Alzheimer's...Would You Want to Know? Would You TAKE THE 15 MINUTE TEST A few months ago I heard there was an Alzheimer's Test out and if you took it, it would let you know if you were predestined to have Alzheimer's. I had worried that it would be something I wouldn't want to know.     Good news is I completed it in 3 minutes and had 12 minutes remaining and got all the answers right including the trick question. None of my parents or grandparents suffered from this prior to their deaths and this is also a clue the doctors ask as it can be heredity.  I have heard there are test to see if you have a gene that might lead to cancer.   Would you want to know if you were going to get Cancer or Alzheimer's disease? Thanks for Reading my Real Estate Blog.......   California is a dream-come-tr... 06/23/2014

Protect Wildlife by Not Keeping Your Windows Too Clean   Yesterday I washed my windows on the patio and this morning I heard a loud thud and I knew right away what it was.....a bird had hit the window. Poor little think was making a screeching sound too. Oh its hurt I thought!  I grabbed my camera and walked outside but the bird seemed OK as it was on the fence but after taking the photos, I realized there was two birds there.    Here is the second bird hovering over the injured one. Amazingly the camera lens sees more than the human eye does.   But the good news is that they both flew away in a couple of minutes so I hope it is alright. I thought this was such a touching moment amongst the two as I could see it was protecting its mate from danger and comforting him/her as well.   The m... 06/19/2014

Social Media Has Become an Important Part of My Daily Real Estate Tasks OK, I used to not think Social Media was very important. I had an email account and a website so what else did I need? Things were going fine and calls were coming in off my listing signs and postcards I sent occasionally. Then Facebook showed up and we had a group of talented computer guys come to our office and set up our Facebook pages and answer all our questions. They also showed us how to set up a YouTube Account and we could get this done for $159. When I think back to how I gladly paid the money. Then another agent in my office talked me into paying him $299 for a Realtor Page on Facebook. Afterwards, I started thinking I could do this myself so since I have figured most of it out without his help. ActiveRai... 06/16/2014

Mother Nature Perks up New Business and Parking Lots with Sunflowers Last night I went to a new business that open several months ago in my community. When I pulled in and parked in the lot, I noticed here was about 8 huge bushes of Sunflowers. These are the type that continue to grow and bloom continulously. Here is the one near my car. Standing by it, It was about 6 feet tall or more.   Appreciate your community's landscaping and SHOP IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY.   THANKS FOR READING MY Real Estate Blog...... California is a dream-come-true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, rustic mountains and desert communities. If you are looking for a home in Southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in t... 06/12/2014

Calimesa CA Real Estate Professionals - Calimesa CA Real Estate Agents If you're thinking about, or are ready to buy or sell a Calimesa house, home or real estate you probably are searching for the right Calimesa CA Real Estate Professional or Calimesa CA Real Estate Agent. You have come to the right place! We are Garrigus Real Estate; we are Calimesa CA REALTORS with the distinguished Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters. We have been in the real estate business for years, and we have the experience to help you with your Calimesa sale or purchase. Here's a quick list of our real estate experience: Calimesa Standard Sales Calimesa Short Sales Foreclosures Residential and Commercial Buyers Land Sales Commercial Sales We live, breath and eat Calimesa, California real estate! If you're looking f... 06/11/2014

Throwback Thursday-My Dad Feb-June 1944 in Flying School in Stillwater, Missouri               My mother was really big on scrap booking from the time she married. I went through her book today and found the pages to see where my dad was on D-Day 1944.                                    Here are some pictures of my dad and his classmates.             He was in the Army Air Corp (later renamed the Air Force) and stationed at Stillwater, Missouri February 1944 where he went through flying school. I am sure they were very upset and wished they could have been there.                               Here is a photo dated June 15, 1944 when he went to San Antonio, Texas.  I think this is where he went to navigation school.      My dad is the one on the left side.     I love the shorts!         ... 06/06/2014

Calimesa CA Standard Sales, Calimesa CA Short Sales, Calimesa CA Wash Sales As the Calimesa CA housing market improves, many more Calimesa CA standard sales are hitting the open housing market. This is great news for many that want to sell or need to sell for various reasons. Selling your Calimesa CA home and realizing equity after the sale is a great thing and easily appreciated considering the housing crash we just endured a few years ago. If you are considering selling your Calimesa home as a standard sale, we can help you determine what your Calimesa home is worth, how much you will walk away with after the sale and help you implement a great selling strategy that can garner you a good selling price without letting your Calimesa home listing stay too long on the market. But there ar... 05/25/2014

Cute Little Striped Birds Taking Over My Neighborhood Killdeer Shorebird Species Not Near Water This shorebird you can see without going to the beach. They are graceful plovers common to lawns, golf courses, fields and sometimes even in parking lots. They run on the ground in short spurts and seem to stop to check their progess. They prefer insects popping up so always on the lookout. If they are startled, they will fly off in a circular motion but not too far but move out of the line of percieved danger and then start walking on the ground again. They have a loud screeching sound and move around at night for all to hear.  They like to show up in my yard and make noises about midnight. They always seem to be in pairs but maybe that has to do with the spring season?   Here is the mate ac... 05/03/2014

Calimesa CA - How to Price My Home Calimesa, California Are you wondering what your Calimesa CA home is worth? Are you considering selling and don't know where to start? There are various ways you can price your Calimesa home. The values of Calimesa CA homes change every single day, and knowing how much your Calimesa home could sell for can be tricky, and even cost you money! Don't worry, we can help. We offer all Calimesa residents a free valuation for their Calimesa CA homes or other real estate. Our Comparable Market Analysis, also known as a CMA, can more accurately price your Calimesa home than any automated online system or website. We personally work on your Calimesa CA home valuation ourselves. We employ our professional skill and experience we've gained over the years to better... 05/02/2014

Make Our World a Better Place on Earth Day 2014 Today is Earth Day 2014 so make sure you are recycling, planting, donating to an environmental cause, picking up trash in the community or thinking of ways to go “Green”. Just do something to help make our world a better place.  Green Suggestions: Take cans, bottles, glass to recycler Take hazardous chemicals and electronic equipment to designated recycler. Upgrade your home appliances to become more efficient; Water Heater, Stove, Washer & Dryer, Microwave, Dishwasher, Disposal, Refrigerator, HVAC, Solar Panels. If you have an old  2nd refrigerator, turn it off and donate it. Change your Light Bulbs to LED type. Replace your old windows to newer double pane type. Turn the lights out when you leave a room. Turn off your computers at night.... 04/22/2014

A Beautiful Sunset on Easter at Dusk    A Beautiful Sunset on Easter at Dusk. Just the perfect end to the day. Thanks for Reading my Blog California is a dream-come-true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, rustic mountains and desert communities. If you are looking for a home in Southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in the Inland Empire community and am aware of the local market. I am here to help you find a home or to sell the home you currently own. California has great opportunities to view Nature and Bird Watching. Whatever your needs are, you will find it here in California! From the Inland Empire you are 45 minutes to the beaches, mountains or desert. Housing is affordable in the ... 04/21/2014

  Happy Easter from Sunny California   Just wanted to stop by and wish everyone who reads my blog today a "Happy Easter".   No matter where you are today, have a special day with friends and loved ones.I am extremely thankful for the many good friends I have. I am also grateful for the wonderful clients I have had in real estate.        Here is some Easter Photos of my three little girls.   Thanks for Reading my Blog on this special Easter morning..........🐰 04/20/2014

Calimesa CA Short Sale Calimesa, California real estate has seen some drastic swings in prices, conditions and inventory. First, when the Calimesa housing crashed in 2007, no one could sell a house. Anyone trying to only chased Calimesa home buyers with dropping prices. Then came all the Calimesa CA foreclosures. This attracted many cash buyers and investors. As banks realized that flooding the Calimesa real estate market with foreclosures drove prices down even further, they began holding on to their Calimesa foreclosed homes. This brought a new wave to the Calimesa real estate market: Calimesa CA Short Sales! The Calimesa CA Short Sale Yes, Calimesa California has seen the rise and fall of the short sale, and this type of transaction helped many distressed Calimesa homeowners reset th... 04/18/2014

Easter Lilies Are Dangerous to Cats....Beware   As spring approaches, lilies will become more common in households as potted plants or in bouquets. According to growers in the US, Easter lilies are the third most important flowering pot-plant grown and sold approximately l0 to 11 million plants produced annually. Unfortunately, several types of lilies can be deadly to cats. Easter lily, tiger lily, rubrum, Japanese show lily, some species of day lily, and certain other members of the Liliaceae family can cause kidney failure in cats. A few hours after ingestion of the plant, the cat may vomit, become lethargic, or develop a lack of appetite. These signs continue and worsen as kidney damage progresses. Without prompt and proper treatment by a veterinarian, the cat will develop kidney fai... 04/17/2014

Coldwell Banker Calimesa CA - REALTORS Calimesa CA - Calimesa Realty Are you buying or selling a Calimesa home? When hiring a Calimesa REALTOR make sure you use an agent with experience, and works for a trusted name, like Coldwell Banker, in Calimesa, California. We are Todd and Devona Garrigus, Garrigus Real Estate, and we work under the trusted Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters brokerage that has been serving the Southern California area for decades. If you're buying or selling a Calimesa house, we have extensive experience in short sales, standard sales, foreclosures, and home purchasing. We can help you avoid the many pitfalls of selling, and help you find the right home and deal when buying. Give us a call and interview us to see if we are the right Calimesa CA real estate agents for ... 04/17/2014

Blood Moon April 15, 2014.....Spectacular Last night the first of five lunar moon eclipses occurred and was spectacular. It was visible to spectators in North and South America. I was outside at 11:40 pm PST to start taking pictures. Hope everyone got a chance to see it.    You can see it was getting totally dark after midnight but still had the red glow. The next Blood Moon will occur on October 8, 2014. 04/15/2014

At Retirement Age.....Buy A New Bed & Mattress   Some sellers of mine had a nice bed in their home and decided to move to a single story house. So they found the new home and sold the 2 story home they had owned for 10 years. When the movers brought in the furniture the bed (Queen) looked lost in the new bedroom. Considering they had had their mattress (Stearns & Foster) for 29 years, it was time to buy a new foam mattress and larger bed for the couple and their dogs.            Here was their Queen bed at their 2 story home. The bedroom was slightly smaller. The bed was beautiful but a little small for the couple and their 2 dogs.   .       Here is the master bedroom before they moved in.      Here is the new mattress before the bed was delivered. These mattresses are on their own fram... 04/11/2014

Update Your Free Profiles on Zillow and Trulia to add your CLOSED Sales Yesterday I had a property close and immediately I got an email from Zillow asking if I wished to claim ownership to this property. Well of course I did and Zillow had been sending me activity reports for weeks showing me the 30+ pictures on-line. At the time, Zillow knew I was the listing agent. But what I didn't realize was that when it closes, the pictures all go away....yes all 30+ of them so if you click on the address, you see the aerial map instead. Plus you have to click to claim ownership and then add all the pictures back in and unfortunately most of the details about the property; size, features, rooms, etc. So I proceeded to update about a quarter of my listings back in and luckily if you keep a file of ... 04/05/2014

Good News.....It is Raining in SoCal but Still in a Drought? Maybe my title was confusing as it is good news that it is raining but unfortunately we are still in a drought and a half day of rain will not get us out of the drought.   I will give us watered lawns and fields and make the trees green so that is a positive effect on the enviroment.   We will need a lot more rain to pull us out of the drought.  Here is my favorite photo today. Way up on a high lightpost overlooking the valley was a Red Tailed Hawk crouched down in the pouring rain.  Thanks for Reading my Blog f you are looking for a professional real estate agent, I am just a phone call away. My past clients have been very satisfied with my service. Call Kristin Hamilton to get a Professional, Honest and Ethical, and Extremel... 04/02/2014

Full Moon Over Calimesa I was in the car (passenger) last night so I took pictures with my cell phone as the full moon was so grand. This full moon in March is called the "Crow Moon".   This is the last full moon of the winter known as Crow Moon, Worm Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, Lenten Moon or Sugar Moon. The cawing of the Crows signaled that winter was finally over.   Crust Moon came from the fact the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. Sap or Sugar Moon signaled it was a time for tapping the Maple trees.   Europeans called it the Lenten Moon as the next moon in the spring is the full moon just before Easter. Worm Moon signaled that this is the last full Moon of winter. Thanks for Reading my Blog       03/16/2014