If you see a stretch limousine cruising your Placer County neighborhood, it won't be for prom night. It will be one of the first limo foreclosure tours in the United States, prowling Rocklin, Roseville and Lincoln.The limo tour is the brainchild of Auburn real estate agents Sidne Allinger and Nikki Holmes. They've already run some car caravans through homes repossessed by banks.

But the two partners in the Gold Rush Group thought a limo might add a nicer touch.Their first limousine tour doesn't leave until 9 a.m. Saturday, but it's already reaped attention around the country, drawing calls from reporters in Florida and South Carolina, Holmes said. An agent in the Sarasota, Fla., area appears to be first with the concept.

"I thought originally of one of those airport shuttle vans," Holmes said. "But that's a little bit like a cattle car. So we thought maybe something a little more elegant."Elegance is a 40-foot Lincoln Navigator with room for 22. So far, Holmes said, it's about half-booked for three-hour tour of six to 10 homes.

A success at sellingThese are lean times for real estate agents, but many are still hitting the mark at which they're dubbed "masters." The Placer County Association of Realtors will honor 217 members for making its "masters club."All sold at least $4 million worth of real estate last year, and no fewer than eight houses. More than 30 of those being saluted over lunch at Sun City Lincoln Hills are first-year members of the county Realtors group.

Traditionally, members have to reach the $5 million market to be in the club. But the 2007 benchmark fell by $1 million in recognition of a tough year.Members say the honor highlights people who are making a long-term career out of real estate, not just jumping in when times are good.

Neighborhood watch
Homeowners associations get a lot of grief for board squabbles and telling people what color they can paint their front doors. But there's one huge advantage in times when foreclosures bring empty houses and brown lawns to many neighborhoods.A homeowners association can make foreclosures almost invisible. Consider the 3,400- home Serrano neighborhood of El Dorado Hills. With 45 vacant properties, it has its share of people losing homes. But the Serrano El Dorado Owners' Association has a special program for what happens after the bank takes possession."We make sure those homes are watched over and maintained so they don't become a problem," said John Bowman, general manager of the HOA.

"If you drive through Serrano, you shouldn't know if there is a house that is unoccupied at the time."Association crews keep up lawns and landscaping, and use water trucks if the bank shuts down the plumbing. Security workers have lists of vacant homes and routinely check on them. Newspapers and mailers aren't allowed to pile up as they often do at empty houses in other neighborhoods.

Apparently, that's not all the association does well with its $8 million annual budget and 70 employees. Recently, Serrano El Dorado was named 2007 association of the year for Northern California. That territory includes 200 planned communities between Sacramento and Oregon. Serrano sold its first homes in 1995.

More help for borrowers
Here are two more Sacramento workshops on avoiding loan defaults and foreclosure for people worried about their mortgages. Both feature free one-on-one sessions with lenders and nonprofit loan counselors.
The first is scheduled March 24 at the Oak Park Community Center, 3425 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. A second will be held April 23 at Regency Park Elementary School, 5901 Bridgecross Drive. Sponsoring the two are the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and Sacramento Regional Partners in Homeownership. Times for both are 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Homeowners should bring their loan documents and other financial information.

Mortgage rates tick up
Rising interest rates have been scaring some young would-be buyers into thinking they may have missed the boat. It's four weeks now since average rates were below 6 percent for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage.Rates this week for the benchmark 30-year loan rose again slightly to 6.13 percent, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac.