Archive for September, 2007
Project Playhouse is in full swing
I took the day off real estate today to go and work the Project Playhouse raffle at the Angel’s game. Brad Coleman my manager at Metro Realty recruited both me and Bob O’Brien to help out…it was lots of fun…there were so many people at the game! I think we got a lot of tickets sold too.
The raffle entered people into a drawing to win this awesome Angel’s playhouse. The playhouse is AMAZING and was built by Taylor Woodrow builders:
I wanted to let you all know if you DON’T have a favorite charity yet, Homeaid is a good choice! They sponsor this Project Playhouse, which are those little doll houses you see every year about this time along PCH in Newport Beach by Fashion Island. I love working with Habitat for Humanity too, either charity helps to get people who deserve housing into a home, and you don’t have to be “a regular” to make a big difference.
If you’re still a volunteer-a-phob you can go to either website and donate. I keep thinking if everyone who walked past me today just bought ONE ticket…big groups can do so much when everyone gives a little together. If anyone has any other creative ways to reach out to Orange County feel free to comment!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Public Service announcement for Orange County Drivers
Hope you’re doing well! This morning I was supposed to go to a nice Sandler Sales meeting, however I was rudely misdirected when my tire blew at the Y of the 5 and 405 freeways. As a woman, blowing a tire freaks me out. I know I should know how to change one, I kindof do… but that doesn’t mean I want to get out of my car next to the screaming freeway and try my luck.
Thankfully, I remembered that Mercedes gave me roadside assistance when I got the car, (thank you to Julio @ Waters Mercedes for explaining that to me when I bought it!) so I went ahead and called the number in the manual. No holding, quick response, so that was nice. They had to pass me to the local dealer, then the Laguna Niguel Mercedes had to direct me to their tower.
By that time, there was already a tow truck in front of me. I guess we have a FREE roadside service here in OC that is sponsored by Cal Trans, CHP, and Octa. The nice man with Mercedes roadside told me to politely decline any help or to make sure to tell the person helping that my lugnuts (funny word) from the regular tire could NOT be used on the spare. I was happy he told me this, because if I was going to attempt the change myself, I probably would have done that. So, I proceeded to tell the nice tow truck guy (Alan) this, and he kinda laughed like I know I do this every day. Der, just let him do his job, right!?
So he proceeded to change my tire (on the scary side of the road thank you thank you thank you) and I figured I should blog to let all of you know.
If you don’t have AAA or a Mercedes, save this number in your phone as OC roadside assistance, and pass the info along to a friend:
949-559-7870
I asked Alan “so do you guys just drive around looking for people to help out?” and the answer was pretty much yes. How fun to be a little hero every day 🙂 They will bring you gas, get you to a phone if you don’t have one, put on spare tires, all that stuff us girls should know how to do but don’t. Here’s a map of the areas they patrol. Hopefully you DON’T have to call soon, but in case its nice to know there are people out there willing to help when you’re in need.
It looks like they service the 5, 405, 55, 22, 241, 133, 73, 91, 605 and the 57. Good stuff – next time your stuck remember to call! Drive safe, everyone!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Drowning in Debt?!?!
Eeks!!! If you’re like most of us in Orange County, you’ve been in or are currently in some kind of debt. It usually started out with a small limit on a credit card or an auto loan….. and BAM! Now you’re in over your head and can’t seem to figure out how to pay off this monumental debt that includes everything from a pair of fancy shoes to your college eduacation loan.
Debt can stand in the way of happy relationships, saving for the future, vacations, and most importantly HOME OWNERSHIP!!
WE FEEL YOUR PAIN!! It’s overwhelming and we know first hand. But there is hope!!! With some motivation and guidance everyone can own property as well as invest for the future.
Dave Ramsey is a well known and respected businessman who can break down the process and get everyone on the road to recovery. He has a website http://www.daveramsey.com/ and he takes you through the steps of resolving debt in a clear and uncomplicated manner. Dave has so many tools to guide you and delivers his method through books, online website, audio tapes, live shows, talk radio and even the opportunity to email him. He really is AMAZING!
The best part is he’s not just offering support and guidance, but teaches you to “re-shape” your financial behavior. If you’re like most of us solving the problem is half the battle. Changing our behavior is the only way to keep the debt from coming back.
Dave has information for kids and offers advice on teaching kids how to deal with money. How awesome to be able to share his knowledge with your kids and give them skills that most adults don’t know. Wow!!
Don’t let debt stop you from fulfilling your dreams and don’t think you’re alone. It’s never too late to start over!! You can be on the road to financial freedom or just build some knowledge. After all…..Knowledge is POWER!!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Your Realtor should be a community RESOURCE
Hi everyone,
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 🙂
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )OC Community Realtors Come Together to Support Local Families
Hey friends,
Just wanted to tell you about something really special going on right here in Orange County.
Laguna Board of REALTORS®, Newport Beach
Association of REALTORS® and Orange County Association of REALTORS® are joining forces to raise $250,000 for the Homes for Heroes / Foundations for Families Project. It’s part of a community of 27 homes being built in San Juan Capistrano. 14 of the homes will be targeted for injured veterans and/or families of deceased veterans.
There will be a Donor Celebration on Oct 18th to kick off the event in the heart of San Juan Capistrano. The menu will be planned by Two Guys Grilling from Dana Point so come hungry!!Everyone who makes a donation of $100 or more is invited to attend.
If you are interested in making a donation just contact Teryll Hopper at Teryll@ocar.org. Sounds like it’s going to be a great way to celebrate a worthy cause and enjoy the Orange County scenery.
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Market Update per the California Association of Realtors
Hi everyone,
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!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Good “summer cool-down” deals
Hi everyone,
Hope you had a GREAT Labor Day, and that you were near a pool somewhere! It was HOT in Socal, huh? Speaking of hot, here are some good deals in South OC. We have a few in Mission Viejo, and then Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel. The one pictured is in Ladera Ranch…nice kitchen 🙂
Each of these properties has 2+ beds, 2+ baths, and a 2 car garage with the asking price below 400K. Some are Short Sales, but not all. Each property is in a really good first time buyer neighborhood, too. Let us know if you have questions, here’s a link with pictures:
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Orange County Real Estate Success 