If you get Wall Street Journal's columnist Yoder & Son in your paper, check it out this morning. I'm in it.
I love this guy. His post is always about an issue he is having with his son, Isaac, who is just graduating from high school. Steve writes the first half of the article from his perspective, then Isaac writes the second half, always on a topic about Isaac's upbringing. Isaac's viewpoint always impresses me, being well-thought out, responsible, with the kid slant you still want to see.
Recently they wrote about whether Isaac should work for money his first summer out of high school, or travel and seek adventure. The Sunday it appeared, I hopped from my chair and slammed a out my response to them. It appeared in this morning's column....
"I vote for travel and mind-expanding experience," writes Sally Dunbar of Fair Oaks, CA. "If you were a slacker, Isaac, I would vote for the job, because that would be the lesson for you to learn. But you are not... Go do something fun, out of the box." She herself left college for nine months to go backpacking in Europe, and came back "supercharged for life." When her daughter graduated from college, she says, "I advised her to not look for a job 'til the end of the summer. 'Travel, as far as you can go,' was my advice." Her daughter went to Thailand for a month, and eventually found her dream job as a financial analyst."
Once, Dear Abby had a column about something I was HOT HOT HOT about. I fired off an email without much thought to the consequences. It involved working women who made more than their husbands, but downplayed the role of the husbands. That fried my tires.
I wrote about all that my husband did as a volunteer for our community - build school playgrounds, install play structures, fix the flipping sprinklers on our local softball fields, coach softball... on and on. Imagine my surprise when the next Sunday, there it was. And here I thought they made that stuff up. As my face turned beet red, and prickly sensations took over my head, I caught the eyes of my daughter. I silently slid the paper over to her. I'll never forget the look on her face as she recognized her Mom's unidentified writing.
So enjoy your Sunday paper. And if you feel like resonding to a columnist, go for it. There really is someone out there listening.
Have you ever written a columnist and been published?
flickr photos by Larry he's so fine, Phil Moore and Enrico Fuente
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Check out my other posts that might be of interest.....
HOME BUYERS AND SELLERS..........Buying a Home, Selling a Home, Loans, What Happens if....
LOCAL INFO................................. Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Sacramento, Folsom, Citrus Heights
ABOUT SALLY DUNBAR.................. How I learned to...., Personal stuff, My Wordless Photos
OTHER STUFF............................... Inspiration, Attitude, Humorous Stuff, Charity, the Economy
TECHNOLOGY, BLOGGING ............. Active Rain, Technology
It's been a wild ride for homes sales in Fair Oaks, California, but for 2 months in a row we have had huge increases in the number of sales.
Sales doubled in March over the preceeding month, from 18 to 38, then increased another 10% in April, to 41.
And all the while inventory has been dropping to it's lowest numbers in over a year. With 42 pending sales out of the 132 homes on the market in Fair Oaks, that's roughly 1/3 of the homes selling in one month.
Compare that to one year ago, when only 1/5th of the homes sold.
But what effect have the increased sales had on the prices, you ask? April saw an overall increase in the average price per square foot from $143 to $149. That's down from a high of $194 last April.
Remember, this is for all price ranges. In general, the lower priced homes are going to sell for much different per-foot-prices than luxury homes.
But one thing is for sure... it's tough to build as cheaply as our homes are currently selling for.
We are in a market that may be the best buyer's market you'll ever see. Low prices, low interest, and some selection.
If you want stats on a specific price range, just holler on over. I can zero in on price for you, or provide stats for any other Sacramento area neighborhood.
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Check out my other posts that might be of interest.....
HOME BUYERS AND SELLERS..........Buying a Home, Selling a Home, Loans, What Happens if....
LOCAL INFO................................. Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Sacramento, Folsom, Citrus Heights
ABOUT SALLY DUNBAR.................. How I learned to...., Personal stuff, My Wordless Photos
OTHER STUFF............................... Inspiration, Attitude, Humorous Stuff, Charity, the Economy
TECHNOLOGY, BLOGGING ............. Active Rain, Technology
As if getting to be your own landlord isn't enough, now Uncle Sam wants to give you $8K for buying a home. Unbelievable? Yes. True, also YES.
But there are ALWAYS catches, right? Yes, but not many.
Mainly that you gotta be a first time home buyer. So, principle residence only, and you can't have owned a home in the past 3 years. Good on that one?... then read on.
You must close escrow on your home by November 30th, 2009, and is retroactive to January 1, 2009.
It has income limits, and starts to phase out at $75K income for singles, and $150K for couples filing jointly.
Can you get it now? Absolutely. You can file an amended return for 2008. Then start spending, baby.
How much? The credit is 10% of your home's purchase price, or $8,000, whichever is less. There is no repayment, unless you sell your home within 3 years.
If you are clever, you are probably asking if you can use the $8,000 as your downpayment. Before yesterday, I would have smacked your nose for being so silly. But hey.... yesterday HUD announced they would make bridge loans availble to buyers who qualify to enable use of the $8K for a downpayment. That is huge. Call me to check on how that is being implemented. It's too new to tell at this point. (Update... a day later, I hear they have pulled this off the shelf already. So you may NOT be able to use it for your down payment.... stay tuned...)
So.... pretty slick, huh? It's a total gift, inspired by the Fed's desire to jumpstart our housing market and get the money flowing again. Why not let a little of it flow into your pocket?
For more details, check out the NAR site .
flickr photo by 13 faves
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Check out my other posts that might be of interest.....
HOME BUYERS AND SELLERS..........Buying a Home, Selling a Home, Loans, What Happens if....
LOCAL INFO................................. Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Sacramento, Folsom, Citrus Heights
ABOUT SALLY DUNBAR.................. How I learned to...., Personal stuff, My Wordless Photos
OTHER STUFF............................... Inspiration, Attitude, Humorous Stuff, Charity, the Economy
TECHNOLOGY, BLOGGING ............. Active Rain, Technology
Next week I have been invited to speak to the Sacramento Board of Supervisors about the impact of our area parks on home values. As I am preparing my comments, I am wondering what you would tell your Supes. What advise do you have for me?
It seems to me most of our finest neighborhoods are near our parks. We have William Land Park, McKinley Park, Curtis Park, Ancil Hoffman Park, Goethe Park, just to name a few. We have the Effie Yeaw Nature Center where our area school children learn. But best of all, Sacramento Area is blessed with the American River, with its miles of protected parkway. With walking trails, horse trails and miles and miles of paved bike trails, the parkway defines what I love about our area.
But the impact on home values..... Hmmm. I've got some interesting ideas on how to formulate my 3 minutes of fame, and some major number crunching to do.
The issue here is budget cuts.... and huge proposed cuts to our park programs. If it can be shown that our parks keep prices up, that would ultimately keep taxes up, as well, which means they pay for themselves.
What do you think? Do the condition and improvements at your area parks effect your home values?
flickr Photo by etgeek, mrmitch, and pete baer.
I've been living in and loving Fair Oaks since 1979, and I can't think of a place I would rather live or raise my kids in.
Join me on a brief tour of my Fair Oaks, the way I love it.
For more information on Fair Oaks Homes for sale, give me a call, or search the entire MLS at www.SallyDunbar.com
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For Real Estate in the Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Orangevale, Gold River, Citrus Heights and Sacramento areas of California. I focus on doing what is right for my clients, regardless of my personal gain.
Whoooeeeeee! It's been a long time. 30 years as a broker, and I've loved it... well most of it. There have been a few yahoos along the way, but mostly great people, many who have become my good friends whom I have sold homes to multiple times. I'm mainly in my beautiful town of Fair Oaks, (on the bluffs of the American River, upstream of Sacramento, with the cutest old town known for its wandering chickens), but venture into Orangevale (an eclectic mix of horse property dotted with infill tuscan-style estates), Citrus Heights (good values), Carmichael (where my rental is and my daughter lives), Gold River (beautiful planned development on the banks of the river with miles of bike trails), Folsom (there's more than the prison where Johnny Cash sang - a quaint old town with Victorian homes and access to sublime boating, biking, bar-b-ques, beaching, and... bookreading? ... at Folsom Lake), El Dorado Hills (gorgeous, views, with beautiful homes), Granite Bay ( famous for its schools, rural properties and estate developments, like Los Lagos), Roseville (has everything, plus a super business center), Rocklin (rural bucolic life plus gazillions of newer lovely subdivisions) and Sacramento itself (where I grew up, and hey... Arnold's weekday home!)
Wanna check out homes for sale in some of my favorite Fair Oaks neighborhoods? Here ya go... Old Fair Oaks Village, Northridge Country Club area, Phoenix Field, and Rollingwood. Or if you simply want to search for the good deals on foreclosures, go here.
Yesterday my client suggested I was a real estate encyclopedia, which may have been an accusation that I'm square and use way to many words, or a compliment that I really do know my stuff. I guess sometimes its both.
CREDENTIALS
AWARDS AND HONORS
Additionally, in 2006 Sally Dunbar was chosen out of 900 agents to receive Lyon Real Estate's prestigious C. Mike Messina Memorial Award for excellence and professionalism.
I have been married to David Dunbar for nearly 30 years, and he's still my sweetie... love that guy to death. He's a contractor who only does things one way - the right way. We have a ton of fun together.
We have 2 daughters, and we should have had more, but who knew they would be so entertaining and fabulous? Roxy is a Financial analyst and UC Davis graduate. She saves me every time I'm half-way through a spreadsheet and realize I am not a financial analyst. Thank God those things email well. She's a great dancer, and we both have an obsession for cowboy boots. Christy is a Senior at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and is another great dancer. She's our comedian, and has brought the joy of newfangled music to my life. Thanks to her, my favorite group is Incubus, and Everlong can bring me to tears! I have lived in Fair Oaks since 1979, having returned to Sacramento from Santa Barbara, where I had lived since high school (don't ask who would leave Santa Barbara for Sacramento... it was for love, and it was the best choice i ever could have made!). Our family loves this area, and is involved in bike riding (ask about our world-class bike trail), sailing (on Folsom Lake), walking our fabulous trails (you feel like Lewis and Clark), snow boarding (I found a two carat diamond ring in the snow once), water polo, swim, and occasional jaunts to Sand Mountain and Florence Oregon where we go duning with our extended family (ask about our dutch oven pies).
I love my area and can't wait to show it to you! And I promise you, we'll have fun! (If you have skipped over my discreet links above, I'm done with gentle reminders! You HAVE to watch my video of what I love about Fair Oaks. It's my town, and I LOVE it. I want to share it with you. Aw come on... tried to drop subtle hints!)
I hope you will have fun prowling around my blog. Check out my posts on BUYING A HOME, SELLING A HOME, STAGING, Getting a loan, the Economy, Things I've learned in life, and some fun stuff just for thigh-slappin fun.
I'LL ALWAYS DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR MY CLIENTS.
A few years ago, Gloria called me to list her home on the bluffs of the American River. I was excited! She then confided she was recently widowed, and needed a change. She was sad. I told her she had the best investment she could possibly find - a rare home with a smashing river view. I suggested she strip wallpaper, repaint, install new carpet, replace her windows (to improve her view!), and paint-out her dark-beamed ceilings. And to then see if she needed a change. So she did. And today, 8 years later, Gloria is still enjoying the view from her lovely new windows. And her home has tripled in value! While I talked myself out of a sale, it was the right thing for Gloria!
I do the right thing for my clients because it's the best way to lead your life. If you want to buy or sell, call me. We'll figure out the best way to proceed, then we'll make it happen. You have my word! And if that means encouraging them to do nothing. then I've done my job well.
DRE lic # 00809499
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TESTIMONIALS about Sally Dunbar
"I know many real estate agents in the Sacramento area, but when it came to choosing an agent to list and market my elderly parent's home in Del Dayo Estates, I knew I wanted Sally to be the one. She is enthusiastic and diligent with her listings and her follow-up in the whole process was fabulous. She was wonderful and patient with my dad and kept all of the family members informed each step of the way. I highly recommend Sally for all of your real estate needs." Patti Codiga
"Sally really knows her stuff." Dr. Gregg Heise
"After 274 days on the market with another reputable agency we called Sally. She presented her marketing plan, and walked through our home and made several suggestions, which we implemented immediately. With her changes, our home just shined! She had an offer for us in 11 short days. Even better, we closed in 15 days. Sally's professionalism, candor, and expertise were the best gifts we gave ourselves for the holidays!!!! We will always recommend Sally to our friends and family." Curtis and Rosemary Asby
"Sally is a true pleasure to work with. She was very informative, patient and extremely understanding. Sally is a true professional who we would recommend to anyone we know." Paul & Ida Mamika
"Sally was awesome. We will recommend her to friends and family. She was the only professional aspect I witnessed in this cutthroat industry. We were fortunate to have found her!" Randi & Allen Hampton
"Sally's highly competent negotiating skills were of great benefit. She got an excellent purchase price for us!" Doug & Mary Kuhl
"Sally is by far the best agent I know." George Raab, her Dad
"Sally has empathy for her clients, the knowledge and negotiating skills to make transactions happen, the marketing savvy necessary to represent any property and the drive to get it all done. There have been few people who I have observed in the some 30 years that I've been in the real estate profession who have combined so many elements into such an outstanding career. Her career can only be described as exceptional. I'm proud to work along side her." Clay Sigg, Vice President/Managing Broker, Lyon Real Estate
"Without Sally's support, perseverance and professional expertise we wouldn't have been able to purchase our first home. I respect Sally not only for her expertise and tenacity, but also for the amount of effort and pure hard work she puts into her job. Throughout the entire transaction, Sally made certain that my best interests were being met. She even made the extra effort to be present at the signing of escrow, which is another example of her dedication to her position. Her efforts are to be loudly applauded by this happy client. " Sarah & Rick Walker
"I found Sally to be caring, efficient, and professional beyond the word. Her follow-up with detail was impressive." Carol Delzer
"Sally listened so well we bought the first home she showed us! It even matched our decorating. She really keyed into our needs." Patricia & Jerry Hall
"We will, as we always do, tell anyone and everyone about you! And of course any move or change we make MUST have a "Sally Dunbar" mark." Gail & Mike Arno
"Thank you for all of your hard work in finding and helping us buy our house. We know it wasn't an easy process, so thanks for sticking with us through it all. You have our future business and well as our sincere recommendations. " Kurt & Debby Smith
"You are wonderful and we truly appreciate your help, guidance, professional knowledge, and above all else your sweet self." Joe & Snow Nemeth
"Sally Dunbar did a fantastic job. I cannot think of one thing that would have made my experience more pleasurable." Wade Serrian
"Minnie and I really want to thank you for your work in selling our home. Your professionalism, attentiveness and overall outstanding knowledge was always evident. We appreciate you." Bob & Minne Buyse
"Thank you for making the house sale so easy. I did just ‘sit home' and let you do it all. You are the best!" Alison Majer
"You are such a pro and always do such an amazing job. Thank you." Nancy & Gene Mansfield
"How great a realtor are you? Let me count the ways:
You tirelessly showed houses to me and quickly learned which ones were ‘me' and which ones were not. You saved me a lot of time. You found out I was almost 55 and you knew that 55 was the magic age to transfer an existing tax base. You told me I should wait 8 months before looking - after you had spent countless hours showing houses to me! You saved me $140/month in taxes. You gave me suggestions for simplifying my home so that it would show best. And you suggested small but impacting improvements. You helped the house sell quickly and at top dollar. You knew the market in my area and in other comparable areas and helped me set a reasonable price. You attended the loan signing with the title company for the house I was buying and caught their mistakes, saving me $2,000 in closing costs. You knew the laws so well you were educating the people at the title company and giving them documentation on a lesser-known law which protected me. Two escrow officers said ‘Boy, you have a really good realtor'. You attended the home inspection of the home I was buying, and helped me determine what the seller should be requested to repair. When my first buyers dropped out at the last minute, you delivered the bad news as soon as you learned it. AND you had already contacted the realtor for another offer we had received on the house and they were still interested! As a result, the close of escrow was only delayed by one week. You put me in touch with loan brokers, moving companies, and other organizations that I needed. You answered my e-mail, answered my phone calls, answered my many, many, many questions. You calmed my anxieties and you rejoiced with me over my new home. Sally, you are the best!" Marsha Raigoza
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