Archive for December, 2007
Bike to work: New Woodland-Davis Bike Path
December 8th, 2007 Categories: Bicycling, Real Estate News
Davis is Number 1 in the top ten bicycle cities in the US and Number 5 in the world, but our Woodland friends have been pushed off the road - UNTIL NOW!
Many friends and clients are choosing to live in Woodland these days for the amount of house they can get for their money. But they want to do their living in Davis. And they use bicycles. One fit friend currently rides from Davis to his job in Vacaville, but he is thinking that he is going to need to throw his bike in the back of the truck and drive from Woodland to Davis once he moves to his new Woodland home in April.
Happily this week the Board of Supervisors announced that funding has been secured for the new Woodland - Davis Bikeway. This phase calls for 4 foot bike paths on either side of road CR99 between CR 25A and CR29. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2008 and be completed in 45 days.
Funding comes from State and Federal sources and is awarded on a competitive basis. Yolo County was awarded $1.6m for the road improvements on CR99. An additional $600k was requested for the bike path.
Mariko Yamada and Matt Rexroad, County Supervisors, are strongly behind this project. According Matt on his blog, “My mission in January will be to focus on the dedicated bike path between Woodland and Davis. This information will be part of the discussion.”
Some people report that they hoped for a path that is completely separate from the roadway, as it is on Russell Blvd. Others prefer it would originate in the Spring Lake section of Woodland (seems to be where my clients are moving). But everyone agrees that this is great news that we are moving forward in the creation of this important new bike path.
See maps and comments at People’s Vanguard of Davis , or go to the source at the Yolo County Road Maitenence and Engineering Services Division.
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Remodelers Check It Out : 2007 Cost vs.Value Report
December 6th, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News, Selling
If you are in the throes of deciding how much to spend or whether to remodel, check out the 2007 cost vs. value report.
Whether they want to enjoy their home more or prepare it for sale, my friends and clients always ask where to spend their remodel dollars. For the past 20 years this report by Remodeling Magazine has analyzed cost and payback by region for specific projects. For most projects/regions the value of a remodel trended down in 2007 over 2006 due to rising building costs and decreasing resale value. Luckily for us, the PACIFIC region estimated a cost recovery of more than 100% for these six projects:
1. Wood deck addition
2. Minor kitchen remodel
3. Fiber cement siding replacement
4. Wood window replacement
5. Vinyl window replacement
6. Vinyl siding
If you are planning a move soon you will get the most juice from focusing your efforts on exterior upgrades and small kitchen remodels. Small differences in project size, scope and quality of finishes dramatically effect cost, but also dramatically effect the perceived value of the house. Be sure that the remodel does not cast the rest of the house in a dated or worn light.
So go ahead, get the granite counters. You will enjoy them and chances are they will pay back.
Biggest losers in terms of cost vs. value in our region are a home office remodel, master suite addition, sun room addition and the addition of a back-up power generator. Read more about the Sacramento region by clicking here.
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