Jessica Bigger~Eureka CA Historic & Luxury Homes

I don't know about you, but where I live there are always signs of nature that represent the changing of the seasons. Here we are in the Fall and this is the only time of year in Eureka California that the Pumpkin Spiders come out. I think they get their nick name "Pumpkin" because of their orange brownish color and the fact that they start appearing around Halloween time. They're all over my yard every Fall.

Even though I'm not a huge fan of spiders, (although they are part of the eco-chain), I have to admit these are the most beautiful spiders I have ever seen in the states. I've seen plenty of incredible spiders in Latin America, but never anything as amazing as the Pumpkin Spider that hangs out in my backyard.

The Pumpkin Spider's seasonal visit to my Eureka California home is one of the many nature treats I look forward to during the year. This is also the time of year that we start hearing large flocks of Canada Geese fly over our house. It's incredible to wake up early in the morning and see the sky filled with these incredible birds. Oh, and I love the sound of their calls as they fly by.

Not to mention this is the time of year for all bird migration. So I'm lucky to get many visitors this time of year: Cedar Waxwings, Chesnut backed Chickadees, the occasional warbler and more.

You can live right in town and still experience the great wonders of the wild, right in your own backyard here in Eureka California, just like I do every season in my own backyard.

Copyright 2008 Jessica Bigger. All Rights Reserved. *You Know it's Fall in Eureka California When the Pumpkin Spiders Come Out to Play*

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Visit www.GoHumboldtHomes.com for information about the Humboldt County Real Estate Market and to learn more about what our community has to offer!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle –Green Tips for Humboldt County California Living

The current discussion with Eureka City Council, here in Eureka California is “Mandatory Garbage/Recycling Pickup”. Now I know it hasn’t been implemented yet, and there are mixed feelings from the local community about making garbage and recycling roadside pickup mandatory, primarily because you will be billed for the service whether you use it or not. But the city is moving in that direction in an effort to reduce waste to it's landfills as well as deter illegal dumping.

Personally the idea doesn’t bother me much, because Dave and I make a huge effort to reduce, reuse and recycle the waste we generate. My philosophy is if it can’t be recycled, put in the compost machine or given to the dog, then and only then do we throw it away.

So pickup service makes it easier for us. At least we can carry less to the Eureka Recycling Center. But in the mean time, while the city continues the discussion about mandatory garbage and recycling pickup, for those of you interested in living a greener lifestyle, here’s a few things you can do to get started.

Do you want to lower your garbage rates, improve your flowerbeds and gardens and improve not only yours, but you community’s quality of life?

There are so many ways to decrease the amount of waste you send to the landfills. Here’s a few:

1) Recycle instead of throwing recyclable items in the garbage:

The Eureka City Recycling Center and the Arcata City Recycling Center recycles almost everything you can imagine, even chipboard (which your cereal boxes are made from). And the center has made it easier than ever to drop off your recycling, by combining recyclable materials so you have less recyclables to sort out at home.

Now all paper products: chipboard, cardboard, newspaper, magazines, and office paper go in the same bin. While glass, aluminum cans and all plastics go into another bin. That way you spend less time figuring out where everything goes when you are there. Dave and I make a trip to the recycling center about every other week and it literally takes us less than five minutes to dispose of all our recyclable waste.

Each recycling center is different. You’ll have to check your local recycling center to see what recyclables they will accept.


2) Compost

It’s easy to do and all you need is an Earth Machine to get you started. You can get yours at the Eureka Recycling Center, and it’s very affordable. You just find a place in your yard (preferably in a corner furthest away from your house – it will smell quite organic at the beginning when you get started). And you literally put all your unused veggies in here. No meat or dairy products allowed. However, you can put egg shells in your composter. You occasionally want to stir up your compost mixture, and by next spring (especially if you started in the Fall) you will have rich compost to put in your garden beds.

3) Doggie Scraps

We usually save any scraps of meat, some of the fat trimmings and any unused bread that we don’t use in our cooking and collect it in a large yogurt container. After a couple of weeks the container is full and we boil it down for the dog. I call it the “Glop”. We use this as a supplement in addition to his dry kibble. We’ve been doing this with my dog Benjamin for a couple of years now. His coat is much shinier and healthier looking and he looks forward to the daily treat.

Because of the items above we only need to use the smallest available garbage bin.
The smallest bin you can buy in Eureka is a 20-gallon bin, which only costs around $13 a month.

So there you have it, some tips to get started on living a Greener Lifestyle. Stay tuned for other tips on easy affordable ways to reduce your energy costs while helping the planet at the same time.

Copyright 2008 Jessica Bigger. All Rights Reserved. *Reduce, Reuse, Recycle –Green Tips for Humboldt County California Living*

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Visit www.GoHumboldtHomes.com for information about the Humboldt County Real Estate Market, Green Homes as well as information about what our community has to offer!

I just read Liz Moras's most recent post in the rain, It's Just a Matter of Perspective Isn't It? An Elephant Story. She has some great insight definitely check out the blog. But it inspired me to take this concept of "Perspectives" in a different direction. It definitely got me thinking about how we seem to compare markets and that can cloud our perspective.

The best example I can give you is housing prices. A 1500 square foot home in excellent condition might sell for say $700,000 or more in Santa Cruz CA (yes, even in today's market). However, here in Humboldt County California, specifically in the Eureka CA Real Estate Market, a similar home would sell for $275,000 to $320,000. Actually there are shacks in certain markets that are selling for a lot more than $250,000. It may not be everything you dreamed of, but it is what it is.

Same goes for what's happening in our market compared to other markets in the nation. Some markets are experiencing a significant drop in price while others are not. Stockton I believe has dropped at least 40% so far with the foreclosure market at an all time high. The Humboldt CA Real Estate Market has dropped around 10% so far in the past year or so, a big difference compared to other markets. And so far, there have been around 25 Bank Owned Properties that sold over the past year now (most of the Bank Owned homes that have been listed in Humboldt County - many you will find in Eureka alone - did sell).

My point is this...Everything is relative. I've had several buyers tell me that they just can't believe how a 1500 square foot home for $250,000 would actually sell in Eureka California, when they can get a 2500 square foot estate in Kentucky for less. Again, everything is relative. A lot has to do with the market you live in. There are always reasons why one area's home market is higher or lower than another. A lot has to do with the local economy and other factors, like whether you are in a desirable coastal community or living in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest.

California has always been a desirable area to live in. And I'm sure even in this tough market, people will still move here. Prices may continue to drop steadily in our area and that is to be expected, because of our current financial situation - many buyers will no longer qualify for a loan. But the home is worth what it is worth for our local market. If ten 1500 square foot homes have sold in the past month for $250,000, it doesn't matter that you can buy the same home for $150,000 in a different market. The going rate is what the sales price is for that local real estate market.

If you are considering buying a home in Humboldt County California or anywhere else for that matter, comparing our market to the market you just moved from isn't going to help you find the right home today, because everything is relative. Make sure you work with a Local Real Estate expert who can show you what homes have been selling for in our area. The goal is to own your own home. So let's work together to get you accurate home sales information for the area so you can start living.

Copyright 2008 Jessica Bigger. All Rights Reserved. *You May Get Less House for the $$$ in Humboldt County CA Than in Kentucky - But it's All Relative*

Visit www.GoHumboldtHomes.com for information about the Humboldt County Real Estate market and to learn about what our community has to offer.

I got a phone call from my husband this morning telling me, "You need to read the Eureka Reporter. You're on the front page and they wrote a great story about you too!"

A story about me? I knew that the Eureka Reporter was going to publish a story about the upcoming networking event for local women business owners that the Women Entrepreneur's Institute would be hosting on Oct 9th (I volunteer my time as their Marketing Director), but I didn't realize that they tailored the story around me.

I remember being interviewed by Ashley Bailey (Business Editor for the Eureka Reporter). So thanks Ashley for the nice plug!

Here's a short clip from the article, click on the link below to see the whole story. Pretty Cool!

"Jessica Bigger isn’t afraid to take risks.

After a series of career changes — she had considered veterinarian school, then kicked that for a promotions gig in radio — Bigger took a leap and started her own business.

Managing her business as a realtor under Ming Tree GMAC Real Estate’s Realtor Associates is a fairly new thing for Bigger, but with the support of the Women Entrepreneurs Institute (WEI), a nonprofit organization for local businesswomen, she has been able to move forward with success..."

Local Businesswomen Support Each Other Through Nonprofit by Ashley Bailey

Copyright 2008 Jessica Bigger. All Rights Reserved. *My Featured Story in the Eureka Reporter - It Was a Nice Surprise!*

Visit www.GoHumboldtHomes.com for information on the Humboldt County real estate market or to just learn more about what our community has to offer.

It's great to see that the New York Times thinks Humboldt County California is a great place to travel to. I love when we hit national news. It's just fun to see that we really aren't as remote as people think we are. Because as far as I'm concerned Humboldt County is one of California's best kept secrets for affordable coastal living, and outdoor attractions:

1) Walk for miles on many of our untouched (undeveloped) beaches or get adventurous and head to some of the more rockier shores North of Eureka.

2) The great Ancient Redwoods are always inspiring.

3) Water sports, hiking, climbing? You name it, we got it!

Beth Greenfield wrote the article about her travels through Humboldt County California. Definitely check this out. She did a great job describing her trip (it was like reading a passage from Lonely Planet or the Frommer's Guide...very descriptive), just check out the first sentence of the article...WOW!:

"ALONG California's mystical redwood coast, 1,000-year-old trees as much as four times the height of the Rockefeller Center Christmas spruce command rocky bluffs that overlook golden, frothy beaches."

Land of the Giants (by Beth Greenfield of the New York Times)

Copyright 2008 Jessica Bigger. All Rights Reserved. *Humboldt County California A Great Travel Destination According to the New York Times*

Visit www.GoHumboldtHomes.com for information about the Humboldt County Real Estate Market and what our community has to offer.