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Jan Ryan marks 25th year for community-wide yard sale

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With May comes flowers in many areas of the country, but in Ramona the month also brings Jan Ryan’s annual community-wide yard sale in San Diego Country Estates.

Ryan, broker/owner of Re/Max Direct in Ramona, will hold her San Diego Country Estates yard sale for the 25th year on May 9. Approximately 100 homeowners participate in the annual event, she said.

“It’s just grown,” Ryan said, remembering her first Estates yard sale in May 1990.

“I was hoping people would show up,” she said.

Ryan lived on Daza Drive at the time and said when she drove on the street she saw it was packed with cars.

“That was exciting,” she said.

The community yard sale has become so popular that Ryan said she will get calls from homeowners who have guests planning to visit but want to be there during the yard sale.

To make it easy for garage sale hunters, Ryan puts together a list of participants, grouped by areas in the Estates, along with a map. She will have the maps at the yard sales, and, among other places, will publish it in next week’s Ramona Sentinel.

Ryan spends the day of the yard sales driving around, providing more maps and seeing how everyone is doing.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” she said. “I see people who find amazing things at the yard sales.”

Ryan provides a list of helpful tips to those participating. One of those tips is display furniture and nice sale items by the street to catch drivers’ eyes as they pass by.

She also suggests those involved consider selling water or cookies. Some children have had lemonade stands, she said.

Although the yard sale officially begins at 7 a.m., Ryan warns participants that buyers may come as early as 5 a.m. By 11 that morning, most shoppers are done, she said.

Ryan, who concentrates her real estate business in the Estates, said she enjoys visiting the homeowners, some of whom are former clients. The sales also encourage neighbors to visit with each other.

“It’s just really a nice neighborhood feeling you don’t get anymore,” she said.

Originally from Northern California, Ryan moved to Ramona 28 years ago. She likes the small town atmosphere and said, “Ramona and Country Estates is just such a great family area.”

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