We talked to folks who have lived in Alta Sierra for many years and asked them what they liked about living there. Here's what they said: 1. The location is perfect, about midway between Auburn and Grass valley. 2. It looks and feels like a park. 3. It's so quiet. At night, an acorn falling
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06/20/2010
Tucked away between Highway 49 on the west and Dog Bar Road on the east, Alta Sierra is a community of about 7000 people. It's about half way between Auburn and Grass Valley. At 2300 feet, Alta Sierra is nestled among regal ponderosa pines , in fact it's just at the point where the deciduous G
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06/20/2010
Here is a comparison of homes sold and homes currently for sale in 3 Nevada County communities: Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, and Lake Wildwood. This data is provided by the Nevada County Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service (MLS). There are a few more homes sold and for sale in
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06/20/2010
Conventional home evaluations for the rural areas between Auburn, CA and Grass Valley, CA will yield that most-important statistic--price per square foot. This datum will be the foundation for the price estimated by appraisers. But, in our rural areas where properties vary enormously in acreag
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06/19/2010
Old-timey yellow school bus bumps to a halt ahead of me, flashing red lights, stop sign swinging out. Shit! Stuck behind this thing all the way up Torrey Pines, the main loop through Lake of the Pines. How many stops is that? Four? Double shit! Door opens. Driver gets out with her red hand-
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03/01/2010
This morning, I was coming up the back side of the toughest hill on the Clementine Connector, running easily with my indispensable partner, Dharma the Wonder Pooch. I crested the hill top to find two beautiful women resting on their bicycles. They had just powered up the tougher front face of
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09/06/2009
My wife and I have been having an 8 month affair with Madeline. Secret meetings, never calling her home phone number, destroying any paper trail that might link us to her, especially documents that might allude to our profession. Shhhhh! Real estate agents. Madeline (not her real name) has bee
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08/28/2009
In this buyer's real estate market I have noticed three common negotiating psychologies. Let's start with an asking price of $200,000 for an average suburban home. Of course, there are many mitigating factors. How long has it been for sale? What's the condition? Has there been a price reduct
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08/28/2009
Go west from the Alaskan town of Bethel, almost to the coast, out in the tundra where the tallest vegetation doesn't come up to your knee, you'll come to the dismal Yupik Eskimo town of Newtok. This village of 305 suffering Indians is slowly sinking into the thawing permafrost. The Ninglick Riv
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08/16/2009
Warren is a 46 year old bachelor who has rented a condominium at $900 a month for almost 10 years. He has never owned his own home. Over the years he has kept his credit clean and managed to scrape together $35,000 that he keeps in a low yield CD. Warren walked into an open house I was holdin
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08/15/2009