***Second***

 ***Anniversary***

***Edition***

“Yosemite Gateway Properties and Lifestyles”

January 2008

NEWSLETTER

See also: http://www.realtydirect.net/news/?PUB=13067

A Locally Focused Newsletter for Property Owners, Residents, Visitors, Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Realtors®, Owners with Real Estate, Homes or Land, for Sale, and Others, Interested in Mountain Homes and Lifestyles in the Southern Yosemite Communities of Oakhurst, Bass Lake, Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, Mariposa, Midpines, Bootjack, North Fork, Spring Valley, Raymond, Yosemite Lakes Park, and Sierra Mountain and Lakes area living

Current weather forecast for Oakhurst, CA

Ed Note:

Wow!  It was only two years ago when the first edition of this Newsletter went on line.  Time flies, they say, and at my age, time flies even if you are not having fun.  Speaking of fun, I’m having lots of it doing this monthly Newsletter. The Real Estate market has changed considerably since January 2006, and here is a comparison between “then” and “now.” This Market Report for 2005 was in the first issue.

(Excerpt from First Edition, January 2006)

“What’s Happening in our Mountain Property Market

2005 was a great year for our local Real Estate market. There were 637 single family residential property sales totaling $237,938,721.  Prices ranged from $40,000 to $2,275,000.  The median purchase price was $349,000.  On December 31, there were 298 residential property listings in the area ranging in price from $110,000 to $6,400,900.”

Here is the same information for 2007

2007 was a slow year for our local Real Estate market. There were 324 single family residential property sales totaling $130,156,921   Purchases prices ranged from $130,000 to $1,925,000.  The median purchase price was $350,500.  On December 31, there were 455 residential property listings in the area ranging in price from $120,000 to $5,500,000.

Comparing 2007 to 2005, unit sales were off 50%, and dollar volume was off 45%.  Ironically, the median purchase price was actually 0.5% higher than in 2005.  As of December 31, 2007, inventory was 53% higher than 2 years earlier.  Watch these pages for local housing market information every month.

(From the Sierra Star, December 28, 2007, Letters to the Editor)

Oakhurst is growing

Dear Editor

I realize, that to some in this town, I fit the definition of a lowly "flatlander" however, I feel compelled to share my experiences regarding incorporation.

Having spent 40 years of my life with the goal of owning a home and eventually retiring up at the lake, I have a vested interest in quality of the closest big city (Oakhurst). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see growth coming like a freight train. Look at the shopping center off Friant. Look at the Children's Hospital. Look and the new casino. Look at all the home development, all heading directly north. Oakhurst has already grown at an alarming rate. I miss the Bigfoot Burgers, the small community feel, but those days are gone forever. As a young boy I remember my father working with other folks in the small community I grew up in to try and incorporate the town into a city. At the time it was a small community surrounded by orange groves, walnut groves, cattle ranches and beautiful rolling hills. The effort to incorporate failed. People were worried about taxes.

The town's growth was guided by the benevolent care of Los Angeles County. This town can now be conservatively classified as a rat hole. There are strip malls everywhere. The hills are covered with high density housing. Every corner has a gas station. During rush hour it takes 30 minutes to drive the two-mile length of the main drag. It breaks my heart to visit that town knowing what was and what is. After graduating from college I bought a home in a new community in Chino Hills. Like the town I grew up in, like Oakhurst, it is a beautiful rural setting in the hills. Unlike the town I grew up in, the people of Chino Hills did vote to incorporate early on. Just like before, the growth came. However, this time the growth was controlled by community members. Chino Hills maintains its rural atmosphere today. Lots of open spaces were left in the master plan. Housing densities were maintained low. Retail and industrial areas were laid out to minimize impact on the quality of life. Chino Hills has the lowest crime in the county and is rated as one of the best communities to live in Southern California. And guess what! I'm not paying any higher taxes then if I had stayed in the town I grew up in. Nor did the city fathers create any nonsense city ordinances.

Look at Oakhurst today. What grade would you give Madera County planning so far? I will be moving to Bass Lake this year. I own a home up there now so that sorta makes me a local. I certainly hope the citizens of Oakhurst will protect what they have so I can look forward to visiting the "big city" in my golden years.

Jeff Burks

Chino Hills

Change can be Painful for Some

On February 5, Oakhurst voters will have the opportunity to vote for or against Incorporation of the Town of Oakhurst.  If approved by the voters, we will see some change.  Actually, we will be seeing changes even if the voters don’t approve local control.  The question is who will manage the changes?  Will it be a governing board based in Oakhurst, or Madera?  Fear of change is natural and affects all of us at least some.  It makes some very uncomfortable.  Some actually grieve over passing of the status quo.  The following articles are offered to help us understand and cope with some of our feelings.

Fear of Change is Scary

Personal and/or organizational change often is met by stiff resistance. Such resistance is however thought of something that is desirable to those who are resisting it.

As such the instigators of the change itself then find themselves having to use considerable effort and/or ingenuity to affect others to make the required change. This strategy not only takes tremendous energy but is also, in my view, misguided from the start.

The greatest impediment to any change is the "fear of change" itself. Now because many "think" that this is a normal human emotion that needs to be "overcome" in a manner of speaking, then this is the tack that many change management consultants find themselves taking. That is they put energy into trying to "overcome" it.

I would like to suggest another way. Why not simply eradicate it, i.e. the fear of change, once and for all?

Is this even possible? Well it is if you address what I refer to as the "anchoring beliefs" that keep it, the fear of change, anchored in one's mind and body.

Such anchoring beliefs include such things as:

1. If I change I will encounter new situations I am not prepared for that will make feel uncomfortable, anxious, or inadequate.

2. If I change then I will be allowing myself to become exploited.

3. The fear of change helps protect my rights as an individual.

4. Change is only uncomfortable.

5. Change means I'm being passive.

6. The unknown is fraught with uncertainty and where I am now is certain and more comfortable.

7. Change requires effort and is inherently painful.

8. And so on.

Such “anchors” can be released using a new approach which I will mention later in this article.

In this article I wish to address the "fear of change" that is inherent in a given individual. Whether the change is “desired” or not is not actually determined by such a fear. Now I know that may sound odd because so many of you are accustomed to equating the "fear" with the "lack of desire".

These are actually two different things.

The fear is associated with anxiousness, nervousness, trepidation, paralysis, a feeling of immobilization, confusion, indecisiveness and so on.

The lack of desire for some form of change is actually associated with a sense of inner certainty, feelings of strength or sureness, conviction, integrity, personal honesty, inner calmness, resilience, clarity and so on.

If you compare these two descriptions I think you will recognize them for what they are and for their differences.

Hence to assume that the latter is the former is a mistake in my view. This by the way also affects what one can do about each of these.

The fear is in my view always the result of some form of emotional trauma that an individual has become conditioned with at some time in their life.

The lack of desire on the other hand represents and reflects the deeply held core values of on individual and make up who they are at their core.

The former can be released easily, quickly and permanently if an individual is willing, employing a new modality called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP). I have written extensively about MRP here in this e-zine and elsewhere.

Conversely trying to “overcome” such fear through effort only serves to re-traumatize the individual thereby “enhancing” their experience of the fear. This is the reason why organizations find themselves having to find new and more powerful ways of “defeating” this menace in their employees. In truth, it is getting progressively stronger and defeating them.

Additionally, the greater the instability an organization experiences the more traumatized the employees become and the greater the fear of change becomes. This can become vicious negative spiral, all of which can be remedied or prevented with MRP.

The latter, i.e. the lack of desire, cannot be changed, only suppressed for a while, as it reflects, as I said, the core or essence of an individual. Many have tried to suppress it through unethical repressive means. Ultimately however it will always remain firmly anchored at the heart of the individual as a representation of their inner truth, so to speak.

If you would like to know more about how MRP can help you or your organization get beyond the negative emotional block that prevents you/it from achieving success kindly visit the web link below where I have a special audio message waiting for you.

FREE - LOCAL HOUSING MARKET REPORT!

If you’re planning to buy or sell a home in our mountain area, you won’t want to make a pricing decision until you have read this MARKETWATCH Report on Mountain Area Single Family Home Purchase Prices for the Past Six Month and the Past Three Months with Month-to-Month and Year-to-Year Comparisons

IT'S FREE!

Just Send me your e-mail address and I'll sent you the report

(I promise that I will not share your e-mail address with anyone)

edbailey@sti.net

This is a Popular Site - Averaging more than 800 hits per day!

Usage Statistics for edbaileyrealtor.com

Generated 31-Dec-2007 04:06 MST

What’s Happening

Fun event – Mardi Gras - coming up in Coarsegold

Dancing, Food and Fun. Bring Your Masks, Your Beads, Your Costumes, and Have Some Winter Fun.  Mark your calendars now for February 23, 2008
6PM to 11:30PM.  Venue is yet to be determined.  More information to follow

All proceeds go to Coarsegold Kiwanis to help the children of our community.

Oakhurst Frameworks is Moving to a new location….Across from Sierra Telephone in the new building. .Stop by and have a look.  Call (559)683-7941

View the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce Calendar at:

http://www.oakhurstchamber.com/index.php?src=events&srctype=calendar&m=11&y=2007  

Voters in Oakhurst will have the opportunity to choose

Incorporation on the February 5 Ballot

Are You in the Town of Oakhurst Proposed Incorporated Area?

Click here to check Your Address

Concerned about fire?

Click here to see what Fire Chief Martin
says about fire protection in Oakhurst after incorporation
(382kb PDF)

Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis (CFA) for the Proposed Town of Oakhurst

Click the link below to read/download this document

Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis (CFA) for the Proposed Town of Oakhurst

Featured Homes of the Month    

Great Family Home - Desirable Location – Visalia

$389,000

Single Family Property, N.E. Visalia, Tulare County, Approximately 0.25 acre(s), Lot is 11,008 sq. ft., Built in 2002, Single story, Central heating and air conditioning, In-Ground Swimming pool

ALSO

Ultimate Luxury

Lakefront Home on Bass Lake

$5,500,000

Enjoy

Six Bedrooms       Five Full Baths

       Two Half Baths       Formal Dining Room

Office/Den       In-Law Plan

7,000 + Square Feet   

 Workshop 

 Six Car Garage

 Private Dock

And Much More

Click Here to View Listing

Luxurious living at Bass Lake. Custom Leo Miner built home with superb attention to detail from entering the gates to walking along beautifully landscaped grounds. You won't want to leave. Grand living room, state of the art kitchen, 2 sub zero refrigerators. Italian marble graces the kitchen. The Master Suite is truly a suite. Huge Game/Meeting room. 2 guest suites with Kitchenettes, overlooking the lake. Private dock.  Call Ed Bailey at (559)676-2424 

                                                                            ALSO

Custom 5 Bedrooms, 2 Baths Home Nestled in

Tall Pines in Fish Camp,

                         Two Miles from Yosemite South Gate

Spacious custom mountain home in Fish Camp just two miles from Yosemite National Park (YNP). Welcoming entryway leads you into this enchanting mountain retreat with 5 bedrooms and large decks to enjoy the pine-scented mountain air. Year-round stream and view of the pond in Fish Camp. Home has abundant storage, wet-bar loft, solid wood beams, and lots of windows to bring in the light and mountain feel. Close to recreational opportunities such as YNP, Bass Lake, and the Sierra National Forest. MLS #53489

http://www.tourfactory.com/s388915

Spacious custom mountain home in Fish Camp just two miles from Yosemite National Park (YNP). Welcoming entryway leads you into this enchanting mountain retreat with 5 bedrooms and large decks to enjoy the pine-scented mountain air. Year-round stream and view of the pond in Fish Camp. Home has abundant storage, wet-bar loft, solid wood beams, and a lot of windows to bring in the light and mountain feel. Close to recreational opportunities such as YNP, Bass Lake, and the Sierra National Forest. MLS #53489

ALSO

H               Rustic Mountain Home in Historic Sugar Pine

$225,000    

       Virtual Tour  http://www.tourfactory.com/s385335

Peaceful tri-level home in historic Sugar Pine. Originally built in 1920s, since then, many improvements have been made. Wonderful deck to enjoy the mountain air and scenery. Backyard has water feature and outdoor fireplace for roasting marshmallows, tri-tips, or for intimate social gatherings. Third bedroom/bath (studio apartment) addition not permitted but  built by local contractor. "Secret room" could be used as fourth bedroom perhaps or for storage or an office. (Both apartment and secret room not included in square footage.) Submit all offers.

                                                                   ALSO

Great Horse Property in North Fork

Reduced to $339,000

MLS#53417*

Virtual Tour http://www.tourfactory.com/s384811 *

*

This amazing horse property in North Fork has beautiful local and distant views. Property is fenced and cross fenced with barn and stalls.  Remodeled home has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 2-car garage. New laminate flooring with other upgrades. Home has air

conditioning, double-pane windows, and ceiling fans.

• Near the Scenic Town of North Fork, in the Central Sierra Foothills! 
• 5.66 usable Acres, A Good Well, and Close In.
• Ten minutes from Bass Lake
• 25 minutes from Yosemite National Park Gate
• 20 Minutes from Major Supermarkets and other Shopping in Oakhurst

• Privacy, Views, Fencing, Barn with 2 Stalls and a Hay/Tack Room

• Newly Remodeled and Upgraded Three Bedroom, Two Bath Single Level Home. 
• It’s Good Country Living and it is Family Ready, for just $369,000.

For More Information of for a Viewing Call Ed Bailey at 559-676-2424

  Sell Your Home Faster - for More Money

It takes “more” than just listing a home to get it sold

When I am your agent you can expect all the following – and more I WILL:

1. Feature it in my monthly Newsletter: “Yosemite Gateway Properties and Lifestyles.” at:  http://edbaileyrealtor.com/news.html  Advertise it on my web page.  To gain exposure and more favorable positioning, I maintain a total of 23 select URL (home page) addresses, and all of them link to my main web site   The site is now averaging over 800 hits per day.  A prospective buyer doing a search for property in our mountain area is more likely to reach my web site and your property listing, than most of other agents in the area.
2. Post it with  Yosemite Gateway Multiple Listing Service,
3. Post it with  Fresno Area Multiple Listing Services
4. Create a dynamic Slide Show to give your home superior exposure on the internet.  You will be able to e-mail it to your friends.
5. Advertise it through direct mail and posted flyers
6. Do “on screen” presentations at meetings of Yosemite Gateway Association of REALTORS®
7. Send letters to all property owners in your area inviting them to help choose their new neighbors
8. Arrange a “caravan” viewing by Yosemite Gateway Assoc. of REALTORS® Agents
9. Do “Open House” presentations
10. Help your buyer arrange financing

I will also:

1. Order a preliminary title report immediately (no cost to you), and address any questions or potential problems early in the process – before, not after, escrow opening.
2. Order statutorily required reports for you immediately (no cost to you unless escrow closes)
3. Provide you with regular progress reports and be available to you on your schedule

Put Marketing Strategies that Work, to Work for You!

Let’s Talk

Oakhurst Area Business Opportunities

Are you interested in purchasing a business in some of our beautiful mountain community.  We have 8 businesses for sale with asking prices ranging from $39,000 to $1,400,000.

                            Click Here to View Listings

A Place of Worship

Welcome to Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church!

We are a growing congregation of Christian people enthusiastically committed to Jesus Christ and His Great Commission. Our personality is warm, inviting and joyful. We are only 20 years old as a congregation, so we're flexible, open and on the move. We invite you to join us at Sierra Vista.   Read more at:  www.sierravistachurch.org

A Mountain Treasure

Ride back into history by driving a genuine Model T Ford on a “T Tour” of Yosemite.  For more information go to: http://www.driveamodelt.com/

Did You Know?

You can get top quality Piano and/or Voice Lessons in Oakhurst.  UCLA educated teacher, 25 years experience, with great references.  Call Sheila at 642-4329

You can get information on the proposed incorporation of the “Town of Oakhurst” at www.townofoakhurst.com , or send e-mail for more information to incorporation@sti.net.

You can receive the last seven days home listings, whenever you wish, showing all homes that have been listed in Yosemite Gateway MLS in the last week, along with a link to pictures and detailed information about each of them.  Just send your e-mail address to EdBaileu@sti.net or call me at (559)676-2424.  It’s FREE!

You can receive list of all homes sold through our local MLS during the previous calendar month showing addresses and purchase prices.  Just send me an e-mail address.  It’s FREE!

If a move is in your near future let me make it a little less stressful for you.  I will be happy to send you a free 39 item checklist of smart things to do; (1) before the move, (2) on moving day, and (3) after the move.  Just give me a telephone call at 559-313-1081 or send an e-mail request to: edb@EdBaileyRealtor.com.

You can find out how much your home is worth, for FREE (without giving your life story to an internet based “lead generator” company) Get a local Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) with no obligation or commitment on your part.  Find out what homes similar to yours have recently sold for, what sellers are asking for similar homes on the current market, and asking prices for listings that have expired without selling. Just go to:  http://www.edbaileyrealtor.com/sellers.html and fill in information.

Are you or Your Friends Looking for a “Home for Sale” in the Oakhurst, Bass Lake, Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, North Fork, Raymond, or Mariposa area?  Refer them to a listing of all real estate, land and homes for sale in our mountain area.  Just go to: http://www.edbaileyrealtor.com/search.asp

Share with Us

Do you have a question about our Oakhurst area?  Do you have a real estate question?

Do you have a suggestion for additional features in this newsletter?  Send me your thoughts and your ideas.

Also tell us, in 50 words or less, what you consider the most interesting of our Mountain Treasures, and why.  Examples of Mountain Treasures:  Timberline Gallery; Sierra Mono Museum; Mariposa County Courthouse; the Wild, Wonderful, King Museum (vintage clothing);  the Children's Museum of the Sierra; Fresno Flats Historical Park; the California State Mining and Minerals Museum in Mariposa; Sierra Scenic Bypass; the Little Church on the Hill; the Talking Bear; Sierra Art Trails; the Elegant Auction; Heritage Days; the Fall Arts and Music Festival; the Loggers Jamboree; the Coarsegold Rodeo; the Christmas Tree Auction; the Honorary Mayor Contest; the Wild, Wonderful Chocolate Festival; Jazz on the Lake; the Bass Lake Fishing Derby; the Mountain Bear "Angels Amongst Us" Annual Awards Dinner; The Wall of Heroes Annual Awards Dinner; or name your own Mountain Treasure.  E-mail it to: edBailey@sti.net. You may call us at 559-683-5193 or toll free at 888-683-5193.

Yosemite Gateway Links:

http://edbaileyrealtor.com/

http://www.oakhurstchamber.com/

www.sierratel.com/timberline

http://www.yosemitethisyear.com/

http://www.oakhurstrealestate.net

http://www.oakhurstrealestate.us

http://www.oakhurstrealestate.org

http://www.oakhurstrealestate.info

http://www.yosemitethisyear.com/entertainment.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakhurst,_CA 

http://www.goldenchaintheatre.org

http://www.timberlinegallery.com

http://www.fresnoflatsmuseum.org

http://www.yosemitehs.com

http://www.ygaor.com

http://www.galwest.com

http://www.threesisterscafe.com/index.html

http://www.historichighway49.com

Oakhurst Real Estate

Coarsegold Real Estate

Mariposa Real Estate

North Fork Real Estate