Lincoln, CA real estate: a local broker's guide to buying and selling
Lincoln is a Placer County city with a downtown core, several large planned areas and Sun City Lincoln Hills, which its association describes as an "active adult" community for residents 55 and over. This guide covers the places, utilities and special taxes to understand before you buy or sell here.
Buying and selling in Lincoln: downtown and the planned areas
Lincoln is a general law city incorporated on August 18, 1890. The city's trails and open space page lists open space in several large developments, including Twelve Bridges, Lincoln Crossing and Verdera.
Twelve Bridges is one of those areas. It is governed by the Revised Twelve Bridges Specific Plan, whose environmental report the city certified in 1997, and it includes the Twelve Bridges open space and the planned Bella Breeze Park. Lincoln Crossing is a separate planned development west of Highway 65 and south of Auburn Ravine. Verdera has its own community association that maintains some of its open space.
Sun City Lincoln Hills has its own community association (see below). Rules and special taxes can differ by area, so check each parcel's tax bill and disclosures. On request, we pull a focused set of comparable sales for a specific street or neighborhood.
Sun City Lincoln Hills: described by its association as a 55-and-over "active adult" community
Sun City Lincoln Hills describes itself as an "active adult" community for residents 55 years and over. Ask the association for its exact occupancy rules. Sun City Lincoln Hills opened for sales in February 1999. Its community association moved from Del Webb management to homeowner control in 2005. The community includes the Orchard Creek and Kilaga Springs lodges, two 18-hole golf courses and a trail network.
The association, not the city, maintains the open space inside Sun City Lincoln Hills. Buyers should get and read the association's CC&Rs, age rules and fees before writing an offer; the association's site is the place to start. Our guide to 55+ communities in Roseville and Lincoln covers Sun City Lincoln Hills, Sun City Roseville, Heritage Solaire and the federal and California age rules.
Getting around
Highway 65 runs through Lincoln, with Lincoln Crossing on its west side. The city's trails and open space page describes an Auburn Ravine open space area bounded on the west by Highway 65 and on the north by Highway 193. Lincoln Regional Airport is a regional reliever airport within the city. Sacramento International Airport also serves the area, and train service is available from the Roseville station.
Parks, trails and open space
Lincoln's trails and open spaces page lists open space corridors along Auburn Ravine and North and South Ingram Slough in Lincoln Crossing, a corridor along Markham Ravine, plus the large Twelve Bridges and Verdera open space areas. The Lincoln Crossing Nature Preserve has an interpretive sign. Twelve Bridges Park sits next to Twelve Bridges Elementary School.
Utilities, Mello-Roos, HOAs and schools
The City of Lincoln provides water, sewer and garbage service within city limits on one combined bill. City water combines raw and treated surface water supplies from PCWA with four City-owned wells. City documents name PG&E for electric and gas in the Village 5 plan area and for electrical work at Bella Breeze Park; confirm the provider for a specific home from the seller's bills.
Lincoln has several Community Facilities Districts (Mello-Roos). The city's transparency page lists documents for districts including CFD 2003-1 Lincoln Crossing, CFD 2005-1 Sorrento and CFD 2006-1 Lakeside. To check a parcel, read the Placer County tax bill, where a Mello-Roos charge shows as a line whose tax code description ends in MR, and review the seller's disclosures. Associations include the Sun City Lincoln Hills Community Association and the Verdera Community Association, which maintains some Verdera open space. Confirm any HOA in the disclosures.
Western Placer Unified School District serves Lincoln and Sheridan, with schools including Lincoln High, Twelve Bridges High and Glen Edwards Middle.
How TPR helps in Lincoln
TPR Properties is an independent boutique brokerage founded in 2014. It is broker-led: you work directly with a broker, Ken Patterson (Broker and Owner) or Charlotte Mason (Broker Associate).
For sellers we handle pricing strategy, staging guidance, marketing, negotiation and closing. For buyers we cover search strategy, offer strategy, inspection and escrow, and we represent investors too. Ask for a custom comparable-sales review for any Lincoln street or planned area. Contact us. Treating People Right.
Lincoln questions we hear
Who runs Sun City Lincoln Hills, and is it 55+?
The Sun City Lincoln Hills Community Association moved from Del Webb management to homeowner control in 2005. The association describes it as an "active adult" community for residents 55 years and over. Ask the association for its exact occupancy rules. A buyer should read the association's CC&Rs, rules and fee schedule before making an offer.
How are Twelve Bridges, Lincoln Crossing and Sun City Lincoln Hills different?
Twelve Bridges is governed by the city's Revised Twelve Bridges Specific Plan and includes the Twelve Bridges open space and the planned Bella Breeze Park. Lincoln Crossing is a planned development west of Highway 65. Sun City Lincoln Hills has its own association, which describes it as a 55-and-over "active adult" community. Rules, special taxes and associations can differ by area, so compare homes within the same area and check each parcel's tax bill and disclosures.
Is there Mello-Roos in Lincoln?
Yes, in parts of the city. The City of Lincoln posts documents for several Community Facilities Districts, including ones for Lincoln Crossing, Sorrento and Lakeside, plus a district for police and fire services (CFD 2010-1). Whether a specific home pays depends on its parcel. Check the Placer County tax bill for a line whose tax code description ends in MR, and read the seller's disclosures.
Who provides utilities to a Lincoln home?
Inside city limits, the City of Lincoln provides water, sewer and garbage service on one combined bill. The city's water combines surface water supplies from PCWA with City-owned wells. City documents name PG&E for electric and gas in the Village 5 plan area. Ask the seller for recent bills to confirm the providers for a specific home.