I remember my anticipation of the long hot days of summers.  I would ride my bike, collect frogs in the local creek, and swim at the local pool until my hair turned green.  I climbed trees.  I played poker with my cousin. I ate pomegranites off our bush - split open on the spikes of the fence. But looking at my 13 year old nephew, I don't see him having that type of summer.  The creek is developed, the roads are too busy, and he'll end up with skin cancer if he stays out in the pool all summer! What to do instead? I've researched a dozen activites for him in the Fair Oaks and Sacramento area - most have a cost, some are fairly nominal.  But all fun!  Take a look... 1. Digital Arts Camp sounds like a blast.  Kids learn to build computer games - not just PLAY them. How fun to learn more a... 05/12/2012

  Flat roofs need to be inspected. If you have a building with a flat roof, someone needs to be checking for puddles. A flat roof can be a maintenance nightmare at times. Unlike a normal roof that is pitched, the design is difficult for water to run out and into the downspouts. Add leaves, twigs, and debris, and you will have some special roofing issues.   Look for signs of poor roof drainage. Many apartment communities are faced with this very situation. Some complexes have 15-25 buildings in which you cannot see the roof from the ground. Many do not realize that they are having a problem until the roof leaks or the water begins to cause damage below. Sagging roofs, leaking flashing, clogged downspouts are signs of improper roof drainage.   Someone needs to regularly inspect the roofto... 04/26/2012

I have learned a lot about the services available for your dying parent, as I watched my dad passed away in March, 2012. I wanted to share my best tips and favorite services when your parent is dying - especially in the Fair Oaks area.    First and foremost, the most helpful visit I made was to Senior Care Solutions, who were life savers. They are a referral group in Fair Oaks of caring and compassionate people who knew everything I needed to be doing and referred me to the best support people and services I found. I have known owners Carol and Dave Kinsel, and partner Ginger McMurchie for years. I had no idea the width and depth of their knowledge about what I should take care of, as it was new territory for me.  At our first meeting, which was free, Carol outlined the step by step pla... 04/21/2012

My new 203k toy... The FHA 203k program is just one of a few programs that is being used to renovate homes in this time where we have so many that need work.It is important to know that a home buyer can get the money to purchase and renovate a 1-4 unit building, mixed use building, or take another type use building and convert it to a mixed use, live/work, or 1-4 unit building. These are all excellent uses for the program.If you need a swimming pool on your purchase we can assist you on that as well. It just isn't a 203k but it is a conventional program that mirrors the FHA program in many respects but allows you to build a swimming pool and other luxury items that the 203k won't. Call us for more details on this program... did I say "investors" can use this program? Well they can. 04/07/2012

  Yes, that water is supposed to drip like that.   I’ve been doing a few apartment community exterior dry rot lists that need to be done before painting this spring. I came across some common issues that can help in reducing your water related damages. This post has to do with your air conditioner condensate lines, I know it is not warm enough for the A/C yet, but it is the perfect time to get the repairs done. You need to check a few things to prevent water damage to your property. First, any office, apartment or home with a forced air system has condensate lines that usually lead outside. The primary line will exit the building near the first floor level and drip onto the ground or into a drain. It should be clear of obstructions and you should be able to see the water dripping when i... 04/02/2012

  It always puts a smile on my face when I go through the town area of Fair Oaks and see the chickens.  These two guys in the top picture were not the least bit afraid of my car.  I even honked!  I finally had to drive around them.  So when you're in Fair Oaks CA - drive slowly and Watch Out for the Chickens!   _________________________________________________ I am a REALTOR® in El Dorado Hills with Lyon Real Estate. I love living in El Dorado Hills, where homes with views have become my passion. Working with both buyers and sellers, my concentration on homes for sale includes not only El Dorado Hills, but also Folsom and the Cameron Park vicinity. For more information on me or our wonderful area visit my website at www.DeeDeeRiley.com or email me at driley@golyon.com. When you're ready... 02/29/2012

Water Intrusion in Sacramento? Better Check for Signs I heard the rain start last night while lying in bed; we haven’t had much rain so far this year in the Sacramento area. But with the rains come the calls for help. Help? This is when we begin to see that we have water coming into the buildings, as soon as it starts raining. This could be a problem. A bigger problem would be not noticing that we have a water intrusion problem that is causing damage to the property. What's the simplest way to find a leak? Look for one! That’s right, look for signs of water in places that it does not belong. The sooner you can detect the problem the easier it is to correct. If you aren’t comfortable in looking for water intrusion, call a qualified contractor to check for you. If you are anywhere near t... 02/13/2012

Sometimes you just have to follow your intuition.   An apartment manager had called me regarding a small stream of water coming from the laundry room wall. The water was just enough to keep the sidewalk wet, and even a little mossy.  After management shut off one of the washing machines inside the laundry room wall for a few days, the water on the sidewalk stopped. Because of that we knew it was in the drain line and only leaked when the water was being discharged. We made arrangements to get into the laundry room to open the wall and repair the drain line and patch the wall in one day. This would be less disruptive to the residents and allow all of the machines to be functioning right away. You’d be surprised how troublesome even one “down” unit can become. We opened the wall and found... 12/15/2011

I LOVE this.  i just made this clip with the help of my Lyon Fair Oaks Office, for use at the end of my seller-oriented videos.   Get Listed... Get an Offer... Get Moving is our company slogan which is plastered on billboards all over town. I thought I would make use of that and the fact that our office is so teamwork oriented.  We all truly help each other with our businesses, and have a culture of support. It's super short... What do you think? 09/23/2011

A tale of two sales.  Both homes listed after advise, tweaking, repairs, decluttering, late night spent on pricing strategy and market analysis. Seller #1 after accepting an offer within one week.  "Wow, I'm an easy one for you.  You barely had to do anything to earn your commission."  Hmmm think I. He wants me to reduce my commission, I bet. Seller #2 after accepting one of two offers within one week on the market. "Wow - you were worth every penny. No one can believe we sold so quickly.  And for full price! You really know your stuff!" I asked him what he meant by that.  "Intellectual property is worth its weight in gold," Joe says.  "You didn't fall off a turnip truck and list my home.  I know you have spent years perfecting your craft.  We did everything you told us to do, and it al... 09/21/2011

Everyone knows the three most important factors in real estate... LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.  But when you sell your home, there are three factors that are even more important. No don't scream at me.  Location IS important. But once you own a home, you can't change the location.  Or the floorplan.  Or the direction if faces on the street.  Or interest rates.  Or whether there are buyers looking. Nope... you can't change any of those.  But there are three factors you DO have control of, and that's where you need to focus your attention.     Price, condition, and marketing.  These factors are all you can change.  Pick the wrong price - you are dead in the water.  Buyers will scoff at you... "Geez.. who do they think they are?  This isn't even good carpet! And get a load of the dated pa... 09/16/2011

Fair Oaks, Ca is a charming community on the banks of the American River, upstream of Sacramento. Over 100 years old, it has one of the few Old Towns in the Sacramento area, plus beautiful neighborhoods composed of craftsman and traditional homes.  And chickens?? Yep, we're known for our wandering chickens... a few of whom you will hear in my introduction! I hope you enjoy this tour. Fair Oaks is a great place to live! 09/05/2011

I have always felt that as soon as people gain confidence in the economy, and jobs start becoming available, our housing prices will begin to rise. Today the paper said the US economy is heating up. Hmmm... maybe it's happening. In trying to figure this out, I feel like one of the blind guys describing the elephant.  "Long and tubular with a hole in the middle." "Oh no, very flat and thin." "No, you are both wrong... it's big and round and flat on the bottom. and wrinkly." No view tells it all. But here is MY view of this elephant we call the housing market, from the only vantage point I have - the Sacramento and Fair Oaks real estate market. And this is all this month! I have an investor paying all cash.  We have been beaten out of 3 duplexes we offered on.  Two had more than 5 offers.... 09/02/2011

When a real estate transaction closes, an agent's fiduciary relationship with the buyer or seller is over. That's why contracts have starting dates and circumstances under which those dates end. But just because the purchase contract or listing agreement is over doesn't mean my personal relationship with my clients is over. I never go away. I tell clients that, too. If they need anything after closing, and I mean anything, they can call me. Sometimes, clients are new to Sacramento and they don't know how to find neighborhood businesses or maybe they don't know that some purchases are better off being made in San Francisco -- as Sacramento is sorely lacking in what I call quality shopping experiences. Thank goodness we have internet. But most of all I really like my clients. I met with c... 07/21/2011

I keep getting notices from banks, including my own, that they will lower my interest rate on my home mortgage into the 3s with no fees.  Yeah, right... same day that pigs fly, I think. But it's actually true. I heard it on Clark Howard's radio show! Then last week I got my letter from Chase. "3.88%... fixed rate... 10 years... no costs... no points... no application... no nothing except lower payments". Could it really be? It seems like the banks are getting wise to the fact that we might bail on them. We know we can get interest rates in the 3s, but we don't call our bank cause we don't want to alert them. (What, like we think they will call our loan??? Spank us??? Tell us we are meanies???) So we go to their competition, then send them a Dear John letter in the form of our payoff. Ap... 07/01/2011

The FHA 203k loan in this case is for a purchase on a short sale. This loan as you may know is to  purchase and renovagte a 1-4 unit property all in one low interest loan. No more popular than this FHA product by the way. The home has  s shakeroof that is well beyond it's useful life... needs  new roof, the pool is in pretty good conditin but the gates done' close and latch automtatically. I'm surprised the bank that owns this one has fixed that... a real liability for them in it's current state. I've see the outside but the agent and borrower are on their way to open it jup so we can get a taste of the interior. I expect the roof has been leaking for some time  and there will be lots of water damage. letswatch and see how this one pans out.  06/13/2011

Welcome to Ralph's Weekly Feature: Two Truths and a Lie: Guess Which One Is The Lie? Each week, I'm going to feature one Active Rain Member, with their photo, and what they are going to do is tell you 2 Truths about them and 1 Lie. The object of the game is to guess which of the 3 bits of trivia about them is a lie! Each new game will be posted on Friday, and then the answer will be revealed by the featured member a week later on the following Friday. It's a great way to get to know your fellow ActiveRain members and staff. This week, we will be featuring: Susan Neal Susan is a Real Estate Broker with Century 21 Noel David Realty, based out of Fair Oaks, California.  Susan provides full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 30+ years experience. She w... 06/10/2011

Fair Oaks is a beautiful town on the banks of the American River on the outskirts of Sacramento, Ca. Eclectic, tradtional, artsy, charming, bucolic, rural, towering oak trees, and lazey chickens all describe Fair Oaks. But nothing says Fair Oaks like its beautiful homes. The homes south of Winding Way are what most people ask for when moving to Fair Oaks for the first time. After taking this little tour, you'll see why. 06/05/2011

This Fair Oaks HUD Home price just reduced! Looking to buy a home in Fair Oaks?  Think about a HUD Home! 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with 2 cozy fireplaces, an open, spacious kitchen with window for natural light and a built-in pool. Pool is drained. Some flooring and a toilet is missing. Excellent value, priced right!Convenient to schools, parks, shopping and freeway access. Selling AS IS. 7955 Wildridge Drive, Fair Oaks, CA 956284 bedrooms2 bathrooms2190 SqftLot size: .290 See more pictures of this Fair Oaks HUD Home >> This Fair Oaks HUD Home has a huge yard and has over 2,000 sqft!  It may need a little work but could make a great house! The recently reduced price just makes it that much better! This would be a great home to use a 203k loan! Find out more about how you can roll the cost ... 05/06/2011

Last year our new Fair Oaks neighbor moved an elephant into his front yard. I almost crashed the first time I saw it. WWHHUUUTTTTT! Who IS this BOZO? I snarkily commented. Where's his pink flamingo? Heh, heh, heh. This guys dudn't have enough to do, quite obviously! Fourth of July he had a little flag. Then Christmas came, with his monstro-sized Santa Hat. I started to like him. Then Valentine's Day with his hearts. Awww.... Easter brought him a colorful basket, full of plastic eggs and a bouquet of flowers.  This guys too cute... Then one day, my husband said "I love living in a neighborhood where there is someone who would have an elephant in his front yard." And I must say, I agree. He has brought such a sense of humor to my drive home - I never know what he will be wearing, or even ... 04/28/2011