We are blessed to have some great wineries within a short distance from Elk Grove.  There are some fun place to go in Clarksburg, just West of Elk Grove on the Delta.  There is the Lodi area and, of course, there is the world famous Napa area less than two hours away.  We recently visited the Amador Wine Region.  With over 40 wineries to choose from in the area, there is a lot of variety.  We visited Jeff Renquist Wines,  Rombauer and Villa Toscano. Jeff Renquist WinesWe thoroughly enjoyed our time here.  The gentleman that poured us our wine was very friendly and made sure to explain each wine that we tried and there were several that I thought were outstanding.  I ended up purchasing the 2021 Viognier,  the 2021 Chardonnay, the 2020 Barbara and the 2020 Estate Zinfandel. RombauerThis ... 10/02/2022

 I wrote a blog post in 2010 how ironic, twelve years later I might not need to change much to it? Let me know your thoughts    https://activerain.com/droplet/5cXM The first step in home ownership is to figure out how much you can afford each month. Many first-time buyers look at their current rent and base it  what they can afford. The key is to know how much one can afford. Once this is determined the rest is easy.The key is to know what the budget is in the long run. Do not spend every penny of your income to your housing budget. Remember you still need to eat and there are unexpected costs, or should I say unplanned costs that you need to think about. Even if you need to cut back on your down payment for the sake of having a reserve in your bank account for emergencies it is worth d... 10/01/2022

When I purchased my boat a few years ago, many of my friends told me that was one of the two happiest days of owning a boat, the other being the day the boat is sold.  I have to say, that is just not true.  We have had a blast on our boat and we are sorry to see it go, but we are moving to Arizona and our boat prefers California waters. It is an 18', open bow, 2005 Sea Ray. It comes with our boat trailer and matching cover.  The engine has just been serviced and we replaced both trailer tires.  The engine had 115 hours on it.  Although we have only fished off of our boat a few times, it does come with a fish finder.We have had a lot of fun on the boat and it is in great shape, but we just do not think we will get a chance to use it much in Arizona.  Funny thing, all my pictures are poin... 10/03/2022

A day in the life of a Beverly Hills Realtor, one who has been licensed for over 26 years (not including my time as a Boston, MA Realtor).  Given all these years of practice, you can probably imagine that I have a slew of stories from which to choose to share on the platform! A couple that crossed my mind were the time I went with a client to look at condos in the San Fernando Valley and one of them had a camera and tripod focusing on the sleeping area;  or there was the listing appointment where the owner had at least 15 stray cats and another 10 cats that were meandering between inside/outside the home.  (As a cat dad and pet friendly realtor myself, I had a tough time not taking the listing.) The story that ultimately won out is the time that I fired a group of 3 brothers with whom I... 09/29/2022