Bernard’s Danville Real Estate Blog

Regular readers will know that this is not the first time I have reviewed Faz but times change and my policy is to occasionally revisit restaurants I have previously reviewed, hopefully to confirm that they are maintaining their standards.

Quite apart from all this, I freely admit that Faz has always been one of my favorite restaurants. From my first visit, back in the 1980s when I was here on vacation, I was completely hooked. It wasn’t so much the food that impressed me then, although it was good, but the unique ambience of the place. And amazingly, it is not the tree growing up through the roof of the restaurant that is the most striking feature, but the dining patio - a large, sheltered wood deck at the rear of the restaurant with tall redwood trees growing through it and reaching towards the sky. As owner Faz Poursohi has been quoted as saying, “Anybody who fails to make a success of a restaurant with such surroundings does not deserve to be in the restaurant business”.And so it was that Sylvia and I found ourselves once more, seated outside on the deck on a warm Friday evening towards the end of March.Diners at Faz are presented with a basket of home-made foccacia bread and a middle eastern flat bread together with a small plate of olive oil with parmesan cheese and herbs mixed in. This tastes so good that appetizers seem quite unnecessary, so instead, we ordered a bottle of Frei Brothers Chardonnay to enjoy while we snacked on the breads and waited for our entrees. Frei Brothers really do produce a good Chardonnay.One thing that is perhaps worth mentioning here (and a point that while being a big plus to us, may be frustrating to some) is that service is relaxed at Faz. We like to take our time over a meal and the wait-staff are certainly pleasant and attentive, but don’t come here if you want to be out in an hour. It just isn’t that kind of a restaurant.The menu at Faz is another secret to it’s success. You can dine here very reasonably, on a simple and tasty pizza or pasta, and yet they also offer a good selection of more expensive dishes and there are always daily specials.On this occasion, Sylvia dined from the specials menu, while I ordered from the regular menu, although we both had lamb.Sylvia chose the lamb sirloin (having first ascertained from our waiter that it was a New Zealand Lamb - Sylvia finds American lamb is a little too “gamey” for her taste). This was a generous sized sirloin served with roasted potatoes and a selection of fresh vegetables and the taste and texture was excellent.For my entrée, I had rack of lamb with mint sauce on the side, a dish that has featured on their menu as long as I can remember. This is a dish that I generally avoid in restaurants as although it is generally tasty enough, and the presentation is frequently quite impressive, so often, there is little actual meat there. I do feel somewhat cheated if most of my main course turns out to be a few bones.Not so at Faz. This was not only one of the most generous portions of rack of lamb I have ever been served (really large enough to share), but the flavor was outstanding. This was served with similar accompaniments to Sylvia’s dish.Neither of us were inclined to have a dessert but we were completely satisfied by our meal and happy to know that Faz is maintaining its reputation for good food and good service at reasonable prices. You can find there menus and more on their web site at www.fazrestaurants.com.  

Latest Full Months Statistics for Danville Homes
(including Blackhawk and Diablo)

Previous months figures shown in parentheses	Detached Single Family Homes	Condomiums, Townhomes, others
New Listings	80(92)	22(19)
New Sales Agreed	38(32)	9(10)
Closed Sales	30(14)	8(7)
Median Price - Closed Sales	$791,250 ($961,250)	$504,337 ($515,000)
Average Days on Market - Closed Sales	117(90)	91(54)

At the beginning of April, 2009, there were 286 detached single family homes for sale in Danville (up from 271 in March, 2009) and 64 condos and townhomes etc. against 65 a month ago. So there is around 9 months supply of single family homes in Danville and 6 months supply of condos etc. The supply of condos is still being taken up faster than single family homes, but still, 9 months supply is a lot less than in many parts of Contra Costa County.
     What is of particular note is that the median price of closed sales has fallen significantly for the third straight month. Danville home prices are not as resilient as many thought. The increasing time on the market suggests that sellers may have been trying to sell their homes for unrealistic prices but they eventually given up waiting for higher offers and accepted the reality of the situation.
     So what happens now in Danville? Certainly there are plenty of buyers about but they will still be cautious when they see these figures. Home sellers will need to price their properties very aggressively if they really want to achieve a sale.
     I still think it is a good time to buy in Danville. Interest rates are low and there is a lot of choice. If I was thinking about buying here now, I would make a very careful assessment of real value and base any offers on that, rather than just on the asking price. And there are still bank owned foreclosures that offer particularly good opportunities in many cases.

The California Association of Realtors has launched the C.A.R. Housing Affordability Fund Mortgage Protection Program, for first-time home buyers in California.

Through this Program, first-time home buyers who lose their jobs due to lay-offs could to receive $1,500 per month, for six months, to help make their mortgage payments. A qualified co-buyer can also participate in the program, and receive $750 per month for up to six months.  Program benefits also include coverage for accidental disability and a $10,000 death benefit. 

C.A.R.’s Housing Affordability Fund is dedicating $1 million toward its Mortgage Protection Program, and estimates that as many as 3,000 families will benefit from the program this year. To qualify for the Mortgage Protection Program, applicants must: ·          Be a first-time home buyer – someone who has not owned a home in three          or more years·          Open escrow April 2, 2009, or later, and close on or before Dec. 31, 2009·          Use a California REALTOR® in the transaction·          Purchase the property in California·          Be a W-2 employee (cannot be self-employed) To apply for the program, home buyers must request an application for the H.A.F. Mortgage Protection Program from their REALTOR®.

This is a short video I have just produced to show off some of the sights and homes of Danville, California, the nicest town in the San Francisco East Bay.

More details available at ZIPVO.com.