Lodi / Stockton CA Homes For Sale & Real Estate Information

At our Realty World Premier Associates office in Lodi today, we had Santa Claus ready at the helm for FREE photos with anyone that brought in something for our Toys for Tots drive we having going on.

We had several families bring in their children, and for some this was their child’s 1st Christmas. That made it even more special for all of us.  One couple brought in their 4 month old twin girls.  They were SO adorable!

I even got a chance to take the opportunity and sit with Santa and tell him how good I was this year and let him know what I’d like for Christmas.  I hope, I hope, I hope he brings it to me!  ;-)

I want to thank everyone that came by our office today with their children and especially thank you for bringing your gifts to help out with the Marine’s Toys for Tots.

Thank you also to everyone that allowed me to assist them with their real estate sales and purchases.  I really appreciate your trust and support!

There are many questions surrounding the origins of pretty much everything.  How did this holiday get started?  How did that ritual become a tradition?  Who invented that sandwich and why is it called a Reuben?  :-)

Well, I’ll save the answers to those questions for another time.  But for now, today, let’s concentrate on Halloween.

Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition.  Superstitious?  Who, me?  No way.  Just because I always put my left leg in my pants and my left shoe on first?

Here is a link to some great information on the history of Halloween.  

Be safe, and have a SPOOK-tacularly fun time tonight!

Happy Halloween!

Related articles

• Video: Haunted History of Halloween (englishblog.com)

If paying attention in class wasn’t already difficult enough for some Lodi, CA school students, then the last thing they needed was assistance from poor “indoor air quality” or IAQ.  Basically, high levels of airborne mold.

California schools are having many problems in general, but when it hits in your own community, it really makes you worry and concerned for your child’s well-being and safety.

Click here for the full article along with a link to a short 3 minute video within the article that goes into more details about this important and very costly matter.

Keep an eye on your kids to notice if there’s any changes going on with them and their study habits and/or grades.  Their school could be a part of this problem as well.

http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=147401

It’s time for the 7th Annual ZinFest in Lodi, CA coming this May 13-15th.   There will be tons of festivities, fun, wonderful food, and of course plenty of wines from many of the local vintners.  This will surely be a festival that will provide the adults that are still young at heart with lots to do and enjoy.

This is Lodi’s premier wine tasting event and has grown in popularity over the last few years.  It attracts wine enthusiasts and fun lovers from all around.

The festivities of Vintner’s Grille at the Lake will start at Lodi Lake on Friday the 13th, yes that’s right, I said Friday the 13th, from 6pm-9pm at the lovely Lodi Lake on Turner Rd.   If anything, at least show up to see what happens at a small town lake on Friday the 13th just for fun.  HA!

The fun continues as the actual Wine Festival on Saturday the 14th (not as scary sounding) from noon – 6pm, still at Lodi Lake.  There will be 250 handcrafted wines from 50 local Lodi wineries.

Then on Sunday the 15th (not scary at all) ZinFest wraps up with self-guided tours and open houses of participating local wineries.

There are different ticket prices for the Friday and Saturday events, and Sunday is a no-charge day to tour the wineries.

Visit this ZINFEST website for all the details on tickets, locations, participating wineries, etc.

If you attend, BE SAFE and HAVE FUN! And while you’re in town and would like to view any homes for sale in Lodi area, I’d be delighted to assist.  Perhaps we’ll even find you a property that has wine grapes growing on it and you can really be a part of the 8th Annual ZinFest next year. 

Related articles

• $35 ZinFest Tickets for our Wine Club Members (langetwins.com)

I’ve lived in and around Lodi, CA for a very long time and it’s not too often that we have a lot of options when it comes to shopping. Oh, we have our much loved Kohl’s, Target, and Wal-Mart, but just shy of venturing out to the malls in Stockton, Modesto or Sacramento, sometimes I’d like a little variety.

Well here it comes in the form of a brand new Costco being built in the Reynolds Ranch area of Lodi at the corner of Harney Ln and Hwy 99 Frontage Rd.

I’ve even heard that there may be a Best Buy and/or a Home Depot to join in on the same center location.  I don’t need the Home Depot, but a Best Buy would surely be fun!

For now let’s just get this new Costco completed and open for business.  I’m ready for all it has to offer, which will most likely be at the end of this summer.  Can I get an “Open, open, open!?”

Oh, and by the way, there will be a gas station included as well at this location, which is fine as long as it’s not taking up the space where Best Buy should be going.  LOL!

What will this do for the real estate needs in Lodi?  Will the upcoming new employees already be here or will some of the expected 300 employees need a really great Realtor® to help them find a new home?  I’m hoping for the latter since it would only help with the current available homes that need a new owner to fill in the gaps in our current real estate market.  There are many great real estate deals with all of the Short Sales in Lodi as well as the ones in Stockton, not to mention the bank owned foreclosures, and even a few traditional owner sales.

Let us know if you are excited about the new Lodi Costco, or if you think it’s making our quaint little wine community too commercial.

As I was driving past the future site of DeBenedetti Park the other day, I noticed a new addition (see below) to the ongoing progress to what will no doubt be a major attraction to the City of Lodi and welcomed by all sports fans, and even park and playground attendees.

I can see this future athletic field from my front porch.  No, I don’t live right next to the field, but I do live in Legacy Estates, which is close enough to it on the other side of Larson Elementary School playground so that I have a clear view of it.

There has been much talk over the last few years about what all this park will provide not only for the people that will be attending sporting events etc here, but also what will be the highlights for the actual City of Lodi itself.

Here is an article from our local paper, The News Sentinel, that will explain and provide much of the information regarding timelines of completion, etc.

Oh, and as for that new addition.  Check out this snazzy new entrance gate that will be the gateway to some exciting events and lots of fun for sure for all who enter here.

Will the addition of this amazing park provide a boost to Lodi’s real estate along with the City’s economy in general?  I’m thinking that it definitely will be a much better positive than a negative, and I for one am looking forward to all that this park will provide personally and business wise.

So keep on the lookout for more updates about this park’s progress and all it will offer to everyone that visits it.

It would be So awesome to be able to spend New Year’s Eve in Paris under the Eiffel Tower one year. 

I’ve also wanted to even drudge through Times Square on this eventful night, but that might be a nightmare in the making.

But since we found out our daughter has Uveitis, which is an inflammation of the inner eye, it looks like we’ll be spending the evening at home putting in special eye drops every waking hour as prescribed by the ophthalmologist this week.  It was pretty painful for her at first as well as sensitivity to light, which explains the really cool sunglasses she picked out. 

So for this New Year’s Eve we will live vicariously through our friends who are out celebrating somewhere fun and exciting, but in the end I will be very happy knowing that we are all safe and sound at home and little Ciara is being taken care of and our family can all be together playing, watching movies, enjoying sparkling cider at the stroke of midnight, etc.

I’m looking forward to great things happening in 2011.  For one, I am starting January 1st with a new broker.  I’ll still be in the Realty World family, which I love very much, but with a different broker.

My original broker, Steve Davis, and I shared a wonderful six years working together selling homes in the Lodi and Stockton areas of California.  He taught me to be the agent that I am now.  He was very patient, helpful, educating, my coach, mentor, and most of all my close friend.

Good-bye 2010, I will miss you!  And hello 2011, I am happy to meet you!

From my family to yours, we hope you all have a very safe and Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Randy Elliott

Strawberries, Pumpkins, and Bagels, Oh My! And a Squirrel?

If you’re fortunate enough to have a local farmers market where you work

and/or live, then congrats to you!  Make sure then that you visit it and visit it often.

Well, I’m lucky enough to not only have a local downtown farmer’s market in town, but it’s actually only 4 blocks from my office.  So, I decided to take a quick break earlier this evening and stroll on down there and see what was fresh.  Uh, just about EVERYTHING!  I mean, that IS the whole idea isn’t it?

I tasted a few different products such as black bean spicy hummas, garlic marinated olives, and some fire-roasted corn on the cob.  Before I left I ended up purchasing some freshly picked sweet strawberries, a loaf or

cranberry-pumpkin bread, and some Italian pizza bagels.

While walking back with my bag of tasty goodies, I came upon a squirrel drinking out of a puddle of water that a sprinkler had created.  I watched a few moments and then as I started to walk closer to him, he darted up a nearby tree, but only seemed to go far enough out of reach, but still remained close enough to either head back down to the drinking hole, or perhaps could smell what I had and wanted to wait and see if I’d be leaving any food behind.  Either way, I took out my trusty iPhone 4 once again and snapped a quick photo and I think he knew what I was doing because he just sat there while I snapped a few photos.

I really enjoyed my little trip to our Downtown Lodi Farmers Market this week, and I’m looking forward to visiting it again next week since the weekly event ends this month until next year.  So, check your local events calendar and see if you have a farmers market in your area and go see for yourself what goodies or wildlife you might find.

Also remember that we not only have great deals on homes for sale in the Lodi and Stockton area local real estate market, but we also have great local events as well.  Lodi is a beautiful place to live, work, and shop.

We all know that our beloved Lodi Grape Bowl has always been a place that has provided many happy memories, especially for those that have had their high school graduation ceremony there.

We also know that the facility has needed a facelift for quite some time now.  The bleachers were dated.  The field was bland.  The landscaping was less than desirable and the concession stand and announcers booth showed plenty of signs of wear and tear.

Unfortunately one of the main problems was that the Lodi Grape Bowl wasn’t exactly disabled-friendly.

Well, most, if not all of that, is now finally changing thanks to a $2 million make-over.

Photo Courtesy of: CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record

Although there has been much progress there is still more work to be done both on the facility as well as on the legalities of the use of it.  Hopefully all the wrinkles will be ironed out soon because a line is starting to form with people, groups, etc., wanting to use this location for all sorts of venues including a possible concert.

It’s improvements like this that I think will continue to bring more people to Lodi, which will in turn perhaps help the Lodi real estate market.  More people equals more homes for sale that just might be finding a buyer.

Count me in!

I have always had fun each year attending the downtown Lodi Street Faire.  It happens twice a year and usually draws a very large crowd.  There will be great food, fun, music, and all kinds of vendor booths for your browsing and shopping pleasure.

Here are more details:

Lodi Street Faire

Location: Downtown Lodi

700 antique arts and crafts commercial and food vendors come together in Downtown Lodi for this one day event Church and School Streets between Lockeford and Lodi Avenue
Lodi, California
When: May 2, 2010
Starts at: 8:00 AM

Description:
About 700 antique, arts and crafts, commercial, and food vendors come together in Downtown Lodi, CA for this one day event. Church and School Streets between Lockeford and Lodi Avenue.

Fee: Free
Time: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (approx)
Phone Number: (209) 367.7840