The Forbes Midas 100

Check out the Midas 100
2011's Top Tech Investors

Source: Forbes Magazine, Editor Nicole Perlroth

http://www.forbes.com/lists/midas/2011/midas-list-techs-top-investors.html

Fascinating local angle on this story --

30 of the top 100 live in Menlo Park, California

23 of the top 100 live in Palo Alto, California

2 of the top 100 live in Woodside, California

1 of the top 100 live in Atherton, California

High-end Housing Sales in Silicon Valley are Booming...

The Menlo Park Office of Alain Pinel Realtors
just had their

BEST MONTH EVER!!!

The following article appeared in the Sunday
edition of the San Jose Mercury News --

Sales of houses in that price range were up 9 percent in January and February from the same period last year, according to DataQuick Information Systems.

The same trend isn't showing up yet in San Mateo County, where DataQuick shows sales in that range are down from a year ago. But DataQuick hasn't captured complete March figures yet, and agents are reporting a surge of activity in the past three weeks.

Beyond that, not every high-end sale gets into public records or the listings service that real estate agents use. The $100 million paid by Russian investor Yuri Milner for a home in Los Altos Hills on Feb. 3 wasn't known until Wednesday, when Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone released official records that had been confidential until then.

"The high end of the market is doing better than it has for the last several years," said Richard Calhoun of Creekside Realty in San Jose.

Twice as many sales

The highest end seems especially hot. Calhoun found that in the first three months of this year, twice as many homes were sold for $5 million or more in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties as there were during the same period of 2010.

Most of those sales for both counties took place in February and March,

Calhoun said. The number of sales in that price range is more than for any similar period since 2000, he said.

And most are taking place in the cities you'd expect: Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside.

"People feel like they have money in their pockets," said Wendy McPherson, manager of Coldwell Banker's Menlo Park, Woodside and Portola Valley offices.

Wait-and-see stance
The trend is being repeated around the state. In January, DataQuick reported that the number of California homes sold for $1 million or more in 2010 rose for the first time in five years while overall sales dropped by 9 percent.

Catherine Marcus, who specializes in high-end valley properties for Sotheby's, said "the market right now on the high end is probably stronger than we've seen since 2007."

"Things that are coming on the market are selling," she said. "We're seeing a lot of foreign buyers, a lot of money from China. There are properties we've had where nothing had happened for six months, and all of sudden there are multiple offers."

The high end is "definitely picking up," said Diane Kneis, a Coldwell Banker agent who is listing the Atherton home of 49er football legend Jerry Rice -- 16,000 square feet, not counting a seven-car garage -- for $13.9 million. "There's a lot of interest from agents with qualified buyers who are looking for large homes that are well-built and can accommodate large families," she said.

McPherson of Coldwell Banker said that "all of a sudden in Menlo Park in the last three weeks, we had six sales over $3.5 million. In Atherton, we just had a $17.5 million listing and an $11.5 million listing sell," she said.

She said recent sales in Palo Alto include one for $9 million, two for more than $6 million and "lots and lots of sales" between $2 million and $3 million.

"There's been quite a few recent sales," said Gary Campi of Campi Properties in Los Altos. "It's been pretty promising." Campi is listing an equestrian facility on 11 acres in Los Altos Hills, with plans for a 15,000-square-foot home and eight-car garage, for $26.8 million.

At this point, DataQuick is taking a wait-and-see stance. "It's really early to know how this is going to shape up for the year," said Andrew LePage, an analyst for DataQuick. "In the next two or three months, we'll get a better idea."
Source: By Pete Carey, pcarey@mercurynews.com

Nadir is here!

Nadir: The word is also used figuratively to mean the lowest point of a person's spirits, or the quality of an activity or profession.


NADIR IS HERE!

The Real Estate market in our very special local area has changed!!! Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton have lately been recognized by wealthy individuals from many countries to be valuable. These are actual, real dollar valuations. In the past four weeks we have seen numerous all cash transactions, full price Offers, and multiple Offers on single family homes.

We have a Sellers market! CALL ME.

Please call me at (650) 888-6628 to LIST YOUR HOME or see the special properties located within this valued and coveted area...

Barbara Slaton
Alain Pinel Realtors
1550 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, California 94025
bslaton@apr.com

Russian Billionaire Yuri Milner Drops $70M on Sweet New Digs

In order for one to become a Russian billionaire, they make you take a test to determine whether you're committed to buying egregiously egregious real estate.

Shipping magnate Alexander Ponomarenko passed—he bought a Russian palace (from Prime Minister Putin's right-hand man) for $350M. As did Roman Abramovich—he owns more than 10 properties.

Now Yuri Milner, the billionaire founder of Moscow-based venture firm DST, has reportedly scooped up a 25,000-square-foot number in Silicon Valley for $70M. Apparently Milner has no real plans to relocate stateside, but as far as his portfolio goes, consider it seriously beefed up.

Source: Sarah Firshein, Curbed National

15 (other) Uses for Vodka...and you thought it was just for drinking

These are real uses for vodka in Russia

1. To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The solvent dissolves adhesive.

2. To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a trigger-spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set five minutes and wash clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.

3. To clean your eyeglasses, simply wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka. The alcohol in the vodka cleans the glass and kills germs.

4. Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.

5. Spray vodka on vomit stains, scrub with a brush, and then blot dry.

6. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.

7. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo. The alcohol cleanses the scalp, removes toxins from hair, and stimulates the growth of healthy hair.

8. Fill a sixteen-ounce trigger-spray bottle, and spray bees or wasps to kill them.

9. Pour one-half cup vodka and one-half cup water in a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze for a slushy, refreshable ice pack for aches, pain or black eyes.

10. Fill a clean, used mayonnaise jar with freshly packed lavender flowers, fill the jar with vodka, seal the lid tightly and set in the sun for three days. Strain liquid through a coffee filter, then apply the tincture to aches and pains.

11. To relieve a fever, use a washcloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.

12. To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.

13. Vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.

14. Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the Urushiol oil from your skin.

15. Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth. Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.

Source: www.thespir.it

Neighborhoods -- Menlo Park

In its earliest years of the latter 19th century, Menlo Park was awash with bucolic charm. Because of that, a temperate climate and a newly minted train station, many San Francisco businessmen chose to reside there. Leafy, secluded neighborhoods are still a hallmark, and with a small population plus a convenient Peninsula location, it remains an attractive place to live. The downtown's main artery, Santa Cruz Avenue, bustles with boutiques, shops and excellent restaurants, in addition to markets at either end: upscale Draeger's on one side and casual Trader Joe's on the other.

A favorite gathering spot is Café Borrone, across the street from downtown on El Camino Real. There's plenty of seating indoors and out, perfect for perusing material purchased at adjacent Kepler's, an independent bookstore that has been around more than 50 years.

The crown jewel of Menlo Park's architectural treasures is the Allied Arts Guild, a collection of shops, gardens and artists' studios. For golf enthusiasts, there is the highly regarded members-only 18-hole course at the Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club. Sunset magazine has its headquarters in Menlo Park, where every spring the facility hosts Celebration Weekend, a festival of activities featuring Sunset experts.

Of course, many residents just might cite Menlo Park's prime location as its No. 1 asset. It offers quick access to Interstate 280 and Highway 101, and is next door to Stanford University and Stanford Shopping Center. The city seems to straddle the bustle of the South Bay and the acres of lush woods and sprawling grasslands that form nearby open space. Quiet life in Menlo Park is deliberately reserved and protected.

Population: 30,785
Average household income: $89,100
Average household size: 2.4
Median age: 37.4
College graduates: 61.7 percent
Parks: 9

Source: San Jose Mercury Online

How does Google Know?

This is what I encountered this morning when I logged on...if I move my cursor accross the image a message pops up "Happy Birthday, Barbara". WOW!