Archives for August 2019

SIT… STAY… OR PLAY THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

August 30, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

Labor Day Weekend is just around the corner! That’s why this month’s newsletter is dedicated to weekend events, getaways, and local happenings in and around Northern California. So whether you feel like kicking back and relaxing at home or treating yourself to an epic day trip with family and friends, we have some fun ideas on how you can “live your best life” this Labor Day Weekend!

You don’t have to leave town to enjoy the weekend… Below are some fun ways to kick-off Labor Day Weekend and the entire month of September in and around the Sacramento area!

Sacramento Events:
Sac Republic FC Schedule: Click Here For Matches
Sacramento River Cats Schedule: Click Here For Remaining Games
Now through September 19 (every Thursday): Concert Series @ El Dorado Hills Town Center
August 30 & 31: Rythmn & Blues Festival @ River Park
August 30: Hot Summer Night Concert: Kickoff to Farm and Fork Uncorked
August 31 through September 2: 29th Annual Chalk It Up Festival @ Fremont Park
August 31 (& select days in September): Farm to Fork UNCORKED 2019 @ Old Sugar Mill
September 7: Dave Matthews Band @ Golden 1
September 8 through 14: Grandparents Week @ Fairytale Town
September 11 (and select Wednesday Nights): Barn Flix: Free Outdoor Movies @ Drake’s: The Barn
September 12: Sacramento Burger Battle 2019
September 12: Mexican Independence Day Concert Celebration @ Sac State
September 14: Gather: Movies @ The Fort
September 14: The Pepper & Hot Sauce Expo in Auburn
September 14: Wild Affair @ The Sacramento Zoo
September 15: Crafts & Drafts @ Drakes: The Barn
September 17: John Mayer @ Golden 1
September 19-29: Farm-to-Fork Festival
September 19: Legends of Wine @ State Capitol
September 19: Post Malone @ Golden 1
September 21: Great American River Cleanup
September 21: 14th Annual Fair Oaks Chicken Festival
September 21: Deaf Awareness Day @ Sacramento Zoo
September 21: Sacramento Film & Music Festival @ Crest Theatre
September 21: California Brewer’s Festival @ Discovery Park
September 28 & 29: Fall Festival @ El Dorado Hill Town Center

Wanna get away? This Labor Day Weekend is the perfect opportunity to venture out and take a fun day (or weekend) trip. The great thing about Sacramento is its close proximity to places including San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and the Napa Valley Wine Region. So if you’ve found yourself daydreaming about getting away, consider escaping the heat and treating yourself to an exciting outing!

Apple Hill: Apple Hill is officially open for business! Founded in 1964 with just 16 apple ranches, Apple Hill has grown to include over 50 unique fruit and veggie farms, wineries, B&Bs, flower gardens, Christmas tree farms, and even a day spa. Get your first taste of fall by relaxing at Ponderosa Bed & Breakfast and going apple picking, visiting High Hill Ranch for fishing, pony rides and a delicious slice of pie, or grabbing an award-winning hard cider atNorth Canyon Cider Company. Check out the remaining Apple Hill destinations here!
Lake Tahoe: Lake Tahoe is the perfect escape from the summer heat with its wide array of recreational activities including boating, water sports and hiking in the summer, and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. They also have fantastic restaurants, concert venues, and shopping! Take a look at some of the local events taking place this weekend by checking out their “Labor Day Lake Tahoe Guide”.
Napa Valley: What better way to celebrate the long weekend than by taking a trip to Napa and enjoying a nice glass of wine, exceptional cuisine and mesmerizing views of vineyards…because “wine not”? Take a ride on the Napa Valley wine train and soak in breathtaking landscapes, soar above the clouds in a hot air balloon, enjoy a culinary experience at one of their many award-winning restaurants or visit one of their 400+ wineries. Click here for a list of weekend events and here for lodging accommodations.
San Francisco: San Francisco is chock-full of events this weekend! Enjoy a performance of Beach Blanket Babylon (tickets are limited), watch both the SF Giants & the Oakland A’s in action (snag your tickets here), visit one of several museum exhibits, or head across the bay to the Sausalito Arts Festival. Also, make sure to check out the free walking tours offered every day this weekend and this list of free activities and things to do in and around San Francisco.

Summer isn’t over just yet…and this weekend is the perfect excuse to fire up the grill and cook up some summer favorites! So savor the end of summer by trying one of these classics to make this your best cookout yet.

1. Labor Day Burger: Specifically named “The Labor Day Burger”, this mouth-watering burger is packed with extra flavor and punch! A juicy patty, crispy bacon, avocado, pepper flakes, and melted cheddar cheese all come together to create this delicious main. Get the recipe here.
Goat Cheese & Cherry Caprese: Make your summer plate a little lighter and more colorful with this gorgeous and easy to assemble salad filled with juicy cherries, heirloom tomatoes, and fresh goat cheese. Learn how to make it here.
Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries: A burger is not complete without some crispy fries to accompany the meal. Up your fry game with these unbelievably crispy low carb zucchini fries! Try out the recipe here.
Ice Cream S’mores: Believe us when we say this recipe will have you asking for “s’more”… Putting its own unique twist on traditional s’mores, this recipe adds a little something extra with melted chocolate and ice cream creating a cookie-like s’more. Get the recipe here.

Do you have any favorite things to do or places to see on Labor Day Weekend? Let us know in the comments section below!

Upgrade Your Home Office

August 26, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

It is always good to have a professional appearance to your home office. For me, I like it to stay like home. I keep a neat area for me and my clients to meet but still maintain a relaxed atmosphere. Normally, the dogs come out and help relax everyone.

Mikkie Mills adds on some tips to help create the right atmosphere in your home office.

Whether you’ve just moved into your home, or you lived there for years now, you might be looking to improve your home office. Your home office is where you can focus without distractions and work in an environment where you feel comfortable. To help you achieve the perfect aesthetic for your home office, here are some ideal updates that you can make that will help you focus, and stay on task for as long as you need to.

1. Natural Lighting

One of the most important things that you can do for your home office is to have natural lighting. Natural lighting helps people to stay more focused and is easier on the eyes than artificial lighting. Artificial lighting has a tendency to fatigue the eyes fast and can even cause headaches for some people. Natural lighting has the opposite effect. It helps you to stay alert and focused for as long as you need to since it regulates your natural circadian sleep cycle. If you want to focus in your home office and get the most out of your work day, the very first thing that you should do is enhance the amount of natural lighting that you get in your home office. If you’re currently looking for a home, find one that has large windows in one of the smaller rooms (a room that you’ll likely turn into a work office). If you already have your office set up, pull the blinds away from the windows and allow the sunlight to stream into the room all day long.

2. Clear Up Space

The last thing that you would want to do in your home office is put so much stuff in the room that you feel cramped. Clutter is the notorious creative jammer. It’s hard to focus when the office is messy, disorganized, or it just feels “full.” To avoid this feeling, make sure that your office is clean and clutter-free. Don’t use it as a storage closet. In fact, move everything out of the office so it’s nearly impossible for it to get full of clutter. You want the room to feel open like you could lie down on the carpet and stretch in the middle of the workday if you felt like it. The carpet should be clean and free of junk, the windows washed, and the desk wiped down before you sit down for the day.

3. Set Up Mobile Printing

You might want to set up mobile printing to avoid any extra equipment in the office space and to help you better access and organize your home office. Mobile printing is one of the easiest things to set up and it can help you to organize your materials, create a breathable workplace, and allow you to have access to your work through the ease of your phone. If you’re on the go and need to quickly print something from work, you can simply connect to the nearest printer through your phone and print the material.

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Are you a Renter? It May be Time to Own Your Home.

August 15, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

In the Sacramento Bee, Vincent Moleski covers in detail rental costs across Sacramento and surrounding areas. I know for myself when I rented, I would check to see what my rent could buy me as far as getting a home and having a mortgage. If you have not checked lately, it may be that time. Read on as rent prices escalate depending on area.

Rents in Sacramento grew moderately in the past year, outpacing national trends with a year-over-year growth rate of 4.1 percent and a month-over-month growth rate of two-tenths of a percent, bringing the city’s average rent to $1,401, according to RentCafe’s most recent monthly report.

RentCafe, an online real estate service and apartment listing marketplace, analyzed nationwide housing data from the month of July using the Yardi Matrix and found that average rents in Sacramento grew faster in the last year than the U.S. average, although rent in the California capital is still cheaper.

Nationwide, the average monthly cost of rent was $1,469 as of July, an increase of 3.4 percent in the last year — a bit under Sacramento’s growth rate — and 0.2 percent in the last month, which matched Sacramento’s month-over-month growth rate, according to the report.

Some pricey Sacramento suburbs saw sharp rent increases in the last month, such as Folsom — which saw the sharpest monthly price spike in the area — where the average monthly rent of $1,873 increased by 1.5 percent, Rocklin, where the average monthly rent of $1,718 increased by 1.2 percent and Roseville, where the average monthly rent of $1,790 increased by 0.9 percent, according to RentCafe.

Elk Grove’s rent costs averaged $1,753 and grew a full percentage point in the past month, while Rancho Cordova’s rent costs averaged $1,396 and grew 0.6 percent in the past month, according to the report.

Other suburbs remained relatively affordable. Rents in Carmichael average $1,205 and grew by 0.5 percent in the last month, while rents in Citrus Heights average $1,342 and grew by 0.2 percent in the last month and rents in Fair Oaks average $1,440 and grew 0.3 percent in the last month, according to RentCafe.

Davis is the most expensive place in the state to rent in, according to RentCafe, and although housing costs increased by just $2 in the past month, the average monthly rent in the Yolo County city is $2,169 — though that still beats out Bay Area prices.

San Francisco, one of the most expensive cities in the country, has an average monthly rent of $3,706, an increase of fourth-tenths of a percent from last month, while in San Jose renters can expect to pay $2,792 per month, according to the report. The only place more expensive than San Francisco is Manhattan, where renters pay $4,222 monthly on average.

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Finding Down Payment Money for Your Home

August 6, 2019 by cdiez Leave a Comment

For my family, down payment and closing costs were the toughest part of owning our next home. Making the mortgage payment was not an issue. Having the money to get started and be able to look for homes with confidence and loan in hand were a challenge. We found our help through family. That was a good day.

David Reed helps us out with more ways to find a down payment for your home. It may be time for you to stop renting. Take a read and see.

One of the biggest challenges, if not the biggest challenge, is coming up with the money for a down payment on a home. Even if someone is taking advantage of the new conventional 3.0 percent down program or the FHA mortgage, most every loan requires some sort of a down payment. While 3.0 percent doesn’t sound like a whole lot, if you’re buying your first home it usually is. On a $250,000 home, that comes out to $7,500. That’s not even mentioning closing costs. But there are sources for down payment funds that might sometimes be overlooked.

The Bank.

Okay, this is the obvious source. From a checking or a savings account, accessing readily available cash from a bank account is the most common. Consumers can save up a little each month until the minimum amount of funds needed have accrued. The lender will ask for copies of the most recent bank statements showing available funds as well as documenting the source of those funds. Most often the deposits are from an employer via direct deposit. Self-employed borrowers who do not receive a regular paycheck on the 1st and 15th will be asked to provide business bank statements as well.

A Gift.

There are those fortunate few who do receive a financial gift from a family member. Gift funds must also be tracked to make sure the funds are coming from an acceptable source. Gift funds can come from a family member, relative, or someone in a committed relationship. Lenders want to make sure the gift funds aren’t a loan that must be paid back at some point in the future. There needs to be a signed “gift letter” included with the loan file stating the amount of the gift, the donor’s name and where the funds are coming from. Lenders won’t ask for bank statements from the donor but do want to know the funds came from an account in the donor’s name.

A Retirement Account.

If someone has a retirement account with an employer such as a 401(k), that person can take out a loan against the fund. This is allowable per lending guidelines but is also subject to the employer’s approval. Most retirement funds allow for someone to borrow up to one-half of the employee’s vested balance in the account. With an IRA, first time buyers can withdraw up to $10,000 without penalty. The withdrawal will still be subject to any income tax due.

An Appraisable Asset.

If someone owns something that can be appraised by an independent third party, the proceeds when selling that asset are an acceptable source. Selling an automobile is acceptable, for instance, because it has an appraised value. Even a highly prized baseball card is an appraisable asset. It’s important to document the transaction from the initial sale to the deposit in the account.

A Down Payment Assistance Program.

Down payment assistance programs are typically overseen and/or issued by a county or state agency. Such programs typically require the borrowers’ gross monthly income to not exceed certain limits and are often available to first-time buyers. These programs can also be geographically targeted to help low to moderate-income communities flourish. Down payment assistance can come in the form of a grant, which means there is no repayment required or a loan which can be forgiven after living in the property for a certain period of time, typically three years or more.

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