Alturas, CA

To those of you who live in the big city, the word subdivision will seem misplaced when describing Modoc Recreational Estates particularly if you are accustomed to postage stamp size lots and cookie cutter style homes.

Modoc Recreational Estates is one of several "subdivisions" created in the 1960s from large ranch lands in the area. Modoc Recreational Estates has approximately 1873 lots with about 150 developed with homes. The average size lot is 1.47 acres. There are larger parcels available and a handful that are fractionally smaller than the average size.

The Estates, as we call it locally, has CC&Rs but they are far less restrictive and annoying than those in other parts of California. The CC&Rs revolve around park maintenance (small park around the Sons of Pioneers Lake - a water feature rather than a swimming or boating lake), road maintenance, minimum building requirements (home cannot be smaller than 500 square feet), property maintenance (keeping property free or debris and shrubs.)

The property owners dues for 2008 were $30 per lot per year. Quite low when you think about the high cost of association dues in the big city. I remember paying $275 a month for my condo in San Jose, California.

Because the dues are so low, road maintenance is only performed on roads with homes on them. Remote sites where no one is living will not have graded and graveled roads - it just isn't financially feasible. Once a home is in place with water and power that is when the Association will arrange for grading and graveling of the roads. However, there are a large number of property owners who won't pay their dues and because of this the budget of the association has been negatively impacted. You may be asked to contribute to the grading and graveling of your road when you are ready for year round access.

There are numerous absentee property owners for The Estates lots. Some have held onto their dream of having a home here for years, others, for various reasons are deciding to sell. There are a wide range of properties available.

A word of caution to anyone who decides to buyer directly from a property owner - be sure you run your purchase through an escrow with title insurance. Those property owners that haven't paid their dues for years have liens placed against their lots by the association. Those liens and the interest and penalties can accrue to a hefty amount. If you close your transaction with a Quit Claim Deed you have assumed the debt of that property and the association will make you pay it if you put in your home and expect a road. By running the transaction through an escrow the seller will need to clear up the lien in order for the title policy to be issued. It just makes good business sense for a buyer to protect his/her interests in the purchase of the property. If you need assistance with this process, give me a call - I've been through this many times with my clients.

With all this said - I love "The Estates" which is why my home is located there. If you're ever in the area and interested in more information, look me up. I'll be happy to assist you. I know the subdivision very well and the location of properties currently available for sale there.

It was a brisk 40 degrees out at 6:00 Saturday morning with folks scurrying about at Balloonfest 2008. It was fun watching the balloons spread out and then slowly inflated. I particularly liked the Humpty Dumpty Balloon.

Here are some of the photos that I took early that morning -- I've included a few of my favorites.

The children were all enthralled with the process and the adults were having a wonderful time too. All the balloons were sponsored by local businesses and individuals and balloon rides were also available for a price.

Well, it's here again, Modoc County Balloonfest 2008 is set to take off this weekend. If you've never seen one of these events, you are really missing out on quite a sight. The balloons contrasting so magnificently against a clear blue Modoc Sky -- what a sight to behold. The Alturas Chamber of Commerce organizes this event and does a great job every year. It will be a busy weekend. Here is the schedule of events.

Friday, September 12th, 6:00 pm, Balloonist and Sponsor Reception open to the public at Subway Restaurant at 12th and Main Street

Saturday, September 13th:

6:30 am: Pancake Breakfast, $5 per person at Sharp's Field, 4th & Josephine. It is amazing to see all the volunteers at work during one of these breakfasts.

Sunrise: Hot Air Balloons launch from Sharp's Field.

1:00 pm: Chili Cook Off at the Modoc High School Country Amphitheater

Dusk: Hot Air Balloon "Night Flow" at the Veteran's Memorial Park - weather permitting.

Sunday, September 14th

6:30 am, Continental Breakfast, $3 per peron

Sunrise: Enjoy the Hot Air Balloons flying to music above our community.

If you're in the area this weekend, don't miss this event. If you don't know where any of the event locations are located, don't worry, you'll probably find them driving around -- or just ask someone walking around in town. It's a friendly place and we're happy to point you in the right direction.

You've found an existing home in Modoc County that you LOVE! Great.

You've seen the road in the summer and it's a dirt road. Does it have gravel on it? Does it have ruts? It's easy to get to this house - no problem.

Until I lived in country home on a dirt road, I didn't understand the concept of "Modoc Mud." As someone once said, it's "slipperier than snot" and never mind the mud tires, the stuff sticks to your tires like "Dog Sh**" (my customer's description) and there is absolutely no traction. You're not going anywhere in Modoc Mud except for down as you spin your tires in it.

Check the condition of your access roads. If you have deep ruts and/or the road has no gravel - you are not going to have decent access in the winter. Many smaller home sites - 1-20 acres are in subdivisions with CC&Rs - the property owners association is probably responsible for grading and graveling your road. Make sure it gets done before rain and snow hit (usually September to October) for the season.

The last thing you want is not to be able to get out and about in the winter months.

Well, I never imagined that this would happen.

Last year I gave some thought to adding to my family -- no, not a child.

I thought about it and thought. Am I ready for this responsibility. It will be a lot more work. Then a friend of mine said that I need to call Luann. Now, I don't know Luann but I called her and visited her at her home. And still, I wasn't sure that I was ready.

But, my heart was won over. I simply couldn't resist -- must be my biological clock -- as many of you learned yesterday, I'll be 50 next week and the only "kids" I've had are my cats.

Well, now I have Bentley. Apparently a female pure bred chocolate lab got together with a Bad Boy Border Collie and produced a litter of 10, yes TEN puppies. The owner was going to have 7 of them put down -- but Luann came to the rescue. Out of 10 puppies, there was only 1 boy. Well, Luann and her sisters proceeded to bottle feed these babies on a regular schedule (not an easy task). I met the 3 that Luann had at her home when they were about 3 weeks old. They were so cute and cuddly. And I fell for Bentley right away. Over the next 2 weeks I went over to Luann's home and helped with feeding. By the time they were 5 weeks old, they were already on solid food and Bentley came home with me.

I had a lot of time to prepare for Bentley -- I cleared out the puppy section at a Petsmart. I realized as I drove home (the nearest Petsmart is 3 hours away - I had a lot of thinking time), there aren't as many cat aisles or options for cats as there are for dogs. I spent a whopping $1,000 -- oh dear, this was a sign of things to come.

And YES, I humiliated my poor little boy on his first Christmas.

Bentley is now 9 months old, weighs in at about 60 lbs, exuberant, enthusiastic, fun, good natured, too smart for his own good, and a wonderful companion. Right now he is curled up next to me -- his favorite spot in my office.

The wonderful thing about Modoc County is that this is DOG COUNTRY. Everyone here either has dogs or loves dogs. He comes to the office with me everyday. He goes around town with me everyday. And, he is great ice breaker no matter where I go. People are immediately put at ease -- after all, how can you be uptight with a squirming, wiggling, licking, lovable mass of puppy.

So, even though I vividly recall my terror as I drove home from Luann's house that Wednesday afternoon thinking "what have I done -- I have a dog!", and even as I still wipe out the dog aisle at Petsmart buying treats, toys and other interesting dog items, Bentley has become my daily companion and my AMBASSADOR OF GOOD WILL at my business.