March 18, 2006

THE REAL (ESTATE) STORY
By Larry Underhill

MY PASTOR, Tim Stevenson, is celebrating his tenth anniversary as pastor of Horizon Community Church in Galt. As the Maker’s Manual sez, “He who labors well among you is worthy of double honor.” The church is sending him and his lovely wife Gwen on a special mission…to Maui! Aloha, Bruddah! If anybody deserves appreciation, it’s these two.

NOW I CAN TELL YOU about my new listing at 600 West Daisy in Lodi! Last Saturday I was caught between a listing date and a newspaper deadline, but now I can tell all! This is a great 3-bedroom 2-bath 2-car-garage home on a nice stretch of Daisy Avenue. The $344,950 listing price looks even better when you figure in the NEW ROOF my Seller is prepared to have installed with a full-price offer. Call me for details on what the Seller has in mind. If you hurry, you can still choose your roof color! And it’s…

OPEN TODAY NOON TO TWO! Statesman’s own John Manguso will host this home. By the way, 600 West Daisy also features a recently-remodeled kitchen, three good-sized bedrooms, a fireplace in the Living Room, a pleasant back yard patio and more! Come and take a look!

OPEN TODAY from 2:30 to 4:30: Your very own tree-shaded park! John Manguso (a busy boy today…and most days) will welcome you. 5201 East Woodbridge Road is a one-of-a-kind property. It’s getting a LOT of showings, even through this bad-weather spell. Imagine what the interest will be when spring arrives (if it’s not SOLD by then)! Five minutes from Lodi on a secluded landscaped acre. Spacious deck! Towering shade trees! Now $634,950.

SALE PENDING on 303 Rainier…but it’s still an active listing because the Buyers have a Bay Area home to sell. I spoke with the home’s builder Loren Perry last week. He spoke fondly of this home. He built it for his wife and himself! When they decided to move to the country 22 years ago, the present owners bought the place. It has been VERY well-cared-for and shows very well. At $429,950, it is a great value! 1814 square feet of living area! Three bedrooms, two baths, separate Living Room and Family Room, large Laundry Room with back yard access! No wonder it received so much interest so quickly.

SCOOP: 1705 Cape Cod Circle is a three-bedroom two and a half bath two-story home at the corner of Cape Cod Circle and Lakeshore Drive in Lodi. My Sellers have priced this home to SELL: $519,950 for over 2300 square feet of well-maintained home! Call for a private showing, but I’d suggest that you move quickly. This home is a value!

THE MARKET appears to have stabilized in the Lodi area, with listing inventory hovering around 270 to 280 active listings (homes and condos) in Lodi at any given time. Not a pure Buyer’s Market, but close! Homes are still selling! It just takes longer and they must be priced right (Otherwise they just help the competition to sell).

“OUR FATHER, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name. Amen.” This is a sample of what you’re in for next week as we take a look at some kid quotes on spiritual matters. Stay tuned! Have a great week.

Statesman Realty
(209) 333 2380

1-800-407-SOLD (7653)
Website: www.larrysellslodi.com

Website: www.larryunderhill.com
Email: Larry@LarryUnderhill.com

March 25, 2006

THE REAL (ESTATE) STORY
By Larry Underhill

CUTE KID QUOTES, courtesy of my Director of First Impressions, Debbie Mason. Her Dad sent her some doozies. This one, f’rinstance:

A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER asked her class, “What was Jesus’s mother’s name? One child answered, “Mary.” The teacher then asked, “Who knows what Jesus’s father’s name was? Another little kid said, “Virg.” Confused, the teacher asked, “Where did you get that?” The little one said, Well, you know they’re always talking about Virg and Mary.”

ANOTHER Sunday School teacher asked her class, “Why is it necessary to be quiet in church? A little girl replied brightly, “Because people are sleeping!”

BILOXI BOUND once again! (That Biloxi joke is beginning to lose its shine): Statesman’s John Manguso is closing escrow on yet ANOTHER home! This is a good month. Way to go, John! My Realtor Associates are going through these “getaway” prizes like wildfire! Works for me.

ONE GREAT THING about owning this little enterprise is that I get to hand pick the people who work here! Consequently, we have a jolly band of high-integrity, high-energy folks whom I can trust to take very good care of everyone they serve. It’s a pleasure to watch my Associates grow their businesses AND enjoy the trip. To Biloxi or wherever.

A COUPLE OF OTHER variations on the Lord’s Prayer as we know it: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some e-mail.” (This from a three-year-old girl). Then there’s the four-year-old who prayed, “And forgive us our trash baskets, as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.” I think he has a good grasp of the true meaning of this passage!

THAT NEW LISTING at 1705 Cape Cod Circle is worth another mention! Over 2300 square feet of two-story home for $519,950! Three bedrooms, two and a half baths! Large corner lot! Living Room AND Family Room! There’s more. Come and see!

HERE’S ONE of my favorites from Debbie’s story collection: After the dedication of his baby brother at church, Jason sobbed in the back seat of the car all the way home. His Dad asked him what was wrong three times. Finally, the boy replied. “That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, but I want to stay with you guys!”

AND FINALLY, a little boy was overheard praying a prayer I may have prayed myself at that age: “Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am.”

Have a great week! See you next Sat.

Statesman Realty

(209) 333 23801
800-407-SOLD (7653)

Website: www.larrysellslodi.com
Website: www.larryunderhill.com

Email: Larry@LarryUnderhill.com

March 11, 2006

THE REAL (ESTATE) STORY
By Larry Underhill

TRUE WEALTH: I’ve been running a little in-house promotion for Statesman Realty agents, awarding them for sales successes with trips to exotic places like Biloxi, Mississippi (Second prize: TWO trips to Biloxi!). Seriously, agents who win can choose from a list of twelve resorts in eight locations, one of which is the Imperial Palace Hotel on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast (Biloxi).

THE STORY I started out to tell concerns Statesman’s Greg Adams and his lovely wife Erika. Upon qualifying for one of the above-mentioned trips, Greg and Erika opted to stay at Harrah’s Reno, for a good reason. Forty years ago this July, Greg and Erika eloped. They were married in a little chapel in Reno, Nevada. Last weekend, they revisited the Carson City courthouse to obtain a certified copy of their marriage license. They visited the Chapel of the Bells in Reno, the “scene of the crime” forty years back. They reminisced about the happenings of the past four decades. Romantic weekend, huh?

The “True Wealth” angle is evident when you consider this: One strong and faithful forty-year marriage. Three grown sons. EIGHT happy grandchildren (“and one in the oven,” sez Greg). These people are WEALTHY! Congratulations, Greg and Erika.

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CLOSING for Statesman’s John Manguso. Listed, sold, closed. Happy client, happy Realtor, happy Broker (me). Good job, John! (You and Melissa are on your way to Biloxi!).

SECRET LISTING? It’s a little unusual, but I can’t yet tell you the address of this great new opportunity. I CAN describe it a bit. Three bedrooms. NEW ROOF (You choose the color). Two-car garage. Price? Yes, it does have a price. It’s competitive. Great neighborhood, too. By the time this paper hits your flower bed, I WILL be able to tell you all the details, but as of this writing I can’t. Okay, I could, but then I’d have to send Guido the Enforcer over to ensure your silence. Let’s just wait. You bettah off.

QUALIFIED BUYERS in most price categories! We’re shoppin’ for the best value. If you’re considering getting your home on the market, please call me! Whether I personally have a Buyer for your home or I represent you and get your place SOLD, I promise to serve you well. And by the way, if you have a friend or family member who needs my services, please call me with their name and phone number! Over 90% of my bizness is either repeat or referral. I promise to serve your referred loved one the way I’d serve you.

WHAT A YEAR! 2006 is shaping up to be another banner year. THANK YOU to all those who are helping make it so.

“TRUE SUCCESS is when you’re loved and respected the most by the people who know you the best.”
-John Maxwell. I thought this quote would tie in well with the “true wealth” theme I opened with. Have a great week! Let’s talk again next Sat.

Statesman Realty
Lodi, CA
(209) 333-2380
1-800-407-SOLD (7653)
http://www.larrysellslodi.com/
http://www.larryunderhill.com/
Email: Larry@LarryUnderhill.com

March 4, 2006

THE REAL (ESTATE) STORY
By Larry Underhill

POKEY THE DOG (or Pokey T. Dog, as he prefers to be known) is a rat terrier. One look at his pointy nose and sharp little teeth and you can see that no rat in his right mind would want to tangle with him. Possums and raccoons who have visited our back yard will always remember him, too.

Rat terriers are very territorial. When he first joined our family ten years ago, I could hold him in the palm of my hand. He looked just like the “Pokey Little Puppy” of storybook fame (Hence the name). That didn’t last long. As he grew, he got faster. Soon he was a black-and-white blur, pokey no more.

CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN to a pair of Mystery Clients I’ve honored in this space before! These folks did the move-up shuffle exactly backwards from most folks: They bought their new home first! Now we’re closing escrow on the Sunwest home they’re selling. Happy endings/beginnings all around!

I want to thank Bay Area Realtor Rick Gonzales for his fine job in representing the Buyers in this transaction. Thanx, Rick! While I’m in thanking mode, I need to mention my trusty right-hand Assistant, Greg Adams. He’s the best! I tell my clients, “You get two for the price of one!” Such a deal. Greg helps me keep my escrows perking along nicely. He frees me up to serve more people at a higher level.

ON A FURTHER congratulatory note, two of Statesman Realty’s finest, the aforementioned Greg Adams and Pat Piccardo, each just closed another escrow for their own respective clients. Good job once again, fellers! We’re just spreading the joy all over town. 2006 promises to be the best year yet!

POKEY took a chunk out of a marauding raccoon last year. We have a backyard nectarine tree that’s popular with the local critters…until they meet Pokey.

THAT WESTSIDE charmer at 303 Rainier is still very much for sale at $429,950! We’re in escrow at full price with a 72-hour clause, but the sale is contingent upon the sale of a Bay Area property which is NOT sold! Not clear on what a 72-hour clause is? Call me for an explanation.

YOUR PERSONAL SHADY GROVE: 5201 East Woodbridge Road is only five minutes from Lodi, but when you’re relaxing on the spacious deck under the towering shade trees on a lazy summer afternoon, you might as well be a thousand miles from anywhere. When I visit this home, I don’t want to leave! Country living, city convenience. Now $634,950!

REMODELED KITCHEN! Fresh interior paint! No upstairs neighbors! Close to your own one-car garage! This 700 McCoy Court condo is a value at $188,950. It’s Number 18. Call for a private showing!

NEW LISTINGS COMING SOON! Great Northside starter home! Westside two-story! Both priced to SELL. Watch this space for details.

POKEY CONT’D: Rat terriers are clever little scamps. Pokey has been found ON the dining room table when our Thanksgiving dinner crowd turned its collective back for an instant. He went for the butter dish. Doggie teeth marks in a cube of butter: An indelible imprint in my memory (and now in yours, too!).

Have a great week! See you next Sat.

Statesman Realty

Lodi, CA

(209) 333-2380

1-800-407-SOLD (7653)

www.LarrySellsLodi.com

www.larryunderhill.com

Email: Larry@LarryUnderhill.com

February 25, 2006

THE REAL (ESTATE) STORY
By Larry Underhill

WHOOPS! Julie pointed out that last week’s ramble about Mother’s Day was a little premature (Mother’s Day is May 14!). I confused Valentine’s Day (upon which I lavish attention on three ladies, all card-carrying Mothers) with Mother’s Day (on which I honor the same three women in much the same way). An honest mistake! When Tony Kahl sent me his “Things I learned from my Mother” piece, I just slipped into Mom’s Day Mode. Here are a few more gems from Tony’s list:

“My Mother taught me about the Circle of Life: “I brought you into this world and I can take you out.”

My Mother taught me about contortionism: “Look at that dirt on the back of your neck!”

And so on.

CONGRATULATIONS to another pair of Not-So-Mysterious Clients! Yup. Julie and I bought another property. I believe in real estate! Congratulations to Sellers Jake and Misty Arbuckle, now residents of Redding! I’ve been working with several generations of Arbuckles for some time now. Jake’s Dad and Mom, Joe and Terri, headed up the Cub Scout pack my son Tom belonged to years ago. We’ve known them from Tiger Cubs through Boy Scouts and beyond! Sorry to see the whole gang leave Lodi, but we wish ‘em well.

I’m working with the fine folks at Alliance Title Company to make this move as smooth as possible for Jake and Misty. The proceeds of their Lodi sale are rolling into the escrow account on their new Redding home. A happy ending in Lodi and a happy beginning in their new home!

WE’RE GETTING ACTIVITY on 303 Rainier at the new reduced price of $429,950. As I write this, we have folks returning for a third visit…but it’s still very much for sale! This well-maintained Westside home has 1814 square feet of living area. Three bedrooms, two baths, separate Living Room and Family Room, large Laundry Room with back yard access! Don’t wait too long…

THE REAL ESTATE MARKET remains soft, but folks are still buying and selling! As of this writing, there are 278 homes and condos on the market in Lodi. That’s THREE TIMES the inventory we’ve averaged in the past few years, but it’s down from the low 300’s we experienced a couple of months ago. Interest rates are attractive, and anyone who can see a few years into the future knows that the day will soon come when we’ll look back on 2006 home prices and say, “Woulda, coulda, shoulda.” If you’re buying into the gloom and doom buzz, take heed of this quote from Arnold J. Toynbee: “The majority is almost never right.” Think outside the bubble.

SOMEONE ASKED old man Rockefeller, “What’s the secret to your financial success?” He answered with a smile, “I buy my straw hats in the fall.” Have a great week! See you next Sat.

Statesman Realty
(209) 333 2380

1-800-407-SOLD (7653)
Website: www.larrysellslodi.com

Website: www.larryunderhill.com
Email: Larry@LarryUnderhill.com