New Year, New Opportunities in Orange County Real Estate

First let me wish a ‘Happy New Year’ to all.  Yes, folks, 2010 is here.  And with the new year, there promises to be a wealth of new opportunities emerging in the bustling world of Orange County Real Estate.  So get up off  your comfy couch and do what you’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Don’t let opportunity pass you by.  Add that to your list of New Years resolutions right now.

So maybe you’re thinking about buying your first home. Perfect!  If you’re an Orange County first time home buyer, the time has never been better. A major reason for such bright prospects is that there currently are a number of available incentives created to improve your overall experience.

If selling your home for the first time is on your mind, optimism is in order.  Buyers are returning to the marketplace. So sellers rejoice! The market is definitely moving in the right direction. In fact, there are a number things going on that will make selling easier, from listing to close. If you’re worried about Uncle Sam taking a chunk, be aware you might be able to reduce your tax obligation with a few easy and yes, legal steps.

Perhaps you’re opting to make your first Real Estate investment.  Believe it or not, there are well-focused ways to improve your financial future without getting an advanced degree from the school of hard knocks.

Indeed, the door of opportunity is opening wide in 2010.  If you’re ready to learn more about the diversity of emerging Orange County Real Estate opportunities, I’ll be happy to help.  Contact me at 949.338.7408. Or follow me @AngieWeeks or @WeeksTeam.

Thought you’d enjoy this real estate update from Suze Orman – feel free to post questions below!

 BUT….if your house is on the market right now….are you chasing the market down?  What if your Realtor is doing it for you?  Are you AND your agent strong enough to take the truth?  I read this sad story on a popular Realtors ”hub” online, its from a Realtor working out of Florida.   

OC Sellers and potential sellers, you often choose to work with the agent who says your home is worth the most money.  I want to encourage you to question the pricing method, not just get “sold” on potential dollar signs.  Question the marketing strategies, your agent better have the money to do traditional marketing or they better be able to kick butt online.  ASK how many contacts they have in their database, how many listings they have had expire, how many buyers they have searching on their website.  If the agent at your listing appointment has a dog and pony show, and you buy into that without question, it could be a nightmare for everyone in the end.

Also, expect to be QUESTIONED yourself.  A good agent is mostly questions, tayloring their strategies to your specific needs and situation.    A good agent will listen to and really hear what you have to say, but they will also be strong and smart enough to TELL you things you may not want to hear. 

So what’s your real estate story?  Are you one of those lucky people that had a stress free buying or selling process?  Or did your Orange County home buying or selling experience leave you thinking you would never buy or sell again?  I would love to know and want you to add your Orange Countyreal estate story to our blog so that other buyers and sellers in the market can learn from your experience – good or bad!

And remember, if you’ve had a great experience, there are still some rules you should follow when you buy or sell the next time around.  And if you’re still getting over your bad OC real estate experience, try to remember that it can be better – just follow these simple rules!

1)      Choose an Orange County realtor that is honest and experienced.  Some realtors will simply tell you what you want to hear – and believe me, that will not make your experience a good one.  Your realtor should give you honest feedback, even if it’s tough to hear.

2)      Make sure your buyer is pre-approved for a mortgage before you accept their bid.  Unfortunately there are times when buyers have not done their due diligence and make an offer on your home without first making sure they can afford it.  This will only frustrate all parties involved, so its better to insist that all buyers be pre-approved before you sign on the dotted line.

3)      Have realistic expectations.  Sure, maybe a few years ago you could sell your Orange County home for a ridiculous amount of money and within days of listing it on the market, but that’s just not the case these days.  Ask your realtor for an honest forecast.  This way you won’t be disappointed if it takes a time to sell your home.

It’s tax time, and your property tax bill is one of many.  Because the market went down, your taxes can go down, too.  To see if you are eligible, do a few simple things: 

1.  Contact the Orange County tax assessors office at 714.834.5400. 

2.  Let them know you purchased before 2006, and you are requesting to have your bill reviewed, for this year. REMEMBER, if you want THIS year’s bill reduced you MUST CALL BEFORE APRIL 1st. http://www.oc.ca.gov/assessor/pdf/RequestForInformalAssessmentReview%203-08.pdf

3.  The assessor will initiate a re-assesment of your property, and hopefully lower your taxes – saving you potentially thousands of dollars!  

There are some circumstances in which this can not be done, however if you think your taxes on your property are too high, then you are probably right.  Its worth giving it a try – you can comment on how it works out! 

By going to the following link and filling out the form, you can start working on reducing next year’s bill right now.

Please enjoy the report.

Gary Watts 2008 Report

Anyone buying or selling a home in the Orange County real estate market is probably already aware that the Federal Reserve has cut interest rates – not once, but twice!  This is huge news and is really a great thing for the Southern California real estate market. 

So what does this really mean for you?  Well thankfully it’s news for you.  If you’re a buyer, these new interest rate cuts can help you afford the Orange County home you’ve been dreaming of.  Since lower interest rates translate to lower monthly mortgage payments, you can actually afford more home then you could have just a few weeks ago.

If you’re a seller, the Federal Reserve’s cutting of the interest rate has come at a great time for you.  The spring is normally a busy season for Orange County real estate (even though the market is slow right now, the spring is still busier then other times of the year).  These interest rate cuts will help draw even more buyers into the market – meaning your home will hopefully sell quicker and for more money.

If you’re still on the fence about whether or not now is the best time to buy or sell, talk to your Orange County Realtor and get their expert opinion.  Or shoot me an email at Angie@AskAngie.com.

Hope you had a great weekend – ours was very nice!  We went to a baby shower for a couple of our past clients, which was so fun.  (Did you know like 50% of our closed clients have a baby within a couple years of moving in???  OMG!) 

There were gifts galore – the place was littered with pink and fuzzy everything.  One awesome gift that Grandma-to-be got for our friends was 3 months of cleaning services.  Way to go Grandma!!  She mentioned she wasn’t sure of any cleaners in the area, though, and I felt bad that I have not done a better job of telling people all the resources we have available on our website (like cleaners and painters and CPA’s).  Bad Realtor, Angie, BAD!!!

 Mike and I do a ton of networking in Orange County, and we come across all kinds of businesses and business people in our line of work.  One thing we do as a service to our past, present, and future clients, is keep a database of these community services.  We even put many of them online right here on our website, on the Local Services page:

 http://www.askangie.com/communitynetwork.htm

I want to encourage all of our past and future home buyers and sellers to use our experience to save time and money on Orange County services.  Mike and I take feedback from our clients and add / remove businesses regularly from our website.  We keep only the best people on there, and if you have a bad experience we WANT TO KNOW, we will take the contractor or business off of our website, AND warn others. 

We would love nothing more than to advertise all the best businesses in Orange County based off of YOUR feedback.  Please help us be a better resource to you by giving us your good and bad stories on some of the people you used from our site. 

I hear many complaints from buyers and sellers who bought with another Realtor…they say that agent just dropped off the face of the earth after the deal closed, never to be heard from again.  We feel that quickly and painlessly providing good info and direction to our clients  is ALWAYS our job, whether we are in escrow or not.  We understand all our clients are busy and we want to make life easier for them all the time. 

Every Realtor should be a RESOURCE, and we are happy to be your Orange County, CA business connection   Don’t hesitate to email us if you ever have questions about someone on our website.  Another great way to find “the dirt” is to Google the business name you are considering using, or check the Yahoo local ratings.  Hope this helps

 Just wanted to give you some quick stats from my CAR newsletter on the California real estate market.  Its nice to see the median home below 600K again.  Now is a great time to buy.  I saw a really cute 2/2 in Rancho available for 370 today – nice :)

 Calif. median home price – June 07: $594,260(Source: C.A.R.)

Calif. highest median home price by C.A.R. region June 07: Santa Barbara So. Coast $1,375,000 (Source: C.A.R.)

Calif. lowest median home price by C.A.R. region June 07: High Desert $306,310 (Source: C.A.R.)

Calif. First-time Buyer Affordability Index – Second Quarter 07: 24 percent (Source: C.A.R.)

Mortgage rates – week ending 8/31: 30-yr. fixed: 6.45%; Fees/points: 0.5% 15-yr. fixed: 6.12%; Fees/points: 0.5% 1-yr. adjustable: 5.84%; Fees/points: 0.8% (Source: Freddie Mac)

I also wanted to give a shout out to one of our favorite lenders, Derek Besiner, for keeping everyone up to date on the mortgage market / crisis so we’re informed.   He’s been sending out great informational emails about what’s going on in California mortgage land.  At times like this, people need unbiased updates, so its much appreciated!

 It started out with great, level-headed buyers who knew exactly what they wanted.  They were educated on comps, the current market, and had an excellent understanding of important buying strategies. 

Then, it snowballed with a perfect property, and great sellers.  The sellers openly disclosed and discussed any problems with the property.  They were awesome with letting our inspectors in, honoring reasonable repair requests, and just open communication in general.

I want to give credit to all the people who ROCKED THE HOUSE with this smooth deal   I met one of the nicest Orange County real estate agents I have ever worked with, Susan McDonnell.  A fellow midwesterner, Susan totally was out for her clients’ best interests, and represented them flawlessly.  She worked hard, and was always available by phone and email.  She expedited her responsibilities promptly, even ahead of time.  She was trained on her technology AND knew the paperwork well, which is honestly a rarity around here (I am not sure why)!  I only wish I worked in a world of Susan McDonnells.  It was a pleasure doing a deal with her

ALSO, I have to give props to Barbara Johnson with Legacy Home Loans.  Lenders are dropping like flies right now, and this was one I had never met (buyers knew her previously).  Barbara exceeded all expectations – she PROACTIVELY handled situations - like scheduling the appraiser to walk in while I was on the inspection (thanks for saving me the extra trip, and the sellers the extra privacy invasion).  She called ME to let me know docs are already in escrow a week EARLY.  (wow, I am usually babysitting lenders about this!)  Barbara called me back same day, always, and offered me her cell for weekends.  I didn’t need to use it, though, because the woman is on the ball

Then we had Janice A, our lovely transaction coordinator.  We never have to worry about paperwork, Janice handles all of it.  She had the entire completed file in to our corporate Newport Beach office a day early, and we so THANKFUL for her looking over all the paperwork.  We would really rather make eye contact and engage in full conversation with our clients, and when we’re doing that sometimes an initial or checkbox gets missed.  Janice always gets the sigs where we need them, when we need them.  If any of you Realtors out there need an awesome Transaction Coordinator, Janice A is your girl.  She gets a perfect file, every time. 

There’s still more – we want to thank Mike Cantor of 20-20 Home Inspections for doing a very thorough inspection.  Mike ALWAYS takes time to tell our buyers details about the home they are buying, and make them aware of any potential safety or upkeep issues with the property.  He’s so thorough, that he guarantees his inspection for a whole year.  Mike takes twice as long as other inspectors, because he leaves no stone unturned.  This Foothill Ranch property actually returned his BEST  inspection report yet…this is a SOLID property for our buyers…woohooo!

Finally I would just like to say thank you to Kandy over at Hartford Escrow, Danny Atkins for fixing the roof tiles, and anyone else I forgot to mention.  Brad Coleman (Metro’s VP)gets the last shout out for his forever solid real estate advise.  Brad helped me with a great new way to counter for services.  After going back and forth about the buyers and sellers choice of escrow and title services, Brad suggested that we counter back “Escrow & Title to be buyer’s OR seller’s choice, whichever company offers the best price.”  Well, how can ya argue over that?  Nobody did, and the deal came together easily.  Brad’s always coming up with creative ways to help me best serve our buyers and sellers - gotta love it!!   

Thanks again to everyone involved – there are so many complaints about businesses and people on the internet…especially blogs… I just wanted to remind everyone to be thankful for your positive experiences and blog about those too

Have a SAFE and FUN Labor Day everyone!!!!

 Just wanted to remind our favorite Laguna Hills neighborhoods about the websites we sponsor for them:

Laguna Village – http://www.LagunaVillageInfo.com

Laguna Terrace – http://www.LagunaTerraceInfo.com

The websites above are for community members to post activities, information, and even plug your businesses for FREE!  You can find active listings in your community and what they are priced at, AND you can easily see what the neighbors sold for. 

Mike and I bought our very first condo in Laguna Village, in Laguna Hills.  We still love those properties and highly recommend them.  Why?  A few reasons:

1. Some of the largest square footage for your dollar
2. We love the extra storage “caves” especially the upgraded caves turned to wine areas, offices, etc.  (Yes you have to go see one to understand what we’re talking about but its cool, promise)
3. Surrounding scenery, parks, amenities
4. Views – city lights or hills – but prices are for first time buyers

Laguna Terrace is right next to Laguna Village, and we used to walk Smokey in that neighborhood.  We used to dream one day of having our own yard so the dog didn’t always have to be on a leash.  One day before we were Realtors, another agent came to our door and told us we had made money on our condo, did we want to upgrade?  I thought of Laguna Terrace and the detached house with the yard…so we moved right around the corner   We lived in Laguna Terrace for 4 years and we MADE more money on that house than we PAID for it.  So I have to say I think its a good neighborhood to have your own home or investment in.  Why?  A few reasons:

1.  Great elementary San Joaquin in walking distance to most of the homes in Laguna Village
2.  CUTE Detached houses for some of the lowest prices in Orange County. 
3.  Plus there are no HOA’s or Mello Roos. 
4.  Laguna Village is tucked back into its own little corner (no busy streets) with great parks and views too.

Both neighborhoods are centrally located in South OC, and are just 5 minutes from the Irvine Spectrum, 5 freeway, and 405 freeway.  If you are interested in either of these neighborhoods call us at 877-230-3211 or visit one of the sites above - we’re experts to say the least

YOU are invited to Derek Beisner and William Jordan’s one of a kind FREE DINNER Seminar!!  As a personal investor I didn’t think I would learn much by going but I surely did and took lots of good notes   Derek and William are totally on key with creative ideas to maximize your money.

You are cordially invited to attend a FREE DINNER SEMINAR.

This event is by invitation only.  Please R.S.V.P. to reserve the number of seats you’ll need.  Seating is limited, so call Bettie Blauser at (949) 380-8600 xt 221 today.

“How the Affluent Manage Home Equity to Safely

and Conservatively Build Wealth”

This Financial Seminar is designed to help you learn the following:

·    Why people fear mortgages and why you shouldn’t!

·    Why large equity in your home can be a big disadvantage!

·    Why you should separate equity from your home!

·    If you were offered an investment that could never go up in value, but might go down, how much of it would you want?  How much do you already have?!

·    Is equity in your home a prudent investment?

·    Should you make extra principle payments on your mortgage?

·    Does substantial equity in your home enhance your net worth?

You will also learn the one secret to financial planning that

most professionals don’t even use!

You do not want to miss this workshop if you:

·    Have equity in real estate.

·    Are planning to retire within the next 1 – 20 years and want to maximize your income in retirement.

·    Would like to increase your wealth without taking additional risks.

Your hosts and speakers will be William Jordan and Derek Beisner. Derek Beisner has been a Mortgage Professional for over 11 years and has helped his clients achieve their financial goals with his unique approach to Strategic Equity Management.  Derek has helped many of the Weeks Team buyers with mortgage advice and great rates.  William is President of Sentinel Capital Management, Inc.  For the last decade, William has been educating and assisting Orange County’s investors in planning their financial futures.   He does this by designing financial strategies to allow them to accomplish the financial goals that are most important in their lives without undue sacrifices to lifestyle or unnecessary investment risk.   Mike & I PERSONALLY use William as our “financial strategizer” and think that he is one of the smartest people we know.  If your financial advisor calls you once a year on your birthday you need to talk to William. 

This is an educational seminar with no attempt to sell specific investments.  There is no cost or obligation.  We guarantee it will be time well spent!!

Tuesday, August 28th @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Waters Lakehouse Restaurant

4615 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA

Check in time is 6:15

Seating is limited and reservations are required.  Everyone attending learns seldom heard money-saving strategies.  Reservation Line:  (949) 380-8600 xt 221.

P.S.  Call now because seats can fill up quickly.Call (949) 380-8600 xt 221 ask for Bettie.

Orange County has very low crime rates and that’s one of many reasons it’s so great to live here. Keeping your home safe while letting your pet access your yard can be tricky. We just discovered a great company that sells pet doors that can be installed in your patio doors, screens, sliders and even walls of your home. Petdoors.com has everything you need. They have magnetic and electronic doors that keep out unwanted intruders while allowing your dog to access the outdoors. The electronic doors work like this….your pet wears a charm on their collar that unlocks the pet door when they get within a short range. It then re-locks and only opens again when the pet comes back into range. You can set up the system for up to five animals in your home.

Once your pet is outside what do you do about lawn damage? Once again another company we’ve come across can keep that lawn, dog run or patio beautiful. WaterlessTurf.com can put down artificial grass that your animal can urinate on. It’s laid on 2-3 inches of rock & gravel that allows for drainage. All you need to do is rinse it off regularly and your green lawn stays green all year long.

Mike and I are such animal lovers we bought our home for our dogs! As Orange County “Pet Friendly” Realtors, we know and understand your pet needs first hand and can help you search for a home as well as sell your home when pets are involved. Give us a call today and let us help you get started.

If you are the type who spends their weekends touring the many model homes in Orange County looking for ideas or strolling down the isles of EXPO or the Great Indoors, you know what we’re talking about.

Todays kitchens are a gathering place for friends and family. They are warm and inviting and no longer sterile or secluded. Kitchens should have warm, cozy places for your guests to relax. There might be a comfy chair or small sofa, bar stools surround the island, and textures of furniture and drapes are what you would put in your family room.

The “matchy match” cabinetry look is out! The new look is stained-wood bases and painted wood upper cabinetsw. The old-Europe-look rules, but with today’s appliances. Today’s aspiring chef’s want to cook like the stars on the Food Network. Give your kitchen top notch appliance, televisions, conveniences that will make life easier.

The investments you make in your kitchen really go a long way in the resale value of your home.

First, decide if you’re going to showcase the room as a bedroom or other space. Small rooms should NOT be used as an office/guestroom. Pick one or the other.

Next, if you’re making the room a bedroom put in a twin size bed. Possibly with a trundle that tucks away and can be pulled out for multiple visitors. Add a small nightstand and skip a large dresser. Floor space is key! If you’ve got it the room looks bigger. Make sure the bed is positioned to maximize the space and not cut off the room.

If you are displaying the room as an office or other work space buy smaller scale furniture. A big oversized desk will dwarf the room. There are furniture stores that specialize in small spaces and you will be able to find pieces that will work. Try IKEA or Plumbers, right here in Orange County. Take measurements of the room before you go shopping to avoid buying too large. Be realistic. Another great idea is to install closet organizers to store your work related supplies. California Closets is Great. The more the room looks like an office the better chance you have that the buyers will see the advantage of the space. With gas prices on the rise a home office is a fantastic idea!

Last, keep the decorating simple!! No large print patterns, keep the paint neutral and minimal artwork on the wall. Clean lines help the room appear larger.

With the right planning your small spaces can mean BIG dollars.