-off zones for multiple modes of transportation, construction of the San Carlos Transit Center has been managed by SamTrans. The project has been in the works alongside a 202-apartment, eight-building project dubbed the San Carlos Transit Village for several years since the housing development was approved in 2013. Though SamTrans spokesman Dan Lieberman said previously the agency has worked to protect the business from the impact of construction by reducing rent and ensuring the restaurant had the closest available spots during construction, Noviscky said the reduction in rent from $2,600 to $2,500 did not sufficiently address the complications she’s faced as a result of the construction. She added that a seven-year stretch on a month-to-month lease hasn’t helped ease her concerns about the future of her business. Noviscky said selling the business to an interested buyer last year proved untenable when officials said the new owner would have to sign a month-to-month lease and would be first in line to be considered when the property goes to bid when construction is complete in some two years, giving them no guarantee they could still operate the business after construction. Lieberman said officials felt it was appropriate to keep the lease month-to-month until the end of construction so it could be renegotiated when all parties had a better understanding of the new normal and that whoever the new tenant is will have to respect the building’s status as a historical preservation site. Though Noviscky’s heartbreak in closing her business is still fresh, she has wondered what her and her family’s lives will be like once they don’t have the business they have poured hours into setting the structure of their days. Her daughters, Sepeedeh Noviscky-Williams and Setareh Noviscky, have worked at the restaurant since they were teenagers and her husband Mike Noviscky, a retired electrical engineer, has invested countless hours in the business as well. She said patrons have come to appreciate seeing familiar faces every time they come in and over the years have shared their lives with her family as well. “It’s a good feeling because people love to go to a family business,” she said. “We are always here. They see them really grow up.” Though San Carlos resident Sandy Hoffman could remember clearly when the restaurant opened and became a morning stop for her on her way to work, the trips she and her son Sean Hoffman made after Sunday mass with family or for end-of-year soccer parties with teammates are what stand out most. “Everyone knew the Depot Cafe,” said Sandy Hoffman. “There’s really no other place like this.” When Mary Noviscky came to the United States from Iran to pursue a master’s degree some 45 years ago, jumping into the restaurant business wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. She said she had spent just two months working at the Sky Kitchen Cafe at the San Carlos Airport when she learned the owners were looking to sell their business, an opportunity she and her brother took when they purchased the business in 1972. Some 10 years later, she opened the Depot Cafe, a venture that has kept her family busy even after they sold the airport cafe some seven years ago. “All of us worked seven days a week until now,” she said. Though Setareh Noviscky is pained to see a business her mother dedicated so much of her life come to a close the way it did, she said the prospect of her mother getting some time off brings her relief, noting she quit a corporate job to work with her mother four years ago. She said seeing new customers who had always been meaning to try the restaurant come in or those who hadn’t come by in the past few days has been heartwarming. “It’s bittersweet,” she said. “The sweetness is we have our entire community coming in.” Though Noviscky already has dedicating more time to her real estate business in sight once the restaurant closes, she’s also looking forward to spending more time with her family and her 92-year-old mother to cap off more than 45 years serving others. “I think it’s time for retirement,” she said. anna@smdailyjournal.com (650) 344-5200 ext. 102

Utility Box Mural Project

Date Issued: January 25, 2018 Application Deadline: March 9, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. The City of San Carlos and its Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission invite artists to participate in the City’s Utility Box Mural Project for 2018. We are seeking artists to showcase their work on this project to paint six utility boxes located throughout San Carlos. The goals of the project are to enhance the beauty and vibrancy of San Carlos, deter unsightly graffiti on utility boxes, and bring art to unexpected places. Please download and read the Call for Local Artists and Attachment A for details regarding this project, including the application requirements. If you plan to submit your artwork proposal, please complete and submit the following paperwork prior to the deadline: Application Design Template You may also obtain these documents by e-mailing publicart@cityofsancarlos.org, or picking them up at the Parks & Recreation Office at City Hall, 600 Elm Street, during office hours. Art-Active Art-Hands Art-Welcome to San Carlos Art-Deer CONTACT US publicart@cityofsancarlos.org (650) 802-4421 FIND US 600 Elm Street San Carlos, CA 94070 CONTACT US Phone Directory webmaster@cityofsancarlos.com