Lake Tulloch Real Estate Master

I've got the latest Lake Tulloch / Copperopolis area residential sales statistics for you to see in four clickable graphs. As usual, the first three graphs cover three years including 2008, 2009 and 2010. The first graph spells out the Residential Unit Sales. The second graph highlights Residential Sales Volume. And the third graph shows Residential Average Sales Price. And finally, the fourth graph focuses on the price range breakdown of Residential Units Sold through February 5, 2010. Before you click on the graphs, here are some of the numbers in simple black and white...

 

 

 

I just read an article by Al Lewis entitled: "Cut foreclosures by slicing real estate fees." (You can read the entire article by clicking HERE.) And if you'd be so kind as to allow me to blow off some steam at the get-go (I'd appreciate it): What is it about folks that have a problem with Real Estate brokers and agents receiving remuneration for their services? It's the underlying theme/point/agenda of Lewis' article quite frankly. As he sees it 6 percent commissions are responsible for the foreclosure mess (not government intervention~no) and by doing away with these "hidden" charges the market will see a turnaround and the consumer will be better served. I have a few questions for Mr. Lewis. (Click HERE to read the rest of my response.)

I've got the latest Mother Lode market numbers for you to look at today. To begin with, you'll notice the overall sales picture including all sales classes. CLICK HERE to view January 2010 compared to January 2009. You'll also want to notice the graphs including the Mother Lode Residential Unit Sales through January 2010 graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 1 on the above left) along with the Mother Lode Residential Volume Sales graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 2 on the right) and the Mother Lode Residential Average Sales Price graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 3 on the left below), respectively. (The data used comes from the Tuolumne Multiple Listing Service and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.) As usual, I also have some of the numbers in black and white here:

UNIT SALES: Jan 10 = 20; Jan 09 = 25; -20%

VOL SALES: Jan 10 = $4,406,252; Jan 09 = $6,834,950; -36%

AVG SALES PRICE: Jan 10 = $220,312; Jan 09 = $273,398; -19%

Watch for the Calaveras MLS stats to be posted soon.

You've got a Facebook page. You're tweeting on Twitter. You're establishing business connections on LinkedIn. (Right?) There's only one more thing you need to do: Become Mayor of your hometown?! I'm not kidding. Among the newest social media kids on the block (that I want to highlight today) is Foursquare. This internet application allows you to explore and document the places you go in your neighborhood (and beyond) in a different and fun way. "Check-in" with Foursquare to tell where you are. Leave tips about your favorite places for your friends (and others) to read about later. Earn points and unlock badges depending on the amount of times you visit a particular place (let's say a restaurant, movie theater, library, swimming pool, etc.). Foursquare will even designate you as Mayor of the places you've been to more than anyone else. Beyond these social uses of Foursquare are the potentials for promoting your business and brand. Read Tony Felice's 6 marketing opportunities for Foursquare to find out more. Then sign up for Foursquare today.

Real estate is all about people and helping people (as it is with any career). There are all kinds of people that a real estate professional can work with. There are short people and tall people, young people and old people, skinny people and not so skinny people (is that politically correct to say?), people with tatooes and people without tattooes, people who wear rings on their fingers and people who wear rings on their toes (do you know anyone who does?). There are just so many different people. And then there are just so many different types of personalities that people can have. One way of classifying personalities is through the use of the characters of Winnie the Pooh. Whether you've done it before or not, it's kind of fun to find out which character you're most like and to think about the people you know, work with and/or serve in similar fashion. (Read full post by clicking HERE.)

Are you facing any difficulties? Have they got you to the point of wanting to throw up your arms and quit? There was a man born into poverty. If that wasn't enough, his family lost their home. If that wasn't enough, he had to work to keep the family afloat. If that wasn't enough, his mother died. If that wasn't enough, his business failed. If that wasn't enough, he ran for office and lost. If that wasn't enough, he borrowed some money to get back into business and went bankrupt. If that wasn't enough, he ran for office again and won, but the woman he was engaged to marry, died. If that wasn't enough, he had a nervous breakdown and was bedridden for 180 days. If that wasn't enough, he ran for office again and lost. If that wasn't enough, he would do it again seven more times and lose six of those races. You talk about facing difficulties. You talk about wanting to throw up your arms and quit. And if Abraham Lincoln did, we would never have had one of the greatest U.S. Presidents to ever live. With Honest Abe in mind, here are...

This blog post is the next in a continuing monthly series where I'll pass on some information of interest that you may not get the opportunity to see otherwise. (There are links to the other fourteen posts in this series at the end of this one.) It won't take you long to check out the three articles and one classified ad site covering real estate, blogging, online marketing and more.

10% of wealthier homeowners are delinquent on their mortgages from Real Trends. We hear a lot about the "great recession" being over and the economy turning around, but do the numbers bear that out? Don't confuse me with the facts.

Fear of Bad Ideas by Seth Godin. Are you trying to come up with a good idea? Then you need to generate a few bad ones, first. A quick, must read no matter what your business or career position.

One Foolproof Trick to Blast Writer’s Block by James Chartrand. If you've ever faced a blank computer screen and had a brain freeze, thinking, "I don't know what to write about," this is for you. A great tip on how to get your creative juices flowing whatever writing project you've got in front of you.

Create Free Classified Ads & Flyers Online. Promoting your product on the internet is a must whether you're selling real estate or something else. This application allows you to post eye-catching ads to Twitter, Craig's List, Facebook, etc. Worth a look.

More Mother Lode Real Estate "Must Reads":

Dec 2009

Nov 2009

Oct 2009

Sept 2009

Aug 2009

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

Apr 2009

Mar 2009

Feb 2009

Jan 2009

Dec 2008

Nov 2008

(The author of the Sugar Pine Realty blog does not necessarily endorse or disapprove of the thoughts included via the above links.)

Here's a novel idea on how to make your house more appealing. Paint whatever features you like. They did it in this Italian city (see below). Thanks to @GuyKawasaki for tweeting this video.

Tuolumne County was highlighted in the news recently (see below). The delay in processing permits is being blamed on staff reductions and the inability to master new technology. Thanks to News 10 Sacramento for providing this video.

I've been living in the Sierra foothill town of Sonora, California for more than a dozen years now. Just to show you how much my wife and I knew about the area prior to our arrival, the greater Sonora area is known/referred to as the "Mother Lode" due to it's rich history and gold mining past. Thus, "Mother Lode" is used often whether it be included in a school's name, in a story in the local newspaper, etc. And so my wife really thought it was a woman/mom who owned the whole county called "Mother Lode." (Chuckle, chuckle.) This thinking was quickly corrected. Since then we've come to know a lot about the area of Sonora and the town itself. Some of it I share with you now in the following list:

9 Things You Should Know Before Moving to Sonora...