Sacramento Scored in the top 100 on Forbes Best for Business and Careers List landing a rank as the 89th best market in the US for business and careers.  We outranked San Jose which landed a 183 rank.  This makes me especially happy, having been chided by several friends for having moved from the San Jose area to Folsom in the Sacramento area several years ago.  The reason for my move? - for improved quality of life and for business opportunities.

My first reason for moving was confirmed last year when Folsom ranked as the 34th Best Place to Live in the US by Money magazine.  Now with the Forbes business ranking I can finally say "neener, neener" to my friends of little faith still languishing in the Bay Area.

Of course I always was able to pull out the argument that the real estate market in the Sacramento area is much friendlier (variety, inventory and pricing) than the bay area from which I came with the inevitable outcome that my friends would turn slightly green with envy.  Especially comparing my 4,000 square foot newer construction home that cost half the price of their 1,200 square foot home built in the 1940's.

The tide in the argument would turn a bit when my friends would pull out the big guns - the variety of dining, shopping and proximity of everything in the bay area, and the final coup de grâce - "how's the summer temperatures in Folsom?"

Well, now we've got Trader Joes, and a vast variety of shopping and dining options - all within a reasonable distance away.  We're closer to the mountains and Tahoe, and still a day trip away from the coast.  That's if I want to go anywhere - there is an abundant supply of recreational activities close to home.

About those summer temperatures?  Well now that I've discovered air conditioning, summer is actually pretty fun.  Beats trying to stay cool in August in San Mateo by sleeping on top of the sheets cuddled up to a bag of ice and all the windows in the house open while begging mother nature for a little bit of wind. 

I still make it down to the bay area quite a bit.  My parents are planted firmly there - no matter how many times we make them come up to visit the grandkids.  And having been born and raised on the Peninsula a little bit of my heart will always be there.  But the rest of it is firmly planted in Folsom.

So am I writing this post to brag a bit about the Sacramento region?

Darn Tooting I am!

Want to learn more about the Sacramento region?  Ask for our Free Sacramento Relocation Package.  When it comes to real estate we don't sell homes, we get homes sold. Contact us for additional information or market conditions for your specific market segment.

Werolin Real Estate Group

Jeff Werolin jWerolin@GoLyon.com 916.741.9505

An update on the real estate market in Folsom can really be called the tale of two cities.  Why? Well, the market is really divided into two distinct sub markets as we approach the bottom of our current market cycle.  Pending sales (homes that have accepted offers) are up across the board throughout the Sacramento region.  In Folsom sellers priced below $450,000 in March find that they are in a red hot sellers market reminiscent of the 2003-2005 period.  Multiple offers are back in vogue and agents are scrambling to find homes for their buyers that are returning to the market.  Above $450,000 the market is slower, currently in a weak buyers to a neutral market where buyers and sellers have equal weight in negotiating the transaction.  The upper end of the market $800,000 + is so cold that ice cream is now considered a hot meal.  Homes are languishing on the market and only homes that meet one of two conditions are moving: 1) Priced right, staged well, and marketing aggressively; or 2) Priced ahead of the price curve.

So what are you to do?

As a first time buyer the time to be in the market is yesterday if you plan on holding your home for more than 3 years.  Take advantage of the discounts in prices over the last 15 months and continued low interest rates and pick up a property at a reasonable value.  Two years from now you will be popping a bottle of bubbly and celebrating your smart move to get into the market.

If you are a move up buyer do it today.  Sell you lower priced home in the warming market, and buy a higher priced home in a slower market.  That's called maximizing your equity position.

A move down buyer needs to spend a bit of time with a Realtor to determine if now is the best time to move.  The value of this move varies across the region.

Sellers, unless you are willing to wait another year or two for the market to MAYBE improve enough to make it worth the wait you need to hop in the market now before the competition does.  Take advantage of low interest rates and the seasonal warm-up - beginning this month.  Consult your Realtor to be sure your home is staged to show well, priced aggressively, and definitely review your Realtors marketing plan.  It needs to be aggressive and cover all the bases to maximize the exposure of your home.  Do anything less than this, and, well, see the ice cream reference above.

Want to learn more or see what we think your home is worth?  We offer no bull straight up real estate consulting services.  When it comes to real estate we don't sell homes, we get homes sold. Contact us for additional information or market conditions for your specific market segment.

Werolin Real Estate Group

Jeff Werolin jWerolin@GoLyon.com 916.741.9505