And the winner of the highest appreciation of home values in the United States is: San Jose, CA!

Of course, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister home values followed in the same direction, as they always do.

The GOOD NEWS in this article is believable when you see the actual single family home value appreciation from 2009 to 2010:

San Jose’s average single family home value ROSE 11.5%.

Morgan Hill’s average value INCREASED 4.5%.

Gilroy homes saw the values RISE 6.8%.

Homes in Hollister enjoyed a healthy JUMP of 11.3% in values!

So, those of you who have been waiting to buy a home may want to take advantage of the incrediblely low interest rates and go buy a home.  Their values have come off the bottom of value slide and are beginning to increase.

You homeowners who have been waiting for values to come back so you can refinance should e-mail or call me.  I will research your home’s current value for you.

2011 is going to be an exciting year – IN OUR AWESOME AREA!  What do you think?

(data source: MLSListings)

Image via Wikipedia

Little ole Hollister’s marching band will represent CA in a 10th Anniversary of 911.

The marching band from San Benito High School will be one of only two schools from California to march in the 2011 New York Veterans Day Parade. 

The Free Lance Newspaper article provides some of the basic information but is lacking one, very important angle: when and where are the fund raisers going to be? 

Sending all of the band members, their instruments and leaders to New York will not be an inexpensive event.

A recent change in the typical fund raising events, however, is going to cause some interesting challenges.  It seems that band member families and supporting friends will not be allowed to have bake sales.  No more homemade cookies, pies and cakes.  Something to do with health code issues?  Could it be that the First Lady’s influence has already affect our little community?  Or, is it local bakeries complaining about competition?

Are we going to have to devise a different slogan?  It’s always been: “Good old mom and apple pie”.  Will we have to say: “Cellophane-wrapped, expiration date stamped, virtual pie”?

We are thrilled about our home town band being selected!   There is nothing like the sound of horns and drums blaring down Main Street USA.  Couldn’t we keep some of the same emotional foundations like home made goodies?  And, by the way, who says my wife’s killer homemade fudge can’t help the tuba player go to New York?

What are your thoughts?

Related articles

• Amazing Marching Band Animation(gamevip.com)

We live in a remarkable time!

I was attending an out of state conference and before a meeting got started I began speaking with the lady next to me.  Eventually, we talked about where we were from.  When I mentioned where I lived this lady began to ask a question then looked away as she convinced herself that the question was silly.  When I pressed for the question she said, “Well, would you happen to know so-and-so?”  I quickly responded that I knew them well and that they lived a couple of blocks away.  “Wow”, I exclaimed, “what a small world”, to which she taught, “No, just a big family”.

When the 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti yesterday almost instantly the world family knew about it and, more importantly, began responding to the anticipated need.  Quake victims were able to call extended family members to assure them that they were okay.  In one case, a woman, buried under rubble, was able to talk her own husband right to her potential tomb and he rescued her – thanks to their cell phones.

Now, through a newer vehicle we can effortlessly send money just by texting.  You can text: “Haiti” to 90999 and $10 will be sent to the Red Cross for the Haitian Relief.  Our phone company will add the $10 to our next bill.  Over $200,000 per hour is currently rushing in from all over the world through these text messages!

The true nature of mankind is good and once again we are seeing the outpouring of goodwill from every corner of this small world.  I, for one, am a proud member of this big family.