Well folks, business is slow. It’s slow all over and not just in real estate. Was it the long wet winter? Are we all just waterlogged and still trying to dry out? Experts have predicted a slow-down in the industry. I believe that our prices here in the Auburn area did get out of hand. We’ve seen a slow steady downward adjustment and prices do seem to be leveling off... There is a lot of inventory–that is, a lot of homes listed for sale–and I believe it is a buyers market. Buyers have their choice of homes, more time to make their selection, and more bargaining power. Good news for buyers, tough new for sellers as it may mean further downward price adjustments to sell quickly.

So, buyers where are you? From the registration on my website, I can see that many of the folks who are looking in this area are coming from the Bay Area. It has been my experience that retirees are selling high, coming here to pay cash for a smaller, nicer home, and keeping some cash for retirement. Personally, I don’t see that trend changing. Families will be getting out of school soon, and no one likes to move in the middle of the school year... The rains have stopped, the greenery is gorgeous, yet where is the spring rush? Should we be concerned? I think not. We may be off to a slow start, but we live in such a beautiful area with so much to offer, I believe our market will soon take off in a late spring rush... What do you think?

According to the California Association of Realtors:

1) the median home price in the state of California was $485,700 for the month of January 2005

2) the highest median home price for January 2005 was in Santa Barbara South Coast at a price of $1,206,250.

3) the lowest median home price for January 2005 was in the High Desert at a price of $252,440.

Curious about recent home sales in the Auburn area? Well, the median home price has reached $435,000. The market was fairly busy for a December with over 70 houses closing escrow during the month. To see a list of the homes that sold, please go to http://www.placerhillshomes.com/December_2004_Home_Sales.asp

When you look at your November and December calendars you may find the months already overloaded with seasonal obligations - shopping, entertaining, children's pageants, charity work, decorating the house, and so much more. If you are also trying to sell your home, you are under extra pressure to keep your home in "showtime" condition. And that could be the last thing you need before the holiday spirit is broken.

It is understandable why you would be tempted to take your home off the market during the holidays. And the list of justifications is long. If you are too busy, buyers may be also, and you may find your efforts unrewarded by enough showings. And what if you do get an offer? You may be faced with the possibility of packing and moving during the busiest time of the year. Besides, you can give your house a rest, and it will have better momentum after the holidays. Better to just pack it in and start fresh in January, right?

But wait! Taking your home off the market during the Christmas season is a mistake.

The holidays can be a best-selling period. Why? Because most people take off work sometime during the season. Many are off and want to see houses. For buyers, holidays provide more time, and couples can look at homes together.

Before you take your home off the market, consider the following points:

Although buyer activity may appear to slow down, the buyers who are actively looking during the holidays are that much more serious. The home market is no more affected at Christmas than during other "busy" period. If that were so, the market would shut down throughout the year as families concentrate on spring weddings, June graduations, summer vacations, and autumn back-to-school activities.


Many buyers deliberately choose to shop for a home after the busy spring and summer rush. They know that it will be easier to look, and that negotiations will be less stressful. They may not have children, or they may have grown children, so moving to accommodate the school year isn't a consideration. Finding the right home at the right price, however, is.


Relocating families often don't have a choice in when they can leave for their new destination. Although 68 percent of transferring families have children, many families have to transfer during the middle of the school year. These families are that much more motivated to get their families settled in before either before the January semester begins, or to arrange for the move during spring break in March. If you sign a contract by New Year's Eve, the timing couldn't be more perfect.


At Christmastime, our culture focuses on family and the home. Preparing for the indoor activities of winter is one of the most enjoyable periods of family life. Allowing buyers to view your home during this most hospitable of seasons lets them better picture their own family life in the attractive environment you have created.


When is your home ever more beautiful and inviting? You have cleaned and decorated, and your home looks like a picture postcard. If the results are good enough for family and friends, they will surely be good enough to impress your buyers. Get the family team on board to do a five-minute blitz pick-up every morning to keep holiday messes to a minimum.


With reduced inventories and motivated buyers, you will have all the members of the MLS on your team. You may find you have more showings than you would if your marketed your home during a busier time of the year.


If you do get a contract, you can arrange the terms to suit your needs. If moving during the holidays isn't an option, you can put in the closing date of your choice.

Copyright © 2004 Realty Times®

I recently was invited to an open house for a property listed at, that’s right, $16.8 million. One of the privileges of being a Realtor is the opportunity to tour houses of all different types and price ranges. Sometimes, I seriously question how a property can be priced so high... This time I have to say, I discovered a feeling of awe, and creative appreciation for a wonderfully designed home and beautiful property.

In all fairness, I was expecting grandiose, cold, unfeeling space accompanied by overdone amenities and an outrageous view–of something. I thought I would feel somewhat isolated, lost and alone wandering the halls of an almost 14,000 square foot home. After all, what’s in a home to make it worth $16.8 million? Well, I have to say I was overwhelmingly surprised when I arrived.

Let me start by stating that this home is located in Auburn (north of Sacramento, California in the Sierra foothills) at 1 Rincon Way which is located just off Highway 49 about 10 minutes north of central Auburn. The MLS number is 30027783. The property is listed by Debbie Krogman of The Real Estate Center. A virtual tour is available at: http://www.see360.com. Once at see360, you’ll have to use the search function and search by minimum price, or address. The home has 5 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms and sits on 235 acres, already in 4 parcels, which can be subdivided.

My husband, family and friends were all curious and anxious to hear my comments as to what I thought made this a $16.8 million dollar property. We had all imagined the possibilities of what I might see... It is from this aspect that I write these comments. I wish to share my sense of delight and discovery as I did with my family and friends.

Pictures will do far more than words, so my comments I’ll limit to just my opinion of what are the most impressive of features as best as my memory will recall. (If you haven’t done so already, now would be a good time to view the virtual tour...) As you drive into the property, fenced pastures are immediately evident. Next, appears a golf driving range. As you meander down a long driveway, the hint of rooftops become evident. You have arrived. You will walk down the stairs to arrive at the entry of this incredible home.

Upon entry, you are at first greeted with a feeling of being very small. The great room area is impressive with ceilings that reach all the way to the third floor staircase. You have a choice of going directly into the kitchen, the den/bar area or the living room. I was drawn to the floor to ceiling windows in the living room and the spectacular view of the canyon with the Bear River meandering through... In the living room, the foundation is actually built around a large boulder. Part of the rock resides inside the living room near the fireplace.

The kitchen–my goodness, any cook would hope to find something like it in their wildest dreams... With no shortage of counter space, multiple sinks and multiple refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers hidden in the cabinetry, the kitchen proved to be a gem.

The den and bar area overlooking the infinity pool, spa and waterfall provide quite an indoor entertainment area. Next to the bar is the theater that, with its big comfortable chairs, is nothing shy of state of the art. Stepping out onto the patio, the pool is so incredibly inviting with its view of the river beyond, that I found myself happy to just stare for minutes at a time at the surrounding landscape. The outdoor bar and kitchen area are a delight in design and color. The spacious fitness room is inviting as it too shares the wonderful view of the pool and river.

Tucked at the end of the house on the main floor (second floor) on a corner are two bedrooms. One overlooks the pool, river and canyon. The other has a view of the patio area surrounded with wildflowers and a breathtaking waterfall set among large boulders. Of all the bedrooms in the house, this second one was my favorite. While the master is wonderful with views of the river, a huge walk-in closet with its own washer and dryer, and an incredible tub and bath area, this oasis of flowers and a waterfall better suit my own humble tastes.

The size of the house is divided amongst three floors (complete with elevator) which eliminated any feeling of wandering aimlessly. The entry way, living area, kitchen, Master, 3 bedrooms and an office reside on the second floor. On the first floor is the amazing wine cellar, wine tasting area, and complete bar. On the third floor is a library, guest wing, and several rooms to be used as hobby areas, offices, etc. There are so many fireplaces, that I would be hard pressed to recall a room without one... In checking, I find that there are 13 in all...

I think the most impressive feature overall inside the home was the use of wood, much of it handcrafted. Wooden beams, floors, paneled hallways, doors with stained glass, bars and staircases give the home a feeling of warmth and comfort. The polished stairway to the top floor felt “suspended” as you pause to look down upon the living room and gorgeous view beyond.

I was also delighted as I discovered bathroom after bathroom (12 in all) that no two were alike. Each bathroom was unique, some with imported sinks, different styles of showerheads and a variety of tubs. To be a guest there, how on earth would you ever choose which one to try first?

Overall, the architectural design, layout and flow of the rooms into one another was expertly done. The home itself was situated within the property as to enjoy the view from the majority of rooms. The owners who designed this special property definitely have a flair for form and style.

I thank Debbie for inviting me to view this wonderful home. I hope that you too were able to share in the discovery of viewing such a uniquely designed home via the virtual tour and my comments.

I certainly have been racking my brain as to how the property might be used (home, corporate retreat, clubhouse?), but thus far have not found any candidates in my immediate sphere of clients and friends to show this beautiful property. If you happen to be a person interested in purchasing this property, have found my comments helpful, and would like more information, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. I would be happy to represent you as a buyer. I can be reached at (530) 886-3109 or tammy@placerhillshomes.com.

Tammy Sassarini

Many people are either first time home buyers or folks who purchased their homes years ago and have forgotten the Real Estate process. Some people may be moving from State to State and are unsure as to how California Real Estate operates. I'd like to clarify this for you.

Real estate information is readily available on the internet. Realty companies and individual Realtors post search engines on their individual websites. Major search engines such as MSN have a "homes" section for doing research. There are also specific websites such as Realtor.com and Homes.com that allow consumers to freely search home listings. Many folks like this "self-service" as they can on their own narrow down cities to specific communities or areas. They then feel ready to contact a Realtor with their specifics.

But, what if you don't know anyone in the area to which you are moving? What if you aren't internet or research savvy? How do you begin to find a Realtor? The most common way to find a Realtor is to ask for a referral from a friend or business acquaintance in the area in which you wish to buy or sell. Almost everybody knows somebody in Real Estate! Be sure to ask questions about the buying/selling experience. Were there any problems and how were they handled?

Most major realty companies such as RE/MAX, Lyon, Coldwell Banker, etc have a national database of Realtors. You can specify an area of interest and available Realtors will be listed. Read their profiles!!! This will give you insight as to their experience and personalities. Personal websites may be listed as well and can be a source of additional information. Don't forget the smaller realty companies either. An internet search and website visit will give you additional agents to consider.

The next step is to interview your candidates. This can be difficult as some agents will immediately move to the hard sell with requests for your personal information and search parameters. The best advice I can give you is to be firm and specify that this is an interview. Ask about their background, experience, why they enjoy real estate, and what they personally can do for you? You want someone who is experienced, professional, courteous, available, listens well, and who is emotionally stable. You do not want someone who is overextended, "busy", does not return calls promptly, or who seems to be an emotional bouncing ball.

Be aware that some agents specialize in representing only buyers or sellers. Most agents will say so in their profile, but not always. Listen for non-verbal cues. If someone does not seem to be enthusiastic about helping you, chances are they aren't...

Once you have a candidate in mind, you can check their license status with California's Department of Real Estate. If you go to http://www.dre.ca.gov and click on DRE Records, you will see License Status Check and then underneath that Real Estate Salesperson, Broker, or Corporation. You can search by name.

One major misconception in home buying is that you get your list of available homes from whatever source, drive around, and write down the phone numbers on the signs in front of the homes to arrange showings. While this is one way to see the homes, it will put you in contact with multiple agents whose backgrounds you may not know...

Each Realtor belongs to a County Association of Realtors. Many agents belong to multiple County Associations. The County Associations sell the same lockboxes and lock box keys to all agents. Thus, any agent can access any home in the County to which they belong. This allows you to choose one agent to gain access to all homes.

You have a Realtor, now what? That Realtor should be able to pull a list of all available homes in the area that match your criteria. In general, they will ask for your parameters in square footage, number of bedrooms, price range, general area of interest, condos?, manufactured homes?, rural vs. city, etc. Once you have the list, an appointment can be made to show any homes of interest. Your Realtor should offer to put you on an email or mailing list for any new listings that may come on the market. He or she will be your eyes and ears, and should call you in the event the "perfect" property becomes available. Premium properties go quickly, so you want someone who will contact you immediately in the event of a likely match.

Speaking of a likely match, you want to be prepared to make an offer when you find the right home. What can you do to prepare for this? Get Pre-Qualified with a bank or mortgage company!!! This shows that you have considered the purchase price, the payments to support that price, and have been found likely to get a loan amount necessary to complete the purchase! This can give you an edge in a multiple-offer situation. Additionally, many Real Estate agents may refuse to do an actual showing until you have completed this step.

Finally--remember that in the event you are looking to buy or sell in the Auburn area, please allow me to be one of your candidates for interview! Good luck! Tammy Sassarini 530-886-3109.