photo courtesy: YosemiteFilmFestival.com

Pleasanton is offering a nice way to experience the beauty of Yosemite without leaving the city! A new exhibit, Scenes of Yosemite, is now on display at Pleasanton’s Firehouse Arts Center in its lobby and hallway galleries through Feb. 15. The exhibit features works by watercolorist Charlotte Severin, photographer Marc Davis and painter Larry Gipson. The Firehouse Arts Center is located at 4444 Railroad Ave. in downtown Pleasanton. The gallery is open noon-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Exhibits also open one hour before performances in the theater. For more information, visit www.firehousearts.org.

** OPEN HOUSE Sat/Sun Feb. 4 & 5 from 1-4 PM *** Pristine and spacious, this turn-key duet home is ready to move right into and enjoy. The well planned kitchen, with its breakfast bar and nook and the large living areas make this home perfect for family living and entertaining. The 4 upstairs bedrooms, along with the large bonus/loft can comfortably accommodate family and guests. The indoor laundry room and attached 2-car garage add functionality to the living space. HOA of $183 per month includes front yard, exterior and roof maintenance and hazard insurance.

Offered at: $630,000

Virtual Tour

Currently the tax-relief act allows homeowners to exclude from income (for the sake of tax purposes) primary mortgage debt (1st trust deed) forgiven by their lender.(i.e short sale, short refi , foreclosure or deed in lieu).

After Dec 31, 2012 if a lender cancels a home owner’s debt, the IRS requires the debt be treated (reported) as “general income”…because the duty to repay it no longer exists.

For example: if a homeowner owes $250,000 and the lender forgives $50,000 of that debt, that $50,000 is considered income.

If the homeowner’s combined federal and state marginal tax rate is 36%, the seller would owe $18,000 in taxes.

Please call if you’d like a private, discreet consultation on how a short sale works and how we can get your home sold please call The Fabulous Properties Team at 925-519-8226. We have a 100% completion/approval rate with the sellers we’ve represented in their short sales.

Short sales can be a lengthy process and can take months to close, so don’t wait until the end of 2012 to address this. We’re here if you need us.

Tickets are on sale now for this really fun event! Click here to buy your tickets: http://www.healingtherapiesfoundation.org/ All proceeds benefit the foundation, which provides grants to Tri Valley cancer patients for complementary therapies to help alleviate the side effects caused by radiation and chemotherapy.

New on the Market! ** OPEN SUN 1-4 PM** Come home to the life you’ve always imagined.  Spacious. Luxurious. Refined. Appointed with a gourmet kitchen, lavish master suite, upgraded designer flooring, custom lighting, and all the latest features you’d expect in a luxury home, this semi-custom, single story former model features a welcoming front porch and is situated on a sprawling lot on a quiet cul de sac.

Vineyard Hills is a rare collection of  semi-custom homes. This estate features 3 bedrooms + Den (or 4^th bedroom), Master Bedroom retreat,  three full baths and 3-car garage.  Built by Delco in 2006, the home is 3,146 square feet and features a .46 acre lot.  Welcome home.

Virtual Tour

We also love the Farmers’ Market’s efforts to help Open Heart Kitchen. You can purchase a few extra fruits and vegetables, ask the farmer to bag them separately, and then drop them into any of the collection boxes located throughout the market. Open Heart Kitchen serves 3,500 meals each week in Livermore, Dublin and Pleasanton, and welcomes the donations.