January: Market Snapshot and Renovations

It's hard to believe we are already in March. With so many changes happening on the federal level, there are lots of questions and concerns about the impact it will have on our Gold River real estate market. Despite anyone's effort to predict what's coming next, I continue to advise my clients to evaluate their numbers and their why. If now is a good time and the numbers work for you, then do not delay. For those considering second homes or investment properties, the equation might look a little different. I have had several calls this past few weeks from clients who fear a market shift and want to let go of their investments now. I am always happy to chat about your numbers and determine if the rental property is still working for you. Despite the rain (and hail), spring is here! As we look forward to warmer weather, I personally like to start planning. Below I'm sharing some areas and activities that are accessible from Gold River with fun seasonal activities that require advanced reservations or a little planning: For the Kids: Camp Winthers : SJUSD's overnight summer camp is a popular, and affordable option for first time campers Sac State Aquatic Camps : This one will go fast, but I do hear many have luck getting off the waitlist. Gold River Sports Club: Swim Lessons, Swim Team, Summer Day Camps, Tennis Camps, and Dive In Movie (June 14th) American River Club Water Polo : Spring/Summer Youth League is a great way to start; their High School program starts in June and is a great way to get a jump start for incoming Freshmen who are not already training with a high school team For the Family: March 22-23 California Capital Airshow : One of our family favorites. I actually love that it moved to March because the cooler weather makes it possible to hang out for the day June 15th thru July 26th Camp Sacramento : Similar to popular campsites, you really should book a year in advance. This iconic family camp is really worth the effort, especially if you have kids under 10. You can get on the cancellation list and if you get in, you get priority registration for the same week the following year. Gold River Sports Club : Pickleball. Need I say more?? Sac State Aquatic Center : Rentals, classes and private lessons. There is so much to offer, including a season pass. If you enjoy visiting Lake Natomas and do not need rentals - the Poppy Pass is the way to go. River Rafting: For a more casual float we love River Rat Raft Rentals , but American River Raft is another solid option. Up for a little more adventure, check out Coloma . There are several companies that run day trips from that area. Adults Only: Amador County Wineries We love visiting this area so much. Helwig has great food options. Rombauer is beautiful and reliable. Casino Mine has the best grounds. If you want to stay overnight, the Grand Reserve is a real treat and Rest is just a few doors down from Taste (the popular restaurant) For the Athletes: July 19th Great American Triathlon (formerly known as Eppies Great Race) July 26-27th Donner Lake Triathlon (Awesome for beginners and kids; we did it with ours for years) May 10th Folsom Lake Triathlon For the Campers and Backpackers: Sly Park Campground and Scotts Flat Campground (Lake Access, Hiking and Mountain Biking) Gold Country Campground and Jellystone (Especially Kid Friendly) Lake Margaret Trail (For Beginner Backpackers) Jenny Lakes Wilderness Area or Yosemite (For Advanced Backpackers) Missed the reservation window? Take a day trip to enjoy their day use areas and scope out the campgrounds for next year. Hope to see you all in the neighborhood! Let me know if there is anything I can do to support your Gold River real estate needs. 

I love the Fall Season and all the fun that it brings. I am excited to share a few upcoming events to spread the Fall vibes: Saturday, October 26th 7-10PM Halloween Party @ Movement Brewing Company. If you are planning to attend but have not registered for drink tickets yet, you can do so on my website by October 19th. Drink Tickets will be mailed prior to the event. RSVP is NOT required as this event is open to all. Saturday, November 9th 5-8PM All Hat No Cattle @ Ruhstaller Farms in Dixon. Should be a super fun evening with Gold River's very own country cover band. Friday, December 6th 4-8PM Gold River's Holiday Home Tour. Mark your calendars. I will have more details with a link to purchase tickets coming soon. In the meantime, we still have space for a few more homes. If you have recently redecorated/remodeled OR just love getting all dressed up for the holidays, let me know. I would love to add you to the Tour. All ticket sales go to Gold River Discovery Center. If you love this season too and want more activities (especially with teens), here are a few of our family favorites in recent years: Davis Ranch UPick Pumpkins and Corn Maze - We have been visiting Davis Ranch to pick strawberries since my boys were little. As they outgrow some of our usual stops, I love that this one is still on the list. UPick Pumpkins runs from 9-3 on Saturday and Sunday. If you have have time, I recommend the corn maze, which takes us about 45-60 minutes. HeartStoppers - After watching years of Ellen's Haunted House Tours , we got brave and decided to visit one ourselves. I now love this tradition and look forward to it every year. Make sure to purchase your tickets as there are limited tours and dates. Outdoor Dining - This is the best season for outdoor dining - not too hot and not too cold. Next to Il Forno , Crawdads on the Lake , Moonraker Millhouse and Fabian's have been some of our favorite spots this season. 'Tis also the season for Open Enrollment in San Juan Unified School District. For parents considering enrollment for Middle or High Schoolers outside their neighborhood school, you have 8 weeks to tour schools, talk to other parents and attend information nights before the Open Enrollment window opens in December (exact dates have not been released for 2025-2026 yet). I have listed a few Information Nights below for quick reference. Middle School: Winston Churchill IB Program Info Night Oct 23 6-7:30 (Visitation Days TBD in November) Andrew Carnegie Middle School Dec 4th 6:00 PM (Visitation Days Dec 5th and 6th) High School: Rio Americano High School Nov 6th 6:00 PM Bella Vista High School Nov 7th 6:30-8:00 PM Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten enrollment are also hot topics. If you have a little that qualifies for TK, check out the website for more information on the Lottery System. Enrollment in Gold River Discovery Center for neighborhood kids is not until 2025. If you are new to the area OR have a little one preparing for school next year, I always recommend attending the school community events to see the campus and connect with other families. Let me know if you are interested and I can share more, like GRDC's Trunk or Treat at the end of the month. Not a lot to report in Real Estate News this month, though there is lots of anticipation around interest rates and the election. Happy to answer any specific questions you might have - always.

For this Inside Scoop, I wanted to address market conditions and inventory in Gold River. We hear a lot in the news cycle about the real estate market and not all of it is accurate. I also regularly get the question "so how's the real estate market?" Even with higher interest rates and less Buyers, demand still far exceeds supply. If you look at the historic sales data, it's not hard to see that we are still missing about 50% of the market: 2023 Market Sales: 90 2022 Market Sales: 125 2021 Market Sales: 188 2020 Market Sales: 180  What does this mean for pricing? Is the market dropping? Did you miss the boat by not selling in 2021? Here's a quick look at average sales price for the same years: 2023 Average Sale Price: $693,318 2022 Average Sale Price: $709,358 2021 Average Sale Price: $661,108 2020 Average Sale Price: $571,566 We do see a small drop in average pricing, but I would argue this is also related to inventory. In 2023, most of the sales were forced - meaning Sellers were moving because life demanded it, not because they wanted to. With debt, divorce and death (the top 3 reasons for sale), homes are often in need of some TLC. If you follow the Gold River market, you know that there is often a big swing in value between an updated home and a home in need of repairs. Following this logic, the decrease in average pricing is connected to the quality of inventory. What does this mean for you? If you want to know the value of your home or are concerned that you have lost equity, poke me. I would be happy to send you a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to give you an idea of what your home is worth. Even if you are not planning to sell, it's always nice to have a snapshot of the market and track your investment. This also helps quiet the panic that the real estate market is crashing. If you are hoping to purchase a new home in Gold River this year, make sure you connect with me sooner rather than later. With low inventory, the off-market sales are more valuable than ever. If I know you are looking, I can poke you when I get leads about off-market properties and help you get ahead of the game. There are a lot of predictions about the market this year, but what I hold to be true - we are not going to see a drop in the market. Any decrease in interest rate, will push the prices up. So let's work together to figure out what you can do before the house you love hits the market.

It's summertime! I love this time of year and hope you have lots of fun scheduled for this hot, hot season! This month I am focusing on HOT real estate sales. Just as the seasons, Gold River real estate sales can swing in temperature from one sale to the next. In most cases, this is related to renovations, the quality of the finishes, and percentage of the home in the original condition. These past sales really demonstrate the potential difference in value: 2036 Promontory Point Ln vs. 2129 Promontory Point Ln 1650 (ish) sq ft, $532,000 to $677,500 ($145,500)  11453 Tunnel Hill Way vs 11316 Tunnel Hill Way 1955 sq ft, $675,000 to $769,999 ($94,999) 11651 Prospect Hill Dr vs 11584 Big Four Way 2539 sq ft, $679,000 to $880,000 ($201,000) 11801 American Bar Ct vs 2158 Stony Bar Way 2627 sq ft, $850,000 to $1,025,000 ($175,000) One of the most common off-market consultations I do is on remodels - homeowners often want to know what the value of a remodel is. It can be hard to monetize the value of a single project, so I usually emphasize how important consistency is. For example, if you do a beautiful kitchen remodel, but the rest of the home is original, you are not going to get the same return on your investment as when the rest of the home is remodeled consistently and the kitchen is the final project. For this reason, I usually counsel a more holistic approach that considers your budget, expected time in the home, and desired outcome. When we expect to live in a home for 10+ years, the game plan looks very different than - we are going to sell in 2-3 years and want to do what we can to maximize our investment. Regardless of your objectives, I am always happy to chat about potential renovations and recommend designers for larger projects that exceed my scope. There are several talented ones in our neighborhood who provide consultations at a variety of price points. Here are a few that I recommend: Mitzi Zauner 916.764.9305 Mitzi has remodeled several beautiful homes in Gold River and has lots of experience working with local contractors. Suzanne Murray Design 916.501.3505 You can follow Suzanne online for a glimpse at some of her past Gold River projects. She is an artist for sure! Melissa Kellogg 916.224.7194 Melissa is my preferred stager and she has such a great eye for interior design. I highly recommend her if you are looking to spruce up your space without doing a major remodel. With years of experience in real estate staging, she has a lot of local contacts as well. If you need additional referrals or are not sure where to start, give me a call. I would love to be a part of your next HOT sale, and am happy to jump in wherever you are in the process. Lastly, June is PRIDE month and I am doing my annual PRIDE Flag Giveaway . You can reply to this email OR add your name to the list and I will deliver your flag this next week.