*********************************************************************** Subscribe to my Blog Platinum Home Staging, Inc. has been recognized and grown into a tremendous success built on customer service, integrity and best of all, customer referrals. Specializing in Home Staging, Interior Decorating and Model Home Interiors. Serving the San Fernando Valley, Conejo Valley and greater Ventura County areas. A home's first impression is the most important one. A home should be inviting and memorable; to stand out among the hundreds of homes that Buyer's may be looking at. Selling a home, is in fact, selling a product. Market the product, "package" it to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. After all, ...How you live in your home, and how you sell your home, are two completely di... 06/25/2008

Ventura Unified School District, California Ventura Unified School District    2007 API score Statewide ranking Similar school ranking 2008 target score Ventura Unified 786 - - - Blanche Reynolds Elem. 714 3 1 719 Citrus Glen Elem. 836 8 9 A Elmhurst Elem. 787 6 5 792 Foster Elem. 772 6 10 777 Juanamaria Elem. 861 9 9 A Lincoln Elem. 808 7 5 A Loma Vista Elem. 851 9 3 A Montalvo Elem. 741 4 9 746 Mound Elem. 939 10 7 A Pierpont Elem. 879 9 7 A Poinsettia Elem. 890 9 9 A Portola Elem. 872 9 10 A Saticoy Elem. 754 5 1 759 Serra (Junipero) Elem 838 8 4 A Sheridan Way Elem. 709 3 8 714 Sunset Elem. 777 6 7 782 Will Rogers Elem. 769 6 9 774 Anacapa Middle 771 7 7 776 Balboa Middle 807 8 6 A Cabrillo Middle 814 8 7 A De Anza Middle 701 4 10 706 Buena High 774 8 9 779 El Camino High 686 5 2 6... 06/16/2008

This past Friday (June 13, 2008) at the Marriott Ventura Beach Hotel, Bill Watkins, an economic forecaster and director of the UC Santa Barbara Economic Forecast Project told the Chamber of Commerce gathering that Ventura County is and will continue to do extremely well. To read full article go to:  www.venturacountyretalk.com 06/15/2008

Platinum Home Staging, Inc. was first contacted by Josh Addison for  Staging and Design Consulting to sell his water front marina home located in Ventura, CA.  Josh Addison is also the founder of the Bell Arts Factory, a non-profit organization which focuses on bringing  art, ceramics, music and other arts to children and the surrounding communities.  Consisting of over 20,000 square feet, the Bell Arts Factory houses over 25 local artists and a 2,000 square foot community room that is open to the public. Artists can be seen working or displaying their art on days when there are special events taking place in the Community Room, and Youth Programs are available for children from ages 6 - 18 for free. Josh was looking to help gain exposure for the local artists in the region, and Connie ... 06/10/2008

Ventura County real estate continues to show signs of having turned to the upside. Over the last week there has been a decline in listings (inventory); sales continue to  increase (although it slowed the last two weeks this past week when compared to prior weeks); the number of days on the market for sold properties continues to average three (3) months; and the variance between list price and average sales price for sold homes continues to hover around -5.0 %. Homes priced from $ 300,000 to the low $ 400,000's appear to be selling the fastest.  Conejo, Simi and Moorpark appear to be the highest sales area.  Fillmore continues to show prices sliding downward.  For complete article go to:  www.venturacountyretalk.com 05/25/2008

I was just looking though a blog a used to contribute to and saw a posting stating that there were only 3 beach properties available in Ventura.  Of course, this was a few years ago, but I thought it might be interesting to see what's available now.  While on broker tour last week, an agent that specializes in the beach area mentioned that there wasn't much available.  As of this morning there are approximately 26 single family homes available in Ventura ranging in price from $765,000 to $3,600,000.  Search for Ventura Beach Homes and Real Estate at: www.VenturaRealEstate.org   05/25/2008

The Ondulando Club hosts social evenings on the first Friday of each month from 6-9pm in the Clubhouse.  The Clubhouse is located at 632 Skyview Terrace in Ventura.  Members of the Ondulando Club are encouraged to come and mingle with your neighbors and fellow club members.  The clusb is looking for a new host to facilitate the social evenings gathering.  Please phone Dick Gallagher at 642-5940 if you are interested in leading this festive event. Search for Ondulando Homes for Sale at: www.HopeGoss.com   05/14/2008

Anglican Churches in Ventura, CA Saint George's Anglican Church, 805-646-19676300 Telephone Road, Ventura, California 93003 Apostolic Churches in Ventura, CA Apostolic Assembly, 805-643-63421000 North Ventura Avenue, Ventura, California 93001Apostolic House Of Worship, 805-643-1528902 East Main Street, Ventura, California 93001Iglesia Apostolica Church, 805-653-9307 1000 North Ventura Avenue, Ventura, California 93001Iglesia Apostolica De Jesus, 805-647-792011163 Azahar Street,Ventura, California 93006  Assemblies of God in Ventura, CA First Assembly of God Church, 805-647-2004346 North Kimball Road, Ventura, California 93006Ventura Calvary Assembly, 805-643-4908396 San Clemente Street, Ventura, California 93001 Baptist College Heights Baptist Church, 805-656-3496 6360 Telephone Road, V... 05/08/2008

The City of Ventura is located on the Southern California coast within Ventura County just one hour north of Los Angeles. With Ventura River at its northern boundary and the Santa Clara River at its southern edge, Ventura is very oriented toward water. It has the feel of a classic California beach town with a temperate Mediterranean climate to match.There are a myriad of recreational opportunities in Ventura, from miles of beaches, tennis courts, golf courses, and the Los Padres National Forest, to surfing, sailing, scuba diving, camping, and fishing.  The Ventura Harbor has marinas, restaurants, shops, galleries and the Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center.  Its a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon.  There is truly something in this area to please almost anyone.History b... 05/03/2008

We all know that certain cars have better resale than others, but why? Well, Kelly Blue Book says there are three main things that contribute to high resale value:wide appeal well maintained luxury itemsSound familiar? The same applies to homes. A freshly painted and carpeted home in inviting neutral tones appeals to most buyers. In addition, a well maintained and cared for home is apparent to most buyers. Last, luxury items and upgrades such as wood floors, stainless steel appliances, and granite countertops are things buyers have on their wish list.Even if you aren't selling right now, keep these things in mind when you are doing repairs and upgrading your home.  Search for Ventura Real Estate at:www.VenturaRealEstate.org 04/30/2008

Nope it's not a minivan I'm talking about. It's an open house day for Realtors and the one day a week that all the Realtors in town get together and check out all the new listings. So? Well, if your Realtor participates, this is a definite benefit. If you are a buyer, wouldn't you like your Realtor to tell you about homes that they've seen personally, and not just on a computer screen? This might save a lot of your time driving around and looking at homes that don't fit your criteria. What if you are a seller? Many times something very important about your home may not be portrayed in the listing. It might just be the thing that a particular client has been waiting for. By making your home available for Caravan, many agents come to see your home and then go back to enthusiastically tell... 04/17/2008

Regarding the market, activity seems to be picking up again. While I expect we'll see some softening yet in the next few months, the properties that are well priced are moving quickly. I've written three offers for various clients last week. One was a bank owned home with multiple offers. We wrote it at full price, no contingencies, 30% down, clients had a  750 FICO score and we lost out to someone else...so it goes. All the agents in our office have had the same experiences and this is a time that is frequently slow even in a good market.   I ran some stats from MLS today for the city of Ventura. In the last 30 days pending sales have more than doubled from the 30 period before. Granted we had a way to go for improvement, but the change is palpable.I'm advising my buyers that when see ... 12/26/2007

                                                                                          The Ventura Harbor's 31st Annual Parade of Lights "The Polar Express" will be held December 14th and 15th. Activities will begin at 5:00 pm with visits from Santa Claus, train rides, live music, photos and holiday characters, games and winter carnival rides. The Parade of Lights will begin at 7:00 pm and the fireworks will end the evening at 9:00 pm.If you are interested in entering your boat in the parade, please contact the Ventura Harbor. There is no entry fee and a grand prize of $500. Free parking and admission.Free Admission and Parking.You may also visit the Ventura Harbor web site for more information on upcoming events and delectible restaurants http://www.venturaharborvillage.com/. 12/11/2007

 Call Us For A Free List Of Homes In Foreclosure Ventura, Ca Real Estate Homes For Sale   As Ana Zepeda and Associates we continuously monitor local real estate statistics to keep our clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends. Below you will find City of Ventura statistics for the week of 6/20/10 thru 6/27/10.     New homes on the market: 43 Number of homes back on the market: 17 Number of homes entering escrow: 37 Number of homes closing escrow (sold): 16 Number of homes expiring: 3     To receive free valuable information about the value of your home or if you would like a free list of homes for sale in this area, please visit: http://www.anazepeda.com/        Ana Zepeda DRE LIC# 01039054 Troop Real Estate 137 E Thousand Oaks Blvd  Ana Cell: 805-217-7406 http://www.anazeped... 12/03/2007

Ventura Homes for SaleSearch the mls for available homes for sale in Ventura including new homes, townhouses, multi-residential units, land, commercial, and all properties. Use the links above for your Ventura Search. Search Ventura Homes for Sale! Ventura Real Estate AgentAre you ready to buy or sell a home and need a Ventura California Realtor?Contact Cheryle Estes at 805-320-8132 today. Or click here to contact.  Ventura Relocation Are you looking to relocate and need more information about neighborhoods, climate, nearby neighbors, and crime reports in Ventura? Call me for info 805-320-8132 or Click here to read about Ventura, CA   11/08/2007

Every now and then I hear a story that is so great - I just have to pass it on to the people who I care about...  I heard this story from my coaching program - By Referral Only.  Here it is:Charles Plump was a U.S. navy jet pilot in Vietnam.  After 75 combat missions his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.  Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands.  He was captured and spent six years in a communist Vietnamese prison.  He survived the ordeal, and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.One day when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"       "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.         ... 10/10/2007

Recently, I bumped into a past client of mine at the grocery store.  I helped Jeanne buy her first condo about 3 years ago.  Since she was single, grew up here in Ventura, and loved dogs like me, we just hit it off right away.  I'd been keeping in touch with her via email and my newletter since her purchase, and I had very fond memories from when I found her that adorable little place.  As we stood there in the produce section, chatting about the latest happenings in our lives, Jeanne excitedly burst in that she had just bought a beautiful little 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house, on the next street over from her condo!  I was crushed.  She just went on, explaining how she loved the corner it was on, and how close it was to the beach and how she loved how the kitchen was in the front of the ho... 09/27/2007

Beach goers where out in force yesterday at beaches in Ventura!  With temperatures in the triple digits inland, and the long weekend of leisure for many, parking was a challenge anywhere near the sand!  If you were lucky enough to score a spot yesterday, you were rewarded with 75 degree weather and the relaxation of sand and surf! 09/02/2007

The first annual REPLY Fundraiser was held this year to benefit Ventura siblings in Foster care.  In particular, the group hopes the funds will be used to keep siblings together while in foster care.  It's a scary time for children going in to foster care and keeping the siblings together during this tough time can make all the difference to them. 08/18/2007

Ventura is a coastal city nestled against beautiful mountains with opportunities for all walks of life. If you enjoy hiking through the mountains you will find Ventura to be a place you will fall in love with.  If you enjoy surfing, walking on the beach, ocean fishing or romantic evenings with the love of your life there is no place on earth with more activity all the time. If you want a safe place to raise a family, Ventura County in a whole is one of the safest places in the country. If you are concerned with good educational systems, Ventura has several top 100 distinguished schools a Junior Colleges, and 2 four year university campuses within a 30 minute drive. Ventura prides itself on it's laid back atmosphere and a feel of slow paced living in a big city. With activities for the w... 04/20/2007