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Ways to Plan Now for An Easier Tax Season

If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on, it’s that filing taxes should be a whole lot easier. But you don’t have to stress about the coming tax season and put all preparation off until next spring. 

Continue reading to see some of our tips and strategies for early planning to best prepare for the next tax season. 

Get Organized

The first course of action to an easier tax filing season is to stay organized. As you go throughout the year, keep all of your tax-related documents in one place. 

Plus, you’ll want to keep past year’s returns easily accessible in case you’ll need that data. Come time to file your taxes, you’ll be grateful that you don’t have to scramble to gather all…

Are you looking for a new home on a large lot with ample privacy? Are you a growing family looking to move up into a bigger home? Are you set to retire and looking for a luxurious home to spend your golden years? Then look no further than Sheldon Estates in Elk Grove.

Luxury Rural Living in Sheldon Estates

Sheldon Estates in Elk Grove, California is perfect for those who value privacy and lots of elbow room. Take a drive into your typical surburban neighborhood or master planned community, and you will generally find that most homes sit on fairly small lots of less than a quarter acre. Neighbors are very close to your house, and privacy is harder to come by.  If you prefer larger lots, beautiful new homes that you could customize, you'll love what…

This week, we feature listings from two communities in the greater Sacramento area: Elk Grove and Roseville, CA.

Featured Elk Grove Home For Sale

Elk Grove is one of the fastest growing communities in Sacramento County and has plenty to offer any homebuyer. Home to around 161,007 residents, commuters are conveniently located about 15 miles from Downtown Sacramento. Homebuyers of all shapes and sizes have options when it comes to Elk Grove homes for sale. Millennial homebuyers can find lots of affordable starter homes in the form of single family ranchers, and condos. Growing families can move-up into reasonably priced single-family homes for about $300,000.

9281 Fruited Plain Way, Elk Grove, CA 95624

Price: $574,900
MLS#: 16049712
Bedrooms: 5
…

Rental rates in Sacramento continue to increase, which is a boon for property owners and real estate investors earning passive income from renting out their homes or condos.

According to new reports from two condo rental data companies, over the past 12 months Sacramento's rents went up by almost 12% from May 2015 to May 2016 - higher than any other city in the U.S., according to Yardi Matrix.

Sacramento's rental growth is ahead of cities like Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles which are places with a healthy increase in the number of jobs.

Another rental data firm, RealPage, found Sacramento's went up 9.7% over the previous year up to the second quarter of 2016.

You can check out the rate increases in our previous post from May.

The new…

Looks like home prices in the Sacramento area are pacing ahead of wages earned.

According to RealtyTrac, a real estate information company out of Irivine, Calif., Sacramento's home prices are 9% higher than they were last year at this time, but the growth of the wages and earnings is up 5%.

Home prices Sacramento and the Tri-County region have steadily been on the rise since bottoming out in early 2012, however earnings haven't been able to keep pace with the rapid rise of homes.

RealtyTrac reports the least affordable region in the area is El Dorado County, where an average wage earner living there must spend 67% of their earnings to purchased a home worth $430,000.

The most affordable area to live in the region remains Sacramento County,…

With housing statistics and sales released for the month of May in Sacramento, lower inventories have pushed home price up slightly on a year-to-year basis.

A report by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage shows the median sale price on all single-family homes in Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer Counties was at $345,000, a jump of 7.5% from May 2015 when the price was $321,000.

The reason for the increase is there aren't as many homes for sale in the Tri-County area, where the total number of listings in May was 4,474 - down a staggering 27% from a year ago. According to the report, the largest inventory drop came in Sacramento County, where there was 33% fewer homes for sale last month.

Of the three counties, Sacramento County showed as the…

Looks like the average home price in Sacramento and El Dorado Counties has trended slightly downward in May, while single-family homes in Placer County have basically remained unchanged.

In Sacramento County, the median list price of single-family homes selling for less than $250,000 dropped 2.75% to $209,000, while single-family homes listed for more than $250,000 dropped 4.24% to $416,553.

Meanwhile, condos and townhomes in Sacramento saw a large jump in price - 10.12% for units listed at more than $100,000. The new median price is now $234,000, showing these residences are in high demand.

Then there's the average price of condos and townhomes (listed for more than $200,000) in El Dorado, which has jumped big time by some 62.99% to an average…

When it comes to selling your home in the Sacramento area, the ideal situation would be to get multiple offers, allowing you to get more return for your residence. Here are a few things to consider that can help make that happen, especially with Sacramento real estate being in high demand.

It's all about Location

If your home or property is in a good location, you're already ahead of the curve since that's the main thing home buyers look for. Keep in mind, though, that what makes a "good location" changes. So, if your neighborhood has improved, your home value will too. However, it can go the other way as well, but above all, be honest with yourself and work with your real estate agent to price your home properly. Which brings us to the next tip...

Real estate in Sacramento continues to steadily sell, with April housing statistics showing overall sales increased 7.9% from the month of March, with 1,554 residences sold - compared to 1,440 in March.

Interestingly, the active listing inventory went up by 6.5% from March, however the months of inventory remained static at 1.4 months. And, when compared with April last year, the overall inventory is down by 17.4%.

In terms of home prices in the Sacramento area, the median price went up by 1% from $307,000 in March to $310,000 last month. In April, 2015 the median price was at $281,000. By way of comparison, homes back in August of 2005 (the peak median home price in Sacramento) were quite a bit more expensive at $392,750.

The lowest median sales…

Looks like rental rates for housing continue to climb in Sacramento, which means it's a good time for real estate investors.

According to Zumper, which is an apartment rental site, the monthly rate for a one-bedroom apartment in Sacramento is $960, which is a 10.3% increase from a year ago, and puts Sacramento's rents among the 25 highest in the United States.

In fact, Sacramento came in at No. 23 for cities tracked by Zumper.

Experts say the reasons for the rental increases include more people moving out of the suburbs and into more dense urban areas with condos and apartments. Additionally it looks like people are choosing to rent for longer periods of time than they were before.

Additionally in Sacramento, a lag in construction to keep pace…