New Listing in Orange

Hey everybody! Check out this GORGEOUS home in Orange I just listed. It's a beautiful 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home located right near Old Town Orange. The first thing you notice when you enter is the well-maintained hardwood floors throughout the whole house. Keep going to find many upgrades that truly make this house a cozy home! Double-paned windows and upgraded doors, beautiful window shades, newer garage door, recessed lighting, ceiling fans, new paint, brand-new rain gutters, and so much more! Eight solar panels have been installed, cutting down the electricity bill to almost nothing! Gaze out into the spacious backyard onto the Labyrinth -- a soothing meditative walk to calm your spirits. This house has it all, and you don't want to miss it!

Own vs. Rent Part 2

Here is the second part of yesterday's post: the Top 5 Hidden Costs of Renting! Provided by Trulia...

1. Opportunity Costs. When you rent, you lose out on the equity -- which can mean an increase in your home's value but, even in a down market, can also mean the chance of ever owning the place you live free and clear.

2. Income Taxes. If you earn above a certain level of income, the income taxes you're paying as a renter will be substantially higher than they would be if you owned a home and could deduct your property taxes and mortgage interest.

3. Storage. Many a renter simply has too many personal belongings to stuff into their small apartment, so it's not uncommon for tenants to also pay for a storage space, without calculating that expense into their "housing" budget.

4. Costs of Improving the Property. Long-term renters may paing, replace the flooring, and do other improvements to make the place livable. But since it's not technically "their" home, when they DO move out, all the cash they invested is lost. In fact, some landlords may require them to pay or forfeit deposit money to bring the place back to its original, neutral decor.

5. Lost Deposits. Anyone who has rented more than a couple of apartments is well aware of the chances of losing some or all of your security or pet deposits, no matter how well you care for your home.


http://www.trulia.com/blog/taranelson/2011/01/hidden_costs_of_owning_and_renting_hold_until_rvb_012411?ecampaign=cnews201101C&eurl=www.trulia.com%2Fblog%2Ftaranelson%2F2011%2F01%2Fhidden_costs_of_owning_and_renting_hold_until_rvb_012411

Own vs. Rent?

I came across a great article today from Trulia discussing the Top 5 Hidden Costs of Owning and the Top 5 Hidden Costs of Renting. It's great information, and I thought I'd pass it on! Today will be the owning portion of it and tomorrow will be about renting! Enjoy!

1. Special Assessments. HOA dues to maintain the complex come as no surprise to condo owners, but hefty special assessments to make unexpected (and unbudgeted) repairs to the roof, windows, boiler, or even foundation often catch unit owners unawares. Even if your home doesn't belong to an HOA, don't be surprised to see special assessments tacked on top of your property tax bill, covering public services including things like street lighting, tree trimming, pest control, libraries, and even schools.

2. Utilities and services you didn't need while renting. Many renters have never had to pay for things like gas, garbage, water and pest services, and they've also looked to their electric, gas, garbage, alarm, water, pest, home warranty - which mitigates larger surprise costs of unexpected major repairs, gutter cleaning/maintenance, snow removal/winterizing, etc.

3. Private Mortgage Insurance. Today's savvy homebuyers are well aware that they'll have to pony up for private mortgage insurance, or PMI, if they're putting less than 20 percent down on their mortgage. But the cost of PMI has spiked over the last year, and the amount definitely catches buyers off guard.

4. Penalties and fines. HOA rule violations, like parking in the wrong spot, installing hardwood floors in an upstairs unit, or painting your home a forbidden hue can result in surprising fines, on top of the costs of remediating the issue. Even single-family homeowners can get ticketed and/or fined by their city or town for violations like having overgrown weeds or other building code violations - especially those which create fire and safety hazards.

5. Items you didn't need while renting, but you do as a homeowner. This varies based on your climate and the type of home you own, as well as on the services you outsource, but can include landscaping equipment (e.g., lawn mower, snow/leaf blowers), washer/dryer, fridge, window treatments, and light fixtures.


http://www.trulia.com/blog/taranelson/2011/01/hidden_costs_of_owning_and_renting_hold_until_rvb_012411?ecampaign=cnews201101C&eurl=www.trulia.com%2Fblog%2Ftaranelson%2F2011%2F01%2Fhidden_costs_of_owning_and_renting_hold_until_rvb_012411

New Listing!

Here's a listing I JUST listed in Anaheim. It's a 3 bedroom 1 bath home in the heart of Anaheim. The flooring has just been replaced throughout and the paint is fresh as well! The home is in an older, but well-maintained neighborhood! It is perfect for a starter family or investors! If you, or anyone you know may be interested, give me a call at 714.928.1757...This is definitely a great home for a great price :)

PRICE HAS JUST BEEN REDUCED TO $345,000!! (2/1/11)

Corona Home

HEY EVERYBODY! Hope everyone is having a great 2011 so far! I just relisted the home in Corona from a few months ago. It is a GORGEOUS home in Corona in the Eagle Glen Community. It is almost 3,000 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3 FULL baths and a huge loft! The home was built in 2001 and is in fantastic condition. It is also a STANDARD SALE, which is rare these days, especially in Corona! This is a nice, well-kept community in a great school district! For more information and pictures, click on the link below!

http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?t=2274841

92835 December Market Update

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope everyone had a spectacular holiday season! I know I did! 2011 is here and it is going to be a great year! Here is your local 92835 market update for December...

Active Listings: 80 Total, 47 of these are standard sales
61 Single Family Homes, with the average list price of $838,967
19 Condos, with the average list price of $231,635

Pending/Backup Position: 28 Total, 11 are standard sales
23 Single Family Homes
5 Condos

Sold Since 12/1/2010: 14 Total, 7 are standard sales
11 Single Family Homes
3 Condos
Price Ranging from $140,000-$1,374,000

Numbers seemed to slow a little bit, due to the holiday season, but prices in all categories rose slightly! Until next time! Make it a GREAT year :)

5 Tips on Selling Your Home During the Holidays

Yes, we all know the holidays are here! People get busy shopping, decorating, and visiting with family and friends. Buying/selling a home seems to be the last thing on people's minds...but guess what? It's not! True, the market does typically slow down, but the SERIOUS buyers and sellers are still going strong! So don't get discouraged, it can still happen. Here are 5 tips that Trulia gave out for selling your home during the holidays. Enjoy!

1. Don't, if you don't have to. During the holidays, the pool of qualified and active buyers shrinks - dramatically. The cold, wet weather in some areas makes buyers hesitant to come out and view properties, and holiday travels cause others to put their house hunts on hold. Buyers also know that many sellers take their homes off the market during this period, so the forecast for receiving lowball offers is highly likely. Taking your home off the market during the holidays and relisting it after New Year's holds the potential of exposing your home to a fresh set of buyers motivated by a fresh set of resolutions. Plus, many sellers simply don't want to deal with buyers' muddy feet and scheduling intrusion while they are at home on vacation or hosting holiday dinners or guests. (Note: Most of these issues are slightly less impactful in warm-weather climates.)

With that said, there are some advantages to having your home on the market at this time of year, too. Although there will be a larger pool of buyers out and active after the first of the year, the ones who are out in the wet and the cold right now tend to be really motivated to buy. Holiday house hunters usually fall into two camps: they either plain old need a place to live fast, or they need to close escrow on their new home by year's end for tax reasons. Given that post-tax credit buyers have been characterized by an almost stunning lack of urgency, keeping your home on the market over the holidays is one way to try to capitalize on the urgency this season's motivated buyers face, due to their circumstances.

2. Ditch the holiday decor or make it meticulous. No Charlie Brown trees, people. Staging your home at its festive holiday best can truly backfire if your seasonal staging comes off as amateurish or overdone. Too much decoration can do more harm to a prospective buyer's first impressions than good.

If you DO decide to decorate, rethink it as staging with some holiday cheer; this will help you follow the staging mandates of depersonalizing and decluttering your place. If you have a dining room, stage it for a holiday dinner - many a buyer has bought a whole house around their holiday dinner fantasies. Help them visualize their first Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa hosted at their new home (psst - that's your home, in the vision).

But keep your holiday decor somewhat secular and ethnically neutral, if possible. Trees, garlands, lights and bulbs are great - but if I personally were selling my home during the holidays, I'd probably pack my family's nativity scenes away. You might now want your cherished family heirlooms exposed to the public, in the first place. And you definitely don't want to let your ethnic or religious stuff interfere with the buyers' inability to envision their own holidays in your home.

3. Set a few, clear "no show" dates and times. There is no faster way to lose a potential buyer than to make it difficult for their broker or agent to schedule a showing for your home. Sellers seem to forget that most often, buyer's brokers are scheduling multiple properties to be shown in a couple of hours'-long-showing - if the other 3 dozen homes for sale in your neighborhood are vacant or very easy to show, and yours is not, that is an easy way to tip buyers toward a competing property.

By the same token, it's understandable that you may need to blackout showings on particular holidays or times when you're hosting guests. So, rather than going through the drama and frustration of back and forth scheduling arrangements, give your listing agent a couple of clear guidelines around the holiday season showings and ask your agent to include these dates in the confidential remarks for buyer's agents on MLS. The keyword here is "a couple" - if there are multiple, whole weeks or lots of half-day times slots during which you don't want your home shown, consider taking it off the market and relisting it in the New Year.

4. Expect some inconvenience and irritation. Selling during the holidays can be rewarding, but smart sellers approach it knowing it won't always be fun. Go in with realistic expectations. Some buyer is highly likely to track rain, mud or snow into your house, at some point. If you're home for a long staycation, chances are good that someone will interrupt your Zen for a showing. These things will happen, but the upside is that an uber-motivated buyer-to-be may also come see your place. Avoid the emotional rollercoaster and irritation by expecting these issues and chalking them up as par for the course.

5. Engage in safe, sensory staging. Holiday food smells like spiced cider, pumpkin pie and baked appley/cinnamoney things are about as universally comforting as smells get. It certainly wouldn't hurt to do some sensory staging to create a sense of comfort and cheer. Also, remember that dreary winter weather can make even the loveliest house and showing take on a gray cast; counteract this by making sure your home is well-lighted and -heated. One thing though, if your holiday home is a candle-lit home, make sure you leave no candles burning if you clear your family out for showings!


http://www.trulia.com/blog/taranelson/2010/11/5_tips_for_showing_and_selling_your_home_during_the_holidays