NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Angry Verizon Wireless customers took to chat forums and social networks on Thursday after the company said it would begin to charge customers $2 for making one-time bill payments online or by phone using a credit card.
Just reading the headline could be pretty depressing, unless you're one of the lucky and/or wise to have invested in one of these areas... "Washington, New York, Los Angeles and San Diego have seen the smallest declines."
Think you've got enough balls in the air with the holidays approaching? Cooking, hosting guests, shopping, wrapping gifts, sending cards . . . there's so much to juggle.
Winter is a prime time for home fires. With the weather getting colder and the holiday season approaching, we asked Tom Harned, a property risk field manager with Liberty Mutual Insurance and volunteer firefighter, how to protect your home from a fire.
— Compiled by Liberty Mutual Insurance
Feeding the birds is a rewarding and enjoyable hobby in the midst of chilly winter weather, and these easy winter bird feeding tips can help both novice and experienced backyard birders make the most of their feeders during the coldest months of the year.
The Holiday Season is upon us, and if you're reading this, you're likely to do some of your shopping online. Make sure you're ready and that you're privacy and information are protected by changing all of your passwords to be the most secure possible.
Warm up your home during the chilly fall season with these cozy, inviting fireplace designs.
Gone are the days when home improvements were "a dollar in, a dollar (or more!) out."
Still, it's an excellent time to undertake home renovation projects. Contractors, tradesmen, and other skilled craftspeople are eager for work. Their empty schedules may mean better rates for you than in years past. And scaling a gigantic home renovation down to a smaller scope can save money.
iPhone 4S owners are poised to become members of an elite class. Their new phones boast an improved camera, dual antennae and an unpaid personal intern named Siri — all relevant talking points in “Who’s got the real iPhone?” one-upsmanship battles.
The appraiser was due in an hour. The beds were unmade, breakfast dishes in the sink and toys scattered about the playroom. Would she care?
Ok, the award doesn’t exactly have the word “awesomeness” in it, but I’m pretty sure that’s the gist of it.
The Web Marketing Association’s annual WebAward Competition is the standard of excellence for Website development. Independent expert judges from around the world review sites in 96 industries and yesterday it was announced thatColdwell Banker Real Estate LLC has won not one but two prestigious web awards for outstanding achievement in web development.
For the past week, mixed economic news that continues to lead the headlines has helped to keep low mortgage rates stable.
Mortgage rates have fallen to their lowest levels ever, making this a golden opportunity to refinance.
As a public service, Park organizations offer free admission on a rotating basis on the first four Tuesdays of the month to San Diego City & County residents (with ID), active military & their dependents! Today's museums are:
First Tuesday
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
Centro Cultural de la Raza
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum
Fannie Mae, the mortgage finance giant, learned as early as 2003 of extensive foreclosure abuses among the law firms it had hired to remove troubled borrowers from their homes. But the company did little to correct the firms’ practices, according to a report to be issued today.
They're baaack! Zealous investors looking to become landlords or to flip real estate for profit helped fuel the housing boom. When the bubble burst, many licked their wounds and vanished from the scene.
MCLEAN, Va., -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), coming on the heels of the Federal Reserve's recent announcements. The conventional 30-year fixed averaged an all-time record low at 4.01 percent; likewise the 15-year fixed averaged an all-time record low at 3.28 percent for the week.
As with all markets, everything is cyclical! --Dane
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The bank said in a report released Tuesday that Canada's housing market has begun to cool, but it remains a "notable outperformer" compared with other countries.
This is very similar to one of my favorite summer treats, but grilled or broiled sounds delish for winter! (I think a splash of Balsamic vinegar, and a bit of freshly ground pepper makes all the difference!
There have been picnics, but not enough. There was an afternoon at the beach with the setting sun unfurling a spangled ribbon across Puget Sound, and lazy Sundays watching the sailboats on Lake Union, and time spent lying on a blanket staring up into the fluttering leaves of summer trees. We ate on restaurant patios every chance we got.
Even though San Diego isn't on the "top ten" list, the rental market here is getting very competitive, great news for owners, bad news for renters... might this be the time to think about owning rather than renting? --Dane
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What a report card! Another quarter, another round of impressive rent fundamental numbers in the apartment sector, with rent growth continuing, particularly increasing its pace in secondary markets as occupancies return to pre-recession highs.
Banks loosened credit standards on most types of loans in the second quarter, with commercial and industrial lenders citing “aggressive competition” as a reason for the easier terms, according to a Federal Reserve survey.
President Obama has directed a small team of advisers to develop a proposal that would keep the government playing a major role in the nation’s mortgage market, extending a federal loan subsidy for most home buyers, according to people familiar with the matter.
A historic Sunset Boulevard property approved for high-rise construction has been purchased by Hollywood's largest commercial landlord — the latest sign of the neighborhood's economic comeback.
If you take mortgage interest tax deductions, the next 100 days could have significant financial implications for you, thanks to Congress’s new federal debt ceiling plan.
With the San Diego and La Jolla real estate markets (in most areas and price ranges) stable, and interest rates projected to remain fairly steady for quite some time, there's time to enter, or re-enter, what has historically been one of the safest and most lucrative investments available, home ownership.
If you've been hit in the credit score by the economic turmmoil, now is the time to take action to improve it, so you're poised to take advantage of the affordable real estate prices and historically low intereste rates.
-- Dane Christensen, CA DRE #01859011
The higher your credit scores, the better shot you have of getting a loan or credit card application approved. Improving your credit scores takes time, but it can be done. Start by getting free copies of your three major credit reports at the government-authorized site annualcreditreport.com.
Regions across the United States are in need of rain. Ninety-nine percent of the state of Texas is experiencing drought conditions.
In order to help prevent water shortages, each person must take responsibility in conserving water. Take a moment to look over these simple, but effective tips.
New York (CNNMoney) -- At least one fear was not realized amid Monday's meltdown: the concern that mortgage rates would immediately shoot higher in response to Standard & Poor's downgrade of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored entities that are the 800-pound gorillas of the mortgage market.
(I didn't write this article, nor the first line... if I had, it would read, "... one of the 40 million Americans who will move this year..." {I don't think there are 40 million Americans who move EVERY year!} but I think it's a good article, none the less!)
If you're one of the 40 million Americans who move every year, here are some solutions to make your next move more eco-friendly.
Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing mortgage rates dropping sharply amid falling bond yields and signs of a weaker than expected economy. The 30-year fixed averaged 4.39 percent, its lowest level for 2011. The 15-year fixed and 5-year ARM set new historical record lows averaging 3.54 percent and 3.18 percent, respectively.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- As Congress and President Obama hammered out a debt deal over the past week, mortgage rates plunged -- hitting new lows in some instances.
RISMEDIA, July 29, 2011—Prices of “normal” homes—those that aren’t foreclosures or short sales—are stabilizing and the numbers of future foreclosures are falling. That “sliver of good news for consumer spending” was included in CoreLogic’s July report on housing and market trends.
One way sellers can put a happier face on things might be to put a better face on their homes. It’s called “staging:” spending time and money – sometimes significant money – to make to your house look like a model home. Does it work? While an obviously biased source, the International Association of Home Staging Professionals says over 90 percent of professionally staged homes sell within a month.
Mary Gribble gazes up at the cathedral ceiling in the living room of the San Marino home she has lived in since 1965. "It looked like a church," the 82-year-old recalls of the day she first saw the house. "I wanted something pretty rather than grand."
Repairing worn windows, rather than replacing them, can save you thousands of dollars.
Environmentally friendly roof choices can save you money on heating and cooling costs and benefit your entire neighborhood.
Signing up for renters insurance is easy to do and, once you get it, is no greater a drain on your monthly expenses -- and perhaps even less -- than a daily coffee habit. But most importantly, when you have renters insurance and disaster strikes (whether by burglar, flood or fire), knowing that you won't be couchless, computerless or television-free for long, might be exactly the consolation you need to get you through the mishap.
Liberal use of "on the water" has eroded the phrase's descriptive integrity over the years. But in the case of this floating home in Portland, Ore., which sits on a concrete slab over the Columbia River, "on the water" reclaims its semantic virtue.
Prefabricated homes can be far from ordinary: There is a wide spectrum of prefab houses and companies that make them.
The time to solve estate planning problems is before they happen. Otherwise, what you think is a loving act—leaving your home to your heirs—can turn into a financial and familial disaster.
The next time you're in a rush to grab some cash from an ATM or fill up at the gas pump, take a few extra seconds and check over the machine before swiping your card. Otherwise, you could fall victim to a skimmer, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned recently.
Freddie Mac's economists are sticking with a prediction of positive sales growth this year despite the abysmal June jobs report.
The threat of a debt default by Greece and other European countries has created financial turmoil for investors, banks and government officials. It’s also provided a boon to U.S. homeowners.
Not just for coastal living anymore, beach-inspired decorating gives your home the laid-back setting that's just right for summer.
This is absolutely accurate; whether it's a very high-end home on the beach in La Jolla, or a modest condo somewhere else in San Diego county, buyer's expect a lot, and sellers who are unrealistic about the market's exceptions pay the price.
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I've been hearing lately from homeowners who are preparing to list their homes for sale. They know the market isn't great, but they've been waiting for a year or two to move on with their lives (this is known in the industry as "pent-up demand") and have decided to go for it.
A thorough home inspection is a critical step in the home-buying process, which is one reason that it's typically thought of as something the buyer has to do. There are, however, a few things that a seller can do to make the process smoother and ensure that a property gets flying colors during the inspection.
How big a deal is the upcoming cutback in mortgage limits for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration? Will buyers and sellers who depend on jumbo-size loans find themselves in a financing squeeze after Sept. 30, when the limits plunge in key markets across the country ?
There are several plants that you can incorporate into your vegetable or flower garden to repel unwanted bugs. These pests will generally eat, destroy or kill your crops and they may be hard to identify. When you plant items that will keep bugs out of your gardens you are creating your own natural pesticides for a truly organic garden.
Rogue movers want to take you and your belongings for a ride.
Oh! The things I've seen with "Movers" roughing up and shaking down people on moving day!
One of the greatest benefits of working with Coldwell Banker is that you become "Client for Life" with a whole host of benefits, including access to our Exclusive Coldwell Banker Concierge Service:
"Coldwell Banker Concierge Online makes homeownership easy - before, during and after your move. This free service saves you valuable time and money by giving you instant access to our exclusive network of prescreened, quality service providers, carefully selected for their professional qualifications and customer service records. From moving and relocation services to maintenance and home improvement projects, Concierge Online can facilitate every aspect of homeownership to ensure that you have access to the highest level of service providers in California."
RISMEDIA, June 30, 2011—Even with home sales and prices continuing to fall nationwide, millions of Americans will still navigate the process of buying and selling homes this summer, and for many, the sheer volume of details and decisions can be overwhelming. With so much to consider when buying or selling a home, it can be challenging to investigate even routine aspects of the process, such as the value of home warranties.
Your local government is the answer to a lot of questions about your home and your neighborhood—all you have to do is ask.
...housing may soon rise from the dead, argue some economists. And, the severity of the slump may in fact accelerate the arrival of a recovery.
It seems that new travel guides to Italy are being published every five minutes or so. But for those who want to keep it simple, here are the handful of absolute must-read books – three classic novels included – that no tourist to Italy should ever be without.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Permits for housing construction climbed in May, signaling a glimmer of optimism among homebuilders about the future of the housing market.
If Coldwell Banker can sell this house, I betcha we can sell yours!
The long-running drama over the sale of the highest-priced home in the U.S. appears to be heading to its finale.
Bank of America Corp unnecessarily burdened U.S. regulators who were reviewing the mortgage giant's foreclosure practices, according to a court filing.
This is a great article... I'm working with a lot of investors nation-wide who see the value of investing in San Diego, where a number of positive cash-flow properties can be found.
As home prices fall and rents rise, some investors are plunking their money into real estate, chasing the cash flow that comes along with becoming a landlord.
Americans are reducing mortgage payments at a record clip, directing cash that once went for debt into consumer spending and savings.
A wave of foreclosures is forcing down home prices in most major U.S. cities. But economists and real estate agents are noticing what they call a key first step for any housing recovery: a drop in the glut of homes for sale in markets hit hardest by foreclosures.
It's all about sales this week, with the most recent reports coming out on existing-home, new home, and pending home sales.
Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, floods, tsunamis, massive winter storms... regardless of where you live, this is important stuff!
Preparing and keeping a fully stocked home emergency preparedness kit could be the key to your family’s safety if disaster strikes.
After that, the maximum loan amount that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will back is scheduled to drop from $729,750 to $625,500. And that may make mortgages more expensive or harder to get for buyers like the Schreibers, who are shopping in the $700,000 range and would prefer to make a downpayment of 10 percent or less.
One of the main reasons transactions don't close on time is the mortgage approval process. Even though you may be preapproved by a lender, you will still need to provide additional documentation to satisfy today's underwriters who scrutinize buyers' finances zealously.
It's necessary to remove all the personal touches you've made within your home in an effort to make the place as impersonal as possible when staging your home for sale. A neutral-colored palette, without all the clutter, helps potential buyers envision how their personal taste can be implemented into the house.
Coldwell Banker continues to lead the industry with technology and innovation to better serve our clients, yet another reason to choose Coldwell Banker to represent your interests in any real estate transaction.
The Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC website, coldwellbanker.com, has been named a 2011 Official Honoree of The Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. The website, developed in partnership with FD kinesis and Bootstrap Software, was recognized as the only national real estate brand in the Website Real Estate category.
Living a low-impact lifestyle means thinking twice about how your actions affect the health of the Earth. You may not believe that your everyday choices can make a difference, but you're wrong. Making small changes in your own household is the best way to inspire bigger change.
Great information, worth the 90 seconds it takes to read it...
The recent hacking of the email marketing company Epsilon, which manages seven of Fortune's top ten companies in the country, exposed the names and emails of clients of companies like Best Buy, JPMorgan Chase and Capitol One. So you may have noticed lately some strange emails from folks you do business with, such as your bank.
While affordable housing prices, ample inventories, and historically low interest rates signal ‘buyer’s market’ for investors or move-up buyers in many U.S. markets, inexperienced first-time buyers may not know if the time is right to make a move into real estate.
On March 14 in Paris, Bernard Guillas, La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s highly venerated Marine Room executive chef, will be inducted into the elite ranks of the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France(Master Chefs of France).
The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County is now $3.922, seven-tenths of a cent higher than on Sunday, and 85.5 cents more than a year ago.
Applications for unemployment benefits decreased by 20,000 to 368,000 in the week ended Feb. 26, Labor Department figures showed today. Economists forecast claims would climb to 395,000, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. The total number of people receiving unemployment insurance fell to the lowest level since October 2008.
President Barack Obama's signature foreclosure prevention program is helping tens of thousands of borrowers a month and killing it would be a mistake, a top administration official said on Wednesday.
In films, houses are often metaphors for a state of mind or an idea. Residential settings in two recent Academy Award contenders are especially evocative — and show how design creates a mood. Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer stars Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, and Kim Cattrall but the isolated and foreboding modern house by the sea — where much of the action takes place — has an important supporting role. The house where the ex British Prime Minister (Brosnan) works on his memoirs with his ghost writer (McGregor) after the previous writer’s mysterious disappearance.
Applications for unemployment benefits decreased by 20,000 to 368,000 in the week ended Feb. 26, Labor Department figures showed today. Economists forecast claims would climb to 395,000, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. The total number of people receiving unemployment insurance fell to the lowest level since October 2008.
There might finally be some good news this year about the nation's dismal housing market. Or, at least, the bad news could stop.
Either way, it will be welcome relief for current homeowners as well as for potential real-estate investors. Reasons to be optimistic have been sadly lacking since the housing bubble burst in 2006.
Winter is a good time to think about how to attract birds to your garden with a wildlife-friendly habitat.
After slight movement early last week, mortgage rates ended up looking better for borrowers with a decrease of .125% for conforming 30 year and 15 year mortgage interest rates making them more competitive with FHA mortgage rates.
Wow, entirely different mindset from the US! What do you think?
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Spain, like the U.S., is going through a huge real estate bust.
But only around 3.5 percent of Spaniards with mortgages stopped making payments last year. In the U.S., the rate was above 9 percent.
Mercury is a toxic element, and is currently an unavoidable part of CFLs. Each CFL contains about 5 mg of mercury, equivalent to the tip of a ballpoint pen. For comparison, those old mercury thermometers we all used as kids had 50-100 mg of mercury in them. And like the thermometers, the mercury in CFLs is released only if the glass is broken. Broken bulbs release mercury vapor and a mercury- containing phosphor powder.
Whether you are building an accessory structure in the backyard or trying to decide whether you need to shovel off your roof after a storm, you need a way to learn whether your roof materials are up to the weight--expressed as psf, or pounds per square foot--of the snowfall in your area. This pressure is increased or decreased based on the pitch of the roof. You can compute real-time snow load for quick decision-making or use official figures to design a new building.
Home ownership has a significant impact on net worth, educational achievement, civic participation, health, and overall quality of life. And, home ownership helps create jobs—lots of them—right here at home.
Talk about misplaced priorities: In the name of saving energy, many people think nothing of spending tens of thousands of dollars on replacement windows. But at the same time, they'll willingly limp along with an obsolete furnace whose replacement would have a far greater payoff, dollar for dollar, on both their utility bills and their home's comfort.
Schedule A is the part of Form 1040 you use to list myriad deductions, and the more moving parts, the more prone you are to misinterpretation. To save you heartache, we asked four tax experts to weigh in on the six most common Schedule A mistakes do-it-yourselfers make.
WASHINGTON — JPMorgan Chase & Co. has returned 10 homes to military families whose properties were seized when they should have been protected a by law designed to shield service members from financial stress, a bank executive said.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Obama administration will issue a proposal later this week recommending the gradual elimination of government-sponsored mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a White House official said Wednesday.
As the federal government's flagship mortgage-modification program comes under scrutiny for failing to meet its goal of helping three to four million troubled homeowners, state-level efforts to boost modifications appear to be picking up momentum.
“There’s a lot of room for negotiation in the costs of closing and consumers should examine every charge and not hesitate to challenge them and try to bring them down,” says Barry Zigas, director of housing policy at the Consumer Federation of America.
Whether it’s summer heat or winter cold, insulation makes your house a lot more livable. From 2009 to 2010, the government helped out, letting you take $1,500 in tax credits for adding insulation. If you took full advantage of this credit, congratulations:
Anticipation of improved conditions in business and the job market caused consumer confidence to inch up in January.
Whether or not global warming is one of your top concerns, some of the latest reasons for greening your home may inspire you to design with more eco-friendly materials in mind.
If you buy a really expensive house or a condominium (or even a cooperative apartment), the IRS has some good news for you. Despite the statutory limitation that prohibits you from deducting mortgage interest on any principal amount over $1 million, there is a loophole. You can also deduct interest on up to $100,000 more in home-equity loans.
The stock market's up, production is up, consumer confidence is up, consumer prices are up - and so are mortgage interest rates, based on this week's Freddie Mac survey and overnight movements.
The economy grew at a 3.2% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2010, the Commerce Department reported, aided by stronger consumer spending and trade. Economists were expecting growth of 3.5% and don't feel the numbers suggest strong hiring.
Impress buyers right off the bat with a beautiful entrance. "I always tell sellers to put a fresh coat of paint on the front door,"...
But the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission report released Thursday and its anti-climactic finding — that the subprime mortgage-fueled disaster was avoidable and that many bear responsibility — has prompted a collective shrug among many analysts and those in the financial community.
Wandering the aisles at a home show, it's easy to daydream: that new kitchen, new bathroom, new patio.
But with belt-tightening a way of life, we've gotten a lot more practical at home shows. Now, we want to know how.
Today's sellers are on the hunt for creative ways to ramp up their marketing. It is a necessity in today's tough market to have several tricks up your sleeve.
"Jane Austen’s Emma – A Musical Romantic Comedy," at the Old Globe Theatre, captures the essence of the original book with its witty dialogue and amusing situations, but now profits from a delightful score sung by enormously talented performers.
Two exhibits representing two very different art worlds open Jan. 27 at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park: "Howard Hodgkin: Time and Place" and "Thomas Gainsborough and the Modern Woman." Here’s a synopsis of each "show."
It is critical to respond to counteroffers as soon as possible and to avoid making a counteroffer with any term that is not truly a deal breaker. Delays in responding leave space open for another buyer to step in and create a bidding war, or even more likely, for the seller to perceive that other serious buyers might be out there. A seller's mere perception of a hint of a whiff of the scent of a potential bidding war is a homebuyer's number one nemesis, ratcheting up the possible sales price in the seller's head on an exponential basis.
Don’t rouse the IRS or pay more taxes than necessary—know the score on each home tax deduction and credit.
Joshua Littman, a 12-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome, interviews his mother, Sarah. Joshua's unique questions and Sarah's loving, unguarded answers reveal a beautiful relationship that reminds us of the best—and the most challenging—parts of being a parent.
You don't have to spend a lot of time or money
If you are like most homeowners, there are home improvements that need to be done -- like painting the exterior or replacing a roof -- and those that could be done to make your home look better.
Now that 2010 has gone down as one of history’s hottest years, many states are choosing not to wait for Congress to tackle global warming and are taking their own steps to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
States are increasingly adopting stricter, energy-saving building codes; spending more money (partly federal) on energy efficiency; and prodding polluters to cut heat-trapping emissions.
The Federal Reserve gathers for its first policy meeting this year amid increasing signs that the U.S. economy is doing better, but the improvements don’t look strong enough to make officials change their easy-money policies supporting growth.
I joined Coldwell Banker for two major reasons... first, it's a company that is literally founded on the principles of ethics, integrity and client-protection, and second because it's the leader in the use of emerging technology and innovation.
We're just rolling out an awesome new tool called "HomeBase" which will up-level the whole experience of every real estate transaction... check it out!
(MONEY Magazine) -- Not long ago, you could have your big remodeling project and get your money back too. Owners recouped an average of 87% of home improvement costs at resale in 2005, according to Remodeling magazine.
Effective January 1, 2011, California first trust deed mortgage holders who consent to a short sale of residential property (up to four units) are prohibited from seeking a deficiency judgment for the difference between the mortgage balance and the proceeds realized through the sale.
While consumer spending and some other key economic indicators have been trending up in recent months, the thing that Americans really want to see — job growth — hasn't been as strong as anyone would like. After all, while the jobless rate fell by nearly half a percentage point in December, it still stood at 9.4 percent and businesses added only 103,000 jobs (a small number in an economy with more than 130 million jobs).
Analysts expect two key indexes of housing prices to tell slightly different stories about valuations in the real estate market. The Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller price index is expected to show a 0.9 percent decline in November home prices, according to a consensus of forecasters. The Federal Housing Finance Agency price index is expected to be unchanged for the same month.
Palm Beach, Hilton Head, Santa Barbara. They're some of the most coveted vacation and retirement home markets in the nation -- and like many other locales popular with retirees, they're seeing an uptick in home sales. It's a trend that's catching the attention of many soon-to-be retirees, too, who wonder if those buyers are onto something. And it begs the question: With housing prices depressed and interest rates low, should you buy a retirement home even if you're years away from living in it?
(One of my most recent clients did this, and I can't wait to see the results!)
You can slam cabinet and bedroom doors only so many times before you have to repair and replace hardware that is loose, broken, or just plain old and tired. It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to tighten loose hardware, clean globs of paint off a hinge, or replace cabinet pulls to brighten any room in the house.
If a Sunday stroll down Prospect Street isn’t enough to illustrate how extraordinarily busy La Jolla is — with businesses and people moving in and out, sustaining an active real estate market — just let the numbers do the talking.
The first step in the homebuying process is to find out what you can afford to pay for a house, condo or co-op. This will depend on the amount of cash you have available for a down payment, your credit, income, assets and overall financial situation.
Ski out your front door: 9 homes
Many skiers hitting the slopes this winter are also hitting the local real estate offices. Here's what's they'll find for sale at resorts around the country.
The San Diego real estate market is one of the strongest in the nation, and it is a good place to invest. As a result many of my clients are considering a variety of options about how to get into the market.
Should parents help a family member pay for a new home? Financially and emotionally, it can be a great investment - but at what price?
There is some great advice and background info to think about. The video says it all.
Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®). The survey results showed lower mortgage rates for both long- and short-term rates, with the 30-year reaching a four-week low.
More robust growth of jobs and incomes should offset much of the impact of the rise in rates, and help make 2011 a year of recovery for the housing market, as well as the economy overall.
Particularly relevant in the San Diego real estate market, which is widely seen as one of the few strongest markets in the US. Clearly, the fence-sitters (both sellers and buyers) should be actively working with a good agent if they're to take advantage of these factors!
"I wouldn't be surprised to see mortgage rates stay at these levels for the next few months," said Paul Dales, U.S. economist for Capital Economics Ltd. in Toronto. "The main driver of what's happened is the 10-year Treasury, which has leveled off a bit."
Whatever your industry... Real Estate, Mortgages, Tech Support, Health Care, Legal, Banking, Financial Advice, Hospitality,Education, or what-have-you, we have to keep up with the latest technologies.
In anticipation of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and for those us who are hoping to see the new "Verizon iPhone," or "iPhone 5" and, of course, the "Next Gen iPad" announced at MacWorld 2011 in San Francisco (darn the luck, for those of us stuck in La Jolla, San Diego or anywhere else) ... I offer this to assuage our technological frustrations!
Enjoy!
Dane Christensen
Dane@DaneChristensenRealtor, 858-535-1521
(California Real Estate Lic # 01859011)
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, La Jolla
As a Realtor® in La Jolla and San Diego, my clients increasingly expect advanced technology such as anytime, anyplace access to the MLS, remote and mobile electronic document signing, etc. I go the extra mile to ensure that the systems I use are the safest possible... if you're doing banking online, make sure your bank is safeguarding you too!
As a Realtor® in La Jolla and San Diego, my clients increasingly expect advanced technology such as anytime, anyplace access to the MLS, remote and mobile electronic document signing, etc. I go the extra mile to ensure that the systems I use are the safest possible... if you're doing banking online, make sure your bank is safeguarding you too!
It won’t be easy to obtain a mortgage after foreclosure. But with enough time, discipline, and desire, you can own your own home again. Here’s what you need to do:
Okay, I know what you're thinking... "not another resolution, or yet another list" ... but for the serious homebuyer or seller, these are some great tips.
It's a cliche that nobody sticks to their New Year's resolutions. Many don't, of course, but if we weren't keeping our resolutions, nobody would drop on one bended knee and propose. Nobody would look for a new job. Books, plays and movies wouldn't be written. Bridges and buildings wouldn't be built. Nobody would save up and travel on that once in a lifetime vacation around the world.
It was a super-busy holiday season for me (lots of work, yay!), and as a result I missed a lot of these fun things... but this is terrific if you haven't seen it! But I'm totally ahead of schedule now!
