Real Eats -- Nicolino's Italian Restaurant, Sunnyvale, CA - 02/24/08 10:14 PM
While waiting for the rain to end, my wife and I decided to have another of our "date" nights this month by going to another fine restaurant. We do this at least once each month where we choose a nice place to enjoy the food and ambiance that goes with it. This time, we chose Nicolino's Italian Restaurant on Reamwood in Sunnyvale.While I've been Nicolino's for both business lunches and dinners, my wife has never been to the restaurant. She wasn't disappointed. Neither was I!I told her about their excellent tortellini alfredo that I've had several times but to my amazement, … (3 comments)

California -- here they came - 02/24/08 08:45 PM
According to the Department of Finance's latest data, the state's population grew over 438,000 new residents from July 1, 2006 to July 1, 2007. That's a 1.17% increase and gave California a total of 37,771,000 people living within its borders.The San Francisco Bay Area led the way with Santa Clara County adding 29,904 residents or 1.67%, San Francisco County adding 11,327 residents or 1.40% and Contra Costa County adding 13,189 residents or 1.28%. Notice all three growth rates exceeded California's 1.17% population increase during the period.Of the increase in Santa Clara County, 60% of it came from natural increases (births less … (2 comments)

Silicon Valley Calendar of Events -- March 2008 - 02/24/08 06:29 PM
Here is an update to some of the events and on-going programs you might want to put on your calendar for March. These are selections from Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, Santa Clara and other communities in Silicon Valley.
March 1, 8: California Theatre Center presents "The Cay", 11:00am http://www.ctcinc.org/ March 1, 8: Sunnyvale Community Players presents "Pippin", 8:00pm, http://www.sunnyvaleplayers.org/ March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Farmer's Market, 9:00am March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Fair Oaks Toastmasters, 11:30am March 3: Sunnyvale Board of Library Meeting, 7:00pm March 5, 12, 19, 26: Kiwanis Club of Silicon Valley, 7:20am March 5: American Association of … (0 comments)

To Stage... or Not to Stage - 02/19/08 10:59 PM
That is a question that many sellers will ask. After reviewing television shows that tout that staging can make all the difference, they believe that this is always the way to go. But, here are a few thoughts I want to share with you on the topic.A furnished house can be cleaned, de-cluttered and "spruced up" with plants, new matching towels, a few well-placed accessories, etc. Similarly, curb appeal can be made more attractive adding a few new flowering plants, mulch over dirt areas, and even a color bowl and new door mat on the front porch after, of course, taking … (12 comments)

Real Eats -- Pezzella's Villa Napoli, Sunnyvale, CA - 02/15/08 12:33 PM

Standing room only!  That's how it was from the time my wife and I got to Pezzella's until the time we left!Dinner at Pezzella's is something special for us so we chose it for Valentine's Day dinner, even though we've been regular patrons for many years.  Reservations made about a week before made the experience even better as we were seated at the time we reserved and left many waiting in the lobby area.  So, as with many things in life, planning ahead makes it more enjoyable.
We started off with an off-menu item -- spinach salad.  One of our Pezzella's … (3 comments)

February Silicon Valley Real Estate Market Update - 02/13/08 10:56 PM
This information summary and analysis uses MLS Listings Inc. (MLS) transactional data for January 2008. For single family homes in Santa Clara County, January saw the fewest closings (338 closed escrow) of not only any January but of any month going back to at least 1988, when the MLS records began! There were 338 closings in the month with 563 initiated sales (accepted offers) that indicates that closings in February will be higher. This lower closings record occurred across the board in each of the counties I track closely: Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey. Inventory of available homes … (0 comments)

World class chocolates in the Valley of Hearts Delights - 02/13/08 02:48 PM
You've made dinner reservations at a romantic restaurant (I did!) and you might have picked up a little something for her at her favorite store (I'm looking!) but the there's always sweets for your sweets for Valentine's Day.  By the way, the Valley of Hearts Delights is another name for Santa Clara Valley!Here are some world class chocolatiers from Silicon Valley to Santa Cruz:Chocolate Dream Box710 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos. 408-356-2626 http://www.chocolatedreambox.com/
Pictured are hand-crafted chocolates in beautiful boxes by Chocolate Dream Box 
Fleur de Cocoa Patisserie Chocolaterie
39 N. Santa Cruz Avenue, Los Gatos. 408-354-3574 http://www.fleurdecocoa.com/Pictured are selected handmade chocolates from … (0 comments)

Real Eats -- Aldo, Los Altos, CA - 02/10/08 09:44 PM
Real Eats – Aldo, Los Altos, CAHere are notes that I'd like to share with you of a visit to Aldo by my wife and her two friends last week. I was so impressed with her comments about this restaurant that we've added it to our list!
My two friends and I don’t often have a chance to get together for lunch so when we do, we like to make it special.
We drove to downtown Los Altos on Main Street to look around in some of their shops before lunch. After shopping, we had to make a decision – where … (0 comments)

Real Eats -- Brandy Ho's Hunan Restaurant, San Francisco, CA - 02/09/08 05:48 PM

It was a fitting day to have a Grand Opening. In this case, it was of the newest Brandy Ho's Restaurant location on 18th Street in San Francisco. The date occurred on the second day of the new lunar year - 02/08/08. To me, it even sounds like a lucky date!  Sorry, just a copy of the invitation is presented above.
As the guests of Ted Pratt, of MTP Architects and designer of the restaurant, my wife and I were treated to a fantastic buffet dinner. Tables were filled with a wide variety of Chinese dishes with an emphasis in Hunan-style cuisine. … (1 comments)

Owning a property with a non-spouse - 02/08/08 04:33 PM
As a real estate professional, I come into contact with individuals who are planning to purchase a property with another person not their spouse. This is an extremely tricky area because the partners could have a falling out or something happens to one of them to change their mind about their share of the ownership.
One, a father told me that his son and his girlfriend were going to buy a home together. I suggested that his son and girlfriend needed a written contract or an agreement as they weren't yet married. The father's remark was something like "of course they … (2 comments)

Cost vs. value report for 2007 - 02/08/08 04:22 PM
Remodeling Magazine, published by Hanley-Wood, LLC, Washington, D.C., has been publishing the "Cost vs. Value Report" annually for some twenty years. The 2007 version compiles information for 65 metropolitan areas (top remodeling areas) on 29 upscale and midrange home improvement projects estimated by HomeTech Information Systems (http://www.hometechonline.com/), which publishes estimating software for professional remodelers.What do the numbers have to say? Higher cost estimates for projects coupled with lower resale prices have tipped the percentages to below 100% with minor exceptions. New for this year is an online source (requires registration) for free city reports. If interested, go to http://www.costvsvalue.com/. A map … (2 comments)

Finding Willie Mays or how to find lost money - 02/05/08 12:34 PM
Unclaimed Property -- assets which the owner has neglected, abandoned or just plain forgotten gets transfered to the state. All states have laws related to unclaimed property called "escheat" laws. The initial purpose of these laws was to ensure dormant assets -- uncashed checks, bank deposits, securities in brokerage accounts, valuables in safe deposit boxes, even gift cards -- were returned to their owner. However, states running into budget problems have used some of this unclaimed property as a source of funds. States do make some effort to return property to their owners but this effort is woefully inadequate. California, for … (2 comments)

Finding Willie Mays or how to find lost money - 02/05/08 11:43 AM
Unclaimed Property -- assets which the owner has neglected, abandoned or just plain forgotten gets transfered to the state. All states have laws related to unclaimed property called "escheat" laws. The initial purpose of these laws was to ensure dormant assets -- uncashed checks, bank deposits, securities in brokerage accounts, valuables in safe deposit boxes, even gift cards -- were returned to their owner. However, states running into budget problems have used some of this unclaimed property as a source of funds. States do make some effort to return property to their owners but this effort is woefully inadequate. California, for … (0 comments)

 
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Tom McEvoy

Sunnyvale, CA

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RE/MAX Santa Clara Valley

Address: 1530 B Parkmoor Avenue, San Jose, CA, 95128

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