FRIENDS HAVE ROOTS

We all have had friends who have come into our lives very quickly and seemed to leave with the same vigor. And then there is the friend who is the constant. It is easy to be a friend when life is filled with niceties and fluff. But a true friend is the one who will be there to help you off of the ground when you have fallen. The severity of the fall may drive the transient friend away, while the real friend will not only help you up, but will also place a caring arm on your shoulder with a warm embrace after the fall. True friends do not attempt to make you feel better looking for a pay back of any kind. They are just genuine and enjoy helping you. The transient friends are just that, they come and they go. I have had both types of friends in my life. Both have brought me joy and meaning, but it is the constant friend who is always there. The true friend is a tree that has developed deep roots into the ground. The true friend grows strong through the years with watering, sunlight and care that can only be developed over time.

FIAS BISTRO GRAND OPENING ALTA SIERRA

Grass Valley's newest restaurant, Fias Bistro (the old Gray Goose) located at 10100 Alta Sierra Dr Grass Valley CA 95949, will be having a soft grand opening this Friday night, July 6th! Please call 530-274-7639  for reservations.

The owner is an experienced restaurant operator who ran The Rustic Table that had been popular in the Emigrant Gap area. Please attend and let us know what you think.  

NEVADA COUNTY FIRST TIME BUYER

Once you've determined that you're ready to buy, it's time to begin thinking about where you want to look. Nevada County is a very geographically diverse county. It has snow, mountains, large conifers and oaks, open rolling hills, dense forests, rivers, streams, lakes. The Yuba River is the boundary to the north and Bear River to the south.

The county's largest city is Grass Valley with a population just over 12,000.

There are many questions you must answer about the type of house you want to purchase. For example, are you interested in an older home or a new one? How big of a home do you need? Would you like to move closer to certain major roads or shopping?

Location Is Everything

Do you want to live in a particular city or neighborhood? If you're a parent, you're probably considering school districts (Nevada County schools) and other child-friendly options like the proximity to parks. If you're relocating to an unfamiliar area, you can contact the city (Click Nevada City,   Grass Valley,   Nevada County) for information about the community. It's a good idea to investigate crime statistics per neighborhood when you're narrowing down the areas of your home search.

Or perhaps location is the reason why you're buying in the first place -- to move closer to your work, your spouse's work or your extended family, or to live within a particular school district's zone. As you're probably aware, the location of your home can have a dramatic effect on its price.

A general rule of thumb in Nevada County is, as you move up the hill the prices also move upward.

Size Matters

You may have experienced growing pains in your current home, which prompted you to pursue buying a new abode. Or you're entering a self-employed profession and need a home office. Consider all your space requirements before you start searching for a new home. There's no reason to waste time looking at two-bedroom condos when you really need a four-bedroom house.

Locating Listings

Once you've narrowed down the specifics of your ideal home, where do you find listings? By contacting me.

Scott Hopper - Realtor, 530-477-2277

ALTA SIERRA YARD WASTE DAY AND PICNIC 2012

Yard Waste

It's that time of a year again. The annual ASPOA yard waste collection weekend is scheduled for June 2 and 3rd from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The best approach to the event is to pre-load your truck on Friday. Prior to loading lay a tarp in the bottom of the bed and place yard clippings, wood, leaves, etc. on top of the tarp. So when at the collection site, the off load team will pull the tarp out of the bed bring the debris with it, this will make for a speedy off load and will allow you the opportunity to make more runs from your yard.

If you have yard waste in plastic bags, you will be required to take them home with you. This not only costs you time unloading but everyone else who is in line as well.

The early runs to the site will be congested, but as the heat of the day wears on the lines do subside. Saturday is a very busy day so if you can get it all done in one day then Sunday would be best.

You will need your ASPOA membership card and a lot of patience. I have hear of people getting in line at 6:50 and remember the gates do not open until 8 a.m.

Picnic

ASPOA has announced it will hold it's annual picnic on June 24 from 1 to 4 p.m at the Alta Sierra County Club. The fee is $5 for members per person or $10 per household family. For non-members it is $7 per person or $15 for the family. This year there will be hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixings as well as music, door prizes and activities for the kids.

Reservations are required 530-575-7984

Scott Hopper - Realtor, 530.477.2277

LOP, ALTA SIERRA AND SOUTH COUNTY PROPERTY VALUES

Over the past 12 months there were 99 single family homes which sold in Alta Sierra, Lake of the Pines as well as the South County area under $200,000. The lowest priced home was found in LOP which was 24212 Oakmont Way, the sales price was recorded at $73,000 for the three bedroom with two and a half bath 1,872 square foot home.

Currently there are 16 homes on the market in that same area with a list price less than $200,000. With the lowest price being a three bedroom, two bath, 1,448 sq. ft. home on a .37 lot located at 10969 Lakeshore North within Lake of the Pines currently priced at $126,000.

Now for the other end of the spectrum within the same area over the same time frame. There were three homes that sold with a sales price over $900,000. All three are water-front properties, with the most expensive being a 4,000 sq. ft. home on one acre on Lake Combie for $1,300,000.

Staying with water-front for a moment but looking at the lower end of the spectrum. There was a 1,796 sq. ft. three bedroom two bath home on .22 water-front lot on Lake Combie that sold within the past 12 months for $499,000.

Currently the lowest price water-front home on the market is on a four bedroom, two and a half bath, 2,276 sq. ft. home listed at $799,000.

Please feel free to contact me at 530.477.2277 if you would like for me to educate you on the current market conditions.

Scott Hopper - Realtor, 530.477.2277

DO YOU NEED A BUS

  The Pleasant Ridge School District is planning to continue providing school bus service for the 2012-13 school year.  However, due to ongoing funding reductions as well as uncertainty about the future of home-to-school transportation for the 2013-14 school year and beyond we must rethink how the service is provided.

Earlier this year families with a child riding the bus were asked to complete a survey. The survey results indicated that 85% of those who responded saw more streamlined routes with centralized stops as a viable option. At this time that is the model upon which we anticipate providing service.

In the Lake of the Pines we will provide a shuttle route service with 2-3 centralized stops. Additionally, we are working with the LOP Board of Directors  and Nevada County Public Works on installing a staffed crossing at Sunset Ridge.

Additionally, due to "adequate space" rules that the CHP monitors very closely we need to look at each bus as having a sixty (60) student capacity. For that reason we will need to have parents register their child(ren) for bus service.

The 2012-13 Transportation Reservation Form will be coming home with your child on Thursday, May 17, 2012. Additionally, the form is posted on the Home Page of the Pleasant Ridge School District's website as well as on the Home Page for each individual school's web page.

Forms must be returned to your child's School Office no later than Friday, May 25, 2012.

A form may be utilized for more than one child as long as all the children on the form attend the same school.

We will use these forms in working with Durham Transportation Services to develop the 2012-13 bus routes. Those routes will be available in early August. 

ALTA SIERRA PROPERTY OWNERS FEE UP 62%

I received the email below as I currently live in Alta Sierra. I have been a member of it's ASPOA since moving into the subdivision many years ago. The annual fee has been raised by 62% for the 2012-13 calendar year over the previous. While I know the cost of life on a whole has gone up, I did not realize it had escalated to this level. The list of benefits for being a member were pulled from the Association's website (aspoa.org) and pasted below. The benefits out weight the added expense therefore I will be joining the association again. Thank you to the volunteers who take care of the things we do not see on a daily basis.

Benefits for being a member:

Reduced propane costs from Ferrellgas

Maintaining the CC&R’s of Alta Sierra

The Alta Sierran Newspaper

Architectural Review Committee

Dead Deer removal

Road Clean-up & neighborhood improvements

Artistic landscaping at the four entrances

Fire Safety & Evacuation Plan

Neighborhood Watch Program

Youth Activities and sponsorship of local teams

The ASPOA Web Site (www.aspoa.org)

Maintenance of Hiking Trails in Alta Sierra

Annual yard waste clean-up day – plus Scotch Broom removal

Annual picnic and special events (holiday golf cart parade)

As a member, I do purchase my propane from Ferrellgas (530.823.0607,  ferrellgas website) and I do find the savings to be of benefit to warrent the 62% increased in the membership fee.

CONTENTS OF EMAIL BELOW- 

ALTA SIERRA PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION

101 W. McKnight Way, PMB 317 • Grass Valley, CA 95949
On the web at www.aspoa.org

Your support for the Alta Sierra Property Owners Association is greatly appreciated.  Your membership to ASPOA expires June 30^th 2012.  This year you can renew your membership online!  Or you can renew by mail.  We’d appreciate you renewing before June 15^th.  This will save the cost of printing, postage, and volunteer hours.

For renewing online, go to the web site (www.aspoa.org) and scroll down to find the link “Renew Online.”  First you provide information for who you are and what ASPOA property you are renewing.  You have the opportunity to update the information in our database at the same time!  Then you are connected to PayPal for paying your dues.  This is another service provided as a convenience to our members.  We hope you give it a try.

For renewing by mail, please provide desired changes for your ASPOA information along with your check for $40 to 101 W. McKnight Way, PMB 317, Grass Valley, CA 95949.  We are mailing renewal notices on June 15th.

We guarantee that the personal information you provide (including your email address), will not be passed to anyone else and will be used solely to contact you regarding ASPOA.

We look forward to continuing to serve our members and the community.  Thank you for renewing your membership.

Sincerely,

Carol Baker

Membership Coordinator   477-5877

Tricia Pellegrino, Membership Committee   263-7612

Jeannie Niemi, Membership Committee    274-1779

I live and work as a Realtor in Alta Sierra as well as my children went to Alta Sierra School and my wife owns Grass Valley Yoga.

Scott Hopper - Realtor 530.477.2277

NEVADA COUNTY RENTS ON THE RISE

Are you currently renting a home in Nevada County? If so please read. If not please forward this information to someone who is.

When Nevada County's housing crisis began in 2006 home ownership was at an all time high. But when the bubble burst many family were forced or chose to move out of their over valued homes. This event created an opportunity for investors. The buy and hold type investor purchased the fire sale priced property from a bank and then rented it to a family, who very well could have given their home back to the bank. The effect of all the displacements is a tighter rental market as well as higher rents.

In Alta Sierra, I recently saw a, three bedroom three bath home (2,537 sq. ft.) on a very busy section of Alta Sierra Dr. renting for $1,500. The very same house sold for $144,000 in 2011. At that time a 4% loan was obtainable. When adding mortgage cost and property tax the total is $814 per month.

Revenue example

$1,500 rental income
-$814  mortgage 4% and prop. tax
$686   net to owner or savings if renter had purchased.

The numbers used in the example, assumed the purchaser did not put down any money as a down payment, did not make repairs to the property as well as maintenance and insurance were not factored. The annual net revenue to the investor is $8,232. The savings could have been the renter's savings if they purchased the very same home. Not to mention the IRS tax benefits of owning a home.

Interest rates are a bit lower than a year ago while prices are a little higher to flat over the same period. The bottom line is, if your credit is good and you can afford it. Now is a great time to buy regardless of where prices are headed.

Replacement

Another factor is replacement cost. If you were to build the same home today (2,537 at $100 per sq. ft.) it would cost $253,700 to build. You will also need to buy the land,  for argument sake let us use a value of $46,300 to purchase the land. Total replacement cost if you can build for $100 per foot is $300,000.

 $300,000 replacement cost
-$144,000 purchase price
$156,000  replacement equity

While the market has become more active than at the time of the example above, there are still many really good investments in Nevada County. I would be honored to assist you in locating an investment and/or home for your family. (530) 477-2277


This article (click here) got me thinking, so please also read it is national story.

Scott Hopper - Realtor 530.477.2277

NEVADA COUNTY HOME PRICES

The information below states Alta Sierra, South County and Lake of the Pines could have a little over three months of housing inventory at the current sales pace. Many of the sold properties listed below are short sales and the prices were negotiated at 2011 prices, due to the nature of the short sale process. Many short sale sales can take up to eight months to close. The point is, inventory is drying up and prices are beginning to firm and when prices begin to rise, there less property that becomes available. The national media has done a poor job in getting the word out to the consumer of this new fact. The spring/summer home selling season is just getting under way and with the current inventory beginning to become tight we could see fewer REOs as well as short sales moving into the market. It might be a great time to buy, as interest rates are near historic lows and there are many buyers who may qualify to buy a home with as little as 3% down.

I have an article click here which discusses the greater Sacramento area as well as many other regions of the country. It states investors are beginning to purchase in beaten down areas looking for a deal. Click here for an article on the indicators that home prices will move higher.

If you are thinking about selling, but you are upside down in your current mortgage, your time is running out to take advantage of the current tax breaks. Now could be the time to sell into the strength of the market. Once the colder wet weather returns the buying volume tends to slow.

Current inventory snap shot

Listed below is a list of all single family homes currently on the market as of 5/8/2012 within Alta Sierra, South County and Lake of the Pines.

Class	Bedrooms	Current Active	Avg List Price	Avg DOM
All	All	127	$411,118	134
RE	All	127	$411,118	134
RE	0-1	0	$0	0
RE	2	20	$284,235	165
RE	3	77	$396,398	131
RE	4	24	$488,825	122
RE	5+	6	$712,150	110
LD	All	0	$0	0

Solds

Listed below are the sales of homes from Jan 2012 to May 8, also within Alta Sierra, South County as well as Lake of the Pines.

Class	Bedrooms	Total Listed	Num Sold	Pct Sold	Avg List Price Sold	Avg Sale Price Sold	Sale Price/List Price Ratio	Avg DOM Sold	Avg List Price Unsold	Pct Expired
All	All	149	95	63.76%	$277,515	$265,671	95.73%	124	$342,265	14.09%
RE	All	149	95	63.76%	$277,515	$265,671	95.73%	124	$342,265	14.09%
RE	0-1	0	2	0.00%	$174,700	$156,000	89.30%	365	$0	0.00%
RE	2	20	5	25.00%	$185,340	$171,800	92.69%	75	$218,643	10.00%
RE	3	98	73	74.49%	$258,717	$247,202	95.55%	107	$309,169	14.29%
RE	4	26	14	53.85%	$419,750	$406,642	96.88%	195	$414,347	19.23%
RE	5+	5	1	20.00%	$325,000	$329,000	101.23%	151	$1,071,333	0

Scott Hopper - Realtor 530.477.2277

DEAD BATTERY IN NEVADA COUNTY

When your car's battery goes dead, you have just a few options to get that hunk of metal rolling again. If you own a manual transmission car, then what is know as "popping the clutch" will almost always get you on your way again. That is if you can push 3000 pounds or if you are lucky enough to be stalled on a hill. Calling AAA is always the best option with an automatic transmission, but if you are not one of the 50 million customers the company claims to have then you will need to flag someone down to help jump start your car, if you have jumper cables. If you don't own them, I would recommend picking them up at Riebe's Napa Auto Parts in Grass Valley near the round-a-bout on Idaho-Maryland Rd. or on Searls St. in Nevada City. So let say you have the cables and you have a willing jumper. You will want to open the hoods to both vehicles and locate the batteries. Once you have navigated where the hood release is, make sure the cables are long enough to reach both batteries at the same time. Once you are ready to make the connections, always connect to the dead battery first and be sure to connect the red handle to the positive post (+) on the battery and the negative (-) with the black handle. Once you have your vehicle hooked up, be sure to do the same thing to the car that is currently running. Once your connections have been made, try to start the dead car. It should start right away. Be sure to drive the newly started vehicle to give your alternator (the cars internal battery charger) time to fully recharge the battery or you may find yourself stranded again. The idea of revving the running car to enhance the power transferred to the dead battery has very little merit. If the vehicle does not start right away you most likely have a bigger issue on your hands. Call Fischer Towing 647 E Main St, Grass Valley, CA 95945 (530) 273-3180. They are a good group of drivers, who are courteous and conscientious. Have them tow you to Gin's Little Valley Auto Care 15898 Little Valley Rd. Grass Valley (530) 477-7880 . Duke is a great mechanic for those of you who are not afraid to go to a non-dealer environment. If a dealer is what you are most comfortable with, Grass Valley and Nevada City are not the places to have car troubles. 

THREE LEGS OF EDUCATION

Teaching and or coaching is a very demanding position in any community. Teachers have Star tests with very public numbers, and coaches have win loss records displayed in the sports section every day. My father was an educator and coach in Jackson, Michigan where I grew up, so other than my involvement as a school board member and as the father of two school aged children, I have a long history as to the demands of education. Teachers have a responsibility to teach every child to the best of their abilities, regardless of who walks through the door. Some children read or run faster than others, while many are engaged and others are not. Nevada County has some of the best schools in the state as well as the country. Many local schools have achieved Blue Ribbon status and a large number of Bear River and Nevada Union High School graduates attend college. This is due to teacher dedication, student commitment and parent support. Think of a stool. There must be three strong legs for it to stand. The educator, the student and the parents create a partnership for student success. If there is a failure by one of the three legs, the stool will not stand. If there is failure, the teacher or coach is usually the first to receive the blame. But instead of casting blame, it would be best for the sake of the student to find another way to motivate the learner if and when they struggle. A parent can take an active role by being involved as well as being inquisitive as to what their child is learning. They can ask questions, help with study/practice habits and volunteer in the classroom, field or court. Statistics show that children with parents who are involved in the classroom or coaching on some level, have a higher achievement rate. Parental actions speak louder than words to children. Teachers are paid to teach, students by law have to attend school, the parent is the only leg of the stool which is by choice and it takes three legs to make the educational stool stand.

Nevada County peeps

Nevada County peeps

For my first post, I would like to express how wonderful Nevada County and it's residents are. They are always willing to go the extra mile for their fellow peeps regardless of where they came from, or where they intend to go. I'm a relative newbie compared to many of my neighbors, but my wife, two school aged children and I have been welcomed with open arms and treated like we have been here all of our lives.

My business life in Nevada County, revolves around working as a real estate agent for ERA Cornerstone at the corner of Alta Sierra Dr. and HWY 49. I was a realtor for some time prior to moving to Alta Sierra. While the current market is getting better by the day, there are still numerous opportunities to be taken advantage of. It is still a buyers market. If you have a few investment dollars and a desire to purchase property as an investment or to call home, I would be honored to help you make the right purchase.

I was recently appointed to sit on the Pleasant Ridge School District's School Board. Even though I have been involved at all three of the district's schools, I have much to learn. The board is comprised of five very diverse people who bring very different perspectives to the table. I appreciate the time, thought and care that each one of them provide to me as well as the broad based community. It is a tough tough job that I do not take lightly. If you have a question or a situation that you do not know how to handle, I'm here to help you. I'm always around and I'm told that I'm a good listener.