OOOpppps... a new blog spot.

I've started blogging at a new site. Check me out at www.FairOaksHomesAndMore.com. I discovered I can't use "Realtor" in my web address. Bummer. (Or if they throw me in the slammer over improper usage, you can visit me there...)

Fair Oaks, California, Home Prices and Sales Activity (5/09)

It's been a wild ride for homes sales in Fair Oaks, California, but for 2 months in a row we have had huge increases in the number of sales.

Sales doubled in March over the preceeding month, from 18 to 38, then increased another 10% in April, to 41.

And all the while inventory has been dropping to it's lowest numbers in over a year. With 42 pending sales out of the 132 homes on the market in Fair Oaks, that's roughly 1/3 of the homes selling in one month.

Compare that to one year ago, when only 1/5th of the homes sold.


But what effect have the increased sales had on the prices, you ask? April saw an overall increase in the average price per square foot from $143 to $149. That's down from a high of $194 last April.

Remember, this is for all price ranges. In general, the lower priced homes are going to sell for much different per-foot-prices than luxury homes.

But one thing is for sure... it's tough to build as cheaply as our homes are currently selling for.

We are in a market that may be the best buyer's market you'll ever see. Low prices, low interest, and some selection.





If you want stats on a specific price range, just holler on over. I can zero in on price for you, or provide stats for any other Sacramento area neighborhood.

How I learned... to put the FUN in Fundraising.... and channel my inner hillbilly

Sweet Potatoe Sal here... befor I git kot jackin Sally's blog, I wunna tel ya'all bout my Hillbilly Olimpiks yesturdai, wher we razed $600 fer the Salvation Army and C.A.R.E.

See, Sal's ofiss has razed $200K fer char-ty, haff a which kame from soshul partees they throwd. Peeple bot thair tikets last November at a Chili Feed at Lyon Real Estate in Fair Oaks, then she got me, Sweet Potatoe Sal, ta kum up with some gamin and food fer the partee. It wuz at Ancil Hoffman Park in Carmichael - peeple hed ta ware thair Sunday best, as yul see in this muvin pitchur below.

thar seems ta be some problem with this new fangeled movee stuff. Sumtimes it's thare, sometimes not.... jest like my sens a humor with teknacul difikultys. I'm workin on it... be patent, and ya'll kum bek, y'hear?

Awr gamin wuz fun... PBR beer kan relay, toelit trottin, 3 leggit hippity hop, and cherree pit spittin. Downhome Dennis roold on the pit spittin. A Washurs turnamit wuz the hi-lite. Clayster roold thet won. Thay wuz all bedder at pitchin them washurs after drinkin Junebug Julie's Pond Scum Punch, ah'l tell yu.

OK... Sally here. I sent Sweet Potatoe Sal packing. She hi-jacks my blog WAY too often. She's back in the spud patch now.

Here's how we raise so much money for our charities. We've held our lunchtime Chili Feed and Auction in our Lyon office parking lot for over 10 years. All the agents bring chili, salads, desserts and such. We charge $5 to get in, and usually have 250 - 300 people come. Do the math on that. Total, we'll raise $20,000 - $33,000 in that 3 hour period. To date we've raised around $200K!

Our big bucks come from our auction, but half of that comes from our social events. Different agents will volunteer to host an event. We've had poker parties, video scavenger hunts, talent shows, Irish parties, gourmet dinners, pirate parties, and even a Cinco De Silk Road party on May 5th. Everyone came dressed as a gypsy/goat herder/sheik/sultan/belly dancer etc. It was wild. My party this year was my Hillbilly Olympics.

The way it works.... The donor pre-selects the theme, date, time, location and # of attendees. We make a sign up sheet. At the auction, the last table to close is the social event table. You sign up for a ticket to the party (usually $15 - $45 apiece). That way the guest list will be a self-selected group who wants to come to your party. If more people want to come than there are spots for, the price goes up.

We usually make $9,000 - $12,000 on the parties alone. (My pirate party had 40 people pay $45 apiece. That's $1800 on one party alone. Course, then I had to pay to put it on!)

The best part is that our family of agents has a rocking social life throught the upcoming year. Our event is always in November, then the parties start in January usually, contiinuing right up til the following October. Next week I'm attending a Martini party. The Oktoberfest is still a ways off. A day on a houseboat is planned for this summer... with jet skiis and all. Two weeks ago was the Irish Fest.

Whew... how do we have time to sell homes with all that socializing????

Uncle Sam wants to give you free money. $8,000 smackaroos, to be exact.

As if getting to be your own landlord isn't enough, now Uncle Sam wants to give you $8K for buying a home.

Unbelievable? Yes. True, also YES.

But there are ALWAYS catches, right? Yes, but not many.

Mainly that you gotta be a first time home buyer. So, principle residence only, and you can't have owned a home in the past 3 years. Good on that one?... then read on.

You must close escrow on your home by November 30th, 2009, and is retroactive to January 1, 2009.

It has income limits, and starts to phase out at $75K income for singles, and $150K for couples filing jointly.

Can you get it now? Absolutely. You can file an amended return for 2008. Then start spending, baby.

How much? The credit is 10% of your home's purchase price, or $8,000, whichever is less. There is no repayment, unless you sell your home within 3 years.

If you are clever, you are probably asking if you can use the $8,000 as your downpayment. Before yesterday, I would have smacked your nose for being so silly. But hey.... yesterday HUD announced they would make bridge loans availble to buyers who qualify to enable use of the $8K for a downpayment. That is huge. Call me to check on how that is being implemented. It's too new to tell at this point. (Update - they've pulled back on the promise to allow it's use for your downpayment... just one day later. Stay tuned....)

So.... pretty slick, huh? It's a total gift, inspired by the Fed's desire to jumpstart our housing market and get the money flowing again. Why not let a little of it flow into your pocket?
For more details, check out the NAR site .

flickr photo by 13 faves

What do you think about how our parks effect our home values?

Next week I have been invited to speak to the Sacramento Board of Supervisors about the impact of our area parks on home values. As I am preparing my comments, I am wondering what you would tell your Supes. What advise do you have for me?

It seems to me most of our finest neighborhoods are near our parks. We have William Land Park, McKinley Park, Curtis Park, Ancil Hoffman Park, Goethe Park, just to name a few. We have the Effie Yeaw Nature Center where our area school children learn. But best of all, Sacramento Area is blessed with the American River, with its miles of protected parkway. With walking trails, horse trails and miles and miles of paved bike trails, the parkway defines what I love about our area.

But the impact on home values..... Hmmm. I've got some interesting ideas on how to formulate my 3 minutes of fame, and some major number crunching to do.

The issue here is budget cuts.... and huge proposed cuts to our park programs. If it can be shown that our parks keep prices up, that would ultimately keep taxes up, as well, which means they pay for themselves.



What do you think? How do you think the condition and improvements at your area parks effect your home values?



flickr Photo by etgeek, mrmitch, and pete baer.

Video Tour of Fair Oaks, with Sally Dunbar, Your Fair Oaks Realtor.

I've been living in and loving Fair Oaks since 1979, and I can't think of a place I would rather live or raise my kids. That's why it's my favorite place to sell real estate. Join me on a brief video tour of my Fair Oaks, the way I love it. I filmed this in April of '09 during a glorious week of Springtime weather.

For more information on Fair Oaks Homes for sale, give me a call, (916) 535-0356, or search for homes at www.SallyDunbar.com. (I do list and sell homes throughout the Sacramento area, but now you know my bias!)

My escrow just blew up. Can I keep my buyer's deposit?

OOOH.. Tough break. No one's happy when an escrow falls apart. But whether the seller gets to keep the buyer's deposit comes down to two words.

It Depends!

Let's say the buyer has already removed all their contingencies in writing. Now they lose their job, or they find another house they like better, or they decide they can't stand each other, after all. They want out. In most cases, the seller would have a right to keep the deposit. After all the buyer backed out, AFTER removing their contingencies.

But HAVING A RIGHT TO THE DEPOSIT, AND ACTUALLY GETTING IT ARE TWO DIFFERENT STORIES.

In Fair Oaks and the Sacramento area, the buyer's deposit is typically held in escrow. Escrow is a neutral third party. Escrow needs both the buyer's and the seller's approval (signature) to do anything. And that includes releasing any money.

But if the buyer is stubborn, or is a jerk, or really doesn't think it's their fault the can't complete the sale, they may refuse to sign the release, even though they agreed to in the contract. Then, short of begging, reasoning, pleading or sending out Luigi, the seller has no option other than court - usually small claims court.

As a little twist, twice I have had a buyer back out, then leave the state. Now what? You can't file in small claims court against an out-of-state person.

So what happened to the $5,000 that was sitting in escrow... that rightfully should have gone to the seller? It's still sitting there today. My seller didn't get it, but at least the buyer didn't get it back either. Escrow can't do anything unless both sides agree. Ultimately, the escrow company will turn the unclaimed money over to the state.
An honorable buyer, who does what they say they will do, will sign the release, and turn the money over to the seller. After all... a deal's a deal. But that's why we have courts. Not everyone does what they say they will do.

Flickr photo by shyg's photostream

Is this the time to buy? What if prices drop more?

Buyers are panicking at the moment. They are running out of homes to buy!

In Sacramento there is only 2.3 months of inventory under $300K (if buyers maintain their present rate of snapping up homes, we'll run out in 2.3 months).

In Fair Oaks it's not much better... 2.4 months to sell 'em all out.

That means if no new homes come on the market, we'll be out of homes by summer. Basically economics says when supply goes down prices go up.... like skyrocket up, in this case. EEKKKK!

HOWEVER... don't look now, but there is a wall of new inventory charging from behind. Maybe an avalanche of homes. You see, California has had a moratorium on foreclosures since December of '08, which means very few new bank foreclosures (REOs) have come for sale. And the moratorium keeps being extended.

In the mean time, many owners are getting further behind on their payments. What seemed like a good idea to give the poor homeowners a break, allow banks time to adjust to the new regulations, and to encourage loan modifications, has also let the steam build up. Foreclosures are backing up, and when they blow, it could be big.

There are currently 7,648 homes scheduled for foreclosure in Sacramento County, according to Foreclosureradar.com. There are another 3877 in default. Currently only 1139 REO's are listed for sale. You do the math!

What effect will this rush of REO inventory have on our market? Well, professor.... I think when supply goes up, prices go down, right? Very good... You get an A.

So where does that leave a buyer today? Do you buy, or wait?

The answer revolves around interest rates. Right now, they are UNBELIEVABLE. Like 5% and below. A 1% increase (to 6%) would result in the same payment as a 10% drop in home prices. Shocking isn't it? So you get a loan today for $200K, you'll pay $1074 per month principle and interest (approx). Prices drop 10% and interest goes to 6%, you'll pay $1079 per month for your $180K loan! The same, only different.... no, the same. (OK, I'll throw in the extra 5 bucks).

So my answer is Yes... go ahead and buy now. IF you can get one! Interest rates are a huge component of the mix and can't be ignored. Throw in the effect of the up-to-$8,000 Federal Tax Credit, and you can't loose (only 7 more months on that one). And even if the onslaught of REOs bring prices down more, you will most likely be ahead in the payment game, since you got such a good loan.

Flickr photos by Krassy Can do It. (Can do what? Buy a house?... Call me, Krassy!)

I Was Nearly Scammed on Craiglist, But Was Saved by a Doubting David.

I'm in the market for a new MacBook computer. Too expensive new, so I check Craiglist.

(Hmmm, this looks good)... 320 Gg, (umhum)... bought in December with 3 year Apple Care (awesome... that's $350 right there) He's in school in Italy but the pute is configured for US.. (K)... Wrong pute for his engineering class in Milan (yeah, a rich kid, probably Mommy bought it for him... maybe he doesn't know the value), $1300 - (wow, $1200 cheap.. this guys so naive).. umhum... it has all the software I need PRELOADED, with the backup discs and key numbers (OK I'm scoring here.... this is $3200 worth of stuff. I got him by the hook, now just reel him in). But how to get it and is this legit?....

He'll set it up with TNT shipping ... delivery in 2 days, I pay them, I have 5 days to check it out before I authorize releasing the funds to him. (that's cool... better check them out) Yep, got a great website... and they do this sort of thing (Man, I've scored, what could go wrong?) Call apple "Yes you can transfer the warranty". (This is my lucky day... probably everyone else was put off by Italy, the bozos, but I know we live in a Flat World - this is awesome!) Email back.. "We got a deal! Here's my address...."

WooHoo, honey... I scored. Listen to what I'm getting in 2 days... blah, blah,blah. Idnthatgreat!

Doubtful David (what a party pooper) says "Have you checked this out, sounds like a scam to me"? Are you flippin kidding, of course I did. I've been to TNT's website, I checked for the shool he goes to, I called Apple... I got it covered, baby.... what turnip truck do you think I just fell of of?... HMMMM?

"Well anyone can set up a website... I'd check out a disinterested 3rd party's opinion" You are soooo negative, but I'll humor you...sheesh.

Fast forward 5 minutes... googling "TNT shipping opinions"... "Scam... Better Business Bureau... Washington Post... class action...avoid this scam... product from Europe... 2 day delivery... U.S. configuration... this is a scam... lose your money..."

Crap. Doubting David was right. I would have been contacted by a phony TNT (not the real one), and given my check to them, although I am sure I would have been suspicious when it wasn't in exchange for the actual product - they supposedly then arrange delivery to you. But you trust them because they have a legit web site, right? But you guessed it... the product never arrives, because it doesn't exist. And the real TNT is not involved. They just got their name jacked by some cretin with an email address.

So I'm now sad and back on Craigslist looking for a local owner who I can meet eyeball to eyeball.... I won't get my $1300 deal on the $3200 computer.... dang. But what a valuable lesson.

Doubting David turned into De-savior David.

Flickr photos by JePoirrier & ToastyKen

How I Learned to...Channel my Inner Hillbilly

There is a contest in a networking group I'm in to celebrate spring... "Write your best stuff using "Spring Fresh" in the title". Hmmm... flowers, butterflies, baby bunnies.... didn't float my boat. So here's my submission......

SPRING FRESH, by Sweet Potata Sal.....

It was a foggy nite in Frog Bottom Holler. I was cleaning my nails by the fire with my buck nife, (makin my toes mitely cold), griping about mama's mouseleg pie.... "Mawmaw, ya'll didn't make enuf agin."

"Sweet Potata Sal" said Mawmaw.... "Get the stink out of yer britches, an git a move on honey chile.. go mekk yerself useful." (I felt the ghost of Jed Clampet in the room... but I digress...)

So I grabbed up my huntin gun, Miss Rowdybuck, woke up 'ol Geezergirl (who wuz lickin her... well never you mind), and headed off into the nite, looking fer sompun fer dinner.

We got two miles from home, when ‘ol Geezergirl spotted a ‘coon. "OOOWWWLLLLLLL...." And she wuz off on the chase. Over hill, under dale, thru the crik, down the gulley, past old lady Washman's londry hangin on the line..... (I only grabbed one pair of unnerware... I was due fer a change... it HAD been a year)

"I'm comin, Geezergirl.....folla that ‘coon.

Geezy's howlin seemed to stay put fur a minute. Had she treed the coon? As I got near, I could see it... little ringtailed stripes hiding on a limb... eyes as big as a harvest moon. Shakin jest a tad.... OK a lot.

As I stood there ponderin how to get that raccoon out of the tree, Geezy spun around in her eggsitmunt, and knocked me flat on the ground... well not ON the ground, cuz ther was a spring coming out of the ground - rite there... and I was IN it. "Geez, now what do I do?".. (as if Geezy could talk... sometimes I'm dummer then a fence post!)

I must uh broke my head or sumptin... cause I was seeing two coons up in that tree, cept when I closed 1 eye. I think I wuz up the crik without a paddel, if ya know what I mean!

"Geezy...ya gotta go git help, girl." If that didn't work, I didn't know what to do, cause I was broke-headed in the spring, fresh outta idears.....

"Run, Geezy, Run"


Flickr fotos by Velo Steve, and Molagen... must be coon hunters!

Sacramento Area... On Sale and On Fire!

My broker just returned from the Realty Alliance conference, which are the top 100 independent real estate brokers in the nation. Sacramento was the "talk of the town", he said!

We are apparently giving the nation hope that we are turning the corner in this market, with our booming sales. We were one of the first to be hit during this "Repo Madness" which is sweeping out nation, with a record drop in prices, but it looks like we are the first to be coming out of it.

Our county-wide inventory is down 58% since a year ago (8968 to 5251 currently). Our price per square foot is down 29% (161/ft to $115/ft currently), and appears to be leveling off. We are down to 3.4 months of inventory, from a high of 11.2 months back in Jan of '08.

Sales for the past 4 months are furious, with 39% of our listed homes entering escrow in February '09, compared to 14% last February. This is truly phenomenal.

What does the future hold?... who knows. But for now, interest rates are at an all time low and the buyers are coming out of the woodworks enticed by the sale prices we have. It's fast, furious... heck, we're on fire!

It's a great time to be a buyer!

How I learned to... "Leap and the Net Will Appear"

As a realtor we are faced with new situations all the time.  A new area, a challenging personality, new software, an "unsurmountable" escrow problem.  While it may seem impossible to deal with some of these challenges, I've come to know you have to just take it one step at a time and trust you will figure it out as you go.  I've learned to "leap and the net will appear".  Just do it!

So how did I learn this?

I started dreaming when my youngest was a high school sophomore, about making a video for her class, and trying to capture some, a lot, most, nearly all... all 250 kids in her class. Criminy, how do I do that?

I just started videoing, not knowing how to do it, but believing I would figure it out. I knew how to point a camera, knew how to do basic editing (I had done 2 other water polo season videos), and knew how to make a cool DVD. But this was HUGE. I decided to take it one step at a time, and make progress, but not expect perfection.

I started showing up with my camera... water polo, football, baseball, hallways at lunch, rallies, homecoming hall decorating, interviews with the kids. It was so fun. For 3 years... a few probably thought I was stalking them.
Two months before graduation, I started editing. In between escrows, signings, showing homes, marketing, cleaning house, cooking, sleeping. Actually, my husband did all the cooking and cleaning so I could edit... edit....edit. Oops, not enough computer memory... buy more. Crud, what's with the sluggish playback... call help line. Why doesn't this transition work?... swear for two days and don't sleep. OOHHH... I figured it out. Wait, I forgot two seniors from softball... run to a game in the rain.

The night I processed the final version (it takes all night) it all appeared to crash. Help line to Sally.. "You have an irreparable bug. You'll just have to start over." Sally to help line... "@%^*$#*$*(#&$*#... no freakin way!!!". 3 years of my life down the drain. But I wouldn't accept that. I looked at it from outside the box. I WILL figure it out. "Maybe this is it". Another night of processing. 3 am. I'm at the pute checking it. I play it back. IT WORKS!!!!! I do a little victory dance and scream in my head to the video gods.

My daughter softly calls to me from the dark. She is also awake, knowing what's at stake. I snuggle into her bed, dissolving into tears at the relief that the biggest technical endeavor of my life turned out. She holds me, our long legs wrapped around each others, entwined in such loving intimacy. We lay there until dawn, chatting... expounding on "going for it", marveling at technology, gossiping about kids in her class, talking about the future... about life. I knew it was a moment that would stay with me til my dying breath. So precious, so amazing, so in the moment. Her loving what I had done for her, and for all the kids of her class.

I went in to work that morning wrung out from crying and the tension release. On my chair was a hand-written note from my daughter...

"Momma... while it may at times seem like nobody appreciates the countless hours you've spent working on this video, what you have created for my class is something that will touch many kids.

"The impact you and Dad have had on the students at Del Campo is too great to measure. While it may seem that some of the sacrifices are in vain, remember the kids you two have been second parents to, the friends of ours that look to you for advice, those you have cared for. The girls Dad baked cookies for, bought Sierra Shootout T-shirts for, the girls he taught to have confidence. By sending out emails to organize homecoming halls you gave some kids the first homemade cookies they had had in years.

"In the same way, this video will give the students whose parents never owned a video camera the first glimpse of them playing a sport, or the only picture they have of their lunchtime group. This video will give the seniors something to look back on. And more importantly, proof that someone other than their parents cares and is willing to make sacrifices for them. I am so fortunate to be your daughter and a part of your life. I love you both."

More tears.

Grad night came around. Bowling, blackjack, video karaoke, sticker tattoos... a long night of fun. At 2 am the kids assembled for a movie, not knowing what to expect, most not wanting to take time out from their fun. The video rolled. Dead silence. More dead silence. Jaws agape. No movement. No blinking. Sweetness is background music to a section. "Whooo--oo-oo--ooo......" all in unison. They are mesmerized. Entranced. Stunned. For 59 minutes.

It was all worth it.

Weeks later, I was in a gift shop. On the wall was a plaque... "Leap and the net will appear". That was it! That was what I had done! I had leap off the cliff, not knowing whether I could pull it off, but knowing that putting one edit in front of the next, one song choice laid down at a time, one transition before the next one was how to do it. Solve each problem as it came along. I believed I could do it if I made daily progress, even though it seemed impossible at times.

And the net did appear. I figured it all out.



Flickr photo by eidur k

How I Learned... "The Devil is in the Details", and ended a lifetime of migraines without meds.

Being a realtor takes an incredible amount of energy.  Your days are long, and it is demanding to deal with the fires we put out, and the changing issues we deal with.  Try doing it with a migraine!

I've had migraines since I was tiny... at least 5. Two to 3 a week. When I didn't have a migraine, I felt crappy - tight shoulders, tight neck, throbbing base of my neck. Generally like I wanted to lie on the couch all day, but I didn't. Yet I was so happy to not have a migraine, I paid no attention.

Never dawned on me it might be something I was eating. But I've discovered 13 nondescript, bizarre little stealth bombers that are the culprits. Things like guar gum, red wine vinegar (not balsamic, thank god), and whey. Pesky little details... Go figure.

How did I do it? I read a book called Eat Right for Your Type, about what foods conflict with the 4 blood types. Sounds pretty hocus pocus, if you ask me. But I liked the things on my "good for you" list (meat, veggies, fruits, no dairy, no wheat, no spuds... I'm an "O"). I could handle it. I went cold turkey, reading every label thoroughly, and making lists of ingredients that didn't bother me, and those that did. It took 2 years.

I had figured out on my own that whey gave me migraines (and eating betaine enzymes helped with that), but not the other stuff. I started noticing I was feeling pretty good... consistently. Like.. a normal neck and loose shoulders. Like... great! Dang, I liked it! I didn't know people could feel this way. WooHoo, I can tackle the world. I'm raring to go!

First I noticed guar gum.. WHAT IN THE HECK'S THAT!. Then, capers... pffffuuhh... I love capers. Then sunflower oil, red wine vinegar, all cheeses except mozarella, feta and farmer's (yeah, so pizza's mostly out), and arabic gum, for crying out loud. Who ever heard of that? But my blood had, and they were mortal enemies. My blood went into attack mode, bringing out the heavy artillery to fight off the invaders, wreaking havoc in my brain.

So how did it take me 57 years to figure this out? I honestly never had a clue it was what I ate. From the time I was little, they poked, prodded, hooked me up to needles, you name it. "Oh, your daughter has a mild brain anomaly,... a short circuit, so to speak. Let's put her on phenobarbital, see if that helps." I was 10.

Other drugs and mumbo jumbo came and went, all to no avail. It was still 2 - 3 a week. There was no test that gave a definitive answer. Fortunately Imitrex came along a relieved the migraines, but nothing stopped the funky feeling. The sad part is how I would never commit myself to anything where I would need to be counted on, because I didn't know how I would feel. I'm amazed I tackled college, but remember sitting through finals on the verge of puking, and dropping my grade a whole notch in a class I adored and should have aced.

Today? I'm Queen of the World!!!!! I feel great! (cept when one of those pesky little details slips into my food). I have so much energy, I'm exhilarated, and so charged up I can barely stand it! The down side?... I'm a real hit at dinner parties - I don't eat it if I can't read it. Otherwise I pay the price for 1-1/2 days. And going out to eat is no fun any more. Small price to pay, however, for finally finding bliss.

Woo Hoo..... Big time!

flickr photo by joana roja-left hand/arm & migraine chick

San Juan High School... Improvements coming!

I just read that San Juan High School in Citrus Heights is breaking ground on some spiffing up projects. Good for them. Not only is it the oldest San Juan District school (built in 1913), but it's my husband, Dave's, alma mater. That was back in the 60's, but it's influence still reaches into our lives.

Dave was a top notch athlete, and one of 3 Dunbar boys to grace the halls (yeah... they were all pretty cute!). Today, everywhere we go we run into San Juan alums... and I mean EVERYWHERE. I list a house... "Oh, you're Dave's wife?". I go to a store... "Dunbar... hmm, did you go to San Juan". We're at a funeral... Dave went to school with 3 of the people there. We rent our newlywed apartment... "my sister went to high school with Dave". We watch the Kings play basketball... Dave knows the "sign lady"... "yeah, I went to San Juan with her".

We've been camping and dune buggying with a group for over 25 years. 6 of them went to San Juan with the Dunbar Boys, (that makes 9 in all) and they're all still friends!

The moral here, is don't be a dufus to your classmates! You never know the connections that will stick with you for your life, and keep coming back. San Juan has been that rebounding experience for Dave. Me?.. I went to 3 different high schools, so never made the same connections.

And for the record, San Juan is transforming itself into a campus of small learning communities with 5 career pathways: construction, culinary, media, hospitality management and career technology. The new classrooms will be environmentally friendly with all natural light. Sounds pretty forward thinking!

Folsom's New Bridge Opens Today...

As a result of 9/11, one of the main arteries connecting the two sides of Folsom, The Folsom Dam Road, has been closed since 2003. It's been a real drag for those needing to cross the river, as there were only two other bridges to accomodate the 18,000 cars that crossed the dam daily.

The dam road closing also clogged the streets of Historic Old Town Folsom with commuter traffic enroute to picturesque two-lane Rainbow Bridge. The poor old town shop keepers have been struggling, as shoppers and restaurant patrons have been reluctant to tackle the traffic and parking snafu.

Now after 6 years of traffic nightmares, the new Folsom Lake Crossing bridge opens today! The planned capacity is 40,000 cars per day, with 4 lanes, plus bike and pedestrian lanes. Whoo... what a load off for the people of Folsom!

So get shopping in Old Town Folsom and help support the businesses that have struggled for so long. Antiques, candles, collectibles, crystals, candy, clothing, great restaurants... it's all there. And the drive is so much easier now that the new bridge is open. Hooray!!!

Flickr photos by pulpolux, Adam79, and ETGeek

Interest rates and your home... THESE are the "good old days".

You've probably heard that interest rates are pretty good now... around 5% for a "30 year fixed". But check out what that means to you as a buyer. It's pretty shocking!

A $200K loan at 5% costs you $1,073 per month P&I (principle and interest)

If you want to keep that payment at $1073, here's the price loan you can afford if interest goes up.

6.25% = $174,000 - (2002 interest rate)
8.5% - $139,000 - (2000 interest rate)
9.25% - $130,000 - (1994 interest rate)

15% - $84,000 - (1984 interest rate)

Still wishing for the good old days? As a buyer, it's better today than it's ever been. You get WAY more for your money than ever. We will look back on these times as the best home buying days in our lives!

Flickr photo by Steve Wampler

What's Happening with Fair Oaks Home Prices?

If you missed buying a Fair Oaks home back in '02, those prices are back! After a high of $250/sf (per square foot) in August of '06, Fair Oaks prices have dropped approximately 38% to a stunning $155/sf. That is lower than the cost to build a home, yet it includes the land! We have not seen such a buying opportunity for a long time.

How does that compare to the hit the entire county has taken? Has Fair Oaks done better or worse? Much better, thank you. During the same time period, Sacramento County price per foot dropped a whopping 54%! EEKKK! They went from a peak of $250/sf in August of '05 to the current level of $117/sf.

But here's the best news for buyers. Interest rates make this the most amazing time we have ever had to buy. If you get a $200K loan today, you will pay around 5% interest, or $1073/month, (principle and interest on a 30 year fixed rate loan). Look what happens if the interest rate were higher on the same $200,000 loan.

5% = $1,073 today's rate

6.25% = $1,231 (2002 rates)

8.5% = $1,537 (2000 rates)

9.25% = $1,645 (1994 rates)

15% = $2,528 (1984 rates - yeouch!)

An interesting side note, is that in '02, when Fair Oaks prices were at today's level, the ensuing 3 years saw prices jump an incredible $100/foot. That means if you owned a 2,000 sf home in '02, by '05 it was worth $200,000 more. That's pretty amazing! Will that happen again? No one really knows. And in my experience, it's not predictable... but it IS possible.

So what does all this mean? It means homes are dirt cheap, and that Fair Oaks has been a much better value than the county in general. And compared to the stock market, it's not so bad. There are those that say today is the best buyer's opportunity we will see in our lifetime.

Flickr photo by fpsurgeon

Kids these days... They're AWESOME!

"What's this world coming to... kids today don't want to work, they want it handed to them."

Every generation says that... clear back to Plato's time. I bet the cave man said it too, as his cave boy "texted" his pals with smoke signals.

But the attitude is idiotic. And here's a case in point.

Every year Fair Oaks has a number of community service events, like an Easter Egg Roll, a Christmas Party, Senior Luau, Mother/Son Dance, Father/Daughter Dance, the famous Chicken Festival and others. And who puts the shindigs on?... a group of 24 teens from Del Campo and Bella Vista High Schools, called the Fair Oaks Youth Advisory Board (FOYAB). They work all year, for no pay, to benefit our community. How cool is that... these kids are my heros!

Zoom back to '04/'05 when my daughter, Christy, was the President of FOYAB. I attended their Share the Spirit Christmas party for about 50 disadvantaged families. They hosted a huge turkey dinner, crafts, games, a raffle with a gazillion prizes, and a visit with Santa with many presents hand-selected for each child. I helped one Mom load her raffle prize - a fully decorated Christmas tree - into her car... "I'm so grateful. I didn't think my kids would have a tree this year. It's been rough."

But thanks to those 24 Fair Oaks teens who worked their tails off, these 50 families had a Christmas. And they each went home with enough food to feed an army... turkey, dressing, canned goods, ham... wow! All donated and cooked by the kids. Don't tell me they're lazy...

"them's fightin' words!"

Trust me, we will be in good hands with these kids at the helm.

Locking your loan is like proposing... You don't know if it could get better.

I just read that the Fed's actions today may cause mortgage interest rates to drop up to 1/4 or 1/2 point. Interesting dilemna for those in escrow who have already locked their loan. Do you stand by what you said, or weazle out because rates have changed?

When you lock your loan, you are gambling that interest rates won't go down any lower.... to protect yourself in case they go higher. So to be safe, if the current rate is OK with you, you and the lender commit to it... regardless of future rates being higher or lower. If they go higher, you still have your low rate. If they go lower... it happens.

Can you get the cheaper rate if they drop below your locked amount? Not without someone suffering a loss... because the lender has committed.

It's like proposing. You ask the girl of your dreams to marry you. But criminy... what if someone better comes along? Well, what if someone better never comes along, and you missed your only true chance at love because you couldn't read the future? You make the best decision, then stick with it, through sickness and in health. Whether interest rates go up or down.

I have a young first-time buyer who is locked right now. I told him he needs to have confidence in his decision. if rates go up, he'll think he's an omnipotent genious. But if rates go down, that's just the way it goes... it's the cost of protecting yourself. He understood. This buyer has tremendous character... I really like him. And I'll bet he's fine with his decision, even if rates drop lower. To me, it's called being responsible for your decisions. I bet he'll stick with the gal he marries, too.

PS... it's a little later in the day. My buyer just signed disclosures and I asked him how he feels now that interest rates DID in fact go down. "I'm OK... I made a deal to protect myself in case rates go up... but they went down...I'm still protected because they COULD have gone up. I'm OK." I just KNEW he would say that! He's such a good kid.



Flickr photos by Jacob and Kiki Hantla, Wooleywonderworks

Hell Yeah!... Sally's Foreclosure Song... YEOWWW!

Times are tough... people are losing their jobs, their credit scores and their homes to foreclosure. But this guy gets even. (This is not a typical Wednesday office meeting for Lyon Real Estate, Fair Oaks office, but we do have fun! YEOWWWWWWW!!!!) (And thanks Montgomery Gentry, for not suing me for butchering the great tune of your song, with my cheap rendition!)

So seriously... this was for a talent show, which was a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. Lyon Fair Oaks has been the top money contributer to the Sacramento Association of Realtor (SAR) CanTree, raising over $160K for the needy at Christmas time. This talent show, hosted by the Hostess Honeys (Marg Graf, Patti Nelson, Lyn Gras, Kathy Chigbrow and Mary London, all of Lyon Real Estate), raised over $2,000 in one night of fun, frolick.... and embarassment for some.

This is the song I wrote fpr the talent show, but this version turned out a little better than my live version... so here you have it. File this under: Work Hard, Play Hard.... or Life is Either a Daring Adventure or it's Nothing.... Hell Yeah!

Bummed Out... Focus on 2020 Vision

Brad Paisley has a killer song out called "Letter To Me" where he writes a letter to himself at 17. He tells his young self it's not the end, now that he's been dumped by his girlfriend. Oh, and be sure to fill up the tank for your date with Bridgett... "on second thought that one turns out all right". Be sure and thank Mrs. Bringham for seeing the rough diamond underneath and polishing you til you shined. It's a tear jerker, for sure.

But his capper is the best part.. wait til you see you wife and kids.. you wont believe how great they are. These are nowhere near the best years of your life!

Now zap the message into our lives today. The economic situation we're in is only for today. It's temporary. It's just the crap we're going thru for now. We have great years ahead. We will look back on what we are going thru today and realized how much we learned.

* Our kids were able to learn that easy money doesn't last
* Prices don't go up forever and maybe our home is not an investment... it's our HOME.
* That you should consider ALL variables when you make a big decision, (like that you may not be able to refi when the ARM adjusts)
* We've learned to love board games and Family Friday Nights
* We've learned to be OK without our nails done (have you looked at a group of business women lately... plain nails!)
* We've learned it's pretty fun to go to Lake Tahoe instead of Hawaii on vacation... or to stay home and chill.
*We've learned to be open about our finances... which is unbelievable... that's good!
*We've learned to live within a budget... maybe we CAN clean our own pool.
*We've looked at our "conspicuous consumption" and questioned the "stuff" we've bought... who can believe what we have accumulated... mostly that we didn't need. And look where it's gotten us.

Fast forward to the year 2020. Do you think you will be looking at the same crap as today? Heck, no! It will be different! Things will change. You will have new grandkids, new spouses (if you are married and said "yay"... slap yourself), different jobs, different joys, new challenges, new talents you discovered, and a whole new and exciting world to discover. What we're facing today, is just for today.

So buck up, deal with it, and don't take it all so seriously. And go download Brad Paisley's "Letter to Me" on iTunes... it's only 99 cents. Then write yourself a letter from yourself in 2020 about how this stuff won't last. It's nowhere near the best years of our lives.

Flickr Photos by a.drian, dotbenjamin, zpinkster

Get Out of the Rabbit Hole, Before it Becomes a Sinkhole!

It was Valentines morning. I had just read two articles in the Sacramento Bee. One about a woman, employed a few months ago, who was just "evicted" from her car for failure to pay registration fees - it had become her only home after she couldn't pay for her rental. She's now homeless.


The second, about a family who moved to Boise after a job loss, hoping to scrape together the money to buy an old RV or trailer to live in, as they couldn't make ends meet. They were hoping to find an affordable trailor park.


I got depressed.... On Valentines morning, as my sweetie was frying up the spuds for a wonderful breakfast.

As my mind went down the rabbit hole of doom and gloom and "the end is near" thoughts, I fa
st forwarded to our losing our house when the entire economy collapses, that I never have another buyer again because they will all be living in Boise in a Happy Trails RV Camp. Life is over... the subprime snafu..... Blah, blah, blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... .Oh My God, STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...........


I suddenly swerved to miss this mental pothole, which was beginning to look like a sinkhole.
Then I remembered.... I've got.....


Buyer "A" is biting at the bit to find a home for him and his sweetie - to get out of their cramped apartment. He has saved up over $30K to be ready for this... living at home with Mom and Dad.


Buyer "B" has a giant down payment ready, and is proposing to his sweetie today, then prepared to offer on one of 4 perfect homes we've found, once his soon-to-be-betrothed picks her favorite. His company has a huge pool of money available for employees to get home loans from.... They're pretty strong.


Buyer "C" can't wait to find his perfect home, with room for his 2 RV's, room for his live-in daughter and two kids, and a master downstairs - They are pre-approved and SOOO ready to go. We just need to find the home.


Seller "A" is relocating to So Cal in a few months, and counting on me to sell her home.
Seller "B" has moved to Arizona, and waiting for me to sell their home after the rehab is finished (It almost is)


GET TO WORK, YOU BOZO........


OK.... I'm back to happy land. I've quit licking my wounds about how miserable this economy is. It is what it is. Life goes on. This too shall pass. I can focus on the desperate situations out there (and there's a lot of them), or on the job to be done to help my clients. For the 10% (or whatever) of homes facing foreclosure, 90% are not. (I don't have the patience right now to look up the accurate stats, so just get the point!) For the huge number of homes upside down... the rest are not. Of the 70% of Americans thinking about the interest rate on their home loans, 30% don't even have loans! For every seller losing their home in foreclosure, there's a buyer getting a great deal on a first time purchase or an investment. It's all dependent on which side you focus on.

Every day we choose whether to be productive or whether to get sucked into negativity. Every minute we choose to go down the gloomy rabbit hole of "It's so awful", or HOP up into the sunshine of the positive.

I do peak into that gloomy rabbit hole periodically, but only enough to know I don't want to set up house there. I have buyers to help, sellers to help, homes to go find, statistics to analyse, classes to attend, systems to perfect. Hell, I've even got a song to finish writing for a talent show.

Life IS good... and sometime it's not..... but mostly it IS!

The Right Kitchen Remodel Pays For Itself!

A complete kitchen remodel isn't cheap...$20K - $40K on average. But if you have an ugly kitchen, you will drop the price of your home by more than that to sell.

Would you pay $25K more for this home with this kitchen?

Or think of it this way, if you were a buyer, how much would you take off the price of a home if it's kitchen looked like the "before" kitchen below?

This kitchen was MAJORLY UGLY... bad flow, funky cabinets, ugly counters, yucky lighting, dated tile floors, a dropped ceiling and right-in-your-face hanging cabinets.

Before putting it on the market, we redesigned it, (thanks Suzanne Kyle Space Planner & Interior Design) gutted the old one, and built a beautiful new kitchen with new hardwood flooring and contemporary lighting. (Thanks DR Dunbar Construction Services... my sweetie). What a difference!

(See how expanding the cabinet around the corner opened up the whole space? That was Suzanne's money making idea.)

Sellers, To get your home ready to sell.... call me.... I GOT PEOPLE!

Does Your Lender Make a Difference?

When a new buyer chooses a lender, what is their choice based on? Interest rate?, the trust of a referral?, who has the prettiest sign? Often it's who seems to have the cheapest interest rate. What a mistake!

Consider Captain Sulley. He looked like everyone else who flew. He always landed those planes, so it's hard to say how good he was. But when disaster hit, he was able to pull off the miraculous, and land a giant engineless jet in the cold frigid waters of the Hudson River. He used his years and years of experience, training, drills, and lessons learned from the inevitable mishaps he must have faced before to pull it off.

Your lender is the same. They all seem comparable... until disaster strikes. And when it does, you want experience on your side. A few months ago I sold a home in a great neighborhood of Citrus Heights, located 1/4 mile from a very seedy street (one of our areas worst). Any local appraiser would have understood to not use comps from the seedy street, as it was insulated from my buyer's home by geographical factors. But as the crow flies, it's another story. Our appraisal came in fine... actually above our price. It was the desk review that shot us down. It came in $60K low! Why, because the out-of-area underwriter used a zillow-like process to estimate the value... which included sales within a bull-eye radius. And that meant our seedy street became our comparable.

But my lender has been doing this for over 30 years, and understands the ins and outs of lending like the back of her hand. She whipped into action, and got the loan through. Did she use magic?, coercion?, bribery?... no. She used her experience to know which of the many paths to take to make it work. She could have gone a number of different directions, but she knew exactly the turns to make at each fork in the road, as she led our transaction down the path to a closed escrow.

So don't just pick the lender with the cheapest quote. It could mean the difference between getting your home or not. Always go with experience. Don't know who to call?
CALL ME... I GOT PEOPLE!

flickr Photo by mpflies2 & theevilmightyf

How Do You Buy a Short Sale? First... What is it?

Buying a short sale is very different than buying a bank foreclosure or from a regular seller. So first... what is it?

A short sale is when the owner is "upside down" or owes more than the home is worth. In order to sell, he would need to bring cash to escrow to sell, or would need the banks approval that the bank will accept less than the amount they are owed. In order to accept less (accept a short sale) the bank must convince themselves that the home is actually worth less than they are owed, and that there is no other way they will get the lost money out of the owner (like from money they have in savings, or an IRA, or another home they own).

The process goes like this. First, the real estate agent puts the home on the market. The list price has no relation to what is owed, and is probably listed somewhat low for the market, in order to get an offer. The list price is their "bait". Once they receive an offer, they send it in to the bank, along with an application from the seller. The application contains the reason why the seller feels the bank should let them off the hook. Their tax returns, bank statements, and a letter explaining what their hardship is are all included. The hardship must be a medical problem, divorce, forced relocation, job loss, etc. It can't just be "I'm upside down and don't want to keep paying".

Now here's the kicker... the bank takes as long as they want to decide what they are going to do. It's usually a minumum of 60 days. But it can be 4 months, like my last one!

But let's say the bank comes back in a record 30 days and says they will agree to let the seller off the hook... they agree to a short sale. At this point they come back with the price they need to sell for in order for them to agree to the short sale. It's rarely the same as the list price. I'm in contract on one now that was listed for $161K, the bank came back at $182K. The other one I'm in escrow on was listed for $214,500, and the bank came back at $240K. The bank deteremines the price they will accept (if they accept the seller for a short sale) after they have done an appraisal, regardless of what the list price was.

OK, moving on... so let's say the bank has told the listing agent they will do the short sale, but for THEIR price, which they give the listing agent. (It's actually more complicated, because they actually give the agent a "net" number, which the agent has to compute into a sales price, considering all the liens and other charges.) The agent goes to the first person who submitted the offer to see if the bank's offer is acceptable. (That's because the first acceptable offer is in contract with the seller.) Many times, it has taken so long the first buyer has already found another home and moved on. Or, if the price comes back higher, the first buyer may not qualify at the new price. Or don't want to. So, if the first buyer passes on the bank's offer, the listing agent then calls the other agents who have made offers to see who else is interested. At that point they can choose the offer that will net the bank the amount they need, and the one that seems to offer the most likelihood of being able to close.

THAT's the person who will end up buying the house.

At the point the new person says YES, the inspection time periods begin, and that's when you really have a good look at the home from an inspector's viewpoint... but we'll save that for another discussion!

Bottom line -
* It may take months to get an answer.
* There's no guarantee what the price will be , regardless what the list price is.
* It's somewhat of a crapshoot as to who the buyer will end up being.


What it takes to be a successful short sale buyer is patience, and to not have a pressing timetable. It also helps to not expect concrete answers from your agent, as they are hard to come by. But you can be successful.... just hang in there!

Flickr photos by doug8888, seekyu, flexyourhead, thinkpanama

Should you inspect new construction?... HECK YEAH!

It's tempting to save $400 - $1000 when you buy a brand new home by forgoing an independent inspection.  "Heck, it's brand new... what could be wrong?"... Right?... Wrong!!!

A few years ago I sold a 2 million home in Los Lagos, Granite Bay.  Simply beautiful... and built by a well known, outstanding builder.  He was somewhat offended when I had my buyer pay for an independent inspection, but I explained the inspector would be the eyes for all of us, to prevent problems for all of us in the future.

Was it worth it?.. spending $750 (in this case) to inspect something the building department had already approved?  Well.... the beautiful custom box beam ceiling had a fire sprinkler system installed overhead.  However no one had finished connecting the pipes!  A disastrous water leak all over the custom box beam ceiling was just waiting to happen.

The builder thanked me!  Imagine the hassle, inconvenience and potential litigation had the pipes leaked after the buyer moved in.

So, yes... an inspection of  new construction is a good idea before you purchase.  Just think of it as cheap insurance!

Flickr photo by Scott Hargis

Prep Your Home for Sale - Position Your Furniture

You probably have your couch and Lazy boy positioned perfectly to see your flat screen TV, don't you? Yep, we all do! But that may not be the most inviting position for them if you plan to sell your home. "Why not?" you might ask.

Because you want your home to LOOK GOOD when you sell it, which is not the same as WORKING WELL. Sound wierd? Watch the following video... you'll see what I mean.

If you are thinking of selling your home, consider your furniture placement to maximize your home's friendliness, openess and attractiveness.

Don't know how? Call me... I've Got People!

Does Your Lender make a Difference?

When a new buyer chooses a lender, what is their choice based on? Interest rate?, the trust of a referral?, who has the prettiest sign? Often it’s who seems to have the cheapest interest rate. What a mistake!

Consider Captain Sulley. He looked like everyone else who flew. He always landed those planes, so it’s hard to say how good he was. But when disaster hit, he was able to pull off the miraculous, and land a giant engineless jet in the cold frigid waters of the Hudson River. He used his years and years of experience, training, drills, and lessons learned from the inevitable mishaps he must have faced before to pull it off.

Your lender is the same. They all seem comparable… until disaster strikes. And when it does, you want experience on your side. A few months ago I sold a home in a great neighborhood of Citrus Heights, located 1/4 mile from a very seedy street (one of our areas worst). Any local appraiser would have understood to not use comps from the seedy street, as it was insulated from my buyer’s home by geographical factors. But as the crow flies, it’s another story. Our appraisal came in fine… actually above our price. It was the desk review that shot us down. It came in $60K low! Why, because the out-of-area underwriter used a zillow-like process to estimate the value… which included sales within a bull-eye radius. And that meant our seedy street became our comparable.

But my lender has been doing this for over 30 years, and understands the ins and outs of lending like the back of her hand. She whipped into action, and got the loan through. Did she use magic?, coercion?, bribery?... no. She used her experience to know which of the many paths to take to make it work. she could have gone a number of different directions, but she knew exactly the turns to make at each fork in the road, as she led our transaction down the path to a closed escrow.

So don't just pick the lender with the cheapest quote. It could mean the difference between getting your home or not. Always go with experience. Don't know who to call?
CALL ME... I GOT PEOPLE!

flickr Photo by mpflies2

Prep Your Home for Sale - Closets and Shelves

DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR... EVERYTHING MIGHT AVALANCHE OUT! If that's your home... listen up. When you sell your home, you're darn tootin the buyer is going to look in every closet. Afterall, that will be their future storage!

So take a look and see what you should do to make your closets presentable....

To get your closets and the rest of your home ready to sell, call me. I'm brutal when it comes to throwing out YOUR things! Seriously - you will thank me when the buyer makes their offer.

I've sold hundreds of homes where the seller took my advice and prepped it for sale. Let's make you the next one!

Prep Your Home for Sale - Your Bathrooms

Let's take a little stroll into your bathroom and check it out. Sound a little too personal? Well just imagine the buyers who are checking out your bathroom, to decide whether to buy it or not. They don't want to be in there with you OR your personal things... they don't even want to NOTICE you in there, or they get uncomfortable.

Check out the following video and think about how your bathroom looks from the buyers eyes.

Give me a call and let's whip the rest of your home into shape for your buyer. It's money in your pocket, so take the time now.

Prep Your Home for Sale - Personal Belongings

What does "Yo Mama" have to do with preparing your home for sale? Plenty. Take a look at the following video to find out what!




So check out your home from the eyes of a buyer. Do you have a montage of photos on your hallway that will trap the buyer's attention? Get rid of it. And your Mama's wedding picture.... out it goes. At least until you are in your new home and can safely put out all your relatives again... NO MATTER WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE!

Not sure what else to do... I'll help you. Give me a call. We'll get your home looking ship-shape!

A Duplex vs a Halfplex, what's the diff?

Halfplex... duplex... they both look the same. But there is a difference. It starts with the dirt. When you own a piece of land, it has a parcel number. Typically each home has it's own parcel number, which is it's lot.

A Duplex... has one parcel number.... it is one whole "home", and can only be sold as one unit. So if you bought a duplex, you would get the other half along for the ride! The same owner owns the whole thing... always. There might be only one water meter, or one electrical meter, depending on how it was built.

A halfplex... looks like a duplex, but it has 2 parcel numbers.... it's actually 2 separate lots. So there are two different owners, or one owner might own them both. But the key is, that one side can be sold to someone else. Each side has it's own utilities (water meter, electrical meter etc.).

A duplex costs more (like twice as much) because you are getting twice as much. You control the entire unit and control the maintenance as well. So if one side needs a new roof, you make the decision to roof the entire thing. And when you paint, it ALL gets painted.

With a halfplex, if you need to re-roof, you may or may not get the other side's owner to re-roof at the same time. Or what if you want to paint a certain color? The other half may not agree. I've seen halfplexes where each side has a different roof type, and different, and contrasting, paint color schemes. It can get clown-like.

Why do people buy halfplexes?... because they can get into them cheaper (close to half the cost of the entire duplex). They get the feeling of a home, usually with their own yard, but for less money than they would pay for a separate house.

Still confused - let's just go buy one and you'll find out in a hurry what the difference is!

flickr photo by battling apathy

A Walk on the American River, at Fair Oaks

Sacramento Bar is the area just West of the Sunrise Bridge in Fair Oaks, filled with acres and acres of rock cobble left over from gold mining that ended in the 60's. It's one of my favorite places to walk, right near my home in Fair Oaks. You're in the middle of town, yet within minutes, you are deep in nature. Join me as we stroll the American River at Sacramento Bar on a recent winter Saturday...



And just for the record, Lewis and Clark DID NOT raft this river... I just imagine that I'm back in time to when they COULD have.

Prep Your Home for Sale - Put Away Photos!

Your home looks great doesn't it? Friends come to visit and just love seeing your Little League team pictures, your expensive wedding portrait, and your historical gallery of your great-grandparents. It tells them all about who you are. And they love it.

But buyers could care less! They aren't buying YOU, they want to buy YOUR HOME! Do you really want them to walk through your home like this.... "How many kids do you think they have... didn't you go to school with her?... what do you think they do? EWWWW, what an ugly man this is - I'ld die if I had an uncle with a schnoz like that?"

Think they don't talk like that? Get real! they totally judge and evaluate everything you present them about your life..... so GET RID OF IT BEFORE THEY HAVE A CHANCE!

Watch this video, then contact me.... we'll do what it takes to get your home "SHOW READY".

Walk Through Wackiness...A Hershey Hotstreak

"If the chocolate sauce won't squirt, try this..", said Ryan (FNTPTS - fake name to protect the stupid). With that, he held the bottle and spun his arm like a propeller, in giant circles... the pressure of the chocolate sauce building.

It worked the last time he tried it with ketsup. It squeezed right up to the neck of the bottle, and BINGO.. his hot dog was adorned. No muss, no fuss. Easy peazy....

...but not this time. It was the night before my buyer's final walk-through. The new carpet was spotless, and the stiple texture of the acoustic ceiling was pristine.

The black goo had settled into the bottle for way too long. With a few more rotations, it was sure to break free. Then SPLOOOOOOOSH! The chocolate stream gave way in an impressive explosion. A solid brown stripe was implanted in an orbital pattern from ceiling - to wall- to floor - to ceiling again. A Hershey Hotstreak. And the buyers were coming tomorrow. So much for the pristine acoustic ceiling.

The sellers frantically went into action ... detailing the ceiling, shampooing the carpet, and sweeping out the doghouse where Ryan would spend the next few nights! Miraculously by walk-through time the next day you couldn't tell. You honestly couldn't! We closed escrow a few days later. No worse for wear and tear, to quote Mick and the boys.

Funny thing, however. Just a few months ago the buyers called me to help them buy a rental. I couldn't help but ask, "Ruby.... Have you ever had any problems in your family room with spots or anything?" Then I told her the story. "Ah... that does explain the single drop of brown "paint" we found on the ceiling one time - but couldn't figure out where it came from.... Figured it must have been a heck of a party once."

A Full Day of Motivation...

Yesterday I went to the all-day "Get Motivated" Seminar at ARCO Arena - the one with Colin Powell, Rudy Guliani, Michael Phelps, Steve Phelps, Zig Ziglar and more. It was awesome. People are feeling so down these days, I wanted to share some of the highlights for me.

Steve Forbes - "The world can only end once, and this isn't it". While this is a time of pain and loss for many, it is a time of great opportunity for others. Focus on the opportunity. During this time we will see small players rise to be the big players. Who had ever heard of Oracle, Apple and Microsoft before they became big? Those who sit and lick their wounds are going to miss the great opportunities that are out there.


Forbes also said to quit reading the negative news, because we then believe that's all there is. There are tremendous innovations coming, yet we don't read about them. He mentioned a bundle of fibers inserted in a straw, that has the power to sanitize filthy water by the time it reaches the lips. Life-changing for a 3rd-world country! There's good stuff out there. Let's focus on that.

Colin Powell -What a guy. Very funny... and loose. Whodathunkit? He says there is an emptiness after coming down from such a lofty position as Secretary of State ... so he bought a Corvette. It worked! Seriously, he says he leads his life looking through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror. And though he has met with all the world leaders and had a 747 at his disposal, he focuses on what's to come, not what he used to be. And he listens to his wife!


Zig Ziglar was the emotional hot button for the day. He got a head injury in a fall 2 years ago, and now has short term memory loss and vertigo. But that man has a smile permanently etched into his 82 year old face that lights up a room. With his daughter lovingly guiding him back to the story at hand, and away from his 3rd repetition of others, Zig spoke of how doing the right thing is always what has worked in his life. And how the way to have success is to help other people get what they want. He talked about how money will buy you a house, but not a home... a bed, but not a good night's sleep... a companion, but not a friend. He showed us his "Wall of Gratitude", with photos of those who have inspired and helped him along the way. While it was sad to see his decline, it inspired me to see an 82 year old icon still giving, and sharing his wonderful attitude. And still cracking jokes. When his daughter stopped him as he ramped up into his 2nd rendition of a story, he'ld crack "but there were 3 people in the 2nd row that were sleeping. They need to hear it again."

Rudy Guliani - Spoke about leadership. And he reflected on not letting failure get you down, because it is inevitable. "Leadership is about managing failure". In these times, with so many people being forced to let go of their dreams, this seemed poignant.

And fear? Who isn't facing fear right now... if not for themselves, for someone they love? "If you are not afraid, you should be in therapy", he said. "But use the fear to guide you to minimize your failure." Well said. Build up your preparedness for what you fear. Use it to motivate you, not paralyze you.

Guiliani also spoke of 4 hours of preparation for every hour of performance, so you are equipped to adjust to unexpected events. 911 was not specifically prepared for. But each of the emergency responses he ordered came from a portion of a preparedness plan they had in place for a different disaster. He was an awesome speaker.

And the highlight of the day?... Michael Phelps. My friend pulled her 10 year old swimmer daughter out of school for the day. She wanted to see her hero enough to sit through Rudy, Steve, Zig, Colin and other speakers on finances, the stock market etc. Not fodder for a 10 year old, believe me. But she finagled a front-row seat for Michael, wide eyed and full of hope. Michael spoke of how he trained every day for 5 years without a single day off. How he had wanted this forever, and how the nay-saying articles just became the backdrop in his locker that inspired him daily to do what "couldn't be done". He acknowledged making mistakes along the way, but that he has learned from each one. It was clear he is not one to let adversity stop him. He spoke of the race when his goggles filled with water, so he improvised by counting the strokes he had done a bazillion times. He knew where the end was. And he won gold. It was clear he has the attitude of a champion to take what comes (whether self-inflicted or imposed by fate) and make adjustments to what is. He proved Rudy right... 4 hours (or 4,000 in his case) of preparation will give you the knowledge to make adjustments when disaster hits.

It was an inspiring day... so pertinent to our life. In Sacramento, and the rest of the country, people are losing their homes, losing their jobs, making sacrifices. But, keep looking ahead, and face your fears. Shore yourself up to avoid catastrophe when that which you fear happens. And keep practicing and getting better, so you can shift and make adjustments when the unexpected happens.

Flickr photos by Photograham, xDaniel, GTM Photography, Parker Young Photography, xtrapopp, and Marcopako