seanmoveshomes

10/20/2026

UC Merced just opened applications for 488 new student beds, and the first students move in this January.

Promise Housing is a $108 million building on Bellevue Road, split 296 beds for UC Merced students and 192 for Merced College students (Merced Sun-Star, Oct 14, 2026).

What it means here:
🏠 Own a rental near campus? That’s almost 500 students who won’t be competing for houses in Bellevue Ranch and north Merced. It doesn’t empty the market, but it takes a little pressure off.
🏥 Same fall, UC Merced finishes its $300 million medical education building. Staff, faculty, and families need somewhere to live: Merced, Atwater, McSwain.
📈 I came here in 1993 for a job and never left. This is one more sign the town is still growing.

Buying or Selling, SeanMovesHomes.com

Sean Keegan, REALTOR® · DRE #02418392 · Realty Executives of Northern California · Office DRE #01931007

10/16/2026

Here’s some real math for you.

Space rent at Hilmar Country Club Estates is $700 a month — and that includes sewer and garbage. Comparable parks in Atwater, Turlock and Modesto run $1,000 to $1,200+.

The home: 2 bed, 2 bath, about 1,600 sq ft. Double-pane windows, newer AC, water heater replaced in 2023, wood-look vinyl plank floors, and a rock yard you won’t spend your weekends on.

Priced at $149,900.
This is a 55+ community, and only a couple of homes come up for sale here in a typical year. Residents put on their own activities most days of the week — that’s part of why nobody leaves.

📍 19667 American Ave #99, Hilmar
📞 Call or text me for a tour: (209) 261-2878

Sean Keegan · REALTOR® · Merced · Atwater · McSwain
DRE #02418392 · Office DRE #01931007

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10/15/2026

Yesterday I told you Merced County declared an El Niño emergency. Here’s the first big repair tied to it.

Bear Creek just got $5 million. I read the permit to see what that actually buys.

In January 2023 the creek hit 26.25 feet (flood stage is 23). Water came over the banks on the west end, and 1,600 people were displaced.

The repair: seven sites from K Street to Oleander. Thousands of cubic yards of rock on the banks, regraded slopes, cleared overgrowth, a fixed bike path.

What it does: keeps the creek from eroding sideways into neighborhoods.
What it doesn’t: make the channel hold more water.

And the city engineer says they may not finish before the storms arrive.

If you live near Bear Creek, or you’re buying near it, ask your insurance agent about flood coverage this month. Don’t wait for the rain.

Know somebody on Bear Creek? Send them this.

Sources: Central Valley Flood Protection Board permit (Jan 2026), City of Merced, ABC30 (Oct 7, 2026)

Sean Keegan, REALTOR® · Merced · Atwater · McSwain · DRE #02418392 · Office DRE #01931007

10/14/2026

Merced County just declared an emergency. And it hasn’t rained yet. 🌧️

NOAA says there’s a 90%+ chance of a very strong El Niño this winter, with impacts possible from mid-December through March. The county is getting ahead of it, not sounding alarms.

The part most people miss: El Niño alone doesn’t make rain. The warm ocean is the fuel. The jet stream is the delivery truck. Strong El Niño winters push it farther south, and that’s what steers atmospheric rivers into the Valley.
Odds, not a promise. A dry October doesn’t mean a dry winter.

What I’d do this month: clean your gutters and downspouts, and take a look at the storm drain out front to make sure it’s clear.

Follow along for what’s happening in Merced County. 🏡

Sean Keegan, REALTOR® | SeanMovesHomes
Realty Executives of Northern California | DRE # 02418392

10/13/2026

10/12/2026

Merced buyers, there’s a home loan program on your November ballot.

It’s Prop 37. Here’s the plain version.

If it passes, the state could sell up to $25 billion in bonds to fund a second loan for home buyers. The loan could cover up to 17% of the price, and you’d still bring at least 3% of your own money.

On a $440,000 home, that works out to as much as about $75,000 from the program and about $13,000 from you.

Three things I think people will miss:

1. It’s for newly built homes only. A resale house doesn’t count.
2. It’s a loan with its own monthly payment, not a gift.
3. There are income limits.

I’m not telling you how to vote. I just want you to know what it says. If it passes, a lender can tell you whether you’d qualify.

Details are from KEYT and CalMatters (October 5, 2026) and the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. The $440,000 example is my own math, for illustration only. This is general information, not loan or legal advice.

Save this, research before you vote, and follow along for what’s happening in Merced County.

Questions about buying in Merced? Call or text me at 209-261-2878.

Sean Keegan, REALTOR® · DRE #02418392 · Realty Executives of Northern California · Office DRE #01931007 · Each office is independently owned and operated · Equal Housing Opportunity

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10/03/2026

$149,900 for 1,600 sq ft in a 55+ park in Hilmar. 👀

Here are 5 reasons this one won’t last long:

1️⃣ A maintenance crew keeps the park looking sharp
2️⃣ Low-maintenance rock yard, no mowing
3️⃣ Redwoods, shade and 10 mph streets
4️⃣ 2 bed, 2 bath with big bedrooms (room for a 3rd), new AC, double-pane windows, 2023 water heater and wood-look vinyl plank floors
5️⃣ $700/mo space rent with water & sewer included

Only a couple of homes come up for sale here each year, and the price was just reduced. If you’re even thinking about it, come take a tour.

📲 Call or text Sean: (209) 261-2878
🌐 SeanMovesHomes.com

Sean Keegan, REALTOR® · Merced · Atwater · McSwain
DRE # 02418392 · Office DRE # 01931007

09/30/2026

55 and better, and done with yard work? 🌳

This is Hilmar Country Club Estates, a 55+ community where a maintenance crew keeps the common areas and main intersections looking like this.

🏡 1,600 sq ft home, Space 99
💲 Price reduced to $149,900
💧 $700/mo space rent includes water & sewer
🪨 Low-maintenance rock yard

Only a couple of homes come up for sale in this park each year. If you’re even thinking about it, come take a tour before it’s gone.

📲 Call or text Sean: (209) 261-2878
🌐 SeanMovesHomes.com

Sean Keegan, REALTOR® | DRE # 02418392
Realty Executives of Northern California | Equal Housing Opportunity

09/27/2026

Rates just crossed 7% in Merced County. Here’s what that actually means for your payment 👇

Same $415K home, 3.5% down: about $193 more a month than a year ago.
Put 20% down on a $440K home: about $170 more.

The good news? You’re not fighting a bidding war. Merced homes are selling right around asking, and they’re taking about a month to sell. You have time to think it through.

Before you tour, get your number at today’s rate. No pressure, straight answers.
Rates just crossed 7% in Merced County. Here’s what that actually means for your payment 👇

Same $415K home, 3.5% down: about $193 more a month than a year ago.
Put 20% down on a $440K home: about $170 more.

The good news? You’re not fighting a bidding war. Merced homes are selling right around asking, and they’re taking about a month to sell. You have time to think it through.

Before you tour, get your number at today’s rate. No pressure, straight answers.
Rates just crossed 7% in Merced County. Here’s what that actually means for your payment 👇

Same $415K home, 3.5% down: about $193 more a month than a year ago.
Put 20% down on a $440K home: about $170 more.

The good news? You’re not fighting a bidding war. Merced homes are selling right around asking, and they’re taking about a month to sell. You have time to think it through.

Before you tour, get your number at today’s rate. No pressure, straight answers.
📞 Call or text 209-261-2878
📘 Free Moving to Merced guide: guide.SeanMovesHomes.com (link in bio)

Payments are approximate principal & interest only. They exclude taxes, insurance, HOA & mortgage insurance. Rate source: Freddie Mac PMMS, 9/24/26.

09/27/2026

To my Costco family in Turlock: I spent 31 years in the warehouse before I got into real estate. If you’re 55 or better and want to own instead of rent, this one’s for you. 🏡

$189,900 → NOW $149,900. That’s $40,000 off.
📍 19667 American Ave #99, Hilmar, just south of Turlock
🏡 2 bed · 2 bath · ~1,600 sq ft · room for a 3rd bedroom
💰 $700/mo space rent, water & sewer included
✅ Pool · Clubhouse kitchen · Library & lounge · Pool table · Shuffleboard · Landscaped grounds

Hilmar Country Club Estates is a 55+ community, and buyers go through park approval. I’ll walk you through how that works.

Text me to see it 👇
📱 (209) 261-2878
Sean Keegan · Realtor® · DRE #02418392