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I'm from San Diego, moved an hour north of Seattle on acreage 13 years ago and now it looks like I'm going to have to move back to CA. Most of my family is in Sacramento area now, so I'm looking your way.
I want to move onto acreage with some green, at least 3-5 acres and have been looking at that green belt-looking area west of Winters along 128 and Putah Creek (but not up into the mountains), just outside of Winters. I'm especially looking for land available where I can walk around with my dog, you know, just free space, close to my property, maybe not adjoining it, although that would be a dream, but close enough to drive to in 5-10 minutes.
It looks like it's primarily agricultural where the green is west of Winters, but maybe not?
Is it typical to find 3-5 acres parcels with homes in this area? If so, what do you like/dislike about Winters?
An in-law just sold her house there, and she liked living there, although she felt isolated. Me, I'm happy to be an hour away from closest family in Roseville. That's just about perfect kind of isolation for me, and I like small town feel A LOT. I'm assuming Winters is small town...
But, what's the traffic like getting into Sacramento, say, if I worked in the city center, hours from 8am - 6pm?
What's the commute like if I work in Roseville, hours from 8am - 6pm?
As we speak, my husband is in Sacramento right now checking out Auburn, and although I know I can get some green and land that way, I so dislike driving 80 between Auburn and Sacramento. Things feel so dense and I've been caught in some serious traffic any day of the week in both directions. Is 80 any different from Winters to Sacramento?
And I'm thinking if I worked in Roseville, I could see getting to 5 then 99 and take one of those super fast roads into the back part of Roseville, like Elverta or Rio Linda. Is my idea of getting into Roseville this way realistic?
OK, and finally, I've passed through Woodland countless times and liked it. Any thoughts on Woodland?
I'm totally open to any suggestions, opinions, thoughts, anything that comes to mind. Thanks!
Is it typical to find 3-5 acres parcels with homes in this area? If so, what do you like/dislike about Winters?
Winters is a cute little town -- emphasis on little. It has a kind of artsy vibe. In general there are fewer small acreages available in the Winters/Davis/Woodland area and land prices are much higher than in the foothills because the land is agriculturally valuable. The Berryessa area is just as prone to wildfires as the foothills too.
That's just about perfect kind of isolation for me, and I like small town feel A LOT. I'm assuming Winters is small town...
There are more small towns with larger acreage for less money in the foothills. Have you checked out Lincoln, Loomis, Penryn, Newcastle?
But, what's the traffic like getting into Sacramento, say, if I worked in the city center, hours from 8am - 6pm?
From the Winters area you are pretty much stuck with using the Yolo Causeway to commute to Sacramento. It is a serious pain in the neck during rush hour. IMO life is too short & valuable to spend stuck in traffic.
What's the commute like if I work in Roseville, hours from 8am - 6pm?
There's another bottleneck on I80 around Roseville during rush hour. Are you talking about living in Winters and commuting to Roseville? IMO that's insane -- you would have to contend with both the Roseville traffic and the causeway. If you are going to work in Roseville, why not live in greater Roseville, Lincoln or Loomis?
As we speak, my husband is in Sacramento right now checking out Auburn, and although I know I can get some green and land that way, I so dislike driving 80 between Auburn and Sacramento. Things feel so dense and I've been caught in some serious traffic any day of the week in both directions. Is 80 any different from Winters to Sacramento?
I think it's worse (and I've lived in Davis, Woodland, and the greater Lincoln area). In Davis, I80 narrows from 6 lanes to three in a couple of miles and there are a lot of accidents in the Mace Blvd area -- and you haven't even got on the causeway yet. If you are serious about this, I suggest doing a test drive from Winters/Dixon to Sac at 8 am on a weekday.
And I'm thinking if I worked in Roseville, I could see getting to 5 then 99 and take one of those super fast roads into the back part of Roseville, like Elverta or Rio Linda. Is my idea of getting into Roseville this way realistic?
Uh, what super fast roads? This sounds crazy. If you REALLY want to do this, at least live in the northern Sac area (Woodland, Natomas) though you will be hard pressed to find small acreage parcels and they will be very expensive, unless you want to live in Rio Linda or Elverta (high crime, lots of drugs, trashy reputation).
OK, and finally, I've passed through Woodland countless times and liked it. Any thoughts on Woodland?
I lived in Woodland for several years and still own property there and I like it a lot. Woodland gets a significant flak on the CD boards for perceived gang activity and Hispanic demographics, but there are some very nice areas (southwest Woodland, Faria Park, Beamer Park) with reasonably priced homes -- at least by CA standards. You are going to have a tough time finding 3 - 5 acres though.
I'm totally open to any suggestions, opinions, thoughts, anything that comes to mind. Thanks!
It sounds like you want a ranchette pretty much like mine (I live on six acres in Newcastle) and a bearable commute to Roseville or Sac. IMO you will do much better in the foothill communities between Auburn and Roseville. A member of my household commutes to downtown Sac five days/week and it takes about 45 minutes; about 10 minutes of that is just to get to the freeway because I'm in a pretty remote area. I think the "rolling" terrain is a lot prettier than the absolutely flat valley, the weather and air quality are better, and there is more water available. Loomis in particular is a cute little town with a similar "artsy" vibe to Winters. Go have lunch at High Hand Nursery and check out the real estate.
It sounds like you want a ranchette pretty much like mine (I live on six acres in Newcastle) and a bearable commute to Roseville or Sac. IMO you will do much better in the foothill communities between Auburn and Roseville. A member of my household commutes to downtown Sac five days/week and it takes about 45 minutes; about 10 minutes of that is just to get to the freeway because I'm in a pretty remote area. I think the "rolling" terrain is a lot prettier than the absolutely flat valley, the weather and air quality are better, and there is more water available. Loomis in particular is a cute little town with a similar "artsy" vibe to Winters. Go have lunch at High Hand Nursery and check out the real estate.
Semispherical, Thank You, many, many times over for your post!
It's funny. It was planned my husband would be driving out to explore Winters today, but I was on Zillow and GoogleMaps last night and eventually started to zero in on all the agriculture. I found a few smaller parcels, but they were mostly surrounded by huge agricultural lots, and to me, that means spraying. (It also means there's little land to meander along with my dog.) I had a friend who bought property in Lodi, and she knew she was in the midst of insecticide spraying. I thought this area might be similar, and also, there were other drawbacks, namely the terrain - flat, no trees... So I thought I'd look at the communities east of Roseville, west of Auburn again in the morning.
So early this morning I had Zillow up on one monitor and c-d on the other. Darn! No replies to my involved question. I began exploring Penryn, Newcastle, and Loomis and found a couple properties, one in Loomis and the other in Penryn, and jotted down the addresses to give to my husband when he called later on to suggest that maybe he should drive east on 80 instead of west...change of plans? Then I checked c-d, and there you were, Semispherical. What a godsend!
Traffic is something I don't do. I plan everything around traffic, leaving or arriving in the wee hours if necessary. I'm with you about life being too short. Thanks for the details on the ins and outs of Winters traffic to Sacramento and Roseville. You described just what I wanted to know, and you gave additional info that was very helpful.
When I drive home to WA from Roseville, I take Baseline to Riego to 99 and then hit 5 N. On my last visit, taking Elverta was a better way to get to 99, so as I drove on Elverta I thought, "Maybe I could live here...," but I was just grasping at straws, really, so your added info is all I needed.
I'll keep my eye on Woodland. Whenever I pass through Woodland on my way to Sacramento (and reverse direction as well), I never hit traffic, so maybe that's an option even though the terrain isn't as nice as the foothills. To avoid traffic, I will make concessions.
On the foothill properties that I saw, there was something about Newcastle that I liked better than the Penryn and Loomis and Auburn. It could be because the properties seemed further out from the freeway, more remote. Do you have any opinions on the differences between Penryn, Newcastle, and Loomis? I'll start a new thread in addition asking the differences, so if you have any input, I'll be checking here and the new thread for responses.
You mentioned water... I have septic and a well, and I know what to ask and look for here in WA particularly with regards to wells (I'm guessing septics are pretty much the same everywhere), but what are key issues with wells in your area that can cause problems to a homeowner? Here the question is quality of water and how deep the well and the potential aquifers, but I suspect in CA, the focus differs. A family member lives in Nipomo and has a well, and his water is now metered by the city. Do you have metering or anything like that?
I think my MIL is going to be very happy for lunch today. She loves places like High Hand Nursery. The property in Loomis they'll be checking out is only 4 minutes away, so my husband is almost for sure going to take his mom there for lunch. What a great suggestion, thank you so much!
I really don't think you should bother with Woodland; as you've discovered there are few small acreages and they tend to be expensive. And I think the terrain is boooooring.
Newcastle/Penryn/Loomis -- it's all the same, really, except the land gets hillier as you head up into the foothills. Loomis is a real town with more amenities than Newcastle or Penryn, but if you are out in the surrounding area on acreage you are going to be driving no matter where you live. You should also look into parts of Rocklin -- the English Colony area and around Sierra College Blvd.
The well you get is going to depend on the aquifer at your property. My well is 80 ft deep and I get all the water I ever would need; my neighbor's well, about 1000 feet away, didn't hit water until he went over 100 ft. The people in the house up the hill from me had to drill 400 feet.
If you buy acreage, a big plus is if it comes with water rights from NID or PCWA. I personally would not buy land without deeded irrigation water. Be sure to ask your RE agent about this. An even bigger plus is if the water is "gravity fed" and you don't have to put up with the expense and hassle of running a pump.
It is really, really pretty up here (this time of year is actually when things look their worst because everything is so dry) and I think you will like it!
I can recommend an excellent RE agent if you are interested. Let me know & I will PM you.
I really don't think you should bother with Woodland; as you've discovered there are few small acreages and they tend to be expensive. And I think the terrain is boooooring.
Newcastle/Penryn/Loomis -- it's all the same, really, except the land gets hillier as you head up into the foothills. Loomis is a real town with more amenities than Newcastle or Penryn, but if you are out in the surrounding area on acreage you are going to be driving no matter where you live. You should also look into parts of Rocklin -- the English Colony area and around Sierra College Blvd.
The well you get is going to depend on the aquifer at your property. My well is 80 ft deep and I get all the water I ever would need; my neighbor's well, about 1000 feet away, didn't hit water until he went over 100 ft. The people in the house up the hill from me had to drill 400 feet.
If you buy acreage, a big plus is if it comes with water rights from NID or PCWA. I personally would not buy land without deeded irrigation water. Be sure to ask your RE agent about this. An even bigger plus is if the water is "gravity fed" and you don't have to put up with the expense and hassle of running a pump.
It is really, really pretty up here (this time of year is actually when things look their worst because everything is so dry) and I think you will like it!
I can recommend an excellent RE agent if you are interested. Let me know & I will PM you.
I knew there would be differences in what to look for with wells! Thanks for the head's up on what to look for. Water rights? Deeded water? I'd seen these mentioned in some properties for sale but didn't understand. I'll PM you when I've learned a bit, and yes, I'd love a RE recommendation. It's imperative, I've found, when buying land to have an agent that knows about land and all that comes with buying a house on land.
As for Woodland, well, yeah...I kind of ended up at Loomis and Granite Bay and now that's becoming my focal area, perhaps for the moment! Who knows what it will be next week, month? But having bought property, I know it takes a lot of research and trying this area and that area before finding the right place. We're just starting the process, and it seems it's zeroing in on the negatives that bring me to the actual places to go and visit. I find that when I eliminate areas, the search is more manageable.
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