Question on Sacramento....

[PDXnative]

What are the "bad" areas of Sacramento? What are the "good" areas?

[isabel]

I'm not sure what areas are which. Sacramento is HUGE. There is the area downtown called "Old Sac" that is where most tourist end up. It is on the river and there is a lot of old two story buildings and shops with a board walk. The river boats take tourist on a ride that can include dinner. There is a big train museum.

There is a mall near by that is beautiful at xmas time. They put in a ice rink for the holidays and the place is decked out and beautiful. Most of the streets are lined with trees that hang over the walkways.

The other parts of Sac are unfamiliar to me. I'm usually driving straight through it going someplace else. We have been to the zoo...it has a fun fairyland next to it for the kids to play. I also go to Fry's Electronics to buy Mac stuff:)

Izzy

[PDXnative]

I noticed on craigslist that houses are dirt cheap in the Sacramento area. I thought California was supposed to be expensive. I guess there must still be some cheap areas, eh? Why are they so cheap?

Our house in Portland is a 1972 ranch home under 1000 sqft with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on a 5000 sqft lot in a not desireable part of town. Do you know what our house is worth? $225,000!!!!!!

[isabel]

Sac and other metro areas in what we call "The Valley" flat land, have been the hardest hit by the real estate crash. Sac and some of the other Valley cities like Stockton have areas that you wouldn't walk in the daytime, let alone night time.

Those are the areas that you are going to see really cheap on listings. I would say the average good home in decent neighborhood is running about $300,000-$400,000 today. Those prices are down by about $100,000. I speak from personal and professional experience. I live in the foothills outside of this area and my home was appraised in late 2006 for $400,000. I just spoke to the appraiser a few months ago and she said it is more like $300,000. right now.

I'm a graphic artist by trade and I put together a real estate magazine for a customer. It covers a large area and last year had about 110 pages in it. Now it is down to 58 pages due to real estate offices and agents cutting back or going under. I've seen prices drop by $20,000. to $100,000 in less than 30 days. We've gotten a lot of realtors who are now specializing and promoting foreclosures.

I would say for every 4 homes I see for sale on a block. At least one, maybe two, are forclosures. It is bad out here folks. Northern California has been hard hit by the crash.

Izzy

[PDXnative]

Portland's real estate market has just "stalled", but did not crash.

What is the Sacramento area like? Weather, jobs, crime, things to do, outdoor activities, etc....

[baron the great]

PDX, do not assume your home value, too many variables in the Portland Metro area will drive your price. If you are thinking about selling I would get on with it. This is the prime time of the year. Homes in our old neighborhood, SW Portland are down 20%. Much of the cash infusion from Cal has dried up, too many speculators, too few buyers for homes in our market, my home was comparable to yours. Lenders are picky, might do better with using it as a rental, renter market will be soaring, lots of people coming out of foreclosure, good luck,

[isabel]

Well, I live about 1 1/2 hours from there so any info. I have will be general. But there weather is much like Stockton. In the summer it gets into the 100's sometimes as high as 110-113 degrees...for weeks at a time. But mostly in the mid to high 90's all summer. Winters vary a lot. Some are really cold freezing weather, with lots of rain and storms. Then again other winters are a bit milder and we get lots of rain and then sun.

Sac is just a few hours from the snow covered mountians. From Sac you can be in Tahoe or Reno in less than two hours. There are a lot of Delta water ways in Sac. so there is a lot of fishing and boating on the delta. It is a metro area and the capitol so there is a varity of things to do. You name it, you could most likely find it in Sac.

It has a large airport...choices in airports locally are San Francisco or Sacramento. Sac is a much better choice. Less traffic, a little slower pace. It is very easy to get lost in Sac. with all the freeways and freeway splits.

It does have it's beautiful areas. Up towards Roseville and Placerville. Just before you come into sac from the south side there is an area called Elk Grove. That is where "Apple Computers" is and it is a big site. Elk Grove is an upscale area and really pretty for being on flat ground:) I'm not much for living in flat area...I perfer the hills.

Izzy

[baron the great]

PDX, btw what is your avatar? Ra-egyptian god?

[PDXnative]

Originally Posted by baron the great

PDX, do not assume your home value, too many variables in the Portland Metro area will drive your price. If you are thinking about selling I would get on with it. This is the prime time of the year. Homes in our old neighborhood, SW Portland are down 20%. Much of the cash infusion from Cal has dried up, too many speculators, too few buyers for homes in our market, my home was comparable to yours. Lenders are picky, might do better with using it as a rental, renter market will be soaring, lots of people coming out of foreclosure, good luck,

\

We had an appraisal done last year and that was before we were finished remodeling our second bathroom, so they only appraised us for one bathroom (no installed toilet, no bathroom). Other houses in the area are priced similarly. As high as it may seem, that is what houses are still selling for. Of course, asking price is one thing, but what it actually sells for is another.

[PDXnative]

Originally Posted by baron the great

PDX, btw what is your avatar? Ra-egyptian god?

It is "The Tower" card from the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot deck.

Here is the meaning of The Tower:

Basic Card Symbols

A tower on a rocky outcropping, a powerful bolt of lightning, one or two figures falling from the tower, sometimes waves crashing below.

Basic Tarot Story

As the Fool leaves the throne of the Goat God, he comes upon a Tower, fantastic, magnificent, and familiar. In fact, The Fool, himself, helped build this Tower back when the most important thing to him was making his mark on the world and proving himself better than other men. Inside the Tower, at the top, arrogant men still live, convinced of their rightness. Seeing the Tower again, the Fool feels as if lightning has just flashed across his mind; he thought he'd left that old self behind when he started on this spiritual journey. But he realizes now that he hasn't. He's been seeing himself, like the Tower, like the men inside, as alone and singular and superior, when in fact, he is no such thing. So captured is he by the shock of this insight, that he opens his mouth and releases a SHOUT! And to his astonishment and terror, as if the shout has taken form, a bolt of actual lightning slashes down from the heavens, striking the Tower and sending its residents leaping out into the waters below.

In a moment, it is over. The Tower is rubble, only rocks remaining. Stunned and shaken to the core, the Fool experiences grief, profound fear and disbelief. But also, a strange clarity of vision, as if his inner eye has finally opened. He tore down his resistance to change and sacrifice (Hanged man), then broke free of his fear and preconceptions of death (Death); he dissolved his belief that opposites cannot be merged (Temperance) and shattered the chains of ambition and desire (The Devil). But here and now, he has done what was hardest: destroyed the lies he held about himself. What's left is the bare, absolute truth. On this he can rebuild his soul.

Basic Tarot Meaning

With Mars as its ruling planet, the Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth. The Tower, as Wang points out, stands for "false concepts and institutions that we take for real." When the Querent gets this card, they can expect to be shaken up, to be blinded by a shocking revelation. It sometimes takes that to see a truth that one refuses to see. Or to bring down beliefs that are so well constructed. What's most important to remember is that the tearing down of this structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built.

Thirteen's Observations

No card scares a Tarot reader like the Tower - or the person they're reading for if that person knows anything about Tarot cards. It is however one of the clearest cards when it comes to meaning. False structures, false institutions, false beliefs are going to come tumbling down, suddenly, violently and all at once. What's important to remember as a tarot reader is that the one you're reading for likely does not know that something is false. Not yet. To the contrary, they probably believe that their lover is being faithful, that their religious beliefs are true and right, that there are no problems in their family structure, that everything is fine at work...oh, and that they're fine. Just fine, really.

Alas, they're about to get a very rude awakening. Shaken up, torn down, blown asunder. And all a reader can really do to soften the blow is assure the Querent that it is for the best. Nothing built on a lie, on falsehoods, can remain standing for long. Better to tear it all down and rebuild on the truth. It is not going to be pleasant or painless or easy, but it will be for the best.

Source: Meaning of the Tower Tarot Card

[baron the great]

Of course I should have recognize this, had a roomate in college who was very into the reading. Good that you added the other BR, big selling point. I have many contacts still in metro area so I still watch the market over there, have a little investment property there, thanks for the update. Oregon is still very desirable location. Just don't get in over your head Sounds like you are on top of things.

[CityDataForumSux]

bad areas are south sac

good areas are more north

mid town is okay, more of a younger crowd

generally speaking the best area are outside of sac proper in the burbs

north like granite bay, rose ville, and north east , towards folosm