HARP 2.0 Makes Refinance Possible for OC Homeowners

Upside down home in Orange County

Orange County’s real estate bust was certainly one of the worst in the country, and because of that, many homeowners have faced real challenges when evaluating the mortgage on their home.   Underwater homeowners wistfully listen to radio ads boasting refinances with ‘record low interest rates’, knowing that taking advantage of those rates in a [...]

Double Double Anyone? In-N-Out Coming to RSM

in-n-out-burger-logo

For the Rancho Santa Margarita residents that have been driving to Laguna Hills or Foothill Ranch for that In-N-Out fix, you’ll soon be able to save that gas money and stick around your own stomping grounds.   After two years of discussions,  according to the Orange County Register, today the Planning Commission gave the green [...]

Mello Roos Is Not Tax Deductible – But That May Change

Mello Roos Taxes Orange County

Have you been writing off your entire property tax bill?  Well, if you are a homeowner in Orange County, you are not alone by any stretch.  Those shopping for Orange County real estate are faced with the added tax burden of Mello Roos for most homes sold after 1986.  Mello Roos bonds were created to [...]

That’s My Listing!

10 Kingfisher

I’ve been listening to the conversations about syndication for months.   What began as quiet rumblings, have now become giant roars as Abbott Realty Group pulled the plug on syndication of their listings to the 3 major real estate sites, only a few months behind Edina Realty.  I find it particularly interesting that a relatively [...]

It’s a Great Time to Buy…No Really, It Is

NAR_ad_from_2006

I know you are cringing…a real estate agent suggesting that it’s a great time to buy.  But maybe the time has come in Orange County to buy a home or invest in real estate.  Sadly,  after the unfortunate ad campaigns from the National Association of Realtors (N.A.R.) over the last few years, a Realtor touting [...]

C.A.R.’s Open Letter on Short Sales – No Surprises and No Solutions

CAR short sale letter in the newspapers

Today the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R) published a full page open letter advertisement in seven of the state’s most widely circulated newspapers to address the short sale crisis faced by homeowners throughout the nation and in the state.  The letter can be found on the C.A.R. site, although it’s not  the exact version as [...]

C.A.R. Attempts To Improve the Short Sale Nightmare

house short sale

I received an interesting email today from the President of the California Association of REALTORS (C.A.R.), Beth Peerce.    It was to notify C.A.R. members of an initiative that they will be launching tomorrow in an attempt to ‘improve the short sale process’.  The email in its entirety is as follows: March 9, 2011 Dear Linsey, [...]

Are Foreclosed Homes the Best Deal?

Good Deal

With buyers on the lookout for that coveted ‘good deal’, I wanted to dig into the numbers in South Orange County to see what they would reveal.  Last week I wrote a post about Orange County foreclosures after watching Good Morning America tout the great savings a buyer can achieve when buying a foreclosed, or [...]

Foreclosure Reality Check

Foreclosure

This morning I watched a piece on Good Morning America (can be viewed at the bottom of this post) about the nation’s foreclosure crisis and the potential savings a buyer can achieve by buying a Bank Owned property. Some of it I found a bit misleading or simply not applicable in our South Orange County [...]

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly in South Orange County Real Estate

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Over the course of the last several months, I’ve become really interested in the way this housing market has impacted individual neighborhoods in South Orange County.  It’s become clear that the makeup of a neighborhood, the strength of the buyers from the last decade, the age of the community, the local amenities, it’s overall stage [...]