Thursday Sept 2nd I hope to break free from showing real estate and get a chance to drop by Rominger West Winery in Davis to listen to jazz vocalist Natalie Armstrong, performing with her guitarist Nahum Dyzbel. Rominger West "Happy Thursdays", from 4-7 pm, are a chance to listen to music and taste wine from grapes grown in the Winters area of western Yolo County. Appetizers are provided, the music is free and the special by the glass prices on the wine make it possible to inexpensively taste some of Yolo County's own wines. Check out Rominger West's event calendar or learn more about their winery and wines.     09/01/2010

One of the main builders in Davis during the 60s and 70s was Stanley Davis Homes. In East Davis it sometimes seems as if *every* home is a Stanley Davis model. There are six models, all named after California counties. The Alpine is the only two story model, the El Dorado the only with a detached garage. One of the most common in Davis is the Sonoma, a 3 bedroom, two bath that features a sunken living room. The company is no longer active - I recently tried contacting them to see if there were illustrations available of the different floor plans. The number was inactive and I was redirected to a number up in the Capay Valley. Although I thought I would probably be disturbing some private individual with no connection to Stanley Davis I tried the number and reached the long time bookkeep... 08/26/2010

I recently wrote about the Woodland, CA housing market and the role of short sales in that market. Homes in Active Short Sale or Contingent Short Sale status make up more than half of the Woodland housing market. Now let's look at Davis, 10 miles to the south. What a difference 10 miles makes! In Woodland well over 50 percent of the homes on the market are short sales. In Davis less than 12 percent are short sales, 25 homes out of 212 total. Of those 25 short sales, 20 are Active Short Sales and 5 are Contingent Short Sales. That's another difference between communities as in Woodland 60 percent of the short sale homes already have an offer on them and are in Contingent status. Why the difference in these communities? In Woodland we had many new homes built from 2003 to 2007 and so many... 08/26/2010

The quality of the public schools in Davis in Yolo County, Ca are a lure to parents concerned about the education of their children, and one of the factors keeping Davis home prices much higher than surrounding communities. A useful tool for those considering buying a home and wondering about the local schools is the school performance map, a useful example of what can be done with Google Maps and a bit of creativity. Public schools show up on the maps as color coded pins with the colors indicating recent API scores. Click on the pin and more detailed information about the school and it's performance comes up. 08/25/2010

Several times in the past few months people coming through an open house have mentioned that their agents are not willing to make offers for less than about 2 percent below list price. Last week one of these people said her agent made her feel like an idiot for wanting to make an offer 7 percent below list price. This isn't surprising - Davis is a desirable community and our agents generally do an excellent job of pricing their listings. But is it true that making an offer more than 2 percent below list is a waste of time? The buyers I was talking to were looking in East Davis, which has most of the affordable (by Davis standards) homes and so is a place that first time home buyers consider. People use different definitions for East Davis, but mine is Davis east of L Street, west of Mac... 08/23/2010

For July, I decided to put myself in an investors shoes for a few minutes and scout the Davis real estate market to see what kind of deals are out there.  I pictured myself as an investor that wants to find an investment home to use as a rental. But, a few parameters - First, I would want to make the purchase, and close, in time to rent it out before the University starts it's fall session. That means a property that can close quickly. So I'm not going to look at any property that is a short sale. I can't be waiting around to hear from a bank. It could be months before they respond. Second, it has to be in good condition. I don't have time for a lot of construction and rehab, and I want this home generating some sot of revenue by fall. So I narrow my search and look for good buys in Con... 07/10/2010

The Davis, California real estate market has always had a seasonal component in that sales increase in the spring until late summer and then they tail off until the following spring. The weather and the University school year are two factors that contribute to this cycle. This years financial stimulus tax credits and low interest rates are two other factors. To see a three year graph that illustrates the cyclical nature of the Davis real estate market, check out my Davis real estate market page.It's no surprise then that sales in April 2010 are up. The good news is that April 2010 is much better than April 2009. To summarize the graph below, the number of homes sold in April 2010 is 25% higher than the year before, while the median price of homes sold is up 8% from last year. In additio... 05/18/2010

Google Maps has recently released a new feature that will be of particular interest to Davis residents and bicyclingenthusiasts. As you know, the town of Davis, California is all about bikes, bike paths and bike lanes. Now when you use Google maps, you can get bicycling directions from one location to another that incorporates the citys bike paths into your trip. In the "Get Directions" area of Google Maps, there is now a drop down menu (see graphic at right) which gives you the choice of directions by car, walking, bicycling, or by public transit.I decided to test the Bicycling directions by choosing two locations in Davis and seeing if Google would know the bike paths in Davis and lead me from the Davis Farmers Market to El Macero golf course on a bike. From experience, I know that yo... 03/12/2010

I'm providing this latest update to show that home prices, as measured by price per square foot, have held firm in Davis over the last three years. The graph below shows the price per square foot of homes sold from January 2007 to January 2010. Notice the prices started 2007 at about $300 per square foot and have remained fairly steady. Smaller homes will sell for more than this average and larger homes usually sell for less than this price per square foot. If you are wondering what your home might be worth, the $300 per square foot is a general rule of thumb as a starting point.                       This next graph show the inventory for sale vs. the number of homes sold over the same three year period. Notice the cyclical nature of the Davis real estate market. Every July the number ... 02/20/2010

Property tax information is open to the public and copies of a parcel's actual tax bill in Davis and for most of the greater Sacramento region is availble online.  Yolo County Tax Assessor has a link on their website that allows homeowners to pay their property tax bills online.  With this link you can also view the tax bills on homes for sale.  Taxes for homes in California can vary not only by city but even by subdivision as communities have delt in different ways with the after effects of Proposition 13 which limits the base tax rate to 1% of a property's assessed value and freezes the assesed value to when a property transfers(sells). Davis, Woodland West Sacramento can be found for Yolo County property tax bills. Yolo County's system allows someone to search for tax bills both by p... 02/15/2010

Saturdays’ Incredible Open House Just as I was setting up my signs for the open house in West Davis last Saturday another strong shower passed right over head.  Setting up the signs is by far the least favorite part of any Open House and setting up the signs in wet weather just makes the whole experience that much more fun… not!  Open Houses can be and are usually a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  What Realtor doesn’t love talking real estate to a new audience.  There are however those Opens that drag on with little or heaven forbid, no visitors.  Those Opens when your hoping you’ve brought a long a good book to read  or spend a few hours scanning your Blackberry for new messages.If last Saturday’s Open House activity was any indication of the Davis market this spring, it shou... 02/11/2010

Horses, the new face of homelessness on the outskirts of Davis, California I have had my blinders on, mostly for my own protection during this economic downturn. I haven't felt the pain the way most people have, I have continued to work hard for my clients' highest and best good, knowing that there will always be homes to sell in all conditions - good and bad. I'm always 'chomping at the bit' to list or sell a home, always doing my best. But today I heard some startling news from a local resident of Davis, California... a university town, in the middle of Yolo County along Interstate 80 between Sacramento and San Francisco. University of California, Davis was originally built as the Agriculture College for University of California, Berkeley and it has grown into its own. It has a huge v... 02/01/2010

Open House, Rain, Shine or Both in Central Davis, California It is Saturday, January 23, 2010 (that still sounds weird!) and I have been in the Real Estate business for going on 6 years and yet, I'm going to do an open house today in Central Davis, California as though it were my first time. I'm getting that feeling I used to get preparing for a first date with someone hot! I promise this is a "G" rated blog.... So here's my point, and I do have one. I am one of those Realtors that has it good. I can convert a sign call into a listing or buyer and then give it away as a referral to an agent who is not as busy as I am, I can take a "walk-in" on the floor and within 2 hours list the property (which just happened and I then put their Central Davis, Californiahome in escrow on day 14 of the... 01/23/2010

One of the disadvantages of being an agent with Coldwell Banker Doug Arnold in Davis is just how much we dominate the Davis market. Last year 60% of the transactions in Davis, both in dollars and numbers of transactions, were done by our company. Why is this bad? Because when I talk to potential clients it's amazing how many say they bought their current house from an agent with our company - and that they of course have to use that agent again because they did such a good job! But the good outweighs the bad. On any given weekend most of the open house signs in Davis will be from an agent with the company, reinforcing the perception that we are the company that knows the Davis market. When I tell people which company I'm with newcomers to town recognize the name, old timers may have don... 01/15/2010

Coldwell Banker Doug Arnold Real Estate Open Houses in Davis, California   Saturday, January 09, 2010   North Davis   1347 Cassel Lane $999,000   12-2     2909 Rockwell Court $1,095,000   12-2     South Davis   1242 Evans Court $444,000   11-12:30     3156 Albany Circle $399,000   1-3     44710 Garden Court $549,000   1-3     East Davis   1600 Cypress Lane $329,000   11-1     1307 Estaban Court $529,000   12-2     1307 Estaban Court $529,000   2-4     2403 Bates $319,000   3-4:30     West Davis   3467 Oyster Bay Avenue $438,000   1-2:30     Sunday, January 10, 2010   South Davis   5228 Glide Drive $399,000   11-1     44015 South El Macero Drive $620,000   12:30-2:30     East Davis   1313 Colgate Dr... 01/08/2010

Davis is a unique community in many ways but what really stands out are housing prices compared to the neighboring communities. Woodland, Dixon and West Sacramento are only 10 miles from Davis but home prices in Davis are just about double of those in the neighboring cities. The demand for homes in Davis has three main factors driving it - the amenities of a university town, the quality of the local school system, and the resolute no growth attitude of the citizens which prevents the construction of many new homes. Net result - much higher home prices. Add in an out of town appraiser and you've got a recipe for disaster. Friends of mine recently had their home in East Davis appraised. They thought it might be worth as much as $500,000. OK, so I think they are kind of optomistic, but if ... 12/17/2009

Today I decided to be a better me by taking care of myself. I took the morning off and walked for an hour and fifteen minutes in the UC Davis Arboretum. I went to graduate school at UC Davis and I always love the feeling I get when I'm on campus, but I forgot about  this beautiful, refreshing resource in my back yard. While at graduate school at the turn of the century (that was fun to say) I was so busy hustling between classes, that I didn't take the time to enjoy the Arboretum. Now I make it a point to go by myself or with a walking/talking buddy. Visit the Arboretum website here: www.arboretum.ucdavis.edu The arboretum is a delightful, nature walk, with planned gardens that feature many different habitats. I saw ducks, turtles and many bird species, as well as many other walkers enj... 12/03/2009

Watching the performances of three outstanding musicians at Mondavi Center last night was a little bit like choosing dessert -- I may love creme brulee, cherry cheesecake and Haagen Dazs Rocky Road, but I don't necessarily want all three on my plate at one time. Mondavi presented Guitar Blues, an American Heritage Series event. First up on the playbill was Ruthie Foster, a dynamite blues and gospel singer / guitarist from Texas. Beautiful, soul-searching vocals, touched by an angel and fuel powered by a rocket engine, Ruthie was the cherry cheesecake, every bite delightful, that if left to my own devices would make me want to eat the entire cake. It's no wonder Ruthie won the Austin Music Award for Best Female Vocalist in 2008. Next, out meandered Jorma Kaukonen, appearing confused. He ... 03/05/2009

I'm updating Discover Davis Homes with 2008 market data and noticed an interesting pattern for single family homes in Davis. Davis CA Homes Sold in 2008 : 332 Average List Price for Davis Homes: $583,943 Average Sold Price for Davis Homes: $ 566,058 Average Days On The Market: 68 Davis CA Homes Sold in 2007 : 509  Average List Price for Davis Homes: $583,145  Average Sold Price for Davis Homes: $ 570,081 Average Days On The Market: 57 While the number of single family homes sold decreased dramatically last year, the average sold and list price stayed virtually the same.  Micro-markets in Davis have seen many fluxuations, however on a broad scale, homes values in Davis have held pretty steady. Visit my site to search homes for sale in Davis CA 02/17/2009

322 Balboa in the Covell Park neighborhood in Davis is available on April 1st. Exceptional four bedroom, two full bath home with updated kitchen and baths, beautiful hardwood floors, and more. Perfect location on quiet street near greenbelt.  $2,200 per month with a $2,750 security deposit, or $3,300 security deposit with dog. Contact Toad Hollow Properties today at 530-759-TOAD (8623) for more information on this special rental property. Please do not disturb occupants.   02/15/2009