If you're considering a Short Sale in Riverside... Don't be misled If you've been paying attention to the real estate market, you're bound to have seen many agents claiming to offer FREE Short Sale help.  For the unsuspecting homeowner facing foreclosure, it may sound great... but use CAUTION.  What good is the FREE help if the agent you've contracted isn't really a short sale expert?  You might just end up losing your home to foreclosure due to the inexperience of an agent trying to pull a fast one by marketing their services as FREE or telling you they know what they're doing. The fact is that most competent short sale agents DON'T ever charge the homeowner for their short sale negotiation help. Don't get burned by choosing the wrong agent to negotiate your short sale.  Ask for proof... 03/02/2010

RE/MAX Homes & Estates Pre-Foreclosure Division  (714) 588 -7676 ∙  www.remaxann.com   If you are in a situation where: • You lost your job • Your Medical Expenses are too high • Just went through/going through a divorce • You are behind on your payments • You have no equity • You can't afford the cost of selling your home • Your income has been reduced • You are in foreclosure   WE CAN HELP YOU! It's easy and doesn't cost you any MONEY! Our services are Free!!! WHEN THE DEBT EXCEEDS YOUR HOME'S VALUE... we can help is with a SHORT SALE.   Benefits of a Short Sale: • Avoid Foreclosure • Avoid Bankruptcy • Reduced damage to your credit • Postpone your foreclosure sale date • A short sale will stay on your credit approx 3 years • BE FREE of financial and emotional burdens!     We are lice... 03/01/2010

Riverside  CA Short Sales - Foreclosures In working with buyers who are looking for great deals in Riverside CA foreclosures, I have found that some buyers don't think they are getting a "deal" unless they get an offer accepted for less than the list price.  That often is not going to happen.  Buyers need to be aware that these homes are typically priced low and that there are lots of buyers out house hunting right now.  So it is very competitive.  Buyers, keep that in mind.  Here are some numbers to illustrate that Riverside foreclosed houses are not generally selling for less than asking price.  Read more here  about the totals in foreclosure sales and short sales in Riverside.  Riverside Foreclosures  (closed sales )  from 12/01/2009 - 1/31/2010    Total foreclosed homes sold = 408  ... 02/22/2010

Andulka Park - Riverside CAI drive by this new park quite frequently but since I didn't have any real estate appointments (I'm a Realtor) I decided I would stop and take some photos and walk around.   Andulka Park in Riverside California has two baseball fields, a tennis complex with pro-shop (nine regulation courts and one tournament court), two lighted basketball courts, restroom and concession facilities, children's playground, picnic facilities, open meadow areas, on site parking for approximately 200 vehicles, and a walking/jogging trail and native habitat area - something for just about everyone.Andulka Park, a 36-acre park, is located at 5201 Chicago Avenue at Central Avenue and opened early in May 2009.  When I stopped there today, February 20, 2010, even though it was cold outs... 02/20/2010

Victoria Grove- Riverside CA This is for those who are interested in what is happening currently with the housing market in Victoria Grove Riverside CA.  This information is as of February 20, 2010.  Active Listings There are 13 houses currently for sale on the multiple listing service right now in Victoria Grove.  Of the houses currently for sale, four are short sales, two are bank-owned (foreclosure) and seven are standard sales.   Houses in Escrow There are currently 15 houses in escrow in Victoria Grove.  Of those, one is bank-owned, ten are short sales, and there are four standard sales.    Closed Homes Victoria Grove has had a total of 10 houses closed (sold) in the last 60 days.  Of those, three were bank-owned, and there was one short sale and six were standard sales.   There co... 02/20/2010

          $300,000 1259 Melville Drive, Riverside, CA 92506-5372                            TGNO 716C4                                       Riverside County  P716931                                                                  4 Bedrooms & a Huge Office/Bonus Room! 4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms                                                     Two Stories Mountain View                                                                           No HOA Dues Approximate Square Footage 2,121                                     Approx. Lot Size 8,712                     Year Built 1987     RV Parking,  Boat Parking, Direct Garage Access, Driveway, Driveway - Concrete, Garage - Front Entry, Garage Door Opener, RV Access/Parking, RV Enclosed, RV Gated.  2-Car direct access garage. Lovely Canyo... 02/16/2010

Riverside CA Foreclosures Are you interested in finding out more about Riverside Ca foreclosures?  This is an important topic in Riverside California.  Realty Trac recently reported that foreclosures in the US are 15% higher than they were a year ago.  They also say that there is likely to be an increase in foreclosure activity in the next several months. If this happens it will be driven by more unemployment and economic hardship.  For 2009 the three states with the most foreclosures were: California  - 632,573, Florida - 516,711 and Arizona - 163,210 (according to Realty Trac) – but keep in mind that, particularly with California and Florida, these are high population states.  The cities/areas in the US with the highest foreclosure filings in 2009 were: Las Vegas, NV Cape Coral- Fort ... 02/16/2010

After teaching for over 5 years students to pass the CA state Notary exam for http://www.notaryclasses.com I realize many CA Notaries do not understand the " CA Certification by Document Custodian form.What a CA Notary is notarizing is a Jurat form that a signer is going to swear that the attached copy of a certain document is a true and exact copy of the correct and complete original document.We (the notary) is not certifying that this is a true copy of something but the signer is swearing it is a true copy.Please email me if you would like me to send you this form?joan.bergstrom@yahoo.comhttp://www.joanbergstromnotarypublic.com 951-522-4919 02/15/2010

Riverside and Corona Short Sales - Are you a good candidate for one? Riverside and Corona short sales make up the biggest percentage of homes currently on the market. In fact today, Feb 5, 2010, there are 466 short sales in Riverside.  Compare that to 361 standard sales and 147 bank-owned houses.  A short sale is one option for a seller who needs to sell but owes more on their house than it can be sold for.  You should know up front that there is no guarantee that your short sale (should you choose to do one) will go through and there is a guarantee that it will hurt your credit report. Get all the information you can on short sales – do your research – and find an experienced Realtor in  short sales.  How do you know if you are a good candidate for a short sale? Do you have a legitimat... 02/05/2010

Are you thinking of selling your Riverside California Home? Are you considering selling your home but not sure what to do? Here are some steps to follow.  Depending on how much equity you have in your home, now may be a very good time to sell.  In Riverside and Corona CA and throughout the Inland Empire, there are lots of buyers and investors anxious to purchase homes.  The timing is right for many buyers because of low housing costs and low interest rates.  The inventory of houses available currently is quite low which is great news for home sellers.  Evaluate your situation first.  Do you really need to sell?  Or can you remodel your home to meet your needs?  Can you afford to purchase another home, keep your existing home and rent it out until the prices of houses in your area go up?... 02/02/2010

Corona Homes for Sale - Market Report - Jan 2010 This is a snap-shot of  the homes for sale in Corona, CA for January 2010.  The number of houses for sale and that are in escrow is as of February 2, 2010.  During December real estate activity dropped but it looks to be going back up.  You can see this by looking at the number of houses in escrow.  Some zip codes have lower and some have higher sold prices. One thing I think is interesting is that in all but one zip code the average sold prices were higher than the list prices.   Let me know if you have any questions about these numbers.   92879 Jan 2010 Dec 2009 Oct 2009 Number of houses for sale 83 86 96 Number of houses in escrow 115 86 132 Number of sold houses 42 42 37 Average list price of sold houses $263,179 $257,204 $262,251 Ave... 02/02/2010

Riverside Homes for Sale - Market Report - Jan 2010 Riverside CA homes for sale and residential real estate is still moving up and down.  The prices in five out of the eight zip codes are down from Dec 2009.  I think that we see some larger variances in sold prices due to bank-owned houses. Increased numbers of bank- owned houses that go on the market in a particular zip code will drive the prices in that zip code down.  Some good news that I see this month is that in all zip codes, number of houses in escrow is going back up after the slow-down in December. The number of active homes and  homes in escrow is as of February 2, 2010. Real estate in Riverside continues to be ever-changing and ever-exciting - at least for me it is.  It is still a great time to buy - with the low housing pri... 02/02/2010

I am a HUGE fan of movies, architecture and history.  When you put all three together, I am in heaven.  Last weekend, we were fortunate enough to take a tour of the newly renovated Fox Theater in downtown Riverside.  I have wanted to see the inside of this building since I moved to Riverside in December of 1985.  I even wanted to see it when it was all boarded up.  I didn't care.  This is where they showed the first screening of Gone With the Wind in 1939.  This building has been around for decades and has seen Riverside change from a field of oranges to the bustling city that it is today. I felt very underdressed for an occassion such as this.  Even though everybody was in jeans and it wasn't a black tie affair, I felt like I should have been wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown with my h... 01/27/2010

2 Bedroom 2 ½ Bath 2 Story 1530 Sq Ft Home/ 3500 Sq Ft Lot Built 2006  Great 2 Bedroom plus loft home in a wonderful area of Riverside. Home backs to the golf course. Property Sold AS IS. Cross Streets: Camino Real and Lake Side Asking $220,000 www.remaxann.com for more info   #01451803 01/25/2010

  FHA ANNOUNCES POLICY CHANGES TO ADDRESS RISK AND STRENGTHEN FINANCES  New Measures Will Help FHA Better Manage Risk, While Maintaining Support for the Housing Market and Access for Underserved Communities WASHINGTON – Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner David Stevens today announced a set of policy changes to strengthen the FHA’s capital reserves, while enabling the agency to continue to fulfill its mission to provide access to homeownership for underserved communities. The changes announced today are the latest in a series of changes Stevens has enacted in order to better position the FHA to manage its risk while continuing to support the nation’s housing market recovery. The FHA will propose to take the following steps: increase the mortgage insurance premium (MIP); up... 01/21/2010

Fox Theater to reopen in Riverside, California After a $32 million dollar renovation, the Fox Theater reopened to much fanfare this weekend with a special black tie event to mark the special occasion (more than 750 tickets sold at $150 each).  The public is invited to come this weekend for free tours of the renovated facility.  Tours will be available from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. The theater has been renamed as, and home to the Fox Performing Arts Center. Cameron Novak Riverside Short Sale Agent The Homefinding CenterTM Corona, California 951-212-7479     01/16/2010

Homes for sale Riverside CA- Monthly Totals 2009 I like to have a handle on the current trends in residential real estate in Riverside CA.  I do research to learn  more about and then I put that information into blog posts.  I don't know if anyone else finds this information helpful or not, but I'll continue to share what I learn.  If you actually are reading this and find it helpful or interesting, let me know.  It would be great to hear from you.Here is a graph showing the monthly totals of closed Riverside CA homes (single family homes) for 2009.  I was looking for a trend and really don't see one. It goes up and down. There is a definite trend for 2009 on the monthly totals of the number of houses  on the market. Click here to see that chart.   Real estate in Southern California is ... 01/14/2010

Riverside CA Market Report - Dec 2009 Here is a look at what is happening in Riverside CA in residential real estate during the last three months.  The number of houses currently for sale and in escrow is as of January 9, 2010. Half of the Riverside zip codes sale prices were above the previous month and half were below.  There appears to still be a pressure on prices from the bank-owned houses in spite of the high demand for houses.  The number of houses currently in escrow went down down significantly.  I believe that is due to the holidays and the fact that not as many people were looking during that time.  The average price for houses that sold in Riverside during December went down to $216,265 from November's $224,587.  The  average square feet of the sold houses was 1810. 92501 D... 01/09/2010

2 Bedroom 2 ½ Bath 2 Story 1530 Sq Ft Home/ 3500 Sq Ft Lot Built 2006 Great 2 Bedroom plus loft home in a wonderful area of Riverside. Home backs to the golf course. Property Sold AS IS. Cross Streets: Camino Real and Lake Side  Asking $220,000 www.remaxann.com for more info #01451803 01/06/2010

Riverside and Corona Homes for Sale - All Cash Offers Here are some really interesting facts about buying real estate in Riverside and Corona California with all cash offers.  It seems like many all cash offers have to come in at or higher than list price to get accepted.  Riverside ALL CASH Home and Condo Sales For all homes and condos sold in Riverside (closed sales) in December 2009 - there were a total of 119 all cash transactions.   Average square feet  = 1445. Of these transactions, the average list price was $145,584 compared to the average sold price of $147,980.  Some cash buyers are thinking that they can offer quite a bit less for properties.  But  this shows that at least half of the cash buyers are paying above list price.   Of these 119 sales, 77 were bank-owned houses (fo... 01/04/2010