Creating the Next Generation of Tradespeople

If you’ve tried to hire a general contractor, plumber, carpenter, roofer, electrician or laborer recently, you know how hard it can be. You can wait weeks or even months to schedule a repair or renovation, and longer if you want to build from scratch. For years, we’ve had a shortage of tradespeople in our area, … Read more


Preparing Your House for Sale: 3 Tips for Low-cost Staging

To sell your house, it’s important to highlight its best features for prospective buyers. One way to do this is to “stage” your house, to put just the right furniture and décor in each room so visitors immediately focus on what you want them to see. If you’re wondering how to do this, have no … Read more


Deal Breakers That Make People Turn on Their Heels and Leave

When people are shopping for a new home, they schedule tours of the properties that look good on paper, so to speak—the ones in their price range, with the right number of bedrooms and bathrooms, in a good location, and so on. No one buys a home until they’ve walked through it and imagined building … Read more


Want Enough Doctors in Ukiah? Advocate for More Housing.

For years, I’ve been on the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Community Advisory Council, where I get to learn about the hospital’s upcoming plans. Recently, the new hospital president, Jason Wells, shared exciting news about the hospital’s intention to build an 80,000 square foot medical office building northeast of Myers Apothecary. The new building will include … Read more


Why is Your House Getting Ignored?

Imagine putting a ton of time and effort into preparing your house for sale, only to have it ignored by prospective buyers. How frustrating! To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, follow these fail-safe recommendations to assure your property gets the attention it deserves. 1. USE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS (OR AT LEAST REALLY GOOD ONES) … Read more


How Realtors Market Homes – Part II

Last week, I shared information about how Realtors help clients market their properties. This week, I’ll share a few more nuggets of wisdom on that topic. As a reminder, two things sell real estate: price and exposure. Sellers set home prices and Realtors expose properties to potential buyers. No matter how perfectly your house is … Read more


How Realtors Market Homes – Part 1

When it comes right down to it, two things sell real estate: price and exposure. The seller sets the price and the Realtor exposes the property to potential buyers. All the exposure in the world won’t sell a dumpy little house for twice its value and no matter how perfectly your house is priced, if … Read more


New Loan Limits Mean You Can Afford More House

Wouldn’t it be great if you could afford a bigger house without making any more money? Welcome to 2019! New loan limits for conforming and jumbo loans will make it easier to buy a house this year. For single family homes, there are two types of conventional loans: conforming and non-conforming (also called jumbo). Conforming … Read more


How the Government Shutdown Affects Real Estate

Buying a home is the biggest financial decision most of us ever make, so we want to be sure it’s a sound investment. With the partial government shutdown lasting for so long, many people’s confidence in the economy is, understandably, starting to falter. Although a January 7 survey by the National Association of Realtors® revealed … Read more