Reading the Water in North State Riverfront Property
May 4th, 2009 Categories: Lisa's Riverfront Tips, Miscellaneous, Real Estate, Unique Waterfront Properties
It’s been an interesting year everywhere, and Riverfront Property is no exception. There have not been many sales, but there have been a few. There are some terrific opportunities out there, but the buyers are still staying in the shadows, for the most part. The only lure that will coax them out is a screaming deal, and the people that are selling these special properties can, and will, hold on to them rather than let them go for huge discounts. So, the sellers are casting surface dries, and the buyers are bottom feeding for nymphs! Following is a recap of the current available riverfront properties in the North State, and a review of what has sold since January 1st, 2009:
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At the lower end of the scale – under $500,000 – here’s what is currently available:
At $275,000 this little cottage on a prime, park-like riverfront parcel near the new GAIA Hotel, is the best deal on the river. It is a humble house, and a narrow lot, but for $275,000 – it’s the best location you’ll find on the river in this price range. For those looking for a little vacation house on a great river – this is it. It has been on the market since August 20, 2007 when it started at $425,000. It is hard to believe that it is still on the market. Last I checked, there were tenants in the house, so perhaps the challenge in showing it has discouraged potential suitors.
Red Bluff also has a couple of city lots with pretty impressive riverfront and older homes at $299,000 and $375,000.
Also in this group are 23 pieces of raw riverfront land as follows:
6 separate lots on Edgewater Road in Lake California, priced from $110,000 to $270,000. Lake California is a gated community with private lake and some riverfront parcels, for more info. go to: http://www.lakecalifornia.net/
Also at the southern end of the North State is a 0.45 acre lot for $100,000, and one for $227,000 on Agua Verdi Drive in Red Bluff. This is a street that has a line of quite new and upgraded homes on the river – developed later than other riverfront lots, perhaps, because the river frontage is west-facing. In Los Molinos, on the way to Chico, there are three more rural lots on the river: 3.47 acres for $119,000, 2/3 acre for $189,900, and 19.56 acres for $289,000. Back towards Red Bluff is a 1.99 acre lot for $225,000 adjacent to the $449,000 ‘party’ house also for sale. There are also a couple of duplex lots on the river in central Red Bluff – each offered at $190,000. Over in ‘The Bend’ area – east of Red Bluff, where the river runs north, are two lots in China Rapids – one a smaller 1/2 acre lot at $189,000, and 48+ acres right at the tip of the peninsula offered now at $900,000 (has been for sale for several years, starting up at $1,500,000.) Minimum lot size in this region is 10 acres. This piece has some really nice beaches along the river and would make a fabulous fishing lodge, retreat or estate.
To the west there are a number of interesting options on the Trinity River, with Lewiston offering the most selection with two small lots on Steel Bridge Road at $99,985 and $152,000, 2.6 Acres for $239,000 in close proximity to the Trinity Fly Shop, 1 Acre on Deadwood Road adjacent to the Lewiston Hotel for $245,000 (there is a terrific lodge-type home and riverfront lot adjacent to this piece currently on the market for $589,000.) In Happy Camp, on the Klamath, there is a great family retreat with its own swimming hole – it’s a 3/2, 1,400 square foot, 1974 family home on two acres – just reduced to $299,000.
To the north is a 0.25 Acre lot on the upper Sac in Dunsmuir, offered at $145,000, and two pieces both with challenging access issues, but the reward of privacy and water frontage awaits the right buyer – 72 acres in Lamoine, and 15 acres in Somes Bar – each offered at $199,000.
To the east, in fly-fishing heaven, there is a unique 4.8 parcel on Fall River for $450,000, and 0.6 acre in McArthur, also on Fall River, for $384,000.
Next we have 10 in the $400,000 tier:
Two in Redding:
One bank repo in the Girvan subdivision on Riverside Drive. It’s a 1,900 square foot remodel that has some nice features – such as granite countertops, a pool, and fantastic river frontage. It definitely has been neglected and is waiting for someone to come restore it to it’s former charm. Again – this would be a good weekend retreat home – several on this street are second-homes for people and are successfully rented out to vacationers via VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) and other vacation rental networks. Priced at $430,000.
The other is a well cared for cutie in the middle of Redding on a street you would drive right by if you weren’t looking for it. The current owners have a beautiful picture of a bald eagle with its fresh-caught breakfast, taken as they sat at their desk in the office of this house (photo at right). Priced at $440,000.
There’s one in Anderson that sold less than two years ago for $675,000 – now on the market for $499,000. This property has the feel of a fun, fishing party house, and the deck is designed for lots of people to enjoy the mesmerizing whitewater bend in the river that runs right past the house.
To the South in Red Bluff, there’s a terrific ‘party’ house – built recently – in 2003, 2700+ square feet, 4/2.5 on 1.5 acres, with a pool and very impressive river frontage – offered at $444,900.
Two very different properties in Lakehead, one 1,900 square foot craftsman-style built in 2008 to take advantage of the views of the water below – priced at $499,000. One farther up the pike near Pollard Flat on 8 acres, built in 1999 priced at $499,500.
Out in Trinity County there is a 2,000 square foot mini-ranch on 8.82 acres on the Trinity River offered at $495,000. And a nice private property in Junction City on 12.21 acres with an in-law unit offered at $448,000.
In Fall River Mills – a world-wide Fly-Fishing mecca – there is a cute little remodel on 1.23 acres on the lower river offered at $449,000.
Not quite river, but Cow Creek is worth a mention here – there is a 3,400+ square foot ranchette on 5+ acres offered at $459,000.
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Mid-Range – Between $500,000 – $1,000,000:
Starting south,Red Bluff has three contenders in this tier. First, a really neat little vacation house on a street that seems to be completely fish-oriented, with trout mailboxes, and salmon street signs, etc. Kind of feels like a beach-house street, only on the river – you get the feeling there are a lot of vacation homes in the neighborhood, but it would be a pretty nice year-round home as well. This one has a big basement – which translates to ‘cool’ during our hot summers – it’s a 3/2, 1,800 square foot built in 1970, offered at $550,000. That little strip on Agua Verdi offers a very nice 2004, 4/2, 3,000+ square feet on 0.45 acres for $699,000. And a special treat in The Bend area (where the Sacramento River runs north – very cool! Photo at Left) is a spacious 3,500 square foot, 2005 construction home offered at $699,000. (One of the few sold riverfront properties this year is just up the street from this one.)
Heading north on I-5, there is a 3,600 square foot home in Lake California, on the river with lake across the street for $599,000. In Anderson there is a new listing for 1995 2,500 square foot home on 1.3 acres with lots of amenities including two finished garages and a pebble-tec pool, priced at $699,500, a 3,354 square foot renovation on 1/3 acre for $560,000, and a 2,600 square foot renovation on almost 2 acres for $800,000.
Redding has five to offer in this price range – three in the Girvan subdivision on Riverside Drive: A 1976 2,450 square foot 5/2.5 for $589,900, a 3,500 square foot 1989 renovation 4/3.5 offering a Lease To Own deal with an asking price of $898,000, and a brand-new construction designed with a B&B in mind boasting 3 suites and 3,617 square feet offered at $998,000. Another Redding address is a grand 3,600 square foot 5/5 on 4 acres with a nice big in-law wing making it great for combined families priced at $795,000 (First photo in this article.) Also in Redding, a 1,360 square foot 1987 home on 1.7 acres for $549,900 near the Birds’ Nest Lodge (which has been on and off the market itself over the past year.)
Back over to the west, in Lewiston, is the lovely lodge-type 2,272 square foot newer 3/2 on the 
fly-fishing only section just up-river from the other two parcels of land for sale, this one offered at $589,000 – photos at left and right. See my blog to see a video of this property: http://reddingriverqueen.com/2009/01/14/new-riverfront-listing-in-lewiston/
Heading north, there is a second parcel near Pollard Flats that is a 1,950 square foot 3/2.5 built in 2004 on 15+ acres, and a 2,000 square foot 2007 Tahoe Style home on the upper Sac in Dunsmuir offered at $689,900 (down from the original asking price of $775,000.)
In Fall River Mills, you can buy 1/2 ownership in a fishing retreat on Upper Fall River on 11 acres with 4 boat docks and a small house for $585,000.
As for raw land in this price range, we have a two-acre parcel in Anderson for $532,000 – sandwiched right between the Anderson River Park boat launch and a mobile home park. Must be some good commercial potential here for someone! Another commercial potential is the 7.7 acres in Lewiston offered at $579,000 – comes with a tentative parcel map application that has been submitted to split into four parcels – two residential and two commercial. Can you say, ‘Fishing Resort’? For $600,000, you can have 41+ acres in Anderson on Gover Road – not to be confused with the historic Gover Ranch that is for sale in pieces at $2,200,000 and $5,500,000 for the riverfront portions.
Speaking of $1,000,000 or more, Fall River Mills has the corner on the market with the only four Shasta County residential listings in this price range. For Fly-Fisherman, it doesn’t get much better than a luxury home on the Fall River! Here’s what’s available:
A 2,800 square foot 1983 3/2 on 8 acres with 500′ of river frontage, beach, boat dock and boardwalk for $1,199,000. Photo at right.
The 5,744 square foot Fall River Trout Ranch on 120 acres of the coveted upper stretch of Fall River. Has a heliport, hangar, caretaker’s house, irrigated pastures and barns – offered at $2,990,000.
A 3,200 square foot 1972 4/3 on 290 acres stretching along 1.5 miles of Fall River offered at $3,225,000.
And up in McArthur is approximately 300 irrigated acres on 1 1/4 miles of the Pit River, set up to be a full-scale cattle operation – offered at $3,050,000.
What Has Sold in 2009?
$240,000: 3/2, 1,562 square foot, 1979 home in central Red Bluff. Originally listed October, 2008 at $319,500.
$330,000: 3/2, 1,900 square foot, 1999 home on 1.06 acres in Douglas City on the Trinity River. Went fast – Originally listed November 2008 at $399,000.
Currently in Escrow:
List Price: $275,000: 3/1, 1,706 square foot, 1935 home in central Red Bluff. Originally listed November, 2007 at $275,000.
List Price: $350,000: 2/2, 1,124 square foot, 30+ year old home in Redding – Girvan area. Originally listed July 2008 at $499,000.
List Price: $499,000: 4/2.5, 2680 square foot, 2001 home in the Bend, Red Bluff. Originally listed June, 2008 at $699,000.
List Price: $950,000: 4/4.5, 5,300 square foot, 2007 home on 6 acres in Redding – Riverland Drive area. Originally listed March 2008 at $1,675,000.
Some of the best pieces on the market, however, are not on public websites. One of the most incredible multi-lake mountain retreats is being offered confidentially for $6,500,000 – I would LOVE to tell you about it – need to sign a confidentiality agreement first! There are also some stunning private, pristine pieces way up on the Trinity River, and an 18 acre, 2-home estate in the Bend, in Red Bluff. There are a number of other properties that are available, but for one reason or another, not currently on the market. I’m also building a list of riverfront properties throughout the country – you can sort by region, state, price, or water type. Here’s the link, and I welcome input – so if you know of a property that should be added to the list, by all means, send it my way! http://68.186.37.12/fmi/iwp/cgi?-db=Waterfront_Properties&-loadframes
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In closing, may I invite you to consider a listing I have that is not riverfront, but offers the seclusion and waterfront aesthetic that many are looking for. It has two custom-designed homes on 3+ acres and is surrounded by vineyards and orchards. It has a little barn and two corrals for your horses, alpacas, or wild kids! The pond has a family of entertaining otters, beavers, waterfowl and fish. About a 20 minute drive from the Chico airport, and a stone’s throw from the charming New Clairvaux Vineyard, set on land with a fascinating history – once owned by Leland Stanford (yes, THAT Stanford.) If you’d like to see it, I’ll arrange for a winery tour as well as a house tour – what do you say? Here’s the site for lots of pics, info. and even a link to the winery: www.LongBarnPond.com
Lisa Collins
Northern California Realtor
Specializing in Riverfront Property
Lisa@ReddingRiverQueen.com
530-953-8542
www.ReddingRiverQueen.com
I had no idea that you covered so many Counties along the River! No wonder you are the River Queen!
Hi Lisa! And thank you for mentioning our klamath river home on your site! I’ve had only nibbles still, so I put a video on YOU TUBE. You can see it under California Klamath riverfront home. Thanks again!
No problem Darlene – glad to help spread the word any way I can. I’d like to come see it soon – will contact you in early June – let’s see if I can bring some riverfront buyers along with me!
You bet Mike – beyond my territory, I network with other brokers who are experts in their areas (Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, etc.) Have you ever played your guitar on the river? I used to bring my old Yamaha acoustic on all the wonderful river trips I got to enjoy – it’s been down the Colorado, the Salmon, the American and the Green (and I never even changed the strings!)