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.

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 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.

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

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

Will this slow down the process or bring it to a grinding halt for much longer than they anticipate?  If they’re looking for errors, then perhaps it could take longer than they expect.  I’m thinking that might be like looking for a needle in a needle stack. 

Will this slow down the Short Sale process in cities like Stockton, CA as well or will these big lenders put the skids on that as well?

I’ll be right here on the edge of my seat waiting for the chips to fall, spaghetti to stick, or any other way with great anticipation.

What do you think this will do to our current timelines that already seem to last longer than a Texas mile?  Do you think there will be a major increase in lawsuits as a result from all the upcoming confusion and discovered errors?

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

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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• Bank of America Settles Data Theft Claims (dailyfinance.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.

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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!