Sacramento Urban Real Estate

Come Visit GOOD This Week!

2009-03-11T21:24:54Z

Just a quick note to let you know that our Good project will be open to tour again this week. There is still an opportunity to see a Good home up close and personal before our last model of the first phase closes escrow next week. Please stop by this Thursday (3/12) or Friday (3/13), between 4:30 and 6:30, or Sunday (3/15), between 10:30 and 2:30, to tour the Good community.

We are currently selling the second phase (which will be completed this summer), so if you know anybody looking for something Good, please help us spread the word.

As always, if you can’t make it to the times above, we show GOOD by appointment. So please give Brandon a call at (916) 930-9400 x0 or email: brandon[at]ljurban.com.

(via LJUrban)

$15,000 credit for homebuyers now no longer applies to only "first-time buyers"

2009-02-09T23:05:47Z

The current incarnation of the U.S. Senate amendment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1) that would allow a tax credit of up to $15,000 for the purchase of a qualifying residence, now allows people who are not first-time buyers to take advantage of the credit (previously drafts had only first-time buyers qualifying).

If the bill passes both the House and Senate, and is signed into law by the President (which is expected, currently--possibly by the tomorrow) then an amount equal to 10% of a home’s purchase price, not to exceed $15,000, could be applied as a tax credit. The amendment includes the taxpayer’s choice of splitting the credit equally across two years.

This is an unprecedented advantage for home buyers. Combine these new incentives with a market that is currently undervalued and some of the lowest interest rates in history, there are plenty of reasons for some people to buy right now.

Key changes in how your credit will be judged happen Thursday

2009-02-08T21:47:17Z

As of the Thursday, the major credit-reporting agencies will be altering the way they determine a person's FICO score. There will be 6 main changes:

1. Spouses and children can improve their credit score by being an authorized user on a credit card account, but that's it. No more piggybacking off strangers.

2. Debts less than $100 that go to collections will matter less.

3. They will look at the total picture more. A single repossession, for instance, won't matter as much if everything else looks good.

4. Having less available credit will drag down your score more.

5. Diversity matters more. A mix of healthy auto, personal and student loans would bring up a score.

6. Closing accounts will bring down the score.

Though companies will start using it to make decisions about you right away, it may be months or even years before the scores are commercially available to consumers. So, just like in middle school, they're quietly judging you behind your back, and no, you can't see inside the black and white composition notebook.

Sacramento Museum Day Returns February 7, 2009!

2009-02-05T07:11:00Z

Twenty-six (26) greater Sacramento area museums will be offering FREE admission during the11th Annual Sacramento Museum Day presented by the Sacramento Association of Museums and proudly sponsored by Umpqua Bank. Sacramento Museum Day is Februray 7, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (all participating museums close at 5 p.m.). Free shuttle buses will serve many of the participating museums (all routes begin/end/transfer at The California Museum at the corner of 10th and O Streets, which can be accessed via Regional Transit Light Rail – Archives Plaza station). For more details please choose from the following:

Thank you!

2009-01-30T01:07:34Z

Thank you for making me the #1 agent in the Central City! Thank you to those of you who spread the work about me, my team, and what I am trying to do here in Sacramento. Thank you, especially, to those of you who put your trust in me and allowed me to represent you or your development.

Since making the decision to focus a majority of my business on the urban core, you have helped me to sell more homes than any single agent in the Central City (which is bordelred by the railroad to the north, West Sacramento to the west, Land Park to the south, and East Sacramento to the east, and includes the neighborhoods of Midtown, Downtown, Boulevard Park, Marshall School, Poverty Ridge, Southside Park, Mansion Flats, and Alkali Flat) for the past two quarters.

Neighborhood Profile: East Sacramento

2009-01-28T21:37:27Z

This home was reportedly considered by Gov. Schwarzenegger for his Sacramento residenceAn example of a small East Sacramento cottageWhen many people think of East Sacramento, the first thing that they think of is the "Fab Forties" neighborhood with its tree-lined streets and stately mansions. Of course, it is also the past home to Ronald Reagan and (reportedly) almost home Arnold Schwarzenegger and current home to many of this cities business and political leaders. And, yes, the fact that this part of town has some of Sacramento's largest lots and most expensive homes is inescapable, but it is just as easy to find quaint bungalows and tudors just blocks from the multi-million-dollar homes.

My Morning Chuckle

2009-01-23T20:23:29Z

Each and every morning, I check the local MLS to see what new listings there are in the areas that I specialize in. It is a way for me to make sure that my buyers get first shot at any great listings as well as a way to help me keep a pulse on the market. More and more, however, it has become a source of entertainment as agent after agent list homes for well above (often 20-50% above) what it is even possible for the home to sell for. There are a number of reasons why I believe this happens.

Neighborhood Profile: Midtown Sacramento

2009-01-22T19:50:24Z

A Typical Midtown CornerTree-canopied streets, 100 year-old stately victorians and cozy bungalows, hip restaurants and boutiques alongside bohemian coffee houses, vintage clothing shops, and tattoo parlors--all mark the neighborhood that has emerged as the artistic and cultural epicenter of Sacramento. Midtown is easily one of the most exciting and engaging neighborhoods in our fair town. It is generally considered that part of town that is bordered by C Street to the North, W Street to the South, 16th Street to the West, and Alhambra Blvd. to the East. It has a great mix of historical homes and popular businesses. It is walkable and bike-able. Most of the streets have bike lanes and it often seems like foot and bicycle are the preferred modes of travel by neighborhood residents.

It's the perfect time to buy!

2009-01-13T20:01:35Z

Okay, so I meant that a little tongue-in-cheek. It seems that no matter what the state of the housing market, we Realtors are here to comfort you and to tell you that there has never been a better time (to buy, sell, wear women's clothing... whatever). The current NAR campaign is a perfect example of this.

So it may be the perfect time to buy, but I could never tell somebody that without knowing more about their situation, their desires, their dreams, and, yes, their financial situation. The current economic crisis has nothing to do with not buying when we should and everything to do with buying when we shouldn't.

Buyers and sellers deserve an agent who will be honest with them. The problem, however, is that the system of compensation for agents does not reward them for doing so. This is why the system must change.

Where I have been the past few days...

2008-12-28T05:24:31Z

My wife gave birth to this beautiful (although, he looks pretty pissed off here) baby boy after 38 plus hours of labor. I took her in Christmas Eve and we just returned home hours ago. Watching your wife give birth to a child is truly an amazing experience and a reminder to me of what an incredible woman I have as a wife. And the end product of all of her difficult laboring is this little guy, my second son.

I hope that you will forgive a lack of posts over the next couple of weeks, but I have something very important to tend to. I hope you agree.

Oh, and, since I wasn't around to say this in a timely fashion.... Merry Christmas.