3242 Kensington Drive, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Beautiful craftsman home, across the street from the Overlook Park with its own park-like backyard! This 2,342 square foot floor plan is deceiving, it feels much larger! It offers 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a formal living, dining room, a family room, and a 3 car garage. The kitchen features two ovens, a gas cooktop, dishwasher, microwave, a dining bar, a built-in desk, and a dining nook. The kitchen overlooks the family room with a cozy brick fireplace and picturesque windows with views of the large backyard. Upstairs, the three bedrooms are located near the master suite. The master bedroom boasts tall ceilings and double walk-in closets. The spa-like bathroom includes dual sinks, a soaking tub, and a shower stall.

The backyard offers a large concrete patio, a spacious lawn, mature trees, garden boxes, and an upper deck that overlooks the enchanting grounds. Located in the desirable neighborhood of Winterhaven, there are no Mello-Roos or HOA. Walking distance to Lake Forest Elementary & Marina Middle School. Minutes from Folsom Lake.

Listed at $659,000

8026 Avanti Drive, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Stunning energy efficient Blackstone home with owned solar! This single story 3 bed/2 bath residence offers an open & bright floor plan with stunning valley views. The gourmet kitchen features white cabinetry, gray-colored granite counters, and stainless appliances. The kitchen overlooks the dining area and family room. The spacious master suite offers a shower stall, soaking tub, dual sinks, and a walk-in closet. The other two bedrooms are located near the secondary bathroom and laundry room. Retreat to the low maintenance yard with views of the Sacramento Valley.

Blackstone community amenities include a 10,500 square foot clubhouse called The Club. This residents-only clubhouse contains 3 pools, a spa, fitness facility, aerobics room, locker rooms, massage room, children's playroom, a large multi-purpose gathering area with adjoining kitchen and a cozy living room. Approximately 350 acres are dedicated to open space where trails ribbon throughout the community.

Listed at $519,000

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Selling your home doesn’t have to be stressful. Imagine having a team of professionals taking care of every aspect. From stylish decorating; to innovative marketing; to negotiating and closing the sale. We take care of it all. With the goal to get you the price that you want. When it comes to selling your home and buying another, trust your experience to the Menser Real Estate Group.

Because who you work with matters.

4 Ideas for Transforming Your Accessory Building

Having an accessory building on your property has the potential to add substantial value. Oftentimes, however, that potential is never fully realized, as they’re frequently left unfinished and used as storage spaces. If your accessory building is approved to be used as a living space or dwelling, here are several ideas for transforming it into a valuable feature. 

Exercise and Wellness Space
Imagine having a separate area where you can escape to for a quick workout followed by a few minutes of pampering yourself. Well, you can certainly make that a reality. After all, a small yoga studio or exercise area and a few spa-like features, such as a steam shower and a massage room, don’t require all that much space. Plus, with a growing demand for home gyms and wellness areas, this is an investment that’s sure to appeal to luxury homebuyers in the future. 

Kids’ Space
As the children get bigger, it’s only natural that the house will start to feel smaller. When that day comes, you can put your accessory building to use by creating a fun hangout area for the kids. From arts and crafts stations to a game room with ping pong and air hockey, there are endless possibilities to transform this into a place they’ll love for years to come. 

Home Office
A fully-equipped work space is one of the most important features these days. For some people, however, all of the distractions found at home can make it difficult to be productive. If you’re the type who needs a change of scenery before sitting down to work, then converting your accessory building into a stunning office is sure to be a good use of this space, while also adding value to your home. 

Guest Accommodations
Self-contained guest accommodations are one of the greatest luxuries that a home can have when friends or family are visiting, especially for extended stays. Everyone can feel much more comfortable in their own space without imposing and all it takes is a thoughtfully designed bedroom with a few essential living features.

The Hills Living Magazine - Meet the Menser-Polley Family

**Check out Pages 12-14!**

Ben Polley and Stephani (Menser) Polley met at the beginning of 2012. They were introduced through a mutual friend that they both went to meet with at the Folsom Hotel on Sutter Street. They spent several hours talking and Stephani mentioned that she was a realtor and was hosting an open house on Breese Circle that weekend. Ben, living in Serrano, decided to stop by the open house and ask Stephani on a date. In 2015, they got married in Cancun, surrounded by 70 of their closest friends (most from EDH) and family.

Ben, originally from Sebastopol, CA, moved to the Sacramento area in 1994 to attend college at Sacramento State. After college, he moved up the hill and settled down in El Dorado Hills. Ben owns Polley Insurance and Risk Management, formerly known as Clinton Polley Insurance Brokers. After 20 years of building his business, Ben recognized a greater need to manage risk for his cli- ents beyond the placement of insurance policies. At the beginning of 2020, he announced the launch of his new company branding.

Stephani grew up in El Dorado Hills and graduated from Oak Ridge, the same high school her teenagers now attend. Her parents, Steve and Donna Menser still reside here as well. Stephani is a realtor with the Menser Real Estate Group at Coldwell Banker. She formed this team in 2013 alongside her mother, Donna, and longtime friend (also an EDH native) Melissa Cvitanovic.

The Polley’s are a blended family with Aden (17) and Lauren (14) from Ben’s previous marriage. In August 2016, Steve was born. “We have a very busy household!” says Stephani. “The big kids live with us a week on/a week off. We have our au pair Barbie, from Coahuila, Mexico, that lives with us to help with Steve. We also have two dogs-Juicy, a 12-year-old Chihuahua, and Caymus, a 6-year-old Yorkie.”

Aden is a junior at Oak Ridge and works at Safeway. He is a big Sacramento Kings fan and when he is not working or teaching his little brother how to play basketball, he is working on his ‘67 Chevelle. Lauren, a freshman at Oak Ridge loves to play soccer and, as a typical teenager, socialize with friends. Steve is attending his second year at Step by Step, Paso a Paso, a Spanish Immersion preschool. Steve is the biggest personality in the Polley household. His hobbies are golfing, swimming and dressing up in costumes. Some days he can be found dressed up as a bagpipe player in their backyard, entertaining his parents while they pretend they are in Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach. Barbie (20) is the Polleys’ third consecutive au pair. She’s lived with them for a year and a half and will be returning home shortly to finish college.

For fun, the Polley family loves spending time on their boat or golfing at Serrano. They also frequently attend concerts and Sacramento Kings basketball games. Prior to COVID, they would often visit KP Karaoke as a family and take trips to the Delta, Lake Tahoe and Mexico.

“COVID has really been an eye-opener for us,” Stephani says. “We’ve always loved where we lived, but being forced to shelter in place, we have become much more grateful for our neighbors and our beautiful community. We are very social people and our backyard saved our sanity. We live on the 8th tee box and were able to (from a distance) visit with members from the Club as they drove by our house.”

Their favorite part of living in El Dorado Hills is the sense of community that comes with it. Although it has grown tremendously since Stephani grew up here, it still has the small-town feel that they love.

July 2020 - Luxury Market Report for Placer County