by Kirby Laney, posted 8 June 2018
“I feel like I’m the quintessential Fremont person,” observed Eva Otto, “It’s a lifestyle to be in Fremont.” A real estate broker, Otto opened her office, of Infiniti Real Estate & Development, inside one of the charming row of storefronts on Fremont Ave at 43rd Street. From there, she welcomes other quintessential Fremonsters to stop in for the information and resources Infiniti can provide.
“It’s really fun to be in this neighborhood,” Otto said. She and her family have lived here for years but locating her business here has expanded her commitment to our community, and her clients here. From her storefront, she meets more of her neighbors (and those looking to become neighbors,) and can talk to people who want to ask about the properties and opportunities listed in southern window – or the electric train in the northern. “I’ve met so many people with this train,” she acknowledged.
Serving Fremont
“I feel I am exactly where I should be,” Otto observed. With Infiniti, Otto and her staff help people who want to move into the neighborhood, and help those already here make their property work better for them. She invites all of us to walk in the door at Inifiniti. “I feel my role here is service,” Otto explained, “answering questions on real estate.”
“From my perspective in real estate, housing is essential need – and it is treated as an asset,” Otto explained. We all need a place to live, she observed, and she wants to assist people in finding a home that serves the current needs of their family, including being a house they can afford. “My focus these days is on families,” she said. She’s working with families to find homes they can purchase, sometimes by creatively thinking ‘outside the housing box.’ “It is still possible to get in to this market,” Otto observed
Otto can help home owners identify if, and how, they can build an Accessory Dwelling Unit (a Mother-In-Law house,) on their property, to offset a mortgage or accommodate their extended family. She’s having conversations with property owners about recycling old houses, and the use of salvaged and/or eco-friendly materials. She’s worked with a local homeowner who tore down his single-family home and built four units on the property; to live in one and rent out three. On the Infiniti website, Otto has a post she authored about co-buying, co-housing and community living.
Otto has a strong interest in being a Green Developer, as well as in serving our community by encouraging the use of methods that better house and accommodate everyone. She likes to consider all the elements of a home, including location and lifestyle, when assisting a client. “I’m a little bit in the real estate market,” she explained, “and in the development market.”
“There are ways to make choices,” Otto said, “healthy for you, and healthy for the environment.” She wants to talk with those feeling burdened by their home, to help them see their options. “You don’t have to move out of the neighborhood,” Otto remarked.
“I want to provide you with information and resources,” Otto said, “the person I want to serve is a Fremont resident, or anyone who wants to buy. I’m really open to anyone.”
Real Estate, And Social Justice
“One of the things that distinguishes me as a real estate person is my fight for social justice,” Otto explained. Raised as a Quaker, Otto looked at a career in environmental advocacy. “My education was focused on, ‘How do we solve our environmental problems world-wide?’,” she explained.
At school, she considered working in politics, aiming for a career in environmental policy. Now, she said, “I’m so glad I didn’t go to D.C. and bang my head against a wall for 20 years.” Instead she found herself working more grassroots, dealing with people making essential changes and choices that have direct effect on our community environment.
She met her husband when he bought his home in Upper Fremont, and they eventually started dating and then getting married, and taking up residence in the house he’d renovated. A home that suits them perfectly, inside and out.
They enjoy the walkability of the Fremont neighborhood. For New Year’s Eve, they were able to walk to Nectar Lounge to celebrate, and walk home afterwards. The family can go walking, and exploring, the neighborhood together, or if they get a babysitter, the couple enjoy going out walking on date nights, to one of our many delicious restaurants.
Creativity, And Conversation, On Real Estate
“With Infiniti, I service everybody,” Otto said, “I don’t just do green.” She’d like to talk to those interested in the properties listed in the windows at Infiniti, or with properties they want to recreate. “I’m an artist,” Otto explained, and she enjoys using the storefront windows at Infiniti to express herself, but also to work with clients on problem solving. “We have to think creatively about real estate purchases,” Otto advised.
Otto invites Fremonsters, and those interested in exploring living here, to stop by Inifiniti for a no-obligation visit. “When it comes to housing,” Otto said, “we all have to contribute to the conversation.” She welcomes the opportunity to talking to more people about their real estate needs in Fremont!
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©2018 Kirby S. Laney. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.