All Categories

Since the Sacramento real estate market is comprised of so many foreclosures I thought it might be a good idea to provide some tips on buying lender owned properties. Although there are some bargains to be had they are not always easy and there are some things you should know if you are interested in buying one. Check out my latest article, Buying Bank Owned Properties, on my Real Estate News page at www.jalone.com. Read Full Post

We returned to Anchorage from our favorite Alaska city, Homer. Anchorage has and has not changed much from when we lived here. There are new buildings here and there and plenty of road construction. The downtown area is a mess as a enormous parking garage is being built and the traffic is as bad as we remember. Unlike California, everyone we talk to up here is excited about the economy and the future for the State of Alaska. Yes, gas prices are high, we paid 4.74 per gallon of unleaded on our... Read Full Post

At the end of the road is Homer. You drive as far south as you can from Anchorage along the Kenai Peninsula and you end up in this wonderful Alaska village. It is also known as the Halibut fishing capital of the world but it is so much more and if you are ever in Alaska well worth the time to visit. Nestled on the shore of Kachemak Bay there is breathtaking views of glaciers, mountains and wildlife. In addition to the fishing there is an active art community, quaint café’s and a few very n... Read Full Post

We left summer behind yesterday and arrived in Anchorage where they have been experiencing a wet and cool summer. At least it is nice to get away from the smoke for a few days. We are here for a family wedding and a trip to Homer to visit Michael’s daughter Kevyn and her husband Dave. We have a good team to cover for me while we are away and I have my phone and email so hopefully we can get some work done and have some fun with family here too. Read Full Post

I have been feeling the softness in the Sacramento real estate market for the past few weeks. My first indication things were slowing down is when I had to put one of my short sale listings back on the market after the buyer backed out just as the lender approved the transaction. This house on Roseville Street in Roseville is very cute, priced right and after we had it in contract had to turn away Realtors and potential buyers. I thought this would be a snap to get another offer, especially s... Read Full Post

I have watched this show in the past and always think, where do they get these people, I would never do that! Well that was before yesterday when I got an email from the show’s producer asking me to consider being on the show. Evidently they are looking for a “wife” who is also a Realtor and they found my website, www.jalone.com. I thought for sure Michael and Mikie would have fit and not want me to do it. I was wrong; Mikie really wants to do it. I think he likes the idea of him being ... Read Full Post

If you read the headline in the Sacramento Bee this morning, “Home Sales up for 2nd month” it might give you a feeling that our real estate market is doing pretty well after almost three years of slumping. Don’t get me wrong, I am feeling optimistic about eventually getting back to a balanced real estate market but when you get behind some of the numbers it is pretty clear we have a ways to go. Compared to a year ago, there were over 47 percent more sales of existing homes in Sacramento... Read Full Post

Where did Father’s Day weekend go? At our house it seemed so go by very quickly and here we are starting another busy week. I may be starting to feel the pressure of getting ready to go on vacation but it seems the Sacramento real estate market is showing no signs of slowing down. We have continued to see a activity in the Sacramento short sale market as we picked up two new listings last week and as important, successfully finalized two short sale lender negotiations. Once we get the lende... Read Full Post

Many lenders have dedicated staff to deal with short sales and some appear to have developed a process that works for them. Where the problem occurs is the volume of requests for short sales. It overwhelms the negotiators and others who deal with borrowers and Realtors who are requesting short sale consideration. Yesterday, we were talking to a negotiator for a lender who when we asked her to call us back with some additional information she didn’t have, said, “I have over 200 people just... Read Full Post

The trend is clear; we are not going to be seeing the normal buildup of inventory of homes in the Sacramento real estate market this year. Normally starting in late February or early March the number of homes coming on the market is faster than sales so inventory of available homes increases until August. Going into the spring, inventory was already high but instead of increasing it has actually declined. As of June 9, according to HousingTracker, there were 14,670 homes on the market in the ... Read Full Post