Although we meet during the year, it seems like they come alive even more during the holidays. They are only allowed to watch limited TV.; however the media seems to have creeped up into their sphere through osmosis or otherwise. Through their world, I have been enlightened over the years with all the toys that delight them, from Thomas the Tank to the personlizaed cars, all these with faces and personalities of their own.

Looking back, I grew up in a relatively quiet household with a mellow family and one younger sister.   There were no boys in the family for quite a while.  Now my four active nephews keep us all on our toes.

Keeping up with all the latest games and fads is another challege we grown ups have.  Trying to make sense of what seems senseless playthings.  The house is decorated, the stockings up and the boys all filled with wonder about what they will find.; The oldest one is sworn to keep the secret about Santa’s true identity so not to spoil it for the others.

As Christmas Eve draws near, so does the anticipation of opening presents and remembering the true meaning of the Christian holiday.

I wish you a very happy holiday and may you new year be filled with lots of good fortune, love, laughter and perhaps a nephew or two to brighten your world.

WISHING YOU A SPECIAL HOLIDAY CELEBRATION!!

You might be wondering if buying a home during the holidays is a wise idea. Here are some good reasons to consider buying your home during the holiday months.

Here are five good reasons:

1.  December and early January are usually slower for sales and  sellers are motivated since they might not have sold the property in earlier months.

2. Rates are the lowest they have been in years and many options
are available, especially for buyers willing to put down 20% or more as a down
payment.

3.  There is  less competition to deal with which means less stress for you during the holidays.

4. Tax advantages: you may be eligible for deductions on points and mortgage interest if you close by the end of the year. Consult your tax advisor. deduction.

5. Lower prices & lower rates.

You should decide if this is a good time for you to buy.  Keep in mind, homes that did not sell over the summer are also available are great deals.  Furthermore, pricing might rise again after the New Year, so it might be a good time to find a bargain.

Good luck with your home search.

* Install these energy-efficient measures:
o Replace and recycle your old refrigerator and purchase energy-efficient models. Units only 10 years old can use twice as much electricity as a new ENERGY STAR® labeled model.
o Insulate ceilings to R-30 or higher if your attic has less than R-11 levels.
o Caulk windows, doors and anywhere air leaks in or out. Do not caulk around water heater and furnace exhaust pipes.
o Weatherstrip around windows and doors.
o Wrap heating and cooling ducts with duct wrap, or use mastic sealant.
o Install energy-saver showerheads.
* When buying new appliances, be sure to purchase energy-efficient ENERGY STAR® labeled models.
* Set the furnace thermostat at 68 degrees or lower, and the air-conditioner thermostat at 78 degrees or higher, health permitting. 3 percent to 5 percent more energy is used for each degree the furnace is set above 68 degrees and for each degree the air conditioner is set below 78 degrees.
* If your old air conditioner is on its way out replace it with ENERGY STAR® labeled energy-efficient model.
* Use compact fluorescent lamps. You can lower your lighting bill by converting to energy-efficient low-wattage compact fluorescent lighting and fixtures.
* Replace old windows with new high performance dual pane windows.
* Clean or replace furnace and air-conditioner filters regularly, following manufacturer’s instructions.
* Set the water heater thermostat at 140 degrees or “normal.” If you have a dishwasher. Otherwise, set it at 120 degrees or “low.” Check your dishwasher to see if you can use 120 degree water. Follow the manufacturer’s direction on yearly maintenance to extend the life of your unit.
* Fix defective plumbing or dripping faucets. A single dripping hot water faucet can waste 212 gallons of water a month. That not only increases water bills, but also increases the gas or electric bill for heating the water.
* Wash only full loads in a dishwasher and use the shortest cycle that will get your dishes clean. If operating instructions allow, turn off the dishwasher before the drying cycle, open the door and let the dishes dry naturally.
* Defrost refrigerators and freezers before ice buildup becomes 1/4-inch thick.
* Install shades, awnings or sunscreens on windows facing south and/or west to block summer light. In winter, open shades on sunny days to help warm rooms.
* Close the damper when the fireplace is not being used. Try not to use the fireplace and central heating system at the same time.

You can do most of these items yourself, and save on labor cost.  Thanks to many home improvement stores, you can easily purchase the supplies you need and install them in a few hours.  The satisfaction you receive will be well worth the effort.  Now good luck and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Jobs, who founded and ran Apple, told us what we needed before we wanted it.

“To some people, this is like Elvis Presley or John Lennon. It’s a change in our times. It’s the end of an era,” said Scott Robbins, 34, a barber and an Apple fan. “It’s like the end of the innovators.”

Apple announced his death without giving a specific cause. He died peacefully on Wednesday, according to a statement from family members who were present. He was 56.

“Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives,” Apple’s board said in a statement. “The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”

President Barack Obama said in a statement that Jobs “exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity.”

“Steve was among the greatest of American innovators — brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world and talented enough to do it,” he said.

Outside Apple’s Cupertino headquarters, three flags — an American flag, a California state flag and an Apple flag — were flying at half-staff late Wednesday.

Cultivating Apple’s countercultural sensibility and a minimalist design ethic, Jobs rolled out one sensational product after another, even in the face of the late-2000s recession and his own failing health.

He helped change computers from a geeky hobbyist’s obsession to a necessity of modern life at work and home, and in the process he upended not just personal technology but the cellphone and music industries.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,” he said. “Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”

Jobs is survived by his biological mother; his sister Mona Simpson; Lisa Brennan-Jobs, his daughter with Brennan; wife Laurene, and their three children, Erin, Reed and Eve.

A Collection of Inspirational Steve Jobs Quotes About Life, Design and Apple

A Collection of Inspirational Steve Jobs Quotes About Life, Design and Apple

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

“I was worth over $1,000,000 when I was 23, and over $10,000,000 when I was 24, and over $100,000,000 when I was 25, and it wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money.”

“In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.” – Fortune

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” – Wikiquote, as quoted in The Wall Street Journal (Summer 1993).

“When I hire somebody really senior, competence is the ante. They have to be really smart. But the real issue for me is, Are they going to fall in love with Apple? Because if they fall in love with Apple, everything else will take care of itself.

They’ll want to do what’s best for Apple, not what’s best for them, what’s best for Steve, or anybody else.” – via

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – via

“I mean, some people say, ‘Oh, God, if [Jobs] got run over by a bus, Apple would be in trouble.’ And, you know, I think it wouldn’t be a party, but there are really capable people at Apple. My job is to make the whole executive team good enough to be successors, so that’s what I try to do.” – CNNMoney

“It’s not about pop culture, and it’s not about fooling people, and it’s not about convincing people that they want something they don’t. We figure out what we want. And I think we’re pretty good at having the right discipline to think through whether a lot of other people are going to want it, too. That’s what we get paid to do.” – CNNMoney

“So when a good idea comes, you know, part of my job is to move it around, just see what different people think, get people talking about it, argue with people about it, get ideas moving among that group of 100 people, get different people together to explore different aspects of it quietly, and, you know – just explore things.” – CNNMoney

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.” – Fortune

“Click. Boom. Amazing!” – Macworld keynote 2006

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” – Inc. Magazine

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Houses are affordable again.

Homes haven’t been this affordable since 1991. Economists often define affordability as the ratio of median home price to median family income. According to Fiserv Case-Shiller, the U.S. ratio now stands at 2.6 — down from a peak of 4.1 in mid-2005 and just under the long-term average of 2.8. Of course, some areas continue to defy affordability. In California’s coastal cities and the New York metro area, the ratio is 5 or more. Average mortgage payments are another way to look at affordability. Since the housing market’s peak in 2006, the average principal-and-interest payment in the U.S. has fallen from $1,063 to $645.

Mortgage rates won’t go any lower.

For the past couple of years, interest rates have hovered at levels last seen when the veterans came home from the Korean War. According to HSH.com, which tracks mortgage rates, at the beginning of August the national average 30-year fixed rate was 4.5 percent. FHA loans, which require only a 3.5 percent down payment, had a 4.3 percent rate. Adjustable-rate mortgages are even cheaper, and even rates for jumbo mortgages have hit lows not seen since the 1980s.

Freddie Mac forecasts a 30-year fixed rate of 5 percent by year’s end and 6 percent by late 2012. Standard & Poor’s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating won’t have an immediate effect on rates because of the weak economy (see Ripple Effects of the U.S. Debt Downgrade). But credit is tighter, and you’ll need a credit score of 740 or more and a down payment of at least 25 percent to nab the lowest rates.

It’s a buyer’s market.

Demand is low; supply is high. In early summer, the National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes (single-family houses and condos) fell by 9 percent from the year before. NAR also reported 9.5 months’ supply of homes. That’s how long it would take to sell all the homes on the market at the current pace of sales, and it strongly favors buyers. (Four to six months’ supply is considered balanced between buyer and seller.)

With so much selection, you’ll find more properties in good school districts or near your job, or homes that offer added value, such as a mother-in-law suite. You’ll spend less time shopping and competing against other bidders.

New home buyers: If you’re searching among entry-level homes, which had more extreme price declines than upper-end houses did over the past year, you may face stiff competition from investors. They typically pay cash, which makes them attractive to sellers who want to close the deal fast.

You may find a distressed property.

Bank-owned foreclosures (or REOs, for “real estate owned” properties) sell for an average discount of 35 percent off the per-square-foot price of conventional homes for sale, according to RealtyTrac.

Short sales, or homes sold with lenders’ permission for less than their owners owe on their mortgages, have also grown in number. Lenders have become more amenable to them as they seek to avoid the often huge losses associated with foreclosures.

Banks may still take two to six months to sign off on a short sale, so patience is imperative.

Homeownership is still attractive.

A home is the biggest purchase most people ever make. But deciding whether and what to buy isn’t purely a financial decision, says Chris Herbert, research director at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. When you own a home, you can control your living environment and security, upgrade and change your home as you see fit, and create a sense of rootedness in your community.

You can offset some of the cost of homeownership by deducting mortgage interest. But don’t mistake a home for an investment, at least not in the short run. “If your goal is to jump in and get a return of 6 percent annually, that’s a bad idea,” says Fiserv’s Stiff, given the forecast for weak price appreciation. Instead, you need to commit to owning the home for at least five to seven years to ride out any further price declines and recoup your down payment and transaction costs. If you think that you might need a bigger home before that time to accommodate a growing family or that you might have to move to another area for your job, don’t buy unless you’re willing to become a long-distance landlord.

Shop carefully, and be patient.  It may take three to four months to find the right house.

People can get a lot of what they need and almost all of what they want today, However,  when the market starts improving, your negotiating power will start to diminish.  Would you rather compete in a buyer’s market or wait until it becomes a sellers market and face multiple buyers and major disappointments. ??

If you’re qualified to buy a home now, and the purchase makes sense for your situation, and you’re prepared to live in that home for at least five years then now is the time to buy.
Not all markets have experienced huge drops, however, so it’s wise to take a look at how far prices have fallen in your area.

In most of the cities where home values experienced a double dip after the expiration of the homebuyer’s tax credit in mid-2010, median prices won’t fall below their 2009 or 2010 lows, says David Stiff, Fiserv’s chief economist. These metropolitan areas include San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego and Washington, D.C. But in areas with a lingering oversupply of homes for sale, Fiserv forecasts a decline of 10 percent or more in the median home price (for the year ending March 31, 2012). These metropolitan areas include Riverside–San Bernardino, Calif.; Las Vegas; and Miami.

A credit union is a non-profit, member-owned financial institution that offers a variety of financial services similar to a bank. Your credit union offers checking and savings accounts, ATMs, loans and online banking services. Credit unions are insured by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), a private insurance fund backed by the federal government.
Member Owned

Every person with an account at a credit union is a member and this makes you a partial owner of your credit union. You will get to vote on who you want to serve on the Board of Directors and this board will help guide the direction of the credit union. This means you can provide input about what financial services you would like provided through the credit union.

Selection of Financial Services
Through your credit union you can open checking, savings and/or money market accounts (with direct deposit and wire transfer capability); get a credit card with low or no annual fee and lower interest rates. You can also get a mortgage or car loan.
In addition to the basic services that you expect at a financial institution, you may also find that your credit union offers notary services, credit counseling, financial education and investment services.

Better Interest Rates and Lower Fees
Credit unions offer higher interest rates on your savings, money market and CD deposits than you can typically find at banks. They also offer lower interest rates on your mortgage, auto loans and credit cards. These better interest rates are a result of the non-profit arrangement in which credit unions pass profits back to the members in the form of better interest rates.
Credit union members enjoy the benefits of lower fees–low or no annual fees on credit cards, free or low-cost checking accounts and free ATM usage.

Excellent Customer Service
Since each customer of the credit union is also a member, the customer service level at credit unions is known to be excellent. In an American Banker Gallup poll, credit unions consistently ranked higher in customer service than banks.

Local credit Unions.  Find one in your neighborhood.

1. Alliance Credit Union – San Jose
Serves members in the San Jose, CA and Wilmington, North Carolina areas.
www.alliancecreditunion.org
2. KeyPoint Credit Union – Sunnyvale
Provides a full range of financial services.
www.keypointcu.com
3. 1st United Services Credit Union – Alameda County
Provides financial services to members in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Kings County, CA, and Churchill County, NV, as well as online banking.
www.1stuscu.org
4. Pacific Advantage Federal Credit Union – Burlingame
www.pacadfcu.org
5. Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union – Livermore
www.SLFCU.org
6. KeyPoint Credit Union – Sunnyvale
Provides a full range of financial services.
www.keypointcu.com
7. 1st United Services Credit Union – Alameda County
Provides financial services to members in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Kings County, CA, and Churchill County, NV, as well as online banking.
www.1stuscu.org
8. Star One Credit Union – Sunnyvale
www.starone.org
9. San Francisco Federal Credit Union – San Francisco
For city and county employees of San Francisco.
www.SanFranciscoFCU.com
10. Cal State 9 Credit Union – Berkeley
Member-owned financial cooperative serving California State & University employees in the nine SF Bay Area counties.
www.calstate9.org
11. Redwood City Sequoia School Employees Federal Credit Union – Redwood City
Serves the financial needs of its membership and is the primary source of their lending and borrowing needs.
www.rcsse.org
12. Palo Alto Community Federal Credit Union – Palo Alto
www.pacommunityfcu.com
13. Valley Credit Union – San Jose
www.valleycu.org
14. San Francisco Police Credit Union (SFPCU) – San Francisco
www.sfpcu.org
15. Silverado Federal Credit Union – Angwin
www.silveradofcu.com
    Patelco Credit Union – San Francisco
Delivers service through its 38 branches and nationwide network of ATMs and service centers.
www.patelco.org
16. Commonwealth Central Credit Union – San Jose
Member-owned, cooperative financial institution formed to encourage savings and make loans at competitve rates. Serving Santa Clara County, CA.
www.commonwealthcu.org
17. Sterlent Credit Union – Pleasanton
Locations in Hayward, Oakland, Pleasanton, Sacramento, and San Ramon.
www.sterlentcu.org

Why is it a good time to buy for investement.  There are several reasons.  Let me get righ tto it.  Your purchase of single family house, condo, or multi plex is a great way to cash flow and at the same time increase your wealth as the property gains value.  Manhy investors are realizing that they have arrived at decision time,  a chance to shortcut to financial freedom.

MARKET CONDITIONS:   The fact of the matter is rates are low and are expected to stay low for many months.  Combined with this are rental prices which are going up.  More and more homeowners are seeking to rent after having lost their homes to foreclosure or the sub-prime market scams.  Inventory of homes for sale is high, however loans are not as easy to find as before.

A rental property or duplex with tenants contributing rent each month might ease your cash flow shortages.  Your purchase may increase your wealth as the property gains value.After the first few months of operation, your monthly rents should take care of your debts and expenses. You’ll have more positive cash flow and you’ll be able to use it any way you want.   SOUND GOOD?  SOUND GREAT!!!  It’s up to you to recognize that there are opportunites that are created in any economy,  no matter what the statistics show.
VACATION RENTALS:   Have you thought about owning your own cabin, cottage, seaside condo or vacation home; somewhere away from the city where you live & work; a place where you could get away to for weekends & holidays?  This same home could be rented ocassionally to cover your annual costs of taxes, upgrades or minor repairs.  Dont’ have a property manager?  Let me show you how to get started.  Property management services are very reasonable and will give you a boost in the early months of ownership.

Investors realize these opportunities and JUMP IN  at the earliest possible time. This is why you cannot find reasonably priced properties on the market for very long.  A first time buyer couple was looking for a home under 300K. They went to many open houses and searched online; drove by neighborhoods and talked with people on the internet.  Unfortunately, they were up against tough competition in their price range because investors were purchasing these properties for CASH.  CASH is king to the banks. If you are in this postiion, you should work with an experienced Realtor (like myself of course) who will guide you and enable you to make the best offer.

I have so much to share and explain, the content of which cannot be blogged. I will be here all day.  The special strategies I use are reserved for YOU THE CUSTOMER/ BUYER/CLIENT.  It’s up to you to find the motivation to buy now.  Time is running out!

There are some fantastic opportunities available in properties today, scattered throughout the bay area. Contact a real estate professional  (like myself) for the latest listings and get started on your journey toward financial freedom!  BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR JOURNEY!

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August 23, 2011

Fewer distressed property sales in July; California pending home sales decline, C.A.R. reports

LOS ANGELES (Aug. 23) – California pending home sales dipped in July, as did the share of sales of distressed properties, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today.

Pending home sales:

Pending home sales in California fell 1.7 percent in July, according to C.A.R.’s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI)*.  The index was 117.0 in July, down from June’s index of 119.0, based on contracts signed in July.  The index was up 4.9 percent from July 2010.  Pending home sales are forward-looking indicators of future home sales activity, providing information on the future direction of the market.

“While pending home sales dipped in July, all indications show we should continue at the current level for the next couple of months,” said C.A.R. President Beth L. Peerce.  “Pending sales have been ahead of last year’s level for the past three consecutive months and should be on track to finish the year even with last year’s pace.”

Distressed housing market data:

• The total share of all distressed property types sold statewide fell to 44.5 percent in July, down from June’s 46.9 percent.  The share of distressed sales also was down from a year prior, when distressed sales totaled 47.7 percent of all home sales.
• Of the distressed properties sold statewide, 17.5 percent were short sales, a decline from last month’s share of 19.3 percent and last July’s share of 20.9 percent.
• At 26.7 percent, the share of REO (real estate-owned) sales was down from June’s 27.3 percent figure, but was up slightly from the 26.3 percent reported in July 2010.
• Non-distressed sales made up the remaining share of home sales in July at 55.5 percent, up from 53.1 percent in June and 52.3 percent in July 2010.

Late last week, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced it has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to establish consistent policies and processes for the servicing of delinquent loans.  The alignment will help servicers do a better job of resolving delinquencies in a more consistent and expeditious manner, keep more consumers in their homes whenever possible and minimize losses to companies and taxpayers.

The directive will streamline and expedite borrower outreach, align mortgage modification terms and requirements, and establish a consistent schedule of performance-based incentive payments and penalties.

The updated guidelines also prevent servicers from seeking foreclosure at the same time a borrower is being considered for a loan modification.

FHFA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac said these directives are in response to concerns about servicer performance raised throughout the industry and government.

C.A.R. has been meeting regularly with industry regulators, lenders, and servicers to press for improvements to the short sale process and will continue to do so until significant improvements are made.

More info:  http://www.fhfa.gov/webfiles/21190/SAI42811Final.pdf