Archive for April, 2010
Ten Good Reasons For Relocating To Southern California
Relocating to Southern California is a Good Move
It happens to the many of us. You’re seized by the burning desire to make the big move to an entirely new locale. Not surprisingly, one of the locales often selected by folks bitten by the relocation bug is Southern California. And with good reason. So Cal offers benefits galore. I myself came up with ten fantastic reasons for packing up and relocating to Southern California. Here they are in no particular order. 
- No need to heat up your car before driving to work.
- You can save gas by skateboarding to your place of employment.
- T-shirts have replaced dress shirts as the #1 form of business attire.
- The sun is switched on most of the time. Suntan, anyone?
- You get to watch your heating bills plummet.
- In case you need to crank up the heat even more, it’s only a four hour drive to a sizzling weekend in Las Vegas, baby! And with lower heating bills, you’ve got more dough to blow in casino land.
- Pantyhose is totally optional.
- Miles of beaches with miles of smokin’ hot, bikini-clad beach babes.
- Have you ‘Laguna Beach’?
- If you can afford a home here, you can afford it anywhere.
If you’ve recently relocated to So Cal or even if you’re a well-entrenched long-timer, feel free to reply with a few reasons of your own. I’d love to hear from you. And if you’d like to learn more about living in the land of sun and fun, I’m ready to help answer your questions about relocating to Southern California. Just contact me at 949.338.7408 or angie@askangie.com. Or follow me @AngieWeeks or @WeeksTeam.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Expecting a Tax Return? There’s No Place Like Your Own Home
There’s no place like home…
The words are as true today as they were for a young girl prepping for a return trip back to her Kansas homeland. This is especially true when the residence is your own – lock, stock, and barrel. True, achieving home ownership requires a bit more than focused heal clicking. But the benefits are well worth the effort you’ll put into securing a precious piece of property that has YOU all over it. 
Anyone who has ever plunked down a wad of hard-earned greenery each month to fulfill legal obligations to a landlord knows the pain of money going down the drain. The cash is being put to good use, of course. For the landlord. Do you really want to finance Mr. or Mrs. Landlord’s vacation in Maui with the fruit of your labor? Obviously not. Fortunately, home ownership provides a financially sensible alternative. That’s because monthly house payments build equity over the duration of the mortgage. Once a mortgage is paid off, the property is legally and completely yours. At that point, you can bid a fond farewell to house payments. You are now living free of charge in a place of your own!
Aside from getting their hands on your monthly cash disbursement, landlords typically require compliance with a set rules and regulations governing what you can and can’t do in their place. Owners are known to be pretty difficult beasts should you dare to violate one of their sacred laws. No, they don’t all belong on broomsticks or in cages. But rules are rules, good people. And when you’re a paying guest, you’re obliged to follow all those carefully considered do’s and dont’s. Should you take it upon yourself to enlarge your landlord’s kitchen, you can count on some pretty serious intervention sooner or later.
No such restrictions with a home of your own. Unless you’re violating some sort of municipal code, you pretty much can do as you please – paint the walls in dazzling fluorescent rainbow colors, shape the hedges to resemble your favorite zoo animals, put in shag carpeting so high it will give you a nose bleed. Whatever your heart desires. The choice is all yours.
Once you move into your dream home, you’ll no doubt be inundated with house warming gifts from friends and relatives. One of your favorite relatives has a very special gift for you. Except in very rare instances, your present from Uncle Sam doesn’t come wrapped in colorful paper. But you’ll appreciate it just the same. It’s called a tax incentive. In the vast majority of cases, homeowners can save thousands of dollars a year in taxes.
If you’re contemplating your first home purchase now or in the future, you’re definitely on the right track. Ensuring a solid financial future, personal independence, and boundless gratification, home ownership offers a number of irresistible incentives guaranteed to leave even the most diehard procrastinators wondering why they waited so long. Don’t be one of them.
If you’d like to learn more about buying a home in Orange County, I’m ready to help. Just contact me at 949.338.7408 or angie@askangie.com. Or follow me @AngieWeeks or @WeeksTeam.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )First Time Home Buyers Have New Opportunity
Program is a Wish-Come-True for First Time Home Buyers
The door of opportunity has just swung wide open for first time home buyers. Those eager to get their first place now can get substantial down payment assistance through a dynamic new resource called the Wish Program. 
Bruce Lawrence, a loan officer at Pacific Mercantile Bank in San Juan Capistrano, is delighted his bank is offering this service. Naturally, borrowers must meet certain criteria. Bruce points out that in order to qualify for the program, prospects must be verifiable first-time home buyers. As long as you haven’t owned a home for at least three years, you’re considered a first timer. So this need not be your very first home.
Now here’s the really good news! First-timers can now receive a 3:1 match on home buyer contributions, eligible for properties throughout the state of California, and use in conjunction with FHA Financing.
If you’re an interested first time home buyer, the next step is easy. Simply contact Bruce Lawrence at 949.235.5353 or bruce.lawrence@pmbank.com. He’ll be happy to provide you with further details or schedule an appointment.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Sharing the Orange County First Time Buyer Experience – 2
First Time Buyer Mike Aragonez
Not too long ago, I bought my very first home. It was right here in Orange County. The whole thing was new to me, of course. So when I first started house-hunting, I had no idea what it would be like. Luckily, it turned out to be a relatively smooth experience.
The first thing I learned is that the right Realtor can make all the difference in the world. That’s why it’s important to get someone you’re totally comfortable with. In my case, I decided to go with Angie Weeks. It was definitely the right choice.
First of all, she was very professional in her approach. I’d say she combined kindness with a ‘go getter’ personality. Whatever needed to get done, got done. In record time.
Not only did things get done, they got done according to my wishes. I had very definite ideas on what I wanted in a home and community. Angie listened to every single thing I said, then got to work to make it all happened. I’d say she works real hard to go the extra mile and make sure her customer is satisfied. It’s obvious she really has a good heart.
As I said earlier, your Realtor can make all the difference in the world. It’s a good idea to invest some time to find one who’s the right fit. You wouldn’t believe what a big help it is, especially if you’re a first-time home buyer.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Foreclosures vs. Short Sales
What’s the Difference Between a Short Sale and a Foreclosure?
Plenty. For those who’ve been involved in either, it’s a good idea to know what those differences are and how either one will impact your future. Here’s how it breaks down. 
- If you’ve been foreclosed upon, you need to disclose this fact on mortgage applications for the next seven years. Short sellers have nothing to disclose since they’ve avoided foreclosure.
- A foreclosure lowers credit scores considerably. Short sales don’t hit your score nearly as hard.
- Foreclosures remain on your record for seven years. Short sales appear on your record as ‘paid’.
- Security clearances can be canceled or denied because of a foreclosure. A short sale doesn’t affect the vast majority of security clearances.
- People in sensitive jobs could be terminated because of the poor credit caused by a foreclosure. Short sales don’t impact current employment.
- Same holds true for future employment. Applicants with poor credit can be denied. Short sales don’t affect job applicants.
- In certain cases, a lender might be able to get a deficiency judgment against someone they’ve foreclosed upon. Short sellers can negotiate with a lender to discharge the loan when the property is sold.
- Lenders are required to file a form 1099a, which a foreclosed upon party might need to report as taxable income. With short sales, lenders must file a form 1099c. Short sellers may need to report this as taxable income.
Those are the differences in a nutshell. Obviously, foreclosure comes with a much heftier price than a short sale. If you’d like to learn more about the ramifications of both short sales and foreclosures, I’m ready to help. Just contact me at 949.338.7408 or angie@askangie.com. Or follow me @AngieWeeks or @WeeksTeam.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
Orange County Real Estate Success 