nevada county fair

Sponsor and Drive a Car in Nevada County Fair

Sponsor and drive a car in the Fair’s Demolition Derby and you could win $1,000 for your favorite charity.

Back by popular demand, the Nevada County Fair is providing organizations and businesses the opportunity to sponsor and drive a car in the Fair’s popular Demolition Derby, while at the same time raising money for a favorite charity or service organization.

Organizations and businesses can purchase a car for $500 and the Fair will provide a Derby car to use in the Demolition Derby. The organization can choose to provide its own driver or the Fair will provide a driver for the car. Additionally, the car can be picked up on August 6 to customize the car or it can be left at the Fair, where it will have a number painted on it.

The sponsored Derby cars will participate in their own event at the Demolition Derby, held on Sunday, August 15, at 7 pm in the Arena. The last of the sponsored cars moving will receive $1,000 towards the charity or service organization of their choice.  Last year’s winner was Mark Andreus, who received $1,000 for his charity, Christian Encounter Ministries.

There are only a limited number of cars available. Call the Fair Office at (530) 273-6217 to reserve your car and obtain a list of rules.

Forms are also available at NevadaCountyFair.com.  This year’s Nevada County Fair is August 11-15.

Real Estate

Making Sense of The Reform Bill as it Relates to Real Estate

The Senate passed the financial regulation bill today, which will impact home buyers and lending guidelines.  Chief among the changes impacting consumers is the creation a consumer bureau at the Federal Reserve and the requirement that lenders ensure a borrower is able to repay a home loan by verifying income, employment, and credit history.

  • Under the financial regulation bill, at least two categories of mortgages likely will see a dramatic decrease in their availability: interest-only loans and stated-income loans.  Both loan types likely would fall short of the government’s definition of “qualified” mortgages and therefore be avoided by many in the lending community.
  • Many real estate analysts credit interest-only loans and stated-income loans as contributing factors to the decline of the housing market.  With interest-only loans, borrowers pay none of the loan principal for a fixed period, typically 10 years, after which time they must make higher payments for the remaining 20 years of the loan.  Unlike other loan products, stated-income loans do not require borrowers to verify their actual income.  Only a few lenders continue to offer these loans, and typically only to borrowers with deep cash reserves and large down payments.
  • The bill also severely limits the industry practice known as “yield spread premiums,” which in many cases incentivized mortgage brokers and loan officers to sell higher-interest loans to borrowers.  The reform bill will no longer allow commissions earned by mortgage brokers and loan officers to be linked to the interest rate, but rather the loan amount. (a great change )  Once the bill takes effect, the total commission and additional fees charged by lenders and others in the mortgage process will be limited to a maximum of 3 percent of the loan amount, not including the real estate commission.  My comments on this change is good. Some mortgage brokers received a greater commission by playing the consumer against the interest rate.

Read the full story New York Times

nevada county fair

Idol Competition at the Nevada County Fair

Katie Heward, the 2009 Nevada County Fair Idol Competition winner, raised $575 for Sierra Services for the Blind
Katie Heward, the 2009 Nevada County Fair Idol Competition winner, raised $575 for Sierra Services for the Blind

Do you love to sing? If so, you could win $150, Fair admission tickets, and money for your favorite charity! The Nevada County Fair is looking for talented vocalists to sing in the “Tree-ditional” Idol Competition at this year’s Fair.

Nevada County residents ages 16 and up are invited to participate in this crowd favorite on Wednesday, August 11, at 9 pm on the Pine Tree Stage at the Fairgrounds. The grand prize is $150, two Fair admission tickets, a parking pass and two Saturday night arena tickets.  Second place is $75, two admission tickets, a parking pass and two Thursday night arena tickets; and third prize is $25, two admission tickets and a parking pass.

Singers will be judged by a panel of local celebrities, who will narrow it down to three finalists. Audience members will then vote with quarters for the grand prize winner. The quarters will be weighed on stage and the winner will be announced that night. All quarters collected will be donated to the non-profit of the winner’s choice.

Last year’s Idol Competition winner was Katie Heward, who received $575 for her charity of choice, Sierra Services for the Blind.

Early entry is encouraged, as there is a limit of 20 contestants for this event. The entry fee is only $5, and entries close on Friday, August 6 at 5 pm. All contestants will receive a free admission pass to the Fair on Wednesday.

A complete list of rules and a registration form can be obtained from the Fair’s website at www.NevadaCountyFair.com, by calling the Fair Office at 273-6217, or sending an e-mail to debby@nevadacountyfair.com.  The Idol Competition is sponsored by Old Town Café in downtown Grass Valley, and Citizens Bank has graciously donated its time to sell quarters during the show.

Bring your friends, your quarters, and be prepared for a great night of music and entertainment at this year’s Nevada County Fair, August 11 – 15.

Travel

From Sorrento, Italy to the Amalfi Coast

I forgot to post this from our travels.  Saturday, May 29,  and the last whole day in Sorrento, we took the Bus down the Amalfi Coast. First, getting off in Positano, you can see several shots of the area, and walking down into town (very touristy).  Next, a view of Amalfi Town, with way to many tourists for us. We quickly took the walk into the next little town, Atrani.  There Judy had a walk into the Mediterranean Sea, and we had a great meal at the local Pizzeria. After a stroll through town we went back (through the tunnel) to Amalfi Town.  We then trekked up to the Museum of Paper (Cartas), and back past the fantastic Cathedral, a mix of Moorish and Byzantine flavors, built in 1000-1300, with a new Neo-Byzantine façade from the 19th century.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vA2-9VyMcY

The topper for the night was when we got back to Sorrento; Judy had an e-mail from a Sacramento Home Winemakers Club friend, saying another wine club couple was in Sorrento that same night. We called them up (using Skype) and met for dinner, thousands of miles from Sacramento, California. Amazing how small the world is, with technology.

Bits & Pieces, Real Estate

Rush Limbaugh Sells New York Upper East Side Apartment for $11.5 Million

Rush Limbaugh railed against proposed New York tax hikes last year, and vowed to leave the city for good. It took a little while, but Limbaugh has now unloaded his ritzy Manhattan condo for about $11.5 million, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Although Limbaugh wanted $12.95 million for the Upper East Side apartment, he still comes out ahead on the deal. The conservative talker paid less than $5 million for the place in 1994.

Limbaugh hosts his top-rated radio show primarily out of Palm Beach, Fla., where he lives full time on a palatial beachfront estate. But Limbaugh occasionally treks to New York, where several of his staffers work. These days, Limbaugh’s fill-in hosts are more likely to use the New York studio.

“Basically I go to New York now for hurricane relief, whenever a hurricane hits,” Limbaugh said on his show in March 2009.  “No other reason to go there.  Well, sometimes I visit the overrated staff, but it would be cheaper to fly the staff down here to visit me than to pay these stupid tax increases!”

Even if Limbaugh traveled north only for hurricane relief and staff visits, he had a nice place to crash in the city. The Fifth Avenue spread includes four terraces, double living room, large media room and Central Park views, according to Corcoran’s real estate listing.

No word on whether or not Limbaugh will also make good on his threat to flee the country to Costa Rica for medical treatment  if the health care bill passes. It is said after he made the statement that he clarified saying he would go to Costa Rica for health care. I guess he may want to go there for the following reasons:

“Fact: Life expectancy in Costa Rica for men is 76 years and for women 79.8 years, both longer than in the USA. Also the infant mortality rate is a lot less in Costa Rica in comparison with the USA. The UN (United Nations) has ranked Costa Rica’s public health system within the top 20 worldwide and the number 1 in Latin America!

With a network sponsored by the government with 29 public hospitals and more than 250 medical clinics throughout Costa Rica, the Social Security System (CCSS) has the primary responsibility for providing health services at low costs to the Costa Rican population. Not just available for Costa Ricans, the CCSS also provides low cost medical service to any foreign resident or tourist. Foreigners who live in Costa Rica with a residence can join the CCSS by paying a small monthly fee or another option would be that they can buy an inexpensive health insurance from the Insurance Company (INS) which is owned by the State valid with over 200 affiliated doctors, hospitals and pharmacies.

The hospitals and doctors in Costa Rica have the latest equipment, and the laboratories are simply perfect. You can feel secure having most operations here in Costa Rica without having to return to the U.S. or Canada. Most operations, such as surgical procedures are a lot cheaper here! A quick example, a heart bypass costs about 1/3 of what you would pay in the USA and the professionalism is the same or better.”  Source: Century 21

You can draw your own conclusions as to why he wants to go there.

Real Estate

Asian Buyers Buying Homes After Avoiding Housing Bubble

A substantial number of Asians and Asian-Americans dodged the housing crunch, and now they’re taking advantage of low home prices and low mortgage rates in California, say local real estate agents and a survey from a Realtors group.

The proportion of California homebuyers who were ethnically Asian, a group whose heritage may be Asian Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, or a host of others, rose from 12 percent in 2007 to 15.8 percent in 2008 and 18.1 percent in 2009, according to the California Association of Realtors Annual Housing Market Survey.

Local real estate agents said they’ve seen the increase in Asian buyers in San Diego and Southwest Riverside counties. They said Asian buyers are typically financially conservative, and thus stayed away from the overpriced homes of the housing bubble in the mid-2000s. Now these buyers have the cash and credit to take advantage of reduced housing prices.

Leslie Appleton-Young, chief economist for the California Association of Realtors, said the change in the proportion over time was noteworthy.

“They’re buying in distressed markets and utilizing (government incentive) programs,” she said.

During the height of the boom, from 2003 through 2006, the proportion of Asian homebuyers never rose above 12 percent, according to the surveys.

Local real estate agents said many Asian buyers prefer to invest in their own small businesses, and many are uncomfortable taking on too much debt.

“Asians are very conservative when it comes to buying,” said Shonee Henry, a Realtor in Scripps Ranch and president of the San Diego chapter of the Asian Real Estate Association of America. “We don’t go out there and buy, and forget about what’s going to happen tomorrow. We tend to make sure we have enough money to support ourselves and everyday expenses.”

Henry opined that many Asian-Americans avoided buying during the peak of the boom partly also because homes were expensive.

“They might have had the down payment, but the monthly payments were too high,” she said.

Now, with the median home price down 35 percent from the 2006 peak, these buyers have cash to make purchases and put down sizable down payments.

The CAR survey said the median down payment on a house by Asian buyers was $90,000 in 2009, triple that of non-Asians. They also consistently paid 20 percent of the sales price as a down payment, whereas non-Asians put down 10 percent. Appleton-Young said Asians may be avoiding low-down-payment programs such as those offered by the Federal Housing Administration.

Source: North County Times

Business, Local Writers & Contributors

Are You Ready to Get Serious About Your Marketing?

by Lisa J. Lehr

Business owners can easily get stuck in a vicious cycle: Business isn’t so good. They can’t afford to outsource their marketing. They do it themselves, results remain poor, and business remains not-so-good.

How do business owners get out of this vicious cycle? It’s not easy, but it’s simple: they make a decision to get serious about their marketing before they lose their business altogether. If you’re a business owner finding yourself in this rut, here are some ideas to get you started:

1.      Define your audience. If you try to market to everyone, you end up marketing to no one. Who’s your target market? Once you’ve figured this out, you may discover you don’t have to spend as much money on marketing as you have been.

2.      Find a copywriter. Ask other local business people or do an online search. You can work with someone locally or long-distance, as you prefer. Fee structures vary. After you’ve interviewed a few, it’s best to choose one in the mid-range. Highly paid copywriters are the best, but a lot of their cost is simply their fame. Don’t choose the lowest bidder—you’ll get what you pay for.

3.      Get a website! It’s mind-boggling that some business owners still don’t “get it” that a website is absolutely essential. Many potential customers want to “check you out” before they call you or come into your place of business. If they can’t, they may well go to your competitor instead. It’s really not a highly technical task anymore, but if you don’t have the skills or the time to do it yourself, outsource it.

Continue reading Are You Ready to Get Serious About Your Marketing? →

Real Estate

Men and Women Somewhat Agree in Home Must-Haves

1 Comment

It’s true. Men aren’t looking for exactly the same things women are when they go home shopping.

A recently released survey by ZipRealty found men often seek luxurious bathrooms, guest bedrooms, dining rooms, and views in homes, whereas women most-often desire home offices when searching for a home to purchase.A recently released survey by ZipRealty found men often seek luxurious bathrooms, guest bedrooms, dining rooms, and views in homes, whereas women most-often desire home offices when searching for a home to purchase.

ZipRealty surveyed 1,000 home shoppers and concluded that while about an equal number of men and women sought green features – about 27 percent – and 35 percent of both sexes put a high priority on a home office, there is disparity in the desire for other features.

Both sexes did agree on the biggest turn-offs: structural damage, bad odors, a busy street, and an awkward floor plan.

Here are the top 10 features most desired by men:
1. Garage or designated parking space, 85.5 percent
2. Master suite, 79.8 percent
3. Ample storage space, 71.2 percent
4. Guest bedroom, 70.2 percent
5. Large closets, 64.2 percent
6. Outdoor entertainment area, 63.4 percent
7. Gourmet or updated kitchen, 59.1 percent
8. Breakfast room or eat-in kitchen, 55.2 percent
9. View, 44.5 percent
10. Large yard, 43 percent

Here are the top 10 features most desired by women:
1. Garage or designated parking, 87.7 percent
2. Master suite, 77.8 percent
3. Ample storage space, 72.7 percent
4. Large closets, 68.7 percent
5. Outdoor entertainment area, 64.2 percent
6. Guest bedroom, 63.9 percent
7. Gourmet or updated kitchen, 61.8 percent
8. Breakfast room or eat-in kitchen, 56.1 percent
9. Large yard, 43 percent
10. Wood floors, 40.9 percent

Source: ZipRealty.com (06/10/2010)