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Community Building

Celebrating a $5,303 community yard sale

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I mentioned a week ago about a community yard I was helping lead to raise funds for a new neighborhood sign. After an incredible amount of work these past few weeks, I am very pleased to announce our yard sale total was a whopping $5,303. I am truly amazed and it has been wonderful to see the community really pull together to make this happen. This effort involved hard work from so many people and I’m elated to announce enough money was raised to design and build a new concrete neighborhood entrance sign.

This new sign will help rebrand a corner and also help improve the image of the neighborhood too, which can have an impact on property value over time. It’s often the “small things” in neighborhoods like keeping lawns mowed, the right types of fences, doing basic stuff and even neighborhood signs that help foster an image for the community – whether positive or negative.

On a different but related note, I used YouTube videos (like this one) to help show people what we had to offer at the sale. I found them to be very effective to post on Craigslist and email too. There were 437 hits on three videos over the weekend, which was worth the minimal effort I put into making them. It was great to have a huge turnout too on Sunday after Fox 40, News 10 and Channel 13 interviewed us on Saturday. I spoke at all the interviews, though I’ve only actually seen one of them. I have no idea how they turned out.

The moral of the story? Good things can happen in a neighborhood when neighbors get intentional. Do you have any stories of great things happening in your community? What would you like to see change? How do you market your yard sales?

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.

A redemptive yard sale for a neighborhood sign

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Some yard sales exist to rid our homes of junk, but this one is about redemption. Let me share some background with you. On January 1, 2011 a resident in the Mills Park neighborhood was found dead behind a neighborhood entrance sign. This “sign” was actually a mammoth pillar, and the bulk of residents had no idea of the negative activity going on in the hidden space created by the pillar until the tragic murder on January 1. In short, a team of residents responded quickly and worked very hard to host meetings and make decisions about this 50-year old neighborhood entrance sign. When the votes were counted, 98% of residents voted to tear down the pillar and then re-build something in its place. Since the pillar was demolished recently, a fund-raising effort has since ensued.

This Saturday will host the last leg of fundraising to bring a new sign to the corner of Mills Park Drive and Folsom Blvd. There will be a massive yard sale at 2958 Mills Park Drive in Rancho Cordova on September 16, 17 and 18 to raise $2,500+ in order to fund this new sign. If you think concrete signs are cheap, think again. Between the sign and installation, the total cost is between $5,000-$6,000.

Here are two potentials of what the new sign may look like. The neighborhood will choose among these options.

Here is a video of the safety issue presented by the old pillar. Can you see the big problem? Isn’t it amazing what can happen when a sign or structure provides a place for hiding? If you look at most modern neighborhood signs, they are not beastly structures like this one and they very often are actually basically a part of the real estate on the corner lot. I put this video together in January and it was used at our community forum to help make a decision about this issue. You can also view a News 10 piece and interview I did on the story here.

I mention these details because I want to share life with you and I’d love for you to be involved. I’m not looking for any kudos whatsoever. If you are local, you are welcome to stop by the yard sale. You are invited to donate stuff to sell, volunteer to help at the sale or even write a tax-deductible check to the “Cordova Community Council” with a “Mills Park” memo. Also, I’m looking for media to cover the story.

Community Yard Sale
2958 Mills Park Drive
Rancho Cordova 
September 16-19, 8am-5pm

So many times we see problems in the community and we wish that something would change. While it would be nice for local government or some agency to step in to solve the issue, many times it’s really up to residents to do something about it. In this case, it’s been great to see neighbors step forward as a team to promote safety, beautification and rebranding for a corner.

What elements of redemption do you see in this story?

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.

NNO recap & Tips for hosting a community BBQ

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Did you do anything for “National Night Out” on Tuesday? My household hosted a neighborhood BBQ and it was a profound success. We had a fantastic crowd, and it was nice to have visits from four council members, an Alyson Huber representative and Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli too. But most importantly, neighbors were connecting and we really had a good time. I’m so thankful to residents who worked to pull things together last-minute to make this happen. I feel very blessed to be surrounded by good friends in my community.

What makes a neighborhood great? In my opinion, it’s not about big houses or price level per se, but rather a sense of community and connectedness. That’s priceless.

Quick Tips for Hosting a Community BBQ:

  1. Do the BBQ in the front yard.
  2. Ask a few neighbors to do the BBQ with you. Get people on board first before you start publicizing.
  3. Make it your goal to connect with others and simply invite residents into that vision. People like it when they smell authenticity rather than an agenda. On a related note, if you want to see change in your neighborhood, keep the tone positive rather than negative. A positive vision is attractive, but complaining doesn’t work to muster the troops.
  4. Go potluck style. It’s easier that way and more powerful when everyone has something to share and donate.
  5. Knock on doors to pass out flyers. Invite people personally and they’ll have a greater chance of responding. In my experience, 400 flyers placed on doorsteps has far less impact than knocking on 30 doors.
  6. Provide opportunities for neighbors to help with details like canopies, grills, drinks or any other component. Remember too that you don’t have to pull off the ultimate block party with bounce houses and pony rides. Think simple.
  7. Invite council members or the police department to show up and give them a minute to talk with residents.
  8. No guilt or shame if people cannot make it – only grace and goodwill. Nobody likes to eat a guilt sandwich.
  9. If you have an action step, let people know. Maybe there is a neighborhood meeting coming up that people could sign up for. Or maybe you are putting together a phone tree, neighborhood email list or e-Group that would be perfect to help propel the community forward. You don’t need an action step of course, but if you have something, bring it.   
  10. Thank people for their contributions and recognize the work of others to pull off the event – whether big or small.

Do you have any tips to add? What do you think makes a neighborhood great? I’d love to hear your comments and stories.

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.

Removing a pillar by flexing community muscles

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This has been a truly amazing week for me. I’ve been absolutely slammed with business and wonderful things have been happening in the community too. I wrote a few months ago about crime and property value as it pertained to a particular pillar in Rancho Cordova that had become a haven for all sorts of negative activity which culminated in the discovery of a body behind this pillar on January 1.

Over the past few months residents have really come together to take action for the sake of the health and future of the community. A grassroots campaign was initiated to call the community to vote to tear down the pillar, beautify the site, and foster a greater sense of neighborhood communication also. You can check out an interview I did with News 10 if you wish (click on link above). To make a long story short, the community voted to tear down the pillar with a 98% YES vote (over 300 votes) and the pillar was removed yesterday. Way to go residents!!!

This is what it looks like to make decisions together to invest in the future of a neighborhood, promote safety and make a very tangible difference. This is what gets my heart pumping and one of the things that makes me tick. Improving a community happens when we get intentional. You never know what type of difference you can make unless you put your hand to the plow and decide to act upon the little dreams brewing in your heart and mind. Maybe you’re the answer to some of the problems in your community? Maybe your neighborhood is waiting for you to step up as a leader? Why not you?

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. 

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