Set yourself up for Success

Herb container gardening
My herb garden at home is a container garden. The doorway from our kitchen opens onto a paved area, so this is the perfect answer for my situation. All things being equal, I think this is probably the best style for me. I like the informal jumble of pots by the kitchen door, and I can bring my rosemary and lemon grass in for the winter with very little fuss. The different glazes and textures of the pots lend color to what could have been a very green garden, and containers allow me to adjust soil mixtures to suit specific plants. Window-boxes are another form of container with all the benefits previously mentioned, plus the added attraction of being just outside a kitchen window. To sum up, containers are easy and fun. I highly recommend this style of gardening, especially to those just starting out. Who knows what this could lead too! Tomatoes, pole beans, peas, corn :-), pumpkins. Really live it up!!
Happy gardening

Santa Cruz Ca. Real Estate is Strong and here's the proof!

We all have been waiting to hear "Where is the Market Bottom". Do you see signs of recovery? How long before it's over?
The first thing you need to understand is, All markets are 'Local'. When you start paying attention to 'National Statistics' you are 'globalizing' when you need to be 'localizing'
With that said, let's dive in.
What's been feeding the supply and dragging the prices down? What caused the bubble? The pain and the crushing of peoples plans for their retirements?
There are so many factors and this had taken place over several decades of regulation and law changes by our Government, the Greed factor, dishonesty by many in several areas in our business sector to create the perfect storm of collapse.
In the past several years, the steady price decline has been punishing and only those that have had to sell, 70% being the 'distressed seller' (see past posts), the other 30% seeing signs in their portfolios of unease and deciding to make a move before they have too!!
Well, I can't say it is over and from what I hear at conferences and seminars all by noted professionals in my industry, we are about to see a new wave of properties coming on the market by the 'Banks' holding back REO's.
The bright side is that with this pent-up demand by those wanting to make a change, many renting to see which way the wind is blowing, Buyers are striking in a fevered pitch those REO's, short sales and many of the lower priced homes with multiple offers. The market is primarily focused on the $700,000. and below range and one can get a pretty nice property for that. If you check out the following published info you will get a feel for what is happening. The underlying facts to come away with, are that Santa Cruz is very desirable! No matter what the climate in the markets are, our little hidden gem, is still in demand.
To the 'Outsider' it offers World Class access to natural surroundings that enchant, enthral and effect one in a mystical way. The ability to fit in and grow into what you want to be anywhere in the county makes Santa Cruz such an attractive and receptive home.
To the 'Locals' the traditions, secret spots, natural beauty that is just normal to us, activities that are ingrained, the perfect weather and the varience of riches that keep many of us calling it home.

There is an ambiance to Santa Cruz. It has a draw that is world class and scenery that is UNBEATABLE! I have walked, hiked, run, swam, kayaked, biked, etc. many a spot, Santa Cruz is a destination place, that can satisfy so many pleasures. This demand will not go away any more than the sun will stop shinning.


http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_15156003

Why not be Remarkable?

Why not be Remarkable?
Got these words of wisdom from someone a while ago and feel compelled to pass them on. We can never stop working on making us better to make the world a better place!


33 Ways To Be Remarkable and Stand Out




Live Your Own Life
There is nothing remarkable about someone who is constantly trying to be like other people. Be yourself and be the best you that you can possibly be.





Be Authentic
Mean the things you say and do. Authenticity is not very common these days but when it is there, it shines through your words and actions and is very powerful for creating bonds with others.





Come Up With Your Own Sayings
Come up with your own quirky and original sayings. People will take notice and it may even catch on. By coming up with your own original sayings you stand out from everyone else who just uses clichés.





Leave Others Better Than You Found Them
Make it a habit to leave people in a better state then you found them. Happier, healthier, stronger, wealthier. This is a major way of being remarkable.





Help People Without Wanting Anything In Return
Volunteer to help other people out. Give some of your time, money or resources to help a fellow human being and expect absolutely nothing in return.





Don’t Try To Be Perfect
Be creative and abstract instead of trying to live up to other people’s expectation of perfect. You can achieve great and beautiful things without them living up to the general consensus of perfect.





Face Your Fears
People who avoid things because they are scared will never be remarkable. Face your fears and conquer them. Do you think Lance Armstrong would have been remarkable if he had given up cycling after he had cancer?





Take The Plunge
Be that person who does what others won’t do. If others are too scared to attempt something that you are not scared to do, just go out and do it with all your passion and energy.





Question The Norm
Just because something is done by millions of people around the world in a certain way does not mean it is the right or the only way to do something. Question the norm and don’t be afraid to do something differently.





Expose Yourself
Get up on stage or in front of people. Risk putting your ideas and creativity out in public, available for criticism and humiliation. What if Jay Z would have been to scared to perform in public and kept all his talent and art to himself in his basement?





Start Your Own Tribe
Be a leader instead of a follower. Build up a community or tribe of like minded people who will follow you and use your power to make a difference for the better in this world.





Say NO To Things
If something goes against your principles or you don’t really want it, say NO. You might risk offending some people, but most will respect you for having strong boundaries and sticking to them.





You Are Enough
Have the mindset that you have all the assets to be remarkable. You have talent and you have a gift. Share it with the world.





Be Optimistic
Optimism and smiles are contagious. Make the world a happy and positive place.





Be confident
Know what you want and be confident that you are going to get it. I think that all remarkable people share the trait of confidence.





Be Humble
Arrogance and vanity are not traits to associate with people you respect and think highly of. No matter how good, famous or wealthy you are, stay humble with both feet on the ground.





Create something that brings joy to other peoples lives
Art, a painting, a video clip, a film, a song, a poem, a book and so on and so forth. Be artistic and express your talent in a form that it can be shared with everyone without the expectation of getting rich from it. It’s your gift to the world.





Invent something that everyone needs
The disposable razor or a cigarette lighter for example. There could be one little thing that seems so simple yet will make the lives of millions of people so much easier.





Take something that works and make it better
The Japanese are pretty good at this. They took a normal train and change it into the fastest train in the world (bullet train). Take a normal and existing concept and make an exceptional change to it.





Start a movement
People look for a leader, someone who takes charge and takes initiative. Someone who has good intentions and wants to make a big change for the better. Be that leader and start a movement to change something that is not right in this world.





Fight for peace and freedom
All around the world there is so much unnecessary war and suffering. It seems impossible for one person to make a difference, but if everyone thinks like that, things will never change. Stop a war or change violent policies of a country and you will be remarkable.





Preserve our planet
Rainforests are being destroyed, species wiped out, oceans overfished and beautiful ecosystems perish. Make a difference and start a movement to do something about the destruction of our planet.





Help the hungry
There are so many people dying of hunger all around the world every single day. Do something to make a lasting difference. One idea I had was to get every person travelling on a plane to forfeit their meal for the hungry. A combined effort by all passengers would result in thousands of meals a day that could be given to hungry people all across the world.





Push the limits (break a record)
If you can do something that nobody else has been able to achieve, then you will not only get noticed but you will certainly be remarkable. You may just be the psychological inspiration for many others to get past the level that was always thought of as unbreakable.





Revolutionize an industry
Waltz into an industry or niche with a great idea or new perspective and put that idea in motion. If you can improve or revolutionize the way an entire industry does something then you are pretty remarkable.





Tell Compelling Stories
Stories are an amazing way to share knowledge and experiences with others. If you know how to create compelling and fun stories, you can make a big impact on the lives of others. That’s remarkable.





Think Better
Be a step ahead of everyone else. Think faster, better or more efficiently.





Read More Interesting Things
The more you read, the more you shape your personality. The more interesting things that you read, the more likely you are to become an interesting (and remarkable) person.





Don’t Be Boring
One requirement of being remarkable is that you are not boring. Be original, fun and get things done.





Stop Making Excuses
Either do something or don’t do it at all. Don’t be someone who always has excuses to stall doing something or justify why you didn’t do something.






Never Settle For Average
Never be content with average or mediocrity. When other people give up and settle, carry on going and be better than them.





Do What You Say
If people can rely on you and they know that when you say something that you will do it, you are well on your way to being remarkable. If you make a promise, keep it.





Don’t Aim To Be Remarkable
As contradictory as it sounds, most remarkable people never set out to be remarkable. They did what they loved and were really passionate and that is what got them to being remarkable.

The Next Wave of Foreclosed Properties - Here they come!

As mentioned in a previous post, the foreclosures, REO's, short sales or just plain ol' properties in distress will be making a robust appearance in June 2010 as advised by CAR ( Calif. Assoc. Of Real Estate).
With my re-certification or basically updating of information from all the new regulations that have been cascading out to REALTORS with this steady supply of distressed properties I have a current understanding of the latest criteria available to buyers for these properties. This is not my chosen source for buyers but now that Banks own them, there is no alligence an agent feels to this "seller". Some spectacular prices now on many of these properties - typically 50% off prices of 2005!! The qualifying criteria is very stringent but if this is to be your HOME and you are setting down roots, what a great opportunity!
Check out these several links to see some of the gems in Tahoe and Santa Cruz that are truly bargins.

REO Buyer Financial Updates May 2010

Just got my current Residential REO Buyer Specialist Certification, put it to your BEST advantage!!

This is the latest info on REO Foreclosed homes that has come down the pipe through CAR (Calif. Assoc. of Realtors)

With a new supply of foreclosed home coming on the market expected in June according to Credit Suisse, CAR and many national banks are stepping up to the plate and 'training' agents/brokers on what each individual bank wants to see from a BUYER. The guide lines are similar but in this new day of personal responsibility the qualifying perameters are pretty --- well, REAL! And thats a good thing!!
Most of this is what used to be in the good ol' days.
Buyers/users are being required to have a minimum of a 660 credit score, this is down from a 720 recently.
Two years fully documented income and last quarter investment accounts.
If self employed
Two year tax returns
Rental income, corporation or partnership schedules, social security or other retirement income schedules for the past two year.

Qualifying Debt Ratios

The 'front' ratio for a conforming loan is 28%, 33 for a non-conforming loan, and 31% for FHA. There is NO ratio used in VA loans.

The 'Back' ratio or the total monthly debt of the buyer for a conforming loan is 36%, 40 for a non-conforming and FHA is 43%. VA in computed by a different manor and the ratio is 41%.
Mortgage Insurance come into play here also when a buyer puts down less than 20%.

Fixer-upper - REO's plenty of room in loans to rehad these and well, there are many other details and loan packages that have been devised to get these ones moving.

Just give a call, I give you the low down!

The Lending Institutions - The rest of the Story!

Part Five of a Five part series
Lending Institutions
(NON- living, breathing entities)

A quote that should be etched over the entrance of every lending institution and Congress!

During Times of Universal Deceit,
Telling The Truth is a Revolutionary Act - George Orwell.

Things to do before you read:
Here’s a little homework before you get too far along.

1. Research Glass-Steagall Act 1933
2. Repeal of Glass-Steagall Act 1999
3. Look up Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) 1989
4. www.sfweekly.com/2010-09-01/news/why-obama-s-mortgage-relief-program-failed/


Now that you have a better understanding of the regulations that have been created, played with and lessons learned that are being ignored - we will proceed.

Money, ahhhh money! It can be a source of security, used to purchased ones basic needs, benefit those in need, provide items of satisfaction to the ego, but All to often it spawns GREED!
Think, Madoff, Rothstein, Ponzi anyone??!


BANKS --- These are the places we have traditionally come to for financing large purchases and to a certain extent we still can. BUT the game plan has changed.

We have gone from the mid ‘90’s and mid 2000’s basically with Lending institutions giving money away to anyone with a pulse, by pressure from Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac run by politicians that wanted not only the economy to seem bountiful but to catapult the populous mindset from a “Chicken in every pot” to “A home OWNER under every roof”!!
This ideology, lacking reality, creating an environment of Corruption, set in motion the inevitable “Bubble to BURST“.
Now, currently highly qualified people, applying for loans, having to disclose/explain why a payment three years ago incurred a late fee because you forgot to put a stamp on the envelope - and still being run through the ringer!!

The Banks are holding on to money- typically taxpayer bailout money - tighter and longer for many reasons.

The most prominent is the state of flux the world is in and the BANKERS don‘t want to be caught short. There are so many variables in play these days and I will only go into the Real Estate side.

With the quantity of Bank Owned homes and the unknown of how long they have to be kept on books , while maintaining them, paying taxes, clean-up/repair, etc. etc., when more will be stockpiled and for how long is a major factor in why banks are not letting loose of the cash. The short sales and what the loses will be, weigh on the picture and then certain gov’t regulations on modifications that are just starting to trickle out.
The second shoe should just begin starting to drop shortly too, with the commercial RE market.
Locally, we have been seeing businesses shutting their doors and having to walk away from their leases. The trickle-down effect is devastating on property owners that don’t have deep pockets. So, we go into phase two of the RE tailspin that will additionally be affecting lenders. They need to satisfy share holders/stock portfolios and all that keep the engin of our country running. With the current economic downturn, lack of business start-ups and jobs, that is the basis of the pyramid that is not being attended to.

So while the balance of not letting too many foreclosed homes drench the market while mostly investors soak up this supply, we the tax paying - Bailout supporting public, wait to see what next is in store on the horizon with the BANKS and all that controls the money supply

Picking Your Mortgage Broker/Loan Officer

(Part four of a five part series)
You can’t beat experienced lenders/brokers! I mean the people you deal with face-to-face! Not the institutions.
Professionalism is what you are looking for here. The way they handle themselves, the words they pick, are they clear?, their presence, dress, grooming! Yes, you might say - huh! This is ALL important. If they have a sloppy appearance, demeanor - the transaction could be a rough ride.
Meet with several! Get to know this person - he/she can make or break the transaction!
The person you choose should know - DAILY - what is happening in the world of money. There is so much that drives the financial world quickly these days. They are not miracle workers, they are human. They should have back-up, a ‘team’ that you get familiar with. This person should give you the feeling of confidence and security that YOUR interests in this very important investment in your life will be professionally handled. How do they respond to questions? Can you easily understand them, the financial lingo? Are they speaking comprehendible, in shortcut speech? You should feel as though you are building a professional relationship here. Trust, confidence, knowledgeable, honesty. If you leave with anything less - keep looking! Call me, I work with several Great ones!