Orange County Real Estate Success

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    Tips and tricks on buying in Spain’s finest cities.

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    angieweeks

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    Tips and tricks on buying in Spain’s finest cities.

    If you read our last post about buying property in Spain then you know we think its a great idea! Spain is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been, and we can’t wait to purchase a home there! After visiting Spain, we wrote a blog post about all the things we learned, but we wanted to know more! We always want to be as educated as we can in order to help our clients make the best decisions in their home buying experiences. Ever since Angie earned her CIPS designation international buying is extra important to us. We had the opportunity to speak to Realtor, Anna Rubio from Keller Williams Capital Properties in DC who has also earned her CIPS designation and works often in Madrid, and she helped answer some of our questions about purchasing in Spain. Now we have someone we can refer our amazing clients too if they choose to purchase in Spain.

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    The process of becoming a homeowner in Spain

    When you begin your. process of purchasing a Spanish property you’ll make an offer on the place you love with the seller’s agent. In Spain the buyer deals with the seller’s agent directly, because typically buyers are unrepresented, but you can choose be if you want (which you know we always recommend). If your offer is accepted then you and the seller would sign a preliminary contract and you would pay a deposit, usually around 10%. The contract is signed in front of a notary (in Spain you have a notary help you with the legal paperwork). You can choose your mortgage provider, but the seller’s agent can usually steer you in the right direction if you don’t know any in the area.

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    Increase your goal and shoot to become a Spain resident

    In order to buy a property in Spain you need a NIE. This is a number assigned by the National Police to all foreigners that want to purchase property, or become Spanish residents. It can be difficult to obtain from overseas if you are not an EU resident and typically needs to be done with the Spain police, in person. EU partners are able to do it easier and more quickly. Just think, if you were already a resident it would be so much easier! If you’re waiting until you purchase your dream home there to become a resident then you should know Spain offers an awesome program that if you purchase property that is $500k worth in Euros, you can become eligible for your resident visa! How awesome to buy a home you love in a beautiful country while all becoming a resident of said country!

    Best locations to live in Spain

    Spain has some amazing cities to choose from, especially for retiring, but we all want to start retirement early, right? One of the top cities to live in is Barcelona (the second largest in Spain) known for its coastal, but historical views. You get to go to visit the beach and beautiful architecture all in one day, who could ask for anything more? Another great city to purchase in is Madrid. We visited Madrid while in Spain and it was absolutely beautiful! Madrid is the capital of Spain and known for its friendly locals and multicultural views. Malaga is another city that is absolutely breathtaking and would be a wonderful place to purchase a property and become a resident of Spain. It is on the southern coast of Spain with views of the glittering Mediterranean Sea. Its full of Spanish culture and a must see, even if only for a visit.

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    Malaga, Spain

    We can’t wait to start referring you guys and make your dream of owning in Spain a reality! If you are interested in knowing more please fill out the form below or contact Angie at 949-338-7408.

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    Fight Foreclosure & Win – Orange County Real Estate Stories

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    Fight Foreclosure & Win – Orange County Real Estate Stories

    This week we had the unfortunate task of stopping a foreclosure sale. Long story short, the buyer’s wire didn’t get to escrow in time for escrow to move the funds to title, & title to pay off the existing loan. This put our divorcing sellers in a terrible hands-tied position and at risk of losing the 150k+ in equity they still had in their home. We had to basically drop everything & work all day & night long to save this property from being sold at auction.

    I want to share how things unraveled and how we stopped the foreclosure sale, in case other Realtors or homeowners need tips on how to stop their own foreclosure or auction sale.

    It Takes a Team to Fight Foreclosure

    First off, I want to point out this is never a one person job. At least TWENTY people were involved & acting fast (or slow) to help pull this off. I will be giving credit where credit is due as you read on. There were at least 10 people CC’d on every email. Outside consultants who had nothing to do with this deal were called. LinkedIn connections & messages were sent. Social media posts were fired off.

    Stress conceptIt all started with an incorrect payoff demand that had Friday’s date instead of Monday or Tuesday. The property auction was scheduled for Tuesday 8/7 at 1pm. The bank HAD to be paid off before that time. Escrow brought this to my attention the previous week, stating the attorneys who were acting as the trustees for Flagstar Mortgage were not getting them the updated payoff demand. For the record, the buyer was SUPPOSED to bring his funds to escrow on Friday, but he was ‘too busy’. Gee, thanks. Attorneys moving slow, cash investors moving slow…us prodding cattle.

    Come Monday, I was told at 9am by the buyers agent Clay Matthews of New Western Acquisitions that the wire had been sent. Great, we made it in the nick of time! We thought. Until escrow calls me at 11am stating they still don’t have the funds. I call Clay again, and he stated the funds have been wired, he will call B of A. Well, in his call he discovers the girl who sends out all the wires for B of A was supposedly on vacation, so the wire did not get to escrow until 1pm.

    Foreclosure Sales are ALWAYS messy

    This still should have been ok, but enter in technicalities, wire cutoff times, & paranoid high ups at Corinthian Title. Although escrow got the wire to title, title refused to ‘pay off’ the loan because Flagstar Mortgage would not receive the funds until Tuesday morning, and their ‘payoff demand’ expired Friday. They had an ok from Flagstar to press the payoff until 5pm on Monday, but not a moment afterward.

    So, we need an updated payoff demand then. But escrow had been asking the attorneys representing Flagstar at Zieve, Broadnax & Steele since last week, & they had not given it to us. Now when we call & email 3x on Monday we get a response….it was ‘too close’ to the sale date; they refused to give us the updated document, and said they needed permission from Flagstar. How. Convenient. 

    I called Flagstar, and in traditional foreclosure loophole fashion, they proceed to tell me that the attorneys at Zieve must stop the sale, they have no control anymore. I get the name & extension of the rep & proceed to call back Zieve, Broadnax & Steele, who never answer the phone and have a lovely one star review on Google. I go on their website & find out who the partners are, and I email their Foreclosure Attorney along with our rep. Katherine Walker emails me back a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo but states if I can get Flagstar to request a postponement, then she will postpone the sale. An inch of progress.

    I know I’m out of time and this finger pointing / permission needing / document requirements will go all the way up to the foreclosure if I can’t cut through the BS and get to a decision maker. I start with my partners first.

    Begging, Borrowing & Pleading to Stop a Foreclosure

    I call Teresa at Corinthian Title and she advises me that there is no way to record title if a wire is still out, absolutely none. I say fine, just pay it off tomorrow very first thing, and she advises me no, that can’t be done either, because the demand expires today. I request that she simply pad the payoff with additional funds so even if more money is owed for this one day, we still get the proper payoff over, even if it’s too much. I plead my clients case to her and still get nowhere. I realize she is just doing her job…but SOMEONE over there should be able to help me, so I ask her to connect me with an individual who CAN authorize this.

    She puts me in touch with Mike Godwin, CEO of Corinthian Title, who I plead with further. Mike explains he ‘cant insure’ the title when it is in this risky of a position, and he can only record it IF we get the payoff demand AND if we now get a sale date extension. (Basically perform a freaking miracle so he can CYA) I asked him what the real risk is here and I still don’t understand what it was. I reminded him my clients have 150k in equity in this house and the bank is drooling to take back this property…and he has the power to help them, or to devastate them right now. He still refuses to record the title. Eff. I have exclusively used Corinthian for ALL my title deals since our reps moved there & this is what we get for it??? Seriously!?!!! Shame on you, Mike Godwin.

    I literally hang up with policy-pushing Mike & cry. But I have to keep moving on. This is SO unfair. I can’t leave it like this. Please know…..this is where MOST Realtors would have thrown up their hands. It’s 4:45pm & no chance of a title recording today anymore. The sale is mid day TOMORROW.

    Fine. If my partners wont’ help then maybe I can network. I then reach out to a real estate attorney I know to see if he knows the attorneys at Zieve, because attorneys all seem to be in the same ‘bro’ club. No luck. I ask him what for SURE way we can stop the sale at 1pm tomorrow, & he advises my clients would have to declare bankruptcy. I can’t recommend THAT to them. They are already so beat down from their divorce. I call my client with an update and he reaches out to a well connected attorney HE knows. They also email and leave a message for Katherine Walker with no reply.

    Delay Foreclosure with Social Media

    Sigh……..the clock ticks on… so I guess it’s time to swallow my pride & go social. I had already tweeted Flagstar on my own a couple times with nothing yet.

    I proceed to search Flagstar Mortgage on LinkedIn to find someone in loss mitigation. Sweet, they are in Michigan. I’m from there, so maybe these people will show some love. I send out connection requests and nice customized emails to all of them pleading my case. While doing that…LinkedIn pops up an alert that states ‘Your connection with the most connections to Flagstar is Desiree Patno’. I know her from Homeownership Day & NAWRB. She’s BEYOND busy. I decide not to bother her.

    Screen Shot 2018-08-11 at 7.16.21 PMI humbly create an Insta message recruiting my friends to help. I ask them to send a specific tweet Flagstar. I know that banks HATE being pounded on Twitter. They care more about their reputation than they do your case, so I’ve gotta pelt that to get your case handled.

    I smile through my tears as friends & other do-gooders tweet out my message. I ask the buyers agent Clay to help….crickets. Oh, but he did manage to give the keys to the property away & his clients started moving in. Before close. My clients asked me about it and I literally had to tell them that I cannot focus on who is moving into your house right now…I have to stop your foreclosure. How embarrassing….status = sh*tshow.

    Engage National & Local Organizations to Postpone Foreclosure

    It’s about midnight, and I still can’t sleep. I decide it’s my ego that is causing me not to contact Desiree, so I email her & her trusty assistant Lucille begging for Flagstar contacts & email addresses.

    I set my alarm for 5am, because thats 8am in MI, when Flagstar opens. I fall asleep praying.

    I wake up at 5am & see that 12 friend tweets later, I have a DM from Flagstar that someone ‘will call me’. Excellent. Waiting. Desiree also emailed me back at 3am wanting more details. I sent them to her at 5am.

    At 7am I call one of my clients and ask him to call Flagstar again & plead. We still don’t have resolution, & this sale is happening in 6 hours.

    Desiree Patno calls me at 8am & gives me her contacts. YES….now I have two email addresses, and one appears to be a C level! Score for Women in the Housing & Real Estate Ecosystem being a truly VALUABLE resource to be a part of.  If you’re a female reading this, join NAWRB. Now we’ve got real progress. I send both of them LinkedIn connection requests with a private message.

    Another outside consultant who is an attorney advised me I must get a Flagstar email, and CC all, not just all the attorneys. He said copy EVERYONE on EVERYTHING. I usually hate doing that, but I do know it’s effective in knowing exactly where the buck stopped for accountability. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to get this closed, I can’t have a foreclosure looming on my record, or my heart, for that matter.

    I send an email to Zieve & CC the new Flagstar emails, even though I have no idea if they can help or not. Zieve, Broadnax & Steele reply VERY quickly. Ooh, we must be on to something here. We have a few more back & forth & they try to take the Flagstar email addresses off the string. I add them right back on. It’s 10am and we are still going back & forth without resolution, but making small steps of progress. Will it be enough, though?

    Meanwhile…Still pelting Twitter. I try CCing OC Register, Orange County Association of Realtors, and use #homeownershipmatters. This is what you call ‘making a stink’. Why haven’t they called me back yet??? Will @flagstar be a zero or a hero????? Is it seriously going to end like THIS?

    11:08am Flagstar’s C level Alessandro Dinello accepts my LinkedIn request. No response, but I know he read it, and that’s all I needed. Someone who can make a decision to press a button.

    Man on top of the mountain and the other people to climb upAt 11:57am I receive a call from David Woods with The Office of the President at Flagstar Bank. They advise me they cannot speak to me unless I get a client on the phone. I call him, no answer. I call her, no answer. SERIOUSLY??! I text him & ask the nice man on the phone if I can try to call him again. He finally picks up, and confirms it’s ok to speak with me. The Flagstar person explains that because of Twitter, our case was escalated to the Office of the President and it is now being constantly monitored. We explain to him that we need Flagstar to advise the attorneys at Zieve to postpone the sale. He says he won’t keep us in suspense any longer, that they have just done this, and will give us a 7 day extension. I would have cried of happiness but my client was still on the phone. I receive an email from Zieve while David was still on the line that they have received the request to postpone the foreclosure, and will oblige. I tell David he is my hero, and I get his direct contact info as he promises to quarterback any lagging parties for me. I wish I could find him personally on social but I can’t find him anywhere?! Regardless, I tweet out a success & thank you to my social outlets, so everyone knows Flagstar did the right thing.

    The attorneys at Zieve, Broadnax & Steele sent the extension and updated payoff demand to Corinthian as Flagstar advised them to do. Corinithian closed the deal by the end of the day now that they had the miracle documents they requested of us. All that work just to buy a few needed hours of time.

    Reflecting back, I honestly don’t know if this was saved by Twitter, or by NAWRB email contacts, by random attorneys calling Zieve for me, or a combo of all of the above. I DO know the grace of God was definitely involved!!!!

    I want to take a moment to thank the following people who helped me on Twitter, please consider following them:

    If you are an agent, know that Twitter is your secret weapon when you’re fighting foreclosure. It’s like Yelp though, you have to be in the space already to get somewhere. Signing up for a twitter account on foreclosure day won’t cut it. You’ll need your army of followers to help you out.

    If you’ve found this post helpful or resourceful, please comment! If you’ve got more foreclosure delay tactics, please comment those as well. If you need help fighting foreclosure, do NOT wait, text Angie at 949-338-7408 immediately. This one was saved with one hour and 2 minutes to spare, maybe we can save yours too!

     

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    Homeownership and Divorce: What To Do About Your House

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    Homeownership and Divorce: What To Do About Your House

    The evil D word, nobody wants it, but it happens to 50% or more of us. Orange County sky rockets the national divorce average from 50% to 72%. Did you know that divorces spike in August and January? As summer winds down, we thought it would be a good idea to give you some pointers on this super touchy subject.

    Listing your home during a divorce

    MANY of our listings are divorce sales, and we strive to provide solutions to better protect our clients. It’s a HARD time, and we want to make it as easy as we can when it comes to the most important asset. For this reason, I just earned my RCS-D designation with Professor Kelly Murray, who has degrees from Stanford & Harvard Law. Watch this video to find out some important tips to a successful resolution of the house during a dissolution:

     

    RCS-D-No-Background-AltReal Estate Collaborative Specialist – Divorce

    Did you know that less than 50 Realtors in Orange County, CA have this prestigious designation? Did you know the standard in divorce when it comes to real estate is an appraisal and a mortgage statement?? That’s IT.

    • NO inspection reports
    • NO previous title search for liens or secret mortgages
    • NO insurance search to confirm the property can be refinanced
    • NO preapproval to make sure the home can *actually* be refinanced by one party or the other on their own

    Property division is permanent, and not all divorce attorneys are stellar when it comes to real estate handlings. Things you sign in mediation are binding, and sometimes you feel rushed into these decisions. CONTACT US for a no obligation conversation on how you can protect yourself before you ever walk into court or mediation.

    Hard Scenarios You MUST Consider During Divorce

    Scenario 1: “Oh, just let them keep the house.”

    Are you sure about that? One late payment can be 100 credit points! Do you care about your credit score? Ask yourself: Can you or your ex ACTUALLY qualify for the refinance?

    • For example: Can you use your alimony or support payments, and if so, how soon? Many banks have a 6/36 rule. They want to see 6 months consistent income, and receive evidence that 36 months of income will continue before they will lend.

    Depositphotos_10853301_s-2015Scenario 2: “It’s ok, I’ll just go buy another house.”

    ASK: If you allow your ex to keep the house, will YOU still qualify for with your name on the old mortgage? Can you start your next chapter?

    • For example: In the eyes of a lender, both parties don’t have 50/50 responsibility on a loan……you each have to pay 100% if the other defaults. Does this ruin your chances of qualifying for a second home in your name? Make it a point to find out before you make a promise you can’t keep.

    Scenario 3: “I lost my job / health & I can’t pay.”

    Consider what might happen in a worst case scenario. Would you be able to carry two homes to save your credit? Or possibly be willing to sell in a down market?

    • UNFORTUNATE FACT: Only 25-30% of individuals regain homeownership 7-10 years after foreclosure. Don’t let your divorce put you into this pool.

    If you need help deciding what to do with your house during a divorce talk to the proper Divorce Professionals who can give you the protection, tools, and timeline to make your future a success. We have an entire team waiting to assist you, from moving out all clutter for free to pulling the necessary paperwork to know what you truly owe and own on your properties.

    Please reach out to Angie via phone or text anytime at 949-338-7408. Always confidential, always caring, always at your service.

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    Summer Living at Lake Mission Viejo

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    angieweeks

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    Summer Living at Lake Mission Viejo

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    We just activated our lake pass for the summer at Lake Mission Viejo! We wanted to share our excitement about this beautiful spot and encourage locals to activate yours and join us this summer. Any homes that were built in 1978 or after within the boundaries of Lake Mission Viejo automatically come with membership! You can also contact the membership association and see if your home can be added to the association.

    Bring guests to enjoy the lake with you!

    It’s only $3 a day for each guest that you want to bring along with you to enjoy the fun in the sun! If you’re bringing kiddos under the age of 8 to play at the lake then they are free of charge, but they count towards the total number of guests you can bring for that day. Each family can bring up to 15 guests every day besides for summer weekends when 10 guests are allowed per family. You can also let your guest come along for fishing trips for just $12 a day. On Concert Days there is a $15 fee per guest, with guests limited to 4 per member household at the North Beach. Regular guest policies apply to the East Beach. Members submit a LMVA guest list and can either pre-pay or pay during check in. Guests have to check in with their member and the member has to accompany them all day, but why wouldn’t you want to spend the day with your friends at the lake?
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    Events you won’t want to miss

    Two concerts a month for the rest of the summer are put on by LMVA! LeAnn Rimes us performed on the 7th and Gladys Knight is coming up soon, you can checkout the rest of the summer schedule here. Concerts, family fun days, movie nights and special events go on all year long at the lake! This summers calendar is packed and you’re not going to want to miss out on the fun.

    More fun in the sun!

    Another thing we want you to know about is the contest the LMVA puts on every year called “Paint The Lake.” If you’ve got some built up artistic talent that you’ve been waiting to unleash now is the time. The winner of this takes him $500! Paint the Lake is judged by any attendees of the last concert of the year. You’re allowed to submit multiple, all you have to do is bring a blank canvas or two to get stamped by Lake Mission Viejo. One of our favorite things to do on the lake is rent a boat to spend the day on! Members can rent all kinds of water fun activities from paddle boards to pontoon boats for really amazing prices. If this doesn’t make you go get your lake membership activated today, I don’t know what will!
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    How to sell your home fast and for top dollar

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    How to sell your home fast and for top dollar

     

    Thinking of selling your home?

    Are you thinking of selling your home but the process seems too overwhelming and hard? Maybe you have already decided to sell your home but aren’t sure about the process and how to get started. The AskAngie team has all of the answers for you in either situation. We know deciding to sell your home is not an easy decision and can be a very stressful time in your life. Most people want to sell it quickly in order to purchase the next place and everyone wants to get the most money they possibly can out of their home. We have all the tips to help you do just that.

    Declutter and bring in the light

    One tip we always recommend to our clients is to declutter before listing your home for sale. Having a lot of clutter around your home or on counter tops can really take away from the big picture of what you’re selling. Most buyers want to be able to come into your home and picture it as their own in order to decide whether or not they want to make an offer, seeing your items everywhere might make it hard for them to picture themselves and their family living there. We also suggest removing any dark drapes or window coverings to really brighten up the space and make it more approachable to a buyer. Bright areas and natural light catch buyers attention every time.

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    An example of a light and bright living room

    Changing perspective

    In order to get top dollar for your home you have to mix it up and change buyers perspective of what they are looking at. One way to do this is using drone photos for your online postings and MLS site. This allows possible buyers to see the area around your home including the neighborhood, parks, or schools nearby. It also provides a different look at the home itself. We also always suggest that our sellers invest in a stager for their home. Making it look its absolute best is a stagers job – and we have some really good ones! This will help you get top dollar because buyers are seeing it at its best.

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    Without this drone image you wouldn’t be able to see the AMAZING surroundings this home has. What a change in perspective 🙂

    Knowing the market

    We believe educating yourself via your Realtor about the current market before listing your home is a good way to prepare yourself for what is to come. Being prepared and knowing what you’re up against is a good idea for selling your home quickly. It is currently a sellers market here in the OC, and we are always looking for people wanting to sell their homes. There’s a lot of buyers looking but never enough houses for them to buy. Knowing this information before posting your home for sale can be very motivating and encouraging as you begin your journey with your house on the market.

    Bring the whole package from day one!

    We always bring our sellers perfect package to the MLS day one of its listing. In order to do this you need a good Realtor, good photos, and be completely ready to sell. If people have online searches saved they are only sent properties via email the day it’s added and if the price drops, because of this you want to have your pictures and postings perfected before it is listed on the MLS. We also provide a property website for each listings that you are able to share on social media and with any buyer who is interested in your property.
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    29 more home selling tips waiting for you!

    These are just a few additional tips that we added on to share with you. but our team has created a report, 29 Essential Tips That Get Homes Sold Fast (And For Top Dollar). If this report is something you are interested in reading or you know someone who is thinking of selling their home and could use some tips just fill out the form below to have it emailed to you! If you need any additional advice or are looking for someone to help you sell your home quickly contact Angie at 949-338-7408!

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    Vow2Save – How to Own a Home After Your Wedding

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    Vow2Save – How to Own a Home After Your Wedding

    www.Vow2Save.com 

    Wedding Registry Tips

    Are you engaged or know someone who is? We’ve got an amazing new tool to share! When you think about your wedding day and what will come after, most people dream of buying a home with their spouse. However, in today’s market it isn’t near as attainable after paying for a wedding. We’ve created a easy down payment registry for all new brides and grooms to make it easier for them to purchase a home using wedding funds! This way you can stress less about earning the down payment for your future home and only focus on the wedding planning.

    Easy Down Payment Bridal Registry

    wedding-2Vow2Save , as seen in South County magazine, was designed especially for brides and grooms who can’t afford to buy a home. It’s as simple as connecting your own personalized wedding website with your PayPal account. Our registry and website is completely FREE. The account is in your name and earns YOU money towards your future home. This registry program makes it easy for your family and friends to donate towards your goals and dreams as your wedding gift. Forget the shower curtain and bed spread you were going to put on your Target registry and dream BIGGER. If everyone just donates a little bit, then it can really ease the burden of paying your down payment and closing costs. When you’re ready, we will be happy to help you find your new home! Now you can enjoy your marriage knowing you have a solid investment to begin it with – homeownership!

    Wedding Website

    Not only does Vow2Save allow you a free wedding registry to save for your down payment, it also gives you the space to have you own wedding website and blog on the easy-to-learn WordPress platform. Now your family and friends can pull up your site to see your pictures, love story, details on the ceremony and reception, RSVP, and donate towards your wedding gift all at once! No more worrying about the time and expense of sending RSVPs with the invitations, or having your family shop around at the three different stores you’re registered at. Everything they need once they get their invitation is right on your personalized Vow2Save site! And they can even send you messages along with the donation that will give you digital memories for years to come.

    If you or someone you know is engaged and you want to set up a website with us – fill out the form below! If you check out Vow2Save main page and have any questions please feel free to email us at info@vow2save.com. We look forward to helping you register and purchase your first home!

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    How foreigners can buy property in Spain

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    How foreigners can buy property in Spain

    Travel much? So many of our client’s do, which is why I recently got my CIPS designation. Having international connections with real estate agents around the world is important so our team can make sure you’re real estate needs get served…literally everywhere! I recently had the pleasure of attending the SIMA convention in Madrid and had a chance to network while learning all about the process of buying and selling in Spain.

    Fun fact: Spain is in the top 3 countries where foreigners make purchases. Not surprising, because it’s beautiful. We’ll save that for a different post 😉

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    The process of buying a property in Spain

    First things first, financing. It does not make sense to begin your search until you know how much you are comfortable spending. Of course, cash is easiest. But this is a post for normal people, not cash cows…

    Options for financing foreign property

    So… you have a couple options. HELOC is a great one if you have more than 30% equity in your current home. Every time I mention the acronym HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) I feel it necessary to remind you to ONLY do this for appreciating assets. Do not use your HELOC for cars, boats, or babes. Only to buy more property. ONLY.

    If HELOC is not an option for you, foreign financing is also currently available in Spain. Here’s a quick video we recorded with Lola from B. S. Bank in Madrid:

    Current interest rates may actually be better than your HELOC, so it’s something to consider!

     

    Finding your home in Spain

    Like most countries, first steps are determining an area for your new home or vacation rental, and then selecting a buyer’s agent. Make sure to consider all the factors when determining your area. Here’s just a few to think about:

    • Proximity to airport
    • Walkable to restaurants
    • Local tourist attractions & festivals
    • Amount the property could rent for, both nightly & monthly
    • Noise levels (planes, trains, bars, church bells)
    • Crime statistics
    • Parking accommodations
    • If you’re vacation renting, does the area embrace that?

     

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    Once you’ve got an area in mind, it’s time to get connected with a Realtor who works that region. Just like I mentioned in our post about how to buy property in Costa Rica… a quality agent is crucial in these countries where they don’t offer a Multiple Listing Service or a centralized listing database. We never recommend DIY buying, especially in a foreign land. You need someone who will actually go scout for you and someone who gets along with the other agents in the area so your chances of obtaining your favorite property are higher.

    It’s always our pleasure to interview and pair people with quality agents. Please fill out the form below if you would like to find an English-speaking match in your desired area of Spain.

    If you’re still nervous about buying overseas, or have any questions about getting started on the process, we would be happy to help. Contact Angie at 949-338-7408!

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    Organizing Your Family’s OC Move & Memories

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    Organizing Your Family’s OC Move & Memories

    Do you have precious memories you want to save digitally?

    digital4keepsWith Memorial Day around the corner we wanted to help you with one of your most precious items to move – MEMORIES! We have just the company to help you keep all those memories and pictures safe during a move. Mike Helsper and his team at Digital4Keeps organize and digitize photos and paperwork for easier keeping for you and your family. They offer a mobile scanning service that they can do for you in your home or in your office. This is used to archive all your important documents into safer keeping than just inside the drawers of your desk or filing cabinet in your home. Their passion is to preserve your families memories.

    Preserving Memories

    Digital4Keeps offers affordable simple flat rate, inclusive pricing, and packages. They have high speed scanning and organize those in a digital format so they are safer. They transfer memories and provide you with a DVD, flash drive or storage on a hard disk for your own computer. They can also touch up photos after scanning to ensure the best photo for safe keeping and offer to introduce clients to the cloud for better keeping. Have greeting cards that need scanning? They do that too.

    Safety for Important Documents

    They will protect your important documents and files from fires or any other disaster you wouldn’t expect to happen. They do this by scanning and filing your documents so that they are available in the digital world only for you or family members to have a copy of. To see more of what they have to offer check out digital4keeps.com

    If you’re about to move and want your things organized before doing so or if you just want to make sure all of your memories and documents are in safe keeping for your future get a hold of Mike Helsper at Digital4Keeps – 714-814-1648.

    If you need help finding that next home to make more memories in, we are always honored to assist! Angie’s standing by at 949-338-7408 to help you find the home of your dreams 🙂

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    Add Thousands to Your Property Value!

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    Add Thousands to Your Property Value!

    Easy Spring Upgrades Can Add Thousands to Your Property Value

    spring

    Spring is here, and it’s a great time for some quick and easy home upgrades that, for less than $1000, can add thousands to your property value! With clear days, sunshine, and wonderful opportunities to spotlight your property and its curb appeal—along with the chance to add to your property value and help make that sale!

    Based on the local average home prices of $717,100 in Mission Viejo, this means as much as $28,684 in potential profits for many local home sellers, while also providing home buyers with the little extras and details that can make such a
    difference to comfort and peace of mind.

    Easy upgrade list for your home!

    To help you maximize that appeal, here’s a checklist of upgrades to your home that are relatively inexpensive (most of those listed here can be accomplished for well under $1,000), but that can add significant property value and return on investment.

    1. Replace Your Front Door. A beautiful new front door, preferably one that’s reinforced steel, will not only immediately add curb appeal, it’s also a bonus to home safety (and insurance rates), as well as to air quality. To stretch your budget, you can also simply do a nice repaint of the door instead.

    2. Add a New Coat of Paint. A new paint job for the entire interior of the property (after covering and filling imperfections or holes in drywall) is a time-honored, popular and accepted method of adding newness and brightness to a home and instant appeal to homebuyers. However, don’t stop there. An exterior paint job can give new life to a home’s appeal, emphasizing its best features and providing home shoppers with a pleasing first glimpse of your property at its best. Just don’t indulge yourself in crazy shades and keep color choices tasteful and neutral.

    3. Upgrade Your Garage Door. Your home’s garage door can take up as much as 35 to 40% of a property’s overall façade. It’s no wonder, then, that a new garage door is one of the best ways to increase a home’s visual impact while also increasing return on investment (as noted in the 2016 “Cost vs. Value” report). A new garage door also adds safety and security, and upgrading to an automatic versus a manual garage door is a big plus with home shoppers, according to many experts.

    4. Inspect, clean and paint moldings, built-in bookcases and trim. Moldings can help to frame a room and show off its bones. Clean and neatly paint your moldings to show off a room at its most beautiful.

    5. Professionally Clean Your Windows (Inside and Out). It’s amazing the effect clean and sparkling windows can have on the appeal of a property. From outside, they twinkle in the sun and provide a pleasant introduction to the home itself. From inside, and framed only minimally with draperies or blinds (keep them open when buyers visit) they maximize light and air, contributing to an overall impression of warmth and cleanliness.

    6. Clean Carpets. Far too many overlook this simple, easy way to show off a home to its best advantage, freshen up for Spring, and give new life to old carpets when the budget doesn’t allow for them to be replaced outright with hardwood floors. This task also contributes to overall air quality and can make a huge difference in homes where smoking or pets were also a factor.

    7. Install a New HVAC System. A new HVAC system improve air quality and energy efficiency, and can add tangible value to your home’s asking price. It’s also a great way to add an instant edge if you find your home competing with others in your area.

    8. Fix and Repair External Gates and Fences. This is a repair that is both useful cosmetically, as well as being a big plus for home shoppers who are both safety-minded or who may be pet owners. You may also want to consider adding on a fresh coat of paint or varnish.

    9. Upgrade or Install External Motion Sensor or Safety Lighting. According to many industry pros, now more than ever, the biggest single concern for most homeowners today is safety, so visible and tasteful, well-installed external lighting will go a long way toward giving home buyers peace of mind. Ring doorbells only cost about $100 and it’s a huge comfort when it comes to security.

    10. Upgrade Your Water Heater. By upgrading to a better (and professionally installed) water heater, you’ll not only be adding to your home’s safety features and energy consumption, you’ll also be adding one more highly desirable element for today’s home shoppers. Make sure your water heater is properly strapped, too!

    SERVIZ_SpringTipstoImproveHomeValue_2018

    If you need help accomplishing these tasks, or want to find a Home Repair Professional to assist with them, the SERVIZ app can be a great resource.

    Just a few of these basic home repairs and upgrades can be worth their weight in gold for home sellers and real estate pros, and can increase the value of your home overall by potential thousands.

    As the Spring sunshine returns, there’s never been a better time to add value to your investment. So what are you waiting for? Contact Angie at 949-338-7408 if you want help on adding to your homes value and getting the most for your home sale!

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    Relocating to Southern California? Writing a strong offer in today’s OC market

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    Relocating to Southern California? Writing a strong offer in today’s OC market

     

    Surf City Huntington Beach Pier
    Sunset over Surf City Huntington Beach Pier

    Southern California’s Current Housing Crisis

    Are you thinking of buying in relocating to Orange County, CA? Today’s market can be frustrating and intimidating, but there are ways to make the buying process easier. The housing market in Orange County and LA has been on the rise and the inventory has been poorly stocked. This usually means there are multiple buyers interested in houses on the market. Bringing your offer to the table fully ready and easy to work with helps you have a rise above the other buyers interested in the home you want! We have some tips that we have experienced with our clients that has helped them get ahead of the game when it comes to receiving offer acceptance on the home they really want.

    Rejected? Preparing an offer that gets accepted for your future Orange County home

    Down-payment-gift

    Having your offer and all of the extras prepared when deciding on the home you want will make the difference between acceptance and rejection. You’ll want to start with a fully underwritten loan that is ready to go! It makes your offer SUPER strong if you can write off your loan contingency, and just leave your appraisal contingency. Sellers LOVE this. This allows the seller to know your loan homework is done and you are ready to go NOW. It shows that you are almost as strong as a cash buyer for their home.

    In addition, sellers in today’s market expect to see your Proof of Funds (POF) on day zero. Be prepared to show your reserves with every offer. As a good buyer’s agent, we hold all this info on file ready to fire off as soon as you are ready to submit an offer. Time is of the essence.

    Are You Easy to Work With!?

    Another thing that has helped our clients have an edge up on other buyers is having a non-contingent offer on a property sale. This gives you that edge up because you are stuck selling your existing home and praying for a fast buyer. If you’re open to handle repairs on your own dime, (aka signing an ‘as-is’ offer), than sellers are more likely to choose you because it gets them out of the headaches of dealing with contractors during escrow. Sometimes, this allows you to go in with a less than asking offer, knowing you will take care of repairs yourself later on.

    Having a proper letter written to the sellers also makes you look professional and organized. We always recommend this to our clients so the sellers really know who you are, and why this house is perfect for you! We even include a photo of you & your family in the letter so they can place a face with the name. Trust us…this makes a HUGE difference when there are 5 or 10 offers on the table!!

    If you’ve been struggling to get a bid accepted in this market, or don’t have proper representation, please contact us, we will make sure you’re taken care of! Even if you DO have all your ducks in a row, expect to write at least 3 offers in Orange County before you have one accepted. Statistically speaking there are at least 10 buyers for every home, so simply writing an offer is not enough. Let us help you win your bid! We’re at 949-338-7408 for a consult anytime. Just call or text!

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    Skating to the 80s with our clients!

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    Screen Shot 2018-04-20 at 1.21.14 PM
    We love the 80s!

    Client Appreciation 2018

    Every year we host a client appreciation night to celebrate our clients and make sure they know just how much we appreciate doing business and life with them. This year for our appreciation night we decided to throw it back to the 80s with a roller skating party! We had so much fun skating and dancing to our favorite 80s tunes at Holiday Skate Center.

    Screen Shot 2018-04-20 at 12.40.10 PM
    Cha Cha Slide by DJ Casper with our clients.

    Thankful for you!

    We are so thankful for all of our clients whether you were able to make it out or not. We appreciate your business, but we also love getting to be apart of your lives from the beginning of our work together. We hope those who were able to join us this year had a great time, and those that were not able to make it can come next year!

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    ​Michigan & the Marijuana Debate

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    ​Michigan & the Marijuana Debate

    ​IMG_9279This blog post comes from deep in the country of MI, a little township called Richmond. My grandparents have owned property there since before I was born, and two years ago my sister, cousin, & I purchased their 10 acres of land; because it is ‘Our Happy Place’. Recently we received a postcard invitation to attend a town hall meeting & have a discussion on whether or not Richmond residents will ‘opt in’ to any or all aspects surrounding Canna-biz.

    California is such a progressive state – we always seem to be one of the first to embrace new ideals and directions. It’s been interesting to follow our evolution from viewing marijuana as a problem to recognizing marijuana as a solution. Other states are still struggling with this. Like really struggling. We thought it might be helpful to see how property values have fared in states that have opted for recreational marijuana….are they up in smoke?

    The first article we came across is by the University of Wisconsin and states there is a positive correlation found between property values and cannabis:

    http://www.westword.com/marijuana/marijuana-dispensaries-linked-to-rising-denver-home-prices-by-university-of-wisconsin-study-9531562

    As all of us know, we can pretty much find an article to support any angle, and this one claims it ‘could’ affect values:

    http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article173621656.html

    So I dug deeper. I conducted a couple phone interviews with highly respected Realtors in states that offer recreational reefer.

    First call was to Kerri Hartnett, past President of the Portland, Oregon Association of Realtors. Kerri is a single mom, homeowner, & a business owner. She explained that Oregonians are fighting things that increase property tax or limit land use. It is a liberal state but there are still plenty of old school attitudes. Particularly, there’s an attitude anyone who makes money is evil. (I also heard this in the Richmond MI meeting) She said that it’s too soon to really tell if marijuana affects property values either way. That said, she is seeing challenges such as title companies not wanting to insure properties of that sort. She’s also seeing income from Cannabis not ‘qualifying’, and loans getting denied. Furthermore, Oregon’s tax structure setup is at point of sale, not point of grow. This has caused issues with crime since the $$$ isn’t going back to the grow area. She feels these are all challenges with any new type of industry, so the wrinkles will get ironed out eventually and there will a proper balance.

    Other calls made had similiar results. I did not hear from ONE active real estate agent that property values have been affected in a negative way. Here in California, I’m seeing & hearing positive appreciation, especially in the commercial realm.

    Back to the Richmond, MI town hall meeting. Residents weren’t just concerned with money or equity (OMG). Obviously bringing cannabis into our homes and neighborhoods is about much more than that. What shocked me were some of the fears and world views on cannabis that a small town community…farming community of all things.. has. I wondered if they were backed by facts, and wanted to share what I found.

    Cannabis & Kids

    kidOf course, family is a huge concern. People didn’t want to expose ‘that’ to their children. Others felt their children might get lured into a world of addiction. Yikes & no thanks! But is that really what’s happening out there? Are we setting up our kids to fail? Here’s an article from the Washington Post that states 12th grade kids in Colorado are no more likely to engage in the ganja than they were before.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/29/what-happened-in-washington-state-after-voters-legalized-recreational-weed/

    Jobs & the Weed Industry

    170809073246_1_900x600Another comment made by some folks at the meeting is they did not want to drive in their beautiful town & see the landscape all changed up with mega-sized industrial and commercial grow buildings. Richmond does pride itself on being stuck in time, and it’s honestly one of the things I love about it. I am seeing these enormous commercial buildings purchased frequently in CA’s Inland Empire, but in MI they would need to be built or we could repurpose existing eyesores. This means that proactive towns have the opportunity to define what that looks like. If you’re in an area having this debate – get involved & voice your opinion so you don’t end up with a green dispensary next door! My suggestion for MI: make it look like a barn. And if you want to talk about EYESORES….how bout you do something about your real barn that has been falling down plank by plank for the last 20 years??? (just sayin, ppl)

    I’m all for the landscape, but let’s lean into what those buildings could do for the town. MI as a whole has been struggling with unemployment for a long time with all the car factories relocating, and less blue collar needs in general. On top of that… farmers have struggled to make a living there as mega farms take over. Here’s an article from Forbes that discusses how many jobs the marijuana industry will create. As a Realtor, I know anything that creates jobs helps keep people in homes, & eventually buy bigger homes. And then businesses. It’s the necessary circle of life in a healthy community of any size.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/debraborchardt/2017/02/22/marijuana-industry-projected-to-create-more-jobs-than-manufacturing-by-2020/amp/

    What’s in the water?

    Another voiced concern was what kind of chemicals we are putting into our water & soil with this potential ‘opt in’ status. I was SO glad to hear the town residents thinking this through. We don’t want to hurt our precious land in any way. According to MI law, no pesticides are permitted when growing medical marijuana. If they find pesticides, they have to throw the crop away. According to section 31(3) of the MI Marihuana Facilities licensing act:

    Except as otherwise provided, if a sample collected pursuant to Rule 32 or provided to a safety compliance facility pursuant to these rules does not pass the microbial, mycotoxin, heavy metal, pesticide chemical residue, or residual solvents levels test based on these rules, the marihuana facility that provided the sample shall dispose of the entire batch from which the sample was taken and document the disposal of the sample using the statewide monitoring system pursuant to the act, marihuana tracking act, and these rules.

    Such a relief that home and landowners are already covered on this matter. We don’t want to end up famous like Flint.

    Dude, You Stink

    There were multiple residents who were very concerned about the smell of cannabis penetrating their property. Personally, this cracked me up a bit since the town has smelled like cow booty for like 20 years. But again as a Realtor smell is a REAL concern. I have had plenty of listings struggle to sell because of tobacco, pet, and food smells. Is marijuana next on my list???  Maybe…according to this article 30% of smell complaints in Colorado are related to marijuana. On the other hand, the smell has not been deemed hazaradous in any way:

    http://projects.registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34040437-75/as-oregon-pot-grows-proliferate-so-do-complaints-about-plants-odor.html.csp

    I’m curious if anyone reading this has experienced the issue. Please comment. I have a home in Santa Ana, where there are a TON of in home grows & dispensaries, and I have never noticed anything, personally. Have you?

    Cannabis & Violent Crimes

    It was stated there were shootings at Port Huron dispensaries, & we are inviting a ton of crime onto our precious Richmond soil. Whoa. That’s hefty. I tried to find the articles to support that, and couldn’t find any shootings that were directly related. If you do have an article supporting this, please share it!

    Although every area is still going to have crime, statistically speaking, marijuana does nothing to increase violent crimes (aka shootings) according to Internet Fact-Checker, Snopes:

    https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/marijuana-legalization-violent-crime/

    PTSD & Cannabis

    PTSDvetsThe saddest moment of the meeting to me was when a Veteran stood up and said he was a medical cannabis patient and he truly tried every ‘drug’ to help the anxiety until he came across marijuana. He said marijuana helped him heal & he encouraged the attendees to view it as medicine. Another VA had the nerve to speak up & say he went to war too & didn’t need any of that. To me….how dare any of us judge what heals another. I was tempted to stand up and shout that the real poisonous drugs were the Big Pharma ones in everyone’s medicine cabinet…but that would not have went over well hahaha! Baby steps people… Start by watching The Truth About Cancer Episode 8 & Disjointed on Netflix. Whether you do or you don’t….others are finding relief to both physical & mental issues with CBD & cannabis.

    Just the Facts

     

    The attorney’s presenting facts to the town were great and kept it neutral. They told me I can find their presentation for the city of Sterling Heights on this matter via YouTube…but alas I cannot locate 😦 If you have a link, please share! The people there were anything but neutral, though. I appreciate a healthy debate and encourage homeowners on either side to comment here & keep commenting to your elected officials. It was nice to see Richmond’s attitude, particularly Richmond Township Supervisor Cynthia Greenia truly seemed invested in discovering & delivering what the residents want. That was refreshing, just like our pond’s water 🙂

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    Global Forum – International Real Estate

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    Global Forum – International Real Estate

     

    Ways Immigrants Can Buy California Property

    Have you been thinking about buying in the US, but live in a foreign country? We can help! There’s lots of talk in real estate about EB 5 Immigration , it’s a program United States offers to encourage foreign investors to purchase property here in the US. Because Trump administration has been putting the brakes on immigration recently, a Green Card is tough to get! This has caused major issues and investors (particularly from China) are getting turned away. 😦 But don’t be discouraged. According to Immigration attorney Qiang Bjornbak, depending on your country of origin and job, there may be options for your visa:

    IMG_9297

    If you would like to explore which immigration solution is best for you, we would be happy to put you in touch with Qiang for a consultation. She can help pave your path 🙂 Once you are able to legally own a home in the United States, then the next challenge is to obtain financing.

    How Foreigners Can Obtain US Loans

    Foreign loans don’t come without challenges. Seasoning, or the amount of time your money has been in the bank, can be a big one. Another issue can be a newer social security number. Furthermore, reported income, foreign bank statements, and low appraisals are all landmines that can explode during the loan application process. Red flags everywhere…what’s an investor to do?!

    It was great to hear from a panel of lenders who are open to working with foreign buyers, and have experiences to overcome challenges. If you’re buying for the first time in the US, you NEED an experienced lender to make your loan process smooth. Regardless of which lender you select, always run a DU (Direct Underwriting) to make sure your loan is fully approved. Usually about 30% down is required on foreign investments, and you need 2-12 months of reserves. Certain lenders also offer down payment programs. Sometimes these loans can be closed in 30 days, but usually they take about 40-45 days. It’s best to make sure your funds are already in the US to ensure there are no delays.

    According to feedback in the room… Sterling Bank & Trust is very easy to work with and has fabulous programs that are easy to qualify. ChinaTrust Bank has an ‘asset based’ program which is great when income isn’t high. Cathay Bank offers a foreign HELOC, which is very rare! Here are all the panelists, just fill out the form below if you would like an introduction!

    • Sterling Bank & Trust – Steven Chang
    • New American Funding – Frank Fuentes
    • HSBC Bank – Buddie Krugh
    • Cathay Bank – Howard Tung
    • ChinaTrust Bank – Kevin Yang

    What States Do International Investors Prefer in the US?

    Interesting question! Literally, it’s all over! According to 2017 data, here’s the top 5:

    1. Florida
    2. California
    3. Texas
    4. Arizona
    5. New Jersey

    If you think sunny Southern California is the best state for you, let’s talk! Just fill out the form below or text call Angie at 949-338-7408. Happy investing – we can’t wait to help you open the door to your US property!

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    Orange County Realtors Annual Meeting

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    Orange County Realtors Annual Meeting

    economyEvery year we make a point to attend the annual OCR meeting. This 3 hour event is filled with great information about what’s happening in our association and community, and it helps us stay on the pulse of the everchanging real estate market.

    Did you know over 51% of real estate transactions in Orange County are completed by a member of OCR?  We are the largest local association in CA and the 9th largest in the nation. We’re a huge group and have over 10,000 Realtors. Yes, there are THAT many agents in our county & we all work differently 😉 Thankfully OCR puts on this event yearly so we can all be on the same page with the expectations of the market.

    Chris Thornberg Presents the OC Economic Outlook

    Chris, a famous forecaster with Beacon Economics, warns to be careful of weapons of mass distraction.. like the current president’s tweets… and focus on the true story. There isn’t a weather report for democrats & republicans. There’s just a weather report. That said…here is the real estate report 😉

    LIFE IS GOOD. But not without it’s challenges. We are not expecting a correction for at least 2 years.

    WE ARE NOT IN A REAL ESTATE BUBBLE. Bubbles happen when we overbuild, and when we overborrow. Neither of those things are happening right now.

    THE ECONOMY IS STRONG. Wages are rising, unemployment is low, jobs are available.

    RATES WILL RISE. We’ve had 5 recent hikes and are expecting more. No need to freak out though….rates will still be lower than they were in 2006. Keep everything in perspective.

    CA RANKS 8TH FOR ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE. We’re adding workers (and need more), and we have a large number of high income households. 18% of CA households make over 150K/yr!

    WE NEED MORE HOUSES FOR SALE. The reason our prices continue to go up is our huge lack of supply. Builders need to build more… (they are only building half as much as we currently need yearly) and owners need to sell more (the average time owners hold a home has significantly increased the last 20 years).

    All in all things are still looking really good for California Real Estate – comment your thoughts below! Ready to jump in? Text Angie at 949-338-7408 if you’d like to surf the wave!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Avoiding Heartbreak During Orange County Spring Home Buying Season

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    Avoiding Heartbreak During Orange County Spring Home Buying Season

    Spring time has begun in Orange County, even though the weather has been chillier than normal! Spring means lots of exciting things like flowers blooming, maybe a little rain to make the grass more green, time spent at the beach, but for us in the real estate business and those of you looking to buy a home it means a busy and sometimes difficult season. We thought we’d share some of our favorite tips with potential buyers before we jump into this time of the year, full force.

    Getting everything prepared to buy your home!

    We recommend you always have a buyer’s agent to represent you! This makes communication so much easier with the sellers agent. Having a buyer’s agent that you really trust is so important in the home buying process. You need someone who really knows what they’re doing to be your voice when it comes to real estate matters. They will always have your best interest at heart and can properly represent you during the process.

    To speed the process up, make sure you have your pre approval, proof of funds, and all of your paperwork in order. This will be most beneficial when there are other buyers interested in the same home as you, you want to make sure you are ready to go and can prove that to the sellers. There could be multiple people writing offers on the property you love and want to be your forever home, so it is important to make sure you have everything ready to be competitive for that home.

    Advanced Tips for Homebuying Success

    The seller’s agent is more than likely to want you to cross-qualify with the lender they have chosen to trust and use, so make sure you are able to qualify with anyone that runs your information. This will make the process much more smooth and will show the sellers and their agent that you are reliable. Also, make sure your agent has a cover letter for all of your offers. This just makes you look more organized and professional, and goes back to tip number one of having an agent you fully trust to be your voice throughout this nerve-wracking process.

    Have an edge and be ready to go all in for the property you want!

    Here’s a video of Angie and Loan Specialist Derek Beisner discussing loan contingency to help avoid heartbreak during spring buying season!

    Call or text Angie at 949-338-7408 if you’d like to get moving in the right direction on your dream home this season.

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    Making Money in OC with AirBnB

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    Making Money in OC with AirBnB
    23456381_10214844592452678_6747699334492210048_o
    Here we are on a wonderful Costa Rica family vacation in Nov 2017 that AirBnB rentals paid for!

    Getting help paying your mortgage while traveling the world!

    Renting out your home as an AirBnB allows you to travel as much as you want while still making an income to help pay your mortgage. You have complete control over who you allow to stay in your home and you are also in complete control of when you choose to have your home rented out. Why wouldn’t you want to get paid to go on vacation and have someone else paying your mortgage for you? We have had such a great experience using AirBnB and wanted to share what we’ve learned so that you can do it too.

    Our AirBnB tips and tricks

    Finding a good place to stay while your house is being rented is very important! You’re renting out your house to make money, but you want to be somewhere comfortable too. You want a daily rent potential that is at least 125% of your daily mortgage to insure good profit! When thinking of making your home or a place you buy into an AirBnb, make sure you consider the tourist destination and proximity to arenas and conventions near that property. You’ll also want to make sure that community or city allows short term rentals. We also found it beneficial to make sure we had closets that we could easily lock or a detached garage/storage shed to safely keep items while we were renting out our home.

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    Humble houses still make money! Here’s our historical Santa Ana pad before we earned the money from AirBnB rentals to pay for our new walkway.

    Systemizing

    Having a smart lock such as IglooHome is a great idea. It’s easy for guests, and safe for you. We have “AirBnB Bin” with sheets and towels that are only used for guests, that way the ones we use for ourselves are never used. Shampoo and soap dispensers in the shower are super helpful as well. We make sure our supply closet is always on stock and that we have a house keeper on call, just in case. Syncing with your calendar makes it easier to stay organized with the schedule of your rentals.

    Refinancing your Mortgage with AirBnB Income

    An initiative is starting this year in order to help you refinance your mortgage using the income you make as an AirBnB host. Previously, banks wouldn’t count your AirBnB income when considering whether or not to refinance your mortgage. Thankfully that is beginning to change. The three financial institutions participating in the initiative include Quicken Loans, Citizens Bank, and Better Mortgage. They have the chance to consider home sharing income earned on Airbnb when hosts in the U.S. apply to refinance their mortgage on their primary residence! This is just another benefit to using AirBnB – someone will be paying your REDUCED mortgage rate which means even more profit in your pocket!

    Here’s a video of Angie sharing this information with one of her networking groups!

    Finding A Good AirBnB Investment in Orange County, CA

    If this sounds like something you want to learn more about, follow our Automatic Millionaire Homeowners group on Facebook! If you want to search out an Orange County property to buy and make your AirBnB contact Angie at 949-338-7408.

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    Superior Home Safety Rankings in Orange County, CA

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    Superior Home Safety Rankings in Orange County, CA

    Local Orange County Cities are Among the Safest in the Nation

    As real estate professionals, we’re always keeping an eye out for stories on home safety, since it’s consistently one of the biggest priorities for people who are shopping for a new home.

    That’s why we were delighted to learn that many nearby Orange County cities are actually ranked among the safest across the United States, according to the latest Home Safety Rankings (HSR) released by local home services app SERVIZ.
    SERVIZ created its Home Safety Rankings when the company’s founders realized that they were failing as many as 1 in 3 home contractors for criminal background checks (definitely statistics the company felt they needed to explore further). Concerned by these numbers, SERVIZ then researched and assembled its groundbreaking new Home Safety Rankings (HSR) Index for over 100 metropolitan areas across the U.S., which not only offer statistics on home safety and crime, but which also provide a detailed look at the safety habits and concerns of
    residents city by city. SERVIZ’s HSR findings include useful safety tips and suggestions, and received the approval of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) as well.

    shutterstock_137766926

    High Marks for Safety

    Let’s look at how we did on a local level.

    Out of 108 metro areas analyzed and ranked for home safety, several cities in the Orange County metro area ranked among the very top of the list, with high-ranking cities including Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, and Mission Viejo, California!

    Aliso Viejo residents can certainly celebrate, as the city was ranked the third safest overall, with a superb safety score of 79 out of 100 (with 100 being safest). Laguna Niguel also made the top 10, coming in at number 5, meanwhile, with a high 65 safety ranking—and both received A+ letter grade scores, too. Mission Viejo was number 9 in the top 10, meanwhile, with a safety
    ranking of 61 and an A- rating. To give you an idea of just how good these numbers are, Los Angeles itself scored a C+ rating and a safety ranking of just 19, by comparison.

    These statistics show that your chance of becoming a crime victim is just 1 in 126 in Aliso Viejo, 1 in 89 in Laguna Niguel, and 1 in 82 in Mission Viejo. These are impressive numbers when compared with L.A.’s 1 in 33 chance of becoming a crime victim!

    The SERVIZ Home Safety Rankings (HSR) Index was achieved as a result of proprietary data collected over the last 5 years serving over 200 thousand customers, and 300 thousand home improvement jobs, and other publicly available sources. To view how California stacks up against other states, visit https://www.serviz.com/national-hsr-index.

    Helping Homeowners Nationwide

    Ultimately, SERVIZ isn’t just analyzing crime stats or helping homeowners nationwide focus on the big picture when it comes to home safety – the SERVIZ app is actually helping homeowners stay safer when booking home services right from their PCs or phones (booking a safe, highly rated, and fully vetted handyman in just a few mouse clicks). The company offers a safer, faster,
    easier, and more transparent way to book and buy home services online. From handyman work to plumbing, carpet cleaning and appliance repair, SERVIZ provides highly rated, background-checked and licensed professionals at the click of a button, all backed by the SERVIZ Consumer Protection Plan.

    To learn more about SERVIZ, visit http://www.serviz.com. You can also download the free
    SERVIZ App on Google Play or iTunes for immediate use as well.

    We also know many trustworthy local contractors if you still prefer a good old fashioned referral. Just text Angie at 949-338-7408.

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    2018 Tax Reform & Housing Market Update with YPN

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    angieweeks

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    2018 Tax Reform & Housing Market Update with YPN

    IMG_7959Hey everyone!

    Today I’m at the Orange County Young Professionals Network breakfast; and Tony Capitelli, Government Affairs director at OCR, gave us the update on taxes and our housing market. If you’d like in on the scoop….read on 🙂

    Not Fake News – Orange County Needs Housing Inventory

    As previously stated in our post with Steven Thomas, we don’t have enough people selling their home in Orange County right now. Our current estimated time on the market is just 24 days – it’s a strong seller’s market. Furthermore, the ‘affordability’ factor in OC is around 20%, and prices continue to rise with the lack of inventory. Student loan debt keeps renters longer and longer.

    IMG_7960Tony doesn’t believe we’re in another bubble, so this is our new normal in Orange County. The median sales price is now $800K. The prices continue to creep so high because of inventory, inventory, inventory. People are staying in their homes longer and longer. It also costs more to build here in OC, so that pushes up new home prices.

    Consequences of our inventory drought are less housing, longer commutes, more traffic…people are having to move outside of the city or county.

    Even though all these updates aren’t great (especially to renters), please keep perspective. Homeownership is the still the best way to generate wealth for ‘the average Joe’. 

    What’s Up With 2018 Tax Reform

    DISCLAIMER: This is information on what is in the new tax bill. This is not tax or legal advice…contact your CPA for that or ask us for a referral!!

    Harmful tax provisions

    • Raising the standard deduction
      • Single filers – 12K / Joint filers 24K
      • eliminates homeownership incentives for most
    • Lowering the mortgage interest deduction
      • Cap lowered from 1M to 750K
      • Can only deduct HELOC remodeling
    • Limit on State and local tax deduction
    • Eliminates entertainment deduction
      • Businesses can no longer deduct expenses for entertainment purposes. Sorry…less spoiling my clients and more giving it to Uncle Sam.
    • Historic tax credit
    • repeals moving expense deduction
      • Except for military

    Helpful tax provisions

    • 20% passthrough for a business entity under 157K (single)
    • Exclusion of gain on sale of principal residence
      • We kept the 2 out of 5 year qualification 🙂
    • Like kind exchanges
      • 1031 exchange is still available
    • Low income housing credit
    • Child tax credit increased
    • Medical expenses deduction remains
    • Student loan interest deduction remains
    • Keeps deduction for casualty losses

    IMG_7962We’ve basically de-incentified homeownership and charity, which IMO sucks. The good news is that millennials still see the value in Homeownership and they are pretty darn charitable anyway 🙂 45% want to buy homes in the next 5 years. It’d be cool if we could vote for more benefits to support homeownership incentives in the future you guys! Follow NAR’s #HomeownershipMatters tag if you’d like to stay in the know there.

    If you’d like to download Tony’s full presentation, just LIKE Orange County Young Professionals Network on Facebook – we’ll be posting it soon – or email Angie@AskAngie.com.

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    2018 Housing Market Forecast by Steven Thomas

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    angieweeks

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    2018 Housing Market Forecast by Steven Thomas

    Always love to hear Steven Thomas’ yearly real estate forecast – he’s locally famous here in Orange County for his great quantitative economic forecasts. Today he spoke at Orange County Association of Realtors and gave us the scoop….here goes!

    It’s a HOT Seller’s Market in OC. Already.

    The average OC resident moves every 21 years. This is creating a seller draught for all homes on the market under 1.5M. On the other hand, if you’re lucky enough to own a property over 1.5M, that’s a buyer’s market right now. Typically the Orange County market is slow from Nov – Jan, heats up after Super Bowl, and stays hot well through May. Last year, our market was hotttttt the.whole.year. And it’s continuing into 2018 here.

    I’m Going to Wait to Buy….Famous Last Words.

    Buyers….please don’t wait for more inventory or prices to go down. Neither is projected to transpire anytime soon. The next trend that comes will be higher interest rates, and that will only compound your issues. Yes, it’s rough to find a home right now. You’ll have to compete with multiple offers, but the good news is that you’re buying a solid long term investment at historically low interest rates, so keep on it! With the right agent you will secure your dream home.

    Good News Graph: Interest Rates Over the Last 50 Years

    50yearMortgageRates

    These interest rates are an absolute GIFT. Steven’s words: “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. It’s ridiculous not to consider buying while you’re trashing at least 25K/year in rent. That’s like….a significant portion of your down payment. Because you can get in with just 3.5% down now 😉

    Buyers, it’s time to suit up in your battle gear and plan to write at least 4-5 offers. It’s not you. It’s not your agent. It’s INVENTORY. We had 6% fewer homes come on the market in 2017 than the year before. We’re below 4,000 homes on the market, and our long term average is 8,000. We’re starting out this year similar to 2013, which was the lowest inventory in 5 years. There are only 91 condos active right now below 250K, so the low end is literally disappearing. And you can’t blame it on the foreigners, either. International buying is an insignificant 3%. Get in while you still can, PLEASE!

    Homeowners, you’ve got the upper hand because you’re just not selling. Below is a comparison of 2016 inventory vs 2017 inventory. Almost everything is down. Yet the population and OC relocations continue to grow. Which are causing prices of our skimpy inventory to grow.

    IMG_7820

    Where Are All of Our Property Sellers?

    Why isn’t everyone selling right now? We’re in an up market…right? Well, there’s a slew of reasons, and here are some of them:

    • refinanced into a 3% loan they just don’t want to lose
    • it’s ‘cool’ to stay put right now
    • not enough building to entice the move
    • property taxes are grandfathered in low
    • watching HGTV all day & remodeling instead
    • nothing to buy (such a VICIOUS cycle)

    Some people are literally becoming prisoners in their own homes, especially with the new tax laws. 64% of baby boomers literally plan to die in their home, following the hugely popular ‘aging in place’ trend. Until some of these boomers start to sell…or croak.. our market will be stalled.

    If you’re considering selling… please do your fellow OC residents a favor & just do it! You’ve literally got buyers in line waiting to see your home. Here’s an inventory & demand year to year comparison:

    IMG_7822

    Scared to sell? What about Taxes & Tax Reform?

    Now that the max deduction is $12,000 for singles, and the max property tax deduction is $10,000, will that affect our market? It will absolutely affect many, because the median home price in Orange County is now over $700,000. Some buyers will not be able to write off everything they used to. Steven admits, It may NOT be a tax benefit to own a home in some in the upper ranges. But…It’s still way better than trashing 3-5K/mo on renting, though. And luxury rent is even higher than that. Steven doesn’t think the tax laws will have an adverse affect on our pricing at all this year; we are still projecting appreciation.

    Steven Thomas’ 2018 Housing Market Forecast:

    • Low distressed inventory
    • return of the unrealistic overpriced seller
    • normal housing cycle
    • anemic inventory to start the year
    • increase in number of move up sellers
    • mild appreciation 4-5% (perspective. the ‘average’ home is due to increase 30K or more in value)
    • interest rates to land at 4.25%

    Only time will tell if these projections are right – but Steven’s usually on point. Feel free to comment your opinions and we’ll revisit this post in about a year 🙂 If you’d like more updates like this throughout the year, just fill out the form below or text ‘subscribe’ to Angie at 949-338-7408.

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    Consider Paying Property Taxes Early – Big Tax Changes are Coming to Town

    Published by

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    Consider Paying Property Taxes Early – Big Tax Changes are Coming to Town

    As you’re hearing on the news and seeing on social media…the way we are taxed and the things we can write off will be changing a lot within this next year! As a Realtor I can’t legally give tax advice…. so I’ll preface this post by saying it’s best to consult your CPA before the end of every year and be a proactive advocate for the lowest possible taxes! If you need a CPA referral, just ask 😉

    That said, we wanted to make sure our CA friends and clients were aware of this before the end of 2017 – which is fast approaching!

    GOP Tax Bill

    The LA Times wrote about changes the GOP tax bill will have for California residents. The wealthier areas along the coast are going to suffer more than others due to this. Currently, state and local tax deduction is unlimited. However, in the final GOP plan, people will only be able to deduct up to $10,000. At the beginning the house only wanted the deduction to be on property taxes, but the final bill is for any state and local taxes to be deducted. Property, income, or sales taxes will qualify. An article from The Washington Post says, “The move is widely viewed as a hit to blue states such as New York, Connecticut and California, and there are concerns it could cause property values to fall in high-tax cities and leave less money for public schools and road repairs.” Since the average California homeowner pays 10K or more per year in property taxes, this affects YOU.

    Pay Early & Still Get Your Deduction

    How can you stay safe from the deduction cap? One way is to pay your second installment of your property taxes (which are usually due in April) before the end of the 2017 year so that you can avoid the amount restriction for 2018 deductions. You can pay online, by e-check, or credit card.

    What if My Taxes Are Impounded Into My Mortgage?

    If you call and check, most lenders won’t be able to guarantee the payment will get sent before the end of the year, but don’t worry…you’re still ok. You can simply pay your property tax online and then just send the proof of payment over to your lender for an escrow account refund. That way you can still write off your full property tax and state income tax before you get stuck only being able to write off $10k combined next year.

    Stay Proactive…Stay Informed

    We want you to know that we reply to all Real Estate tax alerts on our client’s behalf. We care about you and want you to get maximum benefits from being a homeowner. Here’s a recent reply from Luis Correa to one of our requests:

    lou-correa

    Ultimately we all need to watch elections big and small to fight taxes together! Please subscribe to our blog or email us to join the list for regular updates on how to protect your real estate investments.

    We hope you have a Happy & prosperous 2018!

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