Eastern Plumas & Sierra Counties Newsletter - January 2018

NEWS YOU CAN USE

JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

Table of Contents

Page

Best Wishes Happy New Year

2

Residential Sales Statistics Eastern Plumas & Sierra Counties Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

3-6

California Assn Realtors Report

7-9

Guild Mortgage Corner

10

Nakoma News

11-12

January Events

13-14

Winter Tip - Icicles

15

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot, and Golf Course Communities

A New Year is not about changing the dates but direction; it’s not about changing the calendar but commitment; it’s not about changing the actions but attitude.

May each and every day of yours be renewed with much happiness and love.

Let our New Year’s Resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity in the finest sense of the word. ~Goran Persson~

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

VISIT THE DICKSON PORTOLA OFFICE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EXPERT REAL ESTATE ADVICE FOR THE COMING YEAR!

The following pages are Residential Sales Statistics for the areas of: Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities of Whitehawk, Grizzly Ranch and Gold Mountain The statistics represent a 12 month snapshot of median sales prices, lowest and highest sales, number of sales and average days on market for the period November 2016 through November 2017. These sales are for all property types except time share and/or shared ownership are not included. The data source is the Plumas Multiple Listing Service effective November 30, 2017.

We are also including the latest market trends charts from The California Association of Realtors ® California Housing Market Update dated October 2017.

In summary sales have been healthy, prices increased and inventory is low!

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

GRAEAGLE

NOV - 2016 DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV - 2017

MEDIAN SALES PRICE $ 317,450 $ 219,000 $ 336,000 $ 460,000 $ 223,500 $ 240,000 $ 265,500 $ 218,000 $ 339,000 $ 359,750 $ 250,000 $ 357,250 $ 408,000

LOWEST SALE $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

255,000 164,500 316,500 128,500 189,000 35,000 42,000 204,000 155,000 25,000 80,000 112,000 40,000

HIGHEST SALE $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

790,000 400,000 925,000 950,000 258,000 417,000 429,000 825,000 738,000 823,000 789,000 580,000 675,000

RESIDENTIAL SOLD

AVG. DAYS ON MARKET

8 6 3 4 2 5 9 5 7 14 7 8 7

168 128 133 372 346 337 267 187 157 181 151 162 264

Graeagle 11/2016-11/2017 $1,000,000 $800,000 $600,000 $400,000 $200,000 $-

MEDIAN SALES PRICE

PORTOLA

NOV - 2016 DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV - 2017

MEDIAN SALES PRICE $ 149,000 $ 180,000 $ 50,000 $ 90,000 $ 150,000 $ 185,750 $ 144,900 $ 128,500 $ 27,000 $ 165,000 $ 190,000 $ 165,000 $ 165,000

LOWEST SALE $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

56,500 155,000 50,000 45,000 27,000 26,000 110,000 115,000 25,000 142,500 135,500 25,000 50,000

HIGHEST SALE $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

353,000 205,500 50,000 135,000 157,000 239,000 145,000 247,000 29,000 380,000 283,000 320,000 360,000

RESIDENTIAL SOLD

AVG. DAYS ON MARKET

5 2 1 2 3 4 3 5 2 5 3 10 5

105 86 208 398 288 294 107 99 83 133 203 151 133

LOWEST SALE

HIGHEST SALE

Portola 11/2016-11/2017 $400,000 $350,000 $300,000 $250,000 $200,000 $150,000 $100,000 $50,000 $-

MEDIAN SALES PRICE

LOWEST SALE

HIGHEST SALE

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

LOYALTON NOV - 2016 DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV - 2017

GOLF COURSE NOV - 2016 DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV - 2017

MEDIAN SALES $ 45,000 $ 240,000 $ 92,500 $ 189,500 $ 139,000 $ 228,000 $ 409,000 $ 90,000 $ 160,000 $ 265,000 $ 295,000 -

MEDIAN SALES $ 370,000 $ 460,000 $ 677,500 $ 347,250 $ 962,500 $ 349,000 $ 641,500 $ 697,000 $ 570,000 $ 445,000

LOWEST SALE $ 45,000 $ 240,000 $ 92,500 $ 189,500 $ 139,000 $ 228,000 $ 409,000 $ 62,000 $ 160,000 $ 135,000 $ 295,000 -

HIGHEST SALE $ 45,000 $ 240,000 $ 92,500 $ 189,500 $ 139,000 $ 228,000 $ 409,000 $ 330,000 $ 160,000 $ 347,000 $ 295,000 -

RESIDENTIAL SOLD

AVG. DAYS ON MARKET

1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 6 1 0

136 N/A 224 100 203 69 159 55 256 53 76 35 N/A

LOWEST SALE $ 295,000 $ 440,000 $ 305,000 $ 265,000 $ 825,000 $ 290,000 $ 460,000 $ 697,000 $ 560,000 $ 440,000

HIGHEST SALE $ 555,000 $ 480,000 $ 1,050,000 $ 429,000 $ 1,100,000 $ 623,000 $ 823,000 $ 697,000 $ 580,000 $ 450,000

RESIDENTIAL SOLD

AVG. DAYS ON MARKET

3 0 0 2 0 2 2 2 5 2 1 2 2

157 N/A N/A 381 N/A 485 452 61 142 268 125 708 98

Loyalton 11/2016-11/2017 $500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000 $100,000 $-

MEDIAN SALES PRICE

NOV - 2016 DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV - 2017

MEDIAN SALES $ 332,000 $ 165,000 $ 271,500 $ 213,500 $ 230,000 -

LOWEST SALE $ 332,000 $ 165,000 $ 180,000 $ 197,000 $ 230,000 -

HIGHEST SALE $ 332,000 $ 165,000 $ 363,000 $ 230,000 $ 230,000 -

RESIDENTIAL SOLD

AVG. DAYS ON MARKET

1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0

223 N/A N/A N/A 188 N/A N/A 43 71 45 N/A N/A N/A

HIGHEST SALE

Golf Course Communities Whitehawk, Grizzly Ranch, Gold Mountain 112016-11/2017 $1,500,000 $1,000,000 $500,000 $-

MEDIAN SALES PRICE

CHILCOOT

LOWEST SALE

LOWEST SALE

HIGHEST SALE

Chilcoot 11/2016-11/2017 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000 $100,000 $-

MEDIAN SALES PRICE

LOWEST SALE

HIGHEST SALE

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

ANNUAL SUMMARY AND PERCENTAGE CHANGE NOVEMBER 2016 when compared to NOVEMBER 2017 MEDIAN

LOWEST SALE

GRAEAGLE 2016 2017 % change PORTOLA 2016 2017 % change LOYALTON 2016 2017 % change GOLF COURSE COMMUNITIES 2016 2017 % change CHILCOOT 2016 2017 % change

HIGHEST SALE

NUMBER SOLD

AVG. DAYS ON MKT

$ $

317,450 408,000 28.52

$ $

255,000 40,000 (84.31)

$ $

790,000 675,000 (14.56)

8.00 7.00 (12.50)

168.00 264.00 57.14

$

149,000

$

56,500

$

353,000

5.00

105.00

$

165,000 10.74

$

50,000 (11.50)

$

360,000 1.98

5.00 0.00

133.00 26.67

$

45,000

$

45,000

$

45,000

1.00

136.00

(100.00)

(100.00)

(100.00)

$

(100.00)

$

(100.00)

$

$ $

370,000 445,000 20.27

$ $

295,000 440,000 49.15

$ $

555,000 450,000 (18.92)

3.00 2.00 (33.33)

157.00 98.00 (37.58)

$ $

332,000 (100.00)

$ $

332,000 (100.00)

$ $

332,000 (100.00)

1.00 (100.00)

223.00 (100.00)

TOTAL AREAS OVERALL 2016 $ 1,213,450 $ 983,500 $ 2,075,000 18.00 789.00 2017 $ 1,018,000 $ 530,000 $ 1,485,000 14.00 495.00 (16.11) (46.11) (28.43) (22.22) (37.26) % change

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

Realtors forecast modest gains in California home prices, sales in 2018

By JEFF COLLINS | PUBLISHED: October 12, 2017 at 11:27 am | UPDATED: October 12, 2017 at 11:28 am California’s housing recovery is projected to continue for a sixth straight year in 2018, but gains will be more modest than in the past, according to the California Association of Realtors housing forecast released Thursday, Oct. 12.

The median price of an existing house will increase 4.2 percent to $561,000 next year, compared with a projected increase of 7 percent in 2017.

Sales will rise 1 percent to 426,200 transactions, somewhat weaker than the 1.3 percent gain projected for this year.

After five years of recovery, prices are getting too high for some buyers, while the number of homes to choose from remains too low, said CAR Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young.

“It’s kind of a slow squeeze between low inventory and higher prices,” Appleton-Young said. “It’s certainly not a demand-side issue. … It’s an affordability issue and what do I choose from.”

While half of Californians could afford the medianpriced house when the recovery started in 2012, only 26 percent will be able to afford a detached, single-family home next year.

A lack of homes for sale — due in part to underbuilding — has become the new norm, Appleton-Young said. But the scarcity is most pronounced for lower-priced, entry-level homes for first-time buyers.

“The low end is kind of disappearing,” she said. “It pushes people inland. It pushes people out of state.”

CAR also expects mortgage interest rates to rise slightly next year, but not enough to deter homebuyers. Rates for traditional 30-year, fixed mortgages are forecast to rise to 4.3 percent in 2018. That’s still low compared with historical averages, but up from 4 percent this year and 3.6 percent in 2016.

If rates were to go much higher, “housing will be hit hard,” Appleton-Young said. She doesn’t expect that to occur, however.

Instead, Appleton-Young expects home prices to continue rising for the next couple of years.

“I don’t see prices declining in the midterm. But we’re seeing prices moderate,” Appleton-Young said.

Reprinted from San Jose Mercury News October 12, 2017 REPORTER Jeff Collins: For more than a decade, Jeff Collins has followed housing and real estate, covering market booms and busts and all aspects of the real estate industry. He has been tracking rents and home prices, and has explored solutions to critical problems such as Southern California’s housing shortage and affordability crisis. Before joining the Orange County Register in 1990, he covered a wide range of topics for daily newspapers in Kansas, El Paso and Dallas. A Southern California native, he studied at UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine. He later earned a master’s degree from the USC School of Journalism.

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

All you need to know about increasing loan limits and how this could possibly help you as a buyer!

Loan Limits have increased across the Nation and possibly in your area code. Thus, if you struggle with 20% down, high debt to income ratios, or are looking for easier underwriting then you are in luck! Conventional or government loans such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Federal housing administration (FHA) or Veteran (VA) loans have all announced an increase in loan sizes. This allows clients of those programs more borrowing power, which is good news for you. The national conforming loan limit will rise from $417,100 to $453,100 in 2018 and high balance limits per county are also increasing.

For information on your specific county you use this link:

https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/hicostlook.cfm.

As housing prices continue to rise, many clients are struggling to qualify for loans. This increase should assist them and open up more possibilities for low down payment options like for 5% down for primary and 10% down for secondary homes. It will also create a much easier environment for underwriting for higher loan sizes.

Please call us for more information on FHA and VA in your area; or feel free to reach out to our team to find the perfect loan for you!

If you have any questions regarding loan limits, refinancing or purchasing a home, please feel free to reach out to The Rice Team.

11050 Pioneer Trail Suite 201 Truckee, CA 96161 Phone: (530) 582-9991 Fax: (530) 582-9995.

Web:wwwTheRiceTeam.com

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN hide & seek There’s everyday life — dense, ever-active, relentless. Then there is the Lost Sierra, a vast landscape of mountains, lakes and characterful towns just a few hours drive away. But the stress of the city has its tentacles in Tahoe and won’t let go.

Thankfully, a short drive north, you break free of the traffic, the lift lines and unavailable tee times to arrive at the jewel of the Lost Sierra: Nakoma Resort — as much a state of mind as a physical place. At the center is Nakoma’s Frank Lloyd Wright Clubhouse, a marvel of imagination brought to life with his trademark interplay of wood, stone and natural light that is a delight to our owners and visitors alike.

EVERY COMPASS POINT beckons In winter, our daily door-to- door shuttle will get you to Northstar for skating and skiing refreshed and relaxed. We’ll bring you home again to a crackling fireplace and an equally toasty beverage.

DIRECTIONS FROM SACRAMENTO/BAY AREA Take Interstate 80 East past the Central Truckee exit to Exit 188B (Hwy 89 North/Sierraville and Hwy 267 South/Lake Tahoe).

At the end of the off-ramp, turn left onto Highway 89 north.

Proceed north through the next stop light and the two round-abouts continuing on Hwy 89 for approximately 22 miles.

In Sierraville, turn left at the T-intersection to remain on Hwy 49/89.

Proceed approximately 5 miles and turn right on Hwy 89 to Graeagle/Quincy.

Proceed approximately 15 miles and turn right onto County Hwy-A15, Portola-McLears Rd. Proceed approximately 3 1/2 miles.

For the Lodge at Nakoma, turn left on Village Trail. For the Clubhouse, turn right on Bear Run and proceed up the hill approximately 1/4 miles and measured as the mountain terrain.

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

FEATURED EVENT music in the wigwam: JANUARY 5, 2018 5:00PM - 8:00PM We welcome back violinist extraordinaire, Holly Sternberg, for a wonderful evening in the Wigwam Dining room at Nakoma.

When she was four years old, Holly discovered an old fiddle in her grandmother’s closet and knew from then on that she wanted to play it. She started taking lessons at the age of 8 and has now been playing the violin for 14 years, obtaining a well rounded education in many different genres of music ranging from classical to fiddle. Her passion lies with Irish fiddle music, although she also plays Scottish, Breton, Swedish, bluegrass, and old-time, placing in the top 5 multiple times in the California State Old-time Fiddle Championships.

Holly’s vivid and powerful music will captivate you as she plays a variety of music with origins from Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, as well as old-time American tunes.

FLoW Lounge opens at 4 p.m. Dinner menu available from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Music starts at 6 p.m.

No Cover. Reservations appreciated. 530-897-2300

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

Graeagle, Portola, Loyalton, Chilcoot and Golf Course Communities

JANUARY 2018 SUN

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Nakoma New Year Celebration

Nakoma Music in Wigwam

HISTORIC LONG BOARD SKI RACES Series Opener

AT A GLANCE See following pages for details

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER Truckee, Tahoe Donner, Alpine/Squaw, Golf Course Communities, North and West Lake Tahoe, CA.

Date and Event New Year’s Eve Dining and Entertainment

Where Held Nakoma 348 Bear Run Clio, CA

Time

Cost Contact Info.

5:00 pm 9:00 pm

www.frontdesk@n akomaresort.com

Details

Seating for dining from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm in Wigwam Dining Room.

Stay on to enjoy cocktails and celebration in FLoW Lounge with piano music by Donald Kahn. Don is an experienced musician who plays all genres from Dixieland to honky-tonk, ragtime, jazz and Broadway show tunes.

(877) 462-5662 For full details

January 21st Opening date Historic Longboard Revival Race Series (Save the series future dates) February 18th March 18th

Plumas Eureka State Park (Plumas Eureka Ski Bowl)

310 Johnsville Road Blairsden, CA 96103

All day

Free Or Nominal charge to race.

Contact: Plumas Cnty Museum (530) 283-6320 OR www. plumasskiclub.org

The public is invited to spectate and participate in this family style entertainment. Sponsored by Plumas Ski Club.

This traditional event has been on-going for over 50 years. Witness how skiing “used to be.”

For full details and directions

The Plumas Ski Club began operation of the Plumas-Eureka Ski Bowl at it's present site during the season of 1957-58. However, the history of skiing in the Plumas County area of the northern Sierra dates back to 1860. Very few people realize that this distinguishes the mountains between Johnsville and LaPorte as the oldest recorded sport skiing in the western hemisphere.

During the later portion of the 19th century, historic towns in Plumas and Sierra counties including LaPorte,Howland, Flat, Port Wine and Johnsville served as popular winter playgrounds for skiers. Only the Johnsville area continues to serve both locals and visitors as a site for the increasingly popular Nordic and telemark style skiing as well as alpine and downhill skiing.

By 1863, Gold Mountain, now known as Eureka Peak, above the then thriving mining town of Johnsville had a down-the-hill ski run of 2600 feet. An early day "longboard" ski racer was reported to have reached a speed of 90 mph. According to oral history, the mining ore buckets going up Gold Mountain were used by skiers as possibly the first ski-lift in the world.

In 1937, two young Quincy men designed the first real ski lift in Plumas County. Unfortunately, they built the lift on the lower slopes of Mt Washington in an avalanche path. The lift was eventually relocated to the steep slopes behind the Plumas-Eureka StampMill. At one time the present Plumas-Eureka State Park museum served as a ski lodge.

In 1950 the Plumas Ski Club was organized as a non-profit organization by skiers from Blairsden, Portola and Quincy. The Ski Club was involved in promoting both downhill and cross country skiing and ran a rope tow near the museum until 1954. In 1955 the Ski Club moved the rope tow to the present site in Eureka Bowl which had historically been used for skiing in the 19th century.

Over the years, members of the Ski Club have contributed money and labor to develop the Plumas-Eureka Ski Bowl. As years passed, a warming hut was built and the lifts were expanded to include the present day poma lifts.

In 1959, Plumas-Eureka Ski Bowl became part of the state park.

Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320

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JANUARY 2018 MARKET NEWSLETTER EASTERN PLUMAS & SIERRA COUNTIES

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6 Chilling Facts About Icicles That All Homeowners Should Know

Th o s e b e a u tifu l, s h in y ic ic le s hanging from your roof are not cool.

They’re a really, really bad sign that you may have an ice dam — a ridge of ice along the edge of your roof that can damage your house and your wallet. But don’t freak out. Just be in the know about these six things, and you can save your budget from hypothermia this winter. #1 They'll Destroy Your Roof's Insulation So, here’s how ice dams work: When heat escapes through your roof, it melts the snow up there.

Then it gets cold again, and that water freezes along the ridge of your roof. If this happens enough, the ice builds up into an ice dam.

Once the ice dam is established, when the warm air melts more snow, that water gets trapped behind the ice dam and just hangs out there in a puddle. Water is not supposed to puddle up on your roof. It can seep down through the roof (science calls this a “leak,” FYI), and turn your insulation into a wet mess.

But that’s only the beginning … #2 They'll Infest Your House With Mold Once your insulation is that soggy mess, something worse could be lurking. MOLD! Ugh. It’s nasty.

And it’s expensive to make go away. Fittingly, the way to prevent it is (ta- da!) good insulation. So make sure your roof doesn’t get too warm in the first place.

“Most ice dams are caused by a warm attic, which can be fixed if people would just call the

professionals in,” says Joe Palumbo of ice mitigation company, The Ice Dam Guys.

Having sufficient insulation is key, but keep in mind that a well-insulated attic has to be balanced with good ventilation. An attic shouldn’t be more than 15 degrees hotter than rest of the house — if it is, you need better ventilation. Not sure about your insulation/ventilation balance?

You can find a home energy auditor through the Residential Energy Services Network, or — even better — check with your local energy utility, as many of them offer free audits to customers. #3 They'll Send Water Pouring Down Your Walls Count yourself lucky if you caught the ice dam in time so that moldy insulation was the only problem.

A really bad leak will continue right through the insulation to destroy walls, ceilings, flooring — pretty much everything it touches (and spread that nasty mold around!).

That’s a great way to wave goodbye to the Dream Deck Savings Account you’ve been working on for years.

One way to ensure you never get a catastrophic leak is to make sure there’s never enough ice or snow up there to melt into one. This can be done with special roof rakes (that’s a thing!) if your roof is low enough, or by calling in pros who know how to climb around on roofs in the snow without breaking things themselves. #4 They'll Rip Down Gutters and Pull Roof Shingles Loose Ice dams weigh a ton (literally!).

Which means all that weight can tear gutters away from your house, pull shingles loose from your roof, and generally cause stress on your home’s exterior. But if there’s no ice, there’s no ice damage. So, make sure your home’s insulated and well ventilated (see #1) — and you shouldn’t have a problem. But if you see one forming, try this DIY trick: Fill pantyhose with an ice- melt product, and place on freezingprone points of your roof. Your home won’t win any beauty pageants, but in the short term, this DIY trick can save you some serious grief. #5 They'll Damage Something (or Someone!) Special to You Did we mention how heavy ice dams are? Weight can inflict damage. A ton of it! And in dangerous ways you

don’t even want to think about. Like suddenly breaking loose and falling on: • That azalea you nursed back to • life last spring • Your just-paid-off car • Your dog • You! If preventative measures haven’t worked to keep them at bay — or you’re just learning about ice dams too late to prevent one — getting rid of an ice dam as quickly as possible is crucial. This is where companies like The Ice Dam Guys come in.

You may have been an icicleharvesting pro as a kid, but now that you’re an adult with a home to protect, this is a job for the pros. Not only will they remove the dam safely, they can help you pinpoint the exact cause and identify damage. #6 They'll Grow In Lots of Spots Around Your House — Not Just the Roof It makes sense that ice dams can damage your roof. But ice danger just keeps going and going when it clings to any part of your house.

Case in point: gas meters.

“That gas meter has a small breather that needs to breathe air,” Palumbo says. “We’ve often seen it get iced up or covered in snow.” A frozenover meter can cause your gas to shut off unexpectedly — not the best winter surprise. Other places ice (and icicles!) hang out on: Anything outside that will let snow puddle on it when it melts It’s tempting to put your home maintenance blinders on during the frigid winter months, so try to carve out a little time between your cocoaand-Netflix binges to pull on your boots and take a slow lap around the outside of your home.

Clearing away the beginnings of any ice buildup can save your wallet big time — and make more time for cozy viewing and sipping in the end.

http:wwwhouselogic.com

© Copyright 2017 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Dickson Portola Team

289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700 Dickson Nakoma Team 348 Bear Run | Clio, CA 96106 | 530.322.3320