5 Reasons the Draft Horse Classic Feels Like Nevada County Living
Every September the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley fill up with draft horses the size of small trucks, and half the county shows up to watch them work a full arena. This year the 39th Annual Draft Horse Classic and Harvest Fair runs Thursday, September 17 through Sunday, September 20, and
Grass Valley vs. Nevada City: Which Has the Lower Cost of Living?
Photo credit: Unsplash I get some version of this question almost every week from buyers weighing Grass Valley against Nevada City: which town actually has a lower cost of living? They sit less than five miles apart, share that same Gold Rush charm, and from a distance they can look like the same ma
What This Fall's Concert Calendar Reveals About Living in Grass Valley, CA
I keep a running list of reasons I give people who are still deciding whether to make the move to Nevada County, and this fall's calendar at The Center for the Arts and the Nevada Theatre just handed me a new one. When a town of under 15,000 people can pull a full six-week play run and two touring n
Where Homes Sell Fastest in Nevada County Right Now
If you're watching the Nevada County real estate market, you've probably noticed some homes go pending in a few weeks while others sit for months. I pulled the most recent MLS numbers to see exactly where that's happening, and the days on market Nevada County buyers and sellers are seeing right now
5 Hidden Gems Bay Area Transplants Find After Moving to Nevada County
I talk to a lot of people moving to Nevada County from the Bay Area and Sacramento, and almost all of them tell me the same thing after their first few months here. It wasn't the price of a house that sold them, even though that's usually what started the search. It was some small, specific thing th
What the Grass Valley Sidewalk Sale Reveals About Small-Town Living
Every September, Mill Street fills with folding tables, discount racks, and shopkeepers standing in their own doorways instead of behind a register. It is the Downtown Grass Valley Summer Sidewalk Sale, and this year it runs Saturday, September 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are trying to picture
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
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
