In a situation like this the appraiser has to disclose all he knows about the roof and cannot simply ignore the situation – whether the appraisal is for a private party or a loan. A property like this would not quality for conventional or FHA financing unless the roof was repaired or replaced. On top of the cost to replace the roof, I would be most curious about any other damage on the interior from water intrusion.

Do you have any real estate roof stories?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

How have you seen buyers respond to a location near a power tower? What do you think is the main turn-off in the minds of buyers? Visual pollution or a potential for health risks due to electromagnetic fields?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

What do you think of the view?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

If you’re in real estate, how have you seen concessions in a purchase price impact the market? Do you see a difference in price level between conventional offers asking for no concessions and FHA offers asking for 3% back? Which tends to be higher? If there is a difference, what does that tell us? Lastly, do you think the HOA fees above are really free or is the price inflated to cover the cost of the fees?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

NOTE: The first three “after” photos are MLS photos and the “before” photos are my own. The agent’s “afters” turned out better than most of mine this morning, so I used hers instead. Contact Real Estate Agent Tera Coombs for more information on this property. And no, I am not being paid to promote this listing. I just think things like this are worthy of sharing. A bit of good news is nice these days in our economy, don’t you think?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

While we’re on the subject of Wilton, here are all sales in Wilton over the past five years. What do you see? Does anything stand out to you? The trend in many other areas of Sacramento tends to have a much sharper decline, but that’s less of the case here. What makes Wilton different in your mind? If you live in Wilton, what do you find desirable about the community?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

The cost to repair the large hole is very minimal, but it’s still a safety issue for occupants, which means it is something that needs to be repaired for an FHA loan. I’ve actually seen this issue twice in the past month on investor flips in the Sacramento area, so clearly it’s not something that is being cured every time by sellers before the appraiser heads out.

Here is a photo of a “before” and “after” of a firewall breach. Have you seen a hole as such cause problems before in a house? Might rodents be able to get into the house this way too? Can you think of any other issues this might pose?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

What a sign of the times, don’t you think?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

It really adds to a sense of festivity and even neighborhood pride when residents decorate during the holidays. Do you agree? On the contrast, when streets are pitch black and there are no lights in sight, how does that feel? If you’re planning a trip to enjoy Christmas lights, Realtor Gena Riede has a very detailed list of Christmas Lights in the Sacramento Area on her blog. Check it out and maybe try driving by a few new addresses this year. My family definitely enjoys lights in the Fab 40s, Arden Park, T Street and Dovewood Court in Orangevale.

Where do you recommend going to see lights in the Sacramento area? What do you think of the foil trees below? Points for creativity? Tacky?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Some might say graffiti has artistic value, while others say it clearly does not. Stepping aside from that discussion, from a real estate perspective, I’ve never seen evidence to suggest graffiti like this helps boost property values. All things considered, graffiti ultimately harms a neighborhood because it contributes to a negative perception of the community. Do others get the sense that residents care about a neighborhood if graffiti runs rampant? No.

Just like I mentioned in my “blight week” series a while back, it’s often the “small things” in a neighborhood like graffiti, debris and unkempt lawns that create a less than positive view of the community and impact the way others feel about the neighborhood too. So focusing on getting to know neighbors and taking care of some of the small signs of decay is often a relevant place to begin to bring change.

Tips for dealing with a neighborhood graffiti problem:

1. Choose: Decide to be a part of the solution. Others may not step up, but you can be a game-changer for your street. Why not you?
2. Local Police: Talk with local law enforcement. What is the nature of the graffiti? Know what you are dealing with in the community and ask for advice from police officers.
3. Band of Neighbors: Get a few neighbors on board to deal with the issue by asking a couple of people to be on a rotating schedule for covering tags. Maybe you can switch on a weekly or monthly basis.
4. Be Quick: Cover graffiti within 24 hours and keep doing that until the problem stops. The issue is likely to lessen or stop over time if it is covered immediately because why would a tagger waste his time if his tags are not seen by others?
5. One Color: Use the same paint color if possible because it’ll look better and less blotchy. The residents in the picture above deserve applause because they are dealing with the issue. My hat goes off to them. Ultimately if they used one color though, it would look better, don’t you think?
6. Ask for Paint: Ask code enforcement, city council members or a local hardware store for free or discounted paint and any resources they might have to assist you. You may not even have to spend your own money because there is bound to be someone out there who wants to get behind your cause.
7. Keep a positive attitude: It’s easy to become discouraged when problems persist, but try not to take the graffiti personally. Try to get to the point where you find joy in getting to take care of your community on a more daily basis. You are doing something that needs to be done. You may never get recognition, but you are helping the community grow in the right direction, so practice thankfulness while you are painting and when you notice new tags too. I know that sounds like an odd concept, but just go with it.
8. Celebrate your successes: Have a casual BBQ with neighbors in your front yard and invite code enforcement and a city council member to eat with you. This could even help spur on more discussion about solving issues.
9. Any other suggestions?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and your story. Feel free to comment below. Thanks for keeping it civil and constructive.

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

It’s great to see some positive signs in the real estate market, don’t you think?

By the way, this property shown above is located on Allister Way in Elk Grove and is currently listed for sale by real estate agent Jacque McBurney 916-417-3344. It’s 2701 square feet & 4 beds and 3 baths (front and rear landscaping w/ a patio too).

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

NOTE: In my excitement to get this post up, I mislabeled the pole as a “telephone” pole. It’s actually a street light with a sign attached to the light. I don’t want to change the title though because it’s already out there on Facebook and Twitter. That’s how it goes. No big deal. My bad.

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Would it bother you if your neighbors had a “bubble” in their driveway? Where do you draw the line for what is acceptable and not in a neighborhood?

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

What do you think when  you see images like this?

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook or subscribe to posts by email.