Sacramento Real Estate Voice

Christmas lights & foil trees in the Sacramento area

December 5, 2011 By Ryan Lundquist 4 Comments

I came across the property below the other day while on an inspection. Granted there are probably some more grandiose examples of festive lights to share, but let’s pause for a moment to recognize the brilliance of using foil on trees for Christmas decor. After passing by this house I’ll be honest to say I’m feeling a bit inspired to find a way to use foil in my front yard. For me foil is one of those amazing products (like duct tape) because there is so much you can do with it.

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.

Is unemployment tied to Sacramento real estate?

July 31, 2011 By Ryan Lundquist 4 Comments

I have a guest post up today entitled “Is unemployment tied to Sacramento real estate” on Sacramento Real Estate Voice. Thank you Gena Riede for inviting me to post. Go check it out and give it some love. The post really focuses on sales and unemployment rates over the past few years in the Sacramento area and takes a specific look at Folsom, Galt, Rancho Cordova & North Highlands. Here is an example graph from the post. It’s amazing to me to see figures like this.

Visit my guest post HERE. Thanks so much.

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.

An overview of the condo market in Sacramento

April 19, 2011 By Ryan Lundquist 8 Comments

Welcome to Day 2 of “Condo Week” on the Sacramento Appraisal Blog. Let’s take a look at a panoramic view of the condominium market in the City of Sacramento. Here is a graph of all sales over the past 36 months.

Two things stand out from the graph to me. 1) The condo market is segmented into different markets. There is a very clear upper end of the market and an obvious lower end; 2) Property values have decreased over the past several years.

Here is a graph of all current condo listings in the City of Sacramento. It’s amazing to see so many condos priced well under $100,000. The lowest sale last year was $13,000 and 32% of all condo sales were under $50K and 34% of all sales were between $50-100K. This means 2/3 of all condo sales in Sacramento sold under $100,000 over the past year.

With such low prices there are big opportunities for buyers these days. But not everything is as smooth as possible when purchasing a condo, as shown below by Sacramento real estate broker Gena Riede of Sacramento Real Estate Voice:

I have long worked with parents who purchase condos for their Sac State students, and lately I too have found prices at an all time low with condos. But, the biggest issue lies in getting loans for these condos. Many of them have more than allowable amount of owner–occupied vs investment as well as not being on the approved lender list. More importantly, due to the amazingly low cost to purchase a condo, few if any lenders or credit unions will even loan money on such low amounts. This leads to more investors buying unless the buyer can pay cash. In my travels showing these Sacramento condos I have found many in disrepair and yet the HOA dues are in the $200/mo. With so many condo owners not paying their payments and losing their condos to the bank, many of the HOA’s are suffering with lack of funds for maintenance as well as their reserve accounts. This is where being cognizant of the maintenance or lack thereof of the complex is critical in making an informed decision as to purchasing or moving on to find a better maintained complex being key to your decision making. Certainly, parents of future Sac State students will find buying a condo is a much better financial decision than paying dorm fees, especially with these current real estate condo prices! On a good note, if a condo home buyer has cash there are some heck-a-deals out there to be had.

What are you favorite condominium complexes in the Sacramento area? If you had to purchase a unit today, where would you buy?

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.