David,
Let me start off by congratulating you on your honorable discharge. As a Marine, I know how you feel about getting out and looking for your first home outside of military housing. It can be intimidating. Believe me, I felt the same way when my wife and I bought our first home. But what I found was due to the current market, you are in a much better position to utilize your VA benefits than I was. When we purchased our home, we had a difficult time finding a seller to cooperate with the VA terms so we ended up with a conventional loan. Nowadays, there are many motivated sellers that may be willing to accept such terms. Before I go too much into that, let me explain why Elk Grove, CA would be a great fit for you.
Basically, you have a lot of homes to choose from! Elk Grove CA is distinguished by three zip codes; 95624, 95757 and 95758. Elk Grove is located 15 miles south of Downtown Sacramento and was originally established as a hotel stop. Elk Grove was incorporated as a city in 2000 and was on the list of the 10 fastest growing cities in the nation in 2006. Located in Sacramento county, Elk Grove also known as Elk Grove/Laguna is approximately 92 miles east of San Francisco, approximately 2 hours west of Lake Tahoe, 3 hours southwest of Reno, NV and 380 miles north of Los Angeles. With shopping centers located along Elk Grove Blvd, Laguna Blvd/Bond Rd and the proposed 1.2 Million Square Foot regional mall at Kammerer Rd and Hwy 99, places to shop is never scarce. Elk Grove also boasts of having the reputation of one of the best school districts in the state. The Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) students regularly score above the state average as a whole. Also, the veteran community in Elk Grove is very strong. The VFW Post 2073 and the Marine Corps League Elk Grove Detachment #1238 are very involved in the community and community events.
Elk Grove CA has 1385 Active listings as of September 1, 2007 between the three zip codes. Let me repeat that. One thousand, three hundred and eighty five ACTIVE listings! These homes in Elk Grove were built from 1880 to brand new construction. Prices range from $150,000 for a 2 BD/1BA condo all the way up to $2,195,000 for a 2800 SqFt home on a 30.93 acre lot.
If you had your heart set on a condo, I would definitely recommend either of these communities, since the incentives that they're offering are very tempting. Let me tell you about these awesome communities.
The Jasmine Condominiums is a community of distinct, loft-style condos in the Franklin Reserve Neighborhood of Elk Grove. Jasmine is centrally located, with easy access to shopping and freeways. Prices start in the high $200,000s, with four one-and two-bedroom floor plans ranging in size from 1,185 square feet to 1,728 square feet. Amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, pool/spa, gated access, attached garage, and upgraded appliances as well as granite countertops at no extra charge.
The Somerfield Condominiums feature a resort type living environment. Somerfield is located less than a mile away from Interstate 5 and very close to shopping centers. Prices start in the high $100,000s, with a one, two or three bedroom floor plan. Amenities include a fitness center, pool/spa, gated access, pool table in the clubhouse, and a theater room, open for up to 10 residents and/or their guests.
I know you had mentioned that you were very interested in a condo, but with the vast selection and surplus of homes for sale in Elk Grove, if we could find you a single family home for about the same price or a little more than a condo, would you be open to viewing them? For example, here is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1179 sqft that's listed at $289,900. There are much more just like this one. Let me know if this interests you.
Whenever you are ready to move forward, my team and I are ready to step up and find you the best possible deal! Although you are free to use whomever you are most comfortable with, I would still like to recommend the following professionals as I have successfully worked with them in the past.
Norm Schriever of Streamline Funding is an awesome loan officer. He will do his best to earn your business as well as overlook your VA paperwork to ensure its accuracy and make sure it is the best deal available to you. You can view Norm's blog and contact information here.
My escrow team at Old Republic Title Company in Elk Grove is top-notch! They are very accommodating and will answer any questions that you may have. Feel free to contact them at 916.714.1998.
Although a home inspection is not required, I highly recommend a home inspection by a professional home inspector. When we find your perfect home, I would definitely recommend Jeff Schweldhelm with Pillar To Post. He is very thorough and will check over 1000 individual items in the home. Here's a link to his website.
As you can see, I try to position myself as the area expert. I post monthly market reports on the area to help buyers and sellers monitor the values of homes in Elk Grove. Here are a few of my blogs that I posted regarding Elk Grove CA.
FAST AND THE FURIOUS? NOT IN ELK GROVE, CA!
ELK GROVE CA 95757 SCHOOL INFORMATION
COME HOME TO "MACHADO RANCH", "ELK GROVE" CALIFORNIA
ELK GROVE POLICE DODGE CHARGER HITS THE STREETS!
HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEIGHBORHOOD PARK NEARS COMPLETION
I hope you seriously consider making Elk Grove your new home! Feel free to contact me with any questions!
Regards,
Chris Molina, Realtor®
Cooper & Associates Real Estate
916.752.0556 Mobile
http://chrismolina.point2agent.com
chris@cooperhomesales.com
Marketing your home in the 21st century.
COOPER & ASSOCIATES REAL ESTATE
Elk Grove, CA
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