The inventory for short sales in Lodi California are in short supply, excuse the pun.  It seems that the uncertain situation with the economy is still affecting the real estate market.  I was of the opinion that after the election the real estate market would improve, if only slightly.  So much for that prediction.   It would appear everyone may be waiting and holding their breath to see what happens if everything goes over the “fiscal cliff”.  All the dire predictions being put out about what will happen and how that will affect the economy has people scared.   People who want put their homes on the market are afraid of what will happen to housing prices after the first of the year.  This has really limited the market and is having its own affect on the economy.   We will all hav... 11/28/2012

    Come fly with me… is the lyric from a song that Frank Sinatra used to sing.  Frank did not mean go flying in the literal sense, he did however own several jets, but Frank was talking more in the poetic sense.   If you are into aviation living in Lodi California does have an advantage as there is an airport on the northern edge of Lodi.  The Lodi airport is a hub of activity on the weekends with people flying in to visit the restaurant on the airport or taking flying lessons from the local fixed base operators.   California Sport Aviation is a company that has evolved over the years.  Started in 1992 by its owner Bill Bardin as Ultralights of Sacramento the company has changed with the times to become one of the première sport pilot training centers.     I have had the pleasure of fl... 11/28/2012

    Got talent?  Do you have some special talent?  Do you want to be able to display your particular talent?  Then the Hutchins Street Square in Lodi California is the place to be.    On December 11th and 12th open auditions for performers will be held in the Charlene Powers Lange Performing Arts Theatre at Hutchins Street Square in Lodi California.    Got talent?  On Tuesday December 11th auditions for age groups between 5 through 17 will be held from 4 PM to 7 PM.  On Wednesday December 12th auditions for age’s groups between 18 through 54 will be held.    Got talent?  Seniors, I would imagine would be 55 to however old, your turn comes in January when auditions will be held for the Senior Follies.   Every performer will be asked to perform their act just as it would be during the pro... 11/25/2012

    Want to learn to play the ukulele?  Having been a frustrated musician most of my life finding a friendly group to learn to play the ukulele was great.  Somehow learning in a friendly group, where it does not matter what your skill level is, rather than sitting at home struggling is so much better.   On a trip to Santa Cruz California I came across a bunch of smiling people having fun and singing one Saturday morning on the beach.  That bunch of people turned out to be the Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz having their regular summer Saturday meeting on the beach.   Seeing that group and how much fun they were having I knew that the ukulele was what I wanted to try.  Living over in the San Joaquin Valley the problem was I was back alone again using books and videos trying to learn songs.  N... 11/24/2012

      The Nutcracker has become a holiday traditionfor many each year.   The Nutcracker holiday performance at the Hutchins Street Square will be on the 14th and 15th of December 2012 at 7 PM.  Tickets for these performances can be purchased at through the website for the Hutchins Street Square.  This is just another excellent example of the programs put on by this institution in Lodi California.   The Nutcracker holiday performance at The Hutchins Street Square is one of many that are put on by various organizations all over the world.  The Nutcracker was first performed in 1892 in St. Petersburg Russia with the music written by Pyotr IIyicha Tchaikovsky.  The original story used for the Nutcracker was from a story called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A Hoffmann.    The firs... 11/22/2012

      Living in Lodi California, a great place to be.  Lodi California has many special events that are well worth the effort to take part in.  During the holiday season there are many of these events on tap. One such event is the Christmas program put on by the Lodi Community Band.  The Lodi Community Band is made up of volunteer musicians from Lodi and the surrounding area.  These members come from a variety of backgrounds and professions.  There are even a few current and retired professional musicians and music educators.  There are even some of the members of the band that are currently in high school.  These high school members can earn college credits for their participation.  The Christmas program with the Lodi Community Band will take place on Sunday December 9th at The Hutchin... 11/21/2012

      Being stuck in Lodi is not a bad thing.  Lodi California is a pleasant community located in the San Joaquin Valley south of Sacramento California the state capital of California.  Lodi California is not a place you feel stuck in no matter what John Fogerty of the Credence Clear Water Revival thought.    The folk lore on that is John Fogerty had never been to Lodi California when he wrote that song.  He just thought the name sounded good and fit in the lyrics of the song.    I have been stuck in some places and had to stay overnight and left the next morning after spending a week there.  Lodi California very definitely is not one of those places.   Legacy Estates in Lodi California is a subdivision located on the southwestern side of the community.  The properties tend to run in th... 11/19/2012

    Up until the early 1980s the town of Lodi California used to promote itself as the “Tokay Capital of the World”.  This was because of the large amount of Flame Tokay variety of grapes that were grown there. The Tokay Flame is a large, oval, seeded table grape with a bland taste and with thick red skin.  The grape when grown in Lodi California exhibits a beautiful flaming red color that it does not exhibit when it is grown anywhere else.  There are not many of the Flame Tokay grapes being grown these days in Lodi due to the fact that there are now seedless varieties to choose from.  If you want to find these grapes today you will have to go to one of the local roadside fruit stands between August to December. The grape may not have much popularity amongst the general public however ... 11/10/2012

    When living in Lodi California one of the pleasures is the abundance of wineries located around the area.  When you come into Lodi from the west what you will see are many fields planted with grape vines.  These fields provide the grapes that are harvested, crushed and bottled that make up these wonderful regional wines.  There is even a rumor that grapes grown in Lodi California are shipped up to Napa California to make the wines up there.   Napa California has been the place everyone would think of when they wanted to go for wine tasting.  That is in the past however as Lodi California has an abundance of world class wineries right here in San Joaquin County.  People not longer have to make the trip to Napa they come to Lodi instead.   How do you find those wineries except by driv... 11/09/2012

      On Pine Street in Lodi California stands a piece of history built in 1907 that has become an icon in the community.  The Mission Arch was originally built to be the formal gateway to the grounds of the Tokay Carnival during the first Lodi Grape Festival.    The 40-foot arch way was designed by E. B. Brown and was built at the cost of about $500.  Now if you stop to think about it, that was a whole bunch of money in 1907.    The Arch stood for many years until in 1956 it was declared a safety hazard.  The Arch was to be torn down however the citizens of Lodi raised the funds for the restoration of the Arch.  Originally the Arch rested on the ground however during the restoration concrete footings were poured for support.  Under the white plaster outside are the original timbers of ... 11/07/2012

    The Sandhill Crane Festival is here once starting on Friday November 2nd and continuing until Sunday November 4th.  This is a yearly event in Lodi California which is held at the Hutchins Street Square is put on to promote the natural beauty of this community.   This celebration of the yearly return of the Sandhill Cranes is a free event.  There are tours and activities that do have a cost and require reservations to participate in.   One of the tours is a kayak trip on the Middle Slough at Cosumnes River Preserve given by one of the local kayak shops.  Here is the description of this tour from the Sandhill Crane Festival website:   “Join kayaking expert and owner of Current Adventures-Kayak School & Trips, Dan Crandall, as you paddle the calm waters of the Middle Slough at Cosumne... 11/02/2012

        Kayaking anyone?  If you enjoy the water and like to explore rivers and lakes there is no better way to do that than by kayak.   Lodi Lake in Lodi California is the perfect place to start your kayaking experience.  If you need equipment or instruction or just want to kayak with a group Dan Arbuckle at the Headwaters Kayak Shop in Lodi California is someone you should meet.  Dan, who is highly experienced, has a full line of boats and equipment to satisfy any kayaker.   The Mokelumne River flows into Lodi Lake and can be entered from the lake.  Paddling up the river you will pass by homes and condominiums in the Rivergate and Willow Glenn communities that are on the river.   The Rivergate community has homes built on arms that allow access to the river for the residents of that c... 10/30/2012

      When I was younger, no kidding I really was, I can remember people saying how fast time seemed to me moving.  Well in my advanced years I now realize what they were commenting on.  There was another comment about “wasting youth on the young” but that is for another time.    All righty, all that to say that another year has passed and I am left wondering where it went.  By the way, if you find it send it back to me, thanks.   Okay, enough of that.  Last year at this time I wrote about the Sandhill Crane Festival at Hutchins Street Square in Lodi California.  Well, here it is again.  On the 2nd  of November and continuing on the  3rd and 4th will the 16th annual celebration of the return of the Sand Hill Cranes to Lodi and the surrounding area.   People from all over will make their... 10/25/2012

    “When will the real estate market hit the bottom?”  This is a question that buyers and sellers are asking all the time.  The simple answer was given by someone who was supposed to know all that economic ins and outs, “I dunno your guess is as good as mine”.   Defining what the “bottom” means would seem to be to be a good idea.  Well, it can be the underside of something, the surface of a seat, the surface on which a body of water lies, the part of the ships hull below the water line, the lowest place or part of somewhere, the most remote part, or…    In real estate the bottom might mean that property prices stabilize and that the foreclosure rate goes to near zero.  It could also mean that people are no longer underwater and are able to get control of their lives again.   The bottom... 10/22/2012

      What is the Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance Program (“MRAP”) and how do I find out more about it?     MRAP is one of the federally funded programs from CalHFA MAC, CalHFA Mortgage Assistance Corporation, to provide temporary assistance to homeowners who are close to having a problem with their mortgages, to stay in their homes.  The goal of this program is to help homeowners avoid foreclosure and to help them correct any problems with their first mortgages. This help may include providing reinstatement payments to qualified applicants.   To find out more about this federally funded program click here to go to the Keep Your Home California website.   The table below shows the properties in Lodi California that are currently in short sale status.   Contact The Nines Team Realty at... 10/17/2012

    “What do you mean I have been scammed?”  Have you ever heard someone make that statement?  These people thought they were “taking care of business” only to find that the person they were working with was not completely or even close to being honest. Unfortunately in today’s market there are those individuals that are looking to distressed properties to make a fast dishonest dollar.  More and more this is not an uncommon situation for homeowners to find themselves in. How can homeowners protect themselves?  What red flags should a homeowner be aware of regarding mortgage modification and avoidance of foreclosure issues? Red Flag Anyone who wants money up front to help with the mortgage issue. Red Flag Anyone that offers to fill out the mortgage modification paperwork for the homeown... 10/10/2012

    “What is this 3.8% tax all about?”  “Is there really going to be a sales tax on the sale of our property?”  “What is this tax going to do to the already shaky real estate market?” Okay, the first point to clear up is that this is not going to be a sales tax levied on each and every property sold.  Contrary to rumors the new tax, that begins on January 1, 2013, will not affect all home sales.  The truth of the matter is that it will not even affect most sales. Okay who will the tax affect?  The answer is it depends.  It depends on how much profit, a.k.a.  Capital gains came from the sale of the property and the seller’s tax rate bracket.  This tax would be for the people who have an income of $200, 000 as a single person or $250,000 as a married couple.  The tax would also be levied ... 10/01/2012

  In today’s world with bank owned properties (REO) there is no way the current owner, the lender, has any idea of the condition of the property.  The truth is that these lenders may never see the property or even really care about the property.  Their only interest is to recover as much as possible from the sale of that property. When a property is sold “as is and without disclosures” could very well mean that the current owner, a lending institution, has obviously not lived in the property and has no idea of the condition of that property.  In this situation the lender is excluded from the disclosure requirement. Now the truth is that anyone can sell a property “as is” however that does not exclude them from doing all the required disclosures. When the negotiations for a property are... 09/26/2012

  The activity in Legacy Estates in Lodi California per the Multiple Listing Service from June 1 to September 24 is as follows.   There are 3 active properties, 1 active short sale, 4 pending properties, 5 pending short sale properties and the best number of all 19 closed sales.  Let there be no doubt there is real estate being bought and sold.    This is great for the economy.  The saying “As real estate so goes the economy” is still very true.  That has been true for a long time and will remain so in the future.  Real estate is what will get the economy back on its feet and moving forward again.    Now all we have to do is to get the pundits and talking heads out of the real estate business so that it can get moving forward again.  The last is just my opinion you understand…my humble... 09/24/2012

  Is there a way to get the outstanding principal reduced on my mortgage?   That depends on whether the homeowner, the property and the loan qualify for a principle reduction.   The California Housing Finance Agency, Mortgage Assistance Corporation has a federally funded program to help homeowners that have suffered a hardship.  What the program, Principal Reduction Program, does is reduce the principal on a qualifying mortgage by as much as $100,000.    This is a great program however remember the homeowner and the property also have to qualify for the program.  To find out more about the Principal Reduction Program go to the Keep Your Home California page on the internet.  The Keep Your Home California people have counselors that can help you with your specific situation either on the... 09/17/2012