Q: I moved here last summer from Los Angeles. In Sep tember I purchased a small home in Fair field from my uncle. He had owned the place for almost 30 years and it was a rental for the past 10 years. Because he’s already retired and liked the idea of me living close by, he sold it to me for $275,000, well below market value. That way I could afford the relatively small mortgage payment. This week I got a letter from the County Assessor’s Office telling me that my property taxes were going up almost three-fold. I thought Proposition 13 fixed the property taxes at the pur chase price? I’m sure this is a mistake but I don’t know how to go about getting it fixed. What should I do?
A: Unfortunately, it probably isn’t a mistake.
Proposition 13 didn’t fix the property tax on the purchase price; it fixed the tax on the actual value of the property.
Using the sales price is a common and convenient way for the assessor to figure out what the market value of the property really is. And most of the time it’s pretty accurate.
In a regular, what we call, “arm’s length transaction,” the property has been exposed to the market and the buying public has decided how much it is worth.
In your case, you entered into a sweetheart deal with your uncle. The amount you paid for the property had no relationship
to its actual value.
Once the purchase price showed up on an assessor’s desk, he or she immediately suspected that your property is worth more than $275,000. At that point the assessor conducted an appraisal and taxed the prop-
This process often takes months to complete, which is why you are only now
If you disagree with the new appraised value, you can contest the appraisal. But, assuming that the appraisal is in the right ballpark, I’m afraid you’re stuck with the higher payment.
Q: I refinanced my home in January. The mortgage company never sent me any coupons or called me about my payments. Consequently, I didn’t start making my payments. This week I received a letter from the mortgage company saying they were going to start foreclosure proceedings. I can’t be responsible for paying for the time they never gave me the coupons. What should I do?
A: Oh come on now. You don’t really believe that just because you never got the payment coupons you didn’t have to make payments on the loan?
When you didn’t receive the coupons by the date you had to start making payments you should have contacted the lender. Nowadays I’m sure you could have made them online at a minimum.
See Jones, Page 8
This magnificent El Macero Country Club Estates property is located on the 5th fairway and tells a story of luxurious living & modern comfort in the prestigious El Macero community. From the moment you step into the home you are immediately greeted with a sense of grandeur & elegance you can’t help but notice the soaring ceilings & natural light that illuminates the entire home. It’s a perfect place to relax & unwind after a long day or entertain guests on special occasions. Gourmet chef ’s kitchen is truly the heart of this home, a dream come true for anyone who loves to cook or entertain. The perfect place to gather with family & friends & create lasting memories that will be cherished for a lifetime. Master suite is an oasis of luxury & relaxation plus a spa-like bathroom & separate dry sauna unwind & recharge after a busy day. The real magic happens outside the backyard overlooking the famous El Macero Estates golf course enjoying a warm summer evening with loved ones. A true sanctuary of peace & tranquility where you can escape from the stresses of daily life and enjoy the simple pleasures of living in one of the most desirable communities in Northern California. Conveniently located close to UC Davis & downtown Sacramento, an ideal location for anyone who wants to be close to the action but still enjoy the peace & quiet of a suburban lifestyle. Own your own piece of paradise in El Macero!
Among the most common questions home buyers ask their real estate agents are: “Is this a good neighborhood?” “Is that a good school?” and “Is this a safe place to live?” While agents are meant to be fountains of local knowledge, they’re legally not allowed to answer those queries. The Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibits discrimination, bars them from sharing opinions that could be biased.
“The simplest explanation is that we can talk about property, not people,” says Ben Stern, vice president and managing broker for Buyer’s Edge in Washington, D.C. “It’s not providing your client the best service to project preconceived notions about a place.”
Plus, the answers to those questions are so subjective, says Dana Bull, an agent with Compass in Boston. “If someone asks me if a neighborhood is ‘family friendly’ or ‘safe’, I don’t know what that means to them,” she says. “Some clients feel safe in places that others wouldn’t.”
Other topics – such as an area’s environmental risks or future development – are okay for agents to talk about, but might require extra digging to get the most complete information. The upshot? Whether you’re contemplating a move or just curious about your current neighborhood, you’ll likely want to do your own homework. Here are some ways to get started.
School websites typically offer abundant information about programs and demographic details such as the number of students, graduation rates and the diversity of the student body. Beyond that, you can make your online sleuthing more productive by honing in on the specific qualities
you want in a school, then searching for those. For example, “best high schools for performing arts” or “elementary schools with language immersion programs.”
Tim Ossmo, CEO of realestate consulting service Suburban Jungle, frequently digs into school information for clients (his company operates in 15 housing markets). He suggests researching local newspapers and magazines for “best schools” and then reviewing information about individual schools according to your priorities.
In addition, sites such as
GreatSchools.org and PrivateSchoolReview.com offer reviews and data on individual schools. GreatSchools analyzes data from state and federal departments of education including test scores, student progress and college readiness. PrivateSchoolReview doesn’t provide rankings, just information such as demographics, classroom size and extracurricular activities.
Probably the best way to know whether you’ll feel safe in a particular neighborhood is simply to
For hard numbers about crime rates, “it’s best to go directly to the local police department site or other crime sites that aggregate data based on government statistics,” says Stern. One such site is CityProtect.com, which pulls information from local police departments.
The specific consequences of climate change for a given area –and the speed with which they will arrive – are difficult to predict. But two free online resources that many real estate experts recommend for researching climate and environmental risks are Climate Check and First Street Foundation. Both sites assess flood, extreme heat and wildfire risks, based on decades of historical data and scientific models of future climate patterns. You can use them by entering an address to receive a report.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also includes flood-risk maps on its website, which you can search by address, place name or latitude and longitude coordinates. However, The Washington Post found in a recent investigation that those maps have failed to keep up with increasing flood risks in many communities.
spend time there. Walk and drive around, and talk to the people who live there, says Bull. Advises Ossmo, “Go on different days of the week, at different times of day to picture yourself there.”
If you’re interested in a particular house, Bull also recommends Googling the address to see if any concerning information comes up. It may be worth joining neighborhood Facebook groups and listservs internet mailing lists, where neighbors swap information, especially if you think you’ll stay in a community for the long term.
Listings of homes for sale usually include estimated property taxes, but if you’re not sure where exactly you want to live, you can find local property tax rates on county or municipality websites. The SmartAsset Property Tax Calculator is another handy tool; it allows you to plug in a location and home value (or estimated home value) to arrive at an annual property tax amount.
If you have an agent or mortgage
See Research, Page 8
TOTAL SALES: 6
LOWEST AMOUNT: $742,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,000,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $841,500
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $866,500
120 West D Street - $742,000
03-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 1446 SqFt - 1912 YrBlt]
1468 George Court - $775,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1708 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt]
495 Panorama Drive - $1,000,000
03-20-23 [4 Bdrms - 2473 SqFt - 1993
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 09-25-01, $525,000
610 Rose Drive - $848,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1814 SqFt - 1986 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 07-13-20, $720,000
336 Saint Catherines Square - $999,000
03-24-23 [4 Bdrms - 2072 SqFt - 1986 YrBlt]
667 Snapdragon Place - $835,000
03-20-23 [3 Bdrms - 1636 SqFt - 1989
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-27-09, $405,000
TOTAL SALES: 5
LOWEST AMOUNT: $475,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $590,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $523,000
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $533,600
1215 Baylor Way - $590,000
03-20-23 [3 Bdrms - 2169 SqFt - 2014 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 09-12-17, $445,000
1635 Marenda Drive - $520,000
03-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 1328 SqFt - 1993
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 10-25-08, $240,000
2001 Bluebird Way - $490,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1285 SqFt - 1966 YrBlt]
4109 Cedarvale Court - $720,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 2817 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 05-17-20, $610,000
1117 Coulter Court - $685,000
03-23-23 [4 Bdrms - 2379 SqFt - 1991
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 10-06-22, $700,000
1765 Fawn Glen Circle - $545,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1311 SqFt - 1995 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 02-07-03, $300,000
1234 Gulf Drive - $672,500
03-24-23 [4 Bdrms - 2444 SqFt - 2001
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-06-19, $530,000
1946 Hummingbird Drive - $649,000
03-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 1845 SqFt - 2002
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 01-12-06, $527,000
1714 Idaho Street - $405,000
03-22-23 [4 Bdrms - 1225 SqFt - 1955 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 10-23-14, $215,000
3020 Jubilee Lane - $741,000
03-23-23 [5 Bdrms - 3106 SqFt - 2020
Sale: 05-26-20, $630,000
Lakeshore Drive - $719,000
[4 Bdrms - 2629 SqFt - 2002
Marsh Place - $569,000
[4 Bdrms - 1751 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 00/1990, $158,000
TOTAL SALES: 19
LOWEST AMOUNT: $355,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,465,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $550,000
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $623,711
1018 1st Street - $440,000
03-23-23 [2 Bdrms - 1200 SqFt - 1970
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-10-18, $340,000
2706 Applewood Drive - $485,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1180 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 08-21-19, $393,000
680 Basilica Court - $780,000
03-22-23 [4 Bdrms - 2464 SqFt - 1999
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-17-07, $605,000
1100 Bay Tree Court - $510,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1067 SqFt - 1987 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 02-24-10, $172,000
2638 Bloomfield Court - $530,000
03-23-23 [4 Bdrms - 1596 SqFt - 1974 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 03-13-12, $170,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $515,000
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $488,000
75 Chipman Lane - $400,000
03-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 1000 SqFt - 1977
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-08-99, $129,000
91 Rodondo Avenue - $549,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1506 SqFt - 1977 YrBlt]
901 Trumpeter Court - $515,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1678 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 09-11-09, $180,000
TOTAL SALES: 21
LOWEST AMOUNT: $362,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $890,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $629,000
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $600,048
491 Aberdeen Way - $545,000
03-21-23 [2 Bdrms - 1344 SqFt - 1983 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 04-14-09, $105,000
2043 Atherton Court - $890,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 3156 SqFt - 2005 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 06-17-05, $718,650
413 Beelard Drive - $507,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1247 SqFt - 1967 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 12-19-18, $399,000
101 Bounty Lane - $579,000
03-21-23 [2 Bdrms - 1597 SqFt - 1997 YrBlt]
166 Buttercup Circle - $645,000
03-24-23 [5 Bdrms - 2258 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-15-20, $541,000
1112 Callen Street - $375,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1316 SqFt - 1952 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 05-09-14, $145,000
667 Colemanite Circle - $485,000
03-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 1225 SqFt - 1992
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 01-12-06, $429,000
106 Constitution Avenue - $555,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1684 SqFt - 1987 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 09-20-10, $186,000
460 Crownpointe Circle - $690,000
03-22-23 [5 Bdrms - 3176 SqFt - 2000 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 03-30-04, $525,000
596 Eldridge Avenue - $555,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1336 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt]
642 Fox Hollow Way - $750,000
03-21-23 [5 Bdrms - 2906 SqFt - 1993 YrBlt]
215 Grand Canyon Drive - $362,000
03-24-23 [1 Bdrms - 728 SqFt - 1964 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 08-22-14, $167,500
119 Iroquois Drive - $730,000
03-22-23 [5 Bdrms - 2265 SqFt - 1979
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-18-13, $355,000
264 Juneau Drive - $640,000
03-20-23 [3 Bdrms - 1999 SqFt - 2015
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-20-18, $470,000
306 Kilgarvan Court - $695,000
03-20-23 [4 Bdrms - 1898 SqFt - 1987
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 00/1992, $205,000
4387 Peaceful Glen Road - $825,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1680 SqFt - 1985 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 05-12-98, $220,000
300 Royal Oaks Drive - $405,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1498 SqFt - 1974 YrBlt]
436 Stinson Avenue - $395,000
03-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 1304 SqFt - 1972
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 08-11-11, $75,000
These are the local homes sold recently, provided by California Resource of Lodi. The company can be reached at 209.365.6663 or CalResource@aol.com.
767 Tulare Drive - $629,000
03-23-23 [4 Bdrms - 2028 SqFt - 1979 YrBlt]
330 Woodside Circle - $689,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 2048 SqFt - 1975
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-02-09, $255,000
299 Woodstock Circle - $655,000
03-23-23 [4 Bdrms - 2320 SqFt - 1987
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 09-09-19, $560,000
TOTAL SALES: 20
LOWEST AMOUNT: $310,000
HIGHEST AMOUNT: $710,000
MEDIAN AMOUNT: $512,000
AVERAGE AMOUNT: $502,350
1317 Arkansas Street - $370,000
03-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 1095 SqFt - 1948 YrBlt]
126 Calhoun Street - $310,000
03-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 988 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 08-12-19, $235,000
532 North Camino Alto - $509,000
03-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 962 SqFt - 1958 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 02-22-22, $400,000
5336 Chenin Blanc Place - $685,000
03-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 2068 SqFt - 1998
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 12-01-98, $243,042
132 Clay Street - $515,000
03-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 985 SqFt - 1942 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 11-27-17, $325,000
461 Del Sur Street - $561,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1211 SqFt - 1962 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 07-22-15, $288,000
801 Donner Pass Road - $389,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1373 SqFt - 1974 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 02-17-23, $330,000
125 Easson Court - $625,000
03-20-23 [3 Bdrms - 1484 SqFt - 1978
YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-17-18, $460,000
2101 Georgia Street - $445,000
03-24-23 [2 Bdrms - 1210 SqFt - 1949 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 01-14-09, $121,000
1320 Glenn Street - $650,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1260 SqFt - 1935 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 03-21-22, $515,000
101 Hannigan Way - $570,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1547 SqFt - 1980 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 12-22-11, $107,500
164 Jordan Street - $320,000
03-24-23 [2 Bdrms - 806 SqFt - 1942 YrBlt]
701 Keats Drive - $587,000
03-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1463 SqFt - 1968 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 03-23-01, $270,000
177 Lighthouse Drive - $319,000
03-21-23 [2 Bdrms - 918 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 03-26-18, $237,500
3 Loma Vista Drive - $552,000
03-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1594 SqFt - 1934 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 00/1992, $145,000
416 Monterey Street - $475,000
03-21-23 [2 Bdrms - 1344 SqFt - 1915 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 01-26-22, $475,000
488 Phoenix Circle - $350,000
03-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 1327 SqFt - 1980 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 00/1989, $127,500
288 Reynard Lane - $710,000
03-23-23 [4 Bdrms - 2627 SqFt - 1986 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 01-27-10, $335,500
1 Spruce Street - $435,000
03-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 1224 SqFt - 1941 YrBlt],
Previous Sale: 03-04-12, $145,500
315 Woodson Way - $670,000
03-20-23 [3 Bdrms - 1930 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-12-16, $440,000
It is Night and Day at The Garden Guy’s house when it comes to perennials this spring. That is a little tongue and cheek – it’s also the perfect recipe for which I had been looking for, and it’s all thanks to Garrison Farm and Garden in Cornelia, Georgia. It’s amazing that a small town in North Georgia is causing many of my Facebook fans to be green with envy.
We can’t really give all the credit to Garrison Farm and Garden, as they are a Proven Winners Certified Garden Center. As such, they elected to showcase the EZ Scape for pollinators, which are recipes developed by Walter Gardens, the perennial partner of
Proven Winners. Since The Garden Guy is a pollinator nut,
As I was learning more, the EZ Scape recipe program unfolded before my eyes. I have been writing a garden column for almost 30 years and I have never really written much about a website. But the EZ Scape program needs to be shouted from the rooftop, and hence this column too. The site I am referring you to is www. ezscapes.com.
There you will find 34 recipes for using perennials together at your home. The recipes will have multiple seasons of interest, successive blooming, complementing foliage and similar growing conditions. The information provided with each recipe gives you beautiful pictures of each plant, plus keys to successful growing.
Even the gray-haired Garden Guy needs help, and I chose the recipe Night and Day. This year a new perennial, astilbe, is hitting the market. It is called Dark Side of the Moon. It has almost chocolate purple foliage and glorious purple plumes. In 42 years of being a profes-
sional horticulturist in the South, I have seen two patches of blooming astilbe.
They have just not been a Southern plant; the word in garden circles is Dark Side of the Moon is changing that. So this weekend I said to myself, “How does The Garden Guy achieve success with this new plant?” I kid you not, the Facebook post from Garrison Farm and Garden introducing me to EZ Scapes was perfect timing, as I discovered the Night and Day recipe there.
The recipe suggests Dark Side of the Moon astilbe, Dolce heuchera and Shadowland hosta. When you
See Winter, Page 11
People across the country with a 680 Fico score – from all races, creeds and religions – are mystified over the BidenHarris Administration's idea that they will have to pay extra fees, which some call a penalty, for having great credit so Freddie and Fannie can afford to offer better rates for homebuy-
ers with low FICO scores.
Freddie Mac made a net profit of $22 billion over the past two years and Fannie Mae has enjoyed a net income of $35 billion since January 2021. The president, his press secretary and his public relations advisers telling first-time homebuyers or, even worse, existing home-
owners that have worked hard to build a 700 FICO score that they will have to pay a penalty for being financially responsible is like the insurance industry telling drivers across the country the better your driving record the higher the insurance premiums. Can you imagine how
See Porter, Page 9
From Page 3
lender, you can also ask them to check on taxes for a home in your price range in the neighborhoods you’re considering. (Once you find a place, your lender will need to estimate taxes as part of your loan qualification anyway.)
In addition to visiting a neighborhood at different times and on various days, you can get data about what it’s like to live there from companies such as Local Logic, Kukun and Attom Data Solutions, sometimes for a fee. These resources can be particularly handy if you’re trying to evaluate neighborhoods from out of state.
“We provide an address-
From Page 2
Frankly, I’m shocked the lender hadn’t contacted you much earlier. This would certainly indicate that something in their bookkeeping system is messed up.
Regardless of the lender’s mistake, though, you signed the loan documents in escrow. Those documents dictated when you were to start making your payments and how much those payments were to be.
The good news is that all you got was a letter. A letter isn’t the start of a foreclosure. It’s just a letter.
Bring the payments current and the problem is solved.
Tim Jones is a real estate attorney in Fairfield. If you have any real estate questions you would like to have answered in this column, you can send an email to AllThingsRealEstate@ TJones-Law.com.
by-address scoring system so consumers can compare whether a house is on a noisy street, for example,” says Vincent-Charles Hodder, Montreal-based CEO of Local Logic. The company’s scoring system can give people a sense of how many stores or restaurants are in a neighborhood, how green a community is based on the size of its parks, and even whether the streets have tree canopies, he says.
Attom Data Solutions’ home disclosure reports and Kukun’s property reports also provide detailed information about a house and neighborhood if you have a specific address to check. Both companies have access to proprietary data that they study to provide both historical information and predictive analytics.
While you’ll likely be able to
find information about major transit projects and development plans in the local media, there may be other, under-the-radar changes (or potential changes) that require extra digging to uncover.
“If you’re looking at a neighborhood with empty land nearby, you definitely want to ask about who owns it and whether it is set aside as conservation land or can be built on,” says Bull.
Building permits are generally public information; it’s just a matter of figuring out which local agency houses them. They are often searchable by address on the websites of city or county planning and zoning agencies, and will tell you what type of work is planned for a particular lot. You can also pull property records, typically through those same types of agencies, to determine who owns a given parcel (though sometimes, an owner’s identity is concealed behind a trust or LLC).
Crape myrtle bark scale has crept into the Washington, D.C. region in recent years. A relatively new pest from Asia, the damage caused by tiny bugs was first noticed by entomologists from Texas A&M University in Texas around 2005 and has moved
steadily east and north.
Forestry experts and scientists are working to eliminate it or at least limit the damage it can cause. For the most part, the pest doesn’t kill the trees. But it does cause problems.
Here’s what experts Jacob Hendee, an arborist for the Smithsonian Gardens in D.C., and Yan Chen, professor of
medicinal plant physiology at Louisiana State University, have to say about treatment and prevention:
If you see white cottony masses on the stems or trunk of a tree, and they bleed pink when crushed, that
is crape myrtle bark scale, Chen says. Another sign is sooty mold, a black covering of the trunk, branches and leaves caused by the honeydew expelled by the scale.
Don’t panic, Hendee advises. He says homeowner shouldn’t
remove crape myrtles preemptively. Focus on keeping them healthy. Scales are known to impact stressed trees much more heavily. Hendee encourages people to consult an expert and be cautious with chemical controls for the pests, because those same
See Scale, Page 10
From Page 7
you would feel if your neighbor with three speeding tickets in the past two years was subsidized by you and you have never had an accident or moving violation in your life?
The idea of helping folks with 640 FICO scores become homeowners is a great idea! Although the Dream for All program sold out in eight business days this month, CALHFA is still offering down payment assistance for those that are willing to attend a homeownership counseling session which promotes financial literacy. My team and lenders like Travis Credit Union coach financial literacy every day.
Great loan originators don’t reject people with low FICO scores and hope to never see the people again. If they are smart businesspeople, they give the 595 FICO score folks a road map and advice on how to become financially successful. Great local lenders think long-term, and for those 595 FICO score homebuyers that are motivated and willing to be coached, work with people for six months to even years to help them become homeowners.
I am closing a loan this month for a 43-year-old firsttime homebuyer couple with two kids that had a 585 FICO score three months ago. After some coaching, they are now sport-
ing a 610 FICO score and have been approved to buy their first home from their landlady for $575,000 in Napa using an FHA loan at a rate of 6.25% with an APR 7.23%. FHA and VA are not affected by this new mortgage fee structure.
This couple had been renting the home for 10 years and never missed a rent payment. The generous senior landlady along with her awesome property manager broker gave them notice to move three months ago or buy the home valued at $600,000 for $550,000. The broker and I structured the sale at $575,000 with the landlady crediting $25,000 to cover 100% of the closing costs because cash to close is always the biggest challenge for renters trying to become homeowners, and now this family is on cloud nine.
My team is not only closing a much needed $555,000 loan in one of the slowest markets in real estate mortgage history, but these are the stories that makes this job of selling houses and mortgages a rewarding profession.
The messaging here is the problem. The government doesn’t understand that this kind of policy will not help us with affordability or our huge inventory problem in our market. This PR messaging via the press and social media will actually hurt affordability here in Northern California because people are not moving up from the starter
home they purchased six to 12 years ago, and even though people with 740 FICO scores will continue to get better rates than those at 640, the press releases make it sound like it might be a good idea to wait a year or two to move up or out.
We need the 740 FICO score folks to have consumer confidence to list their homes for sale, so we have houses to sell the 640 FICO families and when we only have 385 homes for sale in all of Solano County, we are stuck with a seller’s market and less affordable homes. What the government might want to do is incentivize and motivate Invitation Homes and the other institutional landlords in Northern California to sell some of the 75,000 single-family homes they own here, which will truly create more homeownership affordability.
More to come on this inventory problem and these Wall Street hedge funds that own a bunch of our single-family housing stock next week.
Jim Porter, NMLS No. 276412, is the branch manager and senior loan adviser of Solano Mortgage, NMLS No. 1515497, a division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation, NMLS No. 1850, licensed in California by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the CRMLA / Equal Housing Opportunity. Jim can be reached at 707-449-4777.
From Page 9
insecticides have the potential to harm our good insects: our pollinators like bees and butteries, and perhaps more importantly, the natural enemies of crape myrtle bark scale.
Hendee recommends pausing the planting of crape myrtles. He suggests increasing the diversity and complexity of your landscape to provide habitat for the good insects, including the natural enemies that are likely to control this pest long-term (such
as predatory insects and parasitoid wasps and flies). A good place to start is by adding more flowering and regionally-native plants, he said.
For most of our towns or metropolitan areas where crape myrtle bark scale is discovered, we ultimately can expect a 80% to 100% infestation, Chen said. The pest spreads rapidly particularly when crape myrtle trees are planted close to one another. The infestation has spread over most of the south and crape myrtle bark scale has been spotted as far north as Maryland and Delaware.
Yes, soil drench of neonicotinoids (a class of insecticide) is very effective at controlling the scale’s population, Chen said, and trees can fully recover and thrive. However, she said, this is also the worst treatment concerning potential toxicity (neonics in pollen) to bees. Repeated treatments are often needed due to re-infestation in a year or two when the effect of that treatment wears off and when there are other infested trees in vicinity.
Yes, Chen said. Treated trees can get re-infested, and trees
planted behind buildings or on traffic islands and along highways where they are neglected are common sources for re-infestation.
Trees won’t be able to get immunity from the pest. On the contrary, Chen said, infested trees remain vulnerable to re-infestation of the same scale – especially when the natural enemy population (lady beetles, lace wings, etc.) becomes low due to insecticide use to treat the scale.
Chen said researchers have seen outbreaks of high numbers of the scales after the use of some insecticides because these are more effective on the lady beetles (adults and nymph) than on the scales. So using low-risk (to natural enemies) and natural products such as insect growth
regulators and ultrafine horticulture oil may help because they don’t eradicate natural enemies. The goal to completely remove the scales can be achieved but the victory is usually temporary.
There are 34 recipes available at www.ezcapes. com showing you how to partner perennials like Pyromania Blaze red hot poker, ornamental grasses and the new Luminary Sunset Coral tall garden phlox.
From Page 5
visit the website, you’ll see they further suggest Dolce Wildberry heuchera and Shadowland Coast to Coast hosta. At your garden center, you can tweak the recipe you like based on availability or preference.
The Garden Guy planted Dark Side of the Moon astilbe with Dolce Appletini heuchera, which will dazzle next to the purple foliage of the astilbe, along with Shadowland Empress Wu, the Proven Winners Hosta of the Year with blue leaves, and Shadowland Autumn Frost hosta with creamy yellow and green leaves. My inspiration came from the EZ Scape recipe.
As you look at the artist
the thought process going, know that you can steal a plant from one recipe and incorporate it into your plan as needed. The website will
you.
a breeze, but it will also stir up the artistic designer in you. You will feel that inner Monet stirring.
As you look at the recipes, you will see the newest Luminary tall garden phlox, this year’s hot new Meant to Bee agastache and Color Coded coneflowers. But you may find that it will eliminate the hesitancy you possess in trying certain flowers. Every time I post a photo of my Pyromania red hot pokers or kniphofia, I can tell gardeners want to try them but have worries. This website will help you. I promise, you are about to embark on the most gardening fun ever, and that is growing perennials.
Norman Winter is a horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-asNails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.
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You will also find recipes for the new Meant to Bee Queen Nectarine and Meant to Bee Royal Raspberry agastaches and inspiration to try perennials that have been around but are new to
