The real estate market in Fair Oaks CA is recovering well!

I love Fair Oaks California, and one of my favorite things is how it is a little bit of everything. It is primarily a bedroom community, but it contains many small businesses and is very near large shopping malls and centers. It feels rural and is considered semi-rural, yet it is actually not that far from the "big city."

Its housing continues with the theme of having a combination of varied styles and sizes of homes. You can find McMansions next to tiny cabins, and up the street will be a tract of middle-sized homes.

It is this diversity of styles, sizes and prices that makes it an interesting place to live, though it can sometimes be challenging to arrive at comparable sales for listings.

There are several tracts that have been built through the years, but a large number of homes are custom, including some very old ones and some very big and new that have been built in the last few years. There are homes selling for as much as $2,000,000+ and a few under $100,000.

Preparing a market report for Fair Oaks California is therefore a different experience - particularly if it is to have any meaning. For that reason, I like to analyze the sales and active listings by price range. That way you can see what range has the most active listings and which is selling more.

It can also be useful to see the market trends, rather than a static snapshot of market conditions. Here is a graph showing how the market is improving over–all in Fair Oaks California, through all price ranges over the past 15 months.

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One problem with the news reporting is that they seem to pick out a very simplified set of numbers. They will say things like: There were fewer sales last month or prices are down.

My questions are: Fewer sales of what? And prices on what? Where? Those “news” statements don’t reflect my experience here in Fair Oaks.

Below are the past 15 months of Fair Oaks active listings, sales, and pendings (those for whom a contract has been submitted to escrow).

Here are records of Fair Oaks homes listed or sold at up to $299,000 between October 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011.

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The same information for homes listed or sold between $300,000 and $599,999.

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Homes listed or sold between $600,000 and $999,999.

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Homes listed or sold at $1,000,000 or more.

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As you can see, the trends are very different in different price ranges. This can give you an idea of where the market is stabilizing and where it is not yet settling down. Clearly the very high end market is a bit uncertain and the graph looks erratic.

But in most price ranges, there are fewer homes sitting on the market, more sales and pendings, and with multiple offers on the narrowing inventory, the prices are beginning to inch up.

With interest rates still historically low, now is a great time to buy. And with a smaller inventory, sellers have less competition, so it is also a great time to sell! Our local market is achieving a great balance – and that is good for all.

So I think you can see that the real estate market in Fair Oaks CA is recovering well.

Right now there are 2 homes listed in Fair Oaks, CA at over one million dollars. They are both spectacular and different. I would love to find just the right buyer for either of them.

Call me if you are interested in buying a home in the wonderful community of Fair Oaks, CA and I would be glad to help you in any price range that fits your budget.

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Susan Neal "Happy clients make me happy."
Broker / Realtor
Century 21 Noel David Realty
Fair Oaks, California

Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 30+ years experience.

I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction.

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916)705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

HUD homes resource Search HUD Homes

Phoenix Field, Fair Oaks California is a wonderful place to live!

Are you interested in learning about properties in the Phoenix Field area of Fair Oaks California? There are some really beautiful homes here and the Phoenix Field neighborhood includes one of the best parks in Sacramento County, with one of the few remaining protected vernal pools in the country.

The area has a fascinating history. It was developed on land that used to be a general aviation airport serving our area. The exact beginning of the airport is a little vague, but what we do know is that is was opened some time between 1946 and 1948, because it was not depicted on the September 1946 Sectional Chart, but it was on the 1948 chart, which described it as having a 2,200' unpaved runway.

The field was labeled as "Fair Oaks-Phoenix" on the March 1954 USAF Sacramento Sectional Chart. You can read some really interesting history of the flying lessons, changes in ownership, and the operation of the air field through the years at a website about Abandoned and Little Known Airports in the Sacramento area.

By 1987 the air field fell out of use and developers finally took over the weed-strewn area that had been used for a few years as a dirt bike riding park. Years later they began building what is now known as the Phoenix Field residential area, with all of the streets given aeronautical names in honor of the old field.

You will find streets with names like Runway, Approach, Propeller, Flyway, Kitty Hawk, Airport, Aileron, Wingtip, and others.

At the time of this writing, there are 8 homes for sale in the Phoenix Field development, priced from $209,500 to $450,000.

Here is a video I took driving through a little bit of the area, showing some of the homes, Little Phoenix Park, which is a neighborhood pocket park, and the large Phoenix Park across Sunset Avenue from the homes.

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One of my favorite things to do is to take an hour break in the day and to walk through the park and enjoy the beauty and wildlife in the vernal pools area. It’s also fun to visit the specially designated Fair Oaks dog park in one set aside part of Phoenix Park.

Phoenix Field, Fair Oaks California is a wonderful place to live!

If you are interested in learning more about this fascinating neighborhood and Phoenix Park, give me a call.

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Susan Neal "Happy clients make me happy."
Broker / Realtor
Century 21 Noel David Realty
Fair Oaks, California

Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 30+ years experience.

I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction.

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916)705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

HUD homes resource Search HUD Homes

How do you know if you’re getting a good deal

on a Fair Oaks home?

Many people who know that this is the right time to buy in the Fair Oaks California area, with prices affordable and interest rates low, still wonder whether they are getting a good deal when they find the home they want to buy.

Some may feel that the only way they can feel they got a good deal is if they paid less per square foot of house than the average for the neighborhood. That is certainly one consideration, but it is not the only one – especially in an eclectic, semi-rural area like Fair Oaks.

A good deal is different for each buyer - and each home, of course. One buyer might love the fact that the yard is large for the price, while another may think the upgrades make it a good deal.

One likes its proximity to something they value (shopping, bike paths, schools, or ?), and another simply likes the fact that it is priced lower than the one across the street with a similar floor plan.

But strangely enough, while buyers might spend up to an hour looking at each home they ultimately reject, they often find the one they want in moments. They tell me it just feels right.

You should be able to rely on your Realtor to review comparable sales in the neighborhood with you and explain how they apply to the home you are considering. But a true comparison must include comparing the features in a home that are important to you.

Do you feel that a home without a fireplace just doesn’t feel like home? Then when you are comparing one with and one without, realize that to you, a house with that feature is worth more. After all this will be your home and you can expect to live in it for at least several years and maybe much longer.

Which things can you comfortably live without and which things will you be unhappy to do without?

If you are getting all or most of the things you want in a Fair Oaks home that costs a few thousand more than another one that doesn’t have features you want, you are still getting a good deal, and you will be happy about your purchase for years with no regrets, as long as it fits your budget.

So really think about what is most important to you in your home, and be honest with your Realtor so she can find the perfect Fair Oaks home for you!

And that’s how you know you’re getting a good deal on a Fair Oaks home.

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Susan Neal "Happy clients make me happy."
Broker / Realtor
Century 21 Noel David Realty
Fair Oaks, California

Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 30+ years experience.

I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction.

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916)705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

HUD homes resource Search HUD Homes

Why make your Fair Oaks home so hard to sell?

I have been showing a lot of homes for my Fair Oaks area home buyers lately and I have encountered some things that are difficult to comprehend.

I realize that our local Fair Oaks area market is turning around and there are more and more homes that are selling very quickly and with multiple offers, but I still feel that sellers and their agents could make it a little bit easier to buy their properties.

For example, there was a Fair Oaks home listed in the MLS with showing instructions “Appointment with seller” and seller's phone number to call. It is one of the properties I had sent my clients for their review and they had selected it as one they wanted to see.

I called the phone number provided and instead of the phone ringing, a recording said “The Magic Jack customer you have called is unavailable, please leave a message,” so I left a voice mail message asking for a call back to set a time to show his house. After a couple of hours I still hadn’t heard back and we were trying to arrange our showing schedule, so I tried again – still no one but the recording answering.

After a couple more tries, I called the listing agent who told me that Magic Jack was the only phone he had, and since it works through the computer, he couldn’t receive calls on it. She said that he had lost his cable because he hadn’t been able to pay the bill and there was no way to reach him.

What???? So why does the listing say to call that number and make an appointment with him?

I asked her how my clients could go to see the house, and she said the only thing she could think of was to just go there and knock on the door, because he is “always home” and he will probably let us in.

We went as instructed, and there was a car in the driveway, but no one came to the door, despite our knocking several times and the dogs inside barking like mad. I left one of my business cards tucked in the screen door with a note saying we’d be back in about an hour. When we came back the card was gone, but there was still no answer.

My clients decided it wasn’t worth it. If it was this difficult to see the house, they figured it would be a nightmare trying to get a transaction done. So we moved on to other properties and won’t be going back to that one.

I can’t imagine how that Fair Oaks home will ever be sold. Too bad, because it looks like a nice place. So why make your Fair Oaks home so hard to sell?

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Susan Neal "Happy clients make me happy."
Broker / Realtor
Century 21 Noel David Realty
Fair Oaks, California

Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 30+ years experience.

I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction.

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916)705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

HUD homes resource Search HUD Homes

Wind and rain in Fair Oaks California

Normally we have some rain and now and then some windy days here in the Sacramento area, and in my home in Fair Oaks California we turn off the automatic sprinklers all winter, as they aren’t needed. This year we have had warmer weather and all of us in Sacramento area have wondered if we would ever have to dig out our heavier jackets – we’ve had days in the 70s much longer than any year I can recall – and NO RAIN!

A couple of weeks ago, we had 70s weather and we were out in short sleeves, and a few days later we were below freezing, but it lasted just two days and we were back to the mid-to-high 60s. Still no rain, and we had to continue to water our lawns and plants.

Well, we have finally got some of the wet stuff, and it came with a pretty strong wind too. I made a video of some of our rain and wind, but the strongest of the wind came in the middle of the night, so I didn’t get up to go out and film that!

Here is a small taste of what we had the last couple of days. I did not tape the heaviest of the rain, because I just didn’t want to go out and stand in the downpour. I did think about it, but chickened out at the doorway. So you’ll have to use your imagination.

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Rain and wind don’t stop the red or gray squirrels from coming to our patio door to beg for nuts, and since we feed them all the time, we certainly can’t stop when the weather is uncomfortable. That may be when they need us most. We usually toss a bunch of nuts out on the back lawn for them, but it’s also fun to put some by the sliders so we can watch them up close.

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We have lush and healthy trees and plants all over Sacramento County. Only Paris France has more trees per capita than Sacramento, and the wind and rain in Fair Oaks California are part of what keeps our area verdant and beautiful.

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Susan Neal "Happy clients make me happy."
Broker / Realtor
Century 21 Noel David Realty
Fair Oaks, California

Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 30+ years experience.

I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction.

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916)705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

HUD homes resource Search HUD Homes