Lodi / Stockton CA Homes For Sale & Real Estate Information

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I don’t normally post things like this, but I felt very compelled to share this video after viewing it myself.

Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business from BurzynskiMovie on Vimeo.

Grilling season will arrive before you know it. Before firing up the grill for spring festivities or tailgating, however, weekend warriors should observe a few simple precautions to ensure that backyard barbecue bashes don’t go up in flames.

Casual cookouts can turn dangerous — and sometimes deadly — if safety is ignored, according to MetLife Auto & Home. Follow these easy pointers to make grilling safer:
* Keep barbecue grills on a level surface away from the house, garage and, most importantly, children and pets.

* For gas grills, always store gas cylinders outside and away from your house and be sure the valves are turned off when not in use.

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* For charcoal grills, use only starter fluids designed for your grill and never use gasoline.

* Keep a fire extinguisher accessible and never leave a grill unattended once it has been lit. If an extinguisher isn’t available, consider keeping a bucket of sand or a garden hose nearby.

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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.

Back in the “old days”, it was the ‘American Dream’ to not only buy a home, but also to actually pay off that debt.

There were actually “Note-burning” parties.  You would gather all your friends and family around so they could watch you burn your mortgage note papers once you paid off your loan.  I’ve heard from many people over the years that attended those parties and how exciting it was for the host.

It seems that no one ever pays off their mortgage these days.  Is it because of the amount of the loan, or the fact that no one stays in any one home long enough like families used to?  I would say it’s a combination of both.

If you’re one of the few that are in a situation that gives you the option of paying off your mortgage because you’re nearing the end of the loan term or if you’ve come into some money and you could now afford to just pay off your mortgage bill and have that awesome feeling of not writing that nasty old loan payment each and every month, then here is an article with some information that might give you some insight as to what decision would be best in your situation…
READ ARTICLE HERE.

I’d love to know if you’ve ever paid off a mortgage and if you are glad you did or regret it.  Leave a comment or shoot me an email.

So what exactly do you have planned for this Valentine’s Day weekend that would not only be fun, but tasty and romantic?

Well, how about visiting the 14th Annual Wine & Chocolate Weekend event going on in Lodi, CA that’ll be going on this coming weekend at over 40 participating local wineries. Tickets are only $45 in advance or $55 at the door.  You’ll receive an event wine glass, commemorative chocolate tin, an event map and guide, wine tasting and admission to the 40 plus participating wineries.  And if that wasn’t enough, be sure to check out your tins for a chance to win one of over 100 prizes when yours has a “Golden Ticket” inside.

For more info, where to buy tickets, and anything else you’ll need to know, visit their website at: http://www.lodiwineandchocolate.com/

If you’re staying in the area long enough and you’re interested in checking out what’s going on in the local real estate market, feel free to SEARCH HERE for what’s available and don’t hesitate to call us with any questions you might have.

Have fun, be safe and maybe I’ll see you out on the tour!

Hoping all of you and your loved ones have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

Randy

I came across this quote recently and I really liked it, so I thought that I’d share it with you…

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than the facts.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.  It will make or break a company…a church…a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens and 90 percent how I react to it.  And so it is with you – we are in charge of our attitudes

-Charles Swindoll

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

And so this is Christmas! Or at least the Eve of it anyway.  Are you done with all your Christmas shopping by now? I know, me neither.  I’ll be going out in a few minutes to pick up just a few more items to put under our tree.

I’ve heard that Santa is already in his sleigh and beginning to circle around the globe to scout out the naughty and nice list of where and where not to stop.  So, which were you this past year?  I’m going with “nice” and see if it sticks.  ha!

Hopefully you were all nice and Santa brings you exactly what you want for Christmas.  As for me,   I’m dreaming of a White Christmas this year, but since I live in the Central Valley of California, and I didn’t win the Lottery, this will have to remain just a dream for now.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas & a safe and prosperous Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Randy Elliott

There are many ways of trying to get out of paying a debt.  One of those debts is a home mortgage.  Many people are struggling these days to pay their mortgage due to higher payment amounts due to rate increases, or loss of income, divorce, medical bills, etc.

But I came across one individual that thought she would just eat her house and then since there would no longer be a house, then of course there would be no longer a mortgage, right?

I’m thinking that it’s not that easy. Eating this gingerbread house might make Ciara’s imaginary debt go away, but once she’s done with it she’ll have the worst stomach ache EVER!

The situation that many people are in today with deciding whether to just walk away from their real mortgage and let the bank foreclose, or to perhaps talk to a Realtor like me and see if trying to do a Short Sale is enough to cause anyone to have a stomach ache as well.

I always recommend that everyone talk to a Certified Public Accountant (if you’re in the Stockton, CA area the best is Peter Holtz) or to a real estate attorney, or both.

As a real estate professional I do not give legal advice, nor do I sell home loans.  I sell homes for sellers and find great deals for home buyers in the central valley of CA, mainly in the Lodi and Stockton areas.

Bottom line, as a homeowner you have options if you are upside down with your mortgage.  Whatever you do, don’t resort to eating your house.  Be sure and seek out the advice from the professionals and make sure that you open all mail pertaining to your home, and save everything that you get in one place for easy access.

I hope you all have a Happy Holiday Season!

Sincerely,

Randy