30 second videos are free.  For a reasonable fee, you can upgrade your account.  This allows you to create longer videos and high definition videos as well as having more editing capabilities.  For me, the 30 second basic option works fine.

I think Animoto is great in that it provides a quick and cost effective solution that allows me to bring a little life to my listings.  Check out this 30 second video I created for 317 Coty Way in San Jose.  Note: it took about 5 minutes to create.

If you would like to further information about this and other methods to expose your home to the market, call me directly at 650 917-4250.

Yesterday I went down to 190 N. Market Street in San Jose to check on a property that was scheduled to be sold at a trustee’s sale. I came home with this video that shows how the process works.  The video is longer than I hoped for and won’t challenge Avatar for best picture, but I think it accurately details the trustee sale process.

Note: the house that I was checking out was postponed to another day. It was one of many properties where the trustee sale was either cancelled or postponed until another date.

FYI, Huff Elementary school’s Growth API score for 2008 was 936.

FYI, Bubb Elementary’s 2008 API score was 866

Revenue limit income is a combination of local property taxes and state money.  As property taxes increase, they are offset by a reduction in state money.  A district that relies solely on local taxes becomes a basic aid funded school district (ie. Palo Alto Unified).  For further information, read the Guide to California’s School Finance System and/or California’s school finance system.

In the video below, Dr. Maurice Ghysels, the Superintendent of the Mountain View Whisman School District, discusses the district’s finances, parcel taxes and foundation monies. 

We arrived at 8:30 a.m. for check in and received our lovely Cal Trans looking volunteer shirts and were at our assigned intersection by 10:00 a.m..  By accident, we ended up helping put up the 1 kilometer marker balloon.  Or I should say, we prevented it from blowing down the road (with my son holding on looking like the tail of a kite in flight). 

We had a wait of about 4 hours before the bike racer’s flew by our position.  During our wait, it rained, the wind blew hard, it hailed a little and towards the end, we actually saw the sun. 

I took a little video from our position about 1 kilometer from the finish.

80 miles of driving, 5 hours of waiting, less than 2 minutes of actually race viewing time….Priceless!   We were cold, wet, hungry, and windblown yet we’re coming back tomorrow. 

Tomorrow, Stage 3 begins in downtown San Jose and finishes up in Modesto. Check it out, it’s a blast!

It probably took a year to build, was lived in for over a half century, yet took just 75 minutes to tear down.   If you enjoy watching a large excavator smash into a wooden framed house, you’ll love the video. 

Note: I took this video a few months ago (fall 2008).  The Mountain View Whisman School District was hosting a morning event designed to inform local Realtors about the benefits of the MVWSD and the Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF).  

 According to the MVEF web site, “the MVEF provides financial support for essential enrichment programs and educational materials district wide, for which not other funding source exists.”  MVEF is a non profit charity run by parents and community volunteers in an effort to raise money for the Arts, Science, Physical Education and other programs that don’t receive funding.  Their revised goal for 2008-2009 is $300,000 or approximately $360. per student.  Please see their website for further information and/or to donate.