For those Burbank and Toluca Lake residents looking to increase your academic prowess or just learn something new, the Burbank Adult School Fall 2007 Class schedule is out!The Burbank Adult School includes but is not limited to classes for:ParentingComputer LiteracyForeign Languages Health Occupations TrainingPhotographyand much more!!!! This campus is conveniently located at: 3811 Allan Avenue Burbank, CA 91505  For more information, please call (818) 558-4611. 08/02/2007

                                                          City of Burbank Water and Power has a really great tool, the Home Energy Analyzer, that can help you analyze your home's annual energy consumption and give you suggestions as to how you can improve your home's efficiency.I would recommend that you have at least a few months of your previous gas and power bills handy as part of the process includes entering what you paid for these items for the last year.  If you don't have this information, don't despair!  It's worth taking the assessment anyway. It will take you approximately 5-10 minutes or so to answer all the questions, but once you do you will end up with great information about your energy usage and how it compares to the average home.  The best part of this is that it is F... 08/02/2007

As we enter the end of the summer selling season (try to say that three times real fast!) it is clear that the effects of tighter lending guidelines, higher interest rates, and increasing inventory are slowly but surely putting pressure on pricing and home values.If you just monitor the Market Index over the past five months, from March's 0.53, to July's 0.26, that is an almost 50% decline, shifting us into a buyer's market completely and totally.  Interestingly, the number of new listings added each month is about the same, around 110, peaking with 131 in June, followed by 118 in July.  It may be that sellers were hoping the market was going to shift prior to their homes going on the market, or it may be that they needed to do more prep work to get the home in showing condition.  The s... 08/02/2007

For anyone coming even remotely close to the City of Burbank there is one place that you NEED to stop off at, Porto's Bakery.This incredible Bakery is located at the corner of Magnolia Blvd and Hollywood Way and is always a pleasant experience.  Weather you want to stop off for some breakfast and coffee, grab a sandwich for lunch or just have some great baked goods, this is the only place in town to go.Porto's is a Cuban bakery and Deli which has just opened its second location in Burbank a little over a year ago.  From the minute the doors opened it has been one of the residents favorite places to visit.Some of their appetizers include meat pies, potato balls, croquettes, chorizo pie, tamales, and more.  One of the lunch favorites is the Cubano Sandwich which is always great. But you c... 08/01/2007

   That in March of this year the Burbank City Council adopted a Shopping Cart Containment Ordinance that establishes rules for the containment of shopping carts within the confines of each business. In summary, before this ordinance was adopted, there were no requirements for businesses to keep their carts on their premises.  After September 23rd, removal of shopping carts from the premises will be illegal.  Business owners who do not enforce the ordinance will be fined up to $1,000 and/or up to 6 months in prison.There may be some differing views on this, but from a community beautification standpoint, I love it!  After all, the carts are the property of the business and solely intended to help you get your things to the check out and your car.  A few years ago my son moved to Boston ... 08/01/2007

                                                      Did you know, that City of Burbank has a composting program? The program started back in 1989 and through this program Burbank has been able to keep 50% of it's waste from making it to the landfills!Composting is the process where living organisms turn organic waste and yard waste into a rich amendment that you can use in your yard to naturally fertilize your soil. What's great is that residents are eligible to receive free composting instruction through workshops and a free composter!The workshops cover topics ranging from how and what to compost to Xeriscape(minimal water usuage) landscaping!  Trust me I did not know what the meaning of Xeriscape was either! If you are interested in getting started, please call City of Burbank Recy... 07/31/2007

07/31/2007

                                                                                                                             Monday  30 3 Month & 6 Month Bill AuctionTuesday 31 ICSC-USB Store Sales  Tracks comparable weekly sales from major retail chains and represents 10% of total retail sales.  Is considered to be one of the most timely indicators of consumer spending. Redbook a timely indicator of consumer spending and also represents about 10% of total retail sales.  This measure tracks weekly sales from discounters, chain and department stores.Factory Orders Consensus - -1.2 Pending Homes Index-The National Association of Realtors developed the pending home sales index as a leading indicator of housing activity. As such, it is a leading indicator of existing home sales, not new hom... 07/28/2007

 Please click on the following link to view all of our Open Homes for the weekend of July 29, 2007.Windermere Burbank Open HomesDuring our Quaterly Open house Extravaganza we open some of finest homes for public showings. This Sunday we will have a total of 19 homes available to view. In addition all visitors may enter to win a $20 gift certificate to McCormick & Scmidts. You may enter the drawing once at every home you visit.There are some great homes being held open and we would love to see you there. If you have questions or would like to schedule a showing of any of these fine homes please do not hesitate to let me know.We look forward to seeing you there. 07/26/2007

     Every year the residents of the City of Burbank through our local newspaper The Burbank Leader are asked to vote for their favorite businesses in the area.  Our city has over 140,000 residents and businesses who have the opportunity to cast their votes.  This is the 12th Yearthat the city has run this prestigious award for its local businessesI am please to say that this year Windermere Real Estate / Bill Toth & Associates was officially voted "Best Real Estate Company".  In addition our owner/broker Bill Toth was voted "Best Real Estate Agent".Our office in staying with the Windermere philosophy is a great group of close knit agents where we foster teamwork and family values.  Windermere is a community oriented company who firmly believes in giving back to the community.  It is th... 07/25/2007

                                                                                            Monday 23 3 & 6 Month Bill Auction  Tuesday 24 ICSC-USB Store Sales  Tracks comparable weekly sales from major retail chains and represents 10% of total retail sales.  Is considered to be one of the most timely indicators of consumer spending. Redbook a timely indicator of consumer spending and also represents about 10% of total retail sales.  This measure tracks weekly sales from discounters, chain and department stores.State Street Investor Confidence Index Measures actual levels of risk in investor portfolio. 4 Week Bill Auction & 20 Year Tips Auction Wednesday 25 Existing Home Sales-consensus 5.870M..... Year to year this number has dropped 10.3% and housing supply at 8.9 months is at it's hi... 07/22/2007

Above is an artists rendition of the completed project.The long awaited redevelopment project of Burbank Blvd has finally begun.  Be ready for traffic delays and heavy machinery all along Burbank Blvd.This week the City of Burbank and the Burbank Redevelopment Agency begun the demolishon Phaseof Burbank Blvd.  This is outlined in Phase I and Phase II of the project and is running from Clybourn all the way to Buena Vista St.During the projected 7 month project which will ultimately stretch from Clybourn to Victory Blvd. (2.2 miles) most of the street will be limited to 1 lane in each direction during normal business hours and may be extended to 2 lanes each as construction permits.  Street parking will also be limited as will turning onto side streets.The ultimate goal of the project is ... 07/17/2007

                                              Monday 16Empire State Manufacturing Survey-monthly survey of manufacturers in New York State.Consensus 17.53 Month & 6 Month Bill AuctionTuesday 17Housing Market Index-Produced by the National Association of Home Builders.  This is a survey which is filled out by the members of this organization and it gives their opinion of the general state of the housing market and the economy.Producer Price Index  PPI Consensus Forecast for June 07: +0.1 percent  ICSC-USB Store Sales  Tracks comparable weekly sales from major retail chains and represents 10% of total retail sales.  Is considered to be one of the most timely indicators of consumer spending. Redbook a timely indicator of consumer spending and also represents about 10% of total retail sales... 07/15/2007

 Burbank Ca is the next on the list of PDN's, or prominent domain names, released to the real estate professionals of the area. VisitAllHomes.Com is a website dedicated to the real estate on-line community and business owners within. It started years ago when 2 highly ambitious and motivated individuals decided to invest into the top 100 cities and communities of our country by purchasing what we call now a prominent domain name or PDN. The PDN's that are available for many marketing strategies are listed below with a brief vision or direction that PDN may be taking...AnyBurbankHome.Com -Imagine the perfect Real Estate Site for the city of Burbank. The site will have 2-5 Brokerages, Brokers, or Realtors that will have business ownership opportunity with this portal. They will have an op... 07/12/2007

One of the greatest things about the City of Burbank is how they are always looking for ways to improve the quality of life for its residents and at the same time provide them incredible services at no charge.One such example of these programs is the cities "Made in the Shade" program.  This program is run through Burbank Water and Power and entitles each property up to (3)three FREE shade trees.  They include the tree, stakes, ties and arbor guards.The program is designed to not only increase the appeal of homes in our community but to also create a tree lined street which will keep homes cooler in the hot summer months.  As Burbank has its own private Water and Power facility which services over 45,000 households and 6,000 businesses this adds up to a great saving to residents in the ... 07/08/2007

                                                 Monday 9 3 & 6 Month Bill AuctionConsumer Credit  Consensus 5.6B   This report represents the overall value of outstanding consumer credit debt.  Very simply put, if demand exceeds supply, interest rates rise. Tuesday 10 ICSC-USB Store Sales  Tracks comparable weekly sales from major retail chains and represents 10% of total retail sales.  Is considered to be one of the most timely indicators of consumer spending. Redbook a timely indicator of consumer spending and also represents about 10% of total retail sales.  This measure tracks weekly sales from discounters, chain and department stores.Bank of Canada Monetary Policy AnnouncementWholesale Trade4 Week bill AuctionBernanke to speak in Cambridge about U.S. Inflation  Wednesday 11 MBA Pu... 07/07/2007

                                                On April 3rd of this year, the Burbank City Council voted to adopt the proposed second hand smoke ordinance.  If you are a smoker you can still smoke in the City of Burbank, just not at certain locations.  The intent of this ordinance is to limit second hand smoke for non smokers. What this means to you is that if you are a smoker you can no longer smoke at venues such as Starbucks.  If you are a non-smoker it means you have more places where you can enjoy the outdoors without worry of encountering second hand smoke.If you would like more information about this ordinance, please visit this link to get the facts!  My website is under construction, but come visit me at anaconnell.com!  07/06/2007

            Did you know there is a website that will show you where all of the current and upcoming public works projects are located?This page is available through the City of Burbank site and is an invaluable resource that will keep you up to date on all of our street projects.  If you have any specific questions on any project you can call the City's street construction and design people at (818) 238-3915.  My website is under construction, but come visit me at anaconnell.com!  07/06/2007

  At the Tuesday night Burbank City Council meeting the Council voted 3-2 to impose more rigorous rules to any developers seeking to build grocery stores in the Rancho area.   The vote was motivated by the community uproar against Whole Foods trying to build at the site on the corner of Main St. and Alameda Ave.  The old Martino's bakery site.The community, which is known for it's equestrian neighborhoods, was concerned about the amount of traffic the store would have generated as well as limited parking and the possibility of spooked horses.  They felt the quality of life for the area would go down from the increased traffic and the scores of refrigerated trucks which would need to queue on the adjoining streets.  Overall, activists said the size of the store was too large for the loca... 07/05/2007

 Considering that this is 4th of July I thought it would be important to remind everyone that Burbank City Council Meetings are held at 6:30pm every Tuesday evening at Burbank City Hall and replayed every Wednesday at 10am, Fridays at 6pm and Saturdays at 1pm on our very own public access channel, Burbank TV6!I think that it's important to exercise our hard won freedoms in this country by being informed and by participating as much as we are able in our political process!Happy 4th everyone!!!! For your Burbank Real Estate needs please visit my website at anaconnell.com! 07/04/2007