Winter Is Coming to Truckee

There are many great Truckee area homes for sale.  Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (530) 582-6900 for a FREE home buying consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I'm with Bryan Allegretto, and he's going to be speaking about how El Nino is going to affect us here in Truckee. What most predictions are saying is that we'll be getting snow, and a lot of it! This is going to supercharge our real estate market in an otherwise slow selling season.

He's our resident weather geek, and he'll be giving us a yearly forecast. He initially founded a blog that forecasted weather, and now he runs a website called www.opensnow.com.

So, what is going to happen this winter and why is it going to be good for our real estate market?

A strong El Nino is expected and Tahoe will be right in between the wet weather down south and the dry weather that's going to hit the rest of the Pacific Northwest. This situates us in a good spot where we will expect above average snowfall and above average rainfall.

If we do actually get the winter weather that we're expecting, you can bet that the real estate market will heat up. All those people that had booked trips to Utah and Colorado will be rethinking their plans when they see how good the powder is here in Truckee!

This is going to be a one-of-a-kind winter, and we suggest that you make plans to get to Truckee in order to enjoy it. Now is the time to invest in a home or a rental property before the temperatures drop and the snow starts piling up.

The snow and the temperatures may be falling, but the market is going way, way up!

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me when you're buying or selling in Truckee!

Different Options for Holding Title

There are many great Truckee area homes for sale.  Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (530) 582-6900 for a FREE home buying consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today, I’m joined by Michael E. Graham, a local attorney who specializes in estate planning. Today, we’ll discuss some of the different ways to hold title and the respective pros and cons of each.

Michael says that for single persons, holding title alone is a no-brainer because you’re taking the title as separate property. The exception is if you’re a married person and you take title solely under the married person’s name, under California law, that’s still considered to be a community property acquisition, unless there is proof that it is separate property.

If the married person wants to take title separately, the title company requires the other spouse to sign off on an inter spousal deed or some kind of quit-claim deed. Simply notify the escrow officer, and they should be able to assist you.

If more than one person is taking title to property, then there are various forms of title. The two most common are joint tenancy and tenancy in common. Joint tenants must hold equal interests in the property. If one person owns 60% and the other owns 40%, then you would fall under a tenancy in common arrangement.

The joint tenancy form of title is the default option that title companies usually offer married people. However, it is not the best option for married people. If one spouse were to pass away, the surviving spouse would record an affidavit with the death certificate in order for the title to pass to them. This is a simple way of avoiding probate court.

There is also a new option for married people who want to hold title with right of survivorship: community property with right of survivorship. This is essentially the same thing as the joint tenancy, and an affidavit if one spouse passes away for the property to vest in the surviving spouse. Michael recommends this for married people in California because there is an important tax ramification.

Tenancy in common is the other form of holding title between adults. Tenants in common means people can own unequal interests that are then passed by the will. If you say in your will that you want the title to go to someone who is not a tenant in common, then that can happen. Tenants in common also allows for restrictions. You may want to consider some type of tenant in common agreement so you don’t end up owning the vacation home with your ex-wife.

A popular alternative is holding title through a trust. The property can still be a community property asset within the context of the trust, and the title can be passed to the person entitled under the trust by the surviving trustee. This guarantees you a sound estate.


We know this is a lot of information, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! We look forward to hearing from you!

How Can You Be Protected When Tragedy Strikes?

There are many great Truckee area homes for sale.  Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (530) 582-6900 for a FREE home buying consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today we are excited to be joined by local attorney and estate planning specialist, Michael E. Graham. He is here to give us an overview in estate planning and how it relates to real estate up here in the mountains. 

The first step in estate planning is gathering all the information necessary to assess what the estate planning client’s needs are. Michael likes to send out a questionnaire that asks potential clients all the necessary questions about their family and life so that everything can be put in order. After he gets all this information, he has full lists of assets and liabilities to determine what the nature and extent of the client’s estate is. 

After he has that information, Michael works as a filter, using the information to determine what the client would want in an estate plan. As a basic rule of thumb, he likes to start his clients off with a core plan of a basic will and trust. Trusts can be amended or changed at any time while the older is living, and the will acts in conjunction with the trust. If you have assets that are not in the name of the trust at the time of death, the will works to put in those assets.

Another document he likes to have his clients fill out is a durable power of attorney. This is a document where you essentially authorize an agent to act on your behalf in financial matters. The benefit of this is that if the principal becomes incapacitated, the agent can take action on their behalf. Usually, the “agent” is a close family member, like a spouse, sibling, or child. Attorneys like Michael can only serve as the agent for a client under power of attorney only if there is a certificate of independent review from another attorney. 

Finally, the last important document we will talk about today is the advanced healthcare directive. This has a lot of important information on it for you to fill out in case of a health emergency, and there are a lot of decisions to be made. What organs you are willing to donate, how you want your body disposed of when you die, and what you want done in a medical emergency. This isn’t something that only needs an oral contract, you have to have this in writing. A copy of this document can usually be obtained through your local health care provider for free. 

Trusts are very beneficial, allowing you to avoid probate, while still taking advantage of property tax laws, like the parent-child exclusion. If you have any questions for us about estate planning or real estate in general, give us a call or send us an email. We can’t wait to hear from you!

How the Morrison Sales Team Can Help You

There are many great Truckee area homes for sale.  Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (530) 582-6900 for a FREE home buying consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today, I'm joined by our buyer's agent, Amy Levy. We'll discuss how the Morrison sales team uses our knowledge about the Truckee-Tahoe market to help our buyers find their second home.

We use our knowledge of the market and the area to make the transaction as easy as possible. If you're a buyer from out of the area, it's very important to work with a buyer who knows their area.

I have 15 years of experience and I have closed 750 transactions, and Amy also has 15 years of experience. We know how to navigate the home buying process, and we have excellent negotiating skills. Most importantly, we know all about the different types of neighborhoods in our area.

Tahoe has several different types of neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods are family-centered, while others are geared towards skiers. We also know what areas will get the most snow and what driveways will work best for you. Many people buy vacation homes and end up selling after a couple of years because they bought in the wrong neighborhood or snow piles up in the driveway. Our knowledge can help you determine what neighborhood will best suit your needs.

If you have any questions about today's video, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

What Is Your Home Worth?

There are many great Truckee area homes for sale.  Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (530) 582-6900 for a FREE home buying consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today we're going to talk about determining the value of your home. Often, people call me asking about their home value because they've seen something on Zillow or Trulia. Zillow and Trulia are often inaccurate, and cannot be trusted to find the true value.

A recent report in the Los Angeles Times featured the president of Zillow, who admitted that there is a deviation of up to 8% in home values quoted online. For a $700,000 home, that could mean that the value is off by $56,000. That's a pretty wide range.

To determine the value of your home, we need to look at what your home is competing with on the market. We need to know what features and benefits your home can offer, and how many buyers are looking for your type of property.

In Truckee, our inventory has exploded. From May to July, we have nearly doubled or tripled our inventory. It's more important than ever for sellers to make sure their property shines. If you're a buyer, you have a lot to choose from.

The good news is if you're selling your property, there are very few new listings coming on the market now. The supply is starting to dwindle right before September, which is one of our best selling months.


If you want to know a realistic value on your home, you should talk to a qualified and experienced real estate agent. They can look at your home objectively, give you the home's true value, and tell you what it will sell for.

How Do We Go About Selling Homes?

There are many great Truckee area homes for sale.  Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (530) 582-6900 for a FREE home buying consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hey everyone, today we are going to talk about how to have a smooth transaction here in Tahoe/Truckee. Our goal is to make the process as easy as possible for you, and today we'd like to demonstrate how we are able to do that. Today we have invited our listing coordinator, Tabitha, to come talk about what the process is like, from the moment you sign a listing contract with us onward. 

The first thing Tabitha is going to do is look through your contract, making sure everything is signed and in order. She will then give you a call, introduce herself, and get all of your contact information, so we can keep you informed throughout the process.

To start preparing your home for sale, we will run through a checklist. We are going to hire photographers to take pictures of the home, set up any repairs that need to be made, and hire a home staging company to come and make the property look gorgeous. 

The last thing Tabitha will follow up on is the seller's disclosure. She will print it out, send it to you so you have time to look everything over, and answer any questions you might have. Then we will get them back from you, and send them back into escrow.

We find that proper preparation makes the whole transaction that much smoother. If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

How to Avoid the "Kiss of Death" When Selling Your Home

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Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation
Call me at (530) 582-6900 for a FREE home buying consultation

Are you thinking about selling your property in the near future? If so, you've come to the right place. Today, I'll cover how to avoid the kiss of death when putting your home on the Truckee market! 

I've been selling real estate in the area for over 15 years, and 25-30% of my business comes from sellers who failed to sell their home with another agent.

What is it that caused these homes to sit on the market for so long, you ask? It's quite simple, really: the kiss of death when selling your home is overpricing it from the beginning! 

Within the first 30 days your home is on the market, it is considered a fresh new listing. It's when the listing is in its prime - buyers come by to take a look at it, there is excitement about it, and it's the time period you're most likely to get an offer that's close to the full listing price. 

The problem is that many sellers want to list high and "leave room for negotiation." They don't want to give the home away, but overpricing the home from the start pushes buyers away and greatly diminishes the benefits that typically come with a fresh listing. When a home sits on the market for a long time, the first thing the buyer thinks is, "What's wrong with this home?" or "Why hasn't it sold?"

I don't want you to leave any money on the table, but I also don't want your listing to go stale and sell for much less than it would have otherwise. My experience in the industry is at your disposal - I know how to put the right price on your home, so you can get the most money possible. If you want to learn how I do this, or if you have any questions about real estate at all, give me a call or shoot me a quick email. I would love to hear from you!