Rob McQuade & the Central City Team
McMartin Realty
2031 K Street, Suite 100
Sacramento, California 95811-4253

(916) 444-7577 office
(866) 720-CITY (2489) toll free
(916) 444-7977 fax


Your Downtown Sacramento Home Search Starts Here!

Search Downtown Sacramento homes | [under $300,000] [$300,000s] [$400,000s] [over $500,000] | Downtown Sacramento lofts & condos | Downtown Sacramento duplexes | Downtown Sacramento triplexes | Downtown Sacramento fourplexes | Downtown Sacramento apartment buildings (5+ units) | Downtown Sacramento JUST LISTED homes & condos | Downtown Sacramento homes built since 2005 | Downtown Sacramento vacant lots & land | Downtown Sacramento commercial buildings | Downtown Sacramento foreclosure listings | About Downtown Sacramento foreclosures & REOs

Compare FROM THE $200,000s! 1600 H Lofts | 1801L | 2020 H Lofts | HIGHRISE! 500 N | 800 J Lofts | GO GREEN! 9 on F | Alchemy @ R Street | The Arlington | Capitol Park Homes | Fremont Mews | L Street Lofts | North End Lofts | Old Sac I Lofts | Penthouses at Capitol Park | P Street Condos | Riverfront Plaza Condos | S21 | Saratoga Townhomes | SECOND PHASE! SoCap Lofts | Somerset Parkside | Stanford Court | Sutter Place | FINAL RELEASE! Sutter Brownstones | Tapestri Square | Washington Park Village | UPDATE! Whiskey Hill Lofts

Explore Downtown Sacramento | Midtown Sacramento | East Sacramento | Land Park | Curtis Park | Oak Park | River Park | Tahoe Park | Greenhaven | The Pocket | UCD Med Center & Elmhurst | West Sacramento | Woodlake


Putting technology to work in real estate

When you want information, you want information. I've worked hard to build not only a great team of real estate professionals to meet my clients needs but also a network of websites and web tools for clients—and I've taken those tools to the next level to provide online real estate information for Downtown Sacramento and the greater Sacramento region.

I recently had an opportunity to work with the fine folks at Trulia (http://www.trulia.com/), the leader in online real estate content, to begin educating other real estate professionals on how to provide the kinds of information that our clients want and need. Last week I filmed a training video at Trulia's offices in San Francisco (keep an eye out on here, I'll have a link to it in the coming weeks) and today Trulia blogged about the success I've been having using their site to connect with real estate buyers and sellers in the Downtown Sacramento area.

Yup, I'm a real estate nerd. ;-)

You can see what Trulia had to say here.

Labels: , , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 2:37 PM, , links to this post



What happened to the Whiskey Hill Lofts?

I've recently had a lot of people searching my Downtown and Midtown websites for info on the Whiskey Hill Lofts, developer Paul Petrovich's residential project behind the Rite Aid he built at 21st & S in Midtown.

The Sacramento Business Journal reported on May 23rd that the Whiskey Hill Lofts, a 30-unit Midtown loft and condo development that opened for sale in February, hadn't attracted any buyers and "is being converted into apartment units and will be rented..."

Why? I think the combination of pricing—the price per square foot at Whiskey Hill was on par with other more desirable projects in better locations within the central city, including the L Street Lofts and 1600 H (which is finishing construction and has yet to close on any of the loft units)—and location just couldn't compete with other new Downtown and Midtown developments. Meanwhile the Sutter Brownstones are still selling, in part due to their competitive prices (thanks largely to mandatory subsidies from Sutter as a condition of the hospital expansion).

Looking for a Downtown or Midtown loft or condo? Register online to create your own saved searches for free or give me a call today at (916) 444-7577. -Rob

Labels: , , , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 12:27 PM, , links to this post



AAA's Via explores Sacramento, extolls the virtues of Midtown

Attention Sacramento area AAA members: Didja catch what Via, AAA's travel magazine, had to say about our fair city? May's issue featured Sacramento and the article title says it best: read Capital Gains: Sacramento is all grown up.

What's most notable is the fact that Sacramento is being defined by the core neighborhoods, Downtown and Midtown, referring to Midtown as "the city's lively eating and schmoozing hot spot."
"A wildly popular art walk through the neighborhood's galleries and boutiques on the second Saturday evening of every month has helped transform Sacramento's sundown stampede into a galloping nightlife... The 2nd Saturday Art Walk emerged from the trunk shows of a few scattered Midtown boutiques in the '90s, and now virtually every shop, cafe, and valet parking spot has an exhibition or an easel up, with music playing somewhere close by."

The author goes on to mention more than a dozen local establishments worth exploring and even talks about some of Downtown and Midtown Sacramento's most notable real estate:
"If you have a passion for Victorian architecture, tour the Governor's Mansion at 16th and H streets and the Leland Stanford Mansion at Eighth and N streets, both now state historic parks. The posh Governor's Mansion, built in 1877 and furnished with fireplaces of Italian marble, gives you a glimpse of how the Golden State's chief executives lived from 1903 until 1967, when it was briefly inhabited by California's first actor-turned-governor, Ronald Reagan. Contrast this with the grandeur of Leland Stanford's 19,000-square-foot former estate and its 19th-century-style gardens."

But a few words summed up well Sacramento in general and Midtown more specifically:
"Sacramento has become what many cities aspire to be: a great walking town. Along Midtown streets, under a canopy of Dutch elm trees, the scene hums."

And if you haven't checked out 2nd Saturday yet, you can download the 2nd Saturday artwalk map and explore the festivities—and be sure to start at McMartin Realty at 21st & K.

Labels: , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 10:34 AM, , links to this post



Brookings: Sacramento goes greener, shrinks carbon footprint

Sacramento ranked 12th best in nation's 100 largest metro areas

In its recently released analysis, "Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America", the Brookings Institution found that the Sacramento metro area decreased its per capita greenhouse gas emissions from residential and transportation uses by about 9% between 2000 and 2005, compared with a 1.1% increase across the 100 largest U.S. metro areas and 2.2% across the nation as a whole.

Newer housing options and increased demand for energy efficient or "green" features in homes (reflected in new urban developments such as 9 on F and the SoCap Lofts in Downtown Sacramento) have helped push Sacramento toward the top of the list.

The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C.

Looking to reduce your carbon footprint? Some quick and easy ways to do that include using alternative transportation (bus, light rail, and bicycle), living closer to where you work and play, and choosing a home that reduces your impact on the environment. Consider urban living, explore Downtown and Midtown Sacramento. You can also find out more about green living at Sacramento Green Living.

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 10:46 AM, , links to this post



New! Search homes and condos quickly by ZIP Code

Now you can quickly and easily search by ZIP Code with just a click! It's easier than ever to pull up homes and condos in your preferred ZIP Code by simply clicking the » By ZIP Code NEW! link under Quick Property Searches from the menu at the left. You can scroll through the list of available ZIP Codes in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, and El Dorado Counties to bring up a convenient list of the first 200 homes and condos for each ZIP. And, as always, you can get news listings matching ALL your search criteria sent to your email inbox daily by clicking on the link under Resources for Buyers.

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 10:42 PM, , links to this post



Do some (more) Good

Did you miss last weekend's open house at Good (LJ Urban's newest project at 4th & B in West Sac just off the I Street Bridge)? This just came from the fine folks over at LJ Urban:

See some more good
Many of you have requested that we have another open house, so this Sunday we're going to head over from 5-8 and keep the doors open so you can come and take a look. Its not another big party like last time but for those of you who missed us last week, now's your chance to come see what the fuss is all about.

We are still not officially selling the homes yet, but expect to start taking pre-sale orders in early June.


1931 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95811
916.930.9400 ljurban.com

Labels: , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 4:47 PM, , links to this post



We're on the official 2nd Saturday artwalk map!

Andy Morin has been working hard to get the new Second Saturday artwalk website and map up and running and his hard work is bearing fruit: You can check out the NEW official 2nd Saturday website and even download an artwalk map for the upcoming event. Plus check out ForSaleinMidtown.com in the upper right-hand corner of the map. It's official, we're famous! Or you could say we're on the map. ;-)

If you haven't been out for a 2nd Saturday event in Sacramento in a while, we've grown! Midtown Sacramento is home to what has become a major art event on the second Saturday of each month (upcoming 2008 events are June 14th, July 12th, August 9th, September 13th, October 11th, November 8th, and December 13th) and just happen to be concentrated around McMartin Realty at 21st & K in Midtown. Thousands converge on the area for gallery openings and art shows throughout the central city that typically run 6-10pm. Sure, parking is a pain-in-the-backside—but it's more than worth the art, entertainment, dining, and general energy. In fact Midtown has shown up on the radar with the San Francisco crowd (check out the recent SF Chronicle article "Hip, artsy heart beats in Sacramento's Midtown").

New in 2008 is McMartin Realty's PARK YOUR ART event (you can find out more at http://www.park-your-art.com and our upcoming indoor/outdoor shows. Definitely a must-experience event! -Rob

Labels: , , , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 3:25 PM, , links to this post



Moving to Downtown or Midtown Sacramento? UC Davis needs your help!

If you're thinking about relocating to a walkable neighborhood like Downtown or Midtown, UC Davis needs your help!

From Emily at UC Davis:
[UC Davis is] working on a national study that's looking at activity levels of people before and after they move to walkable neighborhoods. Our study is focusing on the Sacramento region... [and] we'd like to survey new buyers/renters who will be moving in within the next 3 months or so (we need to survey them both before and after they move).
You can find out more about the study being conducted and how you can get involved at http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/handy/SHIFT.htm and, of course, get in touch with me if you're planning a move to Downtown or Midtown Sacramento.

Labels: , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 3:36 PM, , links to this post



The 500 N Workout

The fine folks at 500 N treated my real estate forum to a fantastic lunch catered by Il Fornaio last week on the 14th floor of the Downtown Sacramento condos at 500 N Street. Fantastic food, great views (from our vista we could watch work being done on Tsakopoulos' 500 Capitol Mall project, plus views of the Capitol, Tower Bridge, CalEPA building, Federal Courthouse, Renaissance Towere aka the "Darth Vader Building", 12th & K's "Ban Roll-on" building, and what will be a beautifully lighted US BankTower at 621 Capitol Mall), and... The elevators went out.

When we arrived, one elevator was being replaced but the other was working just fine. No problem getting up to the 14th Floor whatsoever. But 15 minutes later we got word that the other elevator was, well, being fickle—which is a nice way of saying we wouldn't be taking the elevator back down. We could've waited six weeks for replacement of the other elevator, and both rappelling and parachute-assisted basejumping were out since none of us had thought to bring gear.

Nothing left to do but take the stairs down 14 floors. The good news is that it was a beautiful day (the weather hadn't gotten windy and gray yet and the 100-plus heat had passed) and the stairs were on the outside of the west side of the building.

And thus the 500 N Workout was born.

Man, Annie at 500 N is gonna kill me if she reads this. (Sorry, Annie!)

Labels: , , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 10:45 AM, , links to this post



Prices going up on two central city projects (May 2008)

Despite a limping real estate market overall, two new projects in the urban core have seen robust sales and have increased prices over the initial release prices.

Sutter Brownstones

This 28-unit brick townhome LoftWorks development in Midtown debuted to an enthusiastic buying community and units that were priced from $370,000 to $590,000 in the first phase—and are currently priced from $385,000 to $625,000. The largest floorplans feature a separate studio living space with its own private entrance. Dues are reasonable at $122-138/mo, but buyers should be asking questions about the reserves and how future repairs will be coordinated.

SoCap Lofts

I gave the folks at SoCap a little bit of a hard time for not incorporating a mixed-use component into the Downtown Sacramento development (I'd have been happy with something as simple as a cafe space at the corner of 6th & R), but that hasn't seemed to slow down their sales. New residents have moved into all of the 7th Street units and the developer is making progress on the next several rows of infill housing. It doesn't hurt that the detached design has allowed the HOA to be kept at an easy-to-swallow $93/mo to cover common area costs (yes, individual homeowners will be responsible for their own townhome-style loft units' maintenance). Prices have bumped up an average of about $10,000 per unit from the first release and still seem to be selling briskly. I'm looking forward to the next project Regis is working on a couple blocks further west set to begin moving forward in 2009 or 2010, which will include a mix of residential and retail.

Somebody should let LoftWorks and Regis Development know that we're in a real estate downturn—but not before they take advantage of early release pricing!

Labels: , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 2:57 PM, , links to this post



Downtown's historic Alkali Flats neighborhood in transition

KCRA 3 talked with neighborhood activist Sean Wright about the changing face of Alkali Flats/Mansion Flats, Sacramento's oldest residential neighborhoods and once home to the wealthiest local citizens. Over the last several decades the neighborhoods have been challenged by homelessness, transiency, and drug problems, but new developments such as 9 on F and the Globe Mills show that the neighborhood is changing again—for the better.

Click on the image below to see the video.

KCRA 3 talks about the changing face of Downtown Sacramento's Alkali Flats/Mansion Flats neighborhoods over the last 158 years

Labels: , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 1:17 PM, , links to this post



FREE: Let there be (compact fluorescent) light!

Let me put $368 in your pocket* with FREE compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) while supplies last

I started giving away energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs at our Green Second Saturday event in April, and now I want to offer them to anyone who would like to stop by and pick up a four-pack (while supplies last, of course). Just send me an email or give me a call at (916) 444-7577 to let me know you'd like to swing by and pick some up. I'll also throw in a Gold C book (entertainment discounts) to anyone who comes by on foot or on bike. ;-)

Rob McQuade - (916) 444-7577
McMartin Realty
2031 K Street, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95811-4253

*Save $92 in energy costs per bulb based on 12 cents per kwh over the expected 10,000-hour lifespan of these 23-watt (100-watt equivalent) CFLs compared to 10 standard 1,000-hour 100-watt light bulbs.

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 12:22 PM, , links to this post



May 8th: Sacramento Green Home Expo (and a friendly mention)

Green Home Expo opens in Sacramento May 8th

Okay, so maybe you don't think of the North State Building Industry Association as a bunch of party people (and you obviously don't know them very well if that's the case), but they know how to put on a good (trade) show. This Thursday, May 8th, is the Green Home Expo at the Sacramento Convention Center. It's an all-day event with free trade show admission, and you can expect to see some of the latest green home tech. If you're thinking about starting a remodel or you just want to know more about the latest energy efficient, eco-friendly products for the home then check out the expo (and there are some really cool workshops being offered for a very reasonable price). You can find out more by clicking on the banner below.

The BIA's Green Home Expo opens in Sacramento on May 8th, 2008PS - The convention center is an awfully big place to heat and cool. Maybe they'll open the windows. ;-) PPS - While you'll find a lot of groovy home products at the expo, you probably won't find an actual home. If you're looking for an eco-friendly home in the Downtown Sacramento area, please get in touch with me!

Being a Green Nugget

Oh, and while I'm not in it for the glory, it's always nice to get a friendly mention from people who always have their "green" thinking caps on (made from organic cotton, of course)—and Levi Benkert and the awesome eco-urbanists at LJUrban are among the greenthinkiest (consider the term officially coined) people I know of locally. What's not to love about people whose aspirations are to dream big, live small, and do good?

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tag this post: del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb | Google | StumbleUpon | Add to Technorati Faves

posted by Rob McQuade @ 12:15 PM, , links to this post



Making the River District and Richards Blvd livable

Too Much, Too Late

A terrible thing happened just as Sacramento was "growing up" and becoming a vibrant city: the real estate market reversed course after several years of phenomenal gains. Projects like The Towers that John Saca was working on Craig Nassi's Aura Condos—both beautiful highrise residential projects—stalled as the market began changing, leaving Sacramentans still wanting for signature new residential projects.

Sacramento's Second Chance(s) at a First Impression

Despite changes in the regional real estate market, Downtown Sacramento stands as a sign of the city's hopefulness. New, more patient and thoughtfully designed projects have begun to take the place of the more brash, no-such-thing-as-a-bubble developments we thought were the Next Big Thing to hit Downtown. Real estate developer Thomas Enterprises has continued to
plod along methodically with the 240-acre Railyards redevelopment adjacent to Sacramento's existing Downtown area.

Thomas Enterprises' 240-acre Railyards development site adjacent to Downtown SacramentoBut lost in the discussion over the much larger Railyards site is a smaller but very significant redevelopment area just north of Downtown along the American River: the River District.

A River (and Light Rail!) Runs Through It

Comprised of mostly warehouse, semi-industrial, and newer office-use businesses, the Richards Blvd corridor was rebranded as the River District as the city pushed for more infill housing. The largest project in the proposed area is currently Township 9, which is set to add roughly 3,000 housing units (in mostly mid- and highrise developments) between Richards Blvd at 7th St and the American River. Also proposed are a winding road along the river that would run alongside a park and outdoor amphitheater.

Township9's 65-acre residential redevelopment in the River District just north of Downtown Sacramento and the Railyards development siteThe site, anchored at 7th & Richards, is a transit-oriented development (TOD) that will have a light rail station connecting it to Downtown and south by 2010, and eventually continuing north to Natomas and on to the airport as part of the Downtown-Natomas-Airport (DNA) alignment.

The Other "7th & Richards" Site

Also at 7th & Richards in the River District is a key development opportunity that we have listed, 750 Richards Blvd. The site, located at the anchor gateway for Township 9, consist of five parcels and primed for high-density mixed-use (and potentially highrise) transit-oriented development.

Prime Downtown Sacramento transit-oriented development (TOD) site for sale - Call Rob McQuade, McMartin Realty - (916) 444-7577For more information about this major development opportunity, you can reach Rob McQuade at (916) 444-7577.

Labels: , , , , ,