All Aboard the Foreclosure Bus

Someday, we’ll all look back at this period in disbelief—a time when everyone knew that the “foreclosure theme song” meant the chirping of a neglected smoke alarm with low batteries in an abandoned home; and the term “foreclosure bus” referred to busloads of potential buyers visiting such homes, calmly viewing kicked-in doors and abandoned childrens’ toys without a flicker of concern.

Cindi Hagley, a stand-up comic and broker-associate in San Ramon, provides trivia contests, prizes (such as A’s tickets and vacations) and “get to know you” games on her “luxury limo bus” tour of Tri-Valley foreclosures, the San Francisco Chronicle tells us. How fun for the participants as they prepare to cash in on others’ misfortune. Okay, okay, I am happy for those hardworking, thrifty renters who can finally buy a house, I really am. But I feel bad for the children (and abandoned pets) in these scenarios, forced to leave homes and schools they like, their lives disrupted for reasons they can’t understand.

So, having shed a tear for those whose loss is our gain, here’s a list of bank-owned foreclosures in Martinez. This is a city worth considering; it’s home to a Shell Oil refinery, and the smell is perceptible in some parts of town, but not all, so don’t necessarily cross it off your list for that reason. (Photo: respres on flickr.)

920 Walnut Street, Martinez: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath; $269,900. (Square footage not given).

320 Robinson Street, Martinez: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1,184 sq ft; $275,000; $232 per sq ft.

1413 Court Street, Martinez: 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1,078 sq ft; $335,000; $312 per sq ft.

730 Palm Avenue, Martinez: 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1,116 sq ft; $350,000; $314 per sq ft.