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#TricksOfTheTrade 5 ‘Fixer Upper’ Decor Formulas That Are So Easy to Re-create There are few things more rewarding than decorating a new remodeled room. Whether it’s something as minor as hanging new pictures in a freshly painted entry or finding the perfect paper towel holder for your fully renovated kitchen, the excitement of the task […]

#TuesdayTrend El Dorado County Market Update We’re kicking off our first Blog Post of July by rounding out our May 2018 Real Estate Market analysis with El Dorado County. Much like the other 4 counties we’ve already talked about, El Dorado County continued into May in the Seller’s favor. Take a look below to dive […]

#TricksOfTheTrade 9 Simple Ways To Bring Light Into A Dark Space At NorCal Homes, we love using neutrals to keep spaces open and bright. While we often include big, clear windows in our projects, not everyone’s homes are flooded with natural light. Luckily, these decorating tricks can make a huge difference. No demolition necessary — […]

#DIYThursday Mason Jar Madness: For The Love of Country This week we’re switching up our Tuesday Market Trend with our Thursday DIY and here’s why… It’s all about AMERICA!! We’re all ramping up for our 4th of July Freedom Festivities and putting the final touches on our menus and decor. Last week we talked about […]

#ThingsWereObsessedWith Let Your Freedom Flag Fly 4th of July is next week and this office could not be more excited! Sunshine, good friends and yummy food compliment the predestined adult beverage consumption, perfectly. The same pride we take in each of our projects, we also take in our country. You’ll notice we put a flag […]

#DIYThursday Custom Furniture at Ikea Prices: Designed by You, Built by You! Them: “I love your bookshelf!” Me: “Thank you, it’s imported from Europe.” My Boyfriend: “… It’s from Ikea.” He may have stolen my thunder, but only temporarily because I’m taking charge! He may not be impressed with my Ikea bookshelf, but after this […]

#TricksOfTheTrade How to create a kitchen that makes it look like you know what you’re doing… … even if you don’t. 😉 The kitchen is one of the key gathering spaces in a home. You want it to feel welcoming, warm and clean… because after all, you do eat there. Creating a space that is […]

#TuesdayTrend Yolo County Market Trend: May 2018 Placer County, sit down! Yolo County… you’re up! It’s that time again, the Tuesday Market Update. As always, all of these figures and images come directly from MLS and offer a comparison to what the market looked like this time last year. Next week, we’ll wrap up things up […]

#MotivationMonday Wake up with determination. Go to bed with satisfaction. Do you ever feel overwhelmed with your to-do list? Do you sometimes feel like you’re struggling to manage everything that’s on your plate? My mom has a saying and the older I get, the more it makes sense… “You have to get on top of […]

#ThingsWereObsessedWith Tile That Just Don’t Quit We’re currently working on an awesome bungalow in Oak Park. Everything from the raised front porch to the wainscoting in the living room give this 1915’s-era home a ton of charm. Along with the coo, old-school layout came some “smaller-than-we’re-accustomed-to” features… or to put it bluntly, the bathroom’s pretty […]

#DIYThursday Little Space, Big Garden As the days are getting longer and the weather is staying warm into the evenings, I’m finding myself spending a lot more time outside after work. Whether it’s hanging out by the pool, BBQing or just watering the yard, it’s kind of therapeutic to wind down outdoors after a long […]

#TricksOfTheTrade Little Changes, Huge Difference At NorCal Homes, more often than not when we step foot on a property, it looks dramatically different when we walk away. We’re not as much in the business of making minor changes as we are in facilitating complete property makeovers. That being said, every once in a while we […]

#TuesdayTrend Placer County Market Trends: May 2018 Last week we broke down the May 2018 Real Estate market trends for Sacramento County, this week it’s all about Placer County. Just like last week’s data, all of these figures and images come directly from MLS and offer a comparison to what the market looked like this […]

“The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling.” When you wake up in the morning and you have to get up and go to work, what do you wish you were getting ready to go out and do? Are you already getting up and doing what you love? If you […]

#ThursdayDIY Bringing The Outdoors, In With DIY Planters We’ve talked a lot about how people are beginning to accessorize their homes with natural and rustic elements like wood and cement. One of the major things we’re starting to see is plants and greenery indoors. You don’t get much more rustic than actual plants. Like most […]

#TuesdayTrend May Market Trends: Sacramento This edition of the Tuesday Trend is all about statistics. That’s right, we’re taking it old school. I agree, it’s not as fun as talking about color schemes or bathroom hardware, but it’s equally – if not more – important. Why? Well, it’s all fun and games until there’s no […]

#MotivationMonday Beginning this year, our owner, Josh, has been speaking around the country with Fortune Builders hosting Full Immersion sessions for new investors. Josh and his partner at the time, Michael, attended a Fortune Builders Full Immersion in Sacramento back in November of 2012 and started their company, H2G. As most of you know, after […]

#ThingsWereObsessedWith True Life: I’m Obsessed with Indoor Plants They say the first step to moving on is admitting there’s an issue, but I don’t see any problems with my house plant obsession. Besides being pretty, there’s a ton of benefits to bringing live plants, indoors. 1) They clean the air! Remember in elementary school learning […]

#DIYThursday How To Fake a Foyer Since we’ve been doing things a little bit differently this week, I figure, why stop now?! So, this week’s #DIY isn’t as much about “building” something as it is “creating” it. Entry Ways. They’re the first impression of any building you walk into. When you walk into a restaurant […]

#TopicOfTheMonth “If it looks like wood, feels like wood, and is installed like wood…  then it’s probably Engineered Hardwood”   This month we’ve talked quite a bit about flooring, covering everything from what’s popular, to what we’re using, and even creative installation methods. Throughout our discussions, there’s one question that keeps popping up: “What is […]

#TuesdayTrend Trending at NorCal For this week’s Tuesday Trend we’ve decided to mix things up a little! Instead of talking about some of the trends we’re seeing around town or in our day-to-day research, we’ll be talking about things we do/use. On our Instagram page, there’s certain questions we get on a regular basis. Specifically, […]

#ThingsWereObsessedWith White Countertops: We Can’t Get Enough It’s no secret that at NorCal Homes, we love white countertops. They’re versatile and perfect for brightening up a room. Much like white paint, white countertops are great for making a small space look bigger or helping to keep a large space from looking too busy. They pair […]

#ThursdayDIY You’ve Been Served! Summertime means longer days, warmer evenings and afternoons spent entertaining. Hosting is (almost) always a good time and it can be even more fun when you have fun decorations, cool yard toys, or unique serving platters. Earlier this week I stumbled across a super simple DIY serving platter. It can easily […]

#TricksOfTheTrade Staging On A Budget: Like ballin’ on a budget, but the adult version. In real estate, it’s very widely accepted that staging makes a huge difference in the sell of a home. At NorCal Homes, we stage approximately 99% of our projects, with the exception of presold homes or homes that aren’t in neighborhoods […]

#TuesdayTrend #DIY #ThingsWereObsessedWith We’re OBSESSED With The Farmhouse TREND– Here’s A Couple Of Chic DIY’s So You Can Bring It Home, Too.   Been gone for a minute now I’m back with the *blog post*. Okay, it might be not be quite as catchy as Lil’ Kim’s 2003 hit, but something tells me you guys […]

#TuesdayTrend The (Not So) Blues   There must have been a TON of people who read our Paint Analysis Blog because Blues are EVERYWHERE! Designers and homeowners are painting a decorating with blue hues from all over the color spectrum. From light blue walls to dark blue cabinets, blue is the “it” color of early […]

“One thing we can all control is effort.” – Mark Cuban Whether it’s personally or professionally, your chances of thriving and succeeding all come down to the amount of effort you’re willing to put in. In a world of uncertainties, this is one thing that is solely controlled by us as individuals.

#ThingsWereObsessedWith Breakfast Nooks When I was a kid, I always thought having two dining rooms, a formal dining and an everyday dining, meant that your family had made it. However, at the same time I thought the concept was a little inefficient, because I never saw people eat in them! Unless you’re hosting dinner parties […]

#DIY Wood & Wire: Art & Card Display   I’m sure you love being blessed with artwork from your kid(s), invitations to weddings and parties, and the inevitable barrage of Christmas cards during the holiday season. They warm your heart! That being said, if you’re anything like me, watching them clutter the outside of your […]

#TricksOfTheTrade Holding an Open House, It’s a Science! Everyone loves a good open house. It gives buyers an opportunity to check out a home without the added pressure of a personal showing, it allows the seller to get a(n ideally) large number of people viewing the home in a relatively short period of time, and […]

#TuesdayTrend Patterned Tile As minimalist decor increases in popularity, designers are looking for ways to break things up while keeping things simple. This is where patterned tile steps in!   We’re starting to see it more and more in the Sacramento market, but it’s been an integral part of the design culture in more modern […]

#MotivationMonday “Don’t fear failure… Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today.”   Whether it’s at work, in your physical fitness journey, or your personal development as an individual, don’t be afraid of failing, be afraid of staying stagnant.

#ThingsWereObsessedWith Where Rustic Meets Modern: An unlikely pair that continues calling each other back.   Natural wood accents have been a sleeping trend for some time now. Slowly watching, waiting and making the occasional, glorious appearance from time to time. However, recently it’s starting to pop up more and more. Interior or exterior, it doesn’t […]

#DIYThursday Sometimes, one man’s trash, really is trash.   I moved into a new house recently and have started tackling small DIY projects after work (shout out to our Chalkboard Wall Post – I’m halfway through and it’s looking great). My new roommate (a.k.a. my S/O), although incredibly good looking and extremely patient magic loan, […]

#TopicOfTheMonth Scope of Work: Why? How? When?   Developing a proper Scope of Work can be critical to the outcome of your project. Whether you’re rehabbing a property to sell it or you’re remodeling your own home, having guidelines in place to make sure everything gets done, and gets done properly, is very important. To […]

#TuesdayTrend The Light Of My Li…ving Room I know you’ve seen it, it’s everywhere: Cage lighting. The “farmhouse-industrial-modern-chic” light fixtures fit seamlessly into just about any motif and any color scheme. Their open design allows the room to continue to flow, unlike more traditional chandeliers and pendant lights, because you can literally see through them, […]

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” -Dwanye Johnson

#ThingsWereObsessedWith “More Wine, James!” … That’s what I think every time I walk past the wine fridge in the butler pantry at our East Sac project. Although the concept dates back to medieval times when food and supplies were stored in different rooms, they’re coming back in a big way. Historically, the butler’s pantry was […]

#DIYThursday You Should Be Proud Of Your Shelf(s)!!!                 The inspiration for today’s #DIY comes from these BEAUTIFUL shelves Christy had installed in the Butler’s Pantry in one of our East Sac projects. BRB, currently drooling over these. *Heart Eyes* These shelves are originally a Restoration Hardware design, […]

#TricksOfTheTrade “Just Slap Some Paint On It” … Okay, not literally, but you know what I mean. Everyone knows that a fresh paint job can make a huge difference in the appearance of the interior or exterior of a home. It’s pretty common for seller’s to touch-up the walls or even completely re-paint prior to […]

#Tuesday Trend   Subway Tile Turned Upside Down!… and Sideways, and End-Over-End   Whether it’s a kitchen, bathroom or even a foyer, tile can make or break the aesthetic of a room. When selecting the perfect tile, the first things we often consider are the color scheme and design, but more and more frequently the […]

#ThingsWereObsessedWith It’s Not Going Anywhere… Our Concrete Obsession You know it’s going to be an incredible post when the title is a dad joke! In all seriousness, I cannot get enough of concrete. Okay, that sounded weird, but bear with me. The evolution of concrete from a staple to an accessory has been both fun […]

#DIYThursday Pottery Barn Inspired Décor, Dollar Store Price I love Pottery Barn, but my wallet doesn’t. I’ve come to the conclusion that until I finally win the lotto (it’s coming, I can feel it), my time spent perusing their stores will be just that… perusing. Not to be confused with purchasing. Maybe you’ve seen Pottery […]

#TricksOfTheTrade Termites Were Here Termites. Just the word makes my skin crawl, no pun intended. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have, they don’t discriminate. Those little suckers are a thorn in the side of homeowners everywhere… a true equal-opportunity pest. When you’re looking to purchase a home, whether to flip it […]

#TuesdayTrend   Chalk It Up! With Chalkboard Walls From Pinterest to laundry rooms across the nation, Chalkboard Walls are everywhere. Seriously, think about it for a sec, when’s the last time you walked into a coffee shop or a model home and didn’t see a chalkboard wall? There’s a reason – these things are pretty […]

#MotivationMonday   Sometimes you just need a sign… If you’ve been waiting for one, this is it!!

#ThingsWeAreObsessedWith Butcher Block Counter Top Joy In honor of handing off the keys to our 35th Street project, it only seems right that we pay homage by dedicating our first “Things We’re Obsessed With” to a project where the butcher block island stole the show. There’s various ways people are integrating wood counter tops into […]

#DIYThursday DIY Custom House Numbers Yesterday we had some fun talking about some of the easy and inexpensive ways we can add curb appeal to a home. One of the simplest suggestions was updating the house numbers. This was also one of the options that allowed for the most creativity. Whether you’re going for a […]

#TricksOfTheTrade Budget-Friendly Tips to Maximize Curb Appeal We’ve all heard the term “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”. The same goes for the first impression a house makes. When a potential buyer pulls up out front, the first thing they notice is the curb appeal of the home. Curb Appeal […]

#TuesdayTrend Wood Plank Everything! 2017 brought with it so many great flooring trends. It didn’t matter if it was concrete or cork, it was finding its way under somebody’s feet. One trend that sky rocketed in 2017 was wood plank tile. Porcelain and ceramic planks are being designed to look like hardwood, making them a […]