Green is good.
Energy-savings and recycling make sense for our planet and there is endless information we as Realtors can and do provide to our clients and communities. But sometimes our clients end up educating us–and that is what my favorite and outspoken Sacramento Realtor Gena Riede explains as this week’s guest author. And who would have guessed she would be sharing her experience with someone from San Diego seeking a place to grow cannabis in the Sacramento area?
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. California has legalized medical marijuana prescriptions for conditions such as AIDS, anorexia, arthritis, cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, glaucoma, persistent muscle spasms (including those associated with multiple sclerosis, seizure disorders and epilepsy), severe nausea and other chronic and persistent medical conditions.
But Gena is the one with the story–and perhaps a new twist in the Sacramento real estate market.
A New Green in Sacramento Real Estate
As a Realtor in Sacramento I receive a wide variety of phone calls for real estate in the area, but this year there has been a new twist to “Going Green.” I used to think “Green” had to do with solar heating, dual pane windows, water sheds and the like. I am quickly learning, though, about a new kind of “green.”
Just last week, I received a phone call from a prospective transferring San Diego home buyer who was interested in purchasing property with land for growing. It seems San Diego government had recently put a ban on cannabis dispensaries and these people felt the Sacramento area might be more “friendly” to their growing intent.
After a long conversation that involved a lot of tip toeing around, it became obvious to me that this home buyer was interested in a rural home with enough property to grow Cannabis.
Since this is not the first time I have had this same type of conversation, I simply cut to the chase and asked if Cannabis was what she had in mind for growing. That should come as no surprise in that Sacramento television stations are openly running commercials for Cannabis dispensaries and physicians who prescribe medical marijuana. Would you be surprised to know that talk-show host Montel Williams has been in Sacramento lately to support full legalization of medical marijuana–support which has resulted from his successful use of Cannabis to treat his multiple sclerosis.
Had you told me as a Realtor® I would be having these conversations a year ago, I would have told you, you were nuts but growing the cannabis plant is becoming more accepted since there are obvious medicinal purposes for this plant which is legal in California with a medical license.
Apparently, San Diego has had some issues with the Cannabis dispensaries so growers are looking to locate where the issues are not so difficult to overcome.
So, going GREEN has taken on a whole new meaning for me in real estate, and has forced me to research the issue. Last year, I was clueless about the medical benefits of marijuana and had not knowingly ever met a medical marijuana patient. But openly sharing clients and my own research have led me to become more open to helping the new faces of Sacramento home buyers. –by Gena Riede
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 at 5:00 am and is filed under Best of San Diego, Relocation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Edit this entry.
- Kristal Kraft said at June 14th, 2011 at 4:15 pm We have medical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado too! As soon as the state made it legal we had more than you could possibily count! As time passes they are still around but now the ownership is changing. Investors with actual business plans are taking over. It’s very interesting to watch!
- Roberta Murphy said at June 14th, 2011 at 5:19 pm Kristal: Connections could probably be drawn between Prohibition and legalization of medical marijuana usage. Eventually, alcohol production and distribution was pretty much taken over by big business with government taxation and control. Would not be surprised to see the same happen with cannabis production and distribution.Just imagine: Budweiser Buds, Marlboro Munchies…Who knows where this will lead?
- Kristal Kraft said at June 14th, 2011 at 7:21 pmRoberta you are so right! The tax increase from medical marijuana sales here in Colorado has been significant! No doubt California is experiencing the same benefit!
- Roberta Murphy said at June 14th, 2011 at 7:51 pmKristal, I don’t think California is really benefiting from marijuana taxes, most likely because they haven’t determined whether it’s a prescription drug or something else. I’m not sure, but it seems Colorado has state-administered rules and a PLAN for taxation. California should study Colorado and how it handles medical marijuana taxation. Would imagine the income is significant–and that is something CA desperately needs!
- Gena Riede said at June 15th, 2011 at 3:43 amAmazing the medicinal help and different varities as well as numerous ways the cannabis plant can be injested. Had I not received the calls, I’m not sure I would have taken the time to learn about mariguana.