amador county: Energy audits?
- 06/21/08 03:17 AM
Recently California Association of REALTORS® successfully did some heavy lobbying against a bill that would have forced “point of sale energy audits.” To over simplify it, the bill would have made it so that all residential sales would need to be inspected for energy efficiency before closing. Many good arguments were made on both sides of the question.I am torn on the point of sale energy audit issue. On the one hand, I can step back and say: Every home sold should have an energy audit; both sides should have a clear understanding of the house’s efficiency. On the other hand, … (5 comments)
amador county: Solar? Not shure yet? Don't buy it yet, just rent it!
- 05/08/08 02:49 AM
Many of us want to go solar but are either just not in the financial position or are thinking that ‘as soon as I jump in something better will pop up.’ In the mean time we are using dirtier power and watching energy get more expensive almost by the day. Well now RENeU system offered by citizenré can change all of that. The way it works is they rent you an installed solar array, custom built for you and your situation and you pay them a flat monthly rental. They contract to a local solar design and install company who plans, … (0 comments)
amador county: Who was smart enough to by a bucket? Well, Lets get baling!
- 04/24/08 03:03 AM
Barney Franks and Chris Dodd are promoting a new plan to fund a complicated, and in my humble opinion, misguided program to help people in the housing finance storm. Setting up a program that lets FHA guaranty “bale-out loans” to any banks that will reset loans that are presently in default due to bad lending choices (on all sides.) Now people need some help these days, but this sort of package rewards people who made bad choices, whether investors who bought loan packages on wall street, the primary lenders who thought up things like pick-a-pay and loans that should never have … (1 comments)
Spanning multiple climatic regions, picturesque Amador County climbs from the edge of the San Joaquin Valley to the crest of the High Sierra mountain range. Even though we are most well known for the Gold Rush era charm of the quaint towns nestled in each valley along highway 49, Amador County has all of the amenities that anyone needs. We enjoy all four seasons and Amador County has areas to enjoy each season’s special activities.
Real estate in Amador County is just as varied as the climates. … (3 comments)
amador county: Amador County area weather
- 02/13/08 06:20 AM
Here in Amador County you can find quite a spread of climate zones. From Camanche area of Ione, in the lower, warmer, edge of the valley through the hills communities like Sutter Greek and Jackson with more trees and a bit cooler weather, on up to the mountains above Pioneer, covered in majestic pines. Here is some of the dry numbers; they don’t do that good of a job of showing the different areas. You should come out to visit to get a real feel for the differences.
amador county: No cheese tray made from a winebottle.
- 01/28/08 12:16 AM
Ok, The January Green Challenge, Creative recycling? My wife and I don’t have kids, so the arts and crafts part of my life is weaker than it could be, but I will go out on a limb with this one. In one of my past lives I was a sign maker, heck I still dabble in it a bit. I still have most of my equipment and I found a way to use it to recycle. Now I don’t much hide from my politics, but I do try to keep my non-real estate ranting to a minimum here on the blog. … (8 comments)
amador county: Ok, You say the house is Passive Solar, But what do you mean by Passive Solar?
- 01/07/08 03:34 PM
This post is not so much about Amador County Real Estate as it is about green building and general knowledge. Lots of people toss around “green” statements, one of the most common, often misused term in listings is “PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN”. Now its not that these people are being dishonest or even trying to fool you. Its just that the term is not officially defined, so it is very unclear. I want to help clear it up for you. That way when you look at a house that someone has claimed to be “passive solar” you will have some background to … (8 comments)
amador county: My Amador County Green Dream House,
- 12/18/07 06:16 PM
A great game I like to play when thinking about real estate and the future is to dream about your ultimate abode. Sure this might never happen but this is the right time to put these thoughts together. For me these are a few of the things I dream of. First the building site, I want to be here in the rolling hills or Amador County, specifically Jackson Valley, below Lake Amador, This area has a good selection of five to ten acre parcels (although they don’t come on the market very often) with gentle progressively higher hills stacking up from … (6 comments)
amador county: Well, Amador County is only the Ninth best place to live…
- 09/19/07 12:05 PM
At least that is what Progressive Farmer magazine said in the article on the “Ten Best Rural Areas to Live in America”. I of course think that they must have missed something. But nine is good. In the article on Amador County, Jamie Cole the author, points to the wide spread of climatic regions in this small county, the historic towns and the great wine industry. All of those things are good but the people and the lifestyle are what gives Amador County it’s charm and warmth. The article dose a good job of summing it up in a quick read, … (0 comments)
amador county: As soon as Halloween is over, Its Happy New year, Celtic Style here in Ione, CA.
- 09/17/07 01:03 PM
The first three days of the month that we now call November were in the olden days known as the Celtic feast of Samhain. Samhain, is Gaelic for "summer's end," and it celebrates the end of the harvest. It was the most important of the ancient Celtic feasts, and it loans it’s name to the whole month in the Celtic calendar.After the toil of summer and before the cold of winter the Celts had one last celebration of the harvest and remembrance. The Celts celebrated the Day of the Dead on what many now call All Souls Day (1st November). The … (0 comments)
amador county: Who wants to live in a town called Bedbug?
- 09/11/07 07:35 AM
Yes, during the days of the Gold Rush, the miners knew this town by the names of "Bedbug" and "Freezeout." But the Name Ione, believed to have been given by Thomas Brown (after one of the heroines in Edward Bulwer Lytton's drama "The Last Days of Pompeii.") finally stuck. Unlike many other communities in Amador County, which were founded on gold mining, Ione was a supply center, stage and rail stop and an agricultural hub.The first school was built in 1853. The historic Methodist Church was organized in 1853 and the structure was completed in 1862. The first flour mill was … (1 comments)
amador county: So you need a place to have some fun in Ione?
- 09/11/07 06:19 AM
Some people have said that there is not much to do around Ione, Like M&M’s those people are just plain nuts! While the foothills are a bit more relaxed and laid back than some big city, we have a lot of fun and satisfying things to do around here. Today let's look at Howard Park on the outskirts of Ione. If you are looking for a place with room, indoors, outdoors, or in-between, Howard Park is just the place to look. Plan to have your next event, family reunion, wedding, or corporate outing at Howard Park! Indoor facilities available include a … (0 comments)
amador county: Twenty-one things that you might not know how to recycle, and how you can.
- 09/11/07 03:23 AM
1. Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 800/YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.2. Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110, www.batteryrecycling.com.3. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women's shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer them up at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale.4. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they'll work like new: 888/454-3223, www.auraltech.com.5. Clothes: Wearable … (6 comments)
amador county: Come to the Amador County Farmers' Market in Plymouth, Ca.
- 09/07/07 07:09 AM
Yesterday I dropped by the Amador farmers market that is held in Milo Sharkey Park on Main Street in Plymouth from 4:00 pm. to 7:00 pm. This market is held each Thursday afternoon for the month of August and the first two weeks of September.These markets are run as a fund raising event for the Plymouth Elementary School.With wine tasting ($5.00 donation) of many of the great local Amador County wines, the majority of which are made just up the road in the Shenandoah Valley, this is one of the more relaxing farmers markets you can find anywhere. For parents, the … (2 comments)
amador county: Amador County zoning district designations, What you can do or build where.
- 09/06/07 06:28 AM
Sometimes it is not clear what you are or are not allowed to do with a piece of real estate that you are looking at. To help you understand the real estate you are looking at on paper when you get a listing sheet, I am posting this simple chart that explains the different zoning district designations you will come across in Amador County. This should help answer some of your questions. If your listing sheet does not tell you what the zoning is for a property, feel free to contact me and I will find it for you. Right now the … (2 comments)
amador county: Real estate market report for Jackson Valley and Camanche area as of September 4th 2007
- 09/05/07 10:51 AM
Jackson Valley and Camanche real estate market data so far this year, as of September 5th. 2007. These numbers can tell you a little raw data about the state of the real estate market here in Amador County, but they can be a bit confusing, as they don’t paint a very simple picture and in a community as small as this just a few sales can dramatically change the market statistics. I would love to sit down with you over a cup of Joe and a piece of pie, and crunch these numbers some more, Please contact me at Mainstreet Brokers.This … (0 comments)
amador county: Real Estate Market Report for Plymouth, CA. as of September 5th 2007
- 09/05/07 10:30 AM
Plymouth, CA. real estate market data so far this year, as of September 5th. 2007. These numbers can tell you some about the state of the real estate market here in Amador County, but they can be a bit confusing sometimes, as they don’t paint a very simple picture and in a community as small as Plymouth just a few sales can change the market statistics dramatically. I would like to sit down with you over a cup of Joe and a piece of pie, and crunch these numbers some more, Please contact me at Anyhow, so far this year in … (0 comments)
amador county: Real estate market report for Volcano, CA. as of September 5th 2007
- 09/05/07 10:10 AM
So far this year, as of September 5th. 2007. These numbers can tell you some about the state of the real estate market here in Amador County, but they can be a bit confusing sometimes, as they don’t paint a very simple picture. In a community as small as Volcano just a few sales can change the market statistics dramatically. If you would like to sit down over a cup of Joe and a piece of pie, and crunch these numbers some more, Please contact me at Mainstreet Brokers.Anyhow, so far this year in Volcano, CA. we have had 30 residential … (0 comments)
amador county: Building with straw!
- 08/22/07 09:09 AM
In these posts I am going to be looking at straw bale building. If you are not familiar with this fantastic building technology, hopefully I can help to inform you a bit. While I have not built my own straw bale home yet, I have worked on a few in the area. This custom, inviting interested people to help work on straw bale building projects, sort of like the old time barn raisings where all of you friends would come to help, is just one aspect of the charm that these buildings hold. Straw bale homes tend to be very healthy … (17 comments)
May 12-14 is fast approaching, and those are the dates for this year’s Ione Homecoming and picnic. This grand celebration of small town life and personality has been a mainstay of spring in the rolling hills of Amador County almost every year since 1876.
You can bet that any town that has called itself Bedbug and actually has a castle on the hill knows a thing or two about throwing a party.
Homecoming usually has a theme and this year it is Pirates, so “AHRR MATEY, Grab some booty” and come on out and party! This year a few of the … (0 comments)
Michael I. Pulskamp of Mainstreet Brokers in Jackson, CA. Rambles on and shares thoughts about Real Estate, Amador County, Green homes, and foothill life in Northern California. buying and selling houses these days is anything but simple, you want a professional on your side. Finally Amador County has a real estate professional with the training and awareness to help you with green/efficient real estate.
That Amador County real estate pro is Michael I. Pulskamp. Lic. #0174833
Recently California Association of REALTORS® successfully did some heavy lobbying against a bill that would have forced “point of sale energy audits.” To over simplify it, the bill would have made it so that all residential sales would need to be inspected for energy efficiency before closing. Many good arguments were made on both sides of the question.I am torn on the point of sale energy audit issue. On the one hand, I can step back and say: Every home sold should have an energy audit; both sides should have a clear understanding of the house’s efficiency. On the other hand, … (5 comments)
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