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Thursday, October 14, 2010
Open House this Sunday at 2670 Grandoaks Drive. Come see the Amazing Views and this Fantastic Home!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
lydia@lydiagable.com has shared: States launch foreclosure probe
| How will this affect your real estate plans? I am always tracking the market and if you have questions, please contact me! | |
| States launch foreclosure probe Source: money.cnn.com Forty-nine state attorneys general announced a coordinated probe Wednesday into improper foreclosures performed by the nation's largest loan servicers, but stopped short of calling for a freeze on all foreclosures. |  |
Monday, October 11, 2010
Life Long Learning
In an on-going effort to provide seniors in the Thousand Oaks area with programs that enhance their well-being and provide education, Senior Concerns, in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is pleased to present a seminar on the benefits of continuing your education without the stress of grades or taking tests! Osher promotes "learning for learning's sake" and offers classes that inspire such as American Foreign Policy, John Steinbech's East Of Eden, Basic Cellular Biology, and The Architecture of Classical Music.
This class will take place Tuesday, October 12th at 5:30pm to 7pm at Senior Concerns Adult Day Center,401 Hodencamp Road, Learn about the OSHER Life Long Learning Institute's Program for mature learners, discover the vast array of topics that are offered, and find out how close to home these classes are available. Light refreshments will be served and a recommended donation is $5.00. For more information, please click here.
Thousand Oaks 91360. Please call (805)497-0189 to RSVP.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Home Security Secrets From The Pros
For most home owners, the security of their property is top on their list of concerns. Ensuring that your family and belongings are safe gives peace of mind and the many have no problem paying good money for such protection. In fact, according to Security Sales & Integration magazine, Americans spent $28.2 billion on electronic security systems in 2009, up from $25.9 billion in 2006.
The market for security systems is huge, there are hundreds of different types of systems on the market as well as different companies that specialize in systems and monitoring. Even if you have done your research, there are still some things that your home security firm may not be telling you. Below are some misconceptions and facts you might not have known!
- Don't assume that your alarm will automatically alert the local authorities. For most alarm systems, if it goes off it will ring to your security firms central station. Typically a representative from the company will call you and ask for the code word you have set up and if the correct one is not provided only then will they contact the police.It is a good idea to check with your firm and confirm their policy before you actually need this service. Also be aware that this central station may be staffed by a third-party subcontractor not the company you signed up with.
- Expensive gadgets are not necessary. Most experts and the police agree that an effective home-security system will have both perimeter and interior sensing devices. It is not necessary to have an alarm on every single window in the house, but rather sensors are the key to protects all areas of the home. High tech shock detectors, lasers and other gadgets sound impressive but are not necessary to create a secure home. Protecting all the doors with motion sensors are the key.
- Be aware and understand any contract with your security firm before signing. For most security firms, their policy is to renew your contract automatically unless specified otherwise. Because most contracts are for extended time periods like three or more years, homeowners could overlook the expiration date and then be stuck with an extension on their contract. But is important to consider that auto renewal is also beneficial, without it a homeowners could potentially be left without security coverage if they forget to renew their contract when it expires.
Choosing the right security company for you and your needs takes some research. Each homeowner has different needs and it is wise to speak to several different firms and discuss what level of protection you desire.
/kh
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
2670 Grandoaks Drive, Westlake Village, CA -Open House This Sunday, October 10th, 1:30-4:30. Come See the Views! Views! Views!
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Monday, October 4, 2010
Agoura Hills Community Shred Event To Help Prevent Identity Theft
Identity theft is on the rise and unfortunately anyone can become a victim. The damage caused can cost thousands of dollars and countless hours over several years to try to repair the damage done to your credit. In an effort to raise awareness and help the community to prevent such a tragedy, Shred-it, the world's leading on-site document destruction company and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's Identity Theft Task Force are teaming up to help local residents combat identity theft by hosting a free Community Event for the Agoura Hills area.
Anyone can bring their unwanted personal documents for shredding by Shred-it mobile trucks. Shred-it is providing the service free of charge on Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at Agoura Hills City Hall, 30001 Ladyface Ct, Agoura Hills, CA 91301.
To prevent personal identity theft, Shred-it advises to shred the following sensitive documents and old files:
• Receipts • Checks • Pre-approved Credit Applications / Credit Card Statements • Outdated Tax Returns • Envelopes & Return Address Labels • Business Cards.
For additional information on the event, please contact the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at (818) 878-1808
.
/kh
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Staging Your Home-What To Avoid
If you are ready to sell your home you will have alot of competition so it is important to do everything you can to make your home stand out and appeal to buyers. A great way to make your home ready for showing is to 'stage' your home. Staging is a way to set up your home so that it will appeal to a wide variety of possible buyers. It is vital that your home looks neat, well maintained, spacious and ready to move into.If this is your first time selling your home you may not be familiar with this process and it can be easy to make mistakes. Below are some of the top mistakes that sellers make when they are preparing their house for the market and things that you should avoid when staging your home.
- You don't go it alone, don't be afraid to get advice from others on what looks neat and organized. Don't be afraid to ask for your agent for advice. If you are selling on your own, have a trusted third party walk the home with you and point out areas that look cluttered or cramped.
- Keep in mind that you do not have to make extensive renovations or replace all the furniture to be successful. Keep things simple and your investments small. Updates to paint, replacing light fixtures or changing out pillows or bedcovers can all go a long way to giving your home an updated look without major expense.
- Leave out personal items and knick-knacks. Be sure to remove family photos, school projects and other personal items that might make it hard for a new family to envision themselves living in the space.
- If you need some inspiration, visit a few model homes for sale for ideas on attractive staging and open spaces. Open up heavy curtains with tie backs and make sure that your furniture isn’t in the way of creating, bright open spaces. If you need to take some things out, try temporary storage.
- Avoid painting with dark or intense colors. Keep your wall and flooring colors to neutral, adaptable tones. Even if bright or varied color palettes are trendy, they are too much for most prospective buyers..
- Avoid overstaging with accessories. Over the top accessories, including flowers, scents, and home décor items not only make it look like you are trying too hard, they can detract from the real form and functionality of your house.
Simplicity is the key to correctly staging your home for sale. Clean, uncluttered and neutral surroundings show off the possibilities of your home to your buyers and make your house the number one choice!
/kh
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Just Listed: Views! Views! Views!
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Monday, September 27, 2010
Notes on Fashion
If you enjoy fashion and great music you will want to make plans to spend a memorable afternoon at the 'Notes on Fashion' event benefiting the New West Symphony. This event will take place on Thursday, September 30th form 11:30-3pm at the Lake Sherwood Country Club.
Enjoy a sit-down lunch, while viewing the latestet
Neiman Marcus, Topanga will present the latest trends in fashions for the upcoming season.
You'll see each outfit up close as models walk by answering any questions you might have.
What a wonderful way to plan for the upcoming holidays and 2011.
For your listening pleasure, we are very excited to introduce
Benjamin Krasner, pianist, a 10-year old prodigy.
In 2010 Benjamin was the winner of the Southern California Junior Bach Festival
and in 2008 he was the youngest Laureate
in the International Young Musician Competition, Lincoln Center, NY.
One day you will say "We knew him when..."
In addition to these wonderful experiences, we are also offering opportunity drawings for:
Neiman Marcus, Topanga - Shopping Spree valued at $1000 Hawaii accommodations at the luxurious Hyatt Maui Resort, Kaanapali.
Five night stay. (Air fare not included) Boccaccio's Restaurant of Westlake Village serves a meal to you
and three guests on a private boat while cruising the lake Season Tickets to New West Symphony
and more...
/kh
Thursday, September 23, 2010
HOPE NOW-Help For Homeowners
When the subprime mortgage crisis started in 2006, then President George Bush initiated the creation of an alliance between lenders, investors, foreclosure counselors and the U.S. government (including FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) designed to help homeowners threatened by foreclosure. The formation of the HOPE NOW Alliance was one of the first steps the government took towards ‘foreclosure avoidance.’
Since it's creation, more than a million homeowners have been helped by HOPE NOW, to find the resources, counseling or programs they needed to stay in their homes. If you a homeowner in need of assitance and support, visit the HOPE NOW website where you will see a simple online eligibility assessment, based on the six questions below:
- Is your home your primary residence?
- Is the amount you owe on your first mortgage equal to or less than $729,750?
- Are you having trouble paying your mortgage?
- Did you get your current mortgage before January 1, 2009?
- What is your monthly mortgage payment?
- What is your monthly gross income
Your answers are quickly analyzed and then you will be directed to a ‘Next Steps’ section for Home Affordable Loan Modification program or to other options for additional services. While the site can help you quickly determine your eligibility, your mortgage company is the only organization that tell you if you actually qualify.
Other resources for home owners through HOPE NOW include a toll free hotline (888-995-HOPE) to a free, 24X7 counseling service provided by Homeownership Preservation Foundation; a home owner ‘Options’ page that explains various programs like repayment plans, loan modification, partial claims and others by state; unemployment resources; other counseling and government resources and more. The site offers an extensive list of links and references to outside services.
HOPE NOW also sponsors events in different cities and offers a list of events and public outreach programs coming to your area. The site is helpful in not only providing a calendar of these events but in also explaining the documentation you should bring with you if you attend.
If you are in danger of foreclosure or are having trouble with your mortgage payments HOPE NOW can help you to learn more about the many programs and counseling services ready in place for distressed home owners.
/kh
Monday, September 20, 2010
Keeping Kids Healthy In Thousand Oaks!
Make plans to attend the Kids Health and Fitness Day this Saturday, September 25th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Thousand Oaks Community Center, 2525 Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks.
This free hands-on event will teach children about the importance of fitness and nutrition. Among the attractions are Taste of the Farmers Market, Nutrition Alley, Kitchen Stadium, a garden area and an agility course. For preschool children there will be a grocery store and an obstacle course.
Entertainment will be provided by Harlem Hoopsters, showcasing basketball skills and hip-hop routines along with audience participation. Shows are at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., along with a workshop teaching basketball tricks at 11:30 a.m. Also performing will be Soccer Collies.
Refreshments will be available for a small cost.
The health and fitness event is presented by Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Conejo Valley Chapter of the National Charity League.
/kh
Friday, September 17, 2010
Where Is the Shadow Inventory?
There is a lot of talk about Shadow Inventory from the Banks. What do you think about the attached article?
Where Is the Shadow Inventory?
For the last year, the real estate industry has been talking about shadow inventory and the coming flood of distressed properties. Where are they? Here’s what’s happening, according to a recent paper by Alan Mallach, a senior fellow the Brookings Institution: · Some delinquencies have been resolved through loan modifications or people working out the problems on their own.
· Banks are getting better at managing short sales.
· Investors are aggressively buying up properties, sometimes in bulk, directly from the banks or at courthouse auctions so they don’t hit the market. The likeliest outcome, Mallach predicts, is a steady flow of foreclosures over a long timeframe that will prevent another crash in home prices, but will probably lead to low or no appreciation in home prices. Source: The Wall Street Journal, Nick Timiaros (09/16/2010)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Fannie Mae Cracking Down On Strategic Defaults
There is little argument that the real estate market has taken a serious blow in the last few years and as a result foreclosures are at an all time high. Unfortunately, there are more than 5 million homeowners who are underwater or in default and now lending giant Fannie Mae has announced they are getting tough on homeowners who are planning a strategic default.
At the end of June, Fannie announced that it would no longer look the other way from borrowers who walk on their mortgage. The penalty? A seven year ban from the GSE (Government Sponsored Enterprise) program. Additionally, Fannie plans to take legal action against borrowers who strategically default on their loans.
This annoucment is a bold one by Fannie Mae, but the reality is that with unemployment still at 9.5% or higher in some regions and a sluggish economy is having many home owners feel that they have no choice but to walk away from mortgages that they have no hope of catching up on.
“We’re taking these steps to highlight the importance of working with your servicer,” said Terence Edwards, Fannie’s executive vice president for credit portfolio management. “Walking away from a mortgage is bad for borrowers and bad for communities and our approach is meant to deter the disturbing trend toward strategic defaulting. On the flip side, borrowers facing hardship who make a good faith effort to resolve their situation with their servicer will preserve the option to be considered for a future Fannie Mae loan in a shorter period of time.”
Here’s how Fannie breaks it out:
- Deed-in-Lieu of Foreclosure> -- reduced from four years to two years with 20% down; four years with 10%.
- Pre Foreclosure Sale -- two years with 20% down; four years with 10%.
- Short Sale-- will be the same as pre-foreclosure sale
- Strategic Default (Walk Away) -- seven years.
Many experts are fearful that this move will contribute to the already dismally depressed home market by cutting out the government backed borrowers. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, fund more than 90% of new mortgages and so far, Freddie has not followed suit.
/kh
Monday, September 13, 2010
Calling All Runners! Register Now For The Agoura Hills Mile and RAD 5k
The Agoura Hills Mile will be held on Saturday, October 2nd and will be the opener of the 6th annual Reyes Adobe Days parade. The race is USATF sanctioned and certified, and will be electronically timed.
All participants will receive a T-shirt and a ticket to the pancake breakfast at Reyes Adobe Park & Historical Site, 30400 Rainbow Crest Drive in Agoura Hills.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, October 1, 2010
Packet Pick Up/Last Minute Registration at Road Runner Sports in Newbury Park - 12 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
6:30 a.m. - Race Day Pick Up and Registration Opens
7:30 a.m. - RAD 5K starts
8:40 a.m. - Agoura Hills Mile begins
Register now to take advantage of low entry fees! For more information and to register visit the race website at: http://RADrun.com/register/
/kh
Friday, September 10, 2010
Do You Know Your Debt To Income Ratio?
Before you apply for a mortgage, it is a ebt-to-income ratio is. This is an important If you are not familiar with this, below you can find more information as well as why is it important to you and how it effects your financing.
Debt-to-income ratio is simply a comparison of the money you earn to the money you owe. It includes credit card debt, existing mortgages, auto loans, and any other personal debt.
Your mortgage lender will look at your Debt-To-Income (DTI) to evaluate your ability to afford your new mortgage. You should have a good idea of what your DTI ratio is before you approach a lender or consider buying a new home.
You ultimately want to achieve a low DTI ratio. A high number means that you have less disposable income and less ability to maintain the home once you purchase it. With foreclosures at an all time high, lenders are not willing to assume any additional risk in lending.
Most lenders seek DTI ratios in the 20-36% range or lower, with no more than 28% of debt dedicated to the mortgage itself. While some lenders will consider higher ratios, DTIs in the upper 30% range are considered high risk.
There are several different calculators available online to help you determine your ratio, and you can always check with your financial institution for guidance on determining your DTI ratio.
Here’s a simple formula:
- Add all your monthly payments (mortgage or rent, car, credit cards, any other debt payments)
- Add your gross income (before taxes), bonuses, alimony, or any other outside income and divide by 12
- Then divide the total number in (1) by the final number in (2)
- The result is your DTI ratio
Whether you are ready to buy, considering a home purchase, or are just interested in your financial health, it’s a good idea to know your DTI and understand the steps to lower your ratio and become as close to debt-free as you can.
/kh
Open House Sunday September 12th, 1:30-4:30 - 2030 Kirsten Lee Drive
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