I just made another micro loan in Kiva.org to help a farmer in Tajikistan - Pay It Forward I tend to use my micro loan dollars for women in underdeveloped countries, or men and women who supply fruit and vegetable crops to their people. I'm not a big supporter of anything to do with animal farming for reasons that are pretty obvious. Anyway, Farhod was born in 1973. He is an honest and goal-oriented person. He is married and is a father of four children. His wife does not work; she is a homemaker and looks after the children. Farhod is involved in growing agricultural crops and also buying and selling vegetables and fruits. His previous loan from Imon International provided him with a good result. He increased his turnover, gathered a good harvest and improved his quality of life. Farho... 09/27/2011

Bank Owned homes also called REO or Foreclosures along with Short Sales have dominated the market for quite a few years.  There is a new trend happening all over the country.  More and more Traditionally Sold or Standard Sales have been happening daily.  There are many reasons for this.  The Lenders and Banks have been holding off from flooding the market.  They are assisting home owners to remain in their homes.  The home owners have been encourage to attempt to modify their loan or attempt to sell by short sale.  Home Owners have traditionally move within 5 to 7 years of buying their home.  Many home owners would love to make their next move.  Now that the market has bottomed out and there doesn't appear to be any quick rise in prices any time soon more and more sellers are choosing t... 09/23/2011

As a dentist in Santa Clarita I see many of my patients at this time of year because they know the school year has begun. This means that they will be busy with all types of activities between now and the holidays and may not have the time to schedule their appointment with me before the first of the year. It is a good feeling to know that you have had your checkup and cleaning before jumping in to the new year and season. If your family is caught up with the 'back to school' rush, don't let the next couple of months pass by without a visit to your family dentist. An emergency visit is never any fun, so it's best to stay on top of things and get off to a healthy start. Dr. David GoldbergValencia DentistDentist in Santa Clarita 09/22/2011

Can I keep the same property taxes if I move? Propositions 60 & 90  are constitutional initiatives passed by California voters. They provide property tax relief by preventing reassessment when a senior citizen (55+) sells his/her existing residence and purchases or constructs a replacement residence worth the same or less than the original. They help a person, age 55 or older to "move down" to a smaller residence. When a senior citizen acquires a replacement property worth less than the original property, they will continue to pay approximately the same amount of annual property taxes as before. How Do These Propositions Work?  When the senior citizen purchases or constructs a new residence, it is not reassessed, if he/she qualifies. The Assessor transfers the factored base value of the... 09/20/2011

I bought someone's Yogurt in line behind me yesterday at Menchie's - Pay It Forward We took a walk over to the Town Center yesterday with the dogs and went over to Menchie's. I love Menchie's because the frozen yogurt there is de-lish and you get all the free samples you want! Anyway, while I was in line getting my yogurt weighed, I noticed a kid behind me loading up on all kinds of things! I thought to myself "that is going to weigh a ton" He was a young kid and so I thought it would be nice to pay for his yogurt for him. So I told the clerk to add it to my bill. I had left the store before he realized that his yogurt was paid for, so I didn't have a chance to see the expression on his face. I actually went back about 15 minutes afterwards to get an extra couple of napkins and the cler... 09/19/2011

                             Here is our latest letter of recommendation from a family in Santa Clarita that we helped avoid foreclosure. Date: August 17, 2011 To Whom It May Concern: It’s a pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for two people who have exemplified the highest level of professional integrity and dedication in helping our family sell our home. Gary and Jennifer Ricco were faced with a difficult task, in a difficult market with many difficult obstacles. However, despite all of these challenges, they accomplished their goal in selling our home for the highest possible price in a relatively short period of time. In the midst of the recent recession, my employer required that I relocate from LA to their Denver office. The prospect of selling a home with a value signifi... 09/19/2011

One of my neighbors little girls was raising funds for her school program so I bought a $13 magazine subscription - Pay It Forward She was so unbelievably cute!  She went door to door on our block with her Dad by her side, and had her little brochures and a notepad and pen. I think she's about 8 or 9 years old. Too cute. So I bought a subscription to Vegetarian Times for $13. Hey, that's a bargain and at least it's going towards the little sweetie-pie's school program. She was just a little ball of sunshine.  I think I want one of those.  Can you rent one for a while somewhere? Los Angeles Homes For Sale Los Angeles Condos For Sale Los Angeles Townhomes For Sale 09/18/2011

Selling and Listing a Home is a very serious matter.  The most important things that buyers and sellers need are: A Professional Full Time Realtor Knowledgeable Representation Someone trained intensely on how to keep their clients out of court Promotions with other cooperating Brokers & someone that has a great reputation of integrity Market skill to reach the over 90% of buyers that are searching the Internet for homes Knowing the true current market value of the property Negotiating Skills that will allow a home to be bought at the lowest price or sold at the highest price An Agent that won't give buyers or sellers unreal expectations and lose out on a home at the right price A go to Realtor that will be around as a resource long after the transaction is completed Someone that they ca... 09/16/2011

 Saugus Area & Saugus Ca. Tract Codes, Santa Clarita Ca. 91350, 91390 Saugus was one of the four communities (along with Valencia, Newhall, and Canyon Country) that merged in 1987 to create the city of Santa Clarita. Saugus is named after Saugus, Massachusetts, the hometown of Henry Newhall, upon whose land the town was originally built. Santa Clarita spans between the 5 fwy and the 14 fwy. I descibe Santa Clarita as a baseball field and most of Saugus runs across the outfield. Below is a list of the Saugus areas and the Saugus tracts that are within the areas. BOUQUET CANYON (BOUQ) AREA:  BOUQUET CANYON (BOUQ) AREA:AMERICAN BEAUTY BOUQ.  AMBB ARROYO VISTA   ARYO BONELLI   BONL BOUQUET CYN ESTATES  BQCE BOUQUET VILLAGE   BVIL BROCK CANYON VILLAS   BCVL BROCK CANYON   BKCN BROCK HOMES   ... 09/16/2011

Saugus CA. Properties Available for this Weekend of September 16 - 18, 2011 Saugus was one of the four communities (along with Valencia, Newhall, and Canyon Country) that merged in 1987 to create the city of Santa Clarita. Saugus is named after Saugus, Massachusetts, the hometown of Henry Newhall, upon whose land the town was originally built. Santa Clarita spans between the 5 fwy and the 14 fwy. I descibe Santa Clarita as a baseball field and most of Saugus runs across the outfield. Below is a list of the Saugus properties available to see this weekend. You click click on the map to see Saugus, CA. properties available this weekend. 09/16/2011

Picking the Right Painter Sept. 2011 While plenty of homeowners are happy to take on various do it yourself projects, painting the house is one many are only too happy to leave to the professionals. Painting a home is messy, time consuming and sometimes dangerous business. It also is expensive.  The key is to pick the right house painter. You want to not only ensure you are getting a good deal in terms of price, but you also want to ensure that you will get quality work from a responsible professional. The last thing you want to do is pay big money to avoid a headache only to wind up with an even bigger one.  Here are some things you want to keep in mind when house painter: Start asking your neighbors. Chances are there are some homeowners in your neighborhood who have recently receive... 09/15/2011

Home prices have dropped about 45% since peak pricing.  Most Americans financial worth is in their homes.  The loss of all of this equity has erased 50 years of progress for the average, hard working American.  It astounds me to think that Republicans, the "tea party" and the current administration doesn't have a clue that the unrest in our country is directly related to the demise in the values of our homes. No political debate, discussion or political speech has addressed the one issue that has spiraled our economy downhill for the past 7 years.  This issue is the demise of our real estate market and diminishing home values.  The lack of equity and in fact, in many cases, the negative equity, has eroded consumer confidence.  Bring back pride in home ownership and belief that owning a ... 09/12/2011

Being self centered is never a more important attribute than when it comes to buying a home! There are many Realtors that choose to look "for you" It is a much better idea to be looking with your!  A Realtor may know the local community and the best priced homes and most desirable location.  They may know exactly how many bedrooms you need and the maximum price you want to pay.  You may have even express the size of yard or whether you like a town home or detached home.  However these items are the numbers of the home purchase.  Buying a home is about half by the numbers and half emotional.  I can pick the best color that you will like and I'll bet it's the color that I like most.  There are hundreds of colors because color is chosen by personal feeling and emotion.  You need to be the ... 09/09/2011

    Take Some Years off Your Bathroom Sept. 2011   The bathroom is one of those areas of the house that can quickly show its age, and quickly be revived with a little TLC and elbow grease, but not a ton of money. If you're intending to sell any time soon, don't forget that bathrooms and kitchens tend to have the most impact on potential buyers. If you're not ready to endure a stem-to-stern bathroom upgrade, but still want to take some years off a room that's showing its age, there are plenty of ways to freshen things up.  Here are a few tips to whip your bathroom into shape: Caulk — Remove all the cracking, peeling and faded or yellowing caulking around your tub, inside your shower, around sinks and anywhere else and replace it. White and clear caulking packaged in easy-to-use dispense... 09/08/2011

Santa Clarita Recent Sales StatisticsBuyers hear news reports and sometimes don't take into consideration a Local market verses a National market. Here in Santa Clarita we are lacking inventory. Especially at the $450K and under price range that is flourishing in our neck of the woods. Below is some statics that will show you how many homes are actually closing at or above list price. Typically if the home is $450K or below, standard or foreclosure, it is not unusual for it to go into a multiple offer situation. SEARCH HOMES IN SANTA CLARITA FOR SALEValencia 72 closed sales:28 closed at or above list price = 39%, regular closed sales = 57%, closed short sales = 26%, closed foreclosures = 17% Saugus  60 closed sales:35 closed at or above list price = 58%, regular closed sales = 35%, clos... 09/08/2011

Freddie Mac Short Sale Addendum - Item #13 - I DON'T THINK SO!! The Freddie Mac Addendum is often a required doc for the bank in a short sale transaction. I've had 2 short sales with BofA recently that have a Freddie Mac Short Sale Addendum as part of the transaction, however I see a new added Item #13 that reads the following: "13. Each signatory agrees to indemnify the Servicer and Freddie Mac for any and all loss resulting from anynegligent or intentional misrepresentation made in the affidavit including, but not limited to, repayment ofthe amount of the reduced payoff of the Mortgage;" This is basically stating that all parties to the transaction, Seller, Buyer, Seller's Agent, Buyer's Agent, Escrow, and Transaction Facilitator are liable for the balance of the deficiency. I DON'T T... 09/08/2011

How to Speak and Succeed - Sept. 2011 A great way to market yourself and establish your expertise to your clients and partners is through public speaking. The problem is that public speaking isn't something that comes naturally to most people. You might be a silver-tongued networking pro when it comes to one-to-one communications, but it's another thing entirely to speak in front of a large group of people.  The problem is a fear of failure and public embarrassment. However, there are multiple steps you can take to not only remove the fear from public speaking, but ensure you excel at it. Let's review some key ways you can drop your fears, gain confidence and use public speaking to further your success: Speak with a purpose. If you walk into your presentation with an objective — a mess... 09/06/2011

For some reason buyers seem to all be on the same wave length.  This phenomenon is unexplainable and the very same reason I've attempted to get buyers to buy while other sit on the side lines.  Home sales plummet and few buyers take advantage then overnight buyer, all at once, start buying.  Few had taken advantage of the market and all of the sudden homes are getting multiple offers and interest rates jump a half point or more.  So buyers stop buying, prices drop, interest rates drop, bargains are to be had and buyers stop buying.  This is the roller coaster market we have been in for the past 3 years.  This is not as bad as the 2 previous years though as few homes sold, there were no or few distressed sales and many found themselves out of work in the real estate field. Believe it or ... 09/05/2011

Hello Everyone, Labor Day Weekend & the Labor Day Holiday hasn't had this much significance since the inception when unions first started to protect worker's rights.  Our work hours are on the rise and wages are either stagnant or on the decline.  More work is demanded in less time while buying power has diminished.  What doesn't kill us will make us stronger!   Dani & I know all to well the value of this particular Labor Day Weekend and have compiled a list of Events, Festivals, Parades, Things to do and Places to Stay in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles & Southern California.     Find an Event in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles & Southern California & Have Fun & Come Home Safe!   Tony will be happy to assist you in finding a home this Labor Day Weekend, Find your New Home He... 09/01/2011

Buying a home is still the American Dream and a possibility for many Americans!  Lenders are lending and there are many loan programs that will help buyers qualify for more home than they expect.  Most home owners live in their home between 5 and 7 years in a normal real estate market.  There are loans that can either lower payment or allow a buyer to qualify for more home.  Interest Rates being the lowest they've been in some 50+ years make it foolish to hold off on a home purchase at this time.  Home prices are in the midst of a double dip and this has caused home prices to be artificially low.  Lenders have plenty of money to loan and are financing buyers quickly. The tool for first time buyers and all low down payment buyers that makes buying a home easier is the FHA Financing rules... 08/28/2011