Our house goes on the market in about two weeks and one of our big projects to get accomplished before putting it on the market was getting our pool tile cleaned. We have some very hard water in Elk Grove.  Believe it or not, the build up on our tiles happened in just two years.  The tile is only two years old!  We did try to maintain it.  We purchased pumice stones and rubbed until we only had little nubs left.  It helped, but only by about 50%.  I didn't think there was much I could do, but a friend recommended Hess Tile Cleaning to me. They drained about 6 inches of water from the pool and then blasted the calcium deposits off the tile with little glass beads.  It is pretty amazing how well the process works.Hess Tile Cleaning in ActionDavid Nieves and Austin Hess did all the work. T... 04/21/2022

Real Estate Market Update for Laguna West, Lakeside and StonelakeLaguna West, Lakeside and Stonelake are each distinct neighborhoods in Elk Grove.  They are each similar enough that my clients view them as interchangeable so I like to look at the three areas combined.  Year over year growth was very good, but the market is showing signs of leveling off (discussed in my Elk Grove monthly update).  The last five months pricing has been very stable in the Elk Grove Area.I have lived in the Laguna West and Lakeside areas since 2000.  I know the area well.  If you are exploring the area, I would be happy to share my local knowledge with you.  If you are looking to sell your home, I would be happy to send you recent sales data  for your neighborhood and help you get your house ready for the m... 10/09/2021

     The Problem-Mildew     Many times, my past Henson Painting clients assumed that their mildew covered house needed to be painted.  It was quite common to clean their homes and have them question whether painting the house was really needed.  Removing mildew can be that dramatic.  Mildew is also hard on painted surfaces and can lead to premature paint failure.  There is a surprising amount of mildew on homes in the Sacramento region for such a dry climate.  It can be very prevalent on the shady side of a home or under the eaves.  Below is a picture of the mildew covered siding, eaves and gutters at my rental.  Yes, yes, I have been a little lax in maintaining it.  In my defense, it is in Arkansas and I live in Elk Grove, CA.  It is quite a commute!                                    ... 02/07/2020

Saturday morning we spent time kayaking in the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.  We visited a private area that can only be accessed on the  Wildlife Observation Paddle Tours with a guide.  It was beautiful.  It was peaceful.  It was only five minutes from our home in Laguna West, Elk Grove and it took me and my wife over 20 years of living here to discover it.  The area we accessed is a three mile slough.  We were lucky the Sandhill Cranes had just showed up a couple of days ago.  We also saw plenty of  Blue Herons.  Wild Life and Habitat along the slough.Our docent relayed one interesting story to us.  The refuge was created in 1994.  The area was overgrown had not been managed well.  At first, no Sandhill Cranes visited the area.  After about 10 years of work, the first couple o... 09/29/2019

This particular neighborhood of Laguna West is one of my favorite communities in Elk Grove. It is situated around a lake, and some homes that are not shorefront have a view. Like this home in Laguna West. It is a block from the lake, and there is a lovely view from the master suite of the lake. It makes you feel like you're secluded out in the country and not actually living in a city.Not many people know or even recall but in 2006 Elk Grove was named by Time Magazine the "Fastest Growing City in the United States." Oh, how time flies when you're busy selling homes in Elk Grove. Hard to believe that was 11 years ago. You can read more about this new listing in my blog today and see all the photos, including the lake, at this link: Remodeled Lake View Home in Laguna West. 03/03/2017

Lovely Laguna West Home, Lake and trails nearby. Four bedrooms with huge guest quarters has a private bath and separate entrance. Perfect for extended family. Kitchen flows into family room and opens to private backyard area. Elk Grove School district the best in Northern California. This neighborhood is highly sought after, the home is welcoming and peaceful. Come sit in the back yard and enjoy ! Hurry you will not be the only one that feels like this is their next home.Click link below for detailshttp://debbieb.gohbr.com/homes/2915-Atterbury/Elk-Grove/CA/95758/66762781/ 09/23/2016

There are some home buyers for whom a short sale just doesn't work, even if it's a perfect home in Laguna West with RV parking, because they simply cannot or will not wait for the short sale to be approved. I wish short sale lenders would take that into consideration when pricing a short sale, but alas, many don't care how long it takes to find a buyer or whether the home goes to foreclosure because they get paid either way.Years ago buyers would snap up short sales like hotcakes but today many sit on the market, through no fault of their own. There is often nothing wrong with these short sale homes but buyers simply thumb their noses. It could be that many of their buyer's agents were burned by sitting in escrow with other short sale agents who weren't working the files or had no clue ... 06/14/2015