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This blog is about buying, selling, and building safe & sound homes in the San Francisco Bay Area. Please make comments, ask questions, and suggest topics for making it a valuable source for everyone.
Boomerese Realty
Author Archives: S. Onder Kustu, MBA
Why Should You Start Looking for a House During the Holiday Season?
You probably have heard that the Holiday Season is a good time to look for a house, as most people would be more worried about family dinners, holiday parties, and shopping for presents than looking for a new house. With fewer buyers on the … Continue reading
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Tagged Bay Area, Holiday shopping, House-hunting, Real Estate
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The First Seismic Retrofitting Project in the World!
A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to visit the Hagia Sofia (Aya Sofya) in Istanbul, Turkey. Built originally as a church in the 4thCentury by a Roman Emperor, it was damaged by earthquakes and fires over the centuries, … Continue reading
Housing Affordability Highest in a Generation!
According to the National Association of Realtors’ research (http://alturl.com/aoxoj), the housing affordability index is now higher than it has ever been since the 1970’s. The index stands at about 175%, which means that a family with the median-income is earning … Continue reading
An ABAG Workshop: “Shaken Awake- Creative Ways to Strengthen Housing and Promote Community Resilience in Today’s Economy”
The search words that lead some readers to this blog site indicate that many home owners and home buyers are worried about their vulnerabilities to earthquakes, how to reduce their earthquake risk exposure, what makes a house earthquake-resistant, and how … Continue reading
An Afternoon at Treasure Island
We took a ride to the Treasure Island recently for a pleasant Sunday afternoon. I posted a small slide show on our website about the trip. You can view it here: http://boomerese.com/TreasureIsland.html While you are at it, you may like … Continue reading
A New Location Parameter- “Walkability”
This site http://www.walkscore.com/ lets you calculate the “walkscore” of a location. Interesting concept! It is like the MPG rating for cars and the energy rating for appliances. You may like to check the walkscores when you are looking for real estate.
Natural disasters and risk to homeowners associations
Here is an interesting article that goes with what I have been talking about… Disaster! ~ No reserves. No Insurance. What’s Left if a Natural Disaster Destroys a Community Association? – Article by Tyler P. Berding, Esq. and Steven S. … Continue reading
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Your Earthquake Risk Exposure Part II- Seismic Retrofitting
In the previous article, I talked about your earthquake risk that is related to indirect effects of earthquakes on your house, such as liquefaction, tsunamis, flooding caused by dam failures, landslides, firestorms triggered by the earthquake, etc. Your best option … Continue reading
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Tagged Bay Area, Construction, Design, Earthquakes, Real Estate, Remodeling, Seismic Retrofit, Structural Engineering
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Your Earthquake Risk Exposure
Do you know your earthquake risk exposure and what you can do to reduce it? Most people don’t. In this article, I will talk about your earthquake risk related to where you live: Your home. Your earthquake risk related to … Continue reading
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A New Earthquake-Preparedness Strategy: Cross Your Fingers!
The Cypress Street Viaduct in Oakland, California collapsed in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and killed 42 people. The Viaduct’s lack of earthquake resistance was well-known within the structural engineering community. There is no doubt that this was also known to … Continue reading
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