Does Selling Your Nevada County Home Reset Your Property Taxes?
I get some version of this question almost every time I sit down with a client who's owned their home for 15, 20, or 30 years: "If I sell and buy something else, does my property tax bill start over?" It's a fair worry. Nevada County home values have climbed a lot since a lot of my clients bought, a
What the Draft Horse Classic Reveals About Living in Nevada County
Every September, something happens at the Nevada County Fairgrounds that tells you more about living in Nevada County than any market report I could hand you. Massive Belgian and Clydesdale draft horses, some weighing close to a ton, pull polished antique wagons around the arena while a few thousand
Should You Offer a Rent-Back Agreement When Selling in Nevada County?
Last month a seller in Grass Valley asked me a question I get more than you'd think: could she sell her home and still live in it for a few extra weeks while her new place finished closing? The answer was yes, through something called a rent-back agreement. If you're selling in Nevada County and you
Grass Valley vs. Nevada City vs. Alta Sierra: Income Needed to Buy
I get asked some version of this question every single week: how much do I actually need to earn to buy a home here? Buyers usually have a number in their head from an online calculator, and it rarely matches what our market requires. So I ran the real income needed to buy in four of the towns I wor
Grass Valley vs. Lake of the Pines: Which Sierra Foothills Lifestyle Fits You
I get some version of this question almost every week from people moving to the area: should I look in downtown Grass Valley, or should I look at Lake of the Pines? They're both in my backyard, both places I've sold in for 20+ years, and they could not feel more different day to day. If you're weigh
New Construction vs. Resale in Grass Valley: Which Is Right for You
If you're weighing new construction against a resale home in Grass Valley, you're not alone. I get this question from buyers almost every week, and the honest answer depends on your budget, your timeline, and how much you want to deal with fixing things later. Right now there are several new constru
What California's Zone 0 Defensible Space Rule Means for Nevada County Buyers
On August 19, 2026, California's Board of Forestry and Fire Protection voted 8 to 0 to approve the state's first Zone 0 defensible space rules, the strictest ember protection standard in the country. If you are buying or selling anywhere in Nevada County's fire hazard zones, which covers most of Gra
Lake of the Pines vs. Auburn: Which Sierra Foothills Lifestyle Fits You
I get this question a lot from people relocating to the Sierra Foothills: Lake of the Pines or Auburn? Both sit along Highway 49 between Grass Valley and the Sacramento Valley, and both draw buyers who want foothill living with an easy commute. But they are built for very different days, and picking
Should You Sell Your Nevada County Home This Fall or Wait?
Every September I get some version of the same question from sellers: should you sell your home this fall, or just wait until spring? It's a fair question, and it deserves a real answer instead of a generic seasonal talking point. Before I answer it, I like to pull our actual local numbers, because
