california: Trails and Trees at Empire Mine State Park - 02/28/13 03:24 PM
One of the most convenient trails in the Sierra foothills is Empire Mines State Park. I say it's convenient because it is actually inside the city limits of Grass Valley, California.  Grass valley is right at the "snow line" so you will find a forest of mixed growth, several oak species and other deciduous trees, manzanitas, incense cedars, and towering over all, our spectacular ponderosa pines, formerly known as yellow pines.  I'll explain why they used to be called yellow pines in this video.
 
There are about 12 miles of trails in the park and it's impossible to get lost.  Lace … (2 comments)

california: The Don't Drive with My Crazy Wife Advisory - 03/28/12 11:09 PM
The problem with real estate disclosures is that we don't have enough of them.  We need more disclosures, lot's and lots more.  One prominent Real Estate company uses a "Disclosure about Disclosures."  Now THAT's what I'm talking about! 
Also, we desperately need an "Advisory on Advisories."  The California Association of Realtors legal department can certainly handle that modest request, c'mon legal beagles, get to work. Our puny inch and a half thick stack of disclosures and advisories is embarrassing.
Let's get our underworked lawyers revved up:
The Don't Run on Icy Sidewalks Disclosure
The Electricty Can Hurt You Advisory
The Governor's Declaration That Some People … (4 comments)

california: Artsy Waterfront Home at Lake of the Pines - 01/30/12 10:44 AM
Great views at a great price.  Sunset from the Back Yard
Check out this unique property at Lake of the Pines, a relaxing and lovely 4-5 bedroom 3 bath lakefront home in one of California’s most beautiful lake and golf communities. It is conveniently located one hour from the ski slopes, and in the summer it becomes a recreational paradise with swimming, kayaking, fishing and waterskiing. Expansive outdoor decks provide a shady retreat for watching the colors of the sky change while sipping a cool beverage. You can swim right from your own beach or be water skiing within 30 seconds of … (2 comments)

california: Buy a Home in Grass Valley, California, Yes, You, I'm Not Kidding - 01/16/11 06:52 AM
I just bought a home in Grass Valley, putting my dollars where my mouth is, or my advice is, whatever.  Earlier today I completed my annual report of homes sold in this area, a year-to-year report comparing 2010 to 2009.  
Here's a link to that report: http://goldenhillsrealestate.com/2011/01/16/annual-real-estate-report/ 
(Yes, you will be leaving this page to go to my other blog to read the report.  Don't get lost and don't scold me.)  
Are you back?  Right. Grass Valley is the place.  Let me do a calculation for you.
 
Assume you can find a modest home in Grass Valley for $150,000.  You can.  You could also … (0 comments)

california: Grass Valley, California, the Market in 2010 - 01/08/11 07:57 AM
Here's what happened in Grass Valley, California Real Estate in 2010.  For those of you not familiar with Grass Valley, it's one of those charming Gold Rush towns along the spine of the Sierra foothills. About 40 minutes north of Auburn on Highway 49, Grass Valley perches at a comfortable 2,000 feet in elevation, just at the snow line.  Three miles away is the sister-town of Nevada City.  I like to say that you can buy a nice piece of art in Nevada City and a pair of good shoes in Grass valley.
For this article I am reporting only single-family homes and excluding land, … (0 comments)

california: Gambling with After-the-Fact Permits - 12/09/10 05:20 AM
When homes being prepared for sale, should the seller obtain after-the-fact permits for non-permitted additions?  Non-permitted additions pose a dilemma for both the seller and the listing agent.  Of all the elements of home value, the size of the home, expressed in square feet, is the most important-at least in today's market when the home appraisers are driving the real estate bus.
Consider this house currently for sale at Lake of the Pines, California.

The county assessor has the house recorded at 1100 square feet.  The current owner bought the house at 1600 square feet.  It includes a non-permitted 500 square foot downstairs suite with a bedroom, den, laundry and half-bath.  … (8 comments)

california: Is this House Affordable? - 11/05/10 01:04 AM
There are a lot of highfalutin' ideas about "affordability."  Is an affordable home a "right" to accompany the Constitutional rights: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and a darling 3br/2bath with a pee-a-boo view of the lake? Is an affordable home an essential element of the "American Dream?"
Down here in the real estate trenches, I think a home becomes affordable when a family can buy it for the same amount of money they are currently spending to rent a comparable house.
Let's take an average house for sale in Nevada County, California and see if it is affordable for an average … (3 comments)

california: The Best Restaurant in Auburn, California - 10/21/10 01:19 PM

I don't usually advertise in my blogs, but something nice happened to me at the Thai Garden restaurant in Auburn, California, so I thought I'd give that business a little "product placement" plug.  First, you need to understand that Auburn is NOT the Cuisine Capitol of California, so you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this newly-mined gustatory gem, a foothill restaurant I am actually proud to show off to my guests!  Wow!  They are few and far between (the restaurants, not my guests).

Anyway, I am having a private dinner at the Thai Garden, seated at my newly-designated … (6 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Meadow Vista - 10/16/10 07:55 AM
Small Town Portraits introduction
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South … (0 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Newcastle, California - 10/16/10 07:50 AM
Small Town Portraits introduction
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South … (0 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Colfax, California - 10/16/10 07:47 AM
Small Town Portraits introduction
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South … (0 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Foresthill, California - 10/16/10 07:43 AM
Small Town Portraits introduction
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South … (0 comments)

california: The Five Best Stops on the Farm and Barn Tour - 10/12/10 12:55 PM
 
The ninth annual Placer County Farm and Barn Tour jumped off at 10:00 am on Sunday, October 10, 2010.  I say "jumped" because that's what you have to do if you want to make a dent in the itinerary.  There are nine venues scattered all over northern Placer County, California, from Loomis in the southwest to Bowman in the northeast.  And you only get 6 hours to complete the tour.

CJ and I decided to forego the two wineries, the Christmas tree farm, and the cattle ranch.  That left us three orchards, one aquatic plant nursery, and one vegetable farm . . … (0 comments)

california: Buying the Farm - 10/12/10 07:21 AM

(This article was originally posted on my blogsite http://goldenhillsrealestate.com.  Sometimes the blogs start out in one direction and then take you somewhere else.  This is one of those blogs.  I was trying to write about the criteria for buying the "perfect" farm or farm-friendly land, but I discovered more important things along the way.) 
Perhaps you have the dream of buying a parcel and starting a farm.  Perhaps you plan to start with a garden (wise idea) and then "grow" into a farm large enough to sustain yourself and others.  What should you look for in choosing your land?
In an … (0 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Alta Sierra, California - 10/09/10 08:15 AM
 
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South County.  Irish green in … (0 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Cedar Ridge, California - 10/09/10 08:12 AM
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South County.  Irish green in the … (0 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Grass Valley, California - 10/09/10 08:08 AM
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South County.  Irish green in the … (0 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Lake of the Pines California - 10/07/10 01:29 PM
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South County.  Irish green in the … (2 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Nevada City, California - 10/07/10 01:24 PM
 
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South County.  Irish green in … (0 comments)

california: Small Town Portraits--Auburn, California - 10/07/10 01:16 PM
We provide real estate services for a hard-to-describe geographic area of the California Sierra that we call "The Golden Hills."  Our turf extends from Nevada City in the North to Foresthill in the south, from Colfax in the east to Newcastle in the west.  Our "golden hills" span two counties, Placer and Nevada, conveniently divided by the pretty Bear River.  Included in this area are the small towns of Grass Valley, Cedar Ridge, Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines, Meadow Vista and Auburn.  In between and surrounding these towns are forests, canyons, lakes, rivers, creeks, farmlands and the rolling hills of South County.  Irish green in the … (0 comments)