After 5 great years at Pacific Union (first in Montclair, then in Berkeley), I’ve decided to re-energize my real estate business by moving on to a new office.  I’m looking forward to making Marvin Gardens in Berkeley my new home for real estate.  Stay tuned for more as I ramp up in new digs…

Check out MARVIN GARDENS and you’ll see why I’m excited about this move!

Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior and product design form that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture, and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965. The term was coined in 1983 by Cara Greenberg for the title of her ground-breaking book, Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s (Random House), celebrating the style which is now recognized by scholars and museums worldwide as a significant design movement. – Wikipedia

The Bay Area has plenty of loyal followers of this movement, including me. There are several Mid-Century Modern homes on the market right now so I thought I’d post a few in case you are into it too.

These 4 that just came on the market!

140 Avenida Drive

140 Avenida Drive is located in the Berkeley Hills and listed for $879,000. This one promises walls of windows, a library and au pair quarters in a lush setting. I’m looking forward to seeing it on Broker’s tour next week. It will be open this Sunday.

7079 Thornhill Drive

7079 Thornhill Drive in Montclair boasts a secluded front yard and patio and a large back yard with canyon views. It is listed at $575,000 and will be open this Sunday as well.

In a similar price range, 5912 Jordan Avenue in El Cerrito is listed at $559,000 and has a remodeled kitchen and views of Mt. Tam and the Bay. Open Sunday.

6545 Heartwood Drive

And finally, there is 6545 Heartwood Drive in Montclair listed at $659,000. An all level home with wonderful flow to the outdoors through French doors and walls of glass. I love the living room in this one and the vintage furniture. Open Sunday.

Here are a few others that are currently available:

560 Woodmont Avenue – Berkeley

36 Slater Lane – Berkeley

1185 Miller Avenue – Berkeley

614 Grizzly Peak Blvd. – Berkeley

1455 Vista Road – El Cerrito

1150 Shevlin Drive – El Cerrito

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

Happy Mother’s Day!

Click Here for today’s Sunday Open House List

Click Here for this week’s Broker’s Tour List

[In his ongoing but sporadic series Don’t Throw That Away!, the Green Cheapskate shows you how to repurpose just about anything, saving money and the environment in the process. Send him your repurposing ideas and challenges, but whatever you do, Don’t Throw That Away!]

I love eggs, and not just because I love the way they taste. Of course, part of my eggophilia is also due to the fact that eggs are an affordable, high-quality protein, usually costing less than twenty cents apiece. Despite much publicized cholesterol warnings, more and more research is revealing the many health benefits of eating eggs — everything from strengthening muscles to improving brain function — with most research now showing that an egg or two a day is just fine for most people.

Plus, eggs have clever packaging. I hate paying for packaging, but when it comes to the uber-chic engineering marvel known as the eggshell, I don’t mind the cost. Madison Avenue marketing gurus or MIT engineering professors could never design packaging as cool and functional as the eggshell. If eggs didn’t come in their own shell we’d probably package them in some form of plastic, which might be recyclable, but would never have the multitude of reuses attributable to Mother Nature’s own packaging.

Take a crack at these eggshell reuses:

1. Compost for Naturally Fertilized Soil
Eggshells quickly decompose in the compost pile and add valuable calcium and other minerals to the soil in the process.

2. Nontoxic Pest Control in the Garden
Scatter crushed eggshell around your plants and flowers to help deter plant-eating slugs, snails and cutworms without using eco-unfriendly pesticides. Also, deer hate the smell of eggs, so scattering eggshells around the flowerbed will help keep Bambi away from your begonias.

3. Less Bitter Coffee
Add an eggshell to the coffee in the filter, and your morning coffee will be less bitter. The spent coffee grounds, eggshell and bio-degradable filter are then conveniently ready for the compost pile.

4. Splendid Seedling Starters
Fill biodegradable eggshell halves with potting soil instead of using peat pots to start seedlings for the garden. And an egg carton on the windowsill is the perfect way to start a dozen tomato seedlings in shells before transplanting to the garden in the spring.

5. Eco-friendly Household Abrasive
Shake crushed eggshells and a little soapy water to scour hard-to-clean items like thermoses and vases. Crushed eggshells can also be used as a nontoxic abrasive on pots and pans.

6. Eggy, Crafty Projects
“Blow out” the inside of a raw egg and paint/decorate the hollow shell to make your Faberge eggs or other craft projects. Pieces of egg shell (plain or dyed) are also used in mosaic art projects.

7. Clever Jello and Chocolate Molds
Carefully fill “blown out” eggshells (above) with jello or chocolate to make unique egg-shaped treats; peel away the eggshell mold before serving, or serve as is and let your guests discover the surprise inside.

8. Natural Drain Cleaner
Keep a couple of crushed eggshells in your kitchen sink strainer at all times. They trap additional solids and they gradually break up and help to naturally clean your pipes on their way down the drain.

9. Membrane Home Remedies
The super-thin membrane inside the eggshell has long been used as a home remedy for a wide range of ailments, from healing cuts to treating ingrown toenails.

10. Treat Skin Irritations
Dissolve an eggshell in a small jar of apple cider vinegar (takes about two days) and use the mixture to treat minor skin irritations and itchy skin.

11. Egg on Your Face
Pulverize dried egg shells with a mortar and pestle, then whisk the powder in with an egg white and use for a healthful, skin-tightening facial. Allow the face mask to dry before rinsing it off.

12. The Fuel of Tomorrow?
Just when your brain was totally fried by all my ingenious reuses for eggshells, researchers at Ohio State University recently discovered that eggshells might be the key to producing affordable hydrogen fuel. I’ve heard of walking on eggshells, but maybe some day we’ll be driving on them too.

Jeff Yeager is the author of the book The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches. His Website is www.UltimateCheapskate.com.

Tomorrow at the Berkeley Association of Realtors we are hosting a luncheon to present $31,500 in grant monies to 21 local organizations from our Youth Arts and Education Fund and Workforce Housing and Homeless Fund.

I am especially proud of the success of our Community Funds because I spearheaded the program at the suggestion of our then Board President, Ron Egherman.  This event is the culmination of our efforts over the past five years to establish B.A.R. as a resource in our community.  In that time we have raised money from Realtors, Affiliates and the public through many special events and a Realtor Escrow donation program. We also published a cookbook with recipes from local restaurants as well as from our members. The cookbook is available for purchase at the B.A.R. office.

If you would like more information on our Grant Program or how to donate to our funds, please visit our website: http://www.berkeleyaor.com/pubs/grantprogram.pdf