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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Median sales prices for Lake County homes in September showed an improvement, but the Valley fire impacted active listings across the south county.
The Lake County Association of Realtors, or LCAOR, reported that the September median sales price for single family residence rose from $200,000 in August to $211,500, accounting for a 5.75-percent gain. Year-over-year, the median sales price increased 14.3 percent, up from $185,000 in September of 2014.
“A number of active listings were affected by the Valley fire,” said LCAOR President Yvette Sloan. “The exact number will be difficult to determine, but we can identify somewhere between 20 and 30 listings for sure. Some of those were in escrow when the fire struck and we know of one agent who lost six deals. The situation has been tough for sellers, buyers and agents who were involved in those transactions.”
“LCAOR expects that there will be inventory shortages in the Cobb, Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake areas,” said Scott Knickmeyer, LCAOR association executive. “Some agents have reported that owners in those areas who have received insurance payouts have elected to buy elsewhere in Lake County as opposed to rebuilding. How many chose to rebuild or not to rebuild will remain unanswered for the next several months to a year.”
There were 65 sales in September and that was down from 79 in August. Compared to September of 2014 the number of sales was up 14 percent when 57 deals were closed. Sales activity tends to slow as autumn commences and children return to school, according to the report.
Distressed sales made up nearly 17 percent of the transactions, which was up slightly from the 15.2 percent in August, but down from the 24.2 percent September 2014.
Financing trends remained relatively consistent with cash only purchases making up 32.3 percent of the sales and conventional loans accounting for the same percentage.
The biggest difference in financing year over year was the increase in the percentage of transactions financed through FHA loans, which made up 18.5 percent of the sales in September 2015 versus 8 percent of the sales in September 2014.
On a statewide basis the California Association of Realtors reported that existing, single family home sales totaled 425,030 in September, down 1.5 percent from August but up 6.9 percent from September 2014. This marked the sixth straight month that statewide sales were above the 400,000 mark.
The median sales price was $482,150, down 2.3 percent from August but up 4.3 percent from September 2014, the California Association of Realtors said.
LAKE COUNTY NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
Lake County – September 2015
Median price: $211,500
Median days to sell: 91
Units Sold: 65
Lake County – August 2015
Median price: $200,000
Median days to sell: 89
Units Sold: 79
Lake County – September 2014
Median price: $185,000
Median days to sell: 59
Units Sold: 57
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With rain expected on Monday, the National Weather Service has issued another flash flood watch for the areas burned this summer by the Rocky, Jerusalem and Valley fires.
The agency said the flash flood watch will be in effect from Monday morning through the evening.
The flash flood watch states that rainfall for that period of time could exceed one-quarter inch per hour with thunderstorms also a possibility, although the specific forecast for the county calls for a more modest rain amount.
The burn areas are of particular concern, according to the National Weather Service, because they typically can absorb only small amounts of rainfall, leading to large amounts of runoff when rain is heavier.
Forecasters urged anyone traveling along the roads in the burn areas to be alert for the possibility of flooding, and well as loose rocks and mudslides.
The county will start Monday having had some small amounts of rain on Sunday. The National Weather Service reported Sunday rainfall amounts including 0.19 inch in Cobb, 0.06 inch near Hidden Valley Lake, 0.04 inch near Middletown and 0.30 inch near Upper Lake.
On Monday, the forecast calls for chances of rainfall before 4 a.m., after which the chances of rain and thunderstorms will increase.
The chance of precipitation on Monday after 10 a.m. ranges as high as 70 percent around the county, with new rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch. Higher amounts are possible in the event of thunderstorms, forecasters said.
Chances of rainfall on Monday night are forecast to range up to 60 percent, with new rainfall amounts between a 10th and quarter of an inch, unless thunderstorms occur.
Starting Tuesday and continuing through the rest of the week, conditions are forecast to be sunny and mostly clear, with a slight chance of rain expected on Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
Nighttime temperatures are expected to be in the high 40s and daytime temperatures in the high 60s, based on the forecast.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. But what about planets?
Take Neptune for example. For many years, especially since 1989 when Voyager 2 flew past Neptune and measured its gravity field, astronomers have known that the blue giant harbors a secret world inside.
Hidden deep below the azure cloud tops lies a rocky core not much larger than Earth. Uranus has one, too! These “worlds within worlds” could have exotic properties including scorching hot oceans and diamond rain.
If only researchers could peel back the clouds for a closer look …
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have discovered an immense cloud of hydrogen evaporating from a Neptune-sized planet named GJ 436b.
The planet’s atmosphere is evaporating because of extreme irradiation from its parent star.
About 30 light years away, a Neptune-sized planetis having some of its layers peeled back.
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have discovered an immense cloud of hydrogen evaporating from a Neptune-sized planet named GJ 436b.
“This cloud is spectacular,” says the study’s leader, David Ehrenreich of the Observatory of the University of Geneva in Switzerland. “The research team has nicknamed it ‘The Behemoth.’”
The planet’s atmosphere is evaporating because of extreme irradiation from its parent star—a process that might have been even more intense in the past.
“The parent star, which is a faint red dwarf, was once more active,” says Ehrenreich. “This means that the planet’s atmosphere evaporated faster during its first billion years of existence. Overall, we estimate that the planet may have lost up to 10 percent of its atmosphere.”
GJ 436b is considered to be a “Warm Neptune” because of its size and because it is much closer to its parent star than Neptune is to our own sun.
Orbiting at a distance of less than 3 million miles, it whips around the central red dwarf in just 2.6 Earth days. For comparison, the Earth is 93 million miles from the sun and orbits it every 365.24 days.
Systems like GJ 436b could explain the existence of so-called “Hot Super-Earths.”
“Hot Super-Earths” are larger, hotter versions of our own planet. Space telescopes such as NASA’s Kepler and the French led CoRoT have discovered hundreds of them orbiting distant stars. The existence of The Behemoth suggests that Hot Super-Earths could be the remnants of Warm Neptunes that completely lost their gaseous atmospheres to evaporation.
Finding a cloud around GJ 436b required Hubble’s ultraviolet vision. Earth’s atmosphere blocks most ultraviolet light so only a space telescope like Hubble could make the crucial observations.
“You would not see The Behemoth in visible wavelengths because it is optically transparent,” says Ehrenreich. On the other hand, it is opaque to UV rays. “So when you turn the ultraviolet eye of Hubble onto the system, it’s really kind of a transformation because the planet turns into a monstrous thing.”
The ultraviolet technique could be a game-changer in exoplanet studies, he adds. Ehrenreich expects that astronomers will find thousands of Warm Neptunes and Super-Earths in the years ahead. Astronomers will want to examine them for evidence of evaporation.
Moreover, the ultraviolet technique might be able to spot the signature of oceans evaporating on Earth-like planets, shedding new light on worlds akin to our own.
Maybe you can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a planet by its Behemoth.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Five dogs – including three remaining Valley fire rescues – are available for adoption as this week begins.
The dogs available this week include mixes of Labrador Retriever, pit bull and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
'Digger'
“Digger” is a male terrier mix with a short tan coat.
He was found on Lakeview Drive in Nice.
He's in kennel No. 4, ID No. 3693.
Male pit bull terrier
This male pit bull terrier is a Valley fire survivor, found behind the Middletown gas station.
Has has a short gray and white coat.
He's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 3720.
Male pit bull mix
This male pit bull terrier mix has a short gray and white coat.
He was found on Gaddy Lane in Kelseyville.
He's in kennel No. 7, ID No. 3458.
Labrador Retriever mix
This female Labrador Retriever mix is a Valley fire survivor, found on Shenandoah/Loch Lomond, Cobb.
She has a short black coat with white markings.
She's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 3639.
Male pit bull terrier
This male pit bull terrier mix is a Valley fire survivor found, on Point Lakeview in Lower Lake.
He has a short brown and white coat.
He's in kennel No. 16, ID No. 3675.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Effective Monday, Nov. 9, at 8 a.m., the burn permit suspension in Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties will be lifted.
Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Scott Upton is formally canceling the burn permit suspension and advises that those possessing current and valid agriculture and residential burn permits for the state responsibility area can now resume burning on permissible burn days.
Agriculture burns must be inspected by Cal Fire prior to burning until the end of the peak fire season. Inspections may be required for burns other than agriculture burns as well. This can be verified by contacting your local air quality management district.
Burn permits will be required until the end of peak fire season, Cal Fire said.
While cooler temperatures have helped to diminish the threat of wildfire, Cal Fire reminded area residents that the state is still in the fourth year of drought.
Property owners and residents are asked to use caution while conducting debris or agriculture burns.
Always use caution when burning, follow all guidelines provided and maintain control of the fire at all times.
Individuals can be held civilly and/or criminally liable for allowing a fire to escape their control and/or burn onto neighboring property.
Residents wishing to burn must verify it is a permissive burn day prior to burning by contacting their local air pollution control district.
Contact the Lake County Air Quality Management District, 707-263-7000, to make sure plans for burning comply with local air basin rules.
Cal Fire offered the following pile burning requirements:
– Only dry, natural vegetative material such as leaves, pine needles and tree trimmings may be burned.
– The burning of trash, painted wood or other debris is not allowed.
– Do NOT burn on windy days.
– Piles should be no larger than 4 feet in diameter and in height. You can add to pile as it burns down.
– Clear a 10-foot diameter down to bare soil around your piles.
– Have a shovel and a water source nearby.
– An adult is required to be in attendance of the fire at all times.
Safe residential pile burning of forest residue by landowners is a crucial tool in reducing fire hazards.
State, federal and local land management and fire agencies will also be utilizing this same window of opportunity to conduct prescribed burns aimed at improving forest health on private and public lands.
For more information on burning, visit the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov .
Rainbows introduce us to reflections of different beautiful possibilities so we never forget that pain and grief are not the final options in life.– Aberjhani
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The recent precipitation brought grand, showy rainbows to parched Lake County.
The impressive arches came in, well, every color in the rainbow, or as schoolchildren recall the acronym for the spectrum: Roy G. Biv (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).
Receiving rainfall was a definite relief as it brought some much-needed moisture to Lake County.
In the Roy G. Biv order of colors the hues span the sky in a special sequence of light wavelengths that our eye can discern through the reflection of the sun through droplets of water.
Double rainbows were in evidence during the showers, and those special sights – with their order of colors in reverse – are made by the water's reflection on the reverse side of the rainbow, then its being refracted yet again as it exits the water-spray.
A rainbow appears to move, but that's only an optical illusion.
Rainbows can only be detected at a 42 degrees path opposite the sun. It's possible to see a full-circle rainbow, especially from an airplane window.
When photographed in black and white a soft progression of shades appears, then fades out on its opposite side.
There is rainbow-like phenomenon called a “glory” and is seen as a full circle, but a glory's circle is petite, at about 5 to 20 degrees.
Have you ever seen a rare moonbow? Moonbows can only be viewed under the cover of a bright nighttime.
Even more rare than a moonbow is a monochrome rainbow which can occur during rainfall at either sunset or sunrise, and is red in color.
For an even more out-of-this-world rainbow connection scientists have discussed viewing rainbows on a cold, methane-covered moon of Saturn, called Titan.
Kermit the Frog discusses rainbows best in his song “The Rainbow Connection.”
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.