Category — Photos from the Field

It’s nice to take pause and see good things happening in the Sacramento real estate market. It’s not all bad news thankfully. Below are three houses on 37th Street in the Oak Park area that began construction several years back, but ended up going into foreclosure during the building process. These houses sat vacant for quite a while until they were purchased in January 2010 by an investor. All units have since been rehabbed throughout and are currently listed for sale. I snapped the half-built photo in October 2009 and the remodeled photo last week. 

This is a win for the neighborhood, don’t you think?  

If you have any real estate appraisal, consulting, or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact me at 916.595.3735, by email, on our appraiser website or via Facebook. 

I came across an interesting front yard recently while snapping comp photos during an appraisal inspection in West Sacramento. None of the eclectic lawn decor is actually fixed to the ground, so it’s considered personal property and could easily be removed. But situations like this bring up the principle of conformity in real estate, and cause us to ask questions. Could it impact market value when the front yard presentation doesn’t fit with the look of the rest of the neighborhood? Would an atypical lawn potentially dissuade you from purchasing the house next door? What might decorations like this do for relationships with neighbors – both good and bad?

Comments are welcome below. I’d especially like to hear from home owners as well as real estate agents. Share your story.

If you have any real estate appraisal, consulting, or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact me at 916.595.3735, by email, on our appraiser website or via Facebook.

It’s been pouring rain over the past week in Sacramento (except yesterday thankfully). While on an appraisal inspection in the City of Galt on Friday, I snapped this image off Fumasi Drive at Vernon E Greer Middle School. The baseball diamond looks quite a bit like a lake, don’t you think?

There is traditionally a lull in real estate market activity during Winter months as inventory shoots up and prices cool down too. One of the advantages of shopping around during wet months though is that you get to see just how well the roof works. For example, I’ve had two very recent appraisal inspections where there has been obvious active water leaking. Had these inspections been in summer months though, there is a good chance the roof problem would have been missed because there may have been no obvious damage.

Do you have a leaky roof story? Or maybe leaking windows?

If you have any real estate appraisal, consulting, or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact me at 916.595.3735, by email, on our company website or via Facebook.

Don’t follow the crowd. Be a leader. Do not conform to what everyone else is doing. Well, unless we’re talking about real estate. That’s when conformity becomes important.

What is the principle of conformity? According to the Real Estate Glossary, it’s the idea that a house will more likely appreciate in value if its size, age, condition and style are similar to, or conform to, other houses in the neighborhood.

Case-in-point: This photo was taken by a blog reader of a neighborhood in Sacramento County that is less than ten years old. Houses are typical earth-tone colors with stucco siding and tile roofs, and yards are postage stamp lots. The owner of the house below installed a very elaborate set of stairs that is not found anywhere else in the neighborhood. There is truthfully nothing wrong with the design of the stairs at all, but the problem is they don’t fit with the community. When a feature like this stands out in a neighborhood, it can often feel like a sore thumb. One additional issue is that the stairs basically remove the front yard too, which could impact resale value.

Application of the Principle of Conformity: The stairs are not an extreme non-conformity example, but they do help us get conversation going about what types of improvements are best for a neighborhood. If you are considering improving your property, you may wish to consider updates that are consistent with the neighborhood already and enhance the overall image of the community. It’s good to be known for having the best house on the block, but maybe not so good to be known for having a really odd property feature. This means you probably shouldn’t lay down concrete over the entire front yard if its common to have sod for the neighborhood. You may wish to reconsider doubling the size of your house when everything else surrounding your property is tiny. You’ve really been wanting that bright hot pink color on the exterior, but the new paint probably won’t be a magnet for future buyers. You’ve always dreamed of living in the Bat Cave, but maybe stucco and tile ought to suffice for the time being. Basically, you don’t want to add features that harm your wallet or leave prospective buyers in the neighborhood thinking, “Hmm, I’d rather not live next door to that house.” When that happens, it certainly smells like a negative impact to market value.

What examples of non-conformity in real estate can you think of? Do you buy into the principle of conformity for real estate? How might non-conformity impact relationships with neighbors?

If you have any real estate appraisal, consulting, or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact me at 916.595.3735, by email, on our company website or via Facebook.

If you saw containers like this at a residential property, what questions would you ask? Two immediate questions that come to mind are: What is in the containers? Has anything in the containers been leaking into the soil? 

I snapped the image below while inspecting a property for an estate settlement appraisal in the Arden-Arcade area of Sacramento. No lender is actually involved in this valuation, but when appraisers see things as such, it’s important to disclose it in the report because of the unanswered questions and potential for unseen environmental issues. There might be nothing wrong whatsoever, but storing chemicals and barrels at your house is going to raise red flags in the eyes of appraisers, real estate agents, lenders and attorneys. By the way, if you are concerned about contamination in your area, the EPA’s Superfund site may be a good resource for you.

What do you think is in the containers? (points for creativity)

If you have any real estate appraisal, valuation consulting, or property tax appeal needs in Greater Sacramento, contact me at 916.595.3735 or www.LundquistCompany.com.

I came across this tub in a backyard in Sacramento recently. I’m always intrigued to see the creative things homeowners do for landscaping. My wife and I are huge gardening fans as we plant every single year. I don’t know if a tub would really fit the overall theme of my backyard, but I tend to like things like this when I see them. 

What do you think? Do you plan to plant a garden this year?

If you have any real estate appraisal, valuation consulting, or property tax appeal needs, contact me at 916.595.3735, www.LundquistCompany.com or via Facebook.

Are you familiar with the “Woodlake” neighborhood in Sacramento? It’s in the “Del Paso” area just south of Arden Way in the 95815 zip code. When hearing “Del Paso” or “North Sacramento,” certain stigmas often come to mind, but when scrolling through pictures of the Woodlake neighborhood below, there’s actually a hint of “Land Park” or “Curtis Park” in terms of style and design (or is it just me?). 

As you can see, the Woodlake neighborhood (outlined in blue) is located in the southern end of the Del Paso area just above Highway 160 and below Arden Way. Did you know this neighborhood was there?

Click on some images below to get a get a feel for the Woodlake neighborhood. I snapped these photos on a rainy day after inspecting a Woodlake house for an appraisal. I’d love to hear your impressions. What do you think?

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If you have any real estate appraisal, valuation consulting, or property tax appeal needs, contact me at 916.595.3735, www.LundquistCompany.com or via Facebook.

What do you think when you see this photo? Yes, that’s a freeway right next to a condo development in Placer County. It reminds me of several things: 1) Land development can happen in places we sometimes wouldn’t expect – especially when the economy and real estate market are really booming; 2) We are willing to look past negative factors to live in a particular community or afford a house (especially a first house); and 3) Would you save money on utility costs due to shade from the freeway?  (kidding)

For further context, here is an aerial view of the subdivision along Highway 65.

If you have any real estate appraisal, valuation consulting, or property tax appeal needs, contact me at 916.595.3735, www.LundquistCompany.com or via Facebook.

I recently came across yet another water spicket left on at a bank-owned property. This particular spicket was located in the backyard and was probably spewing water for a few days (despite the side gate being locked –> meaning someone had to jump the fence to turn this one on). The damage? At least half the crawl space had a couple inches of standing water. No bueno.

Why does the water get left on at foreclosed properties?

A) Disappointed owners wanting to stick it to the lender.
B) Squatters leaving their mark.
C) Vandals having “fun”.
D) Youth who don’t realize the costs and responsibilities of the adult world.
E) An accident.

It’s too bad things like this happen because if there is significant damage, the property will likely sell for less, and thereby hurt the value of other properties nearby. Foreclosure is such a difficult reality for so many in our local market. In no way am I trying to minimize the real pain that families go through when they have to let go of their property. I think by now we all personally know quite a few people who have been through the foreclosure process. I’m only thinking philosophically about why things like this happen. What does water being left on tell us about human behavior? What’s the psychology behind water faucets being left on?

UPDATE: Since sharing this post on my Facebook page this morning, two REO agents mentioned that winterizing has been the primary cause of running faucets. Interesting.

While snapping comp photos in a North Highlands neighborhood today, I came across this house. I thought it was very interesting because the addition is absolutely obvious, don’t you think? It’s unfortunately a bit hard to tell from the angle of the photo, but the 2-story unit with brownish stucco exterior is actually attached to the single-story unit with yellowish siding. Which came first?

Curiosity killed the cat, and it also got to me here. When returning to my office, I looked up this property in Tax Records and Metrolist. It’s interesting to see the last purchase in 2008 as a single-story single family residential property, but it has since been converted to a duplex per Tax Records (hence the 2-story attached addition). The interesting notion too is the effective age for this property. How old is it? Well, the single story unit is roughly 50 years old and the new unit is roughly three years old. If you were asked to give one overall age for the duplex, what would you say? 26.5? ((50 + 3) / 2 = 26.5)

What do you think?

If you have any real estate appraisal, valuation consulting, or property tax appeal needs, contact me at 916.595.3735, www.LundquistCompany.com or via Facebook.

It always tickles my real estate mind to see a builder construct the same exact models used in one community in an entirely different neighborhood somewhat nearby. Of course, this happens all the time in tract construction throughout the Greater Sacramento Region, and we don’t bat an eye because most of us don’t see all the different neighborhoods. But “Natomas Field” by Beazer Homes stands out to me because of the vibrant colors of the “Fusion” units first seen in the “Capital Village” neighborhood in Rancho Cordova. If you’re local, the images below of “Natomas Field” off Arena Blvd & I-80 look pretty much like Capital Village, right? (minus a difference in colors for the vibrant units).

Photos from “Natomas Field” Neighborhood in Sacramento (Natomas):

Photos and Video of “Capital Village” neighborhood in Rancho Cordova:

The video below will help you get a good sense of the Capital Village neighborhood. Capital Village is located off of Zinfandel and Highway 50. I shot this video tour in June 2009 and it has about 1,800 hits so far on YouTube (good for a video like this, but bad if I was a rockstar).

One important thing to note is that the Natomas Field neighborhood has not yet been completed, and there is currently no ongoing construction. In contrast, much of the construction at Capital Village has been completed thus far, and there are still homes being built and sold (new construction is actually a rarity in the Sacramento area right now due to the low cost of housing). Note that Capital Village will eventually expand south of International Drive too, so only the northern portion is approaching completion. There is no commercial property within immediate walking distance to Natomas Field, but Capital Village has quite a few commercial properties and corporations right next to the neighborhood. Both communities do have at least one local park and are located within close proximity to a major highway (50 or 80).

So what do you think? If you’ve seen the location for both of these neighborhoods, which community would you choose? If you live in Capital Village or Natomas Field, what do you think of the community? Also, do you think it’s possible to replicate a neighborhood in one community to a different one? That’s a good discussion to be had. If you have any questions or insight about these neighborhoods, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

If you have any real estate appraisal, valuation consulting, or property tax appeal needs, contact me at 916.595.3735, www.LundquistCompany.com or via Facebook.

I saw this photo in MLS a while back while doing research for an appraisal in Stockton. Yes, this is an installed toilet in the crawl space of a residential single family home. The photo was labeled “non-permitted toilet installation”. They say a picture is worth a thousands words, and that just might be true in this case. What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments.

If you have any questions, let me know. Call 916.595.3735, email me, or find me on Facebook or my appraisal website at www.LundquistCompany.com.