Lifestyle
Travel sure has changed!
Remember the days when we would make lists of things to bring that would occupy our kids as we travel to our destinations? Well I do…just 13 short years ago my list would have had things like snacks, toys, coloring books, items to open as “surprise” activities along the way, CD’s to listen to, music and more! I remember dreading long drives with the all ever popular: “Are we there yet?” or “Mom how much longer?” I would spend weeks thinking up ideas of things to do in the car, songs to sing and places to stop along the way. Well that has changed a lot in a short amount of time.
Packing for road trips now involves less time, shopping and planning. Why?
Because our kids are a bit older now, but more importantly because of technology. One device and you can load games, songs, books, movies and more. Now-a-days instead of endless trips to the Dollar Store it is an hour or so of loading some new content onto the devices. Of course we can’t (and shouldn’t!) spend the entire time on our tablets, Kindles or IPads so we still pack coloring books and, of course, at least one regular book. No more surfing the radio. We have Pandora. We pick a favorite artist or genre, and boom, we have an endless supply of our favorite music.
Maps!!!
Remember the days of laying a map out on the table and highlighting your route? Then as you are on your trip trying to read the map from the passenger seat? Well I do!
Now all we do is ask Siri or Google and off we go. They even redirect when we have taken the wrong turn or gone too far. And can even direct us around traffic jams and road work. Technology has changed much for the better but without some monitoring and willpower we can become too dependent on them.
I empower you all to take those gadgets away after a bit and have a good conversation with your kids. Better yet, play a road trip game like the ABC game or Slug Bug. For directions always go prepared with paper directions or a map of some sort in the event you lose that signal on your cell phone…you might just end up at the wrong destination.
Technology is fantastic…foresight and planning make it even better as it marches to the beat of our own drum…or playlist.
Community Events, Lifestyle
Summer’s Here…And So Is A Plethora Of Fresh & Organic Foods Offered At Nevada County Farmers Markets!
Those of us lucky enough to live in Western Nevada County are blessed each year with bounteous, fresh and tasty farm fare offered each week at several locations and times as local Farmers Markets get into gear. Growers offer a plethora of fresh vegetables, honey, bakery goods, organic grass-fed beef and much more. Many offerings from local farmers are grown organically….and the Heirloom Tomatoes are to die for, making the Winter months seem an unfair, long wait. Well, the wait is over. Here is a list of our Certified Farmers Markets:
Tuesday Morning – Nevada County Certified Growers Market 9 am – 1 pm, May 3 – September 29, Rood Center, Hwy 49, Nevada City.
Tuesday Afternoon – Lake Of The Pines Certified Farmers Market 3pm – 7pm, June7 – September 27, Lower Marina Parking Lot, Lake Of The Pines
Thursday Morning – Nevada County Certified Growers Market 9am – 1pm, May 5 – October 27, Western Gateway Park, 18560 Penn Valley Drive, Penn Valley
Thursday Afternoon – Grass Valley Downtown Association Thursday Night Market 5:30 pm – 9 pm, June 23 – July 28, Mill Street Closed for market, Downtown Grass Valley
Saturday Morning – Nevada City Farmers Market 8:30 am – 1 pm, June 4 – November 19, Union Street, downtown Nevada City
Saturday Morning – Nevada County 8 am – 12:30 pm, April 16 – November 19.
Nevada County Farmers Markets offer an amazing variety of freshly picked vegetables and fruits for those that visit: Apples to Zucchini. We especially love the tasty Heirloom Tomatoes widely available. Come check out artisan olive oil and breads, organic grass fed meats, grains, beans, seeds and nuts, honey….even jewelry and yard art is available at some markets. While at the Nevada City Farmers Market, be sure to stop by and sample the awesome Brazilian Plantain dishes cooked in front of you at one of our favorite stalls, Musa Musa.
Community Events, Real Estate
We love the Sierra Lifestyle, especially THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS!
The Center for the Arts is the cornerstone of cultural enrichment here in Grass Valley. So many of us in the communities of Western Nevada County (Grass Valley, Nevada City, Alta Sierra, PennValley…) are fortunate to be able to take advantage of the amazing constellation of music concerts and events at the Center venues. We love to meet and make friends with folks from the Sacramento area and the greater Bay Area who come up for the events hosted here by the Center, collectively 50,000 strong this year, that have enjoyed shows produced by the Center.
- Celebrating, in 2015, 15 years of amazing cultural contribution to our community.
- 2014 presented concerts from a wide number of genres for almost all tastes. Everything from ARLO GUTHRIE, JOAN BAEZ, SWEET HONEY & THE ROCK, BLIND BOYS FROM ALABAMA, RICHARD THOMPSON, DAVE MASON (TRAFFIC JAM), MARC COHEN and JOHN McCUTCHEON, to WYNTON MARSALIS and THE PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND….and that’s just a tiny, partial list!
- Also notable in 2014:
- Perennial community favorite, DANCING WITH OUR STARS; SIERRA DANCE INSTITUTE presents local talent dancing styles from Ballet to Hip Hop.
- The SUMMER YOUTH EDUCATION SERIES – Youth workshops in ART, CIRCUS, MAGIC, WRITING, COLLEGE PREP, MUSIC & THEATRE
- The SYRCLE WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL ART SHOW
- COMING SOON
- ROY ROGERS & THE DELTA RYTHM KINGS NEW YEAR’S EVE – SOLD OUT
- WINTER DANCE 2015 (January 23)
- JEFF BRIDGES & THE ABIDERS (January 23) SOLD OUT
- TAJ MAHAL (February 22)
- AMY GRANT (February 26)
- JEFFERSON STARSHIP (FEBRUARY 27)
- 19TH ANNUAL WORLDFEST (July 16-19)
- Join the Center for as little as $50. and receive discounted tickets, early purchase privilege, and the Center’s
So….come on up and party with us! Check out the Center for the Arts, 314 West Main Street in Grass Valley, at http://thecenterforthearts.org
Real Estate
Fannie Mae launched the new loan program on December 13, aimed to help first-time home buyers purchase a home.
- Only one person of a couple purchasing the home needs to qualify as a first-time buyer.
- Conventional financing will be offered to cover 97% of the value of the home (97% LTV).
- Beats the more restrictive and more costly FHA financing (with higher Mortgage Insurance Costs, including 1.75% upfront MIP added to your loan.)
- Loans will finance single family houses. (Manufactured housing will not qualify.)
- Loans will be fixed-rate loans only.
Fannie’s new program addresses the reality that the principal impediment to first time buyers is saving enough money for a down payment plus added closing costs in today’s challenging economy. While nay- sayers will bemoan the new program with a “Here we go again!” mantra, the new loans will make the bedrock of the American Dream, Home Ownership, available to many more qualified Americans.
This is very good news for first-time home buyers in Nevada County and Placer County! Contact a trusted Full-Time Real-Estate Sales Professional. We can help you with access to the new programs and find the home of your dreams in Grass Valley, Nevada City, Penn Valley and surrounding cities and counties.
Real Estate
The honest answer is NO. No realtor can guarantee that your house will appraise at listed price, especially if you are listing at TOP DOLLAR. After the housing price debacle of 1999, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, who together guarantee 59% of all mortgages written in the United States today, established a set of Guidelines known as HVCC (Home Valuation Code of Conduct). The purpose of HVCC is to stop collaboration between lenders and appraisers to prevent inflated appraisals and future housing bubbles of the kind that brought all of us to this dance. FHA & VA loans have separate but similar appraisal rules.
- Mortage Brokers cannot pick appraisers directly. They can order an appraisal through a third-party appraisal management company (AMC). The lender (usually a Bank) or AMC then selects a licensed appraiser from their AMC roster. Mortgage Brokers and Real Estate Agents/Brokers cannot directly influence the selection of your appraiser.
- A Mortgage Broker CAN reject an appraiser selected by an AMC, hoping a trusted appraiser will then be selected. Preferably one familiar with the local area.
- Beware NON-LOCAL appraisers. HVCC guidelines, in practice, has translated in appraisers being assigned who live too far away, may not be aware of local conditions and whose appraisals can come in either over or under local market values. In practice, we see lower valuations much more frequently than over valuations.
- What CAN a real-estate agent do? While an agent cannot pick your appraiser, he or she IS allowed to communicate with your appraiser. A good agent can provide comparative property data and important information about the area to assist the appraiser in arriving at an accurate valuation of your home.
- The borrower is now entitled to receive a copy or your appraisal 3 days prior to closing.
Your Real Estate agent is a critical partner to ensuring the appraisal process goes as smoothly and as close to value as possible. No agent can guarantee appraisal at listed price.
During the process of selecting a listing agent, it is important select a PROFESSIONAL, full-time agent who is willing to be transparent, tell you the truth about the value of your house, and work diligently with your Loan Broker or Bank, Appraiser, and agents in your MLS area to help you sell your house at optimum value.
