Sacramento Real Estate Views

Archive for March, 2009

5 Days in Disneyland

I have always been a fan of Walt Disney.  Some of my fondest memories as a child were going to Disneyland and feeling special just for being there.  All of the things to do and see made such an impression on me as a child.  Come to think of it, it still does.

I lived in Southern California for some part of the 1960′s and my mom used to take us every now and then to experience the Magic Kingdom.  It’s still a magical place for me and I have an seemingly endless amount of energy to expend when we visit there.

I now have the privilege of sharing Disneyland with my son Ryan.  He’s 4 and is creating his own memories with his mother and I. Every time I go, the memories come flooding back.  I just love it there.

On our most recent vacation, we spent an entire 5 days at Disneyland.  5 whole days!  That is a first for me and I could’ve spent a few more days.  We have a time share there and it’s right outside the park.  The accommodations were great and everything, as it always does for me when I go there, seems so easy.  Parking is easy, trams were easy even while lugging around a “combat” stroller just in case Mr. Ryan needed to fall asleep somewhere and even eating was easy.  They let you bring in your own food if you like and with a kitchen at the time share, we had plenty of goodies to take with us to the park.

Ryan rode Splash Mountain about 10 times most of those in the rain, his mom and I split the trips.  He rode the “water coaster” aka Pirates of the Caribbean 10 times ( I went on all of those!), the rocket in Tomorrow Land, Dumbo in Fantasy Land, The Mark Twain in Frontier Land and my favorite..Main Street circa 1910.

All in all, it was an awesome 5 days.  We did whatever Ryan wanted, took him on every ride he wanted to go on and only got tough when it was time to go back to rest up and come the next day.  His mom and I made the entire trip about him and he had a blast.

While it was about him, it was also, whenever I got a chance to wander on my own, all about me and my memories of the past with my mom.  Boy those were fun times.  I’ll go back again and again.  Hopefully, Ryan will get the chance to live those same memories with his son or daughter.

I’m trying to talk my wife into another trip next fall or winter, seems like the best time to go.  I can’t wait!

Tags: Disney vacation

Brand New Listings in Rocklin This Week!

18 New Listings!

18 new listings came on the market in Rocklin this week in varying price points.  With the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit given out this  year by the government, if the time is right, it’s a great time to buy.

I don’t usually include short sales in with my report as most of those end up as foreclosures anyway and for the most part, waste the buyers time.  They are becoming easier to work with but most buyers get bored waiting for the bank to make a decision and move on to more accessible homes.

Here’s this weeks list:

Address	Beds/Baths	Square Feet	Price	Comments
3033 Twin Creeks Ln.	3/2	986	$174,900	Bank owned
2942 Twin Creeks Ln.	3/3	1319	$180,200	Bank owned
4737 Racetrack Cir.	3/2	1156	$199,000	Pool
2224 Glacier Dr.	4/2	2240	$257,900	Big lot with a pool
4865 Grove St.	4/3	1320	$349,900	1.3 acres, short sale
3997 Rawhide Rd.	4/3	3168	$699,000	Clover Valley
6803 Yarrow Way	4/5	3346	$998,500	Ahem!!! Gorgeous home
2820 Key Court	4/3	1951	$275,000	Location just ok
1621 Poppy Circle	4/2	1691	$289,000	Nice location
2145 Ranch View Dr.	3/2	2315	$336,465	StanPac, Whitney Ranch
2143 Ranch View Dr.	3/2.5	2861	$398,650	StanPac, Whitney Ranch
2142 Ranch View Dr.	4/3	3066	$421,115	StanPac, Whitney Ranch
2418 Saint Andrews Dr.	4/2	2014	$424,000	Fireplace, den
2144 Ranch View Dr.	5/3	3096	$428,235	StanPac, Whitney Ranch
2163 Red Setter Rd.	4/3.5	3268	$437,265	StanPac, Whitney Ranch
2413 Cody Court	3/3	2428	$499,000	Retirement community
1802 Sorrell Cir.	4/3.5	4148	$694,971	Centex, Whitney Ranch
3391 Black Oak Dr.	5/4.5	4228	$700,000	Beautiful, gated community

Although one short sale made it to the list, the rest of the short sales in this weeks report were not included.  For more information on those please feel free to contact me.

Thanks for visiting!

Tags: homes for sale in rocklin, rocklin real estate

Get $18000 To Buy a Home In 2009

Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers in 2009

Some time ago, I was in a meeting with some local lenders and they brought up a great point worth mentioning about the consumer tax credits given by the government to inspire first time home buyers to purchase in 2009.

The lenders we met with told us that a first time home buyer could file for the $8000 tax credit on their 2008 taxes BEFORE the home is purchased.  This, as it has turned out, was dead wrong.   See below.

CORRECTION: It has been brought to my attention that this information was incorrect as it was presented to me by the lenders in question.  According to sources since this article was published, the IRS considers filing before the close of escrow tax fraud.  Again, you will need to verify all tax related information with a tax professional.

(Disclaimer:  Check with your accountant or a tax professional to verify any and all tax related information!)

It’s free money to buy a home in 2009 when the prices are going to be at the lowest point in this market cycle. (Hopefully!)  You must purchase by December 1, 2009.

Last year, there was a $7500 “loan”, that’s what it amounted to, that had to be repaid in $500 increments until satisfied.   This year a purchase could result in a $18000 wind fall depending on who is buying and where.

$8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

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Tags: sacramento real estate

Rocklin Real Estate Sold Homes 3/1/09 to 3/15/09

Home Sales in Rocklin

I’ve been out of town and playing catch up the last week so I thought I’d put together a more comprehensive list of sold homes in this post.

Over the last two weeks, there have been 12 closed sales as recorded by the Multiple Listing Service.  This probably doesn’t record all sales in Rocklin but does record enough to give us a good idea of what the sold statistics look like.

The average days on market for these homes was 87.

Original listing price to sold price percentage was 92.03%.

The average cost per square foot was $141.73 on an average square footage of 2214.

The average sold price for this report is $308,144.

These numbers are pretty consistent with past reports which indicates some degree of stabilization in the Rocklin market.  Sacramento County is showing similar stabilization as well.

Tags: homes sales in rocklin

Open Houses in Rocklin & Roseville This Sunday!

Google Interactive Map for Every Open House in Rocklin & Roseville on Sunday!

(Click on the category to the left “Open Houses In Rocklin & Roseville for the most current map. Thanks!)

I’ve created a interactive Google map with all of the open houses scheduled in the MLS for Sunday March 15th.  Each map listing has a short description of the home characteristics.

The schedules in the MLS sometimes don’t get posted until the last minute, ie. on Friday mid day or sometimes early Saturday.  I’ll be creating these most every Friday evening and checking for updates on Saturday morning.

It happens that the agents scheduled to hold any given home open have to cancel at the last minute for whatever reason.  If you’re interested in a specific home and would like to see it, give me a call for a private showing, I’m happy to help.  This will ensure you get to see the home you’re interested in and minimize frustration.

The weather person says it could rain tomorrow.  Why not schedule a private showing when the weather clears up?  Give us a call to see any home in the South Placer County or Sacramento County areas.

For a private showing of any property on the map, please click here to contact me.  For a larger version of this map, click the link “view larger map” at the bottom center of the map.

Tags: Open Houses in Rocklin & Roseville This Weekend!

Buzz Word of The Year in Sacramento Real Estate

Last Year it was “R-E-O”

With all the moratoriums (I didn’t know how to spell “moratorium” until recently ) on foreclosures both in the state of California and nationwide, the amount of foreclosed homes has increased but not many of them are coming on the market.  Most of the REO/Bank Owned listing specialists inventories have been dramatically impacted by the banks holding onto homes rather than putting them up for sale.

Why?

In most areas of Sacramento, vacant but unlisted homes are everywhere.  Some streets more than others and some cities of the region more than others but they are there.  Why are the banks keeping these homes off the market?  Where is the flood of homes coming up for sale that will further depress the values in the Sacramento real estate market?

What would happen if they did put these homes on the market this year?  It wouldn’t be pretty, this much I know.

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Tags: real estate bulk sales, sacramento bulk sales

The 60 Day Escrow – If You’re Lucky

I recently had a transaction that I was working cancel due to, well, many things but the seller’s primary contention was that the buyer had not acted in good faith in obtaining the loan.  While there were many factors that contributed to the delay that were wholly the responsibility of the seller, it points to the fact that today’s mortgage industry is in a bit of a shambles.

Buyers who are submitting financed offers are not getting the attention from the banks unless they are the only offer submitted.  I’ve been working with two financed buyers since October of 2008 and getting them in escrow has been a challenge.  With my most recent experience with a financed transaction, I understand why.

“Interest Rates Still at All Time Lows”

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Tags: sacramento mortgage interest rates