About Madera County, CA

March 16, 2009, 8:02 AM PST

National Average Fixed Rate Mortgage
Down 1 Basis Points to 5.12% on 03-13-09
*A Basis Point (bps) is 1/100 of 1.00%

Fannie Mae Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) Up 4.9 basis points to 4.640%

Lock Advice: Float with Caution
The Mortgage Mentor rate indicator has returned to the neutral zone. The momentum is down.

DJI Stocks 7,284.27 Up 60.29 +0.83%

European and Asian Markets Up 1.84%

10 Year Treasury currently 2.95%

Crude Oil $44.73 per barrel, Down 3.29%

FREE ON-LINE MORTGAGE CLASS: FHA Everything You Need to Know,

Friday, March 20, 9:30-10:30 AM

2009 Conforming Loan Limits increased by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to $729,750 in high cost counties

Fannie Mae Now Allows up to 10 income properties

New Hope For Down Payment Assistance.A bill to reinstate reformed downpayment assistance was introduced by Congressman Al Green (TX) with bipartisan support and it will have the same language as unanimously passed last year by the House Financial Services Committee.

How To Apply For $8,000 First Time Buyer Tax Credit
Up to a $8000 Tax Credit is available from IRS

10 Ways to Avoid A Closing Nightmare
An easy list that will make your life easier

Headed for Yosemite, Bass Lake or points north off of Highway 41.

Next time take the road less traveled...Road 200. It is less congested than Highway 41, more scenic and a breath of fresh air. The recent construction of the roadway and straighten out some curvy sections and it's in great condition.

Be forewarned however, if you are headed to Yosemite the gas stations are few and far between if you travel this route. Fill up your tank in Fresno before you head for the mountains. There are two gas stations in North Fork and their rates are usually about 20-25 cents per gallons more expensive than in Fresno or Madera.

As you travel east on Road 200 you will pass through the very small town of North Fork. Once a very vibrant lumber town it is now just a drive through spot on the map. You can get a good deli sandwich at Gas & Stuff while you top off your gas tank. Drive all of the way through town until you come to the totem pole at Highway 274 then turn left. A steady uphill road will take you past Bass Lake on the left. Drive into the Village of the Pines for a snack or just a break.

Back on Road 274 (which turns into Road 222) you will eventually come back to Highway 41 just north of Oakhurst. Turn left to get back into town or turn right to head to Yosemite's southern entrance.

By the way, you may see signs suggesting the Scenic Byway Route out of North Fork but that is a full-day excursion on a less than great road AND is not advised except in the summer months. Snow on many of our high-country roads sometimes lasts through May.

Come on up and experience a slower pace in a beautiful area.

Most Californians are accustomed to our "golden" landscapes from lack of precipitation. BUT when it's green, WOW it's gorgeous. Right now is the perfect time to take a drive and see the green fields, hills and mountain sides.

Take a drive up Highway 41, headed north out of Fresno and discover the beauty that our area holds.

Notice the snowcapped peaks in the background

Drive through farm lands, vineyards, pasture lands, rolling hills, and then into the Sierra Mountain Range.

Highway 41 will take you through the small town of Coarsegold and into Oakhurst where Highway 49 intersects or you can stay on Hwy 41 and drive through forests of Ponderosa Pines and Redwoods to the southern entrance to Yosemite. Be sure to get gas in the valley and/or in Oakhurst as the only other station beyond Oakhurst are in Yosemite (Wawona) and quite spendy.

Stop at one of the many restaurants or grocery stores in Oakhurst and pack a lunch to enjoy along a creek or overlook as you head north.

The fresh, crisp mountain air is invigorating and rejuvenating! Enjoy the GREEN while it lasts.

LIVE STRONG, we've all seen and/or purchased the yellow bracelets, but this week my husband and I plus thousands of others in California got to experience the AMGEN bike tour, up close and personal.

We were volunteers for the race and I got to stand in the middle of the highway to direct the bikers on a major turn from highway 49 to highway 41. The only problem was it all went by SO-O fast. When they reached Oakhurst they were all bunched up, so from start to finish it took about 4 seconds for them to pass by. The breakaways were about 10 minutes in front of the group at this point.

We'd had 15 inches of snow on the previous day and the roads in the morning were treacherous and I was sure that the bikers would be rerouted but everyone pitched-in and they followed the planned route over our highest and most icy pass.

It was truly thrilling and I'm back to wearing my bracelet again. Bravo Lance and Amgen for all that you're doing for the battle against cancer!

Just a couple of photos from my intersection:

If a similar race come to your area, do go see it. Instead of the Tour de France, we had our own Tour de California and it was great!

When preparing a home for resale, updating lighting fixtures is one of my common recommendations. I have posted many blogs about this subject to include most recently, Fluorescent Lighting Updated, Thank Goodness.

Recently a client contacted Dream Interior Redesign and Staging to help with the renovation of a guest bathroom. This house is 40 years old and as typical of homes from that era, it had recessed fluorescent lighting fixtures in the kitchen and in this bath. The photos below show this type of lighting.

This lighting is VERY common in my area and I was determined to come up with a solution that would work for almost all applications.

Simply putting in an updated fluorescent fixture wasn't an option for more than one reason.

I have no before photos of the room before demolition because the home owner had already disassembled the original "box" knowing that something new was needed, The question was WHAT?

Here is the recessed box with the original fluorescent fixtures removed.

And here is the next step in the process:

Here's a close-up shot of the crown molding inside the box.

Now I have to share this great improvement with all of my previous clients and get busy helping them with this upgrade.

Call us today if you would like the same improvement in your kitchen or baths.

Dream Interior Redesign & Staging by Ginger Foust is a full service professional staging and redesign company serving the California foothill and mountain communities of Oakhurst, North Fork, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Bass Lake, Wawona and Mariposa. Click here to see a short slideshow with examples of our staging work. Also, visit our website at www.dreamredesigns.com or www.oakhurststaging.com for more information or call 559-877-2442.