All posts by jd

Real estate broker, civil engineer and general contractor.

Camping, Entertainment, Hiking, Lakes in nevada county, Nevada County Information, Recreation

Bullards Bar Reservoir & Emerald Cove Marina, Dobbins, California

July 4, 2011 jd

Emerald Cove Marina - photo courtesy of Emerald Cove Marina — Emerald Cove Marina – photo courtesy of Emerald Cove Marina

Bullards Bar Reservoir is not in Nevada County, but it is close enough to Nevada City and Grass Valley as to make it a destination for water skiing, house boating and fishing. It’s only 21 miles north of Nevada City off of Highway 49 in the historic gold country. The three closest cities are Nevada City, Grass Valley and Marysville.

The lake surface is at 2,000 foot elevation, 16 miles long with about 60 miles of shoreline. The boating surface is 4,700 acres, which is a lot of area to boat in. There are only two launch ramps and once you are in the water, you are surrounded by a greenbelt covered with pine, oak, fir, madrone, dogwood and other species of trees native to the area. As you cruise up into the North Yuba Canyon, sheer cliffs of granite come down to greet the crystal clear water.

The North Yuba River is backed up by New Bullards Bar Dam which is an awesome sight all by itself. Standing 645? above the canyon floor, it holds back 960,000 acre feet of water. It’s the second tallest dam in California, 5th tallest in the United States. A hydro-electric dam, Bullards Bar Dam is operated and controlled by the Yuba County Water Agency. They are able to manage the water so that recreation access to the reservoir is never restricted.

Bullards Bar offers boat access campgrounds, land based sites, and shoreline camping permits. There are a total of only 160 sites, which limits the amount of people the area can accommodate. Emerald Cove Marina takes site specific reservations for all camping.

For the fisherman, there are kokanee salmon, rainbow trout, German browns, large mouth, small mouth and black bass, crappie, catfish, and bluegill. Bullards Bar has a reputation as having the best kokanee salmon and black bass fishing in California.

CAMPING
Campgrounds – Call for reservations & fees
Pets, NO Hookups, Boat & Trailer Storage, Some Flush Toilets

BOATING
Power, Row, Jet ski, Windsurf, Canoe, Sail, Water-ski, and Inflatables are allowed.
There is a full service marina with gas and propane exchange available
Rentals: Houseboats, Ski Boats, Jet Skis, and Pontoon Patio Boats

RECREATION
Fishing
Swimming, Picnicking, & Hiking
Snacks, Groceries, Bait & Tackle and Fuel Dock

For further information and reservations contact Emerald Cove Marina (530) 692-3200

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For all your real estate needs, call or email:

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Real Estate

New Loan Limits Would Hurt Home Sales

July 3, 2011 jd

Unless Congress takes action, the current loan limits will expire on Sept. 30 and the cost of a mortgage could rise significantly, especially in high-cost areas such as California.

More than 30,000 California families could face higher down payments, higher mortgage rates, and stricter loan qualification requirements if conforming loan limits on mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are reduced beginning October 1, 2011, according to analysis by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.).
The conforming loan limit determines the maximum size of a mortgage that FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) can buy or guarantee.
Non-conforming or jumbo loans typically carry a higher mortgage interest rate than a conforming loan and require a higher down payment, increasing the monthly payment and negatively impacting housing affordability for California home buyers.
C.A.R. and the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) have long advocated making permanent higher conforming loan limits. As a result of C.A.R.’s and NAR’s efforts, in 2008, Congress temporarily raised the conforming loan limits from $417,000 to $729,750 and has extended them annually through fiscal year 2011.
To see the impact the lower limits would have on various regions throughout the state, go to the click here

Read the full story

Need help with a short sale?
For all your real estate needs, call or email

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

nevada county fair

Nevada County Mother Lode Horse Show Results

July 2, 2011 jd

The Nevada County Fairgrounds welcomed horse enthusiasts this past weekend as exhibitors competed in the 2011 Mother Lode Horse Show. This annual three-day event gives spectators an opportunity to observe participants work with their horses as they compete in Driving, English, Halter and Western Shows. At the conclusion of each class, competitors are awarded their placing, which is a demonstration of achievement in horsemanship. The results of the Mother Lode Horse Show are listed below.

The Mother Lode Horse Show is the official horse show of the Nevada County Fair. This year’s Nevada County Fair starts Wednesday, August 10 and runs through Sunday, August 14. For more information about the Fair, visit www.NevadaCountyFair.com.

2011 Mother Lode Horse Show Results

I. High Point Winners:

Beginning English Youth: Adison LoPiccolo, Riding The Black Knight
17 & Under English: Shannon Odell, Riding Jo’s Jagged Edge
Walk-Jog 10 & Under: Claire March, Riding Mr. Flashman
Western 13 & Under: Sunny Gorba, Riding Miss Gracie Undercover
Western 14 & Over: Julianne Nevin, Riding Little Miss Mia
Performance Mule: No Award Given – Lack of Entries
American Morgan Horse Award: Scott Monroe with Bethesda After Dark

The Mother Lode Fairs Circuit High Point Awards will be presented at the end of the circuit.

The final horse show will be at the Amador County Fair, July 27 – 31.

II. Awards and Trophies:

Friday, June 24th – Driving Show: Judged by Nancy Myers

Tori Thompson Perpetual Trophy, Pleasure Driving Turnout:

Leslie Berndl, Driving Bethesda After Dark

Sponsored by Noble Beast Graphics of Nevada City and

Owner Tommy Thompson of Grass Valley

Honor Schaps Open Driving:

Leslie Berndl, Driving Bethesda After Dark

Sponsored by Sierra Saddlery & Mercantile

Bab Verdugo Perpetual Trophy for Gamblers Choice:

Leslie Berndl, Driving Bethesda After Dark

Sponsored by Cherie Harter and Golden Empire Equestrians

Saturday, June 25th – English Show: Judged by Peggy Fackrell and Gaited Classes judged by Henry Bell

Ted Schaps Hunter Sweepstakes:

Lyssette Williams, Riding Sueno

Sponsored by Emigrant Springs Horsemanship

Glen Silva Jumper Sweepstakes:

Maguire Lessard, Riding Truth Be Told

Amazon Taxed By State of California, Amazon Cancels All California Associates Program

July 1, 2011 jd

You may have noticed that I had an Amazon.com advertisement on the right side of my website. Governor Brown has signed into law a bill that taxes sales of items bought on the internet from Amazon. Because of the new law, my Amazon ad is no longer there, because it specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers – including but not limited to those referred by California-based marketing affiliates even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.

I was part of what Amazon.com calls Amazon Associates which allowed me to place their ad on my website. Whenever anyone clicked on my ad and bought something I received a small percentage of the sale.

As of June 29, 2011, Amazon has cancelled all affiliations with any Amazon Associates in California. I don’t think this bill is going to help, since the attitude of Amazon is: “Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that we must take this action.”

The aforementioned “other states” include New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, and North Carolina, most of which have seen their own Amazon affiliate programs killed for exactly the same reason. (Edit: New York managed to keep its Amazon affiliate program, presumably because it’s such a huge market.) And, as noted by The Tax Foundation, there are a handful of others—Arizona, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont—that are considering passing similar “Amazon Tax” measures.

Not that the measures are necessarily helping much in terms of states collecting more tax revenue—Rhode Island General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio was recently quoted, saying, “The affiliate tax has hurt Rhode Island businesses and stifled their growth, as they’ve been shut out of some of the world’s largest marketplaces, and should be repealed immediately.” FatWallet, which itself acts as a giant affiliate to Amazon and Overstock, ended up moving from Illinois to Wisconsin over the Illinois “Amazon Tax.”

So we’ll have to see how this works out. What do you think.

Can’t make your house payments? Have you considered a short sale?

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
O’Dell Realty
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Real Estate

Banks Continue Their Tight Lending Practice, Shutting Out Home Buyers

June 29, 2011 jd

We all know that this recession we are in now is all due to our banks and Wall Street. With their haste to make as much money as possible, by reducing lending requirements, they created a housing market that had only one direction to go., down. They created a wave of foreclosures, Wall Street firms going out of business, along with some of the banks which created this mess. (An excellent analysis of what happened is in the book “Inside the Big Short, The Doomsday Machine” by Micheal Lewis)

Now, to compound this mess, banks have tighten credit requirements for home mortgages to the other extreme. What this means of course, is that it is not helping the housing market to recover.

Here’s a portion of an article appearing in the Wall Street Journal giving an example of the “new lending practices.”

“With the tightening of credit over the last few years by banks, more potential buyers find they are being shut out of home ownership, unable to obtain financing for their home purchase. And it’s not just buyers with poor credit histories being rejected for home loans–some buyers are even coming with stellar credit scores and big down payments, experts say.

For example, Amy Menell told The Wall Street Journal how a bank denied her for a home loan, despite her credit score being above 800, no debt, and having a down payment of more than 50 percent of the cost of the $400,000 home. However, Menell, who was in the process of finalizing a divorce, works as a real estate agent and didn’t have much income in 2009. While her business has picked up since then, she did not have the two years of documented income the banks wanted to process her loan application.

Other qualified buyers coming with good credit scores and credit histories are also finding themselves unable to get a home loan. Those who are having the toughest time are those who have seen their incomes drop or interrupted by a time of unemployment and self-employed applicants.

The percentage of mortgage applications rejected by the nation’s largest lenders increased last year: The country’s 10 largest mortgage lenders denied 26.8 percent of loan applications in 2010, which is up from 23.5 percent in 2009, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.

The analysis showed denial rates for loans were highest in Miami, Detroit, and New Orleans. In Miami, for example, nearly 44 percent of home loan applications were denied last year (home prices in Miami have dropped by 50 percent since their 2006 peak), according to The Wall Street Journal. Lenders denied the fewest loans in Raleigh, N.C.; Bethesda, Md.; and San Jose, Calif.

An Ease in Sight?

Banks continue to be under pressure to avoid heavy losses, which fueled the tightened standards in the first place.

“Clearly we got too loose. This is a return to historical standards,” says Doug Duncan, Fannie’s chief economist.

Lenders don’t appear to have plans to ease credit soon either. Nearly four in 10 banks reported even tighter mortgage lending standards for the 12-month period ended in February, according to a survey by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Only 8 percent of the banks surveyed said they had eased their credit standards”

Source: “Tighter Lending Crimps Housing,” The Wall Street Journal (June 25, 2011)

So let me know what you think.

Need help with a short sale?
Call or email:

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
9530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Restaurants

Diego’s Restaurant In Grass Valley

June 28, 2011 jd

Outside seating in Diegos - Photo by John J. O'Dell

By Sherri L. Reynolds

Diego’s located in Grass Valley,Ca. at 217 Colfax Ave, (530) 477-1460

Hours: Monday 4 pm to 9 pm , Tuesday – Thursday 11 am to 9 pm, Friday 11 am to 9:30 pm, Saturday 12 pm to 9:30 pm, Music provided on Friday nights.

For an authentic style of South American flavor, ” Diego’s ” restaurant in Grass Valley, Ca. provides an experience for family and friends to gather for a very special meal of Chilean cuisine. Established in 2004, the owners, June and Diane have put together a place where dining is comfortable, affordable, fun and charming.

Their style of food ranges from starters, such as Empanadita’s (these are small fried empanada’s filled with mozzarella, jack and feta cheese) breaded and fried calamari to homemade mushroom soup. The salads are made fresh with organic greens and grilled seasoned veggies. The local favorite is the Ensalada Diego, served with your choice of grilled chicken, steak, pork, tofu or barbequed vegetables. All salad’s are served with homemade dressings. My favorite is the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette…very tasty !

Sandwiches are made with fresh baked pan bread and served with seasoned grilled veggies or you can order a side of garlic or sweet potato fries.One I like is the grilled chicken breast with guacamole, tomato, mozzarella or you can choose to spice it up with their traditional South American spice paste with smoke and pepper flavors. They also have anything from grilled steak, Portobello, roasted pork, veggie, bratwurst to burgers ( Nevada County, Ca grass-fed/naturally raised).

Specialty dinner entrees include a diverse selection of filet tilapia, crab relleno’s, stuffed Portobello with sautéed tofu and savory crepes filled with chorizo pork with grilled pineapple. All fish dishes are wild caught and meat dishes are range-free with no hormones or antibiotics added. All breads and corn tortillas are house made.

Thursday’s are fish taco day and these are absolutely delicious ( a sure winner) and a choice I recommend highly. For drinks/beverages they have organic teas, coffee, sodas, wine and beer. They are known for making Sangria’s and their house favorite is the “Electric Lemonade” made with rice distilled vodka or agave wine.

There is an outdoor covered patio for dining and a chalk board that welcome’s you with a quote for the day. One quote I happen to read said ” God bless is all, everyone of us” by Tiny Tim. The patio is decorated with a water fountain, chimes playing in the breeze, soft colored red clay walls imbedded with flower planters, an evening light in the shape of a star to make it an inviting and pleasurable experience.

Diego’s provides great service, good quality food and friendliness. It makes you feel like you’re somewhere else having an authentic experience. As Diego’s puts it ” Love is everything” and they do put a lot of love into their cooking. Try it out and explore a whole new taste in exceptional food.

” Enjoy life and the taste for it ”

Bon appétit,
Sherri L. Reynolds
sreynoldsjb@yahoo.com
freelance/poet/creative writer

Want a list of bank owned properties?
Call or email:
John J. O’Dell Realtor®
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
9530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

nevada county fair

Nevada County Draft Horse Classic & Harvest Fair September 22 to 25, 2011

June 27, 2011 jd

Dan Simpson - Photo courtesy of Nevada County Fair

By Wendy Oaks

Grass Valley, California – Join the beautiful Draft Horses for the 25^th anniversary of the Draft Horse Classic and Harvest Fair, happening September 22 – 25, 2011 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley.

The Draft Horse Classic has grown to become the premier Draft Horse show in the western United States, and features six majestic performances with the beautiful Draft Horses delighting fans with their pageantry, elegance, and strength. In between classes, enjoy showcase specialty acts, including some returning favorites like Clay Maier and Ramon Becerra, as well as some new acts.

To celebrate our anniversary, we’re offering discounted pricing on morning performances and children’s tickets. All tickets are on sale now!

Draft Horse Classic evening and late afternoon performance tickets are $21 for reserved seating and $18 for general admission. For morning performances, tickets are $15 for reserved seating and $12 for general admission. For children (ages 12 and under), any performance ticket is $13 for reserved seating and $10 for general admission. Ticket order forms are available at www.NevadaCountyFair.com. You can order your tickets by FAX, mail, phone or walk-in. General admission tickets can also be ordered at www.NevadaCountyFair.com. There is a small transaction fee if you order your tickets on-line. For all tickets purchased after September 21, there is an additional $3 charge per ticket.

While at the Fairgrounds, take time to visit the many Harvest Fair activities. Featuring live musical entertainment, lumberjack shows, Treat Street goodies, Art at the Classic, a chance to visit with the horses, and hundreds of community exhibits, the Harvest Fair is an experience that can be enjoyed by kids and adults! Although there is a fee for the Draft Horse performances, admission to the Fairgrounds and Harvest Fair activities are free, so stop by anytime during the four-day event.

“Taste of the Gold” will once again be held on Saturday of the Classic. This fun and tasty event features fine food and drink from some of the Gold Country’s finest restaurants and wineries. For tickets and information, visit www.sierravintners.com or call the Grass Valley Downtown Association at (530) 272-8315.

The Draft Horse Classic and Harvest Fair is held at the Nevada County Fairgrounds, located at 11228 McCourtney Road in Grass Valley, 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, off Highway 49. Visit us at www.NevadaCountyFair.com or call (530) 273-6217 for information.

By Wendy Oaks
Nevada County Fairgrounds
(530) 273-6217
wsoaks@gmail.com
Website: www.NevadaCountyFair.com
Facebook: Nevada County Fairgrounds

Call or email for a free list of bank owned homes in Nevada County
John J. O’Dell® GRI
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Real Estate

Kenny Roger’s Estate For Sale For $20 Million

June 25, 2011 jd

httpv://youtu.be/KyOtL-H-UAQ

The Grand Athens, Georgia Resort that Kenny Rogers called home until 2003 is on the market. The home is a reflection of the country star as he had a hand in just about every facet this 973-acre property’s design. ”The Gambler” designed every inch of his domain, from the 18-hole championship golf course modeled after PGA tour stops to the 12,000-square-foot main house. The sprawling plantation has amenities and space to qualify as a private resort, with a 90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art equestrian facility, two barns, two swimming pools, clay tennis courts, a spa, a conference center, three fish-stocked lakes, and a lake house. And let’s not forget the six-bedroom guest house, the four-bedroom guest house, and four one-bedroom villas. You wouldn’t expect his guests to have to stay in a hotel, would you?

Call or email for a free list of all bank owned properties in Nevada County MLS

John J. O’Dell Realtor®
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
9530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Real Estate

Facing Foreclosure? Here’s Some Myths, Debunked

June 24, 2011 jd

Although there are a number of programs available to help homeowners who have defaulted on their mortgages keep their home, the large amount of misinformation tends to result in troubled homeowners failing to contact their lender until it is too late.

Some homeowners believe, incorrectly, that contacting their lender early in the process will draw attention to their situation and result in a quicker foreclosure. In reality, contacting the lender or servicer is an important first step, and the sooner, the better. Contacting the lender provides the homeowner with an opportunity to explain their situation and the steps necessary to deal with it.
It is a common misconception that missing one mortgage payment will lead to foreclosure. However, the foreclosure process doesn’t begin until payments are 90 days delinquent. Lenders generally have a financial interest in keeping homeowners in their homes, so making contact as early as possible could help lenders modify terms of the mortgage or devise a repayment plan.
Once homeowners are behind on their mortgage payments, it becomes challenging to dig out of the hole. Some homeowners try to solve this by depleting their savings or dipping into their retirement accounts to become current on the loan. Most financial experts advise against this.
Delinquent homeowners may think they should stop making mortgage payments to get their lender’s attention, which often isn’t the case. When possible, homeowners should stay current on their mortgage payments and continue to contact their lender on a regular basis.
Homeowners who have applied for assistance or loan modification programs in the past and were turned down are advised to reapply. Program parameters are constantly changing, so the rules might have been liberalized since the last time the borrower sought help.
A number of free, government-sponsored housing services are available through the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A list of HUD-approved agencies can be found at http://www.hud.gov.

Read the full story

Having trouble with your mortgage, have you considered a short sale?
Let me help you. no charge, free consultation

John J. O’Dell® GRI
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Business

Business Owners, How Do You Get Out of That Vicious Cycle?

June 23, 2011 jd

Business Plan - Picture courtesy of cuvc.org

by Lisa J. Lehr

Business owners can easily get stuck in a vicious cycle: Business isn’t so good. They can’t afford to outsource their marketing. They do it themselves, results remain poor, and business remains not-so-good.

How do business owners get out of this vicious cycle? It’s not easy, but it’s simple: they make a decision to get serious about their marketing before they lose their business altogether. If you’re a business owner finding yourself in this rut, here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Define your audience. If you try to market to everyone, you end up marketing to no one. Who’s your target market? Once you’ve figured this out, you may discover you don’t have to spend as much money on marketing as you have been.

2. Find a copywriter. Ask other local business people or do an online search. You can work with someone locally or long-distance, as you prefer. Fee structures vary. After you’ve interviewed a few, it’s best to choose one in the mid-range. Highly paid copywriters are the best, but a lot of their cost is simply their fame. Don’t choose the lowest bidder—you’ll get what you pay for.

3. Get a website! It’s mind-boggling that some business owners still don’t “get it” that a website is absolutely essential. Many potential customers want to “check you out” before they call you or come into your place of business. If they can’t, they may well go to your competitor instead. It’s really not a highly technical task anymore, but if you don’t have the skills or the time to do it yourself, outsource it.

4. Put an opt-in box on your website. Collect names and e-mail addresses. Keep a list. Then keep in touch with your list. It’s that simple.

5. Have a call to action. This can work in harmony with the opt-in, such as “download your free report,” or separately, such as “call for a free consultation.” But be sure to tell your website visitors what you want them to do.

6. Give them free information. It may seem counter-intuitive, but giving away information accomplishes two things: it establishes you as an expert, and it makes people feel indebted to you. Free information can take many forms. Ask your copywriter about it.

7. Take advantage of free publicity. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and several other social media tools are free. Learn how to use them.

8. Leverage testimonials. The first thing you need to know is that you (almost) never use a testimonial word-for-word. That would be akin to recording a real-life conversation and transcribing it as-is for dialog in a novel. (It really doesn’t sound very good.) If you do not haves testimonials (maybe you’re a new business), your copywriter can help you work around this.

9. Leverage customer complaints. Complaints are not all bad! Among other things, they tell you what you need to improve. While an unhappy customer spreads the “bad” word much farther and wider than a happy one spreads the “good” word, you can turn an unhappy customer into a happy one.

10. As a local business, you can create a “coupon swap” program with another local business and double your potential customer base.

11. Ask your copywriter what kinds of marketing collateral would benefit your business. White papers, news releases, fliers, brochures, postcards, and many others are all in the repertoire of any good copywriter.

These are all ideas I thought of in just a few minutes. If any of them sound mysterious to you, it’s probably because you don’t have the marketing expertise that a copywriter has. And that’s fine; you’re not expected to. That’s what copywriters are for.

Get serious about your marketing. Talk to your colleagues, log on to Google, do whatever you need to do to find a copywriter who will make your marketing work…before your business becomes another victim of the vicious cycle.

Lisa J. Lehr is a writer and copywriter living in Grass Valley. She can help you promote your business with a full range of online and offline marketing pieces. A member of Empire Toastmasters, she’s available to speak to your business or professional group. Visit her website www.justrightcopy.com for more information, opt in for the message series, and receive a free Marketing Guide.

—
Lisa J. Lehr
I write words that make you money–just ask me how.
www.justrightcopy.com
Visit my website and sign up for my fr~ee marketing tips.
New! No~cost Marketing Guide now available at my website.