A couple in Warren, Texas, has listed their home for sale in order to be able to offer $50,000 as a reward to find their missing dog.
Charlie Parker says his missing chocolate Lab, named Sir, means everything to the family and they’re willing to give up the roof over their heads in order to find him.
“He plays such a great role in our lives,” says Parker, who has had the dog for five years. “Whatever it takes, just bring me the animal and I’ll pay you.”
The chocolate Lab disappeared Sept. 15 while Parker was mowing the lawn. The family is offering a $50,000 reward to anyone who returns the dog safely. In order to offer the $50,000 award, the family put their home on the market.
Parker told reporters that he’s willing to do anything to find the missing dog, except give up his wife and horse.
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Inventories of for-sale homes aren’t the only thing that is dropping. The amount of time homes are staying on the market is growing shorter as well—down 11 percent in the last year—according to the latest Realtor.com data.
Homes were listed on average 95 days, according to September housing data. That is down from 107 days a year earlier.
Homes are selling the fastest in Oakland, Calif., in which the median age of the inventory averages 21 days, which is 57 percent below what it was a year ago. Denver, Colo. boasts a median age of inventory of only 38 days, followed by fast-selling markets of Stockton-Lodi, Calif., with 43 days, and San Francisco with 44 days.
As the median age of the inventory is falling, inventories of for-sale homes continue to hover at record lows too, dropping 18 percent last month compared to a year ago.
“There’s a recovery,” Curt Beardsley, vice president of Realtor.com, told BusinessWeek. “Our market times are low and there’s actually a compression of inventory.”
Home buyer demand is increasing, with housing affordability still high and ultra low mortgage rates that have pushed home buyers’ purchasing power higher. The rise in demand has caused asking prices to also rise. Last month, the median asking price was $191,500, which is up 0.8 percent compared to a year earlier, Realtor.com reports.
The Nevada County Fairgrounds Foundation is hosting a costume contest at its Halloween event on Saturday, October 27, from 1 – 4 pm at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. The costume parade and contest will take place at 2 pm at the Main Exhibit Building, with prizes awarded following the contest.
There will also be games and treats for kids, face painting, and even a cupcake walk! Hot dogs and all the fixins’ will be served and DJs Bobby ‘G’ and Tonni ‘T’ will provide family-friendly music for all to enjoy. The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Model Railroad will be open for tours, and, weather permitting, Empire Carriage Company will provide carriage rides around the Fairgrounds.
Additionally, the Rotary Club of Grass Valley will host its annual “Ball Drop,” with a chance to win $1,000, at 3:30 at the Fairgrounds. Tickets will be available at the event. The local Grass Valley Fire Department ladder truck that will do the golf ball drop will be on the grounds at 1:30 and will provide treats and welcome children to tour the fire truck.
It’s all happening, rain or shine, on Saturday, October 27 from 1 – 4 pm at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. The cost is only $5 per person and includes food, treats, games and entertainment! Tickets can be purchased on the day of the event at the Fairgrounds.
The Halloween Fun at the Fairgrounds event is sponsored by Cirino’s at Main Street/Cirino’s Bar and Grill. Click here for information or call
(530) 273-6217.
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Captured on four cameras, a nice black marlin off Cairns, Australia jumps and lands aboard the “Little Audrey.” The crew was lucky to escape with only minor injuries and the feisty marlin was released. Little Audrey Game fishing Charters www.littleaudrey.com.au
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A continued shortage of available homes for sale lowered California home sales in September, while the median price reached the highest level in more than four years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported this week.
“Sales in the inland and coastal markets continue to move in different directions. Low inventory – especially in distressed areas – is dampening sales activity,” said C.A.R. President LeFrancis Arnold. “In many of these areas, there is a one- to two-month supply of REO homes on the market. “The Inland Empire and the Central Valley have experienced double-digit sales declines compared with last year. Meanwhile, sales were higher in San Diego and most Bay Area counties, where the economies appear to be growing faster than the rest of the state.”
Sales in September were down 5.2 percent compared with August and down 1.2 percent from September 2011.
The statewide median price of an existing, single-family detached home inched up 0.3 percent from August’s $343,820 median price to $345,000 in September.
California’s housing inventory eased slightly in September, with the Unsold Inventory Index for existing, single-family detached homes edging up to 3.7 months, up from a revised 3.2 months in August and 5.3 months in September 2011. The index indicates the number of months needed to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate. A six- to seven-month supply is considered normal.
Homes sold faster in September, with the median number of days it took to sell a single-family home falling to 39.3 days in September 2012 from 41.1 days in August and down from a revised 54.2 days for the same period a year ago.
John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
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Join us for a ghoulishly good time at the Graveyard Ghoul-a at the Nevada County Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 27, from 8 pm to midnight. As part of the fun, there will be numerous costume contests, including one for the most original costume, one for the scariest/goriest costume, one for the best costumed couple, and one for the most humorous costume. Contestants will have a chance to win cash, as well as carnival tickets and tickets to the annual Nevada County Fair and the Draft Horse Classic.
The event will feature dancing, and DJsBobby ‘G’ and Tonni ‘T’ playing dance hits and crowd-favorites that will keep the crowd moving all night! They’ll also be taking requests at the event, so be prepared to dance to your favorite song!
A bar will be available for beer and booooze; hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, and sweets will be available; and fantastic door prizes will be given away.
Tickets to the Graveyard Ghoul-a are $10 if purchased in advance, and $15 at the door. Parking is free. For your convenience, camping will be available for only $10. Must be 21 years or older to attend.
To purchase your tickets in advance, visit the Fair Office on McCourtney Road or call the Fair Office at (530) 273-6217. Details can be found at click here.
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in costume prepare to enjoy the games, activities, and treats at the Halloween Fun at the Fairgrounds, taking place this year on Saturday, October 27.
Fun at the Fairgrounds: 1 – 4 pm – Graveyard Ghoul-a: 8 pm – midnight
Join in the fall festivities and Halloween fun at the Nevada County Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 27. This year, there are two events to choose from – “Halloween Fun at the Fairgrounds” during the day for children and families, and a “Graveyard Ghoul-a” at night for those 21 years and older. Rain or shine, in costume or in street clothes, don’t miss out on the fun!
Halloween Fun at the Fairgrounds: A Treat for the Kids
Bring your family and friends for some Halloween Fun at the Fairgrounds, from 1- 4 pm on Saturday, October 27. Hot dogs will be served, and there will be treats for the kids, a cupcake walk, and lots of games. Plus, you don’t want to miss the costume contests and a chance to win some great prizes!
The cost for the Halloween event at the Fairgrounds is only $5 per person and includes food, treats, games, and entertainment! Tickets will be available at the door on the day of the event. This family-friendly Halloween event is hosted by the Nevada County Fairgrounds Foundation.
Graveyard Ghoul-a: A Treat for Adults
Adults have fun at a costume contest at last year’s Graveyard Ghoul-a at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. This year’s event is October 27 from 8 pm – midnight.
In the evening, for those over 21 years of age, we’ve got some ghoulish goings-on at the Graveyard Ghoul-a, which takes place on Saturday, October 27, from 8 pm to midnight. Join us for a ghoulishly good time, including dancing, a rockin’ DJ, beer and booooze, food and a costume contest. And you don’t want to miss out on some great door prizes. Tickets to the Graveyard Ghoul-a are $10 if purchased in advance, and $15 at the door. Parking is free, and, for your convenience, camping will be available at a special rate of $10.
For advance tickets for the Graveyard Ghoul-a event, call the Fair Office at (530) 273-6217, or for details about the Halloween events, visit the fairgrounds website.
For all your real estate needs
Email or call today:
John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
Civil Engineer
General Contractor
(530) 263-1091
Email jodell@nevadacounty.com
Low inventories of homes for-sale are becoming troubling to home buyers, Inman News reports. Almost every major market in the U.S. has posted double-digit decreases in for-sale listings.
“The buyers tend to become a little frustrated as they are seeing homes that they want to ‘think about’ and before they can even get home to discuss it there are already multiple offers on the property,” Sheri Moritz, a real estate broker with Keller Williams’ Wake Home Team in Raleigh, N.C., told Inman News. In Raleigh, inventories have fallen 21 percent in the past year, according to Realtor.com data.
“I counsel buyers to be patient, and not get discouraged, that it may take extra time to find the suitable property,” adds Tom Avent, broker-owner at Tom Avent Real Estate in Fresno, Calif., which has posted a 43.1 percent drop in inventories in the past year. “I have also seen some buyers give up looking, frustrated with low inventory and losing out in multiple-offer bidding.”
Multiple bid situations are a common occurrence in many markets. But surveys show that home buyers lose their enthusiasm when faced with competition for a property, according to a recent survey by Redfin. Seven in 10 of home buyers surveyed reported that they’ve faced competition on at least one of their offers recently, but 31 percent say they would back off when faced with a multiple offer situation for a home, according to the Redfin survey.
Charles Roberts, a director at the Denver Board of REALTORS® and co-owner of Your Castle Real Estate, says that “urgency” is the new landscape greeting home buyers.
“Gone are the days of looking at 50 homes and taking months to make a decision,” Roberts told Inman News. “If there’s a good property on the market, buyers need to act quickly, and yes, sometimes bid above asking price. The educated, thoughtful clients are getting great deals with astoundingly low interest rates. The clients that are still insisting on putting offers at 80 cents on the dollar are getting shut out of the market. They either learn that that strategy doesn’t work anymore or they keep on renting. Our job as real estate agents is to teach them what the market looks like and guide them in their decision-making.”
Photo caption: Kirk Messenger and his Percherons perform at the 26th annual Draft Horse Classic. Messenger, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was the winner of the Six-Up Ultimate Hitch Championship. Photo credit: Ron Calef, ProSportsPix.com
Awards for the 26th annual Draft Horse Classic, held September 20 – 23 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, have been announced. Gary Nebergall of Arthur, Illinois judged the Draft Horse competitions and halter show. Dwight Gilbert from Nevada was the judge of the pulling contest; and Craig Trnka from New Mexico was the horseshoe competition judge.
Draft horse exhibitors from California, British Columbia, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington competed for more than $35,000 in premium awards. The competitions took place during six performances over the four-day event.
The winner of the Six-Up Ultimate Hitch Championship was Kirk Messenger of the Mark Messenger Memorial Hitch, from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Dakota Messenger, also of Mark Messenger Memorial Hitch, and Katie Cook of Young Living Percherons from Mona, Utah, were recognized as the outstanding lady drivers, both accumulating high points to win the Susan Parnell High Point Perpetual Award.
The Teamster of the Year Award was presented to Steve Smith, an honor bestowed upon him by the voting of his fellow teamsters. Smith is from Quail Creek Percherons in Carmichael, California. The Draft Horse & Mule Association presented their special Teamster Award to Kirk Messenger of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Ciera Barry of Shady Oaks Ranch in Millville, California, won the Youth of the Show award.
The Overall Supreme Champion horse, Hugh; the Grand Champion Stallion, Ogdensburg HC Variety; and the Grand Champion Mare, Mission Bell Abigail; are all owned by Castagnasso Clydesdales and shown by Tony Knecht of Sonoma, California.
The winner in the 2012 Edward Martin Perpetual Horseshoeing Competition was J D Downs of Colorado.
At the second annual Classic BBQ Cook-Off, the Grand Champion was Richard Holguin, cooking for Cecil’s Smokin’ BBQ of San Jose; and the Reserve Grand Champion prize went to Mary Odor, cooking for Mad Mo’s BBQ of Meridian. The People’s Choice Champion was Bad S BBQ of Sunnyvale, with Ryan Pang cooking.
At the Harvest Fair, the People’s Choice award for the Scarecrows went to Nancy Brown, and the Best of Division in the Scarecrows went to Rivera Swartzendruber.
A complete list of 2012 Draft Horse Classic awards, as well as all the Harvest Fair winners and a complete list of Barbecue Cook-Off results, is on the Nevada County Fairgrounds’ website at www.NevadaCountyFair.com.
The 2013 Draft Horse Classic is scheduled for September 19 – 22. Tickets will go on sale on May 1, 2013. Visit www.NevadaCountyFair.com for more information.
Now Apple has sued Amazon for using the term Amazon AppStore. Claiming that Appstore is their name only, sure enough Apple is in court crying, you can’t use that name, its ours. (Along with rectangles with rounded corners)
Amazon added that even Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and his predecessor Steve Jobs have used the term to discuss rivals, with Cook having commented on “the number of app stores out there” and Jobs referring to the “four app stores on Android.”
Amazon has recently requested a federal judge to throw out this “false advertising” claim, citing that even Apple’s CEO refers to application marketplaces as “app stores” in General. “Apple presumably does not contend that its past and current CEOs made false statements regarding to those other app stores to thousands of investors in earnings calls,” said Amazon.
In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook has referred to the “number of app stores out there,” while the late Steve Jobs had, at some point, referred to “four app stores on Android.”
A hearing is set for October 31, while trial commences August 19, 2013. Is it, indeed, a case of misleading advertising? Should “app store” be considered a generic term, like other “genericized” brands and trademarks out there, such as aspirin, zipper, escalator and even heroin?
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