Archive for October, 2008
Roseville, CA ranked #90 Best Place to Live
October 9th, 2008 categories: Folsom Lake, Golf, Granite Bay, Roseville
Money Magazine 2008 Winner
Roseville, CA is a great city located along Hwy 80 half way between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. Situated in the Sierra foothills of the Sacramento valley this up and coming town claims #90 in the top 100 places in 2008 to live in the United States according to Money Magazine.
Historic Roseville has a quaint downtown area with a new civic center, classic movie theatre and local shopping with antique stores and assorted local vendors. They host an Art Walk every 3rd Saturday from spring to fall and there are a variety of street fairs that support charities and special events during the summer months.
Granite Bay is the bedroom community located next to Roseville and was once part of this city. It is similar to El Dorado Hills in that it has a more affluent population and caters to the upper end real estate shopper. The private Granite Bay Golf Club is located in the middle of this lovely area and is available for special events.
West Roseville offers incredible shopping thanks to the Galleria. When this mall opened in the early 2000s, it was showcased as one of the newest concepts in shopping mall design. The expansion has yet to be complete with an additional wing just opening called the Fountains. Located across from the main mall this new center offers Whole Foods as the main anchor.
East Roseville offers a more tranquil setting with established neighborhoods and easy access to Folsom Lake. Homes on acreage are still available and working farms offer roadside produce that get plenty of business from the locals. On the weekends, you will see bicycle clubs riding along Auburn-Folsom Road with both types of bikes sharing the road.
This northern section of the Sacramento valley offers virtually every sport imaginable and is located within 1.5hrs drive to some of the world’s best winter sports in Lake Tahoe. If you are considering a relocation please give me a call and I’ll be happy to get you started.
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Orangevale CA Still Has Farmstands
October 9th, 2008 categories: Orangevale CA, Outdoor Activities
Country Living With City Amenities
Orangevale is an odd mixture of new development (such as the Tim Lewis’ subdivision across from the new shopping center on Hazel and Pecan) and old rural farms and acreages. When we first came to town we loved driving down Oak Ave. to watch the mini horses and lamas graze in the pastures. This is one of those quaint towns still in existence in the Sacramentovalley with that rural feeling coupled with upscale animal husbandry like Orangevale and reminds me of the bay area without the pretension.
Just the name Orangevale conjures up images of orange groves but in reality there are few orchards of any kind left in town. Next door to Orangevale is Citrus Heights, again another name that brings to mind lemonade stands with baskets of the yellow fruit in abundance but if you go to Tom Tomich’s produce stand and preview his farm what you see is primarily peach, plum, apple and nut trees. Tom is a great man who loves history and always has a good story from his days in the second world war…I especially like the story of his meeting Gen. Patton for the first time.
Another area of interest is Indian Stone Corral where the Maidu Indians used to camp and was later used by outlaws to hide out after robbing the stage coaches of their money. This park has yet to be developed but the intent is to create two entrances to this area and allow the public to see the granite outcroppings and how it was used to corral horses without fences. Unfortunately this will probably be a long time coming due to the extensive work needed to preserve the history of this area.
When we first arrived in the valley we didn’t know much about POW WOW Days or the local 4H but soon found that these community events and activities brought us closer to feeling a part of the neighborhood. Orangevale Park hosts numerous events from Easter egg hunts to equestrian competitions and since it’s across from Casa Roble High Schoolhas lots of traffic from the local students. It also happens to be the only competitive Frisbee disc golf course on 50 acres in the area.
The community’s biggest fear during the past real estate boon was a tearing apart of their rural lifestyle by newcomers cashing in with big money from the bay area and beyond. What happened instead was an embracing of the quiet lifestyle Orangevale is famous for and the town has flourished ever so slowly and that’s just fine with the locals.
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Homes Tours in Folsom CA via Bicycle
October 8th, 2008 categories: Biking, Outdoor Activities
Trails that connect the community
Folsom is known for it’s bike paths and jogging trails and last week I decided to do my real estate tour via bicycle and discovered some interesting paths under construction. Starting out at the Folsom Community Center it was an easy jaunt to the Historic District where there is a new home that has received the SMUD Platinum rating for it’s energy efficiency. This home had everything from recycled glass counters to solar hot water and heating…it even sells energy back to SMUD!
Next I went across the Rainbow Bridge to American River Canyon and checked out a bank owned property that is on a cul-de-sac and is priced at $152.00 per sqft. It’s amazing to see the housing prices so affordable in that part of town. Heading back towards Natoma Station along the river I jumped off at the Natoma Factory Outlets to check out a cute little house in the Bungalows that is a short sale. This one is a 3/2 just under 1500sf for $319,000. Down Turn Pike Drive to another listing that is selling short but has a lot of house for the price 5bed/3bath for $399,000.
Following the main drag Blue Ravine over to Prairie City to preview a home close to Folsom High School that backs up to open space. This property has a pool with slide and cave, mature landscaping and a deck for entertaining. The cherry cabinets and huge floorplan (5 or 6 bedrooms) is located on a cul-de-sac…priced at $197.00 sf. This is where I discovered a new bridge under construction which I think will connect to the bike trail just off Blue Ravine between Riley and Prairie City Rd.
Going west along Iron Point Rd. down to Broadstone I picked up a trail that led me to one of my favorite places to ride along the Parkway. This was one of the first bike and walking paths installed in Folsom. The area has lookouts and bridges and benches to sit and enjoy the view. I’ve seen people jogging and doing their tai chi exercises at various points along the path. John Laing continues to build and is offering some great incentives on their homes next to the new Raley’s center.
As I wind up my tour and head back home to Empire Ranch I cut through Humbug Creekto the trails at Ninesan Park. This was an area that was originally designated for a private golf course but was turned over to the city as open space. It’s a beautiful area with great blue herons and egrets and offers a peaceful ride through the various subdivisions towards the lake.
For more information on bike trails the city of Folsom offers a map online and of course if you’d like to see any of these homes please contact me and arrange a tour.
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Folsom Tennis Teams Growing as Population Ages
October 2nd, 2008 categories: Outdoor Activities, Tennis
Tennis Lessons with Love
Tennis is in full swing in Folsom, CA with lessons virtually every night of the week at Ed Mitchell Park. The resident tennis pro, Bryan Solem holds court most every night M-F and Sat. mornings and offers private lessons as well. I really enjoy the drill classes and when I’m not working on Sat mornings like to drop in and try to learn something new to improve my game.
This fall I managed to join both a SATA (Sacramento Area Tennis Assoc.) and a USTA (United States Tennis Assoc.) team and find I’m playing at least 2 nights a week for much less than what I was paying at Broadstone Racquet Club. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a part of a private racket club but as you know we realtors are not flush with cash and I needed to trim my budget. The best part is that we play all the local club teams so I get to visit and play at the clubs without having to pay the monthly fees.
Folsom has almost 50 parks but the tennis courts are somewhat limited and even though there are 8 beautiful new courts at the new Vista Del Lago High School they are not for use by the general public. Folsom Lake College has courts but they are not in the best shape and are reserved for the student’s classes.
There is an online site to check for local tennis information started by Sue & Rob Vomund http://www.vomund.com/tennis/ which was most helpful when I first tried to get involved in the sport. They have managed to collect all the information and keep members posted about special events and local court information. What is amazing is the fact that Folsom did not have any league teams playing in 2002 but now has 11 leagues competing for court time which confirms my suspicion that as we age we find that playing keeps us young.
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Empire Ranch Golf Course in Folsom CA
October 2nd, 2008 categories: Folsom Lake, Golf, Outdoor Activities
The Club Corp Charity Classic Sept 26, 2008
Each year the owner of Emprie Ranch Golf Club (Club Corp) has a huge charity event at all their clubs nationwide (140 clubs), This year’s event was aiming to raise 5 million for a variety of charities. One of this year’s charities was Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) Augie’s Quest which is dedicated to finding a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease. There are many charity events held at Empire Ranch Golf Club and I’ve been privileged to help at one of the events supporting the Cancer Society. There are various challenges hosted there to raise support for local schools, the local food bank and corporate sponsored events.
Empire Ranch Golf Club is the only golf course in the city of Folsom and is a par 71 for those who can appreciate that fact. A number of friends love this course for it’s undulating hillsides and challenging terrain but I have to say that although I’m not much of a golfer I do find the landscaping to be peaceful and the views relaxing. Unfortunately this course requires that you get a golf cart because it’s too long to walk which is a shame. The course winds through the Empire Ranch community and has a variety of homes with views at each tee as well as the usual putting green and driving range. I love walking in that area of Folsom because it’s so close to Nisenan Park which was originally going to be a private golf course for the community until the developer realized the cost both in construction and maintenance.
Folsom High School uses this course for their team and some of those talented students have managed to get golf scholarships to various colleges. I was told by a friend (golfer) that if you happen to be female and can consistently shoot 80 or under that you can be assured a full scholarship at many colleges.
The golf pros who coach and the staff are known for their friendly nature and of course you can’t beat the fact that you can play virtually year round in the Sacramento Valley. I just wonder how those homeowners manage to listen to all those excuses about why the ball landed outside the green and next to their fence.
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