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Crucial Tips for Buying New Homes in Sacramento
Modern kitchen of a brand new home. © Big Stock Photo
Are you wondering about buying new homes in Sacramento? You’re at the right place for Sacramento real estate. In my life thus far, I have bought and owned a wide assortment of homes. I once bought land and built a tri-level spread on the beach in San Felipe (Mexico). My very first home was older, 8,600 square feet with an indoor pool in North Tustin that I bought with owner financing and no money down. I’ve owned in rough, crime-ridden neighborhoods, too. I bought a tiny home of 800 square feet where my bed fit wall-to-wall, remodeled a Cape Cod under an airport path, finished off a half-constructed split-level on a pond in suburbia, and renovated a Victorian, built in 1898, just to name a few. For many people, the choice in a home often comes down to buying a new home and ordering custom upgrades or buying an older home, and those choices in Sacramento now range from new construction to more than 100 years old.
How do you know which to choose? What type of home is best for your lifestyle? A newer home vs an older home? Certainly, newer homes in Sacramento hold a huge appeal to certain home buyers. No immediate repairs, no updates, no improvements and less maintenance. Plus, the good news is you no longer need to decide whether you want to live in the city limits of Sacramento or out in the country to get those choices because many new home builders are picking up construction in Sacramento. Building had come to pretty much a halt in 2007. Even homes in Natomas stopped construction, although some of that was related to other issues than the market crash. More good news, the top-rated Elizabeth Weintraub Team has the answers for you.
For almost a decade in Sacramento, new home construction has not been a competitor to resale homes. In fact, many real estate agents and Realtors might have no experience whatsoever in dealing with home builders because they weren’t licensed back then. These agents might stare at you oddly, cock their heads sideway when you mention that you might want to look at buying new homes in Sacramento. But the day is here and new construction most certainly is a competitor to resale homes. Many buyers are now interested in buying new homes in Sacramento. If you’re one of those buyers, you’re reading the right blog and the Elizabeth Weintraub Team is up to speed on new homes in Sacramento. We can help you!
A couple hug each other outside a new home. © Big Stock Photo
The one thing you do NOT want to do is visit the home site or contact the builder without us. If you do, we can’t help you. The builder will register your name and we will not be allowed to represent you. So make sure you call the Elizabeth Weintraub Team first. Not only will the builder pay us to represent you, but we will represent only YOU, your best interests, not the builder. We have the experience to help you to make those all important choices. Whether you are interested in homes in Natomas, homes in Midtown, or even the new Creamery at Alkali Flat, we can assist.
I can tell you one of the important mistakes I have learned from the market crash of 2007. The sellers who elected to do short sales after buying a new home all said the same thing. When we walked through the home, they remembered EXACTLY how much they paid for EACH upgrade. That’s where builders make a big profit. And they regretted it. They didn’t ask a Realtor to represent them. They went to the builder directly. And now they were doing a short sale. I’ve seen enough dull and dingy homes for a lifetime that were once all sparkly and new. I can tell you whether it’s likely your new home will still look fabulous in 10 years or if you, too, will regret that decision. You can rely on us.
Call the Elizabeth Weintraub Team at 916.233.6759 before you start looking at buying new homes in Sacramento. We stand by ready to serve and ready to assist with decades of experience behind us.
The Skinny on the McKinley Village Housing Development in East Sacramento
We are selling homes in McKinley Village. The Elizabeth Weintraub Team represented a home buyer for a roof-top patio plan with a first-floor bedroom in the mid-500’s. I should say that whenever I receive calls about homes in East Sacramento, some of the questions that invariably pop up are about the McKinley Village housing development, which is why we are becoming experts on this development, spearheaded by developer Phil Angelides.
Angelides has faced a long battle to bring the McKinley Village housing development to fruition. For a while there, all the main thoroughfares in East Sacramento featured lawn signs against McKinley Village. Some, not all, of the objections are based on NIMBY. Which is also interesting because there is another project clearing ground in Upper Land Park for new housing on 5th Street, called The Mill at Broadway, and nobody in Upper Land Park seems to carry on with much public opposition, even though it will bring more traffic and air pollution to this densely populated area. Upper Land Park residents seem to be of the mindset, yay, get rid of that eyesore and bring in a community. East Sacramento residents appear the opposite.
An issue with the McKinley Village housing development has been access to the 49-acre site. First, I hate to say this, but please let me point out that this development lies between the Business 80 freeway and the Union Pacific railroad tracks. It’s not exactly your premier location, following the adage of location, location, location in real estate. 52 trains a day go by. Who wakes up one morning to declare, Holy Toledo, Henry, you know let’s move out of this dump and take up residence in a new area sandwiched between the freeway and rail tracks. Doesn’t that sound lovely? Not to mention, the site of the former city landfill, but what the hey. The tradeoff is it will be brand new housing. Plus, a 10-minute commute to downtown Sacramento.
Construction begins summer of 2015 on a tunnel that will provide the main point of entry into the development. It will cost around $10 million and take a year-and-a-half to complete. The spot of entry is between 40th Street and Tivoli from C Street. The secondary location will be to improve the existing overcrossing from 28th Street. My real estate office, Lyon, is located just a few blocks away down 28th Street on the corner of J Street, and while I almost get killed now trying to pull out from the garage alley onto 28th Street, I imagine the traffic will pick up. Which means Lyon Real Estate has a great spot for visibility, and we’ll probably get more phone calls about the McKinley Village development than any other real estate office in Sacramento.
The tunnel is slated for completion around April of 2016 and construction should begin on the model homes next October. These are ultimately 60 different styles of homes in the works, ranging from 1,200 to 3,000 square feet, offering 312 single family homes and 4 six-plex condo buildings. The six-plex condo buildings lie in the center of the property, most likely will have the least amount of exterior noise, and the top units have an elevator. How cool is that? We have all the floor plans and model names.
If you’re interested in buying a home in East Sacramento close to the development at today’s affordable prices I suggest you take a look at my listing on #1 Declan Court in Sacramento. These are a group of brand new homes on the former site of 6014 T Street, 3 master suites, solar and priced at $449K with all upgrades. Call or text your East Sacramento Realtor, Elizabeth Weintraub, Lyon RE, at 916.233.6759, for more information. Of course, we’re also happy to show you homes in McKinley Village.
Remember, once you step on a builder’s property without a REALTOR, your agent might not be able represent you if you are not registered with the builder through your agent. But call us, we can work around it if you’ve already been there. Sure, call the top producing Elizabeth Weintraub Team today at 916.233.6759. Get your own buyer’s agent, like us. It’s the smart thing to do.
