I’ve always had a fondness for Abraham Lincoln – we share a birthday. Since this is his birthday month and since he was my first hero he will be the feature for inspiration for the next few Fridays.

“Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”

― Abraham Lincoln

When the cost of buying a home is close to the cost of renting one then the decision to buy often is fairly easy. However Davis is one area where owning a home is much more expensive than paying rent. Here are a few intangibles of owning a home.

• As a property owner you are likely to be more invested in the community – caring more about issues like taxes and schools than if you were just renting.
• Even though it costs more money to make a mortgage payment, at the end of 30 years (if you do not refinance) you will have been forced to save the original cost of the home and it is likely that the house will be worth more at the end of the 30 years than when you purchased the house.
• You can decorate, paint, remodel without needing permission from a landlord. Although if you do make modifications, especially in the city of Davis, be sure to check with City Hall because when you go to sell your home, they will do an inspection and then make you pay extra for things that required permits.
• You won’t get evicted if the landlord decides to sell or for whatever reasons decides to stop renting the property to you – so as long as you make the mortgage and other payments on time you can stay in the house you buy for as long as you like.

Interest rates are really attractive right now and while prices have stayed fairly strong in Davis they are lower than they were at the height of the market. If you are looking to buy for the long term and not just to flip a property you may want to start getting a feel for the market. It is not very likely that there will be a complete meltdown of home prices in Davis – there is limited supply and because of the schools, the university and the community, there is a strong demand to live here. Let me know if you would like help to start your Davis home search.

Saturday, February 4th is the 14th annual Museum Day where museums throughout the Sacramento region will be offering 1/2 price to free admission for the day.

The following venues are participating in 2012:

Aerospace Museum of California
California Automobile Museum
California Foundry History Museum
The California Museum
California State Capitol Museum
California State Indian Museum
California State Military Museum
California State Railroad Museum
Center for Contemporary Art
Crocker Art Museum
Discovery Museum Science and Space Center
The Don and June Salvatori California Pharmacy Museum
Fairytale Town
Folsom History Museum
Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park
Heidrick Ag History Center (Woodland)
Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park
Museum of Medical History
Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum
Old Sacramento State Historic Park
Sacramento Children’s Museum
Sacramento Zoo
Sacramento Historic City Cemetery
Sacramento History Museum
Sojourner Truth Multicultural Arts Museum
Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park
Wells Fargo History Museum (Old Sacramento and Downtown locations).

All of the museums will be free this Saturday except the the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale town which will be charging 1/2 price admission.

This is a great way to get some local culture without breaking the bank. Find out more about this event at http://www.sacmuseums.org/museumday.html

With some easy steps, make your living room look larger with some simple home staging tips.

Some interesting tips:

Use three similar items to create a pattern.

Use battery operated candles for safety instead of burning flames.

Aroma helps to sell a home, use a live bouquet of flowers.

This is a little late because January is almost over but here are my predictions about Davis Real Estate in the upcoming year.

• Inventory will remain relatively low. People who don’t have to sell their homes will likely keep them off the market.
• The rental market will see a slight increase in vacancy rates. The vacancy rates (meaning the number of rental properties that are not occupied) have been very low for years in Davis. However with UC Davis providing some additional housing through West Village and with housing prices falling dramatically in areas surrounding Davis this will create a slight increase in available rental housing.
• Interest rates will stay low throughout 2012.
• Although rates are low some buyers will stay on the fence because they think prices will fall more than rates will rise.
• There will be some distressed sales in Davis (short sales and foreclosures) but as in the past several years, they will not make up the majority of home sales.

Thinking about 2012 predictions – nearly the entire list would have been true for 2011. Sellers likely will feel prices are not strong enough and buyers sitting on the fence that prices are too high. Buyers can take comfort in that there have been some motivated sellers out there and when a property is priced correctly it will sell quickly although other buyers are out there and sometimes this creates multiple offer situations even in this market. With a relatively stable population and very little new construction things in Davis look to stay on a fairly even keel for the year.

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In order to achieve our goals – we will fail more times than we succeed. Personally I know I will sometimes not act at all instead of attempting something that I do not know will be a success. One thing that can bring success is confronting what your fears are answering three questions:

1. How does this fear hold me back in life?

2. How does it help me or how has it helped me in the past?

3. What would be the payoff for elimiating this fear all together?

Learn more about how to conquer your fears and move forward with your life. Are your fears holding you back from your dreams? Are your fears holding you back from buying a great house?

In today’s housing market, finding ways to make your home stand out from the competition is essential. After all, most markets are flooded with houses for sale, which means yours will need to offer something special if you hope to grab a buyer’s attention. Whether selling Denver CO luxury condos or a home in Davis, CA, one way to accomplish this goal is to make some simple repairs and upgrades that will help your home sell more quickly. To that end, here is a look at 5 simple repairs or upgrades that you should consider completing before you put your house on the market.

If it’s Broke, Fix It

Before you worry about upgrades, look through your home and identify any areas that are worn out or broken. Unless he is looking for a fixer-upper, no buyer is interested in purchasing a home that is in need of repair. Furthermore, if you have allowed the little things to fall into disrepair, many buyers will question the condition of major systems such as your heating and air system, your plumbing and other big ticket items. After living in a home for many years, it is easy to overlook its many small problems. Therefore, you may want to ask a real estate agent or a trusted friend or family member to view your home and to point out any areas that are in need of repair.

Make it Shine

After making any necessary repairs, go through your home and thoroughly clean every room. While this will certainly be a time consuming process, the time you spend making your home sparkle and shine will be well worth it. Be sure to clean the windows, the walls, the light fixtures, the woodwork and all other areas of the home from top to bottom.

Appeal to a Broad Audience

One of the tricks to getting a home to sell quickly is to find ways to make it appeal to a large audience of buyers. Painting your walls with a neutral color is the easiest way to complete this task. If you have to replace your carpet, choose neutral colors that will appeal to the greatest number of buyers. If your current carpeting has an unusual pattern or bold colors, you may want to consider replacing it with a neutral tone or pulling it up to expose the hardwood floors beneath.

Give them Space

Every buyer is looking for a home with plenty of living space as well as ample storage space. You can make the home look more spacious by removing clutter and by arranging furniture in a way that allows for easy movement. If your furniture leaves little room to move, consider putting some of it in storage while your home is on the market. Adding a few closet organizers and packing away items off-season items will also create the illusion of more storage space.

Remove Foul Odors

If you smoke, have pets or frequently cook fried foods, you may not be aware of the smells that have permeated your home. Even if you don’t notice, potential buyers certainly will. To get rid of these smells, you may need to replace your carpeting as well as the padding underneath. You may also need to get your furniture and your drapes professionally cleaned. While this will certainly involve making a bit of an investment, the dollars will be well spent when you are able to get your home sold more quickly and at a reasonable cost.

About The Author – Brian Kinkade is a Denver condo specialist, including working with Art House Condos Denver, in his experience as a Realtor with The Home Cart Team in Denver, Colorado.

Doing the steps in this video will only take a few minutes. Writing down your goals makes them more likely to happen. So take a few minutes to watch the video and another few minutes to write your goals and you will be well on your way to getting them acomplished.

No matter if your goals do not currently include buying or selling real estate – it is an immportant way to make things happen in your life instead of reacting blindly to the things that happen around you. Take five minutes to watch the video and take another five minutes to write down ten goals.

Some tips on what length of mortgage should you consider. Questions to ask yourself how long do you plan on being in your home? What is the difference between prequalified and preapproved?

I strongly suggest that you get prequalified with a local lender. Buying a house is one of the largest financial decisions most people make and it can be stressfull event. I work with several different lenders who understand every angle of the process and who know the nuances of the local market. Let me know if you would like to speak with a local lender on any issue related to buying a home.

This story is going to bring out the skeptics – the FBI has indited 5 men on a bid-rigging scheme on foreclosed homes in nearby San Juaquin county. Included in this inditement is an auctioneer. They have been accused of making a private deal amonst themselves not to bid against each other and then splitting the profits.

It has not been easy at the entry level for first time homebuyers to compete against investors with cash – but stories like this also indicate that there is fraud going on – or at least alleged fraud until they go to trial. The story also indicates that 8 people have already pled guilty in this case and that more than 100 foreclosed homes were bought and resold in this scam.