I just made another micro loan on Kiva.org to a man in Kenya - Pay It Forward Fadhili is a married man with nine school going children. He owns a house with electricity but no piped water. His greatest monthly expense is school fees for his children. Fadhili has operated a retail shop for the past year. In addition he owns a rental house. His potential clients are the local area residents. He faces a major challenge of seasonality. He dreams of owning another rental house. With the Kshs 100,000 he wants to purchase more stocks of rice, sugar and maize flour for his shop and also renovate his rental house. He decided to join Yehu to get capital to improve his businesses. For those of you unfamiliar with Kiva.org, definitely check it out.  You are able to make small $25, micro loans to p... 01/18/2012

This is the SCV moves feed with our most current blog content:   01/17/2012

Newsletter sent to Clients & Friends January 16, 2012 Dear Clients & Friends, Builder confidence and new home builder stocks have begun to skyrocket.  This is a leading indicator which shows that future home sales will be on the rise.  I am giving you this heads up so we, as a team, can be ahead of the curve and take advantage to the current low prices and historically low interest rates.  You may be the only person capable of getting your family and friends that much needed nudge and having them get out and buy a home at the perfect time! Call or Write to discuss buying or selling a home! Find a Home in Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Saugus, Newhall, Castaic, Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, San Fernando or Simi Valley!  Also “Have New Listings Emailed to you as the reach... 01/16/2012

Do I represent my client or my pocketbook? Representation is the one and only concern when a Realtor works with a buyer or seller, period!  Most Realtors understand the incredible responsibility taken on when representing another in what may well be the largest transaction of their life.  However there are certain practices that may be interpreted as representing their own pocketbook far ahead of representing the best interest of their client.  Keep in mind that a Realtor has a Fiduciary relationship and responsibility to those they represent.  A Fiduciary is, in the eyes of the law, the highest degree of trust, honesty and integrity that can be given from one person to another.   Following are the practices that show a lack of client consideration, in my opinion: ·       Failure to pr... 01/06/2012

Home Buyers seem to be looking at the cup as half empty rather than half full.  I look at the cup for those that buy a home now as "the cup runneth over!" Statistics show that 80% of people feel this is a great time to buy a home.  Statistics also show that homes are now more affordable than they have been in generations.  Home Prices, especially Bank Owned/Foreclosures & Short Sales, have bottomed out in many locations.  Interest Rates won't ever be lower than they are right now. Should a home buyer lose any value in the home they buy at this time it really doesn't matter.  The Mortgage Payment is key.  A home buyer needs to pay a payment, whether renting or owneing.  Having a home guarantees the neighborhood, schools and location of their choosing.  Buying at the right price in the be... 01/05/2012

1. Hire a short sale specialist.   Not all Realtors are experienced in short sales.   Depending on what kind of short sale you are requesting (the Federal government has a program called, œHAFA, which among other things gives the homeowner $3000 in relocation assistance) or a regular short sale, your Realtor MUST be well versed in the qualifications and guidelines that your bank requires for a short sale approval.    Hiring a Realtor that is well informed about  the changes in the various short sale programs will be the difference between an approval or a denial. 2. Have all your ducks in a row at the listing appointment.   The top reason that many short sales are denied is incomplete documentation from the homeowner.   A short sale specialist will give you a list of documents you wil... 01/04/2012

Here is your Official To-Do List for 2012 I came across this amazing To-Do list, and I had to pass it on to my ActiveRain Peeps:   Start spending time with the right people. – These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways.  They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally. Start facing your problems head on. – It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them.  Problems will not disappear unless you take action.  Do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you’ve done.  It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch.  These inches count, they a... 01/04/2012

Home prices have fallen below the price they would be today had the bubble not been created. Mortgage Interest Rates are at an unsustainable low level and buyers will fear missing out. Home Owners have been in the same homes much longer than usual and will want to move. First Time Buyers are being encouraged to get out and buy a home by family and friends. There is simply too much money sitting on the side lines and real estate is a safe haven once again. Lenders are approving short sales at a rate unheard of just 2 years ago. This is an election year and neither party will encourage a continuation of this Recession. People will begin getting back to work. People will begin to demand an increase in wages. Investment Properties will allow the buyer to have their mortgage paid by the ren... 12/31/2011

Did You Know That: Mortgage delinquencies stabilized in the third quarter, though new foreclosures jumped 21.1% from last quarter according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Foreclosures in process made up about 4.1%, or 1.3 million loans, of the overall mortgage portfolio measured by the OCC. That's up 0.5% from the second quarter and 7.6% from a year earlier. First-lien mortgages current and performing changed little in the third quarter, down 0.1 percentage points to 88% of all loans in the OCC portfolio. Those loans made up about 87.5% of the portfolio a year ago. Modifications declined 8.5% from the second quarter to about 138,000. That includes a 23% drop in mods through the Home Affordable Modification Program. Third-quarter modifications reduced monthly principa... 12/27/2011

  Planning Your Estate with a Revocable Living Trust Dec. 2011 No one ever wants to consider estate planning. (Mulling over your mortality doesn't posses much appeal, as a rule.) However, properly ensuring that your loved ones will benefit from your estate while having to deal with as little trouble as possible is critical.   One key estate planning document you should consider is a revocable living trust (RLT). An RLT is akin to a will in that it describes and controls how your estate goes to your beneficiaries, but it differs from a will in many ways.   A primary difference is probate. A will essentially dictates to whom your estate should go to upon your death and how, but wills are typically held up in the process know as probate. Probate allows a judge to review and confirm the wi... 12/15/2011

12/09/2011

Ten Holiday Home Projects Dec. 2011   As winter weather and quickly fading sunlight bring an end to exterior home projects and landscaping, homeowners must turn their attention to the inside of their homes. While the holiday hustle and bustle might seem like a difficult time to schedule in any household projects, it's a great opportunity to address smaller scale home maintenance and repairs that don't gobble up too much schedule space. Here are 10 great ways to keep the home humming in fifth gear during the holiday season: Consider wrapping your hot water heater tank to help keep water temperature high and drive down your utility bills. Make sure to get proper instructions on how to install, and pay close attention to all safety requirements. Similarly, get some duct tape and pipe insu... 12/08/2011

Dear Clients & Friends,     We've reached the end of another year!  The pain and suffering our fellow Americans have endured weighs heavy on our hearts.  Home prices have once again plummeted in the aftermath of the debacle last summer up in Washington.  However, times once again are changing.  Home prices have dropped so low, interest rates are as low as they have ever been in most of our life times and the inevitable recovery is lurking around the corner.  This is a great time to get out and buy the most special gift for you family, a new home!   Dani and I wish you and your entire family a Very Merry Christmas!  You have our love and dedication!  We have complied a list of spectacular events for Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles & Southern California! Dani ... 12/07/2011

Holidays in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles & Southern California are much different than they were in Michigan.  The weather and change of seasons don't make the coming of the holidays a long preparation.  It seems as though we jump form water sking to Christmas Day.  We, out west, need to search for that holiday spirit.  My wife Dani and I have search for events, parades, parties and that special holiday feeling to share with you! Check out the Christmas and other Holiday Events Page! Check out the New Year's Eve & New Years Day Events Page! Dani & I wish you a very Merry Christmas & an Incredible New Year in 2012.  We also hope you enjoy this precious holiday season no matter how you celebrate and which holiday you celebrate! Your Friends & Realtor Tony & Dani Lewis RE/MAX of Valencia www... 12/04/2011

  Be Cautious When Hiring Short Sale Negotiators and Delegating Potential Agency Duties to Others Dear Agents: I have heard and spoken to many agents who have understandably complained about this hectic real estate marketplace, and the increased workload and responsibilities to close the same or less amount of deals for less money.  We all know the arduous process of completing a short sale transaction and many agents take the route of hiring 3rd Party Negotiators to process and negotiate their short sales.  From a business model perspective, this can make complete sense for many individuals who want more time available to prospect and to do what they are paid to do, which is to market and sell homes. Our law firm currently teams with many agents in the Santa Clarita Valley to negotiate... 11/23/2011

Happy Thanksgiving, (This is a copy of the latest Newsletter sent to my clients and friends!) Thanksgiving is upon us and we have much to be thankful for this year.  We are now a year closer to an economic and real estate recovery, America has survived one of the most devastating financial melt downs in her history & more and more of our neighbors have been able to save their homes. There is good news for both home buyers and home owners as well.  Buying a home, especially a well-priced, single family home in an excellent location, is easier than it has been in the past five years.  Qualified buyers are able to take advantage of extremely low prices along with a sixty year historic low interest rate.  Two well known cliche apply to buying a home today; all real estate is local & timing ... 11/20/2011

Dealing with Income Loss Nov. 2011   We read a lot about job losses and unemployment rates in today's economic headlines, but there's another element to many Americans' employment situations: income loss. Perhaps you lost your job and had to take another for lower pay, or maybe your employer announced pay cuts throughout the organization, or has called for work furloughs. Whatever the reason, there are a number of Americans grappling with the issue of income loss. If you're one of them, don't worry; you can weather this storm. Here are some ways to get out in front of a reduction in your pay: Seek better opportunities. Believe it or not, many people actually don't start looking for another job when they undergo pay and benefit cuts. Perhaps it's out of loyalty, perhaps it's out of a ho... 11/17/2011

Ten Ways to Beat Winter Heating Costs Nov. 2011   Winter fast approaches, and as colder temperatures begin to chill your home, chances are you're bracing yourself for another unwelcome seasonal spike in your home heating costs. The average U.S. household spends more than $2,200 on home heating costs each year, and obviously a home's gas and electricity consumption shoots skyward as the temperature drops. That said, there are a lot of great ways to cut your heating costs as the days grow shorter and the weather becomes colder. Let's take a look at 10 great ways to do that: 1.    Use a programmable thermostat. These can save $100 a year in energy costs by giving you control over when you heat your home and by how much, as well as being able to have it shut off when you'll be out. 2.    Y... 11/15/2011

Foreign Investment Incentive In US Real Estate :  S.1746 VISIT-USA Act   S. 1746: Visa Improvements to Stimulate International Tourism to the United States of America Act Recently, the bipartisan team of Senators, Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mike Lee (R-UT) have proposed an interesting foreign investment incentive in their new immigration bill that is titled, “Increasing Home Ownership by Priority Visitors.” “Priority Visitors” is a euphemism for wealthy individuals from foreign Countries.  This Senate Bill would offer non-immigrant visas to foreigners who buy at least $500,000 worth of residential US real estate.  The crux of the plan is that it will offer visas to individuals who purchase residential US real estate.   ·         Before Anti-Immigration proponents scream about lost America... 11/14/2011

Issues Regarding Tenant Occupied Properties in Short Sales and Foreclosures and the Impact of  TITLE VII--'Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009' Tenant Occupant after Trustee Sale The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act ("PTFA") is a tenant-friendly law that seeks to protect many renters in the recent wave of foreclosures when their landlords lost the leased property to foreclosure.  The problem is more times than not, it leads to exploitation instead of protection, but we don’t make the rules, just play the game. Tenants in Foreclosed Houses Must Receive 90 Days Notice to Vacate PTFA provides that if there is a foreclosure on any dwelling or residential real estate after May 20, 2009, the person who takes legal title after foreclosure takes the property subject to the follo... 11/11/2011