Fair Oaks, CA

Comedy Under the Stars is back in Fair Oaks, Friday September 25 !

Come join the Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District for a night full of laughs! It's Comedy Under the Stars in Fair Oaks. Sacramento's "Laughs Unlimited" comes to Fair Oaks for an outdoor comedy show you don't want to miss, featuring some of the hottest comedy acts in the business.

The show is recommended for adult audiences only, and will be at the Veterans Memorial Amphitheater, 7991 California Avenue (in Fair Oaks Village). If you haven't been to the amphitheater for awhile, you should see it now. Many upgrades have already been made, and there will be even more in the future - it is a great venue!

Open seating begins at 7:00 pm and the show starts at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $12 if purchased in advance or $15 at the door.

What a great way to start the weekend. A Beautiful Friday night in Fair Oaks, laughing under the stars!

Because of show popularity of Comedy Under the Stars, it is recommended that you purchase tickets in advance. They can be purchased at the Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District or can be bought at the gate (based on availability).

No outside food or beverages allowed into the show. Food and Beverages will be available for purchase at the event. A portion of the proceeds will help the Fair Oaks Theater Festival fundraising efforts.

A fun night and a good cause. Can't beat that!

For additional information, please call (916) 966-1036

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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.

I happened to catch the new Dr. Oz show in TV a couple of days ago, and he had several experts on the program to discuss the H1N1 virus (swine flu) and ways to protect yourself from it. I took some notes and here is what I learned.

It has clearly become a pandemic according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The flu pandemic of 1918 killed 40 million people worldwide (including my mother's mother). One million people in the United States are already infected with H1N1, and WHO is predicting that up to 90,000 will die of it in the U.S.

They've determined that it began in Mexico, and is just one of those flukes of mutation. Somehow the human strain of flu and the bird flu combined in a pig and mutated into a new strain, which became H1N1. The difference between this new strain and the seasonal flu we get every year is that it spreads much more quickly and attacks mostly younger people. They believe that is because it is similar to a strain that hit in 1957, and people who may have gotten exposed to that flu may have some degree of immunity to this one.

Be alert for these symptoms as to the progression of the disease:

Day 0-2, there are usually no symptoms at all; day 3 aches and pains; days 4-6 fever, cough and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea; and days 7-10 you will either start feeling better or suffer breathing problems. If there is shortness of breath, seek medical attention, as it may be going into pneumonia or other complications that could be deadly.

If someone in your family gets sick, treat it as contagious like you would for a common cold. If you are caring for them, make sure that you don't get sick. They should wear a mask, but if they are having difficulty breathing so that they can't wear one, or if it is a small child, then you should wear a mask.

Very small children may have difficulty breathing, have dizziness or confusion, vomiting, bluish or grey looking skin, not waking from sleep easily, or seeming to get better, then worse.

To prevent complications: make sure to get seasonal flu shot AND the H1N1 shot. It takes about 2 weeks after the shot to have protection from the virus.

Other steps you can take to protect yourself and your children:

• Have basic cleaners and keep surfaces clean.

• Make sure that you and your children wash their hands frequently through the day and use sanitizers and wipes when you can't wash

• Probiotics and prebiotics will nourish the bacteria in your system that protect you against viruses (these include garlic, yogurt)

• Take basic supplements, and make sure to get vitamin D and North American ginseng

• Have regular emergency products, such as fever reducers, thermometer, aspirin (not for children), masks and electrolyte replacements.

Since you will be asked to self-quarantine, make sure that you are prepared not to have to go out in public while you are sick. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you have 1 month of supplies, including key foods and any medications that you take regularly.

And get your flu shots!

I hope you will spread the word and that we can make the predictions of WHO be wrong - the numbers can be reduced if everyone does their best to follow these recommendations.

Stay healthy!

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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.

Sellers: You can help your agent negotiate on your behalf so that you get your best deal. Whether you are a buyer or a seller, there are things you can do to make your transaction go much more smoothly. For this article, I'll be talking to sellers.

First, you should be very clear on what you want, what your priorities are, why you need that sum, and why you believe that your home should sell for the amount you want. Be realistic - clearly it would be great for your 1200 square foot home to bring a million dollars, but that is unlikely to occur.

Pricing: You should be prepared to listen with an open mind to the advice your agent provides, as he or she does this every day and knows what the market will bear. Have your agent show you how your home compares with others in your neighborhood that have sold recently. There will always be things about your home that are better than some others, and things about your home that may not measure up to others. Also, related to pricing are some of the concessions that may be asked of you.

Be honest in evaluating the condition of your home. If you know there are repairs that should be made, consider whether you should complete them before putting the house up for sale. If you cannot or will not do that, make sure your agent knows of the problems and suggest that your agent be allowed to offer credit into escrow for repairs, up to a certain amount.

Condition: Remember that your agent knows which features are the ones people want most. There are features of your home that you love, and for you, they add value. But to the general public, they may not be as important. Insisting that your agent place a dollar value on these may hinder his ability to negotiate for the best deal for you. An extreme example of this was the giant geometric pattern painted on the living room wall in one house - the colors were brilliant orange, green, yellow and purple. The seller had commissioned the work to be done and paid a few thousand dollars for it.

He was insulted and furious when told that the mural was a deterrent to a sale, when he felt it was an asset. And painting over it with neutral tones was out of the question. Keep in mind that your agent is not judging you and does not want to hurt your feelings, but if you are going to hire her to get you the best price for your home, you must trust that she knows what will sell and what will bring you the best price. There may be points for negotiation in costs of repairs, painting, carpeting, incentives for a short escrow if that is what you need, or just about anything - every seller and every buyer has different priorities. Often one of seller's needs can be traded for one of buyer's needs, and the transaction is successful for all.

You might think that with all of the home selling shows on TV these days, every seller would understand how clutter can make it difficult to show and sell your home. Unfortunately, one person's prized possessions are another person's clutter. Listen to your agent's advice on what to clear away until the home is sold. It may be that collections, groupings of family photos, craft projects, extra furniture, kids' toys, or other items in your home that are fine with you and fine for everyday living, may need to be stored while your home is on the market. Your home décor may be beautiful, but if it is personal to you, you may limit your potential buyers to just those whose style is the same as yours.

Showing: Some sellers do not want to disrupt their lives while selling their home, so they place restrictions on showing the home to potential buyers. If your home can only be shown during a 2 hour period in the evenings and not at all on Sundays, and a 4 hour notice is required, you will have very few showings. All agents and buyers are busy, and when they are available to look at homes, they will tour only the houses that are available to be seen at those times. There is nothing wrong with requiring notice, but it should be reasonable. If you have small children and you feel that notice is necessary, a good option is for the listing in the Multiple Listing Service to require agents to call the seller one hour before a showing. If there is no answer, a message should be left and the agent should then be called.

Your agent will explain the benefits of putting a lockbox on your property so that your home may be shown to buyers who are brought by a Realtor. Most of today's lockboxes are computerized so that they track every entry. They record who has been there, the date and time, and contact information so your agent can follow up with those agents who have shown your home.

Every now and then, a seller will ask not to have a for sale sign on their property. Once again, this limits the number of potential buyers. Many homes are sold to someone who just happened to be driving in a neighborhood, saw a sign, and called for an appointment to see the home. Not permitting a sign is a big mistake. The more exposure your home receives, the more potential buyers will give your agent the opportunity to negotiate with them.

Marketing: Once again, you should discuss with your agent how he will be marketing and promoting your home. There should be a heavy on-line presence, with ads and listings on a number of websites, and you should make certain that your agent will be doing other things as well. In many areas, advertising in the classified section of the newspaper gleans no results at all, as people in those markets do not think to go to the newspaper like they did 20 years ago. In other areas, a small local newspaper may be an excellent resource.

If your agent is a Realtor who is active in your local Association of Realtors, he will likely place your home on a broker caravan, and host dozens of Realtors to come to your home and preview it for buyer clients they may have. This is an excellent way to get exposure. Each of those Realtors will have buyers who may be looking for a home just like yours. These tours usually occur on a weekday morning. Make sure that you know when this tour will take place and prepare your home to show its very best that day. Your agent can give you some tips of how to make the best impression.

A well-advertised and promoted open house will also bring a number of buyer prospects. Your agent will welcome the guests and point out the best features of your home. Often, even if those persons to come to the open house are not interested, they may know someone for whom the house would be perfect. You can get a number of referrals from these people. Encourage your agent to try open houses. They should not be held every week, but once every few weeks until the house is sold will bring a number of prospects.

In summary, with your assistance and cooperation, your agent can make the best of his or her expertise. You are retaining this agent because of that expertise, so take advantage of it. Provide all of the information you can about the property, your priorities, your needs, and your concerns. Then trust that your agent will work for you to achieve your goals and address your concerns, while marketing your home for the best price he can get for you.

And that is why I say, "Sellers: You can help your agent negotiate on your behalf."

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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.

Come to the Fair Oaks Chicken Festival September 19

Celebrating the Chickens

If you are at all familiar with Fair Oaks Village, you know about our chickens. Hundreds of wild and beautiful chickens roam the Village, and they have been part of the character of our town for many years. They have even been the subject of national magazine articles. Families come to the Plaza Park in the heart of the Village to watch them, and children of all ages laugh and enjoy their antics. Some folks bring birdseed to feed them (please no junk food).

Finally, a few years ago, Fair Oaks decided it was time to celebrate the chickens that have brought us so much pleasure and so many visitors. Thus was born the Fair Oaks Chicken Festival! This is the fourth annual festival, and it is shaping up to be the best yet. And there is no admission charge. The festival and parking are free, as are shuttles to Plaza Park (see below).

Friday Night Barbeque

The celebration starts on Friday September 18 with a pre-festival barbeque in Village Park. Yes, there will be barbequed chicken, but no Fair Oaks chickens are harmed! There is a $15 charge for adults and $10 for children age 10 and under, but that is for the food. You can come and enjoy the fun and music even if you do not have dinner with us. You can buy the dinner tickets anytime between now and then at the Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District Office.

Big Day on Saturday

Breakfast

The big day will be on Saturday, September 19 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. If you would like to join us for an Old Time Country Breakfast, come to the Fair Oaks Community Club House, in the center of the park. All you can eat for $5.00 per person, with tickets being sold at the door.

"Music to Sooth the Savage Chickens"

Many people eat at home and then come directly to the park to just enjoy the free festival. Beginning at 10:00 am on Saturday, there will be live music all day on the Chicken Festival Stage in the Village -featuring Lightning Hand Band (10:00 - 11:30), the phenomenally popular Mumbo Gumbo (12:15-2:15), Driving Blind (2:45 - 3:45), and Funkengruven (4:15 - 6:00). There will be dancing in the street, so wear your dancing shoes!

Vendor Booths and Special Activities for Adults and Kids

There will also be a number of food and craft vendors from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, a barbeque cook-off competition (no Fair Oaks chickens will be harmed), and from 10:00 - 3:30, lots of kids' activities and events, including crafts, hug-a-pets, inflatables, face painting, and games for kids. And of course, there is a big people-sized chicken that all the kids want to hug and have their picture taken with. Last year a few attendees even brought their pet chickens with them, and children were allowed to pet them gently.

Microbrewers

For those who enjoy a delicious beer, there will be microbrewery beer tasting with music to sip by provided by "J's House," Featuring the following microbrewers: New Belgium Brewery - Fat Tire, Lost Coast Brewery, Killian's Irish Red, Blue Moon Brewing Company, Alaskan Brewing Company, Rubicon Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewery, Sacramento Brewing Company, and Lockdown Brewing Company.

Parking and Shuttles

There is limited on-street parking around the edge of the Village, but you can also park at several local parking lots and shuttle to the festival. Shuttles will run every 15-20 minutes from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm on Saturday, making stops at Scandinavian Design (4301 Fair Oaks Blvd at Winding Way), and you can also walk from there if you prefer. Just walk across Sunrise and up a short block to the park. There will be handicap parking at Russ Monroe's Village Chapel (corner of Winding Way and Fair Oaks Blvd). There may be additional shuttle stops at other parking lots, and once those are announced, I will update this post.

The main thing is to come and have fun!

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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.