This was posted on Yelp for "The Tim Wood Group" : Working with Steve Hirschler was a great experience. I wish all real estate agents were like him. We came to Steve because we were looking for an investment and a vacation property, somewhere we could go to get away from the busy valley life in Los Angeles County and enjoy the mountains of Big Bear where we use to vacation as little kids. His method and personality really came through from the first meeting with him and through the process of finding our great little Gambrel in the Moonridge woods. At our first meeting, he helped take the car seat out of our truck so he could put it in his truck and drive us around the neighborhoods that he had planned to show us. He was very patient, being the father of 4 daughters himself, our one lit... 06/13/2009

Click here to see the details on these 13 homes. 4 of these homes were bank owned "31%" One of these homes was a short sale 8 were organic "62%" (traditional seller)I can show you any home for sale in Big Bear. Search the Big Bear MLS (Multiple Listing Service) Search the Southern California MLS  (Multiple Listing Service) Steve Hirschler Associate, The Tim Wood Group Coldwell Banker Mountain Gallery 42153 Big Bear Blvd. P.O. BOX 6820 Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 stevehirschler@gmail.com 909 866-3481 EXT. 217 CELL 909 725-5889 Fax 909 866-3531 http://www.stevesellsbigbear.com Follow me on Twitter Subscribe to "Ask an Expert, Big Bear Real Estate Blog" Previously Posted on "Ask An Expert, Big Bear Real Estate" 06/06/2009

      June 2009   The Big Bear Report  A Monthly Review of the Big Bear Real Estate Market   As we "sell off" the future of our children we continue to enable all 545 policy makers (Government Representatives and Bureaucrats) to use our tax dollars (known as public funds) to protect bond-holders for their confidence in some of the most mismanaged  companies in our nation's history instead of allowing them to take losses that were clearly their own. Most "career" Realtors from across the country are finally getting fed up with all the doom and gloom of daily economic  reports that confuse the buying and selling public. Industry insiders have had enough of the uninformed and misdirected financial press and "we're not going to take it anymore". Our industry has always recognized that real ... 06/04/2009

This information provide by Robert Maletti / Chicago Title Steve Hirschler Associate, The Tim Wood Group Coldwell Banker Mountain Gallery 42153 Big Bear Blvd. P.O. BOX 6820 Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 stevehirschler@gmail.com 909 866-3481 EXT. 217 CELL 909 725-5889 Fax 909 866-3531 http://www.stevesellsbigbear.com Follow me on Twitter Subscribe to "Ask an Expert, Big Bear Real Estate Blog"Previously Posted on "Ask An Expert, Big Bear Real Estate" 05/23/2009

Events at the Discovery Center Friday, May 22 Fee: $25 adults, $15 children (6-12). · Canoe Tour; 4pm-6pm. • Campfire ~ Summer Astronomy Series; 8pm - 9:30pm. Join Dr. Frank Murray, Randy Fear from the Big Bear Solar Observatory, and Tim Baggerly from the High Desert Astronomical Society will start the night with a short presentation around the campfire about the solar system, stars, planets, moons and nebulas. Following the presentation you will get a chance to view sky objects through high powered telescopes. The summer astronomy series is scheduled around the star calendar, so you'll always get a chance to see something new! Sponsored by California Land Management. Fee: $5, children 5 & under Fee!  Saturday, May 23Join the local fire departments and find out how to kick off summer in... 05/20/2009

Sold In Big Bear, Week Ending 5/16/2009   Click Here for the details on these 7 homes. 4 were bank owned "57%" None of these homes were short sales 3 were organic "43%" (traditional seller) I can show you any home for sale in Big Bear. Search the Big Bear MLS (Multiple Listing Service) Search the Southern California MLS  (Multiple Listing Service) Steve Hirschler Associate, The Tim Wood Group Coldwell Banker Mountain Gallery 42153 Big Bear Blvd. P.O. BOX 6820 Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 stevehirschler@gmail.com 909 866-3481 EXT. 217 CELL 909 725-5889 Fax 909 866-3531 http://www.stevesellsbigbear.com Follow me on Twitter Subscribe to "Ask an Expert, Big Bear Real Estate Blog"Previously Posted on "Ask An Expert, Big Bear Real Estate" 05/17/2009

Click here for property details on these 9 homes. 2 were bank owned "44%" 3 of these homes were short sales 4 were organic "44%" (traditional seller) *This is the first time I have noticed a higher number of short sales closing than bank owned. I think this is a sign of what is to come. I have noticed short sale negotiations are improving and more of the banks are working to get these deals closed. I can show you any home for sale in Big Bear. Search the Big Bear MLS (Multiple Listing Service) Search the Southern California MLS  (Multiple Listing Service) Steve Hirschler Associate, The Tim Wood Group Coldwell Banker Mountain Gallery 42153 Big Bear Blvd. P.O. BOX 6820 Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 stevehirschler@gmail.com 909 866-3481 EXT. 217 CELL 909 725-5889 Fax 909 866-3531 http://www.ste... 05/10/2009

These are the 3 new bank owned homes that came on the market this week in Big Bear. Listing Courtesy of Woodstock Real Estate This home last sold for $219,900 in June of 2003!  It is located in Big Bear City, just off of North Shore Drive, HWY18. This is a nice home that has a 5000 sq ft lot. Nice Gambrel style home with large bedrooms. Over sized 1 car garage with unfinished room above. Room for a boat or Rv Parking. Covered deck. Listing Courtesy of PREMIER PROPERTIES SOTHEBY'S INT'L Last sold for $340,000 in December 2004! Beautiful Home with vaulted ceilings and 2 x 6 construction. Riverrock fireplace and built in entertainment center. Large master suite with walk in closet and double sinks in master bath. Open kitchen with custom cabinets. Laundry room with sink. Redwood decking, a... 05/10/2009

Remember, all Real Estate is local. Listening to the national news reports on the Real Estate market and applying that information to local Real Estate is a sure way to be misinformed. Contact a Realtor that lives and works in the area that you are interested in. Don't pack up your Orange County or San Diego Real Estate agent and drag him or her to Big Bear to show you homes that they can't find with a GPS.Find a local agent that knows current local market conditions and the statistics thereof.    I am a local Realtor in Big Bear. I have lived in the community since 1990. You won't see me representing anyone in a Real Estate transaction anywhere other than Big Bear. I have sold over 35 million dollars in local Big Bear Real Estate since 2005, and I have a long list of satisfied clients.... 05/10/2009

While previewing property in Big Bear today and looked at some really good listings as well as some that I thought were overpriced.  Some of these well priced listings were homes being sold as short sales.  Whenever I see a home being sold as a short sale, I start to wonder if this is a property that can be sold as a short sale.  You see, many agents in Big Bear take these listings without ever checking to see if the home qualifies for the short sale.  When they speak to the home owner, they tell them what the house is worth. When they find out that the person owes more than the current market value; they automatically suggest a short sale.  There are others who decide that because they now owe more on the home than it's worth, they will simply short sale it and get rid of it.  It's not... 05/08/2009

If you're in the market for a Short Sale property in the Big Bear area, finding the right agent to help you is going to be paramount in being successful in your endeavor. I was out on the Big Bear Multiple Listing Tour today and all I could hear were agents complaining about short sales.  Many of these agents I spoke with today feel that the quickest way to lose a client is to make an offer on short sale.  Others flat out said that they won't make an offer on a short sale, regardless of what the client wants. I completely disagree with the agents who have this mind set.  There are reasons why these agents aren't getting short sales accepted. Either, they're not asking the right questions of the seller's agent, or they simply don't know what they're doing.  Short Sales are not hard to ne... 05/07/2009

Do you own a cabin in the Big Bear Valley that you can no longer afford?  Are you stuck in an adjustable rate mortgage?  Were you planning to refinance the loan, only to find out that the cabin isn't worth what you bought it for?  Are you behind on your mortgage payments?  Has the bank filed a notice of default against you?  Are you afraid of losing your cabin to a foreclosure?  If any of these answers is yes, you may have some options that will help you avoid the foreclosure. Instead of losing the home to foreclosure, why not sell it as a Short Sale?    Under certain circumstances, you can sell your home for less than you owe the bank.  You ask, why would the bank let you sell your cabin for less than you owe?  In the current economic situation, many homes have mortgage balances agains... 05/06/2009

About a month ago I took a listing on a property in Big Bear.  The listing that I took was not a Short Sale or a Bank Owned property.  It was a homeowner who needs to sell his home.  When we discussed the value of the home, I explained to the owners that while the market analysis shows that the home is worth X amount of dollars, the true test will come from the number of showings recorded in the lock box.  I tell all of my clients when I list their home, that the lock box is more than just a place to store the keys.  In Big Bear, our lock boxes keep a record of everyone that enters the house.  This is good information from a security standpoint, but it also tells us the rest of the marketing story.  By keeping track of the number of showings recorded in the Big Bear lock box, we can get... 05/05/2009

Get your Lakefront home befor the summer. Here is a list of just some of the fabulous homes available.   Price Is Right Lakefront Nearly 2,000 sq. ft. in this charming 4 bed, 2 ½ bath 2 story lakefront chalet with 2 rocks fireplaces cozy den or spacious dining room, low maintenance vinyl siding, extensive redwood decking and spectacular lakeview all with boat dock. $649,900     Double Your Pleasure Main home includes a furnished 3 bed, 2 bath single story w/granite counters, extensive decking, boat slip and incredible lakeviews all with separate, detached 1 bed, 1 full bath guest home w/laundry and 2 car garage all on a level 10,175 sq. ft. lot walking distance to the village (zoned R-3). Subject to short sale approval. $ 990,000     Lakefront Special Wait till you see the setting, desi... 05/05/2009

   10 Year Average-Deed Recordings Compliments of Mike Dolan Prudential Properties of Big Bear   2007 vs. 2008 Average  89%     Mike Dolan Big Bear's Leading Realtor    # 8 Prudential Agent Award    7 time PREA 100 Award    11 time Diamond Circle Award     2 time 5 Year Legend Award (909) 866-6453 (Office) (909) 936-6453 (Cell) mikedolan@bigbearproperties.com Mikedolan.com         The Local's Choice 05/05/2009

  The Big Bear Report   May 2009    A Monthly Review of the Big Bear Real Estate Market What's it going to take for buyers to understand that NOW is the right time to invest in property? Of course there are some buyers "sitting on the fence" for fear of losing their job (that's understandable). What is not understandable is why so many buyers remain on the fence from their fear of buying  before the market "hits bottom". Today we know values are down and bargains are to be made. We also know that    interest rates are currently at a 42 year low (4.6%). So what happens if values continue to drop and we "bottom out" but then interest rates go back up to 8% or 10%? So shouldn't it become a strategy rather than a guessing game. Today, most people look at "investing" as a transaction rather ... 05/05/2009

One of the first questions that I ask a potential seller when I arrive at his house to discuss listing his home is, do you really need to sell?  If they answer that question with no, then my recommendation is to hold on to the property.  I'm sure that this sounds funny coming from someone who makes his living listing and selling real estate in Big Bear.  That being said, before I take a listing I make sure that the seller really needs to sell the property and I also need to make sure that he can afford to sell the property.  The reason I am asking these questions is that I need to make sure that the home owner is in a position to compete with the bank owned properties if he needs too. The few bank owned properties that list in the Big Bear market are driving the market.  I checked the B... 05/04/2009

One of the benefits of the market being in decline is the mass exodus of bad agents. If you are a buyer or a seller, the odds are much better that you will get a competent agent to represent you. Unlike days past when an agent just had to sit by a phone to do business, today's Realtor actually has to work his or her tail off to be successful. That being said, you still need to be careful. There are still part time housewife's out there who do a deal or two a year for some extra money. The checker at the local Von's still dabbles when an unsuspecting victim falls into the web. Even the meter reader for the electric company will try to pass as a full time professional Realtor. They are not doing their clients any favors. The market has undergone a massive upheaval and you can not do busi... 05/04/2009

Big Bear All Area's / April 2009   · Total Residential Inventory in Big Bear as of May 1, 2009 - 896 units · 130 Pending (in escrow) · 57 closed sales with an average of 119 days on the market, price differential 95.56%. • 28 Bank Owned with an average of 71 days on the market, price differential 89.61%   Moonridge Only / April 2009   · 154 Active listings · 16 pending (in escrow) · 13 Sold with an average of 125 days on the market, price differential 100.11% • 6 Bank Owned with an average of 63 days on the market, price differential 100.11%   I can show you any home for sale in Big Bear. Search the Big Bear MLS (Multiple Listing Service) Search the Southern California MLS  (Multiple Listing Service) Steve Hirschler Associate, The Tim Wood Group Coldwell Banker Mountain Gallery 42153 B... 05/01/2009

Sold YTD through 4/28/2009 Year to date through 4/28/2009 there have been 36 closed sales in Moonridge. There are 155 active Moonridge listings, and 21 pending in escrow. We have a 17 month supply of inventory at the current rate of sale. 13 of the 36 closed sales were Bank Owned and 3 were Short Sales. The price differential shown above tells us that the homes in Moonridge that are selling, sell very close to list price. This isn't surprising to me, price is the most important factor in this market. When a home is priced correctly it will sell, it's really that simple. Knowing what price to list at is by far the most important decision a seller must make. List price should be based on market conditions and not a sellers perception or need. Banks are making this more apparent, they are... 04/28/2009