Lodi / Stockton CA Homes For Sale & Real Estate Information

Here’s hoping you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving today!  Be safe, have fun, and reflect on the many things (no matter how small they seem) that you have to be thankful for.

Here is some Thanksgiving and turkey trivia…

1. The Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians first celebrated and gave thanks for a bountiful harvest in 1621.
2. When a Tom turkey [male turkey] gobbles, it can be heard from as far away as a mile.  In fact, only the Tom turkeys gobble, female turkeys make a clucking or clicking sound.
3. A full grown turkey has over 3,000 feathers.
4. Pulling the “wishbone” is an ageless tradition at Thanksgiving (and Christmas).  Two people pull the turkey’s breastbone apart, only the person who has the larger piece of bone is allowed to make a wish.
5. 87% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving according to the National Turkey Federation.  During a year the average American eats 17 pounds of turkey, that’s the weight of a decent sized bird.

Thanksgiving Poem:
The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway,
Thanksgiving comes again.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Randy

Especially when they surround a lake.

While I was out viewing a property to get some comps as a favor for a fellow out-of-town Realtor today, I passed by our local Lodi, CA Lake.  I’ve passed by it hundreds of times and have visited it dozens of times over the years.

For some reason when I driving by it today I felt compelled to turn around and go back and pull over.  I got out of my car, walked over the grassy hill and went closer to the lake’s edge and took this photo.  It was then that I realized what that reason I stopped was.  I was so that I could stop everything I was doing and just enjoy the beauty of what is all around us all the time.  It’s called nature.

Always remember how the simple things in life can actually be the most precious.  Time with family and friends.  And the moments that we stop to enjoy the beauty that God created around us.

Make it a GREAT DAY!

Halloween is over, but the trail of empty candy wrappers lingers on.  (And so does the trail of ants!)

The stores are all dressed up for the holidays and ready for the crowd of holiday shoppers.  But just because they built them (displays), will they come?

With the constant reminder of a downward Stockton area real estate market, and upward unemployment, will the hoards of holiday shoppers still rush out, stand in long lines, and hand over their hard-earned cash (or credit cards) on purchases they may not need or even want, but want to buy anyways out of obligation or sheer joy of holiday shopping?

I’m thinking YES!

People, myself included, usually enjoy the magic of the winter holidays and all the dressings in the windows, and the sparkling lights at night.  It kind of puts us in the mood to share what our current emotions are with the ones we love and care for.  Sometimes even for the ones we just like. 

What I’d really love to see this year is more thought put into gift-giving by not having someone get me whatever was new or on sale, but actually what our relationship means to each other.  I love homemade cards and gifts.  To me that’s putting some real thought into what our relationship is.

We don’t always have the time, or the talent, to make elaborate handmade gifts, but an individual card with a personal message may be all it takes to make someone’s holiday just that much more special and enjoyable.

With all the stress of the holidays, even Santa needs therapy.

Happy Holidays to all of us!

1. Make your home safe for trick-or-treaters. Make sure your front yard, walkway, and steps are swept and free of debris. Remove flowerpots or hoses, which can cause trick-or-treaters to trip in the dark.
2. Use Christmas lights to illuminate the path to the door. Finally those Christmas lights have another use besides adorning the tree!
3. Make sure scary gags are harmless. Having lots of decorations that pop up and scare trick-or-treaters is great… just make sure they’re safe. Instead of shovels or pitchforks, opt for faux alternatives.
4. Keep pets locked up. Even friendly pets can become a handful when costumed kids show up at the door. Keep them locked up to protect them from cars or inadvertently biting trick-or-treaters.
5. Make sure your Jack o’ Lantern isn’t a fire hazard. Opt for a battery operated jack o’ lantern instead. If you do decide to use candles, place the candle inside a small dish to prevent it from becoming a hazard if it tips over inside the pumpkin. Make sure paper or cloth yard decorations won’t be blown into the flaming candle. And be sure to place the pumpkin well away from where trick-or-treaters will be walking or standing!

Have a great week! And a safe and happy Halloween!

Randy

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It’s starting to get a little colder now.  I almost hate to say, finally.  This is when some people start to bring out their little personal heaters for their homes and offices.

I came across a great blog post (Courtesy of Paradiso Insurance) on this topic and I thought that I would pass it along because sometimes it’s the little things in life that have the biggest impact.

*****During the fall and winter months, space heaters are an effective way to provide temporary or supplemental warmth in a home or garage. Space heaters, however, by their very design and portability present shock, fire and burn hazards when used incorrectly and special precautions must be taken whenever they are used.

1. Selection: When purchasing a new heater, ensure that it has been tested and certified to the applicable standards by an accredited certification organization.
2. For the rest of these very important tips CLICK HERE.

Make it a great, but SAFE holiday season!

Randy

I recently wrote about the Downtown Lodi Farmers Market as being one of the many draws for Lodi, CA as well as many other cities around the country.  Now I’d like to introduce you to our annual Lodi Grape Festival that is running tomorrow, Sept 16, through this coming Sunday, Sept 19.

There will be a carnival, petting zoo, reptile exhibit, many area businesses on display, concerts, fair food, art show, etc., etc.. 

You’ll want to come early and stay late, and enjoy everything that the Lodi Grape Festival has to offer.  Advanced purchase of tickets is recommended if you don’t want to stand in line to enter.

For more information on the Lodi Grape Festival regarding it’s location, hours it’s open, etc. then CLICK HERE.

What will the festival do for the local real estate market?  I’m hopeful that the people attending the festival from out of the area will see what a wonderful community we have here in Lodi, CA, and perhaps consider moving to Lodi and maybe even buying one of the many homes for sale here in town.  There are great deals on Short Sales and REO foreclosures in Lodi as well as Stockton, Galt, Lockeford, and surrounding areas.  The market is all about supply and demand.  We have a good supply and some areas are in high demand.

Make it a great day and week!

Randy

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.

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A now former employee of Countrywide had downloaded millions of files of consumers and sold that private information to the employees of other lenders to be used as sales leads.

The alleged thief was caught back in 2008 and his trial begins on Oct 19th of this year, and he is currently free on bond while waiting for his trial.

There were possibly 15-17 million consumers that were at risk from this crime and Bank of America, which bought Countrywide back in 2008, is now offering free credit monitoring for two years to all those consumers that had provided personal and private  information to Countrywide before July 1, 2008, or who had a mortgage loan service by Countrywide before that date as well.

I don’t know what affect this settlement will have on the current real estate market, but Bank of America has been more quickly to respond to a couple of my Short Sales of homes for sale in Stockton and Lodi, CA recently.  Perhaps they realized they’d make more money on the short sale rather than letting the home go into foreclosure.

If you’d like to get more information on this and even file a claim for the free credit monitoring you can call (866) 940-3612, or visit their website at www.CWdataClaims.com.

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I came across a good article by Stephanie Andre and posted by RISMEDIA yesterday that hits on a subject that we’ve all heard and read about many times in the last few years…water conservation.

Summer is nearing the end soon and here are some tips that we can all adhere to in order to use/consume less water and do our part to make a difference.

1. Water your lawn only when it needs it. An easy test to tell if your lawn needs water is to simply walk across the grass. If you leave footprints, it’s time to water. (An added benefit of watering less often is that fewer, deep-soaking waterings encourage deep root growth and stronger turf.)

2. Water in the early morning. As much as 30 percent of water can be lost to evaporation by watering during midday.

3. Set your lawn mower one notch higher to make your lawn more drought-tolerant.
4. Use drip irrigation hoses to water plants, and water in the early morning or evening.

5. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your sidewalk, driveway, or patio.

6. Forego the hose and wash your car with a bucket and sponge instead. According to EPA WaterSense, a hose left running can waste as much as six gallons per minute while a bucket and sponge uses only a few gallons to do the job.
7. Keep a bottle of cold tap water in the refrigerator. You’ll avoid the cost and environmental impact of bottled water and you’ll have cold water available in the summer without running the faucet.

8. Run dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are full. If you have a water-saver cycle, use it.

9. Adjust the water level of your clothes washer, so that it matches your load size.

10. Regularly check your toilet, faucets and pipes for leaks and have them fixed promptly. An easy test for toilet leaks from EPA WaterSense: Place a drop of food coloring in the tank. If the color tints the water in the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak. Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.

**********************

There are many homes for sale in the Lodi and Stockton areas that are now empty due to foreclosure and/or a short sale situation, and since no one is living in the house, then no one is watering the lawns or flushing the toilets.  This can of course cause damage to the grass and plumbing of these homes.  This is not the same as water consumption.  Some of these homes are unsightly in their appearance, but it won’t take much for them to be brought back to life and beautify the neighborhood once again.

Well, I hope you can use at least a couple of these tips and implement them into your routine.  It WILL make a difference.

Make it a great day!

Hey Dorothy, it doesn’t look like we’re in Kansas.

I’ve had the great fortune of being able to stay with my broker and his family at their 2nd home in Carlsbad, CA, while attending an international convention for the world leader in nutritional cleansing with Erica Davis.  They live only 2 blocks from the ocean near Pinto Beach.  Here’s a photo I took my 1st night here.

Life is a Beach!

I’m really looking forward to returning home to my own family, which I miss very much, but I do find myself wishing that it would be easier for them to all just move down here.  The scenery is beautiful!

The local real estate market in Lodi and Stockton area is much different than what it is here in the Carlsbad and San Diego areas.  Most of the homes for sale in the San Joaquin County are foreclosures and short sales.  The median sales price for single family homes in San Joaquin County in the month of July 2010 was $175,000.  Oddly enough that’s the same median sales price for the same time last year.  The median sales price for San Diego County was $380,000 and $352,000 respectively, but here is Carlsbad the prices are even higher.

For assistance in finding good deals on homes for sale in the Lodi and Stockton areas be sure and contact Realty World – Davis Homes & Properties.  And for the Carlsbad, CA area make sure and contact Steve and/or Carol Davis with Davis Coastal Properties.

Although we don’t have any oceans in Lodi, it is where my home and family are, so I am really looking forward to seeing them and getting back to taking great care of my real estate clients I’m currently working with and also the ones that I’ll soon be helping.

It’s a great life!

Randy