Great California Garage Sale opening draws thousands in Sacramento

Leila Torres stood with two companions Friday across the street from the huge state surplus goods warehouse in North Natomas and surveyed the long line of people waiting to enter the Great California Garage Sale, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest tactic to raise money for the state budget.

The morning was growing warmer, and the line – which already stretched more than a quarter-mile through a business park of low-rise warehouses – was growing longer. And Torres was reconsidering the appeal of a cheap, used computer.

"The line's too long," said Torres, a 28-year-old Sacramento resident. "It's not worth it. I'll go buy a computer for 100 bucks more. You could go to Costco for a brand new one."

The first day of the sale attracted at least 5,000 bargain shoppers, said State and Consumer Services Agency spokeswoman Erin Shaw.

"We're really thrilled that people are enjoying themselves and purchasing things," Shaw said. "This is extending the life of state-purchased items."

More than 6,000 items were on sale in the warehouse, said Shaw, and 600 cars, including a handful with visors autographed by the governor, were being sold or auctioned as well. As in 2004, when a similar sale took place, some items were also listed on eBay.

According to the Department of General Services' Web site, sales Friday topped $1 million – just a drop in the $26 billion state budget deficit.

The event attracted shoppers curious to see the odd variety of items that had been collecting dust in state storage rooms, including used office furniture and computer equipment, digital cameras, sets of unused Kenmore washers and dryers, a handful of antique pianos and organs – and a variety of watches, rings and gold chains confiscated by the California Highway Patrol.

Some shoppers were disappointed. "All the good stuff is gone," said Mirela Hrnic, who was sitting on top of a coffee table near the battered old pianos. "We wanted a flat-screen TV. There's really nothing too interesting here for me."

And despite the low prices, some people still wanted to make a better deal.

"People are asking to reduce prices," said Geoff McLennan, who works for the state and volunteered at the sale. "They think it's like a garage sale at home."

Lisa Orta picked up a small filing cabinet and a flat-screen computer monitor for a total of $65. Isaiah Heath bought three office chairs and desks for a construction office in Lodi.

On the other hand, a six-color silk-screen printer and dental chairs – "It gives me the creeps just looking at them," said Orta – clearly were intended for niche markets.

And the life-sized statue of Schwarzenegger in "Terminator" garb, standing in a big case just inside the warehouse's entrance, wasn't for sale at all.

By 10 a.m. Friday, a case of confiscated jewelry had been picked clean by eager shoppers, as had the selection of cameras, though Shaw said the shelves would be restocked overnight.

"It's hectic in there," said Edgar Racadio, 28, a Sacramento security guard. "I wanted to get a digital camera, but there's a mob around that table. You could get to the outer rim, but there's like three layers of people."

In a parking lot a couple of blocks from the warehouse, Mahmoud Mabrouk and his 17-year-old son, Amir, checked out long rows of Ford and Chevrolet cars that have been retired from the state fleet, weighing the options for Amir's first vehicle.

"He's not driving yet," said Mahmoud, a civil engineer who works for the state.

"Almost," said Amir, who attends Franklin High School. "And these are pretty good cars. But they have a lot of highway miles."

Source Sac Bee

Price deflation will bump California income taxes up

The Legislature raised California's income taxes in February. Now, the phenomenon known as price deflation will nudge them yet a little higher.

Because of deflation, which occurs when consumer prices fall, California's six tax brackets now kick in at slightly lower income levels, according to new rates posted Thursday by the Franchise Tax Board.

It's the first time that's happened since 1983, according to the tax agency.

The change will translate into more money for the treasury when Californians pay their taxes next spring.

Perry Ghilarducci, a Sacramento accountant, called that "a horrible result" for taxpayers. But Brenda Voet, a spokeswoman for the Franchise Tax Board, called it a fair outcome at a time when consumer buying power is actually rising.

"Your dollar is worth more now," she said.

In any event, experts said the bracket math won't be particularly costly to most Californians, and likely will have less impact than the higher taxes imposed by the Legislature in February as part of its effort to eliminate the budget deficit.

The income tax brackets, under the terms of a 1982 voter initiative, are indexed to the California Consumer Price Index. The idea is to prevent residents from paying higher taxes merely because they received cost-of-living raises. When prices go up, as they almost always do, the brackets go up as well, keeping a lid on taxes.

But the system works in reverse, too. The California CPI fell 1.5 percent in the 12 months ending in June, the period used by the Franchise Tax Board to calculate the brackets. That means the brackets have fallen 1.5 percent.

Californians who have seen their incomes reduced by pay cuts, furloughs and layoffs probably won't see a big tax increase because of the bracket changes, however. Their taxes are likely going down, not up.

"Their tax bill is going to go down a little bit less than they might have anticipated," said economist Jeff Michael of the University of the Pacific.

Of far greater consequence, Michael said, are the higher taxes enacted by the Legislature in February. Everyone's rates are going up 0.25 percentage points for two years. The Legislature also slashed the dependent credit from $309 to $98 in February. That will mean considerably higher taxes for those with lots of dependents, Michael said.

The tax news for consumers isn't all bad, however. Deflation in home values means that millions of Californians may pay lower property taxes next year.

The state Board of Equalization is weighing a ruling that potentially could mean mild property tax relief for most property owners in California next year if consumer prices remain low. Although property taxes are collected by counties, the board sets the guidelines.

Already, an estimated 25 percent of California's property owners – mainly those who bought during the real estate boom and have seen their home values plunge below their purchase price – are getting some tax relief, said Dan Goodwin, president of the California Assessors' Association.

The Board of Equalization ruling would affect all the rest. Generally, these are property owners who bought before the real estate boom. Their properties have fallen but are still worth more than their assessed values, which have been held down by Proposition 13, said board spokeswoman Anita Gore.

She said the decrease would take effect with property tax bills that go out in the fall of 2010.

The decrease in assessments likely would be very small, said Ken Stieger, Sacramento County assessor. The final tally will depend on changes in the state Consumer Price Index over a 12-month period ending in October.

So far the index is down 0.7 percent, according to the state Department of Finance.

The ongoing rise in gasoline prices might mean assessments won't fall at all.

"In all likelihood it will come out to zero, slightly above or slightly below," Stieger said.

Californians pay a total of about $45 billion a year in property taxes, said Goodwin, who is Ventura County's assessor. Even with property values declining, property tax assessments are still about twice what they were in 2000, he said.

"It's still the most stable source of revenues for government," he said.

Source Sac Bee

Deeper Sacramento housing crisis is forecast

A major credit reporting company predicts mortgage delinquency rates will continue rising in the Sacramento area – with 12 percent of homeowners falling at least two months behind on their payments by year's end.

That's nearly twice the national projection and a dramatic jump from just two years ago, when less than 2 percent percent of area homeowners' notes were delinquent.

"California faces some challenges, and that's reflected in the statistics," said Ezra Becker, director of consulting and strategy at TransUnion, one of the nation's three large credit reporting agencies.

"There are serious delinquency rates in California, and it's not out of the woods by the end of the year," Becker added. He predicted the delinquency rates in California would begin falling in 2010.

TransUnion, based in Chicago, analyzed trends in the mortgage industry for the second quarter and offered year-end projections for the Sacramento market and the state.

Today, Sacramento's 60-day mortgage loan delinquency rate – the percentage of homeowners at least 60 days behind on their mortgage payments – stands at 9.62 percent, just below the state's rate of 9.7 percent, according to Trans Union.

The national rate, at 5.81 percent, is projected to rise to 6.93 percent by the end of the year.

California trails just Arizona, Florida and Nevada, which has the highest delinquency rate at nearly 14 percent. Delinquency rates are a key indicator because the 60-day threshold is traditionally seen as a step toward foreclosure.

In markets where home values have dropped most sharply, delinquency and foreclosure rates are highest. By that measure, the capital remains in trouble. In June, more than half of Sacramento-area households owed more on their homes than they were worth, First American CoreLogic reported last week.

"As long as that persists, we'll see delinquencies and foreclosures continue," said Suzanne O'Keefe, an economics professor at California State University, Sacramento. "Until the housing market turns around, there's not much hope for those rates to reverse."

By the end of the year, TransUnion predicts, 12.2 percent of Sacramento-area homeowners and more than 14 percent of homeowners statewide will be at least two months behind on their house payments.

Double-digit percentage unemployment and unpaid furlough days are increasingly catching up with homeowners who have "safe" fixed-rate loans, rather than the subprime loans that initially sparked the housing crisis.

Mike Himes, director of NeighborWorks Homeownership Center in Sacramento, which counsels struggling and first-time homeowners, said his office is seeing more clients facing growing debt and making choices between house payments and other expenses. His clientele includes a growing number of state workers whose paychecks have been pared by unpaid furloughs.

"There's a lot of money borrowed to stay in the house and keep up with living expenses," Himes said. "This is becoming more and more of a problem."

Despite the current darkness, Becker of TransUnion predicted the clouds could lift in 2010. And when they do, the sun will shine more brightly on the Golden State than the rest of the nation. TransUnion predicts that the delinquency rate will fall three times faster than in the nation as a whole.

"We anticipate the recovery will be more robust and last longer" than in other regions of the country, he said.

Source Sac Bee

Realtors say home sales rose 12 percent in state

The California Association of Realtors' latest report of monthly home sales offered a mixed bag.

CAR said Tuesday that statewide home sales increased 12 percent in July compared with July 2008, while the median price of an existing home declined 19.6 percent.

It was the 11th straight month that existing home sales outperformed sales in the year-ago period. And while median prices were down compared with last year, they rose for the fifth straight month this year.

"The federal tax credit for first-time buyers played a critical role," said James Liptak, CAR president. "Nearly 40 percent of first-time buyers said they would not have purchased a home if the tax credit was not offered."

In the Sacramento region, the median home price in July was $183,840, down 16.1 percent from a year ago, according to CAR. July home sales in the region were down 6.7 percent from a year ago, but up 6 percent over June.

Source Sac Bee

Choosing a Great Real Estate Maestro is Key

A GreatWest GMAC Real Estate professional recently recalled an early childhood memory. This memory took her back to a time when her mother took her to a delightful stage show.

While the production was going on, she saw dancers on stage. In an area slightly below, and in front of the stage, there was the conductor who waved his magical wand in the air, while delightful music seemingly flowed from it. She was certain the maestro was a sorcerer with the ability to conjure magical sounds - and because he was standing in the direction of the stage and commanding the rhythmic wand, it also seemed he was invoking the very steps of the dancers.

The mother tried to convince her that things were not as perceived - there was an orchestra "in the pit." Imagine what images pranced in her tiny head when mother spoke those words. She knew what a pit was, but had no idea what an orchestra may be. So, about half way through the composition, she bolted from her seat next to the aisle, and ran up to the front railing of the orchestra where the Maestro stood.

Quickly she could see there were all sorts of interesting instruments - cellos, violins, flutes, horns, drums, and a piano. There sat several dozen beings all dressed in black - manipulating bows, strings, sticks, and keyboards, to truly make music happen - at least until the curtain drew to a close.

As real estate professionals look back today, we often realize that running real estate transactions must sometimes seem like viewing a show through the eyes of a small child. What may appear to be a maestro, invoking dance, and leading the orchestra with a single wand, is only an illusion, to all the activity going on by others not readily seen to the view.

Carefully conducting the symphony, known as a real estate transaction, takes all sorts of individuals flawlessly playing their part, in order for the composition to be a well-orchestrated success. Wisely choosing a great real estate agent to perform, as conductor of any real estate sale and transaction is important.

Generally, it is the agent, which will have the most visibility and contact not only with clients, but a multitude of other unseen individuals (lenders, inspectors, escrow and title people, etc.), which are working more or less behind the scenes. How well, an agent helps coordinate other activity will depend on how well your real estate transaction flows. Understanding the importance of wisely choosing a great real estate Maestro is key!


Written for GreatWest GMAC
by: Myrl Jeffcoat

Sacramento-area home sales remain sluggish

Sales of existing homes in the Sacramento area climbed 2.6 percent from June to July – far short of the surprising 7.2 percent rise nationally that sent stocks soaring Friday.

A July report showed sales of 3,495 existing homes in Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties, according to San Diego-based researcher MDA DataQuick.

Buyers also closed escrow on 320 new homes to push July's regional sales tally to 3,815, up slightly from 3,758 in June.

The rise failed by a long shot to match the U.S. sales increase from June to July. The National Association of Realtors called it the fastest monthly gain since 1999 and a sign that the market "has decisively turned for the better."

In the capital region, however, where the housing market is struggling to regain its footing, this year's July sales were lower than the 4,126 sales reported in July 2008. By comparison, there were 2,906 area sales in July 2007 and 3,275 in July 2006. In July 2005: 6,159.

July marked the second straight month in which sales dipped below the same time a year ago. Last year a massive supply of bank repos fueled a sales boom by first-time buyers and investors. The boom has faded as repos fell to 58.7 percent of July sales, the lowest share in 15 months, DataQuick reported.

A dwindling supply of cheap repos drove Sacramento County's median price higher – to $180,000 – in July, DataQuick reported. That's after two months at $175,000, and well up from February's low of $160,000 in a county that's home to about six in 10 of the area's home sales.

DataQuick said 38 percent of Sacramento County sales were below $150,000. Homes priced at $400,000 and higher were 6.6 percent of July sales.

Significantly, the rate of year-over-year price declines slowed in Sacramento County. July prices were 14.3 percent below July 2008. For much of the past two years Sacramento County's median price – where half of homes sell for more and half for less – slipped 30 percent or more from the same month a year earlier.

"We're coming off that period when we had the steepest slides," said DataQuick analyst Andrew LePage. "It's going to get easier and easier to get to single-digit decline from a year ago unless we see foreclosures and job losses ratchet up."

Foreclosures in the region, indeed, rose in the second quarter of 2009. The unemployment rate in the region has climbed to 11.8 percent and to a record 11.9 percent in California, the state reported.

July's median sales prices in Sacramento County are back to what they were in September 2001. Then, the county's median household income was $44,928, according to Claritas, a demographic research company. Today, it's $57,847, suggesting a market again well matched with incomes and even overcorrecting after its housing boom excesses.

Prices are back to October 2002 levels in Placer and Sutter counties and mid-2003 in El Dorado, Yolo and Yuba counties.

"It's affordable by all our natural price measures," said Dean Wehrli, a Sacramento executive with San Diego-based Sullivan Group Real Estate Advisors. "I would say we're in the middle of the overcorrection."

Wehrli said today's median price for existing homes in Sacramento County is about the same as if the boom had not occurred and prices rose 3.4 percent a year since 2000.

But it's still not easy to buy, complain first-timers trying to snag bargains.

"I've been in this since March. I've been outbid. I'm bidding $30,000 over the asking price. And still, cash just walked in and took it," said Dianna Starr of Sacramento. "People I know say it's a buyer's market. No, it's not."

Starr, outbid by investors on several foreclosed homes in the $135,000 range is trying now to buy a short sale listing. That's an equally frustrating problem for buyers.

In short sales, a bank agrees to a sales price below what it's owed on the house. Complications abound.

Starr said in her case the main mortgage lender wants to sell, but lender JPMorgan Chase has balked at taking a loss on a home equity line of credit.

"I'm doing everything I can," said the medical transcriptionist at Solano State Prison. "I'm a hard-working person that can't catch a break."

Regionally, the number of for-sale signs in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties fell for a 23rd month. Sacramento researcher TrendGraphix reported 6,572 homes on the market in the four counties as July ended, the fewest in four years.

Source Sac Bee

California State Fair 2009

Price: August 15 - 19: $10.00 (GA), $8.00 (Seniors 62+), $6.00 (children 5-12) / August 20 - September 7: $12.00 (GA), $10.00 (Seniors 62+), $8.00 (children

Phone: (916) 263-3000

Age Suitability: All Ages

Tags: family, children, kids, concert, show, county fair, youth

The Cal Expo fairgrounds come alive every summer as the State Fair becomes a "city within a city" that hosts nearly one million visitors. Folks come from near and far for the memorable delights of this 156-year-old extravaganza. Don't miss the FREE Concert Series, the world-class exhibits, dozens of rides in the magnificent midway, live thoroughbred racing, animals & agriculture. exceptional food & wine, and hundreds of performers over the 18 days.

The Magnificent Midway is open 2pm - 11pm Monday through Thursday and 10am - 12am Friday through Sunday and Labor Day.

Source Sac Bee

Dinner and an IMAX Movie

Price: $5 IMAX movie tickets (when purchased with a dining receipt valued at least $20 from downtown or midtown restaurants)

Phone: 916-443-IMAX

Age Suitability: All Ages

Tags: imax, mothers day, star trek, transformers 2, monsters vs. aliens 3d, night at the museum 2

From May 10 - August 20, IMAX guests who present a dining receipt from downtown or midtown restaurants, for at least $20, will be able to purchase IMAX movie tickets for only $5 (up to 4 tickets per $20 receipt). For Hollywood films featured at IMAX, guests can take a $5 discount on a full-price ticket. On Mother's Day, Mom's get in free as part of the dinner promotion. Hollywood films include: Monsters vs. Aliens 3D, Star Trek, Night at the Museum 2 and Transformers 2.

Source Sac Bee

Cash for Clunkers didn't boost hybrid sales

The federal Cash for Clunkers program is getting a lot of trucks and sport-utility vehicles off the road, but it hasn't made best-sellers out of the Prius or other gas-efficient hybrids.

The purpose behind the program was twofold: boost anemic consumer spending while lowering gasoline consumption. There's no doubt that Cash for Clunkers accomplished the former, though interest now appears to be tapering off. It's less clear what the trade-in program has accomplished on the environmental front.

Much to the chagrin of public-interest groups, a fair number of U.S. consumers are turning right around and buying new light trucks with their credits from the Car Allowance Rebate System, or CARS.

The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, two of the most popular and fuel-efficient hybrids, are noticeably absent from the top-10 list of new cars purchased to replace turned-in clunkers.

"It appears that despite some of these glowing (federal) reports we've seen on the environmental benefits of the program, a lot of light trucks and SUVs are being purchased through the program," said Lena Pons, a policy analyst Public Citizen, the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.

Public Citizen has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking more information on the CARS program, charging that the Obama administration has not provided details on clunkers being traded in and new cars being purchased.

Edmunds.com, the Santa Monica-based auto information site, has been doing its best to keep score.

According to Edmunds, the top 10 list of clunkers being turned in by U.S. consumers to date is an all-American-brand affair dominated by light trucks. The Ford Explorer SUV tops the list, with 10.2 percent of all clunker turn-ins nationwide.

Edmunds' top 10 list of new vehicles purchased via the CARS program includes some gas-sippers such as the Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. But it also includes full-size trucks such as the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado.

The Ford F-150, which gets less than 20 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving, was second on the clunkers-turned-in list, at 8.6 percent.

The Silverado likewise gets less than 20 mpg in city/highway driving.

Most using the CARS program are turning over a 1984 or younger vehicle getting less than 18 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving. If the fuel economy improvement on the new car is 4 to 9 mpg, the federal credit is $3,500. If the improvement is at least 10 mpg, the credit is the maximum $4,500.

The rules vary for SUV, minivan or non-full-size pickup truck buyers. If the fuel economy improvement is 2 to 4 mpg, the credit is $3,500. If the improvement is at least 5 mpg, the credit is $4,500. If buying a full-size pickup or large van, the standard for a $3,500 credit is a 1 mpg improvement; it's 2 mpg to get a $4,500 credit.

Jessica Caldwell, a senior analyst at Edmunds, said she was not surprised that some consumers were turning in old big vehicles to get new big vehicles.

"In the rules for the Cash for Clunkers program, it's not necessary to have a change in lifestyle or fuel mileage," she said. "If you still want a truck, you can get one. The program was set up to accommodate that sort of thing."

Caldwell noted the two-fold intent of the program. "It's not only a green bill to save the environment; it was also essentially going to boost (auto) sales," she said. "I think that's something we also forget."

Caldwell said Edmunds' dealer contacts indicate that many buyers taking advantage of the CARS program have been more interested in affording a new car as opposed to the potential environmental benefits of buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

"The rules clearly state that's OK as long as you meet the mpg guidelines. This is a time when people are taking an advantage of a government program that's attractive to a lot of people."

However, the initial rush of buyers taking advantage of the CARS program slowed dramatically last week, according to Edmunds.

"Interest in the program is fading as fast as the first billion was used up," said Michelle Krebs, another Edmunds' senior analyst, referring to the gold-rush popularity of Cash for Clunkers program when it was introduced on July 27, prompting the government to add $2 billion in funding on top of the initial $1 billion.

The slowdown is being welcomed by some local dealers, who saw their previously unsold new-car fleets decimated by a rush of Cash for Clunkers buyers from July 27 to Aug. 3.

Now, government entities are awaiting sales tax numbers that are expected to spike upward as a result of that first buying rush. They'll know in a few weeks how much help is on the way for their beleaguered budgets.

"From what I've seen just looking and walking around, I'd certainly expect an uptick," said Rob Leonard, Sacramento County's economic development director.

The Edmunds list of top new cars purchased in Cash for Clunkers deals does not include the all-new 2010 Honda Insight sedan (41.5 mpg city/highway). The third-generation Toyota Prius hybrid sedan (49.5 mpg) is 17th on the list, at 2.2 percent.

"When you look at the hybrid market, it's a comparatively small part of overall sales, about 3.6 percent last month," Caldwell explained. "I think that's the reason behind that, although 3.6 percent is up from around 2 percent (market share) previously."

Source Sac Bee

Suburban Sacramento land rush? Big homebuilders buy up 'finished' lots

Sacramento's new-home sales are still down and out, but some capital-area builders are betting money that the region's suburbs will soon resume their growth boom.

They've begun snapping up ready-to-build home lots at prices ranging from $25,000 to $67,000, setting the stage for a new suburban land rush.

The phenomenon suggests that a real estate market in decline for four years may be resetting for a new business cycle, some say.

Builders looking for land are focusing on "finished" lots, which already have government approvals, streets and utilities.

"They just have to pour a slab and start building," said Kathryn Boyce, Sacramento analyst for Costa Mesa consultant Hanley Wood Market Intelligence.

Capital-area builders say prices for finished lots have risen 20 percent since April as giant public builders muscle back into the region's land game for the first time since 2005.

Boyce said the land rush is greatest in Placer County, followed by Folsom and Elk Grove.

Hanley Wood counts 17,251 finished lots in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. Many are owned by lenders that repossessed them. Others are owned by development firms that need to raise cash. Investors own still more.

The recent escalation in land prices has led some in the industry to question whether they can make money when so many homes are priced at $250,000 or less.

"Prices might be going up too fast," said Tim Lewis, owner of Roseville-based Tim Lewis Communities.

Lewis recently bought lots at two projects in the capital region and one in Reno – his first in that city. "I'm cautiously looking at projects, but I'm certainly not on a buying frenzy like some of these publics (publicly traded builders) might be," he said.

Even with the recent rise, land prices in the Sacramento region are nowhere near the dizzying levels of five years ago. At the height of the real estate boom in 2004, builders paid up to $150,000 for finished lots in Roseville, and up to $120,000 in Natomas and Elk Grove.

Still, the renewed scouting and buying by building giants has sent a buzz through an industry that has endured prolonged downsizing and financial trauma.

"There is a consensus out there that we are at the bottom or pretty darn close," said James Radler, a Roseville-based land broker with Park Place Land Advisors of Irvine.

Radler and others say publicly traded home builders such as Los Angeles-based KB Home, Texas-based D.R. Horton, New Jersey's K. Hovnanian Homes and Meritage Homes, headquartered in Arizona, are among those looking at lots and buying. Others in the game include private Arizona-based building giant Taylor Morrison. All are among the capital region's top builders.

"These guys need lots," Rad- ler said. "If they don't do deals, they don't build homes, and if they don't build homes they aren't in business."

Most of the builders didn't respond to Bee inquiries, which is not surprising, say those who watch the industry. Said Boyce, "They're trying to position themselves without anybody knowing."

"They all want to be under the radar as much as they can," added Dean Wehrli, vice president and Sacramento analyst for Sullivan Group Real Estate Advisors of San Diego.

During the housing downturn that began after area home prices peaked four years ago this month, many large builders sold off home lots to maintain balance sheets. A few closed down divisions and left the area. Now, though capital-area home building remains sluggish – just 1,764 sales the first half of 2009 – firms are competing again for lots in a market they expect to begin rising as early as 2010.

Industry analysts say big Wall Street home builders, especially, need more lots to keep operations going while waiting for a new cycle.

"They essentially haven't done any buying for four years," said Radler.

The supply of lots is also constrained by the closing of Natomas to new building permits through 2011. That region, popular with buyers and builders for much of this decade, is under a building-permit moratorium until levee fixes bring 100-year flood protection.

Source Sac Bee

Swine flu symptoms and precautions

SWINE FLU SYMPTOMS

• Fever

• Cough

• Sore throat

• Runny or stuffed nose

• Body aches

• Headache

• Chills

• Fatigue

• Diarrhea

• Vomiting

WHEN TO SEE THE DOCTOR

• If you have underlying medical conditions

• If you feel better, then worse again

• If you have trouble breathing

• If your fever goes away and then returns

TAKE PRECAUTIONS

• Cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing

• Wash hands with soap and water often

• Use alcohol-based hand cleaners

• Avoid contact with sick people

• If you have a fever, stay home for 24 hours after it subsides to avoid infecting others

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sacramento County health department

TO LEARN MORE

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.flu.gov

Source Sac Bee

Sacramento goes Hollywood: "Mentalist" film crew coming to town

Sacramento is getting a swanky new riverfront restaurant.

It'll open Thursday - for one day only.

The outdoor café is dreamed up by a Hollywood crew that's shooting scenes for CBS' "The Mentalist" - transforming a seldom-used eighth-floor balcony of West Sac's ziggurat building into a restaurant.

The local filming is a first for "The Mentalist," even though the hit show is cinematically set here and features a supposed Sacramento-based crime-fighting organization.

On Thursday, the film crew's base camp will be set up on the River Walk just outside the pyramid-like building now occupied by the the state's Department of General Services.

Cast and crew will take a freight elevator from the basement to the eighth floor, minimizing disruptions for employees, says DGS spokesman Eric Lamoureux.

"For 99.9 percent of our people, it will be business as usual," he says.

But that's not to say employees aren't excited about Hollywood's arrival. Lamoureux notes that women seem especially interested in catching a glimpse of "Mentalist" star Simon Baker. "If you ask most females about him, they'll give you a reaction," he says.

The credit for luring "The Mentalist" crew to town goes to city film commissioner Lucy Steffens, who's been lobbying for local shooting since the show debuted last year and became a surprise hit. Her efforts led to Thursday's shooting schedule in West Sac and at the state Capitol on Friday, involving more than 100 cast and crew members. It will generate a large - but undetermined - boost for the local economy. Steffens' next goal: "an entire episode (filmed in Sacramento) with more locations."

Source: SacBee

Staging the Yard For Sale - Not Only the Interior of the House!

In a market heavy laden with foreclosures, traditional sellers can create a market advantage for themselves by not only getting the home ready to sell, but the yard as well.It is amazing how curb appeal has a whole different meaning in a market like we are in currently, compared to past years, when fewer distressed properties were available for sale.

There are the obvious things to do; planting flowers, cutting the grass...

To create a really nice looking yard, all flowerbeds and grass should be weed free.

You can find in any local lawn and garden center very good weed killers you can use. Sometimes they ask you to bring a soil sample to have it tested, so that they can recommend the right mixture of fertilizer and weed killer for you.

The flowerbeds should have a clear separation from the lawn and have a clean edge. You can use edging or you can leave it natural. Top the flowerbeds off with a fresh layer of mulch. This will reduce weeds and will give the beds a clean
and fresh look.

When you have perennials, which may cone up during the rest of the season, give the beds a little more color with local annuals.

Annuals are quick and cheap, come in every color you can imagine and give the area a quick inexpensive burst of color.

When you have trees that grow close to the house, you might consider calling a tree trimming company when you have branches that are hanging over the roof of the house.

Consider taking time to power wash the house, driveway, walkway, patio furniture, patio, and/or deck. Take care not strip any paint or siding.

Think about stage the deck and/or patio before a showing. Have soft music playing, maybe a small fountain and table set for guests, without going overboard.

Many times the deck and patio are overlooked in staging, do not overlook this valuable marketing tool you have for your home.

Written for GreatWest GMAC
by: Myrl Jeffcoat

A 'Miracle' reaches out

Sterling Mack cracked a wide smile and laughed as he busted out old-school dance moves like the Sprinkler during the chorus of a Neil Diamond tune.

Sterling, 9, repeated the moves again and again as he and his castmates practiced "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," one of several songs included in the play they are performing for Second Saturday.

With each repeated lyric, the children's voices grew bolder and louder, their movements and dancing more cohesive and energized as the hours ticked by.

Sterling and many of the other children involved in Staging a Miracle – a five-week summer theater program at First United Methodist Church in midtown Sacramento – welcome this practice as a distraction from some of life's harder realities.

Of the 46 children in the program, 36 are homeless or transitioning out of homelessness.

Sterling is one of them.

He and his mother, Zizzari, moved to Sacramento from Florida about five months ago. They've been staying at a different church each week, one of several families aided by the Family Promise organization.

They've moved 24 times in the past two years, in a windfall of circumstances that included foreclosure and job loss.

"We've never been homeless before. We lived in middle-class homes," Zizzari Mack said. "Life changes just happen very quickly."

A play-by-play of Sterling's day illuminates the difference between his life and that of a typical 9-year-old boy.

"Well, I wake up at a church, then we get on a van that takes us to school," he said, referring to Mustard Seed School at Loaves & Fishes. "They let us do lots of cool stuff, sometimes yoga, roller skating, kayaking. ... Then we pack up and go home."

Home for Sterling is Family Promise's Day Center at the Loaves & Fishes complex, where he and his mom can shower, do laundry, eat dinner and play games. Then it's onto another van, to another church, for another night.

Lately, the routine has shifted three days a week to include dancing, singing, guitar, photography lessons and dinner with new friends facing similar situations. Staging a Miracle has offered a respite.

"It gives me an opportunity to be creative," Sterling said.

The program was developed as a way to give children whose parents may not have the means to pay for lessons or camps an opportunity to experience the performing arts, said Kris Errecart, one of the program's organizers.

It was patterned after the Sitar Arts Center in Washington, D.C., an education center that provides after-school, weekend and summer classes for primarily low-income children.

"The hope is that someday we might be able to have a center for the arts for kids who are underprivileged," Errecart said.

This year's production, titled "A Hand Out for Hope," is full of inspirational songs intended to invoke a sense of community in the Second Saturday crowd, said Michael Miiller, the program's director.

"The world is in kind of a funk right now, and people are really looking for something positive," he said. "It's the idea that you have two hands, and reaching out to somebody is how we'll get out of this."

Although government provides some assistance, community resources thread together much of the fabric of family life for many homeless people.

"It takes a community to raise a community," said Jennifer Jones, whose son James, 11, also is participating in the play.

Jones' participation with Women's Empowerment, a local nonprofit organization that helps homeless women find jobs and housing, led her to find a grant to go back to school to get her associate degree in human services.

Women's Empowerment also helped Zizzari Mack find permanent housing for her family. She and Sterling learned last week that they were accepted into a program for permanent housing.

They could be in their new home as soon as this week. The move could mean a homecoming for Sterling's 16-year-old brother, who has been living with relatives in Southern California because the family could not find shelter together.

The thought of a permanent home is overwhelming and exciting for Sterling.

"It means somewhere where you can have a roof over your head and you are safe," he said. "Where you can relax and not worry. It's your own."

And with that, a simple taco dinner and dessert of Oreos before play practice at the midtown church became a celebratory feast.

Source: SacBee

Home Front: Competition frustrates first-time buyers

Laurel Bane, 28, is a working professional with a down payment in hand. Hunting for her first home in Natomas, she's made six offers since March. And she's lost every house.

"It's been a bidding-war hell," Bane said. "I increased my offer by $12,000 on one, and I still lost out. I was $13,000 over asking price on another and still didn't get it."

Welcome to the punishment being inflicted this summer on first-time buyers. Considered saviors of the region's real estate economy, thousands like Bane are trudging through minefields where their homebuying dreams are repeatedly blown up.

That's because at the lower end of the price scale there are far more potential buyers than homes for sale.

"You make an offer and there's already 30 (ahead of you). And four are cash. I've had clients cry," said Larry Henderson, an agent with Prudential Norcal Realty in Carmichael. "It's a great time to buy a house because of the interest rates and the pricing. The problem is getting an offer accepted," he said.

Horror stories increasingly abound across a Sacramento housing market dominated by repos and short sales.

Home Front is hearing from buyers who expected it to be easy but are being outbid by investors. When they do offer more than investors, the bank often takes the lower bid because it's cash.

Others say offers are made without getting any response.

The only way to compete is to bid well above the listing price. But when appraisals come in below the offer, the deal is killed.

The alternative is short sales, in which banks take less than owed to avoid the higher costs of foreclosures, but they can take months to complete.

Another snag: Home sales increasingly involve "flippers," said Henderson, referring to investors who buy properties that they try to quickly resell for a profit.

But if the so-called flipper hasn't held the home for at least 90 days, the first-time buyer can't get a Federal Housing Administration loan, which requires only 3.5 percent down.

"Minefield? That's an understatement," said Henderson.

For Bane, who's looking for a house below $200,000, it's not been easy.

"I'm just looking for a small, manageable house for myself and one roommate. Yet everything I find is sold within the day," said Bane, a facilities business coordinator at Rancho Cordova-based Vision Service Plan. "We'll write an offer and submit it, and then find it was already sold."

Bane had expected she'd be moved into her first home by now. With the federal Nov. 30 deadline for an $8,000 first-time buyer tax credit approaching, she's fretting.

What's roughing up buyers like Bane is a shortage of bank repos – and an unwillingness of most private homeowners to sell at today's prices. For reasons that aren't fully understood, banks have held thousands of repos off the market. The result is bidding wars, especially for homes listed below $200,000.

"I really feel for first-time buyers right now," said Bruce Hammer, associate broker and agent with Keller Williams in Sacramento.

"Usually, within 24 hours, I have multiple offers coming in," said Hammer, who lists repo properties for banks and asset managers. "I almost dread it. My phone rings off the hook with people asking if (the house) is still available."

With defaults and foreclosures back on the rise regionally, Hammer believes a "substantial" new supply of repos may hit the market next month.

"I am hoping that's true because right now, I'm telling you, it's tough on buyers."

In Rocklin, would-be buyer Karin DeFoe said she's just had her fourth offer fall apart. DeFoe, house hunting for her college-age son, said, "We haven't had any luck."

Last month, she told Home Front she's lost offers on three houses to cash investors. All made lower bids than hers.

"All the repos are priced real low to start bidding wars," she complained.

To Bane, it's just plain frustrating.

"We'll go into houses and people are there before us, and people are there after us," she said. "Every house we look at has lines of buyers."

Mortgage protection, anyone?

Elsewhere on the first-time buyer front: The California Association of Realtors says only 385 applications have been approved for its program to help first-timers pay the mortgage if they lose their jobs. Of those, 14 are from Sacramento, Elk Grove and Folsom.

The association is looking for lots more applicants.

"We thought we'd have five or six times that many," said Jim Liptak, CAR president.

The CAR "mortgage protection" program announced in April contributes up to $1,500 a month for six months to first-time buyers who've lost their jobs. It's free and scheduled to run through the end of 2009.

Liptak says 2009 buyers should ask their real estate agents about the program, which is funded by contributions from real estate agents and associations in California and nationally. Approval takes two to three weeks.

In a state where unemployment has hit 11.6 percent, similar deals have been rolled out by home builders and car dealers.

CAR says it has enough funds to cover $1.4 million in mortgage payments for jobless Californians who bought homes between April and December this year. So far, says Liptak, the payments haven't been needed.

Source: SacBee

Boat owners must wrap it up at Folsom Lake Marina

It's still high summer, but marina managers are getting ready to roll up the docks at Folsom Lake two weeks earlier than expected because of dropping water levels.

Folsom Lake reservoir is currently at 426 feet, but the Bureau of Reclamation expects that by Aug. 25, the level will have dropped to 412 feet, the elevation at which all boats must be removed from their slips.

Managers at the Folsom Lake Marina at Brown's Ravine had hoped to allow boaters to leave hundreds of watercraft moored until Labor Day, but Ken Christensen, marina manager, was sending letters to 675 boat owners on Tuesday, telling them they need to remove their vessels by Aug. 25 – and to let their friends know too.

Still, thanks to late season rains that replenished the American River watershed that feeds Folsom Lake, it has been a pretty lengthy season for boating – something he never imagined at the end of February.

"Last year boats had to be out of the water July 1," said Christensen. "The year before that it was right after Aug. 1. It's been a good year."

Folsom Lake Marina at Brown's Ravine has 674 wet slips and 175 dry slips, and is part of the Folsom Lake State Recreational Area.

Source: SacBee

Community gardens gain growing respect - and August is their month

Bill Maynard remembers when community and gardening barely mixed. Empty lots became battlegrounds as inner-city families fought civic codes and development for the right to grow their own vegetables close to home.

How times have changed. Now, community gardens are a source of civic pride as well as produce.

"It's really picked up," says Maynard, who serves as Sacramento's community garden coordinator. "We saw some increase last year, but this year, there are more and more. There are at least 12 new church gardens (in Sacramento) this summer. It must be some sort of divine intervention."

A longtime community garden activist, Maynard has put Sacramento on the leading edge of a national trend. August is the first National Community Gardening Awareness Month, inspired by work that started here.

In Congress, Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, introduced the legislation designating every August to commemorate community gardening.

"Community gardens are on the rise across the nation as Americans look to shrink their monthly grocery bills, introduce produce and more nutritious foods into their children's diets, and as a way to create a connection between our communities and the food we feed our families," Matsui said in announcing her legislation.

"Recognizing August as Community Gardening Awareness Month will help bring attention to the benefits that community gardens can bring to America's families and support those who want to take part in feeding their families and their communities."

Hundreds of new community gardens have sprouted nationwide as people get back in touch with their inner farmer and the desire to eat good, safe produce while saving money.

More than 1 million American households took part in a community garden last year, according to the National Gardening Association, which estimates that 5 million families now want to plant a community plot.

"Community gardening is taking on a new meaning in America," says Bobby Wilson of Atlanta, president of the American Community Gardening Association. "People from all walks of life are making an effort to clean up vacant lots and grow their own fresh vegetables in our cities."

Maynard, a UC master gardener, sees it every day in his work, helping new as well as established gardens to thrive. In 2002, he launched the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition to help urban farmers get a foothold.

Sacramento has a long history of community gardening. In 1972, midtown's Ron Mandella Community Garden (originally named Terra Firma) began on surplus state property.

For decades, the urban farmers fought efforts to develop their precious plots into parking lots or apartments before they were locked out of the garden in 2002. When housing was built on that property, a portion of the land eventually became the Fremont Community Garden, which was dedicated in 2007.

Now, community gardens are considered an asset, not an eyesore. At least 50 have been established in Sacramento with an estimated 2,000 families participating.

Such gardens have become selling points. This spring, K. Hovnanian Homes installed a community garden for its Four Seasons active-adult development in El Dorado Hills, using recycled water for irrigation.

Maynard, who serves as vice president of the American Community Gardening Association, is hard at work on new gardens in Zapata Park for the Alkali Flat neighborhood and another in Oak Park. This summer, he also worked on garden projects in El Dorado Hills, Woodland, Winters, Vacaville, River Bank and Maria Shriver's WE Garden in Capitol Park.

Such gardens use less water than lawns, says Maynard, making them a natural for cities or churches looking to save water and money.

And vegetable gardening brings people together. For a small investment of $25 or $50 a year for a plot rental, they harvest pride along with tomatoes.

"It really is awesome," Maynard says. "The Sacramento Valley already is recognized for its farming. Now, we're becoming a world-class city in urban agriculture, too."

Source: SacBee