These photos were taken by my youngest daughter Haley, who just turned 7.  She has been asking for a camera for 3 years already.  She loves taking pictures!!!  She is very artistic.  The photos are taken in the backyard of my middle daughters friends house last Thursday after the girls graduated     from 6th grade.  The home is located in Northwest Fresno off of Herndon and Milburn overlooking the bluffs.    I hope you enjoy, who knew we had sunsets like this here in the Central Valley!!!               I hope you enjoyed Photos by Haley!!!  I was pleasantly surprised when I uploaded all my photos from this momentous day and found her pics.  There are many more great shots she took!!!     06/13/2010

Fresno, CA mark your calendars. Wine and Design, a class in home staging tips for sellers and real estate agents is almost here. Selling By Design-Staging and The Tasting Room are teaming up to present an evening of information about how home sellers can prepare their homes to sell rapidly and for top dollar. The class is free and wine will be available at a discount for all participants. Soft drinks will be free. The Tasting Room is located at 7775 N Palm, Suite 105 in Park Place Shopping Center, at the corner of Palm and Nees. Date and Time: June 22nd, 6:30pm. RSVP-linda @sellingbydesign-staging.com 06/12/2010

Fresno Unified School District and Figarden Elementary School hosted the Girls Softball Championships on May 27, 2010.      Sixteen schools came to battle and after winning 6 games, the smallest school in the district, Malloch, was crowned Champion.    The championship game was a battle between two rivals-Malloch and the host school, Figarden.  Figarden handed Malloch their only loss of the season back in league with a 4-2 victory, but on this championship day, the Mustangs fought and never gave up.  Going into their last at bat and down 3-2, Malloch scored 2 runs to go ahead by 1.  Time expired and the Mustangs celebrated!!!  But, wait, it wasn't over.  Figarden insisted that the score was tied.  The scorer's table showed Malloch as winning, and they were the official score here at thi... 06/08/2010

Great Open House-6532 N. Brunswick in Northwest Fresno Beautiful home located in Northwest Fresno's Bullard High School Area!!! Home has a wonderful layout and is in great condition. 4 Spacious bedrooms, huge kitchen, and large greatroom are just a few of the great features!!! Over 2400 sf. Lowest price per square foot in the area, listed at only $245,000!!! Sellers are motivated!!! You won't be disappointed.    Open Sunday, June 6 until 4 pm. Bring a prequalification letter with you and be entered into a drawing for 2 Free Movie Tickets.   From Herndon Go South on Brawley, West on Palo Alto, South on Brunswick   From Bullard-Go North on Brawley, West on Palo Alto, South on Brunswick           06/06/2010

Fresno, California Real Estate Market Update for May 2010.    As I reflect on the numbers during the past year, I have to say, I see stability.  Yes, the numbers do fluctuate, they are going to, but they seem to be staying in a very consistent range.  Let's look at the data below for the past year.     As you can see under the Median price, it is up $19,900 from the last year.  I am not going to go shouting from the rooftops that we are up 13%, although, if you wanted you could interpret that way.  What I see is, that we are consistently around $160,000 as our median price.  It drops a little below, and goes a little above.  But it does seem to be within that range consistently. We aren't seeing huge drops.  It will be intresting to see if we go up or down in June-stay tuned!!!  What do... 06/03/2010

It is here! Selling By Design-Staging in Fresno CA is holding a Free Class on preparing homes for sale. The class is open to the public and will be useful for home sellers and real estate agents alike. The class will cover the basics of staging a home for a quick sale, including: decluttering, cleaning, curb appeal, furniture placement and household repairs. It is the hope of Selling By Design-Staging that the class will prompt a greater awareness of the need for  home staging as well as educating home owners about how to begin the staging process. The venue for the event is The Tasting Room, a lovely wine shop in Fresno. Wine will be sold by the glass at a discount to all class members. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available for free. What could be better. An evening of wine and des... 06/02/2010

I develop domain names, and websites from scratch and take them straight to the top of search engines.  What I would like to do is get more websites out there for my benefit, and in return allow real estate agents to use the websites free of charge, and simply pay a per closing transaction fee.  So if you sell nothing you pay me nothing, if you make a sale from a lead generated through the website I made you, then I would want a 30% referral fee.  I understand that most people already have websites, however if you dont already know, the more the merrier.  Simply respond to this post if you are interested, and I will explain more to you... 06/01/2010

HAROLD PENNER: Fresno Real Estate Market Analysis Craigslist Real Estate Scams  As with any form of free online advertising, Craigslist.org provides a perfect vehicle for scammers to prey upon people searching for real estate.  These scams are now taking on a disturbing level of sophistication.  Scammers are now copying descriptions and pictures of active homes for sale from public real estate sites such as realtor.com, trulia.com, and others.  Those homes are then re-posted as rental properties on Craigslist for low monthly rent.  The actual name of the seller is used (most likely obtained by public tax assessor records) but with a false email address.   Recently, a client was shocked to learn that his home had been posted for rent on Craigslist when he discovered prospective renters ... 05/28/2010

Fresno, California Real Estate Market Update- The number of homes being sold each month is going up!!! Here are the number of Single Family Homes that sold in the last 3 months in Fresno and Clovis: February 2010-456 units March 2010-589 units April 2010-649 units   The Days on Market is going down!!! February 2010-59 March 2010-62 April 2010-56 In those three months the Days on Market were 69, 78, 78 respectively.  This is good news for sellers.   Now, the supply of inventory.  That is down!!!  It is low!!! We only have a 2.2 months supply. In the past 12 months we have seen a 30% decrease in the supply of inventory.  Look at the graph below.     Two other areas to take notice of is the number of under contract properties by month and the Number of New Properties Listed.  Homes going i... 05/21/2010

Figarden Loop Park in Northwest Fresno opened in January of 2010.  They have built it and they are coming!!!  We drive by this Field of Dreams located at 4265 W. Figarden Drive many times a day and my youngest daughter, is always at awe at the number of children playing in the playground area of the park everyday!!!  Her Grandpa has taken her a couple of times, but she really wants a day at the park with mom and her sisters.  In order to shoot the video below, I had to go at 8 in the morning on a weekday.  This park has been a hit with the residents in the neighborhood.  It was obviously long overdue!!!   The park features a huge, wonderful baseball field, with sunken dugouts,  bullpens and hitting cages on both sides.  There are shaded bleachers and even a separate area for the scoreke... 05/17/2010

As a home staging professional in Fresno CA I was asked recently if I would stage my own home if it were to go on the market. Though I won't be listing it anytime soon I said, "Yes, of course I would have to stage it if I wanted it to sell." The home you live in is not the home you sell. Even the house of a home stager must undergo some changes to compete in this or any real estate market. I love my decor and have received many compliments on the furniture, artwork and lighting, but it is my taste, my favorite things and my personality (and my husband's). Buyers would be distracted or even put off (perish the thought) by our possessions. As the owner I am comfortable and happy in my surroundings. As a home stager I must see even my home as a buyer would. When staging the house the pictu... 05/17/2010

As a Home Staging professional in Fresno CA I have encountered challenges that are not unique to our city, but are experienced nationwide by home stagers, real estate agents, and home sellers alike. One such challenge is the preponderance of new " Tuscan villas." It seems that many, many buyers want a little piece of Tuscany even though they've never been there themselves and most likely could not even find the area on a map. I personally love the style but do not want to leave my mature landscaping to move to a new area. Whether 5,000 sq. feet or 1,500 sq. feet, everyone wants a Tuscan style home. As a friend of mine observed, "There are more Tuscan villas in Fresno than in Tuscany."  So what is the owner of  a post war tract, or quasi custom 1970's or 80's home to do when trying to se... 05/15/2010

    Oso De Oro Park is a beautiful park with many ammenties that is located in a wonderful Northwest Fresno neighborhood.  The cross streets of this 9 acre site is North of Shaw and South of Bullard; and West of Blackstone, East of Marks.  It is located at 5550 N. Forkner Avenue, just down the street from Malloch Elementary School.  This fabulous park opened in June of 1995 and since then has been recognized both at the state and national level for its innovation and design excellence.            Oso De Oro park is very unique as its primary purpose is to retain storm water, while it also functions as a groundwater recharge and recreation area.     Many of the great features of the park include:   Multiple play structures with play safe matting Wheelchair accessible basketball courts Ro... 05/05/2010

Selling By Design-Staging In Fresno Ca is offering senior discounts. For those who have lived in a home for decades paring down their possessions to prepare to move most often is an overwhelming task. With that in mind Selling By Design-Staging is taking steps to help facilitate this rapidly growing population sell their homes.   A lifetime of treasures can often be major roadblock to a quick, profitable sale. People grow accustomed to their surroundings and don't notice wear and tear, cultter or outdated decor. Precious memories are everywhere in these homes where they have raised families. The kids are gone however, the upkeep of the home is too much for the owner or maybe the retirees just want to travel and see the world.   Home staging is a term with which many older people are not... 05/03/2010

On Sunday I needed somewhere for my Labradoodle puppy, Charlie, to get out and run.  It was beautiful out and all the parks around town were full of families and kids.  For Charlie, he would love it, but unfortunately he his still in his clumsy, jump up on you, and if your little I'll gnaw on you stage.  He is as sweet as could be, but his little puppy teeth love to bite and gnaw.  Often children mistake this for biting, I liken it to a toddler who puts everything in their mouth to explore. So my middle daughter and I decided to see what a "dog park" was all about.  I had no idea how, or what a dog park was like. We pulled up to what looked like a ponding basin off of El Capitan in Northwest Fresno and saw chairs in different areas and a few families and dogs.  I was very confused becau... 04/27/2010

Selling By Design-Staging in Fresno is now offering a new service. Vignette Staging. Vignette Staging, or lite staging, is when a home staging professional creates small vignettes in vacant properties by using a few furniture accents and accessories to create interest and warmth, in an otherwise empty, cold looking space. While full home staging of vacant houses is still the ultimate option for achieving a rapid sale for top dollar, in this economy sellers, real estate agents and home staging experts have had to become creative. Vignette staging is often the answer when funds are tight. One example of Vignette staging would be two chairs and a small table in the corner of a living room to create the look of a reading or converstation area. Another form of lite staging is to put some att... 04/08/2010

It's amazing how bombarded we have become over the last few months with prospective home buyers wanting to contact us in regards to purchasing homes in the Fresno area. We all know that the Home Buyers Credit is due to expire very soon, and due to this a lot of people are scrambling to get in contact with an aggressive buyers agent. A good amount of these people need assistance now, to be able to buy their homes as soon as possible. These people truly need an agent whom has the time and experience to respond to these inquiries. We have learned that persistence has proven to pay dividends with these inquiring families and individuals. If you are serious about having the ability to increase the amount of prospective home buyers you contact each month, we would love the chance to talk to ... 04/02/2010

As is evident in many cities across the country, Home Staging In Fresno Ca Is A Necessary Tool In Selling Both Simple And Lavish Homes. Having toured many different sizes and styles of homes in Fresno, CA as a home staging professional, I can definitely state that before they go on the market, all homes need to be staged. Most people familiar with the real estate market know that home staging is of benifit to homes that are cluttered, over decorated, or in need of paint and repair. But do all homes, even the beautifully decorated, need the help of a home staging professional? The answer is a resounding YES! It may sound strange, but a home can be, and often is, expensively  decorated, and still be unsellable without staging. Assuming that it is priced right and in a good location, a hou... 04/01/2010

Upgrades, granite counter tops, huge master suites with massive closets and soaking tubs, are but a few of the insentives buyers have when home shopping in Fresno Ca. How can the owner of an older home ( ten years or more) compete? The answer in Fresno Ca., Home Staging. In Fresno, as in most cities in California where new construction abounds, home staging is a vital marketing tool for real estate agents and homeowners. An older home can have lots of advantages, a good neighborhood, shopping, mature landscaping and larger lots,  but these can be eclipsed by a worn tired look when compared to the professionally decorated shiney new build. Enter the Home Staging professional. For a relatively small investment on the homeowner's part, home staging can give a home a fresh, inviting look th... 03/30/2010

HAROLD PENNER: Fresno Real Estate Market Analysis 2010 Hot Real Estate Deals! A lot of my buyers interested in newer homes are being lured by the prices of Fresno homes along the Highway 99 corridor. New communities sprang up along the 99 during the housing boom of 2005 and 2006 and now with so many homeowners defaulting on their loans, there are some excellent buys in the area. Clovis vs. West Fresno Foreclosures: This past month there were 22 homes sold in 93722 and 93723 that were built in 2000 or sooner. 21 of those 22 homes were foreclosures or short sales with the only remaining house being brand new. A similar number of homes were sold in the newer areas of Clovis (93619, 93730) yet the ratios and prices are quite different. Out of 20 homes sold, 9 were foreclosures or short sale... 03/23/2010