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Helping People Live the Paso Style, Events, Wine,
Food, Living
March 2008 |
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Wine
Notes:
(Local RE and Wine News)
Zinfandel
Festival
www.pasowine.com
March is Zinfandel time. March
14-16th is the annual Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival. A time
to celebrate a grape with a long history in Paso Robles and the Country.
Zinfandel makes up close to 10% of the wine grape acreage in
Paso Robles which is about the same percentage as the state. Zinfandel
is a very versatile grape for wine with the most common form being "White
Zinfandel" which is the 4th highest produced wine in the US. The more
classic Red Zinfandel has in past years been over shadowed by it's blush
cousin, but as people move away from the flavors of cotton candy to
those more typical of good red wine the classic red popularity is
re-emerging.
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Zinfandel is often referred to as
America's Grape. It has been cultivated in US since
the mid 1800's. It originally was originally grown in
hot houses in the Northeast as a table
grape due to it's high sugar content. This usage was
replaced by Concord when developed.
Zinfandel is a close sister to the Italian Variety of
Primitivo. Zinfandel and Primitivo are originally from
Croatia.
Go out and enjoy some great Paso Robles Zin! |
Quick Real Estate Facts:
(Calif) |
Median home price -
$430,370 |
Highest median home price
Santa Barbara So. Coast $1,135,000 |
Lowest median home price
High Desert $234,310 |
Mortgage rates - week ending
12/20:
-30-yr. fixed: 6.04%; Fees/points: 0.6%
-15-yr. fixed: 5.64%; Fees/points: 0.5%
-1-yr. adj: 4.98%; Fees/points: 0.6% |
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Home &
Vineyard
RE:
A new name is coming! All the
paper work is filed with the Department of Real Estate for the creation of
HOME &
Vineyard
Real Estate. I have an office located just off the Park in Paso Robles
to meet clients.
Look for some interesting changes in the format of "What's
Happening, Paso Style Living" as I re-brand, but I will continue
to publish monthly.
So if you are looking to buy or sell, give me a call! |
Cooking Corner:
(Personal recipes and views on Cooking Paso Style)
Muddy Beans: A southern style
baked bean recipe just like Mom used to make.
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1 large onion
chopped |
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1/2 cup celery
chopped |
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1 lb ground beef |
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2 cans pork and
beans (31oz) |
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2 tbsp molasses
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1/2 cup ketchup
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1/2 lb bacon slices
(cut up) |
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Slowly cook onion and
celery in a Dutch oven. Add ground beef and
cook until brown. Add beans, molasses, and
ketchup. Season with salt and pepper.
Add bacon stir. Place in pre-heated 350
degree oven and bake for 45 minutes. |
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Wine
& Local Trivia:
Zinfandel is
often referred to as America's Grape due to its long
history. Paso Robles
shares that long history of producing Zinfandel grapes. In
the 1920's and 30's Paso Zinfandel grape production expanded
considerably. What year was the first commercial
winery established in Paso Robles producing Zinfandel wine
and who was responsible?
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a) |
1918, Dusi |
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b) |
1933,Nerelli |
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c) |
1885, York |
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d) |
1962, Hoffman |
(Please visit
http://www.pasostyleliving.com for the
answer) |
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Paso
Style Living Real Estate:
(Real
Estate market conditions in Paso Wine Country)
The
Blame Game.
Do we have a Real Estate Crisis? Do we have a
Sub-Prime Crisis? Well, just maybe neither.
There has been a lot of press blaming the current economic
issues facing the country on what is often referred to as the Sub-prime Meltdown
fueled by the decline in Real Estate. I don't think anyone would
argue that Real Estate prices were over inflated and in need of
correction, but there is some question if Real Estate or even
Sub-Prime mortgages is the fuel driving the current problems.
I've been saying for 6 months now that we don't have a Real Estate Problem, we have a Financial
market's problem (A credit Problem). And at the moment it
may not be Sub-prime as the main
cause. Most loans today and especially Sub-Prime mortgages are not
sold as individual loans, but broken up and sold in the Securities
Markets as Mortgage
Backed Securities (MBS). The price of MBSs have dropped, but
it's not due to he loan problems of the underlying securities; just like any market there are
move sellers than buyers causing lower prices. MBS
securities are a relatively safe and liquid investment. So
why are banks dumping these investments? They are raising cash.
They need cash to support the other parts of their portfolio which are
not as liquid as MBS and have potential to be bigger problems moving
forward. Real Estate is always a good investment.
Will Rogers was right. "Buy land, they aren't making any more of
it".
So is this a good time to buy? Absolutely! If you
are a first time home buyer, prices haven't been this good in years.
If you are an investor, there are several great deals. There is a
fairly large inventory of unfinished homes that can be picked up and
completed with modest investment.
There is mortgage money available and at historically low rates.
Give me a call and let's talk.
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Area
(2/1/08-2/29/08) |
Avg Price |
Homes Available |
Sold/Pending |
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Atascadero |
$523,127 |
197 |
28 |
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Paso Robles |
$416,759 |
340 |
66 |
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Templeton |
$754,857 |
74 |
12 |
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All Paso Wine
Country |
$454,979 |
729 |
114 |
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Paso Wine Country
contains the following real estate areas (Paso Robles, Atascadero,
Templeton, San Miguel, Creston, Shandon, Santa Margarita, Bradley,
and Chalome)
(Single Family Homes, SFRSB) |
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Ron Johnson
Broker, RealtorŪ
(805) 423-1902
www.pasostyleliving.com |
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www.homeandvineyard.com |
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