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Written by: Lake County News Reports

Published: 25 March 2007

LAKE COUNTY – Lake County's February home sales were down 19 percent compared with the same period a year ago, and the median price of a home decreased 3.5 percent according to information gathered from the Lake County Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

Statewide home sale activity decreased 12.6 percent, according to the California Association of Realtors (CAR).

Closed escrow sales of homes in Lake County totaled 51 in February, according to the MLS.

The median price of a home in Lake County during February 2007 was $275,000, a 3.5 percent decrease from the $285,000 median for February 2006, the MLS reported.

The February 2007 median price increased 10 percent compared with January's $250,000 median price.

“The unsold inventory of existing homes jumped to 21 months in January,” said Phil Smoley, owner, broker of CPS Country Air Properties. “There was a slight increase in statewide listings last month, which is characteristic of the start of the year. However, listings remained near the long-run average. As such, the increase in the unsold inventory index – the ratio of listings to sales – was driven primarily by the sales decline.

“Homes that are priced competitively are the ones that are selling,” continued Smoley. “In this current market sellers do have to realize that prices are no longer climbing. If anything, they have flattened or are lower than they have been in the past year.”

CAR provided the following state real estate market statistics:

– State's median home price in January: $559,640.

– State's highest median home price by C.A.R. region in January: Santa Barbara South Coast $1,150,000.

– State's lowest median home price by C.A.R. region in January: High Desert, $317,380.

– California First-time Buyer Affordability Index, Fourth Quarter 2006: 25 percent.

Freddie Mac reports the following mortgate rates information:

– Mortgage rates for the week ending March 15: 30-year fixed, 6.14 percent; Fees/points, 0.4 percent; 15-year fixed, 5.88 percent; Fees/points, 0.4 percent.

– 1-year adjustable: 5.42 percent; Fees/points, 0.7 percent.

Realtor Ray Perry is a member of the CPS/Country Air Kelseyville office. Visit his Web site at www.rayperry.com for more information about local real estate.

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Written by: Lake County News Reports

Published: 24 March 2007

Mike Thompson works on preparing the food for the event. Photo by Maile Field.

LAKEPORT – About 250 people turned out for Mike Thompson’s 16th annual ravioli feed Saturday night.

Brad Onorato, Thompson’s aide, said the annual event is an important fundraiser for the First District congressman.

Mike Thompson, D-Napa, thanked the crowd, which honored him with a standing ovation after he updated it for about 20 minutes on changes in Washington D.C.

“I’m much more excited this year at pasta time,” Thompson said, calling Congress “no longer a place where great ideas go to die.”

He briefed the audience on the latest round of Iraq bills, summarizing that “the Iraq supplemental debate isn’t over.”

Thompson said he was “cautiously optimistic” about immigration reform and said he hopes Congress will tackle the other “big issues” of health care and education before the “political nonsense of 2008” takes over.

He expressed concern that the Bush administration wants to privatize Social Security.

Thompson also spoke briefly about his recent appointment to the House Intelligence Committee, after which he was named chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Human Intelligence.

He described the meetings he attends six times a week as cloaked in secrecy in a lead room from which nothing can be removed – no notes, nothing.

“We need to be doing the right things in the right places,” he said of the intelligence work.

In recent months Thompson has worked closely with presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama on legislation to end the Iraq war. Thompson introduced the House companion bill to Obama's legislation in the Senate.

So, with Obama in the race for president, is Thompson in the running for a vice presidential nod?

In a private interview during the event Thompson denied he was on Obama’s short list for a vice presidential candidate.

E-mail Maile Field at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thompson serves up pasta for pear packing house owners Toni and Phil Scully. Photo by Maile Field.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 24 March 2007

UPPER LAKE – A single-vehicle rollover early Saturday morning left two people injured.

The California Highway Patrol's incident logs reported a traffic collision occurred at about 1:50 a.m. on Elk Mountain Road, with the driver and passenger both injured.

Officer Kevin Domby of the Clear Lake CHP office said that M. Seyms was driving a 1997 Ford F-250 pickup truck northbound on Elk Mountain Road and north of the airstrip early Saturday when he lost control of the vehicle and traveled off the road to the east.

Domby said the front of the pickup subsequently hit a dirt embankment.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), CHP, Lake County Sheriff's deputies and CalStar responded to the accident, the CHP logs reported.

Seyms was seriously injured at the scene, said Domby, suffering severe head trauma. His passenger, K. Nyholm, suffered a serious neck injury, Domby added.

Officials took a blood sample from Seyms before both he and Nyholm were transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment, according to the CHP incident logs.

Domby said Seyms was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence.

No further information on Syems and Nyholm, including ages and cities of residence, were available from the CHP before publication.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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