You break out your dusty bike and get ready for a ride, only to find you have a low tire. Bummer, huh?  But if you are lucky enough to be riding the American River Bike Trail  near the Sunrise Bridge in Fair Oaks, Robin Hood has arrived! Check out the new Bike Repair Station they just installed. (This just added: when I wrote this, I assumed it was the Parkway who installed it.  But no - it was an Eagle Scout Project!  I am trying to find out who the Scout was, and will update as I find out.  But three cheers for him!) There is a tire pump, plus two protruding bars to hang your bike on.  Then, from a series of cables, are strung a dozen or so bike tools - small scale screw drivers, wrenches and gizmos I can't describe (maybe that is because I would bring my wheeling mechanic along wit... 01/14/2014

Home Prices in Fair Oaks, CA  95628 for January 2014  Real estate market data for Fair Oaks, CA  95628  provided by David Vandermyden of Pacific Coast Group, KellerWilliams   Fair Oaks Home Prices  We have seen 12 straight months of listing price increases on home prices in Fair Oaks and don’t expect things to slow down anytime soon.  If you are considering buying a home you can still find deals on a house in Fair Oaks but having a good real estate agent who understands the market is a must.  Don’t wait on the sidelines for too long, many of our listings are starting to sell within a few days of hitting the market. As you can see from the graph below, listings are not selling exactly for asking price. To make sure you don't overpay for your home, you'll want to have an agent that does a... 01/13/2014

I love going back over the previous year to see who I helped buy and sell a home.  There are always so many reasons, but one fact remains - we seem to be hellbent on moving! For 2013 I sold 39 homes.  The biggest reason seems to be a change of home - bigger, smaller, different neighborhood, or to be closer to their kids.   A few were empty nesters, were ready to downsize. Rose was preparing for the inevitable move-out of her boys and wanted them to have adjusted to the new house in the same neighborhood before they left.   Bill and Joanna were sending their son off on a worldly adventure, and no longer needed their huge yard, since they were losing their free lawn mower. A few were ready for a bigger home.   Leilani and Dan were ready for a much bigger home, near their kid's schools. Th... 01/11/2014

Yep, we went to prison today, Folsom Prison, to be exact. And no, we weren't sent to the slammer. Instead we hiked up a short spur of the Canal Historic Trail from Rainbow Bridge in Folsom, to the gates that posted we would be shot if we went any further. OK, not SHOT, exactly, but definitely in trouble. They don't want people breaking into prison apparently. We complied. So we took our photo of our makeshift #25, and skedaddled on out of there, back down the gorgeous trail that follows the American River. We left our leaf strewn #25 there in front of the sign, kind of our version of tagging! This stretch of river is very dramatic and tumbles from the bottom of Folsom Dam, through a narrow rock canyon that eventually spills into Lake Natoma. From there, water flows through Nimbus Dam, t... 01/09/2014

Boy did I learn a lesson on Hike #23. It involved keys, a zipper, and a slouchy drop of my jacket while taking a picture of the number 23 formed with sticks. Becky, my walking partner, and I parked near the town of Cool, up Hwy 49 South of Auburn, CA.  After connecting on parts of the Wendell T. Robie and Olmstead Loop Trails, we bushwhacked along the newly uncovered Pardners Rock Trail with our friends Paula and Eric Peach. Eric is an Auburn Rec Area trail preservationist and promoter, and has been working to uncover old historic trails used by the gold miners during the Gold Rush. Pardner's Rock Trail is one. I doubt I could ever find it again, without Eric's help. Along the way we stopped for our traditional photo op of the number of our hike - this time a big 23 formed out of sticks... 01/03/2014

Last July I wrote about my goal of doing 60 walks by next September. A fellow Realtor and I threw down the gauntlet after having trained to walk in the Komen 3 Day in San Francisco, and made the commitment. What has happened since has been amazing.  We are up to #24, and are having an awesome time seeing different neighborhoods, walking new mountain trails, and stretching ourselves in ways I couldn't have imagined. And we are seeing our area in a whole new light. We'll reach our 60th by September, before my friend turns 60. We began in Old Sacramento, and have since walked the American River Bike Trail, urban hikes through the riparian easement of Folsom, and foothill hikes in the Auburn Recreation Area. #19 was in the beautiful Arboretum of UC Davis, and #9 was around the Serano Golf C... 01/02/2014

Christmas Eve at home is unusual for me.  I hear from most folks that the real estate business is very slow during the holiday season, but that has never been true for me.  Usually my Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, and even New Years Day I have been showing properties, trying to get last minute paperwork completed before a closing, or otherwise working strong at this time of year. This year the timing worked out differently, and I closed an escrow just before Thanksgiving and although I have been showing property and responding to potential clients, I have nothing scheduled for today, and it is nice to have a quiet day at home with my husband to celebrate in our own way.  We'll probably eat too many homemade cookies and spend some time in front of the fire with cats being our primary dis... 12/24/2013

  Yes, we do have million dollar homes for sale in Fair Oaks California. I have heard from several people that who wonder why I always highlight homes priced between $200,000 and $350,000 in my articles on market trends in the area, especially since Fair Oaks California is known as an upscale area. Well, I have found that the price range I usually feature tends to be the most popular range for buyers, and the range in which the majority of buyers and sellers tend to fall.  So I do focus on that range so that my information is helpful to the most readers. However, it is true that a Fair Oaks address is worth money, and often will cause a home with exactly the same floor plan to sell for a little more in Fair Oaks than one in a neighboring city a couple of blocks away from it. And it is a... 11/03/2013

  What’s it mean when the traffic pattern goes from the kitchen to the bathroom?   Wear and tear on the carpets in apartment communities in Fair Oaks, CA can reveal a lot about the habits of the residents. We can see the paths most used, and in some cases, the replacement can be limited to the areas of wear. Of course carpets do get dirty and worn to a point when it just has to be replaced with new carpeting. Many rental units replace the carpeting prior to move-in, this will depend on the condition of the flooring. Some residents take better care of their carpets than others. We got to see a dirty, well-worn carpet after a resident of 20+ years moved to another property. She was a hoarder so the traffic lanes were pretty narrow and well defined after that many years. There was a partic... 08/11/2013

  It’s not raining – check your gutters!   Remember that drip you had in the gutter last winter? You said you were going to get it taken care of when the rains stopped.   It is the dead of summer in Sacramento, the temperatures are high, no sign of rain.   Maybe now is a good time to repair that gutter problem you had last winter.     07/29/2013

  I Think The Framing Of Your Wood Deck Is Rotted.   As I walked across the redwood deck in Fair Oaks, I couldn’t help but notice that the deck boards were flexing and loose. My initial view of the deck didn’t reveal any moisture of dry rot damage to the surface of the decking. With a little bit of poking around it was obvious that there was a hidden problem. The deck framing was rotted. Poking between the wood deck planks, I could feel the soft framing members, this is not good. The nails were no longer holding the 20 year old deck securely because the lumber had been rotting for a few years. I was able to pull some of the decking up by hand and expose the water damaged wood below. This will have to be fixed; it will only get worse over time. Often times a deck in this condition may be... 06/29/2013

  Camp Fair Oaks Schedule – June, July and August   Interested in getting your 5-12 year old involved in some cool Summer Activities? Check out what Fair Oaks has to offer at Camp Fair Oaks. The fully inclusive camp includes a wide variety of events and activities, it promises to be a summer to remember. Fun and fitness, both indoor and outdoor, is what Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District has for the youth this summer.   The Camps are located at Fair Oaks Park – McMillian Center. 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, CA  95628 9:00am – 4:00pm (ext. camp 7:30am – 5:30pm)   Fees are $130 per week / $150 for the extended camp.   Schedules to choose from: Dates 2013 Themes Field Trip* June 10 – June 14 Bon Voyage! Skatetown/Pool June 17 – June 21 Kitchen Creations John’s Incredible Pizza/Pool ... 06/15/2013

The Fair Oaks home market has gone berserk in the past 6 or 7 months.  We've gone from a tough, declining market with homes taking forever to sell (6 months average in April 2012), to one where gobs of buyers swarm every listing, vying for the right to buy - like salmon up a fish ladder.  Homes go into the MLS, only to flash the PENDING sign within hours. (Our average is now 23 days to sell!) But is a quick acceptance the best way to get top dollar?  Heck NO!  In THIS market "Sold in 1 day!" means you had no strategy! My last 7 listings sold within 10 days, and all sold WAY over the list price.  Way over the price that made sense.  And way over the appraisal, in most cases. How did I do it, you ask?  Strategy! First, I price them where they make sense.  I study the comps, the price per ... 06/13/2013

I walk.  I don’t fish.  But even I was impressed by the beauties this fellow in the video below pulled out of the American River in Fair Oaks, just downstream of the Sunrise Bridge, in early March.  Turns out, out best steelhead fishing is traditionally upstream– between the Sunrise Bridge and Nimbus Dam, where the fish hatchery is.  But lately, efforts at habitat management has smooshed around the gravel beds in the river and fiddled with water flows so the fish are happier and lay more eggs.  Lots of fishy shenanigans going on I guess. As a result, we have been having record fish runs. I caught the fellow in this video as he pulled out these two steelhead at the bicycle bridge just below the Sunrise Bridge. Turns out Sunrise has become a great place to catch fish along the 23 miles of... 03/03/2013

  Is That An Oak Tree in Your Wood Deck? It is not uncommon to see oak trees growing up through a wood deck in the Sacramento area. Oak trees provide shade, and it is a special look that many enjoy. Often times the oak tree cannot be removed, they are protected. Done correctly the tree can be a unique feature to the home. There can be a problem though. The tree will be growing and if you do not allow for growth it may cause damage to the deck. Probably the best method is to periodically trim the opening as the tree grows. The tree in the photo grew until the hole was too small and the tree lifted the deck over time. In fact this deck is supported by the tree; it has risen 6” off the pier blocks.     02/25/2013

Fair Oaks Short Sale / 5510 Illinois Ave. / Short Sale Specialist Our latest closed Fair Oaks Short Sale is 5510 Illinois Ave. With the buyer walking once approved, we were able to secure a cash buyer who wanted to invest in the property in a little as 10 days. As it would be, CapitolOne placed a $7,000 lien on the property that had to be cleared before the close of escrow. By adapting and staying committed, we were able to get approval from Wachovia (1st mortgage holder) and have the buyer bring in the difference to clear the lien. All’s well that ends well. If this sounded like the perfect Fair Oaks home or investment property for you don’t worry we have others. Check out what’s available in the below home search. Search for Fair Oaks Homes for Sale Whether you are looking for Fair Oa... 01/30/2013

  “I Can’t Live Here, Those Cabinet Doors Look Hideous.” A Fair Oaks, CA apartment manager was showing a unit to a prospective renter; the unit was looking pretty good. Carpet, paint, counters, and new fixtures, but something was still missing before it was rentable. The cabinet doors were in bad shape and it was very obvious that something needed to be done to get good tenants moved in. The doors of the kitchen cabinets were damaged over time due to water. The worse damage was on the cabinets near the kitchen sink, water spills and wet hands can take a toll on low end cabinets. The doors of these cabinets tend to be low cost particle board with a wood veneer and do not handle water well. Don’t get me wrong the cabinets have lasted a pretty long time in these apartments; the doors just ... 01/30/2013

  Don’t forget the joist hangers on that second story deck.     In an effort to complete a second story deck in Sacramento, a local contractor forgot to use joist hangers on all the joists. I’m sure he just ran out and had every intention of coming back to complete the apartment deck construction, but he didn’t. While walking into the unit below, I only had to glance up to see the error. The joists were “toenailed” into place but the deck is being used regularly and needs to be corrected. Before signing off on an apartment deck, be sure to take a look for the obvious oversights.       View Larger Map 01/26/2013

Pacific Coast Group 916-787-1200 Check out these 3 distressed properties currently on the market in Fair Oaks. If any of these listings interest you, please contact us at Pacific Coast Group, and we'll give you all the details. Call today, as things moving faster out there, and the we're here to help!    01/16/2013

Pacific Coast Group 916-787-1200 Looking for a home in Fair Oaks? We've found beautiful, affordable new listings on the market this week! Contact Pacific Coast Group for a personal showing of any or all of these great homes. Call us at 916-787-1200, or click here to email, and we'll be talking to you soon!    01/14/2013