Greg Novak

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Greg Novak Real Properties: Real Estate questions & solutions. CA DRE # 01721382
Red Oak Realty Why not call me today?

Choosing the right Realtor is the most important decision a potential home buyer or seller will make. I know the diligence, patience and creativity required to be successful in the competitive San Francisco Bay Area real estate market. I enjoy guiding my clients through what can at times seem to be a very daunting process. A process that requires an objective financial analysis measured against the sacred concept of “home.” I have more than a decade’s worth of experience buying and selling Bay Area homes. My goal is to compassionately guide you through the buying and selling process, and to help make it rewarding and fun with steady, seasoned leadership.

10/21/2026

The San Leandro housing market might be moving faster than you think.

In Q3 2026, single-family homes in San Leandro spent an average of just 17.6 days on the market.

That’s not only fast, it was the second-fastest market among all Inner East Bay cities, essentially tied with the ever hot Berkeley at 17.1 days and ahead of Oakland, Alameda, Piedmont, El Cerrito and Castro Valley.

Of course, averages don’t sell houses. The right preparation, presentation, pricing and marketing still matter…a lot. And one San Leandro neighborhood can behave very differently from another.

But the bigger takeaway is pretty simple: buyers are still out there, and when the right San Leandro home comes on the market, they’re moving.

Thinking about selling, or just curious what buyers might pay for your home today? I’m always happy to talk real estate.

Greg Novak
DRE no. 01721382
(510) 472-4770 text/call

10/19/2026

NOVAK’S NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES

Piedmont Pines | Oakland

High above the rest of Oakland, surrounded by trees and winding hillside streets, Piedmont Pines can feel surprisingly far removed from the city below.

That was part of the attraction from the beginning.

The area was originally developed as Smith Reserve in the 1920s, when roughly 300 acres in the Oakland hills were opened for residential development. In the early 1930s, the area was resubdivided and renamed Piedmont Pines.

Even then, builders understood that the landscape was the neighborhood’s greatest asset. A 1933 architectural competition called for a home designed specifically around the contour of its lot, its views and its existing trees. That philosophy is still visible today.

Rather than rows of similar houses, Piedmont Pines offers an eclectic collection of custom homes ranging from early period revival architecture to midcentury and contemporary designs. Steep lots, towering trees, canyon settings and Bay views can make each property remarkably different from the next. I recently sold a home in the neighborhood on Exeter Drive that had a lovely view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Piedmont Pines Club was formed in 1941, and its early committees even reviewed plans for new homes to make sure construction was appropriate for the setting. Today, the Piedmont Pines Neighborhood Association remains active more than 80 years later.

Another defining feature is the access to nature. Redwood Regional Park, the Chabot space science center and trails of the surrounding Oakland hills, and open space along Skyline are practically at the neighborhood’s doorstep.

From a real estate standpoint, Piedmont Pines is also a neighborhood where local knowledge really matters. Views, slope, access, lot configuration and the condition of hillside construction can all affect both value and marketability.

If you are thinking about buying or selling in Piedmont Pines, I would be happy to put my Oakland real estate experience to work for you.

10/12/2026

NOVAK’S NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES

Bay O Vista | San Leandro

Bay O Vista is one of those San Leandro neighborhoods people sometimes discover and then wonder why they had not heard more about it.

Developed largely during the midcentury years, Bay O Vista feels distinctly different from much of San Leandro. The streets are wide and winding, the lots are generous, and the homes tend to be larger than the classic postwar houses found elsewhere in the city. Ranch and midcentury designs dominate, with broad rooflines, large windows and spacious living areas.

Then there are the views.

Climbing into the hills east of 580, many Bay O Vista homes look west across San Leandro and the Bay. From the right vantage point, the panorama can stretch toward San Francisco, the Peninsula and the surrounding hills. It is one of the defining features of the neighborhood. Many also have stunning views to the east of the surrounding East Bay Hills.

The setting is equally special. Lake Chabot Regional Park, Chabot Park and the open hills around Fairmont Ridge are close by, giving residents unusual access to trails, trees and open space while still being just minutes from central San Leandro.

Bay O Vista also has a strong neighborhood identity. The Bay O Vista Improvement Association has been bringing neighbors together since 1950, and I am proud to serve on its board.

For buyers, Bay O Vista offers something increasingly difficult to find: space, architecture, views and open space in one neighborhood.

For sellers, those differences matter. They need to be understood and marketed properly.

If you are thinking about buying or selling in Bay O Vista, I would love to put my neighborhood knowledge and real estate experience to work for you.

10/11/2026

ELEVEN YEARS AGO TODAY. 26.2 MILES. ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER.

On October 11, 2015, I ran my first and only marathon with my friend Jeremiah. The Bizz Johnson Marathon in Susanville, California.

I don’t remember my finishing time. I do remember the beautiful scenery, the exhaustion, the determination, Maryann meeting me at the end, and the incredible satisfaction of crossing that finish line.

Running a marathon teaches you a few things about yourself. Somewhere along those 26.2 miles, your legs start questioning your judgment, your brain begins negotiating an early retirement, and you wonder what possessed you to sign up for this in the first place.

But you keep going.

One foot in front of the other.

And I think that’s the lesson that’s stuck with me all these years later.

Life isn’t always about how fast you get somewhere. Sometimes it’s about having the endurance to keep moving forward, especially when things get difficult. Whether it’s a personal challenge, a professional setback, or simply one of those stretches when life seems determined to test you, progress is still progress.

You don’t have to be the fastest. You don’t have to be the strongest. You just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Eleven years later, I may have forgotten my finishing time, but I’ve never forgotten the feeling of finishing.

And isn’t that what really matters?

10/07/2026

A great day for a great cause right here in San Leandro.

Today was our biannual blood drive at Red Oak Realty, and I’m happy to report it was a big success.

Of course, the most important part of the day was helping the Stanford Blood Center collect much-needed blood donations. But one of my favorite parts was getting to catch up with so many neighbors and meeting quite a few new ones along the way.

This is one of the things I love about being part of a locally owned real estate company. Real estate is about homes, but it’s also about the communities surrounding those homes and finding ways to give back to the people who make those communities special.

A huge thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to donate, to the Stanford Blood Center team, and to everyone who helped make today such a success.

We’ll do it again in six months. I hope to see even more of you next time!

09/29/2026

🏡 NOVAK’S NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES

📍 Rockridge | Oakland

You probably know Rockridge for College Avenue, BART, great restaurants and beautiful early-20th-century homes. But there’s a lot more history here than you might realize.

Rockridge developed rapidly in the early 1900s, particularly during the 1910s and ’20s. Craftsman and California bungalows, larger Arts & Crafts homes, duplexes and small apartment buildings still give its residential streets much of their character today.

And Rockridge was a commuter neighborhood long before BART.

Electric streetcars traveled College Avenue beginning in 1904. Starting in 1913, an electric interurban railway crossed College at Shafter, climbed past Lake Temescal and through the Oakland hills before disappearing into a roughly 3,200-foot railroad tunnel. From there, trains continued through Moraga and Lafayette to Walnut Creek and beyond. The route later became part of the Sacramento Northern Railway.

Transportation reshaped Rockridge again when Highway 24 and BART arrived in the 1960s, resulting in the demolition of hundreds of homes and disruption along College Avenue.

Today, walk a few blocks from College and you’ll still find classic bungalows, Arts & Crafts homes, cottages, duplexes and small multifamily buildings on wonderfully walkable streets. Combine that architecture with College Avenue and Rockridge BART, and you can understand the neighborhood’s enduring appeal.

That’s what I love about Oakland real estate: the houses tell part of the story, but the neighborhood tells the rest.

Welcome to Novak’s Neighborhood Notes where I’ll be exploring the history, homes and stories of neighborhoods throughout Oakland, San Leandro and the East Bay.

Thinking about buying or selling? I’m always happy to Brainstorm.

09/25/2026

Playing pickleball where it all began! 🏓

I’ve played pickleball in a lot of places, but this week I got to do something pretty special not once, but twice.

I played at the Founders Courts on Bainbridge Island, Washington, the birthplace of pickleball.

The story goes back to the summer of 1965, when Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell returned from a round of golf to a houseful of bored kids. Looking for something everyone could do, they started improvising on an old badminton court with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. Their friend Barney McCallum soon joined them, and together they began developing the rules for an entirely new game.

And then there’s the name. How did “pickleball” become pickleball? Even that is still debated.

One version says the Pritchards named it after the “pickle boat” in crew a boat made up of leftover rowers from other boats which seemed appropriate for a new game assembled from pieces of several other sports. Another long-told version credits the Pritchard family dog, Pickles. The founders themselves didn’t completely agree on the story, and the debate continues today.

Sixty-one years later, it’s amazing to think about what grew from that improvised backyard game.

Today, the Founders Courts at Battle Point Park celebrate the three men and the island where it all started. The signs around the courts tell the story of the game’s beginnings, its founders and its evolution into the sport millions of us now play.

For someone who loves pickleball, history and the way communities develop their own identity, getting to play here was a real treat.

And yes, I went back and played a second time. 😎

After all, how often do you get to play a sport where it all began?

09/24/2026

From military fort to neighborhood.

One of the most fascinating places I explored today on Bainbridge Island was Fort Ward. I knew almost nothing about it before visiting, and its evolution really caught my attention especially from a real estate and neighborhood-planning perspective.

Fort Ward began more than a century ago as an Army coastal-defense installation protecting Puget Sound. During World War II, the area took on an entirely different and highly secret role as a Navy radio listening and communications station.

Then came another transformation.

After the military left in the late 1950s, portions became parkland while other parts of the former base passed into private ownership. Over time, old military buildings were converted into homes, new houses were built among them, historic structures were preserved, and the former Parade Ground became protected community open space.

The result today isn’t a museum or a carefully recreated military base. It’s an actual neighborhood built within the bones of the old fort. Historic military buildings, newer homes, trails, parks and remnants of the original installation all coexist.

And then I came across this.

A tiny roadside Free Little Art Gallery, where neighbors are invited to “take a piece—or both!” and leave something of their own.

There was something wonderfully fitting about finding it here. A place originally designed for military defense, later used for secret wartime intelligence, has gradually evolved into a community where someone puts a miniature art gallery beside the road for their neighbors.

Neighborhoods are never really finished. They just keep evolving.

And for a Realtor who loves neighborhood history, Fort Ward was a pretty fascinating place to wander around.

09/22/2026

Sometimes it’s the spaces between the homes that make a community feel special. 💚

I’ve always been a sucker for good landscaping, and I particularly like what’s happening here. The pathway doesn’t just get you from Point A to Point B…it meanders through the trees and plantings and makes an ordinary walk to your front door feel a little more peaceful.

It’s something I pay attention to when I’m looking at condominium communities. Mature landscaping, thoughtful pathways and well-designed common areas can make a HUGE difference in how a development feels and how much you enjoy living there.

And unlike the countertops inside your unit, these are things you generally can’t change yourself.

So I’m curious: when you’re looking at a condo or townhouse, how important are the grounds and landscaping to you?
🌳 Very important
🏠 Nice, but the home matters more
💰 Keep the HOA dues down—I don’t care!

I notice this stuff. Maybe it’s the Realtor in me…or maybe I just really like landscaping. 😄

09/20/2026

🩸 ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVE, SAN LEANDRO!

Red Oak Realty is hosting a Community Blood Drive, and we’d love to fill every available appointment.

Giving blood is one of those remarkably simple things we can do that can have a very real impact on someone else’s life. One donation can help multiple patients—and it only takes a little bit of your day.

📅 Wednesday, October 7
⏰ 10 AM–2 PM
📍 Red Oak Realty
1031 MacArthur Blvd., San Leandro (next door to Boulevard Burger!)

I’ll be there, and I’d love to see some friends, neighbors and clients joining us. My goal is to donate more than the other Red Oak offices that day ❤️

Appointments are limited, so please sign up in advance.
👉 SIGN-UP LINK IS IN MY BIO

Come give a little blood, do a lot of good, and help us make this a great community event!

Red Oak Realty | East Bay Real Estate Brokerage

Address

6450 Moraga Avenue
Oakland, CA
94611

Telephone

+15104724770

Website

http://www.gregnovakrealtor.com/

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