Dani Fox Real Estate Team

Christmas in Central California

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‘Tis the season for all things merry and bright. This year it seems everyone has been eager and ready for the holidays earlier than ever. We asked our agents to tell us a bit about some of their holiday traditions as well as fun things to do here in the Central Valley and along the central coast. Let’s dig in to what they had to say: 

Must See Lights:

  • Everyone that has lived in the Central Valley for at least a year has certainly heard about Christmas Tree Lane – a Fresno Tradition since 1920. This is at the top of our “must see” list for Christmas light lovers. This year’s event is a drive-thru event only. Click here to get all of the details. 
  • Check out Fresno Chaffee Zoo Lights with live entertainment, and miles of lights to enjoy along with the animals of course
  • Holiday Fantasy of Lights Show at the Big Fresno Fair with special walking nights December 4th & 15th. Get full details here.
  • At Robbins Ranch in Exeter, there is a free drive-through light display that we can recommend taking a trip for. 
  • Davis Family Christmas light display in Fresno is musically animated and so much fun!
  • Check out these neighborhood light displays we think are worth checking out:
    • Neighborhood off of Court St. just north of Caldwell.   Blain Park
    • Eastoak Estates on Comstock and Houston and the surrounding area
    • Candy Cane Lane at Peach & Alluvial in Clovis

Must Do Events:

  • Vossler Farms is having their first ever Christmas Season at the farm with ice skating, lights, holiday hayrides, and more. 
  • Winter Wonderland in Downtown Hanford – another opportunity for ice skating! And more festive cheer to keep you in the holiday spirit! 
  • Ford Farms Country Christmas complete with photos of Santa and the Grinch, tractor rides, petting zoo, food vendors and crafts. Plan a trip for DEcember 4th, 11th, or 18th.
  • Merced’s Santa’s Workshop on 12/15
  • Mrs. Claus and You at the The Enchanted Corner in Selma
  • Doesn’t a horse drawn carriage ride sound ridiculously festive and Hallmark Movie-esque? Check it out  in Old Town Clovis on weekends in December
  • The Cambria Christmas Market is running now thru 12/23 and is such a fun and festive way to get some holiday shopping in with local vendors. 
  • The Columbia State Historic Park has A Miner’s Christmas running December 18th and 19th that looks like it will be a fun historic look back at Christmas during the gold rush days. 
  • Take a quick trip to the coast to Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton for their Holiday Lights Train
  • Jesus is the reason for the season and the best way to celebrate Jesus is to visit The Living Nativity in Riverdale December 22nd-25th

We also asked our agents about what they like to do year after year for the holidays. They told us a few ideas we think sound fun and encourage you to try out or incorporate into your holidays this year:

Fun traditions

  • Try making a new ornament for the tree and make sure to add the year to the back so it will be like a time capsule to un-earth every year
  • Lana, our Office Manager, tells us that every year the children in her family choose gifts to donate to other children.  She said that is warms her heart to see how happy it makes them when they are choosing a gift for another child
  • Raise your hand if you are on the matching Christmas Jammies train! We are and we love seeing everyone’s photos in matching family pjs
  • Have you ever had a Secret Santa? Such a fun thing to incorporate at the office or with siblings, friends, neighbors, etc…  
  • What about the classic White Elephant gift exchange? Can be so fun to see the wacky gifts people bring and then have to take home. 
  • Like the snow? Make a trip up to Shaver Lake and have that quintessential winter magic moment with a snow angel or snowman building.

The last thing we asked our DBRE family to weigh in with was some practical tips or advice to have a joyful holiday season… read through them – we think you will notice a theme:

Tips/Advice to enjoy the season

  • Take an hour or a day to catch up with family – no phones!
  • Turn on the Christmas music on your car radio ASAP
  • Spend as much time as possible with each other around the dining table eating, in the kitchen cooking, and in the living room fellowshipping. Don’t forget to give lots of hugs!!!! 
  • Slow down and enjoy your friends and family!
  • Always dress comfy, there’s always too much good food to pass, so wear those stretchy pants 😋😋
  • Enjoy the moments with your family, be present and Jesus loves you
  • Focus on people- NOT gifts, be present
  • Hurry up and get to the closest Dutch Bros to order Darian’s fav drink from their  holiday menu. He has some expert tips to make this the best drink of your life – he says you will thank him later 😉 
    • The Caramel Pumpkin Brule
      • You’ll want to add sweetener 
      • Lite pumpkin around the cup
      • And ask them to add  4 ounces of soft top

There you have it folks… lights to see, events to attend, traditions to implement and some reminders to make this the best holiday season ever. Did we miss anything? If you have a favorite neighborhood to visit for lights, or an event that you feel like everyone needs to do – let us know! 

Zestimates, Shmestimates…

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How Zestimates Cost Zillow Millions of Dollars

You may or may not have heard that Zillow recently announced that they were shutting down their home buying business, Zillow Offers and laying off 25% of their workforce. Let’s break down what this service intended (and failed) to do and why this failure is proving the point that every local realtor has been saying (maybe yelling?) for years, “ZESTIMATES ARE NOT HOME APPRAISALS!”

In 2018 Zillow began their iBuying program, Zillow Offers with the intent of getting home sellers  “stress free” cash offers on their homes. Sellers saw this as an opportunity to have a hassle free process, a way to eliminate agent commissions, as well as shave time off the process. While the iBuying process is quick – it would still cost sellers 5-7% of the sale in a “transaction fee”, which is a wash, as it compares to agent commissions.

This iBuying process, in theory, would eliminate agents and open houses because Zillow would purchase the home for what they decided to offer and then they would make minimal repairs and minor renovations to turn around and sell it for a profit. While the Zillow Offer and the Zestimates would differ (because the offer will take into account the money they will be putting into the home to get it ready to go back on the market) Zillow still used their Zestimate tool in order to put together their offer. 

Well, guess what happened? They were forced to sell the houses they had bought, for a loss. Not just in some markets, but in the majority of the markets where the service was offered. In the last three months alone, they lost $420,000,000 trying to flip the homes they had purchased.  How could that happen? 

Well, their CEO Rich Barton said, “Fundamentally, we have been unable to predict the future pricing of homes to a level of accuracy that makes this a safe business to be in.” 

How were they forecasting the home prices? Algorithms. Leaving it up to technology to determine the price of the homes and market prediction. As any “boots on the ground” Real Estate Agent will tell you, pricing a home has an incredible amount of nuance. Leaving it up to a computer that has no ability to adapt for nuances in certain markets is clearly going to lead to problems. 

This whole situation begs the question, are Zestimates at all accurate? Mike DelPrete, an iBuying Real Estate analyst, was quoted saying, “This is really a toy… This is to stimulate people’s interest in property.” We’ve said it before, we will say it again – Zestimates are not a home appraisal. And Zillow says on their website, “It is a computer-generated estimate of the value of a home today, given the available data. We encourage buyers, sellers and homeowners to supplement the Zestimate with other research, such as visiting the home, getting a professional appraisal of the home, or requesting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent.” So it is safe to say that Zillow has proven the point for us that Zestimates are not accurate.

Other popular iBuying sites (Redfin, OpenDoor, Offerpad, etc…) are still at it and we are sure that some form of this type of home selling will remain in our current landscape. There may be situations where using a service like this to sell your home makes more sense than a traditional method. As we mentioned, it can be a very quick process. There is also the appeal of not having to have your house “show ready” during the selling process. The convenience of it cannot be argued against. Depending on the situation you are in, it may make sense for you to go the iBuying route. Seeking professional guidance is the best way to get informed and discover which selling method will be best for you. 

The Real Estate industry is changing and has been forced to evolve with the times. Despite the changes, we feel it remains true – a real estate professional that knows a local market will net sellers more money for their homes. Home valuation cannot be done with artificial intelligence – for now, it needs to be done with humans. As a Real Estate Brokerage, we pride ourselves on having a team full of local professionals that will be with you every step of the way. If you would like to read more about this iBuying topic, this is a great article that digs into the Zillow situation. We would also be happy to talk to you about the iBuying process and if it is right for you, even if it does eliminate our role in your journey. We want all of our clients and potential clients to do what is going to be best for them. 

The Real Estate Industry is Fueled by Coffee

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Here are the Best Places to Fuel Up in the Central Valley, According to the DBRE Family 

Something you may or may not know is that Real Estate Professionals drink 58% percent of all coffee consumed in the US. Hahaha… just kidding, just kidding! We do not have science backing our claim that we all have coffee coursing through our veins at every moment of everyday, only just some anecdotal evidence that would suggest we are coffee experts. So, since we are self proclaimed experts, we figured we would share with you our favorite local spots to grab a nice cup of joe. 

Our team here at Dani Blain Real Estate has a wide range of taste as it relates to their coffee shop of choice. From the neighborhood gas station, to making their own at home, and on to the old stand by of Starbucks – and more in between, we will take you through some of the responses we got when we asked about where they go to buy their favorite beverage. 

Starbucks is an easy place to love. They are easy to find, you always know that your order will taste the same from location to location, and there are plenty of options on the menu to be able to mix it up often. Lana, our Administrative Director, even has her own favorite Starbucks she likes best. The one on Caldwell and Demaree is her go-to… she loves that it has a drive-thru, its close to the office, and since everyone that works there knows her – they of course love her like we do! Her drink order is nice and simple, a hot Cafe Mocha – but when she is feeling like she needs an extra bit of some sweet goodness, she orders her Grande drink in a Venti cup, so she can ask for extra whipped cream. Genius! 

Some other teammates also called out Starbs as their favorite place to get coffee and they may have an order you can try – or shoot, you can even surprise them with their favorite drink, if you’d like! 🙂 

  • Daisy loves the Iced Shaken Brown Sugar Oatmilk Espresso (but be sure to ask them to hold the cinnamon and add an extra splash of oatmilk.) 
  • Before Steven Duck was a Realtor, he used to be a Starbucksf barista – so you can bet his order is not only good, but not too high maintenance for the crew member making the drink. He gets a Venti Cold Brew, Classic Syrup, and Light ice (another tip of the trade – less ice = more drink.) 
  • Jen, our Controller, likes the ever classic Iced Americano… plain and simple, just like she keeps things around the office for us. 
  • Lori is another oatmilk fan… she likes to get an Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk coffee, shaken – not stirred. (We added the not stirred part, because it was screaming to be added.)

Stepping outside of Starbucks and big chains, there are some great small coffee places here in the Valley you must try if you haven’t yet. 

  • Reece loves to hit up Vali Coffee on his way to his office with The Shawn Team at The Downtown Dream in Tulare. He says right now is the perfect time of year to try the Pumpkin Pie Cold Brew – and guess what? It is about to get a whole lot easier for him to grab a coffee from them, because they are going to be opening up a shop at the Downtown Dream! Stay tuned on their socials for more details. 
  • Odalys is a big fan of the Nitro Bike because not only can she get an amazing cup of Nitro infused coffee, but she also loves that every cup is supporting a small, local, family owned business. Her order sounds delicious – she gets an Oat Milk Latte with honey syrup and lavender… mmmm! 
  • Ruben loves him a good cold brew, and according to him, The Human Bean in Visalia does it best (they also have another location in Tulare.) Apparently, he is the ultimate expert here, because he tells us that his blood type is COFFEE (lol.) He recommends not only the cold brew, but the Java Chips and the Granitas as well, and says that the customer service can’t be beat. Go give them a try and tell them Ruben sent you. 
  • Lily runs on Iced Oatmilk Lattes and loves that Component Coffee Lab in Visalia makes a great one and also provides the perfect atmosphere to get a little work done – you should check it out, it really does have great ambience. 

A few others on our team had favorites that aren’t Sbux and also aren’t one of the mom&pop shops either. 

  • You will see Leo with a coffee in his hand almost always – but what you will notice about this coffee in his hand, is that it is a to-go tumbler from his HOUSE. Can you believe it? He makes his own coffee and he is all about it… from saving money, to making it just the way he likes it, it is a home brew all the way for him. His mainstay is a Cafe Latte with extra half and half, but he also likes to change things up from season to season. So next time you see him, ask what he brewed for his daily coffee fix. 
  • Travis’s answer was one of our favorites, because it is so perfectly him. He told us that every morning on his way out of the neighborhood, to start his day with a nice classic cup of coffee, he likes to go to the Valero in Shannon Ranch. He loves the staff and the ease of stopping in to grab and go. 
  • Ever hear the slogan, “America runs on Dunkin’?” Well, so does Matthew and a classic Iced Vanilla Latte is his old stand by. We have a feeling if our brokerage was on the East Coast, there would be way more people that had this answer – everyone on the other side of the country seems to love this place.
  • Davian is a member of the Dutch Mafia, as Dutch Bros. fans like to call themselves. He loves the customer service they provide and goes there so often he even has become friends with a number of them. He respects the way they do business and run each franchise and the way they pour into (pun intended) their employees. He also can’t get enough of this super specific drink – he gets a medium Nitro Cold Brew, 3x sweet with 2 pumps hazelnut, 2 pumps vanilla, and 4 ounces of soft top with a caramel drizzle – only on the soft top (we told you, it was super specific.) He says if you are stopping to do a Starbucks run, he’ll take a water. Haha! 

We had so much fun documenting the DBRE crew’s fav brews! Did we miss any of your favorite local places? What about the best coffee shops on the Central Coast? Speaking of, did you know that our Brokerage also serves the entire Central Coast? We have agents who specialize in this area and we love taking a break from the Central Valley heat and popping over to cool off at the coast. 

Giving Back to Our Community

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One of the things we are most proud of is the way that we invest a predetermined (and ever growing) portion of our earnings into supporting our community. We love the way that each buyer or seller we work with is giving us another opportunity to make a difference in our community. At Dani Blain Real Estate we have built our brokerage from the ground up with giving as one of our foundational pillars. 

If you follow us on social media, or here on our blog, you have probably seen us mention some of the groups we support all over Central California. Our roots in this community are strong and we serve our clients well, so we can in turn serve our community well. Dani’s late husband, Kevin Blain laid the foundation for always giving back and when Dani created this brokerage after his passing, she knew she would continue the philanthropy that was close to her heart. 

At Dani Blain Real Estate we love that giving is a team effort and we love to see the way that our agents and their families participate. We have several charities and nonprofits in the community that we work with and support and look forward to continuing to do so – all because of our clients! Our clients  make it possible for us to support the agencies and nonprofits serving the specific needs of our local residents and making a difference in our community.

We have a strong conviction to help make sure that people in our communities have a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. Giving back to organizations that provide for those that are hungry, experiencing homlessness or need ministering are areas we will always focus on. Below are some of the great services groups we love:

  • One of our long term partnerships is with FoodLink Tulare County because they are incredible with their never ending fight to help combat food insecurity. Their mission is “to promote equitable and dignified access to nutritious, healthy food while also addressing the root causes of hunger through education, advocacy, and food systems change.” 
  • The work that Salt and Light Works is doing in the Central Valley is making a real difference for our neighbors experiencing homelssness. Their mission is to “cultivate community through dignified homes, jobs and healing for our neighbors experiencing homelessness in Tulare County.”
  • We have a super soft spot in our hearts for the Tulare Lighthouse Rescue Mission, who created a much needed women’s shelter in 2006 and then opened their men’s shelter in 2019. We love that they serve up the word of the Lord with the people they support. Their mission is “We embrace the poor and homeless with the compassion of Jesus Christ, as a beacon of hope and healing for a changed life, helping them to find their way home.”
  • You may remember our recent blog post where we highlighted the passion project of one of our very own agents, Dave Schlick and the nonprofit, The Village of Hope which was established for the indigenous people of the Mixteco village in southern Mexico. The work they are doing combines three of our greatest passions for giving – homelessness, hunger, and ministry. Their ultimate goal is to  “see the lives of staff, missionaries, and locals transformed into the likeness of Christ as the Village of Hope strives with passion and unity to rescue the lost, raise up disciples, and restore hope to the hopeless.” 
  • One of our most favorite opportunities for giving is with the Kevin Blain Memorial Scholarship program, where we award deserving graduating seniors scholarship monies to pursue further education or trade school. We gave out nine $500 scholarships to the class of 2021. You can read more about the program as well as about our recipients here.
  • El Rio Reyes Conservation Trust is a nonprofit regional California land trust whose mission is to safeguard the Kings River and its lands for future generations. The natural resources of the Central Valley are tremendous. Last year as fires burned threatening so much close to home we looked to support those organizations directly protecting resources and helping people displaced by the fires.  Read more about the last time we worked with them, in one of our previous blog posts. 
  • Youth for Christ or you may know it as Campus Life, is a community-based organization impacting the lives of teenagers throughout Tulare and Kings Counties. They serve as Gang Interventionists, Life Coaches, and Chaplains who meet the needs of students to help them be successful in life. It is their vision to “reach every young person throughout Tulare and Kings Counties with the Gospel, and partner with our local churches to disciple them to be like Christ.” They are currently serving in 41 schools throughout Tulare-Kings Counties and Dani Blain Real Estate proudly donated when they were experiencing multiple hardships during the height of the pandemic

  • Young Life and Young Lives is a very special organization to us and we support them whenever we can. In their work they “go to kids, build bridges of authentic friendship, and introduce them to Jesus Christ”. We especially get filled up by giving to their teen mom program, Young Lives,  where they focus on supporting pregnant and parenting teens through mentorship, community, and a life with Christ.

You have heard us say it before, and we know we will say it again… “we are blessed so that we may bless others”. Our brokerage was built on the ideas that we are here to serve our community, that when you succeed we do, and as your partnership serves us – we will always turn that back around and serve our community. Do you know of a local group that is serving our community that we should know about? We are always looking to expand our reach and help as many groups as we can – so if you have any ideas, please contact us! 

Top 10 Reason why Dani Blain Real Estate is the BEST Brokerage to “Hang Your License”

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In the state of California, there are currently more than 200,000 active real estate agents, according to First Tuesday Journal. All of these Real Estate Agents have many things in common, and today we are focusing on one of the fundamental commonalities: They all need to operate under a Real Estate Broker. As a small or “boutique brokerage” we really pride ourselves on being a great place for agents to “hang their license.” With over 90,000 real estate brokerages just in California, there is clearly no shortage of options, and although we may be biased, we think our brokerage is the best place in Central California for Real Estate Agents to operate.

Since we opened our doors in September of 2019 we have been working hard to create a brokerage and culture within the brokerage that serves our community and our clients with integrity. We operate under a long standing vision to always put people and relationships over the numbers. We are fueled by our faith, hard-work, and loving our real estate family well. Once you become part of the DBRE family, you will never want to leave – let us tell you the top 10 reasons why:

10. Team & Solo Agent Options

Whether you are a seasoned pro or just joining the real estate industry, we have options to meet you where you are and help you succeed. Oftentimes if you just received your license, you may be looking for some mentorship and professional development to help fast track your business growth. The Shawn Team will be a great opportunity for you if you think joining a team would be an ideal first step into Real Estate. Blake Shawn is a top 1% agent in a number of transactions, started the team in 2016 and is a great mentor and motivator. 

For teams and individual agents alike, we offer limitless growth potential by providing you the resources and support you need to do your best. Keep reading more to see what we mean. Solo agents within our brokerage have been thriving and make us so proud everyday.

9. Our Values: Service, Culture, Integrity

Our focus has always been on relationships, growing our agents and giving back to the communities we serve – all while doing real estate. We believe that serving you is meeting your specific needs. By meeting your needs, we help you succeed. When you succeed, so do we. Here, it is normal to love and be loved, we uplift one another: agents, clients, and partners alike. Here, ‘you’ always goes before ‘me’. At Dani Bain Real Estate, we do what we say we are going to do, and we always strive to do what is right. These ideals form the basis of our core values: service, culture, and integrity.

8. Giving & Community First

We have a heart for the specific needs in our community and we believe we are blessed so that we can bless others. Dani Blain Real Estate believes in giving back, so we do!  On a monthly basis we give back to groups or individuals whose mission or endeavors help make our community a better place. As a real estate family, our agents participate in many of these giving opportunities and in some cases lead the charge!

7. ALC – Agent Leadership Council and Committees 

All agents at Dani Blain Real Estate are our business partners. The Agent Leadership Council (ALC) is a select group of our business partners set apart to be actively involved in the leadership of the brokerage. Their main goal is to ensure thriving business opportunities for all who call Dani Blain Real Estate (DBRE) home. They are the guardians of DBRE’s culture that fosters growth, opportunities, and holds paramount the ideal that ‘you’ always goes before ‘me’. 

For those agents who are not serving on the ALC, but still want to speak into the Brokerages business functions and develop their leadership skills they can join one of our standing committees: Marketing/Video, Growth, and Education and Training. At DBRE there are many options for growing and being supported!

6. Brokerage Meetings

Once a month we bring the entire brokerage together to celebrate our successes from the month prior and recognize agents and team members who are thriving in the real estate biz. These meetings are not only celebratory, but also inspiring and help fuel our mission of creating a culture that is the backbone of what we do. We love our Brokerage meetings and connecting the whole team on a regular basis. 

5. Training Opportunities & Mentored Support

For both our teams and our solo agents, we have a great training program where we focus on improving skills, learning new techniques, and staying up to date on market trends and best practices. Each week we offer regular  trainings and one-on-one opportunities to help you succeed or improve where you need it. Additionally, we are happy to partner seasoned agents with new agents or those who want some coaching to achieve their goals. Our office staff, support team, and both of our experienced, licensed brokers all provide a wealth of knowledge and support all of our agents.

4. Our Marketing Team

The days of simply door knocking have evolved… we have an internal team that meets regularly to keep up with our marketing plan. We work with industry experts and have a strategic and methodical approach to market not only our brokerage, but the homes our agents are selling. Marketing is a huge piece to being a successful agent and one that takes a lot of time and expertise. Let us help!

3. Our Loyalty Program

We care about your business and want your success recognized. We also want you to be rewarded for staying, achieving your goals  and choosing to grow with us over time. Our unique Loyalty Program has been designed with options you can personalize so you get the tools you need to continue to do your business well with perks to encourage and motivate you to keep going!

2. Our ISA Team

We are the only boutique, local brokerage with a full time ISA Team that works around the clock to find solid leads for our agents. What’s an ISA? Inside Sales Associates – we have a full team of them. Having a team dedicated to helping agents find pre-approved buyers and serious sellers takes a whole load off of the agent and allows them time to focus on what they do best – buying and selling properties, rather than only searching for viable leads. 

And the #1 Reason to Hang Your License at Dani Blain Real Estate: The Team and Sense of Belonging

We feel very confident in saying we have the best agents and support staff in all of Central California. We truly function as a family and all have each other’s best interests in mind. If you enjoy a strong sense of team and belonging, we know you will love being a part of the Dani Blain Real Estate Family.

Looking to Join the Team?

If this Top 10 List has you thinking that DBRE may be the right brokerage to hang your license, then you are in luck! We are looking for outgoing, driven, dynamic individuals looking to increase your business and live a big life. We are seeking decisive, self-motivated, consultative sales leaders. Candidates should be licensed, determined, committed and high performers. Must be thoughtful, outgoing, and people-people. Only those who desire to be a super-achiever need apply. The sky’s the limit with no ceiling on your income.

Individuals who apply must:
– Have a huge heart, be happy and positive and want to help homeowners or investors have an amazing selling
and/or buying experience. We don’t tolerate negativity or gossip. We are servant leaders.
– Have strong verbal skills and love constant change in a fast paced environment that is self-reliant.
– Be results-oriented and seek an opportunity to thrive in the Real Estate Industry!

View this document to learn a little more about the kind of person who fits best with the DBRE family of agents or contact us if you have any questions.

Summer in the Central Valley and Coast… A Little Something for Everyone

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One of the reasons Dani Blain Real Estate loves to serve the Central Valley and the Central Coast is because we have the best of California right at our fingertips. Whether you travel north, south, east or west there is truly something for everyone. Get out and explore this summer… let us help you make a plan depending on your personality or your mood.

For Families

For a day full of hands-on learning and fun, you must check out the Fresno Discovery Center. There is a great grassy park area that begs for a picnic, and you can’t miss the incredible Deutsch Cactus Garden with over 250 succulents and cacti. If you are looking for some additional indoor family fun, go visit Never Bored for so many awesome family friendly ideas of things to keep busy in the Central Valley this summer.

For the Outdoor Enthusiasts

Camping, fishing, hiking, boating, and a beautiful pine tree forest – right here in our backyard. The Sequoia National Forest is home to Shaver Lake and is an outdoor lover’s dream! You can camp, stay at a nearby AirBnB, or just day trip in for quick fun in the sun-escape. 

For the Night Owls

Head on out to Fresno – after making reservations at Quail State, Fresno’s first and only rooftop bar. Open Wednesday – Sunday serving craft cocktails, farm to fork cuisine, and some of the best ambiance around. 

Speaking of rooftop bars and restaurants, The Elderwood at The Darling Hotel in Visalia does not disappoint! Five stories above town you are sure to see a gorgeous sunset and will enjoy local, seasonal bites, specialty cocktails and more. Make your reservation first!

For the Beach Lovers

The Central Coast has some of the best beaches in the Golden State – we may be biased… but they are incredible! You can stop at any beach from Pismo to Monterey and have a great day, however; Avila Beach is our go to recommendation. It’s half mile shoreline is family friendly and the nearby shopping, restaurants  and pier round it out as a perfect overall beach experience.

For the History Buffs

In the early 1900s Balsassare Forestiere settled in Fresno with dreams of becoming a citrus farmer. He spent 40 years of his life excavating and planting over 10 acres of citrus trees all underground. This summer be sure to make a reservation for a guided tour to see this incredible historic landmark.

For the Seriously Adventurous

About an hour north of Visalia you can be among the ultimate thrill seekers and add skydiving to your summer bucket list. Check out Skydive Madera to make a reservation for either a more traditional tandem jump, or you can even take a six hour class to jump solo – an Accelerated Free Fall. 

For Water Lovers

It’s no secret that the Valley gets HOT. What’s the best way to cool off? A day trip to the water park! Island Water Park in Fresno is a great option with a wave pool, lazy river, tube slides, body slides, and a huge kid area there is plenty to keep everyone busy and wet all day. 

Or try another favorite Ravine Water Park in Paso Robles. You can make it there and back for a solid day trip! New this year is the Jungle Treasure Mini Golf Adventure area. There is something for everyone!

Just a bit north of us, in Manteca, the Great Wolf Lodge officially opened this summer. It makes a great weekend getaway with the on property rooms and packages to get the full experience. 

Have a Great Summer

We hope summer of 2021 brings you lots of fun, laughs and memories. Whether you have lived here forever or are thinking of making the move here, summer time is a great time to explore all the Valley has to offer. It’ll be hot… just like the housing market around here! Speaking of… We are here for all of your real estate needs and hope you reach out to our team if you want to buy or list – we have got you covered. 

Gratitude and Giving

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The season of giving and gratitude is upon us! At Dani Blain Real Estate (DBRE), we have a heart for the specific needs in our community and we believe we are blessed so that we can bless others. This is something that Dani and her late husband Kevin started doing together before DBRE – so now that this Brokerage has grown, so has our giving. We are very pleased and proud to be able to serve our community every month and we are hoping with the holidays just around the corner, you will join us in our upcoming endeavors. 

We are better together! 

One of our most favorite giving opportunities has been our annual pumpkin pie giveaway. Well, this year it is expanding because we are partnering with V1st Church, Grocery Outlet, The Blake Shawn Team, Justin Hite Real Estate Team, Home Warranty of America, and Spirit 88.9 to feed 250 families this Thanksgiving. 

We feel very strongly that everyone deserves a family meal on Thanksgiving. Our very own Justin Hite Real Estate Team is providing all the turkeys, our partner team and volunteers have covered the sides, and as always we will have our pumpkin pies to make a full dinner! If you or someone you know could use a good, wholesome meal this Thanksgiving, please follow this link to receive one, click here.

#FeedOurFamilies 

You can help us feed our families in our Central Valley community with FoodLink of Tulare County  who is working hard to ensure everyone in need of a warm meal throughout the holiday season, receives one. We are very excited to kick off this local effort with $1,000 – where $1 provides 4 meals! To learn more about this or to donate, please click here. Anything you can do to help our local families would make a huge difference – you can help through December 31st. 

Coats & Cookies

This holiday season we are partnering with the Lighthouse Rescue Mission to provide new or gently used coats to those in need. Our plan is to make things a bit more sweet for those receiving the coats, so when we deliver them there will be plenty of delicious cookies to ring in the holidays. Will you join us in helping accomplish our goal of collecting as many women’s, men’s, teens and kids coats as we can? You can drop off coat donations at the Dani Blain Real Estate Office in Visalia now through December 17th. 

We find great joy in not only serving and giving back to our community, but to also raise awareness about the local needs in our community while highlighting the non-profits that serve them. This allows for more individuals and businesses to come together and help. This has been an especially difficult year for a great deal of Americans, and some of our own Central Valley families. We are hopeful that by spreading awareness, expressing some specific needs, and actionable items that some of the people in our network can help. If you are someone that is able, please consider helping us make someone’s holiday season a little brighter. Thank you and may God bless you and yours this season of giving. 

The Right Real Estate Team

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Real estate deals are tough, choosing your team shouldn’t be

Buying or selling a home has numerous steps and so many layers of things that need to be figured out – that it can seem like an overwhelming process to even know where to begin. The best way to determine what the next steps are for the position you are in, is to connect with a real estate professional. That step alone, can feel daunting – there are so many agents and brokerages out there, how do you make sure you end up with the right team? Well, we may be a little biased, but – we feel confident that Dani Blain Real Estate is the clear choice for all of your buying or selling needs. 

Dani Blain Real Estate opened its doors in September of 2019, but the group of professionals we opened with was already an established team. We were ready to venture into new territory so that we could expand our focus on giving back to the Central Valley Community we had all been serving for many years, as well as grow our agents to better help them achieve their goals. This brokerage was based on a straight forward vision of putting people and relationships over the numbers, serving our team and our clients well, and making sure we always do what we say we are going to do.

The process of buying or selling needs to not only be driven by someone who knows and understands real estate and the entire process, but also someone who knows and understands that this is a personal and emotional process for every single one of our clients. We pride ourselves on having a team of agents that understand that when we are meeting your specific needs and helping you succeed, that makes us succeed.

Our agents are the core of what we do. We bring agents on to our team that will fit well within our culture and they are all people who can get behind and truly embody our core values. We encourage you to meet our team and learn a bit more about our agents – you will see that they all have one thing in common: they all live in and care deeply about our Valley community. 

We believe we are blessed so that we can bless others. We built this brokerage on a foundation of finding ways to give back to this community in the specific ways it needs. We give monthly to align groups or individuals who help make our community a better place. Some of the causes we love and give support to are; Lighthouse Women’s Shelter, AMVETS, Visalia First, Young Life, and many more. You can read more about some of the causes we support here.  

Whether you are a first time buyer looking for the perfect starter home, an investor looking to grow, a newly retired couple looking to downsize, or somewhere in between, we have got you covered. Specializing in every county here in the Valley we can make your real estate dreams a reality. We want to connect with you and work hard for you. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

5 Reasons the Central Valley is the BEST Place to buy a home

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If you are at a stage in your life where you are looking to buy a home, then listen up! You already know California is a great place to live, but determining where you purchase your first home or your next home is a big decision. There are so many options and so many things to consider before you even begin to look at home listings, it can feel daunting right out of the gate. We’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you… go ahead cross everything off the list, except the Central Valley. With the beautiful Pacific Coast to the west, the Sierras to the east, the Cascade Range to our north and the Tehachapi Mountains to the south, the Central Valley is a 450 mile stretch of flat land right up the middle of our great state and should be where you call home, sweet home. 

5 Reasons the Central Valley is the BEST Place to Buy a Home

1. Location, Location, Location

Being centered between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Central Valley is a quick drive to the beach, the mountains, or the big city. Living in the Central Valley affords quick access to the postcard-esque backdrops of Yosemite, Mammoth, Kings Canyon, the beautiful beaches along the Pacific Coast, and the Sequoia National Forest. While it is a nature-lovers dream, being close to the epicenter of entertainment in the south and the home of big tech to our north – the close proximity to essentially everything, has got to be the number one selling point of this incredible little slice of California.

2. Laid Back Pace

Without the hustle and bustle of a big city, we are able to have a slower pace of life that really sets us apart from the rest of the state. Sandwiched right in between the fast paced lifestyles of LA and the Bay Area, we see that kind of pace to come along with more stress, less time at home, and you guessed it… more traffic. When we make the trek to our southern and northern counterparts, we are reminded yet again why we love our valley home. We have the perk of having quick access to big city appeal, without having to live there and only having to endure that traffic when we travel outside of the valley.

3. Eat Local Everyday

Our warm summer days, coupled with the cool, dry winters gives us the perfect Mediterrean climate that makes the Central Valley’s ag lands more productive than almost any on Earth. With agriculture being one of the main industries in this area, we are blessed with the literal fruits of our farmers labor. The farm-to-fork movement in California is abundantly clear in the Central Valley. On your drive home from work you can stop at any local roadside farm stand and have a side dish on your plate for dinner that was picked the same day. Producing more than half of the fruit, nuts, and vegetables in the United States, the Central Valley is the crown jewel of our nation’s agriculture. This climate can leave us boiling hot in the summers, but that’s what air-conditioning is for, right?

4. Small Town Feel and Sense of Community

From Kern to Fresno, there is a perfect little neighborhood with a house just for you, waiting to make it home. The Valley consists of many small towns that have incredible residents that not only show up and root for the hometown football team, but will also greet you by name when they run into you at the grocery store. We see our hard working, salt of the Earth locals, as being the real backbone of our communities. The sense of strong core values and a warm community-first feel, is evident all across this region and it is one of the things we love most. 

5. More “Bang for Your Buck”

The Golden State is one of the most sought after places to live in the country and along with it comes a hefty price tag. Your dollar will stretch further across the Central Valley, in the counties we specialize in, compared to other parts of the state. Purchasing a home is typically a low-risk investment, purchasing a home in California has proven to be an even lower risk investment. With its affordability, the Valley can make home ownership a reality for many families who may have never thought possible and is one of the main reasons we can tell you that this is the right place to plant your roots. 

The Central Valley is home to Dani Blain Real Estate, our entire team lives right here, in the heartland of California and directly to the west on our central coast. We specialize in selling homes in the counties of Fresno, Tulare, Kings, Kern and San Luis Obispo. Our agents are ready to connect with you and walk you through the next steps and the entire process of purchasing the perfect home. We know that you will love the Central Valley and all it has to offer. If you are still on the fence or want to know more about what each county or town may be like to live in, we are here for you and can tell you more. Stay tuned to our blog where we will continue to highlight the counties and towns we specialize in, or you can reach out to us directly. At Dani Blain Real Estate, we are proud to buy and sell properties and serve the communities we work in… we are on a mission to grow our clients one property at a time and look forward to working with you soon.

Summer of 2020: How You Can Make the Most of It

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When we look back at 2020, years and years from now, what are the things you think we will remember? Good, bad or otherwise, there will be things that leave a lasting impression with us. Hopefully the things that will sink deep into our memories are things that made us feel good, things that made us feel connected, and things that made us feel like we were contributing to the greater good. In our last blog post, we talked about ways to help our Central Valley community through this time, but today we want to talk about ways you can create some intentional experiences for you and your family that will become a part of your forever memory bank. Things that you and your kids will be talking about decades from now with the next generations of your family when you recall these times.

As adults, it is easier for us to kind-of-know, while in the moment, the things that are going to be impactful and we have a pretty good gauge on what we will take away from an experience while we are in the midst of it. But what about our kids? Are they going to look back at this time with memories of toilet paper shortages, news briefings, and people wearing masks? Maybe… but hopefully that’s not all. Hopefully when they look back at this time they are going to remember some of the experiences you have already created for them. Maybe it’s playing board games as a family every night after dinner or putting on talent shows for their parents? Have you tried sleepovers in siblings bedrooms, having them mow a neighbor’s lawn, or leaving motivational quotes in sidewalk chalk on a local walking trail for all to see? As parents, we have the opportunity to create experiences for them that can steer their memories in a positive direction.

For the first few months of this Pandemic, most of us were in survival mode. Between adjusting to working from home or being faced with unemployment, kids transitioning to distance learning, and more Zoom calls and meetings than any of us want to think about – finding time to make these meaningful memories may have taken a back seat. But did you know that our brains are hardwired to prioritize memories with emotional content?

No doubt, this season we are in right now has created plenty of emotion filled moments. We will all remember the first time we went to the grocery store and were met with empty shelves and grief stricken looks on shopper’s faces, but we really want to focus on ways to help create positive emotion based memories so we can fondly look back at this time as well. (To read more about the way our brain may process this time, read this article.) Especially now that the kids are out of school for the summer.  We are all ready to add some “real life” fun on top of the virtual world we have been somewhat trapped in since March.

Below, check out our list of things you can add to your adventure ‘to-do’ list and join us in committing to finding ways to keep ourselves busy with a good mix of things to do at home. If you see anything missing from our ideas below, please share with us on social media!

Go Rafting!

Sunshine Rafting Adventures runs trips along the Stanislaus river and began their season on June 6th. They have outlined new procedures to ensure safe physical distancing and sanitization. Or you can try out Fresno Rafting to take a trip down the San Joaquin River. If you want to check out the Kings River, there are a number of Rafting Outfitters you can view here.

Cool Off at Wild Water Adventure Park in Clovis

With a scheduled opening of June 20th and great Season Pass deals, you may be able to make this a regular part of your 2020 adventures. Be sure to check out the new COVID-19 considerations that include required reservations and assigned picnic sites for each group to maintain safe physical distancing. For season pass info, click here.

Visit the Incredible Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno

In the early 1900s Balsassare Forestiere settled in Fresno with dreams of becoming a citrus farmer. He spent 40 years of his life excavating and over 10 acres of citrus trees all underground. This summer be sure to make a reservation for a guided tour (and bring a face mask) to see this incredible historical landmark.

Take a Float Trip Down St. John’s River

Some Visalia locals have been doing this for years… but others may have no idea how to prepare for a float down St. John’s. Read this article for some tips from a pro to plan an afternoon adventure right here in our backyard!

Buy a House!

Hahaha! No… but really, you should buy a new house and make it a home this summer! We have a ton of great homes on the market and we know the right one is waiting for you. If you decide to make 2020 the year you not only survived a Global Pandemic, but also buy a new home, our team of agents at Dani Blain Real Estate is ready to work with you. Contact us today!