blog posts

The holiday season is just around the corner, and Sacramento is getting ready to celebrate! From artisan markets and fresh Christmas trees to outdoor ice skating and festive performances, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the season with family and friends.  To help you make the most of the season, we've created a local guide to holiday markets, Christmas tree farms, and festive events to add to your calendar for 2026. Grab your favorite holiday drink and get ready to enjoy the best of the season right here in the Sacramento community.

If selling your Sacramento home is on your radar for next year, you don’t have to wait until January to start preparing. In fact, some of the best things you can do happen quietly in the months before a “For Sale” sign ever goes in the yard. Whether you’re thinking about making a move across town, relocating out of the Sacramento area, or simply wondering what your options might look like, a little planning now can make the process much smoother later. We’ve helped Sacramento-area homeowners navigate all kinds of moves, and one thing we’ve learned is that the best sellers aren’t necessarily the ones who do everything . They’re the ones who know what matters, what can wait, and where to spend their time and money. If a move could be in your future, here are seven things worth doing before January.

Pumpkins, prizes, and the best clients around! Our 13th Annual Harvest Fest was spectacular, and we had an absolute blast celebrating autumn with everyone! Between the classic hayrides, face painting, caricature artists, critters, and our wandering magician, the heat didn't slow anyone down. A huge thank you to our wonderful vendors whose generous donations allowed us to put together such incredible raffle prizes this year! We also want to send a special thank you to our fantastic event Co-Sponsor, Kelly Cort and the Home Cort Advantage team at Guild Mortgage. We are so grateful for your continued support year after year!

There's something special about fall in Sacramento. The heat of summer finally breaks, the light turns golden in the afternoons, and even though we don't get the dramatic color changes you'll find back east, our region has its own quiet magic this time of year. From tree-lined river trails to warm bowls of comfort food and pumpkin patches dotting the countryside, October here is made for slowing down and soaking it all in. Whether you're a longtime local or you just moved to the area and are looking for ways to fall in love with your new hometown—we put together a little guide to help you build the perfect fall day in and around Sacramento. Grab a flannel, a warm drink, and let's get into it!

We're well into the fall season, and if you've heard that real estate slows to a crawl once summer ends, it's worth setting the record straight. Fall in the Sacramento region is consistently one of the more strategic times to buy or sell. The buyers and sellers active in the market right now aren't casually browsing—they have a reason to move, a timeline in mind, and they're prepared to act. Less competition for attention, more serious participants on both sides of the transaction. That's a favorable environment no matter where you sit at the table. Sellers, Let's Talk: Do You Know What Your Home Is Worth Right Now? It's a question worth asking: what is your home actually worth in today's market? Not what it was worth at the height of the pandemic boom, and not a rough estimate based on what a neighbor's house sold for a few years back—what it's worth right now , based on current data. That number has shifted meaningfully over the past several years. Home values across Sacramento County have climbed roughly 18% since 2021 , according to the Federal Reserve's house price index for the county. And while the market has cooled from its most frenzied pace, values have largely held: the median sale price for single-family homes in Sacramento County sat at $549,950 in August 2026, essentially holding steady from a year ago. In other words, the equity many homeowners built during the run-up hasn't evaporated—it's simply become more important to understand and use strategically. 

Autumn is almost here, Sacramento! One of our favorite things about calling this area home is being just a short drive from some of California’s best fall adventures. At The Sherri Patterson Team, we’re more than real estate experts. We’re locals who live here, raise our families here, and know all the seasonal favorites worth exploring. So, if you’re looking for the perfect autumn day trip, grab the family and head to one of our all-time favorites: Apple Hill! What Is Apple Hill? | Website  Apple Hill is a collection of more than 50 family-owned farms, orchards, wineries, bakeries, and cideries tucked into the hills of Camino and Placerville, right along Highway 50 between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. It's been a Northern California tradition for generations, and it's easy to see why: rolling orchards, mountain air, and enough apple treats to make your whole car smell like cinnamon on the drive home. Best of all, it's incredibly close. Apple Hill sits just under an hour east of Sacramento, which makes it an easy weekend outing rather than a whole production. Load up the kids (or the dog, or just yourselves and a thermos of coffee), and you can be wandering an orchard before lunchtime.

Hey sellers, congrats! You've accepted an offer. The finish line is finally in sight—and then comes the home inspection. For many Sacramento sellers, this can be one of the more nerve-wracking steps of the transaction. It's easy to worry that every squeaky door, leaky kitchen faucet, or aging fence could scare buyers away or send everyone back to the negotiating table. But an inspection doesn't automatically mean the deal is in trouble. In Sacramento, where our neighborhoods include everything from newer construction to charming historic homes, inspections are simply an important part of understanding a home's condition. That's why our team is here to break down what sellers should know about inspections and what you can do to help keep your sale moving toward closing. Let's dive in!

There are some places that truly make a neighborhood feel like home. A favorite coffee shop. A family-owned restaurant. And, if you ask us, a great independent bookstore. Sacramento is full of bookshops with personality. Whether you're looking for a new bestseller, a rare used find, or a cozy afternoon spent browsing—these local bookstores are well worth adding to your weekend plans. Here are a few of our favorites in the area! 

Imagine wiring your closing funds for your dream home in East Sacramento, only to discover the money never reached the title company. Or putting your Land Park home on the market and learning someone copied your listing photos to create a fake online advertisement designed to steal deposits from unsuspecting buyers. As alarming as those stories sound, they're becoming more common across the country. The good news? Most real estate scams have warning signs. Knowing what to watch for can help you avoid costly mistakes and move through your transaction with confidence. What Are Real Estate Scams? Real estate scams involve someone using deception to steal money, sensitive information, or even ownership of a property during a real estate transaction. These scams can happen through various channels: email, text messages, phone calls, fake websites, social media, and even fraudulent online listings. In many cases, the person behind the scam appears completely legitimate, such as impersonating a lender, title company, property owner, or even another real estate professional. Here’s the thing—because buying and selling a home often involves tight deadlines and significant financial decisions, scammers frequently create a false sense of urgency, hoping people will act before verifying the information. That's why a little awareness can go a long way toward protecting one of your largest financial investments.