Here in the Gold Country, we are so lucky to have incredible local businesses that help shape this growing community for the better. One face behind these businesses is deserving of spotlight: Taylor Wenske, owner and founder of She’s So Charcuterie. For the uninitiated, charcuterie is the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and other accompaniments. With festive and fresh arrangements of fruits, meats, cheeses, nuts, it’s not surprising how She’s So Charcuterie finds its mantra: “I believe that a charcuterie board can change your life.”
Funnily enough, Taylor’s interest in charcuterie arrangements arose from lackluster snack offerings at parties:
“I always grew up being a very picky eater,” Taylor said. “Whenever I would go to events such as birthday parties, hang outs, or get togethers I would be so anxious about what food options there would be, or if there would be any options that I would be willing to eat. When I started dating my now-husband (boyfriend at the time, in high school) his mom would make meat and cheese platters to snack on when I would go over to their house. These became two of my favorite things to eat.”
When she eventually got comfortable enough, Taylor would start bringing her own snacks to events so she wouldn’t have to worry if there were any options for her.
“And people loved the presentation of my little platters,” Taylor said. “Over time I became the snack girl that would always bring a charcuterie to any gathering. Any event, big or small, I would bring along a charcuterie board.”
When Taylor finally decided that this was something she could do even more with, she took on her first...
The most common question we are hearing from fellow homeowners in Amador County right now is:
Should we wait until Spring to list our Gold Country home for sale? We want to capture the highest sale price possible and we’ve always heard that Spring is the best time to list a home.
This is an excellent question that Amador County homeowners contemplating a sale have been asking us with increased frequency. There has always been a seasonality to our local real estate market and Spring has typically been the best time to list a home for sale—at least in the years before the pandemic-fueled housing boom.
Historically, Spring has been a popular time to sell since buyers tend to come out of winter hibernation and hit the market in droves. Improved weather, combined with school schedules and the absence of major holidays (which inhibit most people from moving due to family obligations), generally means a strong buyer pool which can be advantageous to sellers.
That said, the pandemic has thrown a wrench into the traditional seasonality of the market and the bigger factor we see playing into timing the market right now is inventory. The reason why inventory should play a factor into your consideration of when to list your home for sale is simply a matter of economics. When there are too many qualified buyers chasing too few homes available for sale, it means home prices will continue to rise as long as interest rates (or inventory) don’t get too high.
Interest Rates & Buyer Demand
Mortgage rates remain at historic lows and buyers benefit from these low rates since it gives them more buying power and keeps their monthly housing payment lower. The opposite is also true—the higher a buyer’s mortgage interest rate,...
In today's housing market, there are far more buyers looking for homes than sellers listing their houses. Based on the concept of supply and demand, this means home prices will naturally rise. Why is that? When there are more people trying to buy an item than there are making that item available for sale, that drives prices up. And that's exactly the case in today's housing market. So, knowing what's happening with the inventory of homes for sale and the demand for housing is crucial for today's buyers and sellers.
Nationally, Demand Is High and Supply Is Very Low
The latest buyer and seller activity data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) indicates buyer traffic heavily outweighs seller traffic today, as shown in the maps below. There are far darker blues (strong buyer activity) on the left and much lighter blues (weak seller activity) on the right. In other words, this shows how the demand for homes is significantly greater than what's available to purchase.
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In an annual Gallup poll, Americans chose real estate as the best long-term investment. And it's not the first time it's topped the list, either. Real estate has been on a winning streak for the past eight years, consistently gaining traction as the best long-term investment (see graph below):
If you're thinking about purchasing a home this year, this poll should reassure you. Even when inflation is rising like it is today, Americans agree an investment like real estate truly shines.
Why Is Real Estate a Great Investment During Times of High Inflation?
With inflation reaching its highest level in ...
The buzz is everywhere, the headlines abound: the housing market is poised to cool. But is it? And what does that mean? What trends or factors point to this? We’ll try to answer these questions, and then take a deep dive into the Amador County real estate sales data.
What do experts mean by a “cooling” market?
Simply put, it means a decline in housing demand, transactions, and ultimately, prices. And it’s certainly fair to predict cooling when the market’s been heating up for so long; real estate is cyclical after all. But it’s important to keep in mind that even the savviest expert wouldn’t place a high bet on any specific set of metrics, especially these days.
Why? We’re dealing with unprecedented circumstances like the pandemic, federal stimulus, work-from-home, and other dynamics that don’t factor in to normal housing market prediction models. In fact, if you look back to the predictions real estate experts made in March or April of 2020, right when Covid happened, you’ll notice that almost nothing that they predicted materialized. With many market dynamics in the Freakanomics category still very much at play, it’s difficult to predict future prices with reliable accuracy.
So, to say things will cool off is ambiguous at best, and anxiety-producing at worst. It’s a loose term to describe a wide range of guesses. Instead, let’s look closer at the numbers, and try to get a sense for what they really tell us.
What would cause this to occur?
It’s true that in Amador County (and almost everywhere in the US), home prices have been rising for years, then unexpectedly surged during – of all times – a global pandemic. We know inventory shortages and rock-bottom interest rates coupled with stimulus programs and newfound work-at-home flexibility all played a role. But no one predicted...
Financial benefits are always a key aspect of homeownership, but it's also important to understand that the nonfinancial and personal benefits are why so many people genuinely fall in love with their homes. When you own your home, you likely feel a sense of emotional attachment because of the comfort it provides, but also because it's a space that's truly yours.
Over the past two years, we've learned to love our homes even more as we've stayed home more than ever due to the ongoing pandemic. As a result, the personal and emotional benefits our homes provide have become even more important to us.
As the most recent State of the American Homeowner from Unison puts it:
Despite the upheaval and uncertainty...
Gold Country Small Business Spotlight: Hanger Management Mobile Boutique
Here in Amador County, we are so lucky to have incredible local businesses that help shape this growing community for the better. One face behind these businesses is deserving of spotlight: Chelsea Hills, owner and founder of Hanger Management Mobile Boutique. She took a truck and turned it into a mobile boutique! Now this awesome storefront is available for parties, events, private shopping, you name it—because they come to you! Their clothing collections are carefully selected with customers in mind, so you can shop for your style privately at your own pace.
With an eye for fashion and a penchant for customer service, Chelsea had always wanted to run a boutique. Almost a year ago, she began to play with the idea more seriously but a full-time job was dashing the dream. Thinking of ways to make this idea a reality, Chelsea’s husband, Josh, offered up the idea: “Why don’t you do a mobile boutique?”
And of course, the idea was everything Chelsea had been looking for. “We ended up buying an old step truck and transformed it into a store,” Chelsea said. “Now we take it to wineries, private parties and all kinds of events.”
In a world where public shopping can seem rather stressful, the mobile boutique was able to meet people where they felt safe. Though Chelsea started the company in May 2021, Covid didn’t put a halt on business. Rather, because people were so hesitant to go out and shop publicly, Hanger Management was exactly what they needed.
Mobile Clothing Boutique in Amador County
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If your needs are changing, you may be thinking about sharing a home with additional loved ones, such as grandparents, adult children, or other extended family members. Whether it's for financial or health-related circumstances, or simply because you've reached a new phase of life, you might be wondering if living with multiple generations under the same roof is a good move for you. Many people have found themselves in a similar situation and they've already made the choice to live in a multigenerational home.
What Is a Multigenerational Home?
The Pew Research Center defines a multigenerational household as a home with two or more adult generations. They include households with grandparents and grandchildren under the age of 25. As you weigh your options and decide if multigenerational living is right for you, here’s some helpful information highlighted by other homeowners living with additional loved ones.
The Benefits of Multigenerational Living
A recent ...
Mortgage rates have increased significantly since the beginning of the year. Each Thursday, Freddie Mac releases its Primary Mortgage Market Survey. According to the latest survey, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has risen from 3.22% at the start of the year to 3.55% as of last week. This is important to note because any increase in mortgage rates changes what a purchaser can afford. To give you an idea of how rising mortgage rates impact your purchasing power, see the table below:
How Can You Know Where Mortgage Rates Are Headed?
While it's always difficult to know exactly where mortgage rates will go, a great indicator of where they may head is by looking at the 50-year history of the 10-year treasury yield, and then following its path. Understanding the mechanics of the treasury yield isn't as...
