Sunrise in Sonora

Tuolumne County Real Estate Statistics

I've got the latest Mother Lode market numbers for you to look at today. To begin with, you'll notice the overall sales picture including all sales classes. CLICK HERE to view November 2009 compared to November 2008. CLICK HERE to view January-November 2009 compared to January-November 2008. You'll also want to notice the graphs including the Mother Lode Residential Unit Sales through November 2009 graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 1 on the above left) along with the Mother Lode Residential Volume Sales graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 2 on the right) and the Mother Lode Residential Average Sales Price graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 3 on the left below), respectively. (The data used comes from the Tuolumne Multiple Listing Service and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.) As usual, I also have some of the numbers in black and white here:

UNIT SALES: Nov 09 = 50; Nov 08 = 38; +32%

VOL SALES: Nov 09 = $11,465,435; Nov 08 = $10,115,349; +13%

AVG SALES PRICE: Nov 09 = $229,308; Nov 08 = $266,193; -14%

Watch for Calaveras MLS stats to be posted soon.

How Not to Let the Grinch Steal Christmas

The Grinch. We all know the story. He basically wanted to ruin Christmas for everyone else. Of course, he changed his mind and there was a happy ending. (I just love stories of redemption.) The truth is there are many who don't much like the holiday season. (Do you know anyone like that?) For whatever reason, something in their life ~ an experience, a loss, a wrong done (a "Grinch"?) ~ has stolen their joy and cheer (and hope?). Notwithstanding there are things that can happen that are awfully and deeply painful, but stories of redemption take place in real life, too. (They really do.) Maybe this is your year for a change of heart when it comes to the holidays? I'm purposely writing this post at the beginning of the season to allow you plenty of time for this to come about. It's time to tell that Grinch in your life you're not going to let him steal Christmas this year. How 'bout it? May the following list be a help to you in that regards:

How Not to Let the Grinch Steal Christmas...

Prioritize people over presents.

Free yourself from having to attend every party.

Meet a simple need of someone less fortunate than you.

Drive around the neighborhood to view holiday decorations.

Warm up some hot chocolate and sit down to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" starring Jimmy Stewart.

Make a phone call (or send a letter in the mail) to that person you hurt and say you're sorry.

Remind yourself of the Christmas story.

7 Things I'm Thankful For

So what are you thankful for? People oftentimes answer this question mentioning the typical things. They're thankful for their spouse (hopefully). They're thankful for their kids and grandkids (if they have any). They're thankful for their job (many are hurting in this area in our day). They're thankful for their health. And so on and so forth. Right? And these are all important things to be thankful for. Don't get me wrong. I would be the first to say it. But there are so many other things that we don't always highlight or think about when the bottom line is we really count on these things and owe a lot to certain other people we don't always take time to recognize. (Isn't it true?) The following list might not mean much to you, but it does to me. These are things that I really couldn't live without right now, quite frankly. Also included are people I owe a debt of gratitude to that I don't always take the time to let them know. So here are:

7 things I'm thankful for...

#1: My car. It's going on 150k miles. Has no heat. The clutch slips (especially going up the grade). But it gets me to where I need to go.

#2: This great country of ours. There's no better place on the planet to live. Many have given their lives for our freedom.

#3: My eyeglasses. I can hardly see with them on. Just think how I'd be without them.

#4: My deodorant. It's sweet pea and violet scent. (We receive goods from a local distribution center.)

#5: My shower door. It doesn't close completely, but just enough so I can get myself squeaky clean.

#6: My bosses at work. They (Emmett and Ann) have sacrificed much to keep the company afloat and provide for the families it represents. No amount of words can repay all that they've done.

#7: Forgiveness, love and hope.

13 Quirks Human Beings Have

Many of us will be meeting with family and friends in the coming days. The truth is there are some people we are looking forward to seeing while there are others we are not. It's likely that the latter group has certain "quirks" and that's why we dread them. (Is anyone coming to your mind?) Webster's defines a quirk as: "a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism." And there are just some mannerisms that bug us to the core. Right? And no matter how many times we say to ourselves, "I'm not gonna let so-and-so get the upper hand this time," they do~they will~and we go home frustrated. (Has that ever happened to you?) And we don't have any "quirks" ourselves so that others would dread seeing us? Hmm? And I guess the solution and the only real power we have over "quirks" is in our own life. And it's interesting how other people's quirks don't seem to irritate us quite as much as they did before when we're focusing on changing our own. That said, here are:

13 Quirks Human Beings Have...
(What might you add to the list?)

Talk about themselves

Never shut up

Pick their nose

Pass gas

Don't use deodorant

Bad breath

Show up late

Leave early

Drink too much

Foul mouth

Gossip about others

Brag about their job/salary

Hit on your boyfriend/girlfriend (wife?)

Mother Lode Real Estate "Must Reads" for November

This blog post is the next in a continuing monthly series where I'll pass on some information of interest that you may not get the opportunity to see otherwise. (There are links to the other twelve posts in this series at the end of this one.) It won't take you long to check out the four articles covering real estate and social media use in business.

2010 sales to rise 15 percent from Real Trends. A pretty rosy view of the real estate market for next year is offered by Lawrence Yun, NAR's Chief Economist. Do you buy it? (No pun intended)

5 Reasons Why Sellers Should Work with You on Both Sides of the Deal from the Real Estate Marketing Blog. So why shouldn't you also be the real estate professional to help your sellers find their next home? Quick and worthwhile read addresses this issue.

7 Ways to Get More Out of LinkedIn by Sharlyn Lauby on mashable.com. The golden trio of social media are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (I heard somebody say recently). You're using the first two, but what about the third? This article offers insight on how to get going on LinkedIn and use it to benefit your career goals. Worth it.

42+ Social Media Marketing Tools by Joe Pulizzi of the Junta42 Blog. A veritable goldmine here for social media enthusiasts. A must for your bookmarks or favorites.

More Mother Lode Real Estate "Must Reads":
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
Apr 2009
Mar 2009
Feb 2009
Jan 2009
Dec 2008
Nov 2008