The Vernal Pools at Phoenix Field in Fair Oaks are starting to come alive.  Not quite in their full glory, they are getting there. Here they are in April 2011.  You can still see the pooled water which is the key to the amazing proliferation of wildflowers to come as the water evaporates. Then scan down to see the pic I took in the same spot May last year. Vernal pools are a vanishing rarity. They are little pockets of temporary wetlands created by rainwater trapped on the surface by hardpan which prevents percolation.  So the rainwater sits until it dries up.  In the process, plants germinate and aquatic critters flourish (they've been waiting quietly - bizarre, huh?). As the pools dry up, the spectacular show emerges with concentric rings of wildflowers in bursts of yellow, purple and... 04/28/2011

Want to buy a Fair Oaks home?  What should your Realtor do for you? After 30 years of working on it, here's the best of what I do for you. First of all, I don't freak out.  I just work on solving problems. Well, most of the time anyway.  Occasionally I blow a fuse, but I work hard to keep your home buying process under control. You see, the one guarantee in buying a home, is we WILL run into problems. You can't afford the home you love. 4 other paople love the same home, and have made competing offers. You don't qualify for a loan. The home you love has termites... BIG termites. And MOLD. You've picked a fixer and can't get a loan. The seller is a dimwit. Their agent is a bigger dimwit. You have to sell your current home to buy your next home. You want to buy a short sale, but have hea... 04/26/2011

I've been selling homes since the dawn of time - or at least it feels like it. And like death and taxes, I have found there is one guarantee in selling or buying a home.  PROBLEMS.  You will always have problems. The escrow process has it's own set of problems, and your life will be a lot easier if you avoid them early on. So here are a few of  my favorite tips to assure a smooth escrow. 1. Choose your escrow offiicer carefully.  Go with experience.  When you have problems, a good escrow officer makes the difference between a closed sale, and a disaster.  We have all experienced being treated like a cog in a machine "for a real person push 3...".  You want an officer who is aproachable, knowledgable, and involved. It isn't all about price. Here's the difference a good escrow officer mak... 04/23/2011

When searching for Fair Oaks homes for sale, your choices are increasing!  We currently have 172 Fair Oaks homes on the market, down from a high of 212 last September. But 172 is an increase over the past 3 months. Traditionally, the number of homes on the market decreases every winter.  Sellers give up, or grow tired of mud-footed buyers tramping across their pristine carpet, only to say the have just started looking.  Then, come spring time, sellers once again start listing their homes for sale, in time for their glorious gardens to reach their peak. In past years, the bank foreclosures have thrown a wrench in our tradition - they will foreclose in the winter, as well as summer.  So the dip in listing inventory has not been as severe. If you look at the following chart, showing the # ... 04/19/2011

When it comes to things to do in Fair Oaks, I hate to be ninner-nannery about where I live, but you gotta admit, being able to take a river walk like this in April is pretty stupendous. In Fair Oaks, CA, you can do it!  In fact, the river is a great hike year round. While much of the country is freezing now, Fair Oaks is basking in the warmth of a Spring sun.  Walkers and joggers are out in full force enjoying our glorious American River Bike Trail, which meanders along the American River from Folsom to downtown Sacramento for a few dozen miles. On today's walk, I watched as a river otter surfaced, then dove into the cold churning water below the bike bridge, searching for tasty morsels.  He cracked me up as his little face popped out of the water with sharp teeth grinding away.  Mmmm..... 04/17/2011

Every spring our front yard leaves me breathless.  Azaleas burst into full bloom, under a canopy of twisted ancient olive trees.  Butterflys, squirrels and wild turkey meander throughout our yard, laying claim to the wonderland of floral bouquets.  I talk to my brother, in the Seattle area, and hear of the drizzle and cold weather, gloating that I get to live in this wonderland. Mmmmm.... I'm content.   04/17/2011

    Business has been very good for us at Tromler Construction. We have been blessed with much work during these difficult economic times. Business has taken an even bigger jump in the last few weeks and we need help. We will not sacrifice the quality of workmanship for any reason, there are experienced people who can fill this void for us. We just need to find them. We specialize in dry rot and water damage repair, but our workload includes all General Construction. If you know of anyone who may be of help to us, please send me a message.   04/13/2011

Thanks Joni and Gary - this testimonial is right to the point. You're going to LOVE your new Fair Oaks Craftsman home! 04/13/2011

When selecting a Realtor, it's not their commission, their experience or their great smile that you should base your choice on.  Really? Then how do you choose?  Sally Dunbar, Fair Oaks Realtor, shares her opinion based on 30 years as a Broker.   04/12/2011

American Pacific Mortgage is putting on a 203k training for buyers, sellers, agents and Realtors on April 21st at 11:30 am - 1:30 pm for those of you looking to learn how to use the FHA 203k loan guarantee program to purchase or sell a home and get the money to make needed repairs, minor TLC to major fixers.  This program allows you to purchase or sell a home and the buyer gets the money to make those repairs all in the same low interest loan. Join Gwen Woods with American Pacific Mortgage as she and I answer your questions about the program.   04/10/2011

With the bazillion real estate agents in your community, how do you pick the right one? How do you know how to choose? I've been selling homes forever, and I have developed a pretty strong opinion on this.  First I'll tell you what you do NOT base your choice on. 1. Price?  Don't get all gaga over the highest price.  That agent may be wrong, or trying to "buy" your listing. You want the RIGHT price, not just the highest. 2. Commission rate? The lowest commission is meaningless if your escrow doesn't close. Ask what you will get for the commission.  What are their services? What will they do to get you the highest price? That half percent difference will disappear if the sales price is higher. 3. Experience?  The most experienced isn't always the best agent.  I'm a 30 year broker, and I ... 04/07/2011

(Slide show has 15 photos)Cradled quietly in the Greater Sacramento community of Fair Oaks, is the natural treasure I have blogged about in past years.  The Phoenix Park Vernal Pools are an ever-changing canvas each spring.  Sacramento is emerging from a long and relentless winter.  At the first signs of warmth and sunshine, the vernal pools once again burst with life.  The pools are relatively close to my home - within 5 miles, so I try to visit several times each season to witness nature as artist adding paint strokes and colors to the masterpiece.The scenes in this slide show were captured today.  I hope to return to the pools in a few weeks, and see edges of the ponds totally lined with flowers of yellow, purple and other colors of the rainbow.  It's still early for that.  Today the... 04/06/2011

A seller asked me yesterday if I am possibly too busy to work with him.  It wasn't a short sale, just a regular listing in Fair Oaks. Remember those? I've been listing and selling a fair number of homes in Fair Oaks lately. I sell all over Sacramento but really love Fair Oaks. In fact, I have several Fair Oaks listings in escrow right now. This seller was calling around the Internet, looking for a real estate agent in Sacramento. I told him I've been in real estate in one form or another since the early 1970s, and I've survived all types of markets. I mentioned that I rank #10 as a Lyon Real Estate top producer for last year -- adding that I'm also a very successful Sacramento short sale agent and presently manage 28 listings in inventory. "Whoa, 28 listings, that's a lot," he said. "Wo... 03/07/2011

You get that satisfied customer, they are "tickled-pink" by your service, and they would probably do anything to show their appreciation for a job well done. But they don't know how! Many of us are on countless social, networking, and business sites getting the word out about our services. For us, we can think of several ways to "put in a good word". We can "like" a page, add a comment, "link" with someone, "rate, "follow", or even "tag" someone. Sometimes it is difficult to describe to someone what they can do to help. I have found that maybe it is best to just make a video SHOWING what they can do to show their appreciation. Spell it out in visual terms. Just as an example, I used Merchant Circle to demonstrate what I mean in the video here. Would loved to get your feedback too. (gen... 02/15/2011

  When I first started my blogging tenure with Active Rain I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought Active Rain was just another costly marketing gimmick.  Little did I know that I would meet some of the nicest people in our industry, online and in person. Susan Neal is a top Realtor® in the beautiful town of Fair Oaks California.  Those of you who know me know that I spent a good part of my life growing up in Sacramento and grew up in Carmichael, just minutes from Fair Oaks. I flew into Sacramento to meet with friends and business partners. I asked if Susan would like to meet me for lunch and she agreed. Meeting Susan was like meeting an old friend.  Because of the community platform Active Rain created  I was able to get to know Susan before ever meeting her.  We talked for a ... 02/04/2011

Want to know what the smallest, largest, cheapest and most expensive homes in Fair Oaks, California that sold in 2010 were? Here you go, based on MLS data for single-family detached homes in Fair Oaks, CA zip code 95628 (not including condominiums, mobile homes or properties sold at trustee sales):   SMALLEST HOME IN FAIR OAKS, CA (748 SQ. FT.) SOLD IN 2010 This cute 2-bedroom, 1-bath, 748 sq. ft. cottage at 4781 Llano Lane, Fair Oaks, CA 95628 was the smallest home in Fair Oaks that sold in 2010. It was built in 1951 and has a 0.26 acre lot and sold on 7/30/10 for its full asking price of $153,000 ($204.55 per square foot).   LARGEST HOME IN FAIR OAKS, CA (4,723 SQ. FT.) SOLD IN 2010 Steven Olsen, a Fair Oaks custom home builder, sold his 4,723 sq. ft. personal residence at 8761 Riven... 01/23/2011

Fair Oaks Short Sale - Short Sales are on the rise in Fair Oaks and account for a substantial amount of available homes on the market today. There are 124 Short Sales that are unsold out of 297 total homes for sale in Fair Oaks. I expect these numbers to soar in 2011.  Unfortunately, only 7 Fair Oaks short sale homes sell every month, on average. That's less than 6% of the available Fair Oaks short sales listings!  In addition, 125 Short Sales in Fair Oaks have expired or have been withdrawn in the last 6 months alone, many due to foreclosure. It is very important to choose an experienced Short Sale Agent for your Short Sale in Fair Oaks. Can the agent provide recent short sale approval letters? Are they negotiating the deals themselves or are they farming out to a third party negotiat... 12/27/2010

This HUD owned condo in Fair Oaks just came back on the market!  Great location and close to everything! Nice condo complex with community pool and tennis court, upper unit, nice floor plan, fireplace, dining area, end unit. HUD Owned Sold AS-IS 7711  Juan Way #16b11,  Fair Oaks, CA  95628 - $75,0002 bedroom 2 bathrooms994 sqftHOA Dues: $206 a month If you are in the market to buy a HUD Owned Condominium in Fair Oaks... Make sure to give Erin a call at (916) 585-3858 to view this listing or others in the area! Search on my website NOW for other condos for sale in Fair Oaks >> Find out how a Sacramento HUD Owned Home is different than a traditional sale >> Want a weekly list of HUD Owned homes that just came on the market? Sign up for your FREE Sacramento HUD Homes List sent right to you... 12/17/2010

Sometimes buyers do the screwiest things. Stuff that makes no sense whatsoever. It makes me wonder if perhaps they don't suffer from some kind of attention deficit disorder, which is why they latch on to real estate agents and make offers on homes they have absolutely no intention of closing on. A buyer made a ridiculous offer on this short sale in Fair Oaks and we submitted it to the bank. Low and behold, the bank had decided to sell the loan to another bank, and our offer arrived smack dab in the middle of this sale. As a result, the bank accepted the offer, providing the buyer can close by December 17th. Yeah, you heard me -- the bank has issued a short sale approval letter that is assignable to any buyer who can close by December 17th, and we don't have a buyer. This is not to be co... 11/28/2010

The asset manager just reduced the price on this one! This beautiful bank owned home located in Fair Oaks sits on a private cul-de-sac and backs up to the ravine with wonderful tree top views! This home features extensive hardwood flooring, 2 fireplaces, and a very appealing open floor plan. Separate family room and living room, formal dining room plus dining area in kitchen. Kitchen has center island, stainless appliances, and pull out drawers in the cabinets. Dual pane windows through out, mirrored closet doors, and neutral paint colors. Out back enjoy three levels of trex decking and in front sealed concrete paver drive way and front courtyard. Plus much more! A wonderful floor plan and great home for entertaining. This is a Fannie Mae HomePath property. Purchase this property for as... 11/26/2010