Bits & Pieces

Dave McLellan Designs – Art Gallery – Nevada County

Smooth Current - Spring Creek, South Fork Yuba River (Note this picture is copyrighted and cannot be used without permission of David McLellan Designs)
Smooth Current - Spring Creek, South Fork Yuba River (Note this picture is copyrighted and cannot be used without permission of David McLellan Designs)

By John J. O’Dell

While sitting in the Flour Garden I met Dave McLellan of Dave McLellan Designs.  Dave was putting up an exhibit of his art work which looks very impressive.  For a little background on Dave, he is a photographer, graphic artist, bicyclist and a musician.

On his website you can find many images of Nevada City, Grass Valley and California Gold Rush towns with a Victorian feel in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

If you have time, check out his work while it’s still in the Flour Garden located in the Brunswick Area next to the CVS drugstore.

To see his gallery Click Here

For all your real estate needs Call
John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
(530) 263-1091

DRE# 00669941

nevada county fair

Winner of Nevada County Fair Artwork Design Announced

Art by Sandy Gold Winner Nevada County 2011 Art Work Contest
Art by Sandy Gold Winner Nevada County 2011 Art Work Contest


Congratulations to Sandy Gold of Grass Valley

Congratulations to Sandy Gold of Grass Valley for submitting the winning artwork for the 2011 Fair artwork design contest. Sandy’s design does an excellent job of representing the Nevada County Fair and this year’s Fair theme of “Gold! Rush to the Fair.”

Sandy’s design was chosen from more than 20 entries submitted by community members. Her artwork will be used on various Fair promotional pieces, including print ads, t-shirts, buttons, banners, posters, flyers, and handbooks.

Lucy Galbraith of Grass Valley submitted the winning slogan, “Gold! Rush to the Fair,” for the 2011 Fair.

This year’s Nevada County Fair is August 10 – 14, 2011.  For more information, visit www.NevadaCountyFair.com.

By Wendy Oaks
Publicist, Nevada County Fairgrounds
(530) 273-6217
wsoaks@gmail.com

Center for the Arts

The Battlefield Band Comes to Grass Valley Saturday February 5

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj5Q_I6YAFU

Coming The Center For The Arts in Grass Valley Saturday February 5th is the renowned Battle Band playing at 8 pm. According to their press release:

“Under their banner Forward with Scotland’s Past, Battlefield Band have been performing on the international scene for four decades, inspired by their rich heritage of Celtic music and fired by the strength of the modern Scottish cultural scene. The band, who pioneered the integration of bagpipes with fiddle, keyboards, guitar and voice, mix the old songs and tunes with new self-penned material, playing them on a unique fusion of ancient and modern instruments: bagpipes, fiddles, guitars, cittern, bass, keyboards, whistles, and bouzouki. Founded by a group of friends in 1969 and named after the ‘Battlefield’ area of Glasgow, Battlefield Band perform throughout the world, playing to audiences in Europe, Australia, Asia, the Middle East & Canada, as well as more than 60 cities annually in the United States. Their music is played regularly on National Public Radio’s Thistle and Shamrock program, and they are frequent guests on Minnesota Public Radio’s A Prairie Home Companion.”

Their website is Battlefield Band

For tickets Click Here

For all your real estate needs Call
John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
(530) 263-1091

DRE 0066941

Real Estate

Nevada County Housing Market December 2009 Compared to December 2010

Scott's Flat Lake January 28, 2011
Scott's Flat Lake January 28, 2011

Another year in the Real estate market in Nevada County saw a drop of 11 percent in home prices from December 09 to December 10.

In December 2009, the median price of homes in Nevada County for sale was $339,900 and there were 1009 listing for sale.  In December 2010 the median price of homes was $303,500 or a difference of -$36,400. In December 2010 there were 1,026 listings and 81 homes sold in that month.

Foreclosures seems to have slowed down somewhat, which may be due to the problems which the banks and Wall Street created during the height of the housing bubble. As you may or may not know, most of the problems were created when banks started lowering their lending standards. They allowed stated income loans (now known as liar loans) and negative amortization loans, where the buyer could pay any amount of the loan that they wanted to. Of course in a couple of years the terms changed and the home owner could not possibly make payments on their mortgage.

The banks then sold the mortgages to Wall Street, who packaged them into bonds. The rating companies gave these bonds a rating based on the overall FICO score, not knowing what kind of mortgages they were giving a high credit rating to.  In other words, the bond may consist of 25 percent or more of subprime loans, but have an overall FICO high enough to call the bond triple A. Included in these loans there might be loans to clients with good credit ratings but have a loan that was bound to fail such as the negative amortization loans.

In order to get FICO scores by Wall Street, loans were made to recent immigrants who might have been here for only a few years but because they made their payments on t

All of these bonds became worthless when the home owners started defaulting.  Wall Street’s haste to create these bonds and sell them worldwide resulted in sloppy book keeping and the mortgage notes in many cases became lost.

Thus we have the “robo signing” or more illegal works by our illustrious banks.  This has created a brief slowing down of foreclosures and I think that maybe the banks are concerned about all of the mortgage bonds they created and in some cases still hold.

By John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
For all your real estate needs call
(530) 263-1091

Dre# 00669941

Business

How to Capitalize on the Loyaty of Past Customers

Lisa J. Lehr

by Lisa J. Lehr

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you know that getting new customers is a lot more work—and a lot less profitable—than selling more to your existing customers. Needless to say, people who’ve bought from you in the past already have a relationship with you, so they don’t need to be sold; they only need to be reminded to come back for more.

People have short memories and fickle habits. If your competitor has offered your past customers some sweet deal, “your” customers may well stray from you to cash in the coupon (or whatever it is), receive good service, and switch loyalties, never to be seen again. The good news about that is…you can do the same thing, and get them back. And not only that: you can keep them coming back.

First step: get in touch with those past customers. If you already have their e-mail addresses, great; if not, you’ll need to use postal mail. An inexpensive, simple way to do this is with a postcard, which will need to do the following:

  • Tell your readers what to do: visit your store (for example, bring in the postcard for a special offer) or your website (to opt in to your list).
  • Follow the usual rules of good sales writing. Words sell!
  • Be attractive: following the rules of good design, yet not devoting so much space to graphics that you run out of space for words.
  • Entice your readers with what they’ll get when they take the next step. (Coming into your store gets them a discount or a freebie; opting in to your list gives them a heads-up on all specials, sales, and new offerings.)
  • Use both sides of the postcard. An often-overlooked strategy: put a map to your place of business. You’d be surprised—even customers who know where you’re located are more likely to visit if you show them how to get there!
  • Be prepared with the second step, i.e., whatever you’re going to give them when they visit your website or your store.

Now, once you’ve reestablished your relationship with your past customers, keep them! This is where your e-mail list is so important. You’ll stay top-of-mind, and when they need something, they’ll come to you—not your competitor. An essential part of the process is a website. The e-mails they get from you will be completely automated and anti-spam-compliant.

If you don’t have one yet, we seriously need to talk!

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for a message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.

—
Lisa J. Lehr
I write words that make you money–just ask me how.
www.justrightcopy.com
Visit my website and sign up for my fr~ee marketing tips.
New! No~cost Marketing Guide now available at my website

Entertainment

Mary Youngblood & Sisters of the Earth Coming to Grass Valley

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GVbTOt6R3E

Mary Youngblood and Sisters are coming to the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley, January 28 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $20 for members and $22 for non-members. For tickets go to Tickets

Native American Mary Youngblood, half Seminole and half Aleut, is the first woman to professionally record the Native American Flute, and the first woman to win not just one, but two Grammy Awards for “Best Native American Music Album”. In addition to Mary’s two Grammy Awards and three nominations, she was the first woman to win ‘Flutist of the Year’ in both 1999 and 2000. She also won ‘Best Female Artist’ in 2000 at the Native American Music Awards (NAMMYS).

Location is “A” on Google Maps:


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For all your real estate needs Call
John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
(530) 263-1091

DRE# 00669941

Real Estate

Sacramento Man is Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Ponzi Scheme

Charles Ponzi the man from whom the name "Ponzi Scheme" comes from.
Charles Ponzi, the man from whom the term “Ponzi Scheme” came from.

SACRAMENTO – In a case prosecuted by the state Department of Justice, William Arthur Sassman II, who looted the life savings of dozens of investors to bankroll his own lavish lifestyle and finance his own investments, was sentenced today to 18 years in prison.

Sassman convinced people who had painstakingly saved for their retirement that he could make a lot of money for them. Instead he used their money for his fine clothing, his expensive cars, his several homes and his own illegal investments.

Sassman, 42, of Sacramento, appeared in Sacramento County Superior Court today where he had previously entered a guilty plea on 13 felony counts of grand theft.

Judge Lloyd G. Connelly sentenced Sassman to prison and ordered him to pay more than $4.45 million in restitution to 48 victims. No funds have been found, however, and it is unlikely victims will receive repayment.

An investigation by agents of the Department of Justice revealed that Sassman, a licensed insurance agent, operated a Ponzi scheme starting about 10 years ago in which he repaid current investors with money from new investors.

Using a book he wrote, “Secrets of a Worry Free Retirement,” Sassman convinced investors, many of whom were senior citizens, to shift their life savings to “high return” investments. These investments included foreclosed properties and real estate on Mare Island (Vallejo) and in other states, commercial property in El Dorado Hills near Sacramento, the production of a laptop computer stand called the “Notefloat,” which never sold, and annuity, stock and foreign currency investments.

Read the rest of the article Office of Attorney General

Real Estate

Real Estate: Finally a Good Investment


The housing market still looks pretty bleak:  There were a record 1 million foreclosures last year, home prices are still falling in many regions, and the number of “underwater” properties is at a record high.

And things don’t look much better in other areas of real estate. The number of construction jobs continues to decline, even as other parts of the economy have added jobs. And mortgage rates have moved higher as long-term Treasury yields have backed up during the past few months.

Basically, the real estate market remains a mess.

Real estate encompasses a wide range of markets – homes, apartments, hospitals, office buildings, strip malls, dormitories and other properties. But for our purposes, let’s focus on residential real estate, or homes. Here are four reasons to think residential real estate might represent a bargain – with one big caveat.

MAKING SENSE OF THE STORY FOR CONSUMERS

• Everyone hates homes – When the housing market is in the doldrums, people tend to avoid thinking about the value of their home.  Sellers complain they’re not getting offers and buyers bemoan the strict lending requirements.  However, prospective buyers should be contrarian and take advantage of a down housing market.

• Smart people are buying real estate – A prominent hedge-fund manager said in a speech last fall:  “If you don’t own a home, buy one.  If you own a home, buy another one, and if you own two homes, buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.”  He believes that interest rates and home prices will rise this year, so real estate bargains won’t last much longer.

• Real estate performs well during inflation – Convention says Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, commodities, and real estate do well in an inflationary environment.  Real estate performed well during the period in the 1970s, when persistent inflation and high unemployment occurred.

• Demand may be coming back – Job creation and getting people employed are the two major factors in the housing rebound.  There’s much debate about when the job market will recovery.  Optimists say the recovery will happen this year, while pessimists say it won’t happen for several years.

Read the full story

For all your real estate needs Call

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
(530) 263-1091

DRE# 00669941

Real Estate

Living Room of Home Cantilevers 45′ Into Space

This home, built in West Stockbridge, Mass seems to be built with expense as an after thought. Why would anyone want to cantilever a living room, other than to say I can? The elevation of the living room can be constructed much cheaper in many different ways. However, if you have a dream and have money, here’s what you get according to the Wall Street Journal

“The home is a slim, 17-by-90-foot rectangular volume of glass and steel, the house slopes down a hill in the Berkshires before dramatically cantilevering for 45 feet. The great room floats 14 feet above the ground and has walls of glass on three sides with sweeping views of the surrounding, hilly countryside. The home’s poured concrete floor vibrates when the couple’s 65-pound Standard poodle, Oberon, bounds with enthusiasm after a ball. (Mr. Schwartz blames Oberon’s particular bounding style.)

Living room cantilevered out 45'
Living room cantilevered out 45'

“I thought it was going to be a ranch house,” said the 59-year-old Ms. Fiekowsky, a violinist who plays with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, admitting she, too, was nervous when her husband told her he wanted to have half the house float in the air. Mr. Schwartz, whose firm Schwartz/Silver Architects has completed projects for clients including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University, noted that the house’s cantilevered space is counterbalanced by a massive concrete basement hidden in the hillside. He said it’s “over designed” for stability and can hold 60 people safely, plus several thousand pounds on the home’s rooftop terrace.”

For all your real estate and construction needs, Call
John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
(530) 263-1091

DRE# 00669941