HomeSeller: Friday, March 31, 2023

ALL THINGS REAL ESTATE HOA can make you move satellite dish if it doesn’t interfere with reception

Q: I live in an upscale, gated community. Several months ago I signed up for one of the satellite television ser vices. The company came out and installed two small sat ellite dishes on my roof. I’ve just received a notice from the homeowners association that I must remove the dishes because they are visible from the street and the association rules don’t allow any type of antennae to be seen from the street. It seems that everyone these days has this kind of dish on their homes. Is this just some attempt to make you buy cable television? What happens if I don’t remove them? Thanks.

A: Well, first of all: People still use satellite dishes?!? You know it’s 2023, right?

Anyway, communities built since the early to mid-1980s commonly have very comprehensive sets of rules that govern the development. The idea was and is to keep the quality of life and value of the homes as high as possible.

Called CC&Rs, these rules bind all homeowners in the development to, often, a long list of restrictions. For example, you may only be able to paint your house certain colors. A paint or architectural restriction is designed to make sure all of the homes fit together in a common architectural scheme.

If you remember back to the 1970s, you’ll recall that many people invested in the big, old-fashioned satellite dishes that were up to 12 feet in diameter. They would pick up the network feeds from the two or three satellites that supplied the local TV stations.

These dishes were unsightly and even dangerous when mounted on rooftops.

When I was a kid, we had a TV antenna that was so high and so wide it looked like we were trying to intercept Martian radio transmissions.

Of course, you still have HAM radio guys with their giant, talk-to-Japan antennas.

The attempt of the CC&Rs was to prevent that type of unsightliness in the neighborhood.

However, the FCC, which controls all radio and television broadcasting in the United States, has caused laws to be passed which put mandatory restrictions on the CC&Rs

Specifically, the homeowners association can put “reasonable” restrictions on your satellite dishes as long as installing the dishes under those restrictions still allows you to receive

In other words, if your dishes can be mounted out of sight and still receive a signal, the homeowners association has the power to make you move them.

CC&Rs often require dishes or antennae to be painted to blend into the design of the home. If the paint doesn’t ruin the reception, that restriction is legal.

You’ll need to talk to your installer and find out if the dishes can be mounted anywhere that isn’t visible from the street. If it can, then move it. If not, get a letter from the installer and take it to the homeowners association. The association may schedule, and may already have scheduled, a hearing. That’s the time to prove the dishes are where they need to be in order for you to get reception.

Even so, the painting requirement may apply so you will want to talk to your installer about what types of paints are safe to use on the dishes.

Tim Jones is a real estate attorney in Fairfield. If you have any real estate questions you would like to have answered in this column, you can send an email to AllThingsRealEstate@ TJones-Law.com.

Tim Jones

How to make over your laundry room – whether you have $300 or $3,000

THE WASHINGTON POST

When Monica Dewald and Tamthy Le bought their house in Renton, Wash. last year, the laundry room was run down with a rust-covered dryer. Now, it’s a miniature disco, complete with dark-pink walls and a rotating, multicolored overhead light.

“When you open the door, it feels like there’s a party going on,” says Dewald.

While such a utilitarian space may not seem like it deserves much attention, homeowners who’ve given their laundry rooms a facelift say it’s actually made them more enthusiastic about doing the wash. Because laundry rooms are typically tucked away, the space is an opportunity to take risks with patterns and colors (and, yes, disco lights) even if they don’t necessarily match the rest of the house.

Beyond aesthetics, rethinking a laundry room can also improve its functionality, allowing for easier access to detergent, for example, or creating more storage. And while you can certainly splurge on high-end finishes and a professional interior designer, those things aren’t required to create a space that’ll make folding and ironing feel less like punishment.

Dewald, a public-school teacher, and Le, a nonprofit administrator, spent under $100 on their entire project, which they tackled in their spare time for about two weeks. Their budget covered paint, a disco lightbulb, a decorative disco ball and mirror tape to cover the rust on the top of the dryer. The darker paint and low lighting also help mask imperfections on the walls. As a fun bonus, the room is viewable from another room through a peek-a-boo opening in some built-in shelves. Dewald says it feels like peering into a speakeasy.

Liz Butler, a full-time parent near Tampa, felt the need to do heavier renovations to her family’s laundry room. “The aesthetic of it did not make me want to be in there,” says Butler. “It was also not very functional.”

With the help of her husband, Scott, they redid the floors, cabinets and decor, all

for about $2,000. “I’m a budget shopper,” says Liz Butler. “I will find the deals and I will wait on the deals, or scour Facebook Marketplace.”

Among her biggest scores for the laundry room: tiles on clearance at Lowe’s for 7 cents apiece, and cabinetry from a liquidation warehouse. The priciest item turned out to be a slab of butcher block for $270, which the couple used to make a folding station. They chose NextWall peeland-stick wallpaper in a dark-hued garden print for an accent wall. Butler then took a swatch of it to Lowe’s where the staff helped her pick matching blue paint for the cabinetry and trim. To improve the lighting, they replaced a fluorescent tube light with a ceiling fixture and sconce from Amazon. Decorative wall baskets were the finishing touch.

The couple saved big by doing most of the labor themselves – though only being able to chip away at the project

See Laundry, Page 6

LIZ BUTLER/THE WASHINGTON POST Liz Butler scored the floor tile on clearance for 7 cents apiece, then hired a professional contractor to install it.

Real estate transactions

BENICIA

TOTAL SALES: 2

LOWEST AMOUNT: $625,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $2,700,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $1,662,500

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $1,662,500

1325 East 4th Street - $625,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 1878 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-13-18, $510,000

1220 West L Street - $2,700,000

02-24-23 [5 Bdrms - 5706 SqFt - 2022 YrBlt]

DIXON

TOTAL SALES: 2

LOWEST AMOUNT: $400,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $525,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $462,500

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $462,500

1350 West F Street - $525,000

02-23-23 [4 Bdrms - 1890 SqFt - 1979 YrBlt]

505 Mckenzie Drive - $400,000

02-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 1311 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt]

FAIRFIELD

TOTAL SALES: 7

LOWEST AMOUNT: $360,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,770,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $510,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $695,714

1136 1st Street - $392,500

02-22-23 [4 Bdrms - 1567 SqFt - 1954 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-21-13, $175,000

4397 Edinburg Court - $1,770,000

02-23-23 [4 Bdrms - 3415 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 09-14-12, $875,000

509 Emerald Hills Circle - $665,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 2142 SqFt - 2004

Laundry

From Page 4

on weekends meant it took about five months. “With us being on a single income, it makes sense for us to learn how to do it, so we don’t have to pay someone else,” says Butler. The lone exception: a professional contractor tiled the floor.

Niky Foster, a content creator in Delaware, spruced up her laundry room last year on a $600 budget, around half of which went to new cabinets from Home Depot. (She replaced the included knobs with hardware from Amazon that fit her style.)

YrBlt], Previous Sale: 05-21-14, $420,000

1650 Glenmore Drive - $450,000

02-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 1307 SqFt - 2005

YrBlt], Previous Sale: 05-25-11, $130,000

3511 Norwalk Place - $722,500

02-22-23 [5 Bdrms - 2392 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-19-17, $529,000

1857 San Pedro Court - $360,000

02-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 1886 SqFt - 1987 YrBlt]

1007 Sparrow Lane - $510,000

02-23-23 [4 Bdrms - 1376 SqFt - 1969 YrBlt]

RIO VISTA

TOTAL SALES: 4

LOWEST AMOUNT: $316,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $434,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $420,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $397,500

359 Cedar Ridge Drive - $434,000

02-23-23 [2 Bdrms - 1382 SqFt - 2001

YrBlt], Previous Sale: 05-20-04, $290,000

764 Cherry Hills Lane - $420,000

02-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 1864 SqFt - 1997 YrBlt]

490 Cypress Drive - $420,000

02-23-23 [2 Bdrms - 1733 SqFt - 1999 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-17-99, $256,292

230 Yosemite Drive - $316,000

02-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1218 SqFt - 1972 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-16-98, $110,000

SUISUN CITY

TOTAL SALES: 7

LOWEST AMOUNT: $410,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $560,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $490,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $489,143

411 Avalon Way - $509,000

02-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 2152 SqFt - 1972 YrBlt]

Foster zhuzhed up the walls herself using stick-on vinyl and a Cricut machine – a device linked to an app that lets users create and print custom patterns for craft projects. The result looks like wallpaper, but is easier to apply and remove. Foster decants laundry products into glass jars for better visibility (and aesthetics). She also bought collapsible laundry baskets that take up less space. “I really thought through the process of all the things I need when I do laundry and where they are,” says Foster. “Everything has a home.”

The countertop over the machines was installed by a contractor. It’s made of plywood and was finished with a layer of clear polyurethane to protect

704 Bella Vista Drive - $560,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 1530 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 07-23-15, $295,000

538 Coot Lane - $550,000

02-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1488 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-11-21, $422,500

504 Crested Drive - $490,000

02-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 1088 SqFt - 1982 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-10-18, $340,000

22 Dawn Rose Way - $430,000

02-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1555 SqFt - 1999 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-16-04, $370,000

510 Nadel Drive - $475,000

02-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1384 SqFt - 1977 YrBlt]

224 Solano Street - $410,000

02-24-23 [2 Bdrms - 1470 SqFt - 1920 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 09-10-15, $184,000

VACAVILLE

TOTAL SALES: 15

LOWEST AMOUNT: $84,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,240,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $611,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $625,400

119 Amberwood Court - $611,000

02-23-23 [4 Bdrms - 2058 SqFt - 1989

YrBlt], Previous Sale:  00/1989, $153,000

754 Arabian Circle - $685,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 2066 SqFt - 1990

YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-01-20, $557,000

312 Bridgeport Court - $667,000

02-24-23 [5 Bdrms - 2148 SqFt - 1987 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-01-17, $440,000

2012 Broom Grass Court - $1,240,000

02-21-23 [5 Bdrms - 3872 SqFt - 2014 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 11-23-16, $910,000

1156 Fox Hound Court - $570,000

02-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 1542 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-28-19, $460,000

the surface.

Another DIY content creator, Alexis Combs, is sharing the process of her laundry room renovation on her YouTube channel. So far, she and her husband have removed a closet, utility sink and a layer of linoleum flooring.

Major renovations aren’t new to the couple, who surprised Combs’s parents with a $300 laundry room renovation at their house in South Carolina a couple of years ago. That redo included building a floating bench against one of the walls. Above the bench, they painted a soft green accent wall, with decorative trim and hooks. “That part alone really transformed the space,” says Combs.

Other changes revolved around

These are the local homes sold recently, provided by California Resource of Lodi. The company can be reached at 209.365.6663 or CalResource@aol.com.

243 Lisburn Way - $610,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 1790 SqFt - 1993 YrBlt]

176 Rainier Circle - $320,000

02-21-23 [2 Bdrms - 1152 SqFt - 1964 YrBlt]

1061 Red Mulberry Court - $665,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 1898 SqFt - 2006

YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-15-06, $525,008

227 Richard Place - $84,000

02-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 1513 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 01-24-23, $540,000

4244 Rolling Hills Lane - $1,000,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 2827 SqFt - 1979 YrBlt]

413 Rosso Court - $464,000

02-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1229 SqFt - 2007 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-02-19, $395,000

343 Springvalley Drive - $510,000

02-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1247 SqFt - 1971 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 07-26-22, $525,000

478 Stonewood Drive - $705,000

02-24-23 [4 Bdrms - 2668 SqFt - 1988

YrBlt], Previous Sale:  00/1989, $179,500

313 Willowwood Court - $715,000

02-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 2174 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt]

419 Yale Avenue - $535,000

02-22-23 [4 Bdrms - 1925 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-21-09, $230,000

VALLEJO

TOTAL SALES: 16

LOWEST AMOUNT: $264,500

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $825,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $527,500

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $508,031

837 6th Street - $425,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 1032 SqFt - 1961 YrBlt]

312 Alhambra Avenue - $525,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 1525 SqFt - 1944 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-03-19, $385,000

functionality, such as adding a small utility cart between the washer and dryer to store detergent and other supplies.

For those with larger budgets, an interior designer can add expert insight. Stephanie Vanderveldt, a physician in Atlanta, tapped Michele Gratch Interiors to help redo her laundry room, which was part of a larger house renovation. She chose to work with Gratch both because she loved her style and didn’t feel qualified to do the job herself.

“The finished product is much more than I ever could have accomplished on my own,” says Vanderveldt. She estimates about $10,000 went to the laundry room, which included

3544 Calm Breeze Court - $825,000

02-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 3230 SqFt - 2000

YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-21-08, $390,000

207 Camino Alto - $699,000

02-24-23 [3 Bdrms - 2352 SqFt - 1954 YrBlt]

450 Carousel Drive - $415,000

02-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 1310 SqFt - 1994 YrBlt]

452 Corcoran Avenue #3 - $264,500

02-22-23 [2 Bdrms - 880 SqFt - 1972 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 11-16-04, $124,000

15 Glenn Street - $420,000

02-24-23 [2 Bdrms - 1200 SqFt - 1930 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-24-10, $70,000

640 Henry Street - $550,000

02-21-23 [4 Bdrms - 1575 SqFt - 1942 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-27-18, $342,000

159 Hill Drive - $580,000

02-22-23 [3 Bdrms - 968 SqFt - 1941 YrBlt]

138 Marquette Avenue - $530,000

02-22-23 [4 Bdrms - 1536 SqFt - 1966 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-03-09, $99,000

106 Narcissus Court - $630,000

02-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1484 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-16-22, $475,000

410 Notre Dame Drive - $635,000

02-24-23 [4 Bdrms - 1531 SqFt - 1979 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 01-05-09, $192,000

2890 Redwood Parkway #91 - $275,000

02-21-23 [1 Bdrms - 756 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 07-11-01, $127,000

801 Timbercove Street #3 - $425,000

02-22-23 [2 Bdrms - 989 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-28-05, $355,000

64 Werden Street - $300,000

02-23-23 [3 Bdrms - 988 SqFt - 1977 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-26-22, $200,000

255 Yachtsman Drive - $630,000

02-21-23 [3 Bdrms - 1514 SqFt - 1986 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-17-17, $455,000

replacing the counters, cabinetry, washer and dryer.

The room’s most eye-catching detail, however – wallpaper patterned with illustrations of French bulldogs – was chosen by Vanderveldt herself, in homage to her two dogs. Before meeting with the firm, she’d already picked out the pattern from Spoonflower. She told Gratch that including it was nonnegotiable.

Though wallpaper is usually much pricier than painting (in this case, it cost $1,500), Vanderveldt says she has no regrets about the personal touch: “It happens to be the room that you see right when you come up the stairs, and it always makes me smile.”

SOLANO REAL ESTATE SCENE

State releases new Dream for All equity share program

CALHFA released the Dream for All down-payment assistance program this week and has $300 million to invest with first-time home buyers with incomes less than $215,000 per year and FICO scores above 680. I have read through all the guidelines and had a telephone briefing with our contact at CALHFA, and now feel like I have all the answers to my questions.

CALHFA has been our go-to source for first-time homebuyer down payment assistance for years, but this new equity-share program is the first of its kind and absolutely a dream come true for some buyers.

For my fellow skeptics, I want you all to know that unlike some of the crazy adjustable-rate loans done between 2003 and 2007 that allowed buyers to purchase a home for $800,000 without one penny out of their pocket and no proof of income, the Dream for All program is different. The Dream for All program requires a minimum FICO score of 660 for low income (80% of AMI) and 680 for income levels up to $215,000 in Solano County, along with an overall debt ratio no higher than 45% and a Fannie Mae desktop loan approval.

Here is a snapshot scenario of how it works and who it can help:

Let’s assume we have a schoolteacher and a nurse, and this 30-year-old couple makes $180,000 per year, renting at $3,500 per month with a couple kids, 700 FICO, $70,000 in student loan debt at $600 per month and no other debt, a whopping $20,000 in savings, a couple of small 401k plans and no gift funds available from family.

This equity-share program

Jim Porter

will allow them to buy a home for $800,000. The state will lend them $160,000 for the 20% down payment with a 20% shared appreciation agreement that requires the buyer to pay back the $160,000 plus 20% of the appreciation when they sell the house. The first mortgage loan, as of this week, would be a 30-year fixed-rate loan with no PMI at 6.375% with up to a 2% loan origination fee, which creates an estimated APR of 6.55%.

CALHFA told me that after 12 months, they will subordinate their second position once for the homeowner to refinance to a lower rate with no cash out and, because this is so new, further limitations may follow.

Back in the mid- to late-1980s, private equity-share investors became an option for buyersain the high-end coastal markets where wealthy investors would partner with high income young couples on houses in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo. The investor would produce the 20% down and the kids would pay the mortgage and maintain the house with an agreement to sell the house in five to seven years and split the equity growth 50-50.

This California program will allow a buyer to live in the house for 30 years before any repayment is required. After the 30-year first mortgage loan is paid off, a balloon payment of this $160,000 plus 20% of the gross equity becomes due and payable.

Let’s assume the value of the house in 30 years is $1.4 million. The kids that are now 60, will have to pay the original $160,000 plus 20% of the $600,000 in equity via a loan or by selling the house and pay $280,000 to the state of California. The equity share partner will not be responsible for 20% of the plumbing bill or any of the other repairs and home improvements made over the 30 years. Another thing to consider is that if the buyer sells the house in a few years, the state will get 20% of the gross equity and not have to participate in any of the selling costs for commissions, repairs and closing costs. The best way to view this program and this $800,000 scenario is to see it as a loan for $160,000 with an equity share agreement in lieu of traditional guaranteed interest payments.

I predict the $300 million will be sold out in less than six months, so have your kids investigate this ASAP or, better yet, call me and I will show you how you can lend your kids the $160,000 for the down payment because I am sure they would prefer to be equity share partners with you.

This is a no-brainer program that will make homes more affordable for thousands of first-time home buyers that are willing to partner with California. The total payment for the nurse and teacher above would be $4,940 per month including property taxes and homeowners’ insurance, assuming the property tax rate is 1.25% annually and the home is not in a fire or flood zone.

Jim Porter, NMLS No. 276412, is the branch manager and senior loan adviser of Solano Mortgage, NMLS No. 1515497, a division

of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation, NMLS No. 1850, licensed in California by the Department of Financial Protec-

tion and Innovation under the CRMLA / Equal Housing Opportunity. Jim can be reached at 707-449-4777.

Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade garners Classic City Award

One of my favorite green busi ness operations I follow on Facebook is Rivers Green house and Garden in Brandon, Mississippi. They have a whole sale greenhouse operation and a retail garden center a couple of miles away. They are the most picturesque destination out in the country if you ever find yourself near Jackson, Mis sissippi. They recently posted a photo of a few flats of Super bells Prism Pink Lemonade calibrachoa. Their Facebook audience started showing a lot of interest for a plant that is new, making its debut this year. This should serve as notice to you: When you see it buy it, buy a

bunch for your friends, as this will be one hot commodity. Amusingly, around that same time, one of mine that I planted as part of my trials last year really started showing out. Yes, I know I got lucky on a bunch of stuff returning this year, but a lot of that was due to the labor of moving all of my containers to the garage for five days during the December arctic blast.

But back to my event that sequenced with Rivers Greenhouse and Garden promotion.

My Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade was blooming like a beautiful bouquet, if you will, with Superbells Grape Punch calibrachoa. Since I planted those last summer, I had forgotten I even made that partnership. So there they are, blooming in an incredibly magical lighting, making me look like a genius, when an Eastern tiger swallowtail decided the lemonade was on the meal plan.

I wondered how this could be, while asking myself, "Can you See Winter, Page 13

Norman Winter

NORMAN WINTER/TNS

This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail found Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade to be perfect for an 85-degree day in March. Superbells Grape Punch calibrachoa is the companion.

Solano County Listings: Homes for sale

LOTS & LAND

MULTI UNIT 2-4

Share of young single women homeowners dropped nationwide

TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

Single women have been gaining on single men when it comes to buying homes. But that progress stalled last year.

In metropolitan areas across the country, young single men are more likely than young single women to own a home, but the ownership gap had been narrowing and almost closed in 2021, according to Zillow, as more women entered the workforce and their incomes rose.

That gap widened last year, according to a new Zillow report looking at home affordability trends among singles ages 18 to 44. That was partly due to the pandemic’s continuing outsized

hit on working women and rising housing costs.

Nationwide, the home ownership rate for young single women dropped in 2022 for the first time in six years, according to Zillow’s analysis of census data for single 25- to 35-year-olds. The rate peaked in 2021.

Nationally, women make an average of 82% of what men make. And single women can afford about 85% of the home listings that single men can afford, according to Zillow. The Philadelphia metropolitan area roughly mirrors that national trend.

Zillow considered a home to be affordable if the estimated mortgage payment for a listing was no more than 30% of income.

The Philadelphia area’s median home listing price in February was more than $286,500, according to Zillow. Single women in the region can afford, on average, roughly 14% of available listings, and single men can afford 16.5%.

The region ranks 10th out of the largest 50 metropolitan areas for the share of listings that young single women can afford.

Pittsburgh has the highest share of home listings that are affordable to single women. There, they are able to buy about

one-third of listings.

Because of high home prices, young single women in some metros on the West Coast can afford less than 0.5% of homes for sale.

Young single women in Washington, D.C., can afford 100% of the listings young single men can afford. That figure is almost 96% in Atlanta and about 92% in Baltimore.

In the Philadelphia metro area, the home ownership rate for single women ages 25 to 35 in 2021 – the latest year data were

available – was about where it was in 2016, according to Zillow’s analysis of census data.

Nationally, roughly 19% of young single women owned a home in 2016, compared to almost 30% of young single men. The ownership gap of about 10 percentage points shrank to about 2 percentage points in 2021.

That year, the home ownership rate for young single women grew to almost 29%. But it fell to 24.5% last year. The ownership rate for young single men, meanwhile, grew in 2022 to 33%.

Winter

From Page 11

capture that with the camera, Norman?" The funny thing is that the butterfly gave me opportunities time and again. He would feed, soar in the trees and go back to the same spot. I have every plant a swallowtail could want from the standpoint of nectar in March, but on this day the Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade reigned champion.

It reigned champion at my house by last summer too, and not only in my trials, but also in the University of Georgia Trials in Athens. It was a Classic City Award Winner. UGA’s Dr. John Ruter describes the Classic City winners this way:

"We take pride in the Trials at the University of Georgia. We don’t trial for the sake of trialing or to make us look good or to give us something to do – we trial in the steadfast belief that someone, breeders, growers, retailers and consumers will pay attention," he says. "Quality is not limited to fertility standards and spacing; quality is also what consumers, from landscapers to buyers, see when they have a little money to spend.

“So, in the steadfast belief that what we do does make a difference, here are the Classic City Award Winners, the very best plants in the trial gardens, based on year-round performance, and/ or eye-catching beauty. Of the over 2,000 plants in the garden, being a Classic City Award winner is equivalent to the Oscar or Tony rolled up as one.”

That says it all – and Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade calibrachoa, with its dynamic changing coloration, is deserving of the trophy. The blooms, which open lemon yellow and transition to vibrant pink with both colors being continuously present, is almost beyond description. Blooming all season – in my case returning from last year and now feeding swallowtails in March – is nothing short of incredible.

Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade, like other calibrachoas, do best in containers. As I have suggested time and again, they can be partnered with Supertunias petunias and Superbena verbenas. Because I planted all mine last year, they have been the biggest calibrachoas I have ever had in February and March. The freeze a couple of weeks ago that took out all azalea and loropetalum blooms in my area hurt neither them, nor the Superbenas or Supertunias.

Because they have been in such a lush state of growth and bloom for over eight weeks, the heat of summer is sure to tire them out despite my careful water

and fertilization. I will need to cut back, maybe stick in a fresh plant or two, like you do. Even the new ones will need trimming to carry through fall.

Superbells calibrachoas like Prism Pink Lemonade are champions for the garden. Buy them when you see them.

Norman Winter is a horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy. He receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.

NORMAN WINTER/TNS PHOTOS

The Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade is grown in planters with a lot of other flowers along a rock wall at The Garden Guy’s house.

Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade calibrachoa makes its debut this spring. Here it is showing out in late afternoon sun with Lemon Coral sedum.

Financing the AMERICAN DREAM for everyone!TM

US 30-year fixed mortgage rate eases to six-week low of 6.45%

TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

U.S. mortgage rates edged down to a six-week low of 6.45%, helping drive a fourth-straight advance in applications to buy a home.

The contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage eased 3 basis points in the week ended March 24, Mortgage Bankers Association

data showed Wednesday. The group’s index of mortgage applications to purchase a home rose 2% to 172.7.

Despite the latest decline, mortgage rates are about 2 percentage points higher than they were a year ago after a series of Federal Reserve rate increases. Treasury yields have stabilized

over the past couple weeks after sliding in the wake of several bank closures.

The MBA’s index of refinancing applications also rose for a fourth week, to the highest level since September. The overall gauge of mortgage applications advanced to an almost onemonth high.

When we write your Pre-Approval Letter to present to the seller, You WILL Close the Deal with us!

George R. Kalis

707.759.5129

We can use ANY Bank or Investors Wholesale dept. We are not confined to just one source. Why have 5 banks pull your credit, when we can pull it once and get bids for you from 5 banks??

FRUSTRATED with your current Lender fumbling your Purchase or Refinance, Bring your loan to us so we can get you locked at a GREAT RATE and Finish it up QUICKLY! We don’t mess around, We Get it DONE, We are Local and we DELIVER! 1300