Sacramento / El Dorado Hills market

[des999]

Hi all,
Does anyone know about this real estate market?  I was looking for houses in the Sacramento/Davis area a couple years ago, and it seems the homes have gone up quite a bit.  I am now seeing the next hot spot as El Dorado Hills.  Anyone familiar with the area?

I am looking for a good town for raising a family, good schools, and somewhat affordable California housing.  I have heard Sacramento gets hit pretty hard during a crash, but places like SF and the like don't really get impacted.  Any thoughts on if now is a good time to buy in that area, I'd think more folks will be leaving the city, and being 2 hours away won't be too bad with many work from home options now available.

I appreciate any feedback you may have.  Been wanting to visit (but I have to fly) and have been waiting due to Covid.

[Dicey]

Folsom is the next town over from EDH and it's more reasonably priced. The developments that border EDH are pretty comparable. Empire Ranch, for  example, is worth looking into. Newer, well maintained houses in maturing neighborhoods, top rated schools, plentiful shopping, Folsom Lake for a myriad of recreational options. Where are you moving from?

Random thoughts: Sacramento has bounced back from the Great Recession, but hasn't seen nearly the appreciation that the Bay Area has, so still comparatively (and considerably) more bang for the buck.

Also, paging @calimom.

[Joel]

Houses in the greater Sacramento area are in really high demand right now since COVID started as a result of an influx of Bay Area people looking to relocate. In addition, some of the big builders have slowed down on building as a result of COVID. So you will pay more for a house in this area now than you would have 3 years ago, but it will be noticeably less than the Bay Area.  We are happy in the west Sacramento / Southport Area, but also really like Folsom, Roseville/Rocklin, and along the American River.

[Sandi_k]

We have a friend in El Dorado Hills, and it's very....new construction, uninteresting, and tract-home-y, IMO.

We have other friends in Fair Oaks. SFHs, established neighborhoods, safe, and appreciating. They bought in June 2015, and it's appreciated by ~ 50% in those 5 years.

We have other friends in Loomis, near Folsom Lake, and they love it.

[calimom]

We have a friend in El Dorado Hills, and it's very....new construction, uninteresting, and tract-home-y, IMO.

We have other friends in Fair Oaks. SFHs, established neighborhoods, safe, and appreciating. They bought in June 2015, and it's appreciated by ~ 50% in those 5 years.

We have other friends in Loomis, near Folsom Lake, and they love it.

Sandi, I was going basically say the same  thing! Elk Grove has big new construction houses on small lots. Walkability/bikeability scores are very low. Graniite Bay is similar.  Fair Oaks is a very nice area with good schools, nice and not horrifically expensive housing options and lots of trees so I'd recommend a look there. 

[des999]

Folsom is the next town over from EDH and it's more reasonably priced. The developments that border EDH are pretty comparable. Empire Ranch, for  example, is worth looking into. Newer, well maintained houses in maturing neighborhoods, top rated schools, plentiful shopping, Folsom Lake for a myriad of recreational options. Where are you moving from?

Random thoughts: Sacramento has bounced back from the Great Recession, but hasn't seen nearly the appreciation that the Bay Area has, so still comparatively (and considerably) more bang for the buck.

Also, paging @calimom.

thanks for that info Dicey, I am moving from Ohio.  Which makes it tough right now, not being able to fly out and visit.  I was worried the value of the homes in the Sac area were inflated, glad to hear you think there is still value.

As someone else mentioned, I could see more folks moving from the Bay Area, now that remote work is more plausible.

[des999]

We have a friend in El Dorado Hills, and it's very....new construction, uninteresting, and tract-home-y, IMO.

We have other friends in Fair Oaks. SFHs, established neighborhoods, safe, and appreciating. They bought in June 2015, and it's appreciated by ~ 50% in those 5 years.

We have other friends in Loomis, near Folsom Lake, and they love it.

Sandi, I was going basically say the same  thing! Elk Grove has big new construction houses on small lots. Walkability/bikeability scores are very low. Graniite Bay is similar.  Fair Oaks is a very nice area with good schools, nice and not horrifically expensive housing options and lots of trees so I'd recommend a look there.

thanks for the Fair Oaks recommendation, that area looks nice.  We'd love to be as close to the lake as possible. 

[birdie55]

One more consideration for El Dorado county vs Sacramento county. 

Sacramento county has SMUD as their electrical supplier.  El Dorado county has PGE. 

PGE started shutting power off when wind storms were expected last year.  This was the result of all the lawsuits from their faulty equipment causing fires which destroyed houses, towns and killed lots of people. 

While PGE says they are planning differently this year before powering down areas, it will remain to be seen.  Just this past weekend PGE did rolling blackouts in some areas because of a temporary shortage of electricity.  SMUD warned there might be blackouts, but did not need to resort to his

I live in Sacramento county and currently would not move to a county controlled by PGE because of this situation.  In the future, depending how things go with the blackouts, I might change my mind.

[Sibley]

I used to live in Sacramento. If you're just moving there and don't already know you love it - you might consider renting. Generally a good idea when moving to a new area anyway. I lived in Citrus Heights, then in unincorporated Sacramento County not far from Citrus Heights. My office was in Roseville.

There was a saying I heard. Move to California and stay 5 years or forever. It's a different culture. A lot of it is subtle, but coming from the midwest might be a transition. I never fit in, and I left after just under 6 years. For context - my cell phone is still 916 area code. I could block the entire area code (would love to block the entire area code, stupid spammers) and not miss a phone call I wanted. I have no ties, no friends, nothing in California. Some of that is me, but still.

Good luck!

[doggyfizzle]

I actually grew up in El Dorado Hills.  The town itself started off slowly in the late 50s/early 60s as a bedroom community for Aerojet executives.  The earliest “villages” were Park, Ridgeview, Crown, and Governors village where very nice, non-cookie cutter houses can easily be found.  The mega development of Serrano (think Agrestic from the show Weeds) started off in the mid 90s and still isn’t fully built out yet.  Biking within town is easy due to full North-South bike trail, as well as easy connection to Folsom (and towns west) via Johnny Cash and Jed Smith trails.  There is An incredible amount of outdoor recreation via Folsom lake, Sierras, etc within 5 min to 2 hour drive.  Schools are incredible.  If I had looked a bit harder for a job in the area after college, I definitely would have moved back there.  It is an excellent, but expensive place to live that really boomed in the early 90s once Intel began a major expansion of their Folsom R&D and chip fab facility.

You mentioned proximity to the lake, well Browns Ravine is in El Dorado Hills, and you can also get bonus lake access via the American River through the Salmon Falls bridge. 

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

[phildonnia]

I don't know much about the real estate market.  But El Dorado Hills is a very nice area. 

Most of the suburbs around Sacramento are defined by flat land, straight roads, and strip malls.  EDH is just barely outside the valley, and is hilly, with lots of surrounding rural and wilderness area.  It's also closer to mountain resorts and recreation if that's your thing.

One thing: If you're planning to work in Sacramento, the drive from EDH is going to be nasty both ways in rush hour. 

[SndcxxJ]

I don't know Sacramento and El Dorado Hills, but a little south of Sacramento is Galt.  A couple months ago we had a vacancy there of a three bedroom house.  We were the ONLY three bedroom available.  We got over 100 inquiries in the first week or so.  The area in Galt is a little too far away for us to keep investing there, but it sure does seem like a great place to invest in rentals.  The market is starving for them there.

[des999]

I actually grew up in El Dorado Hills.  The town itself started off slowly in the late 50s/early 60s as a bedroom community for Aerojet executives.  The earliest “villages” were Park, Ridgeview, Crown, and Governors village where very nice, non-cookie cutter houses can easily be found.  The mega development of Serrano (think Agrestic from the show Weeds) started off in the mid 90s and still isn’t fully built out yet.  Biking within town is easy due to full North-South bike trail, as well as easy connection to Folsom (and towns west) via Johnny Cash and Jed Smith trails.  There is An incredible amount of outdoor recreation via Folsom lake, Sierras, etc within 5 min to 2 hour drive.  Schools are incredible.  If I had looked a bit harder for a job in the area after college, I definitely would have moved back there.  It is an excellent, but expensive place to live that really boomed in the early 90s once Intel began a major expansion of their Folsom R&D and chip fab facility.

You mentioned proximity to the lake, well Browns Ravine is in El Dorado Hills, and you can also get bonus lake access via the American River through the Salmon Falls bridge. 

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Awesome. Thanks for the great info. I may have a question or two down the road :)

[des999]

One more consideration for El Dorado county vs Sacramento county. 

Sacramento county has SMUD as their electrical supplier.  El Dorado county has PGE. 

PGE started shutting power off when wind storms were expected last year.  This was the result of all the lawsuits from their faulty equipment causing fires which destroyed houses, towns and killed lots of people. 

While PGE says they are planning differently this year before powering down areas, it will remain to be seen.  Just this past weekend PGE did rolling blackouts in some areas because of a temporary shortage of electricity.  SMUD warned there might be blackouts, but did not need to resort to his

I live in Sacramento county and currently would not move to a county controlled by PGE because of this situation.  In the future, depending how things go with the blackouts, I might change my mind.

Interesting, I will do Some research. Thanks for the heads up

[des999]

I used to live in Sacramento. If you're just moving there and don't already know you love it - you might consider renting. Generally a good idea when moving to a new area anyway. I lived in Citrus Heights, then in unincorporated Sacramento County not far from Citrus Heights. My office was in Roseville.

There was a saying I heard. Move to California and stay 5 years or forever. It's a different culture. A lot of it is subtle, but coming from the midwest might be a transition. I never fit in, and I left after just under 6 years. For context - my cell phone is still 916 area code. I could block the entire area code (would love to block the entire area code, stupid spammers) and not miss a phone call I wanted. I have no ties, no friends, nothing in California. Some of that is me, but still.

Good luck!

We’ve been there a handful of times, and we mostly like the proximity to some of our favorite spots. We live on a lake now and feel we have to be close where ever we move, hence the Folsom lake interest.

I agree about renting. I’m leaning that way but would like to get a home whilst still affordable. Of course no one knows where prices will be in a couple years. Thanks.

[des999]

I don't know much about the real estate market.  But El Dorado Hills is a very nice area. 

Most of the suburbs around Sacramento are defined by flat land, straight roads, and strip malls.  EDH is just barely outside the valley, and is hilly, with lots of surrounding rural and wilderness area.  It's also closer to mountain resorts and recreation if that's your thing.

One thing: If you're planning to work in Sacramento, the drive from EDH is going to be nasty both ways in rush hour.

Thanks for the info. I work from home so commute shouldn’t matter. 

[des999]

I don't know Sacramento and El Dorado Hills, but a little south of Sacramento is Galt.  A couple months ago we had a vacancy there of a three bedroom house.  We were the ONLY three bedroom available.  We got over 100 inquiries in the first week or so.  The area in Galt is a little too far away for us to keep investing there, but it sure does seem like a great place to invest in rentals.  The market is starving for them there.

Interesting, I’ll look into the area. Thanks

[Sandi_k]

I don't know Sacramento and El Dorado Hills, but a little south of Sacramento is Galt.  A couple months ago we had a vacancy there of a three bedroom house.  We were the ONLY three bedroom available.  We got over 100 inquiries in the first week or so.  The area in Galt is a little too far away for us to keep investing there, but it sure does seem like a great place to invest in rentals.  The market is starving for them there.

Interesting, I’ll look into the area. Thanks

Galt is nowhere near a lake. It's awful, flat, dry and ugly. ;)

[Joel]

I agree with Sandi K on Galt. If you want to be near a lake, you are going to want to be in the Folsom, granite bay, fair oaks area... or up in Tahoe.

[Dicey]

I agree with Sandi K on Galt. If you want to be near a lake, you are going to want to be in the Folsom, granite bay, fair oaks area... or up in Tahoe.

The Tahoe ship may have sailed. I've heard that demand and prices are way up since this pandemic hit. All the others have their own charms. And I was also surprised to see Galt so highly lauded. That's a hard nope for me.

[Ants]

I live in Sacramento proper so I don't have much to add about EDH in particular but I will add that it is in the foothills and as the last several years have shown you should look at the fire danger before making any decisions. I don't know much about the insurance market but insurers are becoming much more cautious and premiums have escalated after Paradise.

[des999]

I live in Sacramento proper so I don't have much to add about EDH in particular but I will add that it is in the foothills and as the last several years have shown you should look at the fire danger before making any decisions. I don't know much about the insurance market but insurers are becoming much more cautious and premiums have escalated after Paradise.

Good point. With the fires happening right now I wondered how that was affecting the area.

[Dicey]

I live in Sacramento proper so I don't have much to add about EDH in particular but I will add that it is in the foothills and as the last several years have shown you should look at the fire danger before making any decisions. I don't know much about the insurance market but insurers are becoming much more cautious and premiums have escalated after Paradise.

Good point. With the fires happening right now I wondered how that was affecting the area.

My sister lives in Auburn. They have five acres, a pool and a pond. Their Homeowner's Insurance was $1200/year. The renewal bill came and it was $8000/year. She shopped hard, and the best she could do was $1800/yr, which is a damn sight better that $8k, but still a huge increase. Definitely something to consider. However, the flatlands aren't safe either. Just look at the Rohnert Park fire.

[doggyfizzle]

I live in Sacramento proper so I don't have much to add about EDH in particular but I will add that it is in the foothills and as the last several years have shown you should look at the fire danger before making any decisions. I don't know much about the insurance market but insurers are becoming much more cautious and premiums have escalated after Paradise.

Good point. With the fires happening right now I wondered how that was affecting the area.

El Dorado Hilla is developed enough that fire danger is minimal in nearly the entire town.  Some outlying areas that border Rescue and Shingle Springs maybe, but nothing in the primary neighborhood s in EDH have any fire danger.

[Dicey]

I live in Sacramento proper so I don't have much to add about EDH in particular but I will add that it is in the foothills and as the last several years have shown you should look at the fire danger before making any decisions. I don't know much about the insurance market but insurers are becoming much more cautious and premiums have escalated after Paradise.

Good point. With the fires happening right now I wondered how that was affecting the area.

El Dorado Hilla is developed enough that fire danger is minimal in nearly the entire town.  Some outlying areas that border Rescue and Shingle Springs maybe, but nothing in the primary neighborhood s in EDH have any fire danger.

Hahaha - tell that to the people who got burned out in Santa Rosa.

Just found out that EDH is PG&E, whereas Folsom is primarily the far more cost effective SMUD.