Sacramento Mortgage Quotes And Real Estate

Sacramento Mortgage Facts

Sacramento Introduction

Sacramento, the capital of the state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County, is located in California's Central Valley, an hour and a half northeast of San Francisco. Sacramento provides a mix of a modern cosmopolitan city with wild west and California Gold Rush history. The City of Sacramento has a reputation for being one of California's most affordable cities.

Sacramento is well served from a transportation standpoint by Amtrak service, as well as Interstate 80, US Highway 50, Interstate 5, and US Highway 99. Sacramento is also served by the Sacramento International Airport for those residents whose travels take them far from this beautiful capital city.

Sacramento has more trees lining its streets than any other city in California. For this reason it is often referred to as "The City of Trees". Sacramento has been awarded 15 Helen Putnam Awards including 3 "Awards of Excellence" and one "Grand Prize" by the League of California Cities. These awards recognize "...outstanding cities that deliver the highest quality and level of service in the most effective manner possible." The greater Sacramento area is also recognized as one of "America's Most Livable Communities" by the Partners for Livable Communities.

Housing Styles in Sacramento

Sacramento offers a wide variety of housing choices and prices. In Sacramento, housing choices span a broad spectrum, including 1920's era bungalows, "fabulous forties" estates, contemporary townhouses, architecturally refurbished mansions, contemporary mansions, and grand Victorian homes. The bulk of single family housing consists of single-story, two- and three-bedroom homes. These homes can date from the 1950's all the way up to the present.

Whatever the style, there are typically numerous affordable and first-time home buyer housing options across the range of Sacramento neighborhoods.

Notable Sacramento Neighborhoods

Sacramento neighborhoods range from the cosmopolitan downtown to rural feeling suburbs. Styles of communities run the spectrum from historic, to older established communities, to contemporary planned communities with many amenities. The City of Sacramento divides itself into four areas:

• Area One - Area One, the central and eastern part of the city, is home to downtown and midtown Sacramento. Downtown and midtown Sacramento provide many housing options including, new apartment complexes, contemporary townhouses, historic homes, single family homes, and Victorian homes, all in a convenient place to work and live. Midtown, considered by many to be a very desirable community, is famous for its of tree-lined streets that make for a very pleasant living environment. Once a thriving Italian community, East Sacramento features 1920s era bungalows as well as estates dating from the 1940s. East Sacramento is a pedestrian friendly neighborhood, as are downtown and midtown. Also in Area One is the community of Rosemont. Rosemont is a family-oriented community made up of mature homes dating from the 1950's and 1960s, with some newer developments intermixed.
• Area Two - Of note in Area Two, in the southwestern part of the city, is the community of Land Park. Land Park is notable for its stunning architecture and tree-lined neighborhoods with spacious two- and three-bedroom homes. Many of these homes date from the 1920s through the 1940s. Land Park is one of Sacramento's most prestigious areas and a very desirable place to live. Also in this part of the city are the Pocket and Greenhaven communities. Homes here date from the 1980s and include condominiums, upscale single-family homes, duplexes, and retirement communities intermixed with man-made lakes, shopping, parks and river access.
• Area Three - Area Three, the southeastern part of Sacramento, is home to another desirable community, Curtis Park. Curtis park features charming 1920s era homes. Other parts of Area Three, such as Florin and Fruitridge, offer affordable single-family homes and condominiums. Tahoe Park is an excellent community for individuals who work at the UC Davis Medical Center and Shriners Children's hospital. The area consists of affordable single-family homes on modest lots. Housing is relatively new, plentiful, and affordable in many parts of Area Three.
• Area Four - Area Four, North of the American River, offers some of lowest real estate prices in the Sacramento area. Communities in Sacramento's Area Four include: Del Paso, Natomas, and North Sacramento.

Sacramento Real Estate Prices

According to US Census data, nearly 60% of Sacramento residents own their own home. Over 70% of Sacramento real estate consists of single unit structures. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), as of the 3rd quarter of 2006 the median price for a single family house in Sacramento was slightly over $375,000. The median price for a condominium was slightly under $240,000. Both are above the national average.

In Sacramento, 75% of the housing units have a mortgage. Many of these home owners (approximately 18%) are leveraging rising equity in their homes with home equity loans and/or second mortgages.

Sacramento Schools

The City of Sacramento is served by many different school districts including the Elk Grove Unified School District, the Folsom-Cordova Unified School District, the Sacramento City Unified School District, the San Juan Unified School District, and others. The bulk of the students in the City of Sacramento attend a school in the Sacramento City Unified School District. This school district serves almost 50,000 kindergarten through grade 12 students, as well as about 20,000 adult education students in over 50 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 6 high schools, numerous speciality schools including alternative and charter schools, and 5 adult education centers. The other school districts serve some part of Sacramento, as well as other communities in Sacramento County.

Five elementary schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District, have been recognized as "Distinguished Elementary Schools" by the California Department of Education. In addition, five middle schools or high schools were also recognized. In total, eleven elementary schools and nine middle or high schools in Sacramento county were recognized.

There are nineteen colleges and universities located in Sacramento County.

Sacramento Economy

The engine of the Sacramento economy is Government at the state, county, and city level. The largest private sectors of the Sacramento economy include trade, transportation, and utilities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality. The largest private sector employers in Sacramento are the UC Davis Medical Center, Intel, and Hewlett-Packard.

The top occupations in Sacramento are:

• Office and administrative support
• Sales and sales related positions
• Food services
• Education, training, and library
• Construction and mining

The median family income in Sacramento is slightly more than $46,000 (as of 2003 according to US Census data), which is just slightly under the the California average and under the national average.

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Sacramento Neighborhoods

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Sacramento Real Estate

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