05/07/2010

05/05/2010

  One of the questions I often get from Sacramento and Carmichael homeowners, seller and investors is: what upgrades should I make that will get me a profit? And I always say the same thing: Kitchens. Could it be in that age-old tradition of families congregating in the kitchen to prepare family meals? Perhaps it’s because, statistically speaking, women are the primary decision-makers when it comes to picking out the perfect home, and well, women care about kitchens. Whatever the reason, the fact is that kitchen upgrades tend to end up being smart investments. That doesn’t mean turn your kitchenette into the Taj Ma Hall, but it does mean replacing appliances (think energy-efficient), counter-tops and flooring. If you’re on a budget, painted cabinets with a gloss-finish always are in vo... 04/29/2010

Many Sacramento, Carmichael, Arden Park people are having a hard time. Most cities and states are too. Clearly, we are in tough times. People are losing their homes and their jobs quicker than any of us can believe. Some people are pointing fingers, but quite frankly, I don’t find that very useful.   We can blame it on the government, the banks, the war or a bad hair cut, but the bottom line is this: We need SOLUTIONS. Let’s work on fixing the problem, not researching the causes. Don’t don’t misunderstand me….I DO think that following our trail backward can and will helps us better prepare for a new game plan and keep us from falling into same trap on down the road. The past speaks volumes, and I think we’ve all learned some pretty important lessons, but again, is it any ONE entity? Bla... 04/26/2010

I want to make sure I spread this around because it seems that every year, I run across some who is kicking themselves because they didn't apply to get their property re-assessed. With plummeting property values in Sacramento County, chances are your Carmichael or Arden Park Area home are assessed too high!   Now I can't make any promises and wouldn't want to even imply that I could, but I do know this: JUNE IS THE MONTH OF RECKONING! Our County Assessor's Office gives us the month of June to challenge our current property assessment so that we may try to get our property taxes reduced. While I can't explain all the nuances of the assessed value of a property (and I'm not convinced the County can either...) I do know that in many cases, people are paying more property tax than they shou... 04/23/2010

I’m tickled pink to report that our California Governor just signed Senate Bill 401. SB 401 provides additional relief to distressed homeowners by eliminating the need for them to suffer tax implications on distressed home sales.   In other words, if you have to short sale your home, if it was foreclosed or you do a deed in lieu (also known as a strategic foreclosure—not that there is such a thing, IMHO), PRIOR you might be taxed by the state for the part of the loan you did not pay back. This was a big thorn in the side of many sellers who really didn’t have many options. SB 401 aligns quite nicely with the Federal Debt Forgiveness Legislation. Basically, if you live in California, you now are protected against tax implications in the already-stressful event of a distressed property si... 04/22/2010

Unless you are in contract by the end of next week, say so long to the Federal first time buyers' tax credit, but fret not, because California just got it's game on and first time home buyers get the rest of the new to enjoy the state tax credit...it's a bit different, but still a mighty nice treat! Remember, money is still cheap (interest rates are low), home prices are as low as they are likely to get and now you can enjoy a tax credit....life is good! If you want to hear more about what's going on in the Sacramento housing market, please listen to today's radio show where my featured guest was Howard Blum. Howard is a WORLD renowned economist who said, NOW is the time to buy, Prices will not be this low for YEARS to come. He also said that hang on to your house if you're a seller, B... 04/21/2010

My first goal is to help people in the Sacramento, Carmichael Areas avoid foreclosure. Sometimes we can do that with a loan modification. A loan modification requires two elements: 1) the desire to stay and 2) the ability to pay. In other words, we have to show the lender that you’ve come across some hard times and if your payments were just reduced to a certain amount, you could then keep current on your mortgage. Some companies are charging quite a bit for loan modifications, so be careful who you choose to represent you.       If you cannot get a loan modification, if you’ve been late in your house payment, or if you know that it’s just not realistic for you to stay in this situation any longer, you should consider a short sale on your home. Some homes will be able to be short sale l... 04/19/2010

The tenant in one of my listings is being booted out.  My seller has no choice.  They have to sell, and all the interest we have had so far, has been from families wanting to raise their kids with the big backyard.  No investors have stepped forward. So last weekend I called the tenant to see if they would uproot their family for the afternoon, so I could troll for their replacement hold an open house. "Sure, we'll go to the park."  I felt kinda bad.  It turned out to be a cold, somewhat windy day. When I arrived the house sparkled, the lights were on, candles lit, toys put away... and there on the table was a plate of freshly-baked cookies and a dish of candy.  Left by the tenant.  The tenant who would be booted out by the results of a successful open house.  Amazing. So why'ld they do... 04/16/2010

Here's an easy to understand video I found on YouTube that helps us better understand home owners options. I thought it might be useful to you: 04/14/2010

Double-dipping on the tax credit freebies is running out of time! If you're a first timer Sacramento home buyer and you're ready to rock and roll,,,consider buying in these next two weeks so you can enjoy the short window we have left and claim yourself not one, but TWO tax credits!!!  The Federal Credit, which is going bye-bye, and the State Credit, which is just hitting us next month (May). And, for some lucky Sacramento home buyers, if you meet the right time-line, you could take a combo tax credit, so my sources say! That means, if you get in escrow in the month of April (close by 6/30) you get not only the federal tax credit, but also the new state tax credit recently signed by the Governor. So here's how they break down:   FEDERAL: On the federal level you've got two goodies. The ... 04/13/2010

This past Friday night, my good friend and local candidate for Assembly, Matt Gray, did something very heroic. Matt was near his Arden Park home when he saw a house on fire, with no emergency services having arrived yet, and he attempted to save the person trapped inside.  You can read the story here.   Unfortunately, Matt, who had barged into a burning house with a garden hose in one hand, was unable to save the Sacramento resident. Matt did, however, manage to drag the unconscious man out with his other free hand, spraying the hose as he made his way back to safety. Will Matt did suffer some miner smoke damage and exhaustion, I have no doubt he would do it all over again. As an active fellow-member of Successful Thinkers in Sacramento, I am very aware of how powerful our intentions to... 04/12/2010

I just listed another short sale home, this time in Carmichael, and even managed to stop off for a manicure. With my days, it's hard to squeeze in time to get my nails done. Jeopardy was on the TV at the nail salon. I'm always astonished when I know the questions on Jeopardy, especially when the contestants don't. For example, I knew that a cat who drapes in your arms is a ragdoll. I also knew the airport in Seoul is Incheon. But that's because I've been to South Korea and I love cats. Not because I store a vast amount of trivial information in my brain. I wasn't watching the categories, but that's the secret to Jeopardy. I was trying not to smush my wet nails into the fan. I also wasn't paying attention to the final category; however, I did hear the final answer. It was: "She was born ... 04/10/2010

My home town of Carmichael is replete with great parks (Mission Avenue, the famous Carmichael Park, and lots of little ones too), great people and all the basic needs one could ask for. We don't have big shopping malls here, but I think that's why some people appreciate Carmichael as much as they do. In fact, many folks who live here, have been around a lot longer than me, and I've been here 25 years! As far as real estate goes, the Carmichael zip code holds its charm and it's value. Sure, housing values have been on the decline for a while now, but Carmichael is still a bit slower to fall and faster to rise. I like it her just fine! So for clarity, Carmichael is that wholesome  chunk of land that starts around Marconi and Mission and heads out to Fair Oaks Blvd. There's lots of river ... 04/06/2010

The Arden Arcade Area is at a steady sales pace for the month of March. This area includes the major streets of Marconi all the way down watt to almost Auburn, and it butts right up against Carmichael. In fact, it's so funny because my in-laws on one side of Mission Ave. and we live on the other, yet we have different zip codes. Not sure who figures all that fun stuff up (City Planning?), but I'm glad it isn't me! I do know that my husband, kids and all the dogs have grown up on the edge of Carmichael and Arden Arcade, so we are all quite find of Mission Avenue Park, the San Juan School District, and the many conveniences of the area (did I mention Togo's that not only employeed two of my teenagers all through high school, but also kept me in turkey and swiss sandwhiches for years!   He... 04/06/2010

Since my favorite place to shop is Whole Foods (mmm….”whole paycheck” is what a friend recently called it!), I just adore the Arden Park Area, so thought I would start including it in my Sacramento Housing Stat Report. I do this report for each area that I specialize in, and since I’ve lived and worked all the way from Folsom to Country Club (and currently in Carmichael) that gives me a pretty good handle on this Northern Sacramento real estate market. So for clarity, Arden Park is that wholesome little chunk of land adjacent to Whole Foods and Starbucks, which are on the corner of Eastern and Arden Way. Here’s what’s happening in Arden Park Housing: Current Active Arden Park Listings: 15 of those 15, 5 appear to be distressed….meaning REO or more likely, short sale. March Sales: 10, ho... 04/06/2010

Sure seems like Sacramento County moved some homes this past month. According to MetroList, Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado home sales for the month of March were a whopping 5,633. That’s showing an increase when you consider that our year to date (including that March figure) is only 8,734. If we used that math (and I hate math) it might seem like our current Sacto inventory (9,050)  is about three months’ worth. Only, let’s not jump the gun, as that would be under the mistaken assumption that no other homes will hit the market…and we know that’s not true. One reason we’ll see a lot more homes hit the market is because of the new HAFA Guidelines. HAFA seems to be a very good solution to a very bad problem: Sacramento residents being foreclosed upon. With the HAFA Guidelines in place a... 04/06/2010

04/01/2010

Greetings! If you're a Sacramento Area resident, and even if you're not, tune in to my radio show. While we cover current things you need to know about real estaate, each show features a special guest who has information to help you in your life...from doctors, to authors, to coaches, to economists and politicians....we cover a lot! 03/31/2010

All this tax-credit talk is making me dizzy, so I can imagine what it’s doing to those who are not knee-deep in the real estate industry. So, in light of the Federal Credit, which is going bye-bye, and the State Credit, which is just hitting us next month (May). And, for some lucky Sacramento home buyers, if you meet the right time-line, you could take a combo tax credit, so my sources say! That means, if you get in escrow in the month of April (close by 6/30) you get not only the federal tax credit, but also the new state tax credit recently signed by the Governor. So here’s how they break down: FEDERAL: On the federal level you’ve got two goodies. The first time tax credit is for first time buyers in the amount of up to- $8,000. The amount is calculated based on the purchase price of ... 03/29/2010