October

October 18, 2011 | Volume 19, Number 10

Housing Resources to Help Find Your Home Sweet Home

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Recognition of Pleasanton's high quality of life went national when the city made it to Money Magazine's 2010 list of "100 Best Places to Live" in the United States, weighing in at number 63. More recently, Pleasanton ranked number 18 out of the Top 100 California Cities in a list on the AreaVibes website, which evaluates cities across a wide variety of metrics, from cost of living and crime rates to education, employment, and housing.

Those looking for a new home in this desirable city will find a multitude of resources to help.

Hacienda Living

Hacienda boasts four attractive, contemporary residential developments, all close to shopping, schools, employment, and transportation. Signature Homes, a park-headquartered firm, developed all the for-sale Hacienda housing projects as well as Pleasanton's acclaimed Ruby Hill community.

Signature's first project in the park was Verona, a 140-unit complex of two- to four-bedroom townhomes at the corner of West Las Positas Boulevard and Stoneridge Drive. The other three developments - Siena, Avila, and Valencia - offer a range of two- to five-bedroom homes and two- to four-bedroom townhomes. All are located at the intersection of Hacienda Drive and Gibraltar Drive (north). Each Signature complex has a recreation area featuring a pool and cabana as well as access to Hacienda's linear park with basketball courts and tot lots.

For those seeking a nearby rental, Hacienda also offers nearly 900 apartment units of varying sizes, with numerous amenities throughout the projects.

Archstone Hacienda
5700 Owens Drive
(925) 398-7368
www.archstonecommunities.com

The 540 units at Archstone Hacienda come equipped with the latest features. Each apartment has luxury appointments, including ceramic tile entries, faux granite kitchen countertops, air-conditioning, washer and dryer, walk-in closets, and built-in computer niches. Some units have a fireplace, patio, or balcony. All are just five minutes to BART. A fitness center, two pools, and two spas are among the amenities. The one-, two-, and three-bedroom units range in size from approximately 800 to 1,300 square feet.

Springhouse Apartments
5500 Springhouse Drive
(925) 847-9438
www.springhousepleasanton.com

Springhouse Apartments is a complex of 354 units, ranging from junior one-bedroom, one-, and two-bedroom apartments to one- and two-bedroom townhouses. All units have washers and dryers and individually controlled air-conditioning. Many of the apartments, and all of the townhouses, have fireplaces. Apartments range from 570 to 990 square feet; townhouses, from 750 to 1,015 square feet. The community includes an exercise room, a sauna, three spas, a swimming pool, and a clubhouse for residents.

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Hacienda has a wealth of companies devoted to home-buying. Whether you are looking for a real estate professional to help find the ideal home or an institution to assist with the purchase and financing, these Hacienda businesses can assist.

Real Estate Firms

Century 21 Tower Realty
5980 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 106
(925) 416-4989
www.century21.com

Century 21 Tower Realty offers buyers and sellers exclusive real estate brokerage services through a strong social media, online, and print media presence. Century 21 has earned the rank as the largest and most recognized brand name real estate franchise in the world.

Coldwell Banker
5980 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 122
(925) 847-2200
www.californiamoves.com

Coldwell Banker now in its second century, offers services for buyers and sellers of residential property, including area information, mortgage and title services, national and international relocation, the Previews International division for upper-end properties, home protection warranty service, and complete web site services, including real-time access to open home listings. A concierge service gives clients discounts and referrals to companies that provide moving, alarm systems, storage, and more.

J. Rockcliff Realtors
5075 Hopyard Road, Suite 110
(925) 251-2500
www.rockcliff.com

J. Rockcliff Realtors specializes in buying and selling residential real estate from five offices throughout the East Bay. Its relocation department helps clients with their housing search nationwide. Rockcliff Gateway is a premier online service that distributes the newest property listings and updates of all new market activity through email. The firm recently launched a Homes For Sale mobile application for cell phones.

Keller Williams Tri-Valley Realty
5994 W. Las Positas Boulevard, Suite 101
(925) 397-4200
www.kwtrivalley.com

Keller Williams Tri-Valley Realty is part of the Keller Williams Realty Inc. network, which encompasses over 700 offices and almost 80,000 agents across the U.S. and Canada. In March 2011 the parent company was recognized as the second-largest real estate franchise operation in the nation. Along with providing specialized residential real estate agents and commercial real estate properties, Keller Williams Tri-Valley continues to be the number one real estate office in the Tri-Valley area in volume and units sold.

RE/MAX Accord
5950 Stoneridge Drive
(925) 847-8900
www.remaxaccord.com

RE/MAX Accord assists buyers and sellers in all residential transactions, including traditional, distressed, and foreclosure properties, from nine offices throughout the East Bay. Other services include property management, commercial transactions, and mortgage origination, with the RE/MAX Collection devoted to upper end properties. Property searches are available worldwide as part of the RE/MAX network, which has operations in 70 countries.

United Pacific Realty
4695 Chabot Drive, Suite 112
(925) 202-2806
www.unitedpacificloans.com

Windermere Real Estate
4637 Chabot Drive, Suite 108
(925) 551-3040
http://pleasantonrealestate.org

Windermere Real Estate offers full service real estate brokerage, specializing in serving the needs of buyers and sellers of residential property in the San Francisco Bay area. The firm's dedicated people, technology, and network of over 300 offices excel in doing whatever it takes in securing the perfect home for clients.

Title Insurance and Escrow Services

Cornerstone Title Co.
5990 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 119
(925) 750-1040
www.cornerstonetitleco.com

Fidelity National Title
4683 Chabot Drive, Suite 200
(925) 460-8880
www.fidelityeastbay.com

North American Title Co.
4255 Hopyard Road, Suite 1
(925) 399-3000
www.nat.com

Pacific Coast Title
4637 Chabot Drive, Suite 105
(925) 251-1050
www.onlinepct1.com

Lending Companies

1st United Services Credit Union
5901 Gibraltar Drive
(925) 598-4800
www.1stuscu.org

Bay Equity, LLC
4305 Hacienda Drive, Suite 500
(925) 474-8388
www.bayeq.com

Chase
4747 Hopyard Road, Suite 01
(925) 460-9251
www.chase.com

Cherry Creek Mortgage Company
4301 Hacienda Drive, Suite 120
(800) 325-2062
www.cherrycreekloans.com

Home Trust Mortgage Corporation
4637 Chabot Drive, Suite 106
(925) 847-8800

Jacinto Mortgage Group
5674 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 210
(925) 227-8889
www.jacintomortgage.com

Landmark Mortgage
5075 Hopyard Road, Suite 130
(925) 600-2000
www.lmglending.com

Mason-McDuffie Mortgage
4301 Hacienda Drive, Suite 100
(925) 701-3182
www.masonmcduffiemortgage.com

Patelco Credit Union
4515 Rosewood Drive, Suite 800
(925) 358-8228
www.patelco.org

Premier Mortgage Planning
3825 Hopyard Road, Suite 145
(925) 227-0300
www.premiermtgplan.com

Provident Bank Mortgage
5934 Gibraltar Drive, Suite 102
(925) 621-2640
www.myprovident.com

SafeAmerica Credit Union
6001 Gibraltar Drive
(925) 734-4111
www.safeamerica.com

Union Bank of California
4747 Hopyard Road, Suite 02
(925) 460-2741
www.unionbank.com

United Mutual Financial and Real Estate Services
4309 Hacienda Drive, Suite 110
(925) 924-0600

United Pacific Home Loans
4695 Chabot Drive, Suite 112
(925) 202-2806
www.unitedpacificloans.com

Vintage Mortgage Group
5976 W. Las Positas Boulevard, Suite 110
(925) 227-8900
www.vintagemortgagegroup.com

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
5075 Hopyard Road, Suite 200
(925) 251-4302
wellsfargo.com/mortgage

Home Builders

Signature Homes
4670 Willow Road, Suite 200
(925) 463-1122
www.sigprop.com

Standard Pacific Homes
3825 Hopyard Road, Suite 275
(925) 847-8700
www.standardpacifichomes.com

Stoneridge Creek Retirement
5698 Stoneridge Drive
(925) 849-0023
www.stoneridgecreek.com

Help for Buyers, Renters

There are multiple resources for prospective home owners and renters when it comes to finding a place to live. Whether the need is informational or financial, these special assistance programs can be a critical aid.

Tri-Valley Housing Opportunity Center (TVHOC) The TVHOC, a non-profit collaboration involving the cities of Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon, and Danville, originated in 1992 as a committee to expand regional affordable housing opportunities. Since then it has become an important regional resource whose many services include affordable rental information, down payment assistance, fair housing information/referrals, and first-time homebuyer education, as well as timely sessions on preventing mortgage delinquency, loan modification, and money and credit management education. The next seminar is a Foreclosure Recovery Workshop on November 5 at the Dublin Library from 9 am to noon. A Homebuyer Pre-Purchase Education Workshop, which is an 8-Hour Certificate Course, will be offered November 19 at a location to be announced. Registration information for both workshops is available on the tvhoc.org website, or by calling (925) 373-3130.

The City of Pleasanton is also involved with programs for both buyers and renters.

Pleasanton Home Ownership Assistance Program (PHAP) Since 1992, the City of Pleasanton has had a first-time buyer assistance program for affordable homes in new subdivisions, with a variety of housing types. Competition for the homes through a lottery system has generally given priority to Pleasanton residents and employees. In some cases, second mortgages have been offered by the City or through other sources to bridge the gap between a minimum down payment and the amount of the primary loan so that buyers can qualify to purchase homes. The City works closely with the Tri-Valley Housing Opportunity Center (925-373-3130; www.tvhoc.org) to coordinate home ownership opportunities through new housing and resales.

Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) program Additional assistance is available through the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) program. Using an MCC, income-eligible first-time home buyers have the opportunity to reduce the amount of federal income tax they owe each year they own and live in their home. The MCC assists a family in qualifying for a higher first mortgage, with no effect on monthly expenses. The MCC program is coordinated in Pleasanton by the Alameda County Housing and Community Development (HCD) office in cooperation with the City of Pleasanton. Interested applicants can contact the HCD office at (510) 670-5799 or via the website at http://www.acgov.org/cda/hcd/mcc_program/.

Down Payment Assistance Program Pleasanton has a down payment assistance loan program for low- and moderate-income homebuyers. Assistance is in the form of a low-interest (3.5%) loan, normally up to $60,000, that is amortized over 20 years; however, due to the unavailability of matching funds from the State, the maximum loan amount has been temporarily reduced to $20,000. Call the City of Pleasanton's Housing Division (925-931-5007) or visit www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/community/housing for more information.

Below-Market Rental (BMR) Housing Opportunities Nearly 1,000 below-market rental apartment units have been built since the mid-1980s. BMR units are available to qualifying renters in Hacienda at the Archstone complex. Additional BMR units are located throughout the city, and a new 350-unit complex was approved in 2008. For details on the BMR program, go to www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/community/housing/below-market-rental.html. Contact the leasing managers directly for information.

Tri-Valley Housing Scholarship Program The nonprofit Abode Services manages this program in Livermore and Pleasanton, which provides temporary housing subsidies to participants of job training programs while they are in school. The subsidies are gradually reduced as the clients transition to full-time employment. For more information, call the Tri-Valley Housing Scholarship Program at (925) 373-5313 or visit www.abodeservices.org/programs_tvhousingscholarship.html.

Housing Counseling and Fair Housing Programs The City of Pleasanton contracts with ECHO Housing to provide Pleasanton residents with rental assistance programs, housing counseling, fair housing programs, tenant/landlord counseling, home equity conversion, limited rental assistance, and more. Call (925) 449-7340 or visit www.echofairhousing.org for details.

City of Pleasanton Housing Division For information on housing programs offered by the City of Pleasanton or related programs, contact Scott Erickson, Housing Specialist, at (925) 931-5007, email serickson@ci.pleasanton.ca.us, or visit www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us.

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