We never grow tired of great ideas to customize a home in order to make it your own at Gables End. Moving can be difficult for little ones. With the new release of our 4 Bedroom floor plan, we thought growing families may appreciate a resource to customize a nursery or help make a child’s new room become more fun in a snap.

Muralettes:

Simple, yet effective!  Wouldn’t our busy lives all be better if more companies embraced this philosophy?  How many times have we tried our hand at something only to find it too hard to get an effective and pleasing result.  Those days of struggling are over when it comes to decorating your child’s room.   Introducing  Muralette : the latest in wall decals for kids.

Installation and pleasing creative results are a snap.  Artists Anna Conklin and Genevieve Smith make decorating your little one’s room fast and effective.  According to their site, Muralette Wall Decals are “No fuss, no muss… Just peel and stick!  There is no “right” way to design your Muralette – it’s fool-proof and fun, so just relax and play!”

The company offers four sets of striking wall decals: Fishies, Garden of Posies, Branch and Birds and Polka.  The artists also take the environment and your child’s health seriously by using all water-based paints and varnishes that lack toxic fumes, and use low VOC paints whenever possible.

For all the details, please visit their website or become a Muralette Fan on Facebook

Image: BRUTE LABS

For those of you who have been following along since March, when we first made run! at Red Rock a “favorite” on the Gables End Facebook page – closing ceremonies will commence on May 8th from 7 -9 pm by celebrating the end of the run! at Red Rock campaign with music, food, and of course prizes (link to the event) ! Together, the run! at Red Rock community has completed 7,761.5 miles.

What was run! at Red Rock, exactly?

BRUTE LABS paired up with Red Rock coffee to get people moving… and now they are expanding run! programs to 15 Bay Area Schools to help promote physical fitness and health awareness! Kudos to  BRUTE LABS (an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization run by young professionals. We aim to change the world by using design and technology to address global challenges). The Gables End team in Mountain View applauds your efforts!

In their words -
“Mission: run! at Red Rock is a 3-month collaboration between Red Rock Coffee and BRUTE LABS to promote health, fitness and community building in the Mountain View, California area. We hope that we can inspire and empower each person who participates to build healthy habits, achieve their fitness goals, meet others along the way, and above all, have fun doing it!

So whether its running, cycling, swimming, rock climbing, going out for a walk, or something else, we want to celebrate and encourage everyone to get outside or to the gym to get their hearts beating and blood flowing.”

You asked, we listened! Gables End is releasing its latest phase of newly designed 4 bedroom homes to fit your lifestyle in Mountain View.  Home office? Telecommuting? Room for guests? Growing family? Not a problem! Our newest E2 plan accommodates your needs. But hurry…inventory is limited and there is high demand for our new 4 bedroom plan! Reserve yours today and take advantage of homebuyer tax credits (Federal, State or both for qualifying homebuyers!)

If you have considered purchasing a home, but are waiting for that “perfect time to buy” take note…
YOU MUST BE IN CONTRACT BY APRIL 30th to qualify for the Federal Housing tax credit (up to $8,000)!

The provision that puts up to $8,000 in first-time buyers’ pockets and up to $6,500 in move-up buyers’ pockets will soon come to an end.

It is official. Mountain View home buyers this is an amazing opportunity!
Homebuyer tax credits will be continuing, adding a powerful incentive for those considering purchasing a new home. If you’re interested in purchasing a new home at Gables End, be in contract by April 30th to qualify for both California and Federal Housing Tax Credits!

The legislation, signed by the Governor Schwarzenegger today, allows qualified buyers in California  to begin claiming up to $10,000 tax credits starting May 1. Details regarding the legislation were posted in this recent Sacbee.com article (link)

In order to take advantage of this credit, Buyers needs to abide by certain criteria including:

• Must purchase the home between May 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010 and purchase date is the date escrow closes.
• This credit will be equal to 5% of the purchase price or $10,000, the lesser of the two.
• The tax credit must be taken in equal installments over three consecutive years.
• Purchasers will be required to live in the home as their principal residence for at least two years or forfeit the credit.

*California Association of Realtors Article about the Homebuyer Tax Credit (link)

The legislation allocates $200 million for more state tax credits – twice what was offered last year to 10,659 buyers of new, unoccupied homes. The state’s newest housing stimulus will grant $100 million in tax credits to first-time buyers of existing homes and $100 million to anyone who buys a new, unoccupied home. *

The state Franchise Tax Board is estimating that nearly 32,000 homeowners statewide might take advantage of  the tax breaks.

What about the Federal Housing Tax Credit?

Even better news for well-timed first-time purchasers! It may be possible to combine this credit with the Federal Tax credit (up to $8,000), enabling a home buyer to potentially capitalize on up to $18,000 in tax credits!  The catch is that you would need to be in contract by April 30, 2010, and close escrow between May 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010.

Federal Housing Tax Credit Summary (link)

Alas, all good things must eventually come to an end, and so it seems that the significant tax credit for purchasing a home in today’s market will soon run its course.

So if you have been considering making a purchase at Gables End, now is the perfect time to buy in order to take advantage of this great opportunity! Model Homes are open 10-5, daily at 1925 Plymouth Street in Mountain View.  Want to take a tour in photos? Visit Gables End on Flickr,  tour our new townhomes in photos or watch a slideshow. While you are there, have a look at our very popular 4 Bedroom plan – just released for sale!

Join our Gables End Fanpage to get weekly updates about our new home community and our greater community in Mountain View.

*Restrictions apply, please contact a preferred lender and your tax advisor for additional details.

We have been following the progress of Savvy Cellar II in Mountain View with much anticipation.  We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful addition to our Mountain View community.

Update from week 13, courtesy of their Facebook Fan Page : Signage and outdoor patio enclosure complete. Next up minor interior finishing, retail racks, stereo and POS.

If you haven’t had a chance to see what all the excitement is about, have a look at their Flickr Slideshow.

We can’t wait for the grand opening which should be announced within a few days. Tentative plans are for a grand opening to take place within a few weeks after final building approval.

Stay tuned!!

It's Spring Festival at Sakoon

It’s Springtime and that means we begin to emerge from our nests and look forward to mingling, meeting and mixing it up. Gables End offers homeowners the chance to live near work at companies like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, PAMF, Blogger, UStream, Actel, Siemens, Symantec, Intuit and Nokia. And while heading home for a quick cup of soup may seem dreamy in the wintertime, meeting up for lunch downtown or mingling with co-workers after hours is what makes our work-week go by faster during Spring and Summer.  Downtown Mountain View has an amazing selection of great restaurants and offers the kind of ethnic selection that is usually only found in large cities.  What’s new nearby Gables End?

Sakoon on Castro Street Begins Spring Bread Festival Lunch and Happy Hour!
April 4th thru June 20th Enjoy Regional Breads of India and Daily Specials.
Happy Hour 5 to 7 pm, daily!

We stumbled on this special “Spring Festival” deal posted on Yelp for Sakoon:

Glass of complimentary wine with dinner! (5-7 pm daily)
Your choice of complimentary dessert with dinner! (5-10 pm Sun-Th)

It is official. Mountain View first-time buyers this is an amazing opportunity!
Homebuyer tax credits will be continuing, adding a powerful incentive for those considering purchasing a new home. If you’re interested in purchasing a new home at Gables End, be in contract by April 30th to qualify for both California and Federal Housing Tax Credits!

The legislation, signed by the Governor Schwarzenegger today, allows first-time buyers in California  to begin claiming up to $10,000 tax credits starting May 1. Details regarding the legislation were posted in this recent Sacbee.com article (link)

In order to take advantage of this credit, Buyers needs to abide by certain criteria including:

• Must purchase the home between May 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010 and purchase date is the date escrow closes.
• This credit will be equal to 5% of the purchase price or $10,000, the lesser of the two.
• The tax credit must be taken in equal installments over three consecutive years.
• Purchasers will be required to live in the home as their principal residence for at least two years or forfeit the credit.

*California Association of Realtors Article about the Homebuyer Tax Credit (link)

The legislation allocates $200 million for more state tax credits – twice what was offered last year to 10,659 buyers of new, unoccupied homes. The state’s newest housing stimulus will grant $100 million in tax credits to first-time buyers of existing homes and $100 million to anyone who buys a new, unoccupied home. *

The state Franchise Tax Board is estimating that nearly 32,000 homeowners statewide might take advantage of  the tax breaks.

What about the Federal Housing Tax Credit?

Even better news for well-timed first-time purchasers! It may be possible to combine this credit with the Federal Tax credit (up to $8,000), enabling a home buyer to potentially capitalize on up to $18,000 in tax credits!  The catch is that you would need to be in contract by April 30, 2010, and close escrow between May 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010.

Federal Housing Tax Credit Summary (link)

*Restrictions apply, please contact a preferred lender for additional details.

If you have considered purchasing a home, but are waiting for that “perfect time to buy” take note…
YOU MUST BE IN CONTRACT BY APRIL 30th!

The Buyer incentive tax credit may not be renewed for a third time.  According to industry leaders and lawmakers, the provision that puts up to $8,000 in first-time buyers’ pockets and up to $6,500 in move-up buyers’ pockets will soon come to an end.

In this LA Times Article, the end of the program is explained. Home buyers hoping to take advantage of a new or extended tax credit should not procrastinate: This third bite at the apple may be the last.

Legislative advocates of the $8,000 credit for first-time buyers and the $6,500 credit for move-up buyers made it clear during the debate on Capitol Hill that the benefits would not be renewed when they expire. This fact was confirmed by a lobbyist for the National Association of Realtors at the organization’s annual convention last month.

So what does that mean for potential buyers?  If buyers meet the income eligibility requirements, they have until midnight April 30, 2010 to be in contract and must close escrow by midnight June 30th to qualify.

A Brief History of the Buyer Credit Programs -

The original buyer credit, part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, was not as effective as anticipated by legislators. There were relatively few takers, due to the fact that the credit took the form of a no-interest loan rather than a true credit, requiring the purchaser to “pay back” the credit.

In the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, lawmakers made the incentive to purchase more appealing by increasing the credit to a maximum of $8,000 for new buyers who closed before December 1st. The only requirement imposed for the program to be a true credit for the buyer – the taxpayer must not move out of the property for a three-year period following the purchase.

This second attempt at stimulating sales and removing standing inventory was extremely successful, so much so that that the housing lobby implored Congress to help keep the momentum going. Lawmakers extended the deadline for first-timers and even added a “long-term resident” tax credit for repeat buyers who owned their current home for at least five consecutive years out of the last eight.

An excellent summary of the current program can be found here.

Alas, all good things must eventually come to an end, and so it seems that the significant tax credit for purchasing a home in today’s market will soon run its course.

So if you have been considering making a purchase at Gables End, now is the perfect time to buy in order to take advantage of this great opportunity! Model Homes are open 10-5, daily at 1925 Plymouth Street in Mountain View.  Want to take a tour in photos? Visit Gables End on Flickr,  tour our new townhomes in photos or watch a slideshow. While you are there, have a look at our very popular 4 Bedroom plan – just released for sale!

Join our Gables End Fanpage to get weekly updates about our new home community and our greater community in Mountain View.

This Wednesday everyone turns Irish (it seems) in order to partake in the festivities. What are your plans for Saint Patrick’s Day? Whether you plan to stay at home and celebrate by cooking your favorite traditional foods — Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage + a number of green-tinted libations or you plan to head downtown to mingle and mix, we have you covered!

St. Stephens Green Irish Pub in Mountain View is starting this week with an Irish whiskey tasting paired with dishes such as smoked salmon on Irish soda bread ($35), while  Sakoon is offering lamb Irish stew ($20) and an Irish whiskey tasting with Indian Food Paring from 6-9 pm ($25). If you work in San Jose, O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub will be hosting its annual St. Patrick’s celebration with live music, Irish dancing, food and, of course, plenty of Guinness. And for those in the opposite direction Martins West in Redwood City is offering a gin tasting with K & L Wines on March 16th.

Some popular hot-spots close to Gables End Community:

Molly McGee’s 241 Castro St., Mountain View; (650) 961-0108.
St. Stephens Green Irish Pub 223 Castro St., Mountain View; (650) 964-9151.
Sakoon 357 Castro St., Mountain View; (650) 965-2000
Martin’s West  831 Main St. (near Broadway), Redwood City. (650) 366-4366.

Cooking Skills?

Sunset Magazine put together a nice comprehensive list of all the traditional Irish Fare with a Foodie twist. Click here for the recipes: A Foodie’s St. Patick’s Day

Staying home? Watch this video on Guinness:

Gables End is pet-friendly, so when we stumbled onto this little canine gem we had to share. Want to spend more quality time with your best friend? Looking for a  great list of dog friendly spots near our Mountain View community?

Fido Factor is a website featuring user-generated dog friendly listings including parks, restaurants, hotels, vets, pet stores, and more. They have photo galleries, helpful tips as well as news & events. They also donate to the SF/SPCA when you add new reviews and locations to their site. Check it out and add your favorite dog friendly spots!

Want more information on Fido Factor? Check out their website for Mountain View, fan them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

They even have an  iPhone app (watch the embedded video) .  Use it to find dog friendly dining, shopping, hotels, parks, pet stores, services, and more. The app also uses Facebook Connect and lets you geo-tag photos. How cool is that?

Take Fido on a stroll through Gables End and imagine a quaint New England village – an intimate community tucked away in Silicon Valley and the progressive and engaging City of Mountain View. We are open 10 -5 pm daily and are happy to give you a tour of our beautiful new home community. Your best friend will love life at Gables End as much as you do!

http://gablesendhomes.com