Random Thoughts Category
Take a trip to the Sculpture Park
Local Band Hits it Big – Returns
Looking for something to do in Redding? The band “The Myriad” will be performing Saturday Oct. 4th at the Cascade Theatre. The Myriad was crowned MTV champions of the 2007 “Dew Circuit Breakout”. Check out their music video filmed at Redding’s historic Cascade Theatre.
Sphere: Related Content“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
Charles Dickens could have been talking about today. How do you percieve this market? Tragedy or opportunity? How you answer that question can make all the difference.
I believe that the time is right to shop for your Retirement Home. As the market bottoms out you can be sure that the truly desirable properties, those with spectacular views or waterfront homes, will be the first to increase in price. By not acting soon you risk missing the chance to buy in your desired location. Imagine the possibilities! You can find great values on everything from mountain cabins to SoCal beach homes. No need to limit yourself to one location or community with a retirement home. Even if retirement is a ways off the current market may allow you to rent at close to or actual positive cash flow. Don’t know where the best values are? No worries, we keep in touch with some of the best Realtors from San Diego to Seattle and will be happy to put you in touch.
Sphere: Related ContentClimbing Everest and Your Personal Journey
Inspirational Speaker and Fitness Coach Laurie Bagley will be speaking at The Spiritual Enrichment Center in Redding on Wednesday, October 29 at 7:30 PM. If you have ever had the opportunity to spend time with Laurie and hear of her incredible experiences you can’t help but but be motivated and inspired. Anyone interested in making their personal dreams become a reality should plan on attending.
Laurie will be presenting a seminar about motivation, dedication and manifesting even difficult goals and dreams that is sure to inspire you, excite you and get you going on dreaming big and making the dream a reality.
Laurie’s story is compelling. She is one of only a handful of Women to successfully summit Mount Everest and uses that experience to illustrate the joyful rewards of goal setting. Through her climb which she called “ Climb for the Children” she was able to raise money and awareness for the “untouchable children” in India. Laurie continues her humanitarian efforts by supporting KIRF, the Kirwin International Relief Foundation, with a portion of all her speaking fees going to help others help themselves in a respectful and environmentally sustainable manner. Cost to attend is only $15 for what may truly be a life changing event. Hope to see you there!
Sphere: Related ContentYou Don’t Need to be 55 or Older to Live in Senior Park
The Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 added familial status as a protected class to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. It is unlawful under this act to deny housing to legal custodians or families having children under the age of 18 living with their parents, or to pregnant women. The single exception to this rule is housing that meets the definition of housing for older persons.
In order to qualify as a retirement community at least 80% of the units must be occupied by one person who is 55 or older. That leaves 20% of the units available to persons younger than 55 years of age. It’s a little known fact that many of our senior parks legally have residents under 55 years of age. This option may be ideal for buyers looking for a home in a mature environment.
Recently Sandee and I listed a beautifully renovated park mobile in River Park located next to a boat ramp on the Sacramento River. The owner, under 55 years of age, purchased the home under this 20% exemption. A meticulous individual, he rebuilt the home from the ground up. The park sits next to Anderson River Park complete with walking trails, tennis courts, horse shoes, bocce ball courts, summer concert series and more. The park has ample room to park boats and RV’s and space rents are affordable.
Sphere: Related ContentLos Pingous Rock last Marketfest of 2008
The end of summer sure has snuck up on me! Hard to believe but tonight is the last Marketfest of 2008. If you haven’t attended Marketfest before you should definitely make it a point to stop by. Buenos Aires powerhouse Los Pinguos will entertain Redding with their distinctive sound. Labeled “The South American Beatles” Los Pingous serves up a mixture of Latin rhythms, performed with Spanish guitars, a Cuban Tres, Peruvian cajón (box-drum) and harmonizing vocals that’s sure to have Redding up and dancing. Marketfest is held in Library Park behind the Lorenz Hotel. See you there!
Sphere: Related ContentIs Proposition 13 Unfair to First Time Buyers?
Is Proposition 13 a good or bad deal for home buyers? This is another topic that largely depends on your perspective. Passed in 1978 Proposition 13 was intended to protect homeowners from soaring tax bills as their homes appreciated in value. It certainly succeeded in that goal and by and large has been considered a good deal for homeowners. Even the mention of reforming Proposition 13 causes quite a stir and because of this it has been called the untouchable “third rail” of California politics.
Since I am not a politician I guess I can point out that it does have some unintended consequences that warrant discussion.
What is Proposition 13?
Essentially, Proposition 13:
- Limits property taxes to 1% of assessed valuation with fiscal 1975-76 as the base year.
- Limits assessment increases to 2% per year.
- Allows reassessments to market value only when a property is sold.
- Prohibits state lawmakers from imposing new taxes without a 2/3 vote of the legislature.
- Prohibits local governments from enacting most new taxes without a 2/3 vote of the electorate.
If you have owned your home for a long time this is a great thing. But what if you are a first time buyer? Is it fair to you that you may be paying two or three times more in taxes then your neighbor on a home of equal value? The response to this is generally “you will make it up over time”. Perhaps you will. If you stay in your new home long enough someone else is bound to move in next door who will be paying even more in taxes then you. The idea that we could all benefit from a system that spread the tax burden equally among all owners of real estate would appear to be practical enough but no politician will go there. Warren Buffet was ran out of town for even suggesting that the system be tweaked to allow for adjustments to be made based on a combination of property value and the owners income. I am certainly not suggesting we give up the protections of Proposition 13 but there are some other interesting things to consider such as;
Does Proposition 13 stifle entrepreneurship? Commercial real estate is also subject to Prop 13 so a new company may have significant costs not shared by it’s more established competitors.
Does Proposition 13 favor large sophisticated corporations over home owners and small businesses ? Unlike residential real estate when a corporation is sold the transfer of the real estate owned by the corporation may not be subject to reassessment.
Does Proposition 13 influence Cities and Counties planning in a negative way? With Sales Tax as the most robust revenue source for Cities and Counties there has been a tendency to promote high yield retail development at the expense of housing, manufacturing and other job creating businesses.
These are just a few of the questions that would be worthwhile to discuss. Don’t look for it to happen anytime soon though. In Sacramento they won’t touch this with a ten foot pole.
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Important Tips for Rural Living
Ahhh, to live in the mountains of Northern California. What a beautiful place to call home! Here in the “State of Jefferson” we are blessed with many mountain communities where you can enjoy living in the shade of towering firs, cedars and pines relaxing to the sounds of nature. Creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes are plentiful and the mountains are filled with trails. From Igo-Ono to Shingletown, Hat Creek to Manton this region is dotted with small towns, big timber, big views and a simpler way of life.
Of course living in one of our wonderful remote communities does require a bit more self sufficiency and preparedness. Recently while performing a final walk through with a client/friend on a home he is purchasing on Battle Creek in Shingletown we had the opportunity to learn what steps the sellers had taken over the course of the last 20 years. Here are a few tips (complete with links to informational sites) we picked up that apply to living in any of our rural areas;
Support your local Volunteer Fire Department. Any donation goes a long way. These are the people you will be depending on in the case of emergencies.
Become a supporting member of both Air Ambulance services in our region. The cost (about $40 a year) is minimal compared to the potential savings and peace of mind. Membership means that should you ever require air transportation to a Redding Hospital you will not be charged more then your insurance will cover. On many policies this can be thousands of dollars. For those who live in remote areas or even “townies” who enjoy day trips and camping this is a great idea.
Join a group or club in your area. From the bulletin boards so prominent in front of the local markets, community news letters and volunteer fire department fund raiser events you are bound to meet others with similar interests. Knowing your neighbors is part of the joy in living in a small town.
Feel free to Contact Us for more information and a list of homes and properties available in the small town of your choice.
Happy House Hunting!
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Where do you stay when you Travel?
I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to the day that affordable air service comes to the Redding Airport. Sure, you can fly in and out of Redding through SFO on United or fly Horizon to Portland or L.A. but you still have to catch a connection and the cost is rather high. For now most of the people I know fly in and out of Sacramento. It’s pretty convenient for the most part but early flights require either an overnight stay or getting up in the middle of the night to drive to Sacramento. I would prefer not to be wiped out from sleep deprivation when I get to my destination so we usually drive down the night before, which brings me to the point of this blog.
Where do you stay when you fly out of Sacramento? We found a place we really like. The SpringHill Suites Marriott on Venture Oaks Way is just minutes from the Airport, has a 24 hour on-demand shuttle and free park and fly. It also has one of the best complimentary breakfasts we have ever experienced. They even pack you a “to go” breakfast if you have a very early shuttle/flight. The cost for a room is just over $100 per night but if you are traveling for 7 days and subtract airport parking plus breakfast for two your cost is actually pretty marginal. They also just might have the most comfortable pillows we have ever slept on. That’s our “Travel Tip” for the day. Hope you have a great vacation wherever you are going!
Sphere: Related ContentAdult Park Mobile Financing – Affordable Living
Not too many people know this but there is very affordable financing available for park mobiles. In fact, until now we didn’t know it either. Recently we listed an unbelievably attractive renovated mobile home located in River Park in Anderson. This mobile is a complete renovation with a stick built home feel, sheetrock walls and ceilings with bull nose corners, maple cabinets, upgraded flooring, real wood exterior siding, a large detached shop with a great patio looking across Anderson River Park to the Sacramento River and boat ramp. As we prepared to market this home we thought about who our “buyer” might be. A retiring fisherman who would enjoy the proximity to the river and boat launch? An active adult couple who would play tennis on the courts in the park? A nature loving senior who would bird watch while walking the many trails through the woods? The home would be perfect for any of them. And with a price of only $39,900 it’s very affordable indeed. But what about those people who don’t have that much liquid cash? How could they take advantage of this great opportunity? So….we set out to find a lender who can finance park mobiles and we found a great one!
With affordable financing on park mobiles, a total housing cost including park space rent of under $800 per month is now available to buyers with a reasonable credit score. Imagine living in your own home for less then apartment rent! All this with as little as 5% down payment. If you know anyone interested in learning more about this please Contact Us. We will be very happy to assist you with the process.
Do you have a park mobile to sell? Learn how financing can make your sale a success.
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