Dear Family Friends, Clients & Fellow Realtors, In this Months Newsletter the goal is to fully explain just how rapidly our local real estate market is changing and share information that may help you to decide that this is the time to either list your home for sale or buy your new home or investment property.  It wasn’t that long ago that we, as Parents,  feared that our children wouldn’t have an opportunity to live & own a home near us.  Well prices are headed back to where to peak of the market pricing.  This is the time a make a move or an investment that allows our family to live close to each other.  I am here to help guide you and those you care about to take advantage of this fleeting opportunity. Homes are finally being listed at and above market value.  Offers are being made a... 03/16/2013

Dani & Tony Lewis Wish You a Happy Easter! Check out Updates Daily!    On the Third Day He Rose From the Dead "Rejoice!"     Easter Sunday March 31, 2013   "The Easter Story" on The Children's Chapel Stevenson Ranch, Ca. at Rioux Park "Easter Egg Hunt" March 28th Eggstravganza at Saugus Central Park March 30 Santa Clarita Aquatic Center Splash & Dash Easter Egg Hunt & Swim March 30th Easter Brunch at The Paseo Club Easter Sunday March 31st Passion Play at Grace Baptist Church March 26, 28, 29, 30 Stevenson Ranch Blooming Affairs Easter Baskets, Flowers " Free Delivery" Santa Clarita Easter Flowers at "Celebrate"   Vazquez Rocks Easter Sunrise Celebration March 30 at 2PM & 31 at 5AM Easter Lunch Train at Fillmore & Western Railway Co. Easter Noon - 3PM Los Angeles Zoo "Big Bunny's Spring... 03/09/2013

Experts generally agree that the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing (QE) plan has helped the U.S. financial recovery and stimulate the economy. As part of the benefits, QE has also helped bring increasing stability to the real estate market. But what happens now, and what does that mean for current and potential homeowners?   A Quick Refresher QE is a means by which the national bank creates a quantity of money to buy assets, such as bonds, from regular banks and other financial institutions. This raises the price of the assets and artificially lowers interest rates. Bond prices and interest rates are inversely related: as one goes up, the other goes down.   Benefits to Borrowers Homebuyers benefit from QE because as bond prices rise and interest rates fall, the interest on home mort... 03/07/2013

How should I go about selling my home and buying another home? More and more home owners are hoping to sell their home and buy another home that is a move up purchase.  They want either a bigger home or a better location.  This is a very tricky move for home owners that are unable to buy a home without either the funds from the sale of their current home or removing the extra monthly payment.  Sellers are receiving so many great offers from highly qualified buyers that they can pick and choose the best offer which also includes price and terms.  An offer that is contingent on the sale and closing of another home offers inferior terms than what a seller would accept in most instances. I always suggest making an offer that is as clean as possible.  In this market clean means squeaky clean... 03/06/2013

  SNEAK PEEK OPEN HOUSE THIS SATURDAY & SUNDAY, MARCH 9th & 10th from 12pm - 3pm!     Click here for more details:   MEGA OPEN HOUSE!   03/05/2013

The real estate bubble created from 1997 to July 2006 was unprecedented.  The current rise in prices looks to surpass this recent history.  There are no simple answers.  The only ways to slow down this price escalation is to either raise interest rates or stop FHA & VA Financing and require larger down payments.  Congress has also suggested taking away the tax benefits.  The cure is worse than the illness. (Chart provided by Case Shiller)     Your Friend & Realtor, Tony Lewis RE/MAX of Valencia www.TonyLewis.com tonyglewis@yahoo.com Cell – 661-510-7975 03/04/2013

 Dear Veteran, Thank you for your service to our Country! Your hope to purchase your new home with a V. A. Loan is going to be futile at this time in most cases. You see, the best priced and located homes are receiving many offers. Most homes are selling at a price that is well above the current market value so the buyers with All Cash Offers or Conventional Loans are winning these bids. VA & FHA Loans are not even being considered in most sales because the buyers don't usually have extra funds to pay for the price in cash above the appraisal value of the home. I would really love to assist you and many first time buyers in your situation. Let me know if you do have the means to compete in this horrendous market. I will do whatever will work for you! Your Friend & Realtor, Tony Lewis * ... 03/03/2013

I’m not a cow, stop milking me! This post comes after being used and abused so please allow me to vent!  Just imagine that you bought a home with me just 6 months ago.  You needed your hand held, I found you a lender and even convinced you to move forward even though you were reluctant.  You ended up with a home in a prime location and paid just $200,000 for the home.  Now imagine that you call me to get a current market value and I let you know that it would appraise for $250,000.  Let’s say you are now so happy and want to see if there is a home worth buying in an even better location for a higher price and I send you  several listings that you love.  Let’s say that I promote your home and find you 2 buyers that would pay an even higher price of $280,000 but what did you do?  Well you... 03/01/2013

C.A.R. reports 4th quarter 2012 housing affordability For release: February 25, 2013  Higher home prices send California housing affordability lower LOS ANGELES (Feb. 25) – Higher home prices offset lower interest rates to reduce housing affordability in California during the fourth quarter of 2012, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported.   The percentage of home buyers who could afford to purchase a median-priced, existing single-family home in California decreased to 48 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, down from 49 percent in third-quarter 2012 and from 55 percent in fourth-quarter 2011, according to C.A.R.’s Traditional Housing Affordability Index (HAI).  C.A.R.’s HAI measures the percentage of all households that can afford to purchase a median-priced, singl... 02/28/2013

Home Ownership is once again the American Dream! Prices will soon be back to where they were before the recession. Your Friend & Realtor, Tony Lewis * RE/MAX of Valencia www.TonyLewis.com tonyglewis@yahoo.com 661-510-7975 02/25/2013

 February 22, 2013 To whom it may concern, Mr. Buyer wrote an offer on 12345 Oak Leaf Drive in Valencia, Ca. 91354 at $340,000 based upon the most recent sales in the Valencia West Creek community.  The homes are relatively new and comparable sales don’t exist unless they are most likely short sales.  This home received 13 offers and 3 of the offers were at and above $360,000.  Due to the relationship that Tony Lewis had with the listing office, large down payment of Mr. Buyer, the proof of sufficient funds to be able to remove the appraisal contingency and loan approve the seller chose Mr. Buyer’s offer over others that were as good or better.  Respectfully, Tony Lewis Tony Lewis * RE/MAX of Valencia Cell – 661-510-7975 WWW.Tony Lewis.com tonyglerwis@yahoo.com 02/25/2013

  The real estate market is changing daily. Homes are being listed at and above market value.  This is great news for home buyers!  They are no longer being misled by seeing unrealistic home prices only to find out that the home is $50,000 under-priced.  We are heading into a real estate market where negotiation will replace a bidding war.  I’m looking forward to the day when “Best & Final” is replaced by an old fashioned “Counter Offer”! Homes are hitting the market at an incredible pace and selling at an alarming pace.  The community that I serve is called  The Santa Clarita Valley.  This community includes 6 areas; Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Saugus, Newhall & Canyon Country.  This community also encompasses the City of Santa Clarita which includes areas of Valencia, Saugus, ... 02/22/2013

Record Housing Affordability: Take Advantage of Your Purchasing Power   Last year is a record-breaker when it comes to housing affordability, according to the National Association of Realtors [NAR]. Interest rates and home prices dropped dramatically, offsetting lower median incomes, which are the three factors considered in determining the affordability index.   But that's not expected to last; as interest rates creep up, and housing prices as well, we may not see an index this high for many years. Have you taken advantage of this perfect storm of factors to purchase a new property?   Whether you are looking at buying a larger or smaller home, investing in real estate, or even purchasing a second or retirement home, it's a great time to make your move, before the market changes and yo... 02/21/2013

Dear Clients, Family, Friends & Fellow Realtors, Home values are rising as homes continue to sell at one of the quickest paces in history.  This is the perfect storm and a crossroad in which both sellers and buyers benefit at the same time. Home Owners can sell their home above market value due to the enormous demand and massive housing shortage. Home Buyers benefit by buying a home at this time as well.  Prices in the future will be much higher than they are today.  Interest rates can will rise as soon as the market stabilizes.  Buying a home at this time is worth the time and effort.  It is essential to learn about the intense competition that exists for home and how to compete. Tips for Sellers – List your home with Tony Lewis RE/MAX of Valencia and have one of the strongest negotiat... 02/19/2013

You can’t pay too much for a home right now! Time, Location, Quality of Life & Future Investment, these are the primary factors that are driving the current real estate market.  There is an eight year pent up demand of buyers and sellers that have wanted and needed to move over this period of time. Uncertainty no longer exists. Gone are terrorist threats, stock market crash, loss of jobs, political wavering and home prices declining.  What has taken the place is a new fear.  Fear is one of the strongest emotions and the fear of lost opportunity is among the worst. Homes in the community that I serve, Santa Clarita, California, are selling with up to and over 20 offers within the first few days a home hits the market.  The community that is hottest is Valencia Creekside.  The price range... 02/17/2013

Thanks to many electronic devices, our lives have become safer, more comfortable, and more fun. Several trends in home electronics are taking off in 2013, with the overall motif being improvement on existing technologies rather than introducing entirely new devices.   Accessories. Accessories for your phone or tablet that work with downloaded apps are cropping up everywhere. Turn your device into a tool to monitor your heart rate and blood pressure. Family game night becomes an interactive learning experience, turning old-school board games like Monopoly into a new adventure. Digital "pets" learn to talk, require attention, and respond to your commands when you connect them to apps. Even Disney has introduced figurines that seem to come to life when paired with your electronic devices.... 02/14/2013

Are you ready for the next Real Estate Bubble? The double dip recession and real estate crash is now long behind us.  Home values are rising at an alarming rate.  The reasons are plentiful.  New families have been formed and children are have reached the age of independence.  There is a greater sense of urgency for the multitude of buyers that have been sitting on the sidelines for the past 8 years.  The American Dream of Home Ownership is once again a Reality and a goal.  Historically Low Interest Rates, fear of being left behind, high consumer confidence & job recovery have created a buying frenzy.  New Home Starts and building permits are on the rise.  The Shadow Inventory has never materialized and lenders have chosen to assist underwater home owners with short sales and loan modifi... 02/10/2013

  Email today is often viewed as the old reliable means of messaging. Mass communication was made simple with the advent of this technology and the world was made slightly smaller when we developed the ability send documents, images, and ideas instantly and securely. But don't dismiss email as an old-school form of communication: despite the advent of new technology and social media, it's still a reliable and effective method of making contact.   However, if you're still using email the same way you were 10 years ago, you're missing the boat on innovations in the way email can make your marketing simpler and more effective, saving you time and money. Instead of blanketing your entire database with a generic message, pinpointed and relevant information will give you a better ROI, more cl... 02/07/2013

Beautiful skies...expansive views...plenty of trees and green grass...sunny days...Santa Clarita Valley in California has so much to offer. And for golfers, there are several choices. And even if you don't golf, you may want to have a home with a peaceful golf course view. What a pleasant place to relax and rejuvenate!And what better time than now to find that special home in the sought after community of Santa Clarita, CA - only 38 miles north of downtown Los Angeles! Looking for a home with a golf course view? Santa Clarita offers the TPC - Tournament Players Club - in Valencia Westridge, the Valencia Country Club also located in Valencia adjacent to the Valencia Woodlands homes built by Taylor Woodrow, Robinson Ranch Golf Course in Sand Canyon, and the public Valencia Golf Course.See... 01/31/2013

MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service and what this means is the Brokers, Realtors and their companies list their homes in a platform that allows all agents to show homes from any agent or company that wishes to enter their listing in this MLS.  The MLS exists in order to bring the most qualified buyers in and allow the home to be shown by any Realtor that is licensed in this real estate board.  The MLS is the best way to benefit both sellers because they can garner the top offer.  It benefits buyers because a Realtor is allowed to show many homes rather than forcing the buyer to find just one agent of broker per home. There was a time that a Realtor "owned" a listing and only they and perhaps their company could show their listing.  This process was self serving and was not beneficia... 01/26/2013