Over these previous holidays (Christmas 2017) I had the honor of interviewing a few local business owners around Sonora, and the Tuolumne County Area in general, for our video blog.
Ridgley was the first one. Check it out. He used to own Sonora Subaru and has been an entrepreneur in the county for "a few years".
Buyers...Buyers...Buyers...
I work with a lot of them myself. If I could get everyone of them to at least consider the following 5 "thoughts" it would save a lot of time. So, let's get into it. What should a buyer consider when starting the search for a home?
1) Financing
Buying a house cannot happen without this being lined up first. Cash (your own or a loan) is the oxygen in a transaction and this is what every realtor worth their salt will tell you to shore-up first. Make sure there is a lender that pre-approves you and that any money you plan on using for a down payment or the transaction is in an account with your name. Also, it is EXPENSIVE TO BUY A HOME...many times You need to plan for closing costs, lender fees, and this is in addition to any downpayment you are considering.
2) Length of Stay
As a general rule I think that every homeowner should plan to live in the home they're buying for at least 5 years. Especially if you are only putting 0-3.5% down (FHA and USDA loans). The reason for this is that a lot of people believe that their house is their single biggest investment. As with any investment, the best rule of thumb is to buy and hold...an investment this big needs time to go up enough in price/pay down the loan. One thing a buyer doesn't often consider, is that when they go to sell a house it will be expensive. So, unless you get the "deal of the century", it is probably best to expect that the house will start paying you back after about 5 years. In a market like Sonora the housing move slowly in price (relative to large cities or HOT areas). Time is generally on your side.
3) Down Payment
Figure out up front what you want to put down. Is the number 0%, 3.5%, 20%, 40%? This matters, because you have to have the money plus some closing costs and once you are in contract you need to know where all this money is coming from. For example, if you are borrowing $10k from parents or an uncle, that needs to be known. Also, as mentioned above there will be more costs. Yes, it costs money to buy a house:)
4) Wants vs. Needs
I've noticed that as most great home searches begin, most people looking for a new home have a list of things they WANT, but this is quite different than what they NEED. The problem here is that a realtor can usually find everything that a buyer NEEDS within their price point. The problem is often trying to find everything they WANT within their price point. This is especially tricky in a small town with very limited inventory.
If you, as a buyer, can determine these differences early, it will be easy to give up some things that may not be available at your price point, or maybe don't even exist in the area you want to buy. An example might be someone who wants a huge yard but wants to live in downtown Sonora. Most homes there have no (or very little) yard because most homes are built on hills or small lots.
5) Location
Yes...it matters. Consider everything, from re-sale potential to schools. You don't want to live in Pinecrest if you have kids going to Sonora High. You probably don't want to live in Jamestown if your kids are going to Summerville High (or you want them to). Also, proximity to job...that can be a big deal.
Location...Location...Location. A lot of buyers I know have grabbed a great deal only to realize the location is a real problem in the end because of the neighbors, traffic, lot, amenities, etc. Please be aware of EVERYTHING that you can and go into a purchase with eyes wide open. Too many times there is compromise on location for something like countertops. Not a great idea overall.
Tuolumne county is spread out- so location can be critical. Even I as a realtor did not think about location enough wen we purchased our new house. Moral of the story? My wife and I realized we like East Sonora better!
The moral of the story is be a buyer, but be informed. I hope this helps in your search for the perfect home in Sonora. Thanks for reading.
Let's start with the house itself. It is in a fantastic location near Sonora High School. It is in the area of Sonora known as Elks Hill. Plenty of excitement happening in (and around) downtown and near Sonora High. I think that anyone could see the value in buying a house in this specific location. The living room has large windows that let the light poor in, and it also transitions well into the dining area. The Kitchen is updated and has a wonderful view of the backyard as well as a door exiting to it.
The Master bedroom is at one end of the house (opposite the other bedrooms) which makes it a nice private suite. It has an attached bathroom and a sliding door that leads to the side yard. It is a large bedroom and plenty of light comes in through the sliding door.
The bathroom has some updated features and leads perfectly into the bedroom. A wonderful window looking out towards the front yard adds to a light feel for the bathroom.
There are 2 other bedrooms as well as a bonus room that the current owner has turned into a gym. There is also a bathroom on the opposed side of the home as well. The hardwood floors go through the hallways and the living room. Check out the other bedrooms and the guest bath below.
There is a nice backyard with room in the back and on the side of the house with the master bedroom. Overall, a wonderful area for the pets or children to run around. A nice loop in the neighborhood makes for a stroll around the block at sunset.
So, if you want to see all of these features and more schedule a showing today. Call Nate or Ralph at (209) 588-3778 or (209) 743-2171
Also, here is a quick video to check out.
So this is a listing that has plenty of opportunity. If you are the kind of person who wants to feel the ultimate privacy, the ultimate silence, and the ultimate view...then please come take a look at this property. This is what Tuolumne county living is all about. Privacy included.
The lot is Triangle Shape in which the long side of the triangle is an old rail road that is now just a dirt road which cuts along the side of a ridge. Your 38 acres is the ridge. So, not only do you have some useable space, but you also have epic views.
The road you can see in the photo above is what cuts along the long side of the triangle.
The Photo below is from the opposite angle. Take a look at the ridgeline that is all yours. You could grade it for the perfect home tomorrow! The current owner already got a quote on the cost of a well in addition to clearing some of the property.
This property is offering owner financing with acceptable terms. Please call us to discuss possible financing options as the owner is open to many different scenarios for financing. We would love to make this Sonora property yours today. Call Nate or Ralph at The Milnik Team.
As always, thanks for reading.
The other day (in December) Judy walks into the office here at Keller and comments that it is soooo busy downtown. I mention that it's because of the bean feed.
Beans?
Yes, Beans Judy.
You see, we live in a small town with a small community- What is known as Podunk, California or Tuolumne County. People like Judy (who are from much larger and fancier places) don't get excited about beans. But we Tuolumne County folk...we get awfully excited. So excited, that this sort of thing has been happening for 30 years and it is just reaching the ears of some locals.
Consider what happened here in Downtown Sonora yesterday. No, we didn't sell a piece of Sonora Real Estate valued at $2,567,400...but you probably thought we did.
Put Simply, what happened was that there was an elderly man with suspenders named Mutz who served up beans.
That's it.
Yet, the scene on the street looked like this in Downtown Sonora:
UNREAL! People lined up for iPhones? Gift Cards? Paying City Parking Tickets? Nope...BEANS. Just a cup full'o beans and some buttered bread.
But what this illustrates is just how much fun local traditions in the Tuolumne County area can be. Both of the Parades, The Fair, The Rodeo, even Free Coffee from some of the best Realtors...these are all wonderful community events.
Mutz, the guy cooking/serving the beans (along with his elves), is a wonderful man. I don't know him super well. In facet, I only met him 3 times. Twice at the bean feed and once at a property near his house. When we met at the property he was weed eating for the last owner of the house (even though they had either passed away or moved) and seemed to be doing it out of the kindness of his heart. He was the definition of Salt-of-the-Earth and I was super thankful to him for doing that act of kindness. It teaches us young people something to emulate. He was, of course, wearing suspenders.
As for this community event, it needs to be continued. Mutz has lived in Sonora, for I assume more than thirty years, and it was announced in a local article this week that this would be his last bean feed. It was amazing to see how many people showed up and so I ran and got some good drone shots from above the downtown buildings to capture this LAST of the famous bean feeds. Hopefully, someone will carry the bean feed next year.
Beans...Beans...the magical fruit, the more you eat the more...we have a community:)
What a wonderful county we live in.
Thank you Mutz.
