The lure of a short sale or bank owned home can be quite attractive to buyers nowadays. Everyone wants to believe that they are getting the best bargain out there. The looming question that I am constantly asked is, "How do I get my offer accepted?" Here are a few simple suggestions to get your offer accepted: 1. Write an offer that is clean with no contingencies. By this, we mean to make a straight forward offer with a fair and reasonable purchase price and make it where your offer is nt contingent upon anything else. 2. Align yourself with an agent who understands the process. If it is the listing agent, be sure that they have a great relationship with the lender and can advocate on your behalf. 3. Understand that the biggest discounts will come from properties that need repair. 4. Ex... 07/25/2008

It's no secret that property values are rapidly declining. But what actions can a home owner take? The law requires that the Tax Assessor annually enroll a property's Proposition 13 value or its current market value, whichever is less. Proposition 8 refers to when there is a lower market value that replaces the higher Proposition 13 value. If you feel that your property values have been assessed incorrectly you should contact your local tax assessors office. Homeowners may file a formal assessment appeal. You may also get more information from the following links: http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/assessor/Decline.asp http://www.riversideacr.com/ 07/18/2008

With so much happening in the lending sector today, it can be hard to keep up. One thing that has not been missed is the recent acquisition of Countrywide by Bank of America. Quite readily we can imagine how this benefits the giant Bank of America. But how does this acquisition translate into benefits for the consumer? 1. Broader mortgage capablities will be available to consumers in both retail and wholesale loans. 2. Consumers will gain access to an increased amount of consumer products including credit cards. 3. Bank of America has stability as one of the world's largest financial institutions, therefore, easing concerns for consumers surrounding recent bank fall-outs. 4. Bank of America has a policy of "no price gouging." Overages that cost consumers are not allowed. 5. Bank of Amer... 07/18/2008

The Chino Hills Concerts in the Park Summer Series is well underway. On July 16th the crowds had cars lined up for miles around Crossroads Community Park, located at 2001 Grand Ave, Chino Hills, CA. Many concert goers walked from nearby homes and businesses toting lawn chairs, blankets, and ice chests. Shows begin at 6:45 p.m. There is a hum of good old fashion fun and relaxation in the air. Couple and families come out to just enjoy the summer weather and take in some good music. Be sure not to miss it each Wednesday evening through August 27th. The schedule is as follows: July 23 The Groove (Groovin' Oldies)  July 30 Skinny Little Twits (Top 40's Dance) August 6 Orange Colored Sky (Surf) August 20 The Flames (Motown) August 27 The Ravelers (Classic Rock) 07/18/2008

  The first Habitat for Humanity home in the City of Chino Hills has been awarded to a local Rancho Cucamonga family. The Cessna family currently lives in a mobile home and were selected as recipients after being deemed the most needy out of the 16 final applicants. John and Naomi Cessna, who have two small children age 2 and 3, were selected based on their need for housing, their ability to repay a zero interest mortgage, and their willingness to hlp build their home or other Habitat homes. The home will be located on Fairway Blvd across from the Los Serranis Golf Course. To learn more about this program, visit http://www.habitat.org/   07/15/2008

The City of Chino Hills 17th Annual Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Picnic will be held onJuly 4th at Big League Dreams Chino Hills Sports Park, 16333 Fairfield Ranch Road. Decorate your wagons, trikes, or wheelbarrows and line up at 9:30 a.m. at the front gate ofBig League Dreams for the 2008 Family Wagon Parade which will kick-off the Old-FashionedFourth of July Picnic at 10:00 a.m. The 10:30 a.m. ceremony will feature a flag salute andIndependence Day comments from area elected officials. The event continues until 3:00p.m. Bring your own picnic blanket and chairs to create a "home base" as your family andfriends enjoy the many free activities including food-eating contests, picnic games, facepainting, pie baking contest, and arts and craft projects. Fun inflatables, BMX stunt shows,bung... 07/04/2008

On June 28-29, 2008 there was a tremendous showing of support from Keller Williams Chino Hills in honor of the American Cancer Society. The 3rd Annual Chino Hills Relay For Life took place at Chino Hills High. This community gathering brought together various community members in the fight against cancer. The overnight event lasted a full 24 hours. Team members were to have at least one representative walking the track at all times because cancer never sleeps. One determined community member actually walked 22 out of the total 24 hours! Many local sponsors donated time and food. A special thank you to our local Panera Bread, Z Pizza, Tropical Smoothie Café, Starbucks and Chino Hills Fire Department. There was a midnight showing of Ratatouille and even belly dancing. We had a wonderful t... 06/30/2008

No matter what the market, people will continue to desire to live in Chino Hills, as it remains one of the most active cities within San Bernardino County. Comparatively speaking, the Chino Hills  housing market continues to post brisk sales.  In of May 2008, 36 single family homes and a total of 1 condos/townhomes sold, 3 more than last month.  The number of new foreclosure sales is about the same as the number of monthly sales, not much change for the long term as NOD's continue to increase. My overall view of the market is still slipping in cost per square foot while the sales numbers are stabilizing a little. For a full county market report Click Here. Closed Sales For May 2008, up 4 from last month49 Single Family Homes5 Condos/TownhomesPending Sales For May 2008, Up 10 from last m... 06/28/2008

CQ Press, a reference and texbook publishing company has listed Chino Hills as the 16th safest city in the United States on the list of cities with a population of 75,000 or more. CQ Press is a division of Congressional Quarterly, Inc. and located in Washington DC. Statistics were acquired from 2006 crime data released from the FBI. Other So. California cities rankings...Mission Viejo ranked number one, Thousand Oaks, number 7, Lake Forest number 10 and Irvine number 11.   06/14/2008

Home warranty covers basic plumbing, electrical, A/C and water heater problems that are not cover by the homeowner insurance.If home warranty is purchased for the a rental property, tenant can contact home warranty company directly for most common household repair. That way, it will reduce the amount of work involved in finding and hiring the right contractor for the repair.Also since tenant can submit repair request on line or call the 24-7 toll free number, it is very convenient for the tenant to make arrangement for immediate repair. 05/14/2008

Due to the mortgage meltdown crisis, lenders are very tight on issuing loans. Therefore, in order to secure a loan, it is best to put at least 10% down payment when you purchase a new home in today's market. 05/12/2008

Sycamore Heights is one of the newest communities in Chino Hills. Built from 2003 and 2005, most houses are view homes over 3300 sq ft with beautiful architecture and functional floor plan priced between $700,000 t0 $1,200,000. 05/10/2008

Check out this gorgeous 1997 built 3004 sq ft home with amazing golf course view for only $569,900! It was listed 3-day ago and is in pretty good condition! The bank is selling it in as-is condition and you might need to do some minor cosmetic work on interior of the house.A similar bank owned home on the same street with a lot worst condition and priced at $20,000 more was sold in 10 days. This one will be gone in a week. Hurry and don't miss this rare opportunity to live in a gorgeous golf course front house!!! Call Caroline now for a free viewing today! 05/03/2008

The ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the huge success of Keller Williams Chino Hills Market Center was held April 24th. This wine and cheese event was warmly welcomed by agents throughout the city, partners at the Market Center, the general public and City Officials. There was fun had by all with a chocolate fondue fountain, appetizers of all sorts and yes...wine. Thank you to those who came by to wish us well and to those who sent their best wishes. A special thanks to our special affiliates who helped make this possible, Marissa Behnke of Ticor Title, Lisa Granados of Encore Escrow, Michael Alvarez of First American Title, Mya Magleby of Land America, Michael Cahill of Countrywide, Mary and Nikki Smith of Search and Destroy Pest Control and Chanin Carrillo of First American Home... 05/02/2008

It's Friday and Friday is fun! Water park is fun for kids. Glen Ivy Hot Springs is like a water park for mature adults with more tranquility. Hiding at the foothill of Cleveland National Forest, Glen Ivy Hot Springs is a real serene paradise with fresh air and beautiful garden. For those who like to soak in the water, this is a perfect place to spend a relaxing day. 05/02/2008

The following is a list of home sales in neighboring cities. Sales activities went up slightly comparing to last month. Available homes for sale is slightly less than last month.April 2008MLS DataNo. of Homes For SaleNo. of New ListingsNo. of Homes PendingNo. of Homes Sold Chino 408859718Chino Hills3198510455Diamond Bar 204894823Hacienda Hts 175643332Phillips Ranch622084 Rowland Hts 114553215Walnut 122571910 05/01/2008

Click below for the summary of sales Report in Chino Hills for the first quarter of 2008. Chino Hills Homes Sales for Quarter 1, 2008 Per Dataquick, 40 resale homes, new homes and condos sold in Chino Hills in the month of March, 2008 with a median price of $497,000 compared to March of 2007's median price of $585,000 indicating a 15.4% median price decrease from last year.   04/28/2008

Landlord may deduct the back rent and cost of fixing damages form your security deposit. However, landlord can not keep your deposit for normal wear and tear such as worn carpet & chipped paint. Landlord can only deduct the cost of fixing damages that is beyond normal "wear and tear" such as broken window or kid's crayon art work on the wall. In California, tenant can not deduct the last month rent from the security deposit. Landlord must send the deposit refund to tenant within 21 days after move out. 04/21/2008

I was searching for a pool home in Chino Hills for one of my buyers and I come across this unbelievable bargain couple of days ago.Built in 1998, this 4Br/3Ba 3004 sq ft home has a pool, beautiful 180 degree golf course view and a huge master retreat. It was valued at $820,000 in Summer 2004. I was very surprised to see the bank listing it for sale at $589,900 on 04/15/08 making it one of the best bargains in Chino Hills.Like other REOs, this house requires lots of care. If you are looking for a fixer upper and would like to enjoy the pool and nice golf course view, call Caroline today for a free viewing! 04/19/2008

Who is setting the market price in a down market? To the surprise of many sellers, it is the buyer who sets market price.At today's down market where we are experiencing 10% to 20% drop a year in our area, most houses stay on the market un-sold.When buyer makes an offer to purchase a property, once the transaction is realized, buyer sets the new market price in a down market. 04/17/2008