The Alfano Group's Blog

Last week, we’ve covered the companies who landed in the customer service Hall of Shame.  The list included, not coincidentally, a lot of telecom giants and big banks, who have designed a customer service philosophy that can only be described as “we couldn’t care less, now let’s take some more of...

As we head into 2014, the folks at Alfano Real Estate group are excited about the opportunities to help you with your real estate needs in the new year, but that doesn't mean we don't have time to reflect on 2013.  So here are the 10 blog posts from 2013 that you read the most and found the most ...

We spend a lot of time focusing on housing prices in the United States – and rightfully so with the roller coaster we’ve seen over the last 10 years.  But I came across some interesting information about real estate prices around the world that I thought you’d get a kick out of.  Is Canada the m...

As 2013 comes to a close, it's time to take a statistician's look into the real estate numbers in our own Placer County, California.     These numbers are compiled from TrendGraphix, Inc. and span September 2012 into November, 2013, and the December information will be tallied and updated soon.  ...

An unexpected casualty of the mortgage bust and recalibration has emerged – the rental market.  The cost to rent a property is skyrocketing, and at the same time supply is shrinking.  It’s a new problem, as prior to 2008 home ownership levels were at all-time highs, thanks to loosening lending s...

  A strong economy and jobs.  The economy is thriving in Placer, with a mix of 72% jobs in private industry, 17% government employees, and 10% self-employed and in service industries.  That healthy mix keeps the economy vibrant, with unemployment under 7%, much lower than the state average, and t...

The holidays are almost here, time to string up the lights, put up the tree, and make your house cozy for your family to enjoy.  It’s definitely not the time to be out looking to buy a home, driving all over town in the cold and the rain when everyone else is drinking eggnog in front of the fire...

Have you been stuck on hold for an hour when you call a companies’ customer service number, only to get hung up on?  Do you get 10 different answers from 9 different representatives?  Are they lighting fast to take your cash but impossibly slow to help you with any issues?  You’re not alone – wel...

Our favorite ski resorts a day trip away from Sacramento.   As the leaves change colors and nights grew cold, some of us just turn up the heat, reach for a sweatshirt, and prepare for another chilly, rainy winter in Sacramento. But there are others who rejoice when the thermostat drops, eyeing th...