A very local affair seems to have gained some national interest as the Wall Street Journal recently picked up on the current attempts by the Emgold corporation to re-open the Idah-Maryland Gold Mine in Grass Valley. With gold prices hovering around $800 an oz, there has been renewed interest in extracting hitherto non viable gold deposits from the local area. Economically it could mean a boom for the local area with some estimating that over 400 jobs will be created, but others fear that mining operations may damage the tourism industry.

Mortgage rates dropped this week to a 2 year low with the mortgage company Freddie Mac reporting that 30-year, fixed rate mortgages averaged 6.10 percent. This is the lowest rate since October 2005 when rates stood at 6.03%.

The decline in rates has been attributed to continuing fears of a US recession caused by the housing slump and the credit crunch.

Welcome to our blog where we'll be writing articles about Grass Valley, Nevada City and Nevada County real estate.