Will Mortgage Rates Drop Soon? What 7.4% Means for Nevada County Buyers
The question I hear most from buyers right now is simple: will mortgage rates go back down? Freddie Mac's latest weekly survey has the average 30-year fixed rate at about 7.4%, the highest it has been since late 2023. A year ago it was around 6.3%. If you are shopping for a home, mortgage rates in N
Grass Valley Halloween on Oct. 30: What Downtown Living Feels Like
On Friday, October 30, downtown Grass Valley fills up with tiny witches, dinosaurs, and a few very serious superheroes. The Grass Valley Downtown Association's Halloween Safe Trick-or-Treat runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for preschoolers, and if you are curious what living in Grass Valley is really lik
Selling a Home With Septic in Nevada County: What Must You Disclose?
If you are selling a home with septic in Nevada County, you are in good company. Outside the town centers of Grass Valley and Nevada City, most homes in Penn Valley, Alta Sierra, and the rural Sierra Foothills run on a septic system, not city sewer. The question I hear from sellers is always the sam
5 Hidden Gems Near Lake of the Pines Worth Knowing Before You Buy
Most buyers look at Lake of the Pines for the lake, the golf course, and the gate. Fair enough. But after more than 40 years in Nevada County, I can tell you the hidden gems near Lake of the Pines are what people talk about a year after they move in. Lake of the Pines sits near Auburn on the Nevada
Are Nevada County Home Prices Dropping? Why the County Number Misleads
A buyer called me last week and asked a fair question: are Nevada County home prices dropping? He had seen a headline showing the countywide average sale price sliding, and he wondered if he should wait for a better deal. I told him what I'll tell you. The county number is real, but it is a poor gui
Can You Get Off the FAIR Plan in Nevada County in 2026?
If you own a home in Grass Valley, Nevada City, or Penn Valley and you are on the California FAIR Plan, I have a question for you: do you have to stay there? A lot of folks I talk with assume the answer is yes. This fall, the honest answer is "maybe not," and it is worth finding out before the 29.1
Living in Nevada City: What the Haunted Gold Rush Halloween Shows
If you want to know what living in Nevada City is really like, spend a Halloween here. Nevada City treats October 31 like a town holiday, and this year it lands on a Saturday. The streets fill with kids in costume, the Victorian storefronts get decorated, and the town leans into its Gold Rush past i
Nevada County Monthly Home Cost: What a $610,000 House Really Costs
Most buyers I talk to start with the list price. That is not the number that decides whether a house works. The Nevada County monthly home cost is what you will actually write a check for every month, and two lines of that payment have moved a lot this year: the interest rate and the insurance. So l
Nevada County Open Studios Tour: A Free Way to Preview Living Here
If you have been thinking about a move, the Nevada County Open Studios Tour is the best free way I know to see what daily life here actually feels like. It runs on four days this October: Saturdays and Sundays, October 10, 11, 17, and 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It costs nothing, and you do not need