Lately Ukiahans have been complaining about the lack of available rental housing in the area. Here’s a little perspective on why it’s tough to find a rental, and whether things are likely to change in the near future. If we look at our recent past, it all started with the housing recession in 2008. While … Read more
We are at the tail end of the rainy season, and as the weather warms we’ll want to spend more time outdoors. If you’re thinking about building a deck, here are a few ideas. In Mendocino County, most people build decks out of redwood or composite material. A third option, one most folks don’t know … Read more
Most of us don’t have several hundred thousand dollars in cash lying around, so when we want to purchase real estate (or invest in a business or embark on other expensive endeavors), we need a loan. Conventional bank loans require borrowers to follow strict guidelines regarding proof of income and creditworthiness. This works well for … Read more
Each week I ask for recommendations for column topics, and this week I received an excellent suggestion from Realty World agent and Ukiah’s rookie agent of the year Tanya Gilmore, who wants to help people of her generation think ahead and make wise investments. She rightly pointed out that many people are waiting until their … Read more
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s a non-profit group working to start a family medicine residency (doctor training) program in Ukiah. While this may not appear to be closely tied to real estate, I’d argue it is, because anything that substantially improves the quality of life in our town also improves real estate … Read more
As many of you have probably heard, the balance of the old Masonite property recently sold. Factory Pipe owner Ross Liberty purchased 63 acres through a limited liability corporation called Friends of Liberty. The property consists mostly of the old factory property and goes from the railroad tracks west to State Street. While the purchase … Read more
I’m on the Ukiah Valley Medical Center (UVMC) Community Advisory Board, and at a recent meeting we received an interesting update on the hospital’s expansion. In case you’re curious, here’s what’s going on. The hospital is building a new emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU) to be completed in 2017. The original ED, … Read more
For those of you who read this column regularly, you may remember me reviewing several ways you can hold title (own property), each of them with different tax implications and several of them influencing how you could pass that property on to family members. As of January 2016, the California Legislature added a new type … Read more
Every property has a special designation that defines how it can be used, and knowing this before you buy the property can make a huge difference in what you can do after you buy it. I’m talking about zoning. Here in Mendocino County the following zoning categories exist: residential, civic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and extractive. … Read more