Summer marches on. Remember the Summer Bucket List I confidently published last month? It’s time for a progress report.
The good news is that several items have been completed. The bad news is that the garage remains undefeated.
Some bucket-list items turned out to be easier than others. The pickleball goal was completed almost immediately. In fairness, that’s a little like putting “get out of bed” on a daily to-do list.
The New York Creek Trail made the list as well. Every time I hike there, I’m reminded why it’s one of my favorite places in El Dorado Hills. It’s peaceful, scenic, and somehow feels much farther away from everyday life than it really is. For a little while, emails, phone calls and to-do lists disappear—perhaps because I leave my phone off. So simple, yet so hard to do.
I also did the Assistance League Garden of the Hills tour. Sort of. Did I see the entire tour? No. Did I see enough of it to check the box? Absolutely. Real estate has a way of intervening. The tour was on a weekend, and if you know a busy Realtor, you know weekends aren’t really weekends.
Here’s something I didn’t anticipate: bucket lists tend to grow. Apparently, my Summer Bucket List has developed mission creep.
The more I thought about it, the more things found their way onto the list. Mexican food on a patio (extra guacamole, no margarita), an A’s game with my daughter, and another with my baseball friends. Are those worthy goals if you’ve already done them before? I think so. It’s my list. My rules.
The biggest surprise wasn’t checking items off the list—it was how much more I appreciated the experiences simply because I was intentional about them. At the A’s game, I found myself paying less attention to the pitch count and more attention to spending time with my daughter. At the garden tour, I noticed details that I might have otherwise rushed past. And yes, I discovered it’s entirely possible to become even more appreciative of a good plate of carnitas.
Not everything has gone according to plan.
Under closer review, I’ve mostly completed the things that were already easy. The library book remains largely unread. The farmers market visit remains unexplained. Historic Folsom remains undone, although I’ve somehow added jogging the Johnny Cash Trail to the list. Apparently, my bucket list is growing faster than I’m completing it. It’s funny how often we overlook the things visitors travel here to experience.
Not all items on the list are getting done. A few home projects are currently in what experts would call the planning phase. You may remember these are some of the same projects that appeared on previous seasonal to-do lists. Winter had them. Spring had them. Summer inherited them as well. There’s still time. There’s still hope.
As a Realtor, I see lots of garages, gardens, and homes in my daily travels. Summer is traditionally one of the busiest times of year for local real estate. Families are trying to get settled before school starts while buyers and sellers juggle vacations, camps, and everything else that fills a summer calendar.
That seasonal activity is reflected in this year’s local housing market. Through June, both El Dorado Hills and Folsom have seen more homes sold than during the same period last year, a sign that well-prepared buyers and sellers continue to find common ground. In EDH, 347 homes sold and in Folsom, 420 homes sold through June—both ahead of last year’s pace. Homes are taking about a week longer to sell than they were a year ago, giving buyers a little more time to make decisions, but sellers are still receiving very close to their asking prices on average.
Prices have remained remarkably stable. In El Dorado Hills, the average sales price through June was just under $1.06 million, compared with $1.15 million a year ago, while Folsom’s average sales price edged up to $804,000. Overall, today’s market feels more balanced than it has in recent years.
As we head into the second half of summer, several items remain unfinished. The library book still has hope. The home projects remain theoretically possible. Note that I didn’t say probable. Do I get credit for puppy-proofing the dog run area of my backyard for my daughter’s new puppy?
The garage. Oh, the garage. My garage and I continue to have fundamentally different visions for its future. I would like it organized and spacious. It would prefer to look like a garage preparing for a garage sale. At this point, I suspect the garage knows it’s winning. I’d settle for a compromise.
We’ll check back next month.
I’m Pat Quan. I live and work in the area and enjoy helping people make thoughtful real estate decisions when the time comes.
And with a little planning—and a good Realtor (I happen to know one)—the next move can go smoothly.
The above commentary was authored by local resident Pat Quan who regularly submits to Folsom Times. He can be reached at pquan@cbnorcal.com.
Copyright © 2026, Folsom Times, a digital product of All Town Media LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
