Okay, so the truth can be ugly. I get that. I grudgingly read the real estate news every day. Not because I want to hear how dreadful things are (because I don’t), but because it’s my job to keep my fingers on the pulse of the industry that I have committed to represent. Mostly, I want to be able to give my clients the best direction possible. As we all know, this here American Dream of ours (home ownership), has a big stinkin’ dent in it. We can’t deny that money is tight. We’ve got something like 19 million vacant homes across the country, a bad-bank-property management set up, tons of people outta work, and still others struggling to keep their heads above water. Oh, and of course that doesn’t negate the regular crappy stuff that goes on….sick kids, bills that need to be paid, people... 08/31/2010

Summer is coming to a close.  Before we know it, we'll be out shopping for Halloween costumes.  The season is shifting.  We still have some hot days ahead but I can already smell autumn in the air. I'm looking forward to wrapping up in my cozy throw and sipping hot chocolate in the evenings.  My favorite is hot cocoa with no sugar and foamy melted marshmallows stirred in.  Without the sugar I can really taste the chocolate and the marshmallows give it just the right blend of sweetness.  As the days get shorter and darkness comes before 6 PM, there is a sense of home and hearth; wanting to nest.  Listen to the crackle of the fireplace.  Scent my home with cinnamon, vanilla and spice.  Bake bread. There are places to go that I love to visit in the fall.  Apple Hill, and the Chicken Festi... 08/28/2010

This week in Carmichael has been hot but finally the delta breezes are blowing and it's cool enough to take a stroll in the neighborhood.  What I really want to do is go for a bike ride along the American river.  Ancil Hoffman park is just up the street from me.  What is it that makes me procrastinate?  Just do it! Right? We took this photo just minutes after the firetrucks arrived at the Twin Oaks Apartments fire in Carmichael on Wednesday.  We were sitting in our living room about half a mile away and heard a loud explosion and felt it too. The full story is on the KCRA Channel 3 As Seen On TV blog.   The fire did some major damage and there are more photos on the news page, however, the reason I am writing about this is that there is one spectacular photo that was taken at the scene.... 08/27/2010

08/25/2010

What I wanted to title this post, “The Term ‘Clear Title’ Gets a Hair Cut,” but I wasn’t sure home buyers would know what it meant, and therefore, possibly miss out on something that could be, um, IMPORTANT. So here’s the deal: back in the day of easy equity, 100% loans and all that jazz, getting a pre-lim from title (a preliminary report) was just kind of a standard (but required) process of buying a house. To explain, a title report pulls up any and all liens that might exist on a property. Basically, when you buy a house, the escrow officer is the neutral, third party who gives the seller the money from the buyer (or bank), and the buyer the title to the home. Money is easy to understand…but title is a bit more tricky to grasp.     You can compare title on your Sacramento house to ti... 08/24/2010

Sacramento Home buyers, Sacramento home sellers and real estate professionals all over the country...what is it that inspires you?\ 08/23/2010

08/20/2010

  Okay, so it’s time we have a heart to heart discussion on Sacramento housing. Quite frankly, I’m getting sick and tired of hearing these doom and gloom reports, but it seems that the media is dead-set intent on taking all the worse news and repeating it, exaggerating it and cementing it into our consciousness. If you think all this negative news doesn’t affect your life and the cumulative consciousness of our county guess again. First off, let’s do a little reality check, shall we? Is this the worst time in history for housing prices? Yep. Are we in a recession? Ah huh. Are a lot of people without jobs right now? You bet. Are half the nation’s homeowners underwater on their property? Affirmative. Is it harder than ever to get a loan. Oh yeah! So there’s your facts. How’s it make you ... 08/19/2010

08/18/2010

I always knew it would happen. With four kids, one is bound to eventually pick up and move away from my cozy little Carmichael lair. When our oldest left, we ranted and raved, and now, three years later, she lives only six city (Carmichael) blocks away. She works up the street at Eskaton Village, and attends school at University of Phoenix where I taught for years. The second daughter moved a little farther away (Elk Grove Area), but is still only a  phone call or facebook chat away—and she is a proud graduate of Paul Mitchell Academy, so you know who gets the best hair care if town (me). That leaves the other two. My only son is still here, and I’m considering building on so he will stay! However, my baby, my youngest wild child, Jessica, has officially flown the coop. What makes this ... 08/16/2010

Last night some poor guy was quietly shopping in Big Five when a zebra trotted by.  "WWHHHAaaaa....!!" "Guess who?", said my hubby at the breakfast table, peering over his Dean Adell bifocals, paper in hand. "It's gotta be Michael." In deed it was. Michael is a mule trainer, mule trader,  horse trainer, zorse breeder (zebra/horse - get it?), zebra breeder, who is trying to raise a baby zebra to be gentle. (Yeah... try to fit THAT on a business card!  His just says Michael Mastagni Mules... MMM for short.) He's also been known to have a few camels... but I digress. He's a shit-on-the-boot-wearing, big-hat, speaks-with-a-cowboy-twang Carmichael boy with a passion for 4-hoofed animals. The fact he is working on his Masters Degree in business belies his good-ol-boy persona. My daughter met ... 08/15/2010

As a Sacramento real estate college professor and full-time agent, I take a special interest in case law that affects our industry. Basically, whenever a lawsuit involving real estate hits the books, it tends to set precedence, which can clearly have an impact on other people who experience similar circumstances.   One the subscriptions as an instructor is to the Bob Bruss Legal Newsletter, so when I read it today, I nearly jumped up and down with joy over this headline: Bank Can Be Held Liable for Oral Promise To Postpone Foreclosure. One of the biggest issues homeowners who are underwater and in trouble face today is that they try to get a loan modification or do a short sale, then just when they think things are fine, up goes the auction poster on their front door. So sure, the homeo... 08/12/2010

On my killer off-road mountain biking adventure this weekend, I was reminded of how important it is to keep my eyes and mind where they need to be. Although I don’t profess to be Lance Armstrong, riding up and down gravel- and rock-covered mountains remind me of a roller coaster ride, only there’s no seat-belt, so I need to steer accurately and watch where my tires go. Gravel is fine, and bigger, smoother rocks are okay too, but those small rocks that are about the size of a golf ball can be a real bitch (pardon my language, but no other words seems quite as suitable). You’ve got to avoid those rocks because they’re just big enough to throw your tire off, causing you to wipe out. This is not so bad going up hill, but trust me, when you’re sailing down hill at a pretty good clip, and the... 08/11/2010

Tune into the radio show every Wednesday at 10 AM or catch the podcast later: RADIO Find a home anywhere in or around Sacramento! 08/11/2010

Susan Neal | Century 21 Noel David Realty | (916) 705-8951 4724 Pedersen Way, Carmichael, CA Great home near Del Campo Park and High School, short sale bargain! 4BR/2+1BA Single Family House offered at $205,000 Year Built 1970 Sq Footage 1,744 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size .15 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION This Carmichael short sale is near parks and schools, has great floor plan, and is a good buy for homeowner or investor. There are two SMUD liens for the windows and HVAC system, and seller will attempt to have those covered in the short sale. But even if buyer has to pay those, the balance on them is much lower than the cost of the improvements, and they have significantly reduced the heating and cooling costs of the home. B... 08/01/2010

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07/20/2010

Tree encroaching on your property?  Here's an interesting solution. I was showing property in Carmichael California yesterday and this is what I found in a shady corner of the property - to keep the shade, I guess, they simply built the fence with a hole in it for the tree to poke through. The tree seems pretty happy with the situation.                                 ************ Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy." For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com. 07/16/2010