How to survive and prosper in today's economy    January 7, 7-8:30 pm Business Workshop Presented by David Sanders, CEO of Creative Business Strategies and a consultant helping entrepreneurs and business owners achieve their goals since 1975. In today's troubled economy, many of us find ourselves trapped in a room with no way out. Strapped for cash, we are worried that we will make mistakes with the little funds available to market our business. With over 30 years of marketing and management experience that has spanned the last four recessions, Sanders will speak of what has been tried and true, to help you get the most strategic gain from marketing. Download the flyer (PDF). While all programs are free, registration is required. To register, please call (951) 826-5212 or register onl... 12/27/2008

A terrific Riverside CA park and ohhhh what amazing views...Sycamore Highlands Park  There is a really beautiful park in Riverside CA that is a little out of the way and I think that many local folks have never heard of it, much less visited.  It is called Sycamore Highlands Park.  This photo shows Box Springs Mountain in the background with a little dusting of snow (a rare event for that mountain).  Close to the I 215 and Central AvenueThis park has a lot to offer.  My favorite feature is the incredible views from the top of the hill.  The views of the mountains covered with snow the day I visited were nothing short of amazing. There are a number of benches there to relax on while you enjoy the spectacular views.  You can see the huge Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park, much of Riverside... 12/20/2008

Some of my favorite active listings in Riverside California I did a search today of the local multiple listing service for the best homes at the best price in Riverside currently for sale.  These are all homes built in 2000 or newer and are all under $350,000.  None of these are my listings and I did not include any short sales in this list. I have not personally visited all of these homes - I'm just going by the information on the multiple listing service and some recent comparable home sales.  5407 Lauder Ct.  - $269,900 (bank owned) 8733 Dharma Place - $289,000 (new construction) 17330 Sandlewood - $297,900 (bank owned in Victoria Grove) 19969 Paso Robles - $299,900 (Orangecrest) 8460 New Windsor - $319,900 (bank owned in Orangecrest) 9393 Newbridge - $323,950 (bank owned in Orangec... 12/15/2008

The day after Thanksgiving finds my daughter and I in downtown Riverside. No, we are not shopping, we are taking in the sounds and sights of Christmas. It is the annual lighting of the Mission Inn. We always go early and wander through the Riverside Convention Center and enjoy the trees. It is the Annual fund raiser by Riverside County Regional Medical Center Foundation. It celebrates Riverside's claim to be the "City of Trees" held the week of Thanksgiving at the Riverside Convention Center.  The lighting of the Mission Inn is just the start of the fun. My daughter and her friends ice skate (yes, in Riverside).  We admire all the shops in their holiday garb, and then make our way in to see the beautiful tree inside the Mission Inn. At some point in the night we will hear the Dicken's C... 12/13/2008

  Each year at this time downtown Riverside is turned into a winter wonderland. At the heart of it all is the historic Mission Inn. This is where U.S. presidents come to stay when they visit. When Laura and I went Wednesday evening, we strolled the streets soaking up the 16th annual Festival of Lights. Block after block is filled with lights, ornaments, trees and horse drawn carriages. Vendors sell fresh donuts, cookies, light wands and more. There's an ice skating rink. It's truly a spectacle. Next year I hope to attend the opening ceremony, which features a jaw-dropping fireworks display followed by the lights being lit. It happens annually the Friday following Thanksgiving. Happy holidays to you and yours!       Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Res... 12/08/2008

Here is a snapshot look at the real estate market in Riverside California The data is shown by ZIP code for the period Oct.  20, 2008 to November 21, 2008.   The average list price is the average of all the homes that were on the market during this period - including those that sold, expired, cancelled, were withdrawn, etc.    In preparing this report and comparing this month to last month, I have found that the trend of declining home prices, both list price and sold price, continues (not across all Riverside ZIP codes - but for the most part).  It appears that the supply of homes on the market is declining slightly and the average number of days on the market seems to be increasing a bit.  That is the average number of days from the list date until the house goes into escrow.    With... 11/21/2008

  The Women’s Council of Realtors®, Inland Valley Chapter requests your presence at…   Our Annual Holiday New Member Orientation and Networking Event!   This event is free and will have food, drinks and lots of fun. There will be a Christmas Inspired Silent Auction and Raffle, So bring a holiday-inspired item (Christmas Ornament, trinket, etc.) Contact Danae Aballi at (714) 709-6558 if you will be bringing an auction item.   Wednesday, November 19th in Riverside   4:30-5:00 p.m.--Networking   5:00-5:30 p.m.--Orientation   5:30-6:30 p.m.--Food, drinks, networking and silent auction and raffle. Please R.S.V.P. to Melany Denkers at (951) 479-2889.     Thank you to our sponsor:   Elite Home Inspections   ____________________________ Guests and non-members are welcome! But remember, if you j... 11/13/2008

This going to be a VERY fun night and all proceeds will go to scholarships for local high school seniors. The movie is about Realtors and includes scenes such as "Farming", "BK Homes", and "Insider Trading". There are faces and names that most everyone in the industry will recognize and a few surprises too! Even if you don't work in real estate you'll still get a kick out of the movie which pokes fun at all the daily hazards and frustrations we all go through on a regular basis. Surely worth the price which goes to a good cause! Hope to see you there!! SM 11/11/2008

Here is a snapshot look at the real estate market in Riverside California The data is shown by ZIP code for the period September 22, 2008 to October 22, 2008.   The average list price is the average of all the homes that were on the market during this period - including those that sold, expired, cancelled, were withdrawn, etc.   The Riverside real estate market continues to be significantly impacted by the large number of foreclosures.   Prices are still declining but the supply of homes on the market is holding steady.  The prices are lower than they were in the beginning of 2004.   With the significant price declines, low interest rates and good inventory, it is a good time to buy for those who can afford it.  You may have heard that banks aren't lending.  They are more restrictive b... 10/23/2008

The California Riverside Ballet Is Up to Its Old Tricks (Halloween tricks, that is) - 2008 Ghostwalk in downtown Riverside presented by the California Riverside Ballet is now in it's 17th Year.  In 2005 the Ghostwalk event received the recognition as "Best Event in Riverside" and continues to be a tradition gaining additional popularity every year.  The weekend before Halloween, the California Riverside Ballet brings the downtown area alive and into it's supernatural theme with stories of horror, mystery & intrigue along with the ever anticipated performances of the CRB Dancers adding to the theme of phantasm and illusion.  The number of people who come to Ghostwalk grows significantly each year. During this event, groups will be guided throughout the historic district of downtown Rive... 10/11/2008

The Best Room at the Inn   The historical mission in Riverside, California is a fabulous testiment to the Mission Revival style of architecture. Rooms in the mission in vary in price from the low hundreds to the thousands per night. One of the best rooms in the entire hotel though is the Glenwood Suite. Looking out from the spacious living room of this two room suite, you look down into the courtyard of their 4 star restaurant, and across the way you can see the herb garden and oriental style roof of the Japanese wing of the Inn. Staying a night in this room will set you back around $1300-1400 but it is a terrific romantic getaway with style and class. 10/11/2008

                        Looking for a Bank Owned one in Riverside, eh?            There are currently over 600 Bank Owned Homes in Riverside. ....             SIGN UP TO SEE ALL BANK OWNED HOMES IN RIVERSIDE AND GET HOT NEW                            LISTINGS SENT TO YOUR INBOX DAILY GET BANK OWNED HOMES BY EMAIL        ( The Smart way to shop is to let the newest bank owned homes to  find  YOU!)                                                Here is a snapshot of 5 of homes on the low end with minimum 3 bedrooms from $200-300K  Median Estimated Home Value      12-month Change in Median Estimated Home Value                 Riverside, CA 92503 Type : Single Family Home MLS # : H08133546 Status : ACTIVE School District:  Riverside Unified Beds : 3 Baths : 1-Full Sq.Ft. : 1576 $200,000    ... 10/10/2008

The Chinese have a proverb:  "May you live in interesting times."  And we are living through interesting times indeed.    Whatever the political posturing regarding the current rescue plan, a plan needs to be passed. Credit markets are frozen and banks are going bust every day. This is not totally because of "toxic" mortgages. This has a lot to do with FASB 157, also known as "mark to market". Each day lenders must mark their assets to the marketplace. It's like you having to appraise your home everyday and if your neighbor was under duress because they got very ill, divorced, lost their job and was forced to sell their home quickly they may have sold it super cheap. Now, does that mean your house is worth that super cheap price? Clearly not. Why? Because you are not under duress. You h... 10/02/2008

Riverside CA Parks - Orange Terrace Park and Community Center I just paid a visit to a really terrific place in Orangecrest. It is the new Orange Terrace Library and Community Center and park. This is a wonderful and much anticipated addition to Riverside CA  in the Orangecrest area. I am not affiliated with this park - I just visited it as a resident of Riverside   The buildings include a 25,000 sq ft community center with gymnasium, rooms for classes, banquet room (which can be rented out) and kitchen, and more – I’ll get into that later and a 13,600 sq ft library.   The park has a number of baseball fields (eight I think), a very large grass field (probably for soccer), two playgrounds, several basketball courts, and picnic areas. There is ample parking. There are programs and class... 09/30/2008

No matter what the market, people will continue to desire to live in Riverside, as it remains one of the most active cities within Riverside County. Comparatively speaking, the Riverside housing market continues to post brisk sales.  In of July 2008, 263 single family homes and a total of 11 condos/townhomes sold, down 279 from last month. Click Here to view the Riverside County market report. Closed Sales for July 2008: Up 55 from last month382 Single Family Homes20 Condos/TownhomesPending Sales for July 2008: Up 59 from last month899 Single Family Homes31 Condos/TownhomesCurrent Actives as of Today's Post: Down 193 from last month2,219 Single Family Homes117 Condos/TownhomesForeclosure Activity for July 2008 92501 - 40 Notice of Defaults (NOD) Down 7 from last month92501 - 49 Notice o... 09/14/2008

A Great Place in Riverside for a Night Out - The Tyler Galleria and AMC TheatersI'm so glad that the Tyler Galleria (also known as the Tyler Mall)  expansion is complete.  This has greatly added to the area.  That expansion brought in some terrific new restaurants and a beautiful new movie theater to Riverside.  It is located very conveniently just off the Tyler St. exit on the 91 freeway. The new building with the theaters and some restaurants is on Magnolia.  It is a large building - you can't miss it.  My husband and I really enjoy going to movies and dinner here.  There is parking in front of the building and in the adjacent parking garage. The new AMC Theaters Tyler Galleria has 16 theaters. Click the link to find which movies are currently showing and the times.  It is on the sec... 09/11/2008

Where: Fairmount Regional Park Bandshell 2601 Fairmount Blvd. RiversideWhen: Saturday, September 6th 2008Time: 12:00pm.-9:00pm.Purchase Pre-sale tickets at: The Parks & Recreation Department at 3936 Chestnut St. Riverside through September 5th.Pre-sale tickets: 2 for $15.00 or 1 ticket for $7.50.On-site ticket sales will be available at $10 per person. Children under 12 are FREEThe Riverside Parks and Recreation Department, and Community Services Department will be hosting the 3rd. Mariachi Festival in Riverside. This event will showcase Hispanic culture and the genre of Mariachi music, ballet folklorico dance featuring the nationally known Mariachis, cultural activities, a children’s fun zone featuring a rock wall, giant slide and obstacle course, arts & crafts, games, face painters, ... 09/04/2008

Aug 25, 2008 Have you visited your local public library lately? Long gone are the days of card catalogs and library marms telling you to hush! It is a wonderland of education and fun for youth and adults alike. My wife has been telling me for months that things have changed...we started bringing the kids to storytime at our local library a few years ago. It was fun for the kids and we were able to check out books for the kids to read at home. But did you know that the newer libraries (or the renovated ones) have rows and rows of computers to use for free (an hour at a time) and that they are connected to the Internet at smoking fast speeds? How about the arts and crafts programs for kids that focus on reading and other important skills? There are even classes and meetings for adults. I ... 09/03/2008

Aug 27, 2008 If you are a real estate investor, or if you want to be, you have got to find out about The Norris Group! I am at the Bootcamp Bruce Norris puts on and I recommend that anyone who is an investor go through his course! Unless you plan on investing in the Inland Empire...that's where I am investing...stay away! :) Aaron talked about social networking online and some of the technology that investors should be using...great stuff. Aaron is an expert at this kind of stuff. I love it because I am a computer geek as well. Bruce is preparing us to go out in the field today to look at homes he has purchased and repaired/rehabbed. He is showing us what and how he does it...and he does it better than anyone! Check them out at www.thenorrisgroup.com I'll talk about my experience in the... 09/03/2008

The Orchard The Orchard  is a wonderful and very unique neighborhood in the southwestern part of Riverside California with approximately 250 homes.  If you haven't been there before and don't know where it is, that's not surprising.  It is the hidden jewel of Riverside.  And you will have a hard time finding another similar neighborhood. The Orchard is located on La Sierra Ave - on a hillside south of Victoria Ave.  It is above the smog that we sometimes experience in Riverside. It is easy to miss if you don't know where to find it.  You enter the neighborhood from La Sierra by turning left on Orchard View Lane. It is just south of the KB Homes - Bridgeport and Stone Harbor development. You can also enter from McAllister Parkway. The Orchard is unique because of its location on a hills... 08/29/2008