If you are actively looking to buy a home in the city of Davis, we've probably met. I'm out there, holding Open Homes almost every weekend and I get to meet a lot of great people, including First Time Home Buyers. Many of the first time homebuyers I speak with are still unaware of how important your credit score plays in the loan and home buying process. Some comments I hear are that credit is not important if you bring home a big paycheck, credit is less important than earning potential, or that certainly their credit is good because they have so much of it. All of these statements, are flat out wrong. The best thing I can do as a Realtor (read: I am not a credit and loan specialist), is set the record straight where I can, and send them to trusted Mortage and Loan experts. I also like... 02/15/2009

OK, I didn't really fall asleep, I just felt like I was sleeping or perhaps wished I was sleeping, all snug and warm in the comforts of my own multi-cat infested bed instead of sitting at Mondavi Center in Davis to see the Punch Brothers. That's not to say the Punch Brothers are awful, because they have tons of talent, mountains of talent, Grammy-awarded talent bigger than the state of California, but they don't put on a spectacular show. The musicians are Chris Thile (from Nickel Creek) who plays mandolin; Gabe Witcher, fiddle; Chris Eldridge, guitar; Noam Pikelny, banjo; and Paul Kowert, bass. My husband and I were discussing what kind of person plays the mandolin but not guitar. Sure, you say, a fiddle is a small instrument, too, but it's loaded with more testosterone. That long bow ... 02/15/2009

My husband and I had the pleasure last Wednesday of attending the Mavis Staples show at the Mondavi Center in Davis, California. If you're reading this and you're not from around here -- here being Sacramento -- you are in for a treat if Mavis Staples comes to your town. Some of you of a certain age will remember the Staple Singers from the 1950s and 1960s, and already know what a treasure, a blessed honor it is to hear Mavis belt out her heart. She's part soul (R&B), part rock-and-roll and part gospel. I am particularly attracted to her music because her roots in the Civil Rights movement remain strong. She was a friend to Dr. Martin Luther King, for crying out loud, and performed concerts for him; she's a walking American icon and integral to history in America.Mavis opened her first ... 01/18/2009

Three rooms are available for lease in the beautiful Chen Building at the corner of 2nd and G for professional offices. Long term leases of 1-3 years are preferred. Rental rates range from $400-600 per month. These are rooms within a larger shared office suite with reception area.  For more details, please contact Cara Bryant at Toad Hollow Properties, 530-759-8623,  info@toadhollowproperties.com.   01/08/2009

We may have a very sharp 2 bedroom, 2 full bath, 1-story halfplex available for rent beginning in Aug. or Sept. More news to follow. Likely rent for this home is $1400-1500/ month. 1 or 2-yr lease preferred.   Cara Bryant, office manager Toad Hollow Properties 530-759-TOAD (8623) http://www.toadhollowproperties.com cara@toadhollowproperties.com 204 F St. Suite D1 Davis CA 95616 01/06/2009

Toad Hollow Properties is as unique as Davis itself, owned and operated by two Davis families. We provide the local touch with professional, prompt and courteous service for our clients.Our firm manages properties ranging from condos, houses and duplexes to larger apartment buildings and commercial properties in Davis and the surrounding area. We offer complete property management services, as well as tenant locator services for those preferring to manage their own properties.Toad Hollow Properties aims to be the most highly recommended management company in Davis. Peace of mind for owners and tenants is our mission. We are located at 204 F St., Ste D1 (above Starbucks). Call us today, 530-759-TOAD (8623)We hope to be of service to you and look forward to hearing from you soon. Our webs... 01/05/2009

 Here's the link to the article:  http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8756   01/05/2009

The weekly MLS meetings and broker tours for Davis are held Friday mornings at 8:30 am at the Odd Fellows Hall at 415 Second Street.  The meetings are important networking and educational opportunities for all members of the Yolo ar.  The schedule of events for the next several months are as follows:   October 17: Cann Tree Kick-off October 24: Bill Emien, Daivs' City Manager - Water Issues Update October 31: Update on CAR Statewide Meeting 2008 Legislation Handout November 7: Rian Barrett, CAR Lobbyist to discuss recently enacted bills that affect REALTORS November 14: Yolo ar Budget/Finance Report. November 21: Dave Howe/Bill Miller to provide Metrolist update (active keys, next gen software, etc.) November 28: No meeting -- Thanksgiving December 5 : TBD December 12: "What You Need to... 10/17/2008

Wandering downtown Davis this afternoon, I ran across the Davis Jazz Artists Festival.  Taking place both today October 4th and Sunday October 5th, this is a nice mix between visual art, spoken word and jazz.  I happened to catch the Brubeck Institute Quintet and the Davis High Jazz Band.  Today's events were free and it was nice to see the support for both the Davis High School music funds as well as a strong show of support for Measure W with people giving out stickers and yard signs.  There was also a raffel and artists were painting onsite and it looked like there was spoken word events planned as well.  It was really fun watching both the Brubeck Institute Quintet and the Davis High Jazz Band and seeing the enthusiasm for the music from these young musicians.  Reading about the Bru... 10/04/2008

The Davis community as a whole has always been very supportive of the schools.  One of the reasons people choose to live in this community is that Davis is well know for the quality of education and importance of education in the community as a whole.     Earlier this year, the Davis Schools Foundation set a big goal to raise enough money to prevent the layoff of dozens of Davis teachers and to keep special programs like elementary science, music programs intact.  The fundraising campaign was a success and also provided a good message to the school board as well as the community as a whole how important the schools are to this community.   The voters of Davis will have an opportunity in Novemeber to pass a special parcel tax that will help preserve these school programs for the future. ... 10/04/2008

I was spending a little time around Youtube and found this video from earlier this year. Ever wonder what it is like to watch a world class bike race go through your town? Well this video is a good representation of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California when the pro bicycle tour passed through Davis back in February. The commentary is classic. This bottom clip was filmed downtown and gives a better feel for the action around more fans. Contributed by Carolyn Gjerde-Tu, specializing in Davis Real Estate and Homes in Greater Sacramento 09/20/2008

Downtown Davis Bungalow 319 I Street, Davis, CA 95616 View Map PRIME DOWNTOWN CORE LOCATION. This sunny home is a very hip 1bdrm/1ba, 542 sq.ft. bungalow situated on a large R-2CD (Residential 2-units/conservation district) lot. Features updated kitchen w/newer light fixtures, IKEA cabinetry, flooring; updated bath including newer fixtures, newer electrical, ceiling fans, mostly all Anderson dual pane windows, newer carpet, paint; property includes a shop/garage & alley access in the back. Lounge in the living room bay window while appreciating the native garden just outside. Steps away from UC Davis, downtown shops, theaters, pubs, banks, farmer's market & restaurants, and the train station for you commuters. Leave the car, walk downtown, and save on gas! For details call: 800-882-023... 09/13/2008

  Thursday, July 17th, at 7:00 pm the Lyon Real Estate office in Davis is holding an informational seminar on becoming a real estate agent.  While total sales are down specifically in Davis, region wide the number of homes sold has increased from last year.  While jumping into a comissioned based sales career may seem daunting in the current market, some say that agents who start their career when the market is tougher tend to have more dicipline because to succeed they have to have a clear plan.   Herb Cross, the manager of the Lyon Office in Davis  since 1989 will be hosting the session and will talk about careers in real estate in general and how Lyon Real Estate's focus on training, technology and relationship building are keys for success in this market.  Come and learn about the p... 07/10/2008

Davis, university town with limited growth and very little new construction has not escaped the downturn in the housing market, however prices are holding up much better here than in other parts of the greater Sacramento housing market.   There are currently 128 single family homes for sale within Davis, 60 pending sales and 47 closed sales so far for the month of June.  Months of inventory which had been running close to a year last winter is down to about two based on pending sales or closer to three months based on closed sales.  Regionally inventory is lower than last year, Davis has a similar number of homes for sale from last year, but I am sensing that buyers are hesitating less when thinking about buying.  There is also a sense that mortgage rates may continue to increase so it ... 06/25/2008

Google just launched street views for the greater Sacramento area.  If you haven't seen Street Views, it basically allows someone to view the area like one would in their car.  Most of the San Francisco Bay Area has been available for some time but it is brand new to this area.   What this means to home buyers is they can "drive" around neighborhoods on their computers before going to see them physically.  I think this will be especially useful when someone is relocating to the area and they are trying to get a sense of different neighborhoods.    Visit: http://maps.google.com and click on street view to get started.  Click anywhere there is a blue line to get a 360 view from the street.   Now when you are exploring Davis CA Real Estate or Homes in Sacramento you have even more data ava... 06/12/2008

On Tomorrows "Today" show on NBC (Wednesday, May 28th), Davis, California will be featured as one of the five friendliest cities in the United Sates.  It was so named in a recent book by NBC contributor Barbara Cook entitled "Nextville: Amazing Places to Live the Rest of Your Life". Davis has been known as a bicycle friendly town and has received national, and international attention for it's progressive housing developments. In the late 1970's and early 80's, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Prince Charles and French President François Mitterrand visited the Village Homes development in west Davis. President Carter later mentioned the environmental strides of Davis in an Oval Office speech. I review the other unique qualities about Davis in my list The Top Ten Reasons to Live in Davis. It l... 05/27/2008

My best friend and I used to compare notes when the API scores came out each year.  I live in Davis and she lives in Rocklin.  Although the schools up that direction have always been good, they don't touch Davis.  The Davis Enterprise included a nice article, Davis test scores top in region in yesterday's paper (5/21/08).  The article reported that all Davis schools had API scores above 800 on the API which puts them in the category of "high performing schools."  Three of the elementary schools (Willett, Pioneer, and Patwin) had scores above 900.  As the chart below shows, there are other area high schools which are also performing quite well, but Davis schools have an advantage.  They are in Davis.  DAVIS ROCKS!!  For more information on local school performance and other useful inform... 05/22/2008

Quickly look for open houses in Woodland and Davis or anywhere in the greater Sacramento Region.  This Davis Open House Guide lists all the brokers open homes, not just one office.  Visiting open houses can be a good way to get neighborhood information in the early stages of buying a home.  However open homes only represent a portion of what is currently for sale in any one area.  Visit my website to search all Davis homes for sale.     05/21/2008

Real Estate market activity has increaeed in Davis in the past 60 days. My buyer business has exploded and other agents I speak with say that their business is up also.  Even the Home Inspection team I usually use tells me his company is fully booked and has been for a few weeks. The biggest increase in business seems to come from out of town buyers, specifically the parents of students attending the University of California at Davis. Many more parents these days are savvy about the financial advantages of buying a home in Davis for their son or daughter to live in while attending college.  Each spring the University has it's annual Picnic Day (one of the Top Ten Reasons to Live in Davis). It is a giant open house at the University with festivities and a parade. Students typically invit... 05/17/2008

Today, May 15th is the 4th Annual Celebrate Davis festival at Central Park.  Celebrate Davis is a chance to get to know the businesses in Davis.  There will individual booths where information, prizes, giveaways to fit a number of different needs.  I'll be at the Progressive Business Exchange's booth for a while this afternoon.  Don't miss the fireworks that will start at dusk (probably about 9:15 to 9:30).  In addition to local business booths, there will be live music, many different food booths and did I mention the giveaways, raffles and prizes.  Celebrate Davis is sponsored by the Davis Chamber of Commerce and is a nicely run event.  It is another way that helps keep Davis a close knit community. Contributed by Carolyn Gjerde-Tu who specializes in Davis CA Real Estate 05/15/2008