Los Angeles Bans Fast Food - OMG - What's Next? - 07/31/08 01:03 AM
7-30 south central restuaurant ban Never mind that our state is 30 days into its new fiscal year with no budget in sight. Never mind that we are facing an $18 Billion dollar deficit and that 200,000 state workers might be placed on the Federal minimum wage of $6.55 starting tomorrow. Never mind that our education system teeters on the brink of insolvency and that our roadways are a pothole away from dysfunctional as our highway taxes are directed toward trying to keep the doors of the State Capitol open. Never mind that our once-popular Republican Governator Ahnold makes Barack Obama … (20 comments)

Temecula Valley Wine Country Short Sale Homes 7-29-08 - 07/29/08 11:23 PM
7-259 wine country short sales You might think that owners of $1,000,000+ homes in the Wine Country would have the backing to weather the current storm in the real estate market - but you would be wrong. While they are not losing homes at the same rate as local tract home owners, the number of bank owned homes in the Wine County currently accounts for 4% of the active inventory (Temecula Valley Wine Country Bank Owned Homes) and homes with notices of default account for another 10%. A home with a notice of default filed is typically going to be a … (2 comments)

La Cresta Equestrian Estate Available - 07/29/08 04:06 PM
7-29 hitt lane One of the finest Equestrian Estates in La Cresta has just come on the market at 19870 Hitt Lane. Imagine your own private equestrian resort on 5 manicured acres. This authentic Hacienda Style ranch offers over 3,100 of living space completely upgraded and detailed in 1998. The home features such amenities as: 4 bedrooms, including Master Suites upstairs and down; Saltillo Tile & Berber Carpet; Copper Island Kitchen w/ Hand-Painted Mexican Tile counters & trim; private circular breakfast nook; beamed ceilings; custom paint & accents throughout; custom hand-painted themed bath tiles; fireplaces in the family room and downstairs master … (1 comments)

Temecula Valley Wine Country Bank Owned Homes 7-28-08 - 07/28/08 09:59 PM
7-28 wine country reo's As the Southern California market adjusts, buyers are finding a selection of fine homes on acreage in the midst of the Southern California Wine Country. However, bank owned homes represent only 4% of existing inventory in the Wine Country today, just 6 out of 166 homes for sale. Short sales represent another 10% of the market with 16 homes currently under Notice of Default. As of July 29, 2008, the six bank owned homes available in the Temecula Wine Country include the following: 40432 Scenic Ridge Drive. This custom built homes offers one of the finest views … (3 comments)

Inman Connect - 5 Tips from Alex Perriello - 07/26/08 07:20 PM
7-26 perriello 5 steps As promised in my previous post on the Inman Connect panel discussion 'What's Next: When will the housing market turn?', Alex Perriello, CEO of Realogy Franchise Group, presented 5 ways that Realtors should be working now to get through this down-turn and come out healthy on the other side. As Perriello quipped about the market - 'it is what it is, it will be what it will be, it's what we do with it that counts.'  Herewith a summary of those 5 recommendations: Really know your local market. Be the pro in your local market. Make sure … (2 comments)

Inman Panel Focuses on Localism for Recovery - 07/26/08 03:18 PM
7-26 Inman Panel #2 A couple days ago I posted a blog from Inman Connect on their panel 'Housing Debate: Bull vs Bear' in which the bears were goring each other to see who could out-bear the others. It was a bloodletting of epic proportion and I disagreed with much of the content as not being relevant or, in some cases, even accurate. Yesterday (Friday) the last panel discussion was devoted to 'What's Next: When Will The Housing Market Turn?' It was, in my opinion, a much improved presentation and even though the speakers were not universally optimistic, they were all … (3 comments)

Inman Panel Mostly Bear-ish on Housing - 07/24/08 05:02 PM

For those of you not able to attend Brad Inman's Real Estate Connect, you're missing a lot of great information. But one thing you were fortunate to miss was yesterday afternoon's panel discussion billed as a 'Housing Debate: Bull vs. Bear'.
The discussion actually came down more to a Bear vs. Bigger Bear debate as panelist after panelist strove to see who could outdo the other for pessimistic prognostications on the state of the housing market. The two Realtors on the panel, Dottie Herman, Pres & CEO of Prudential Douglas Elliman in New York and Avram Goldman, President & CEO … (5 comments)

Senator Feinstein responds to Oil Crisis - 07/22/08 10:22 PM
7-22 Feinsteins letter on oil As a political junky I am always writing about something or to somebody about something. Thus is was I received the following letter recently from my U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein in response to a missive I sent about our energy crisis. The letter enumerates the Democratic Party talking points beautifully and displays the kind of liberal thinking that has brought us to this point in history. I would be curious to know if any of you either sent a letter or signed the petition I included in my 6-18 post 'Drill Here - Drill Now - … (10 comments)

Temecula, Murrieta 1st Half Sales Figures are in - Good News? - 07/21/08 10:17 PM
6-18 05 comps Temecula, Murrieta & Lake Elsinore Home Market What does this mean to YOU? 3 straight months of increasing sales = 1 quarter of improvement. One quarter doesn't make a trend by any means, but it's definitely a relief and an improvement from the past 24 months of free falling sales numbers. Now if we can just string together another quarter or two, we won't be out of the woods yet but we'll be headed in the right direction to get out at least. That's the good news. Obviously prices are still dropping but that will continue until our … (0 comments)

The Hardrock 100 - Timberline Endurance Challenge - 07/14/08 12:35 AM
6-13 hardrock 100 They came from 24 states and 6 foreign countries this year. 124 men and 16 women lined up in Silverton Colorado on July 11, 2008 for the 15th running of the Hardrock 100, one of the most challenging endurance races in the country. Let me tell you, I've hiked and Jeeped these mountains my whole life - there's simply no way, not enough incentive to ever get me to line up with these hardcore fanatics - but there's a waiting list of people hoping they'll get selected in the lottery to run this mother. Here's the fun lying … (7 comments)

World's First AC Power - The Gold King Mine - 07/11/08 01:06 AM
6-10 LL Nunn A few days back in my post about Trout Lake, I mentioned a historical factoid that Trout Lake water was used to generate the first AC power station in the country. Today I drove up to the Gold King Basin, the site of the mine that inspired the story. 
So now, as Paul Harvey might say, here's the rest of the story.
In 1881 a washed up Leadville restaurateur named Lucien Lucius Nunn made his way to Telluride, Colorado to see what he could roust up in this newly booming mining town. During the next decade, LL Nunn … (4 comments)

A Small Town America 4th of July - Telluride Colorado - 07/06/08 08:35 PM
7-6 Telluride 4th There's nothing quite so quintessentially American as a small town 4th of July celebration - especially when the small town knows how to do it up big. Telluride Colorado has been celebrating the 4th in a BIG way since way before my half century of memory comes into play. In fact the Telluride Fire Department, who puts the shindig on, celebrated it's 130th birthday this year so they've got a plenty of experience doing this sort of thing. The 4th here always starts with a bang - a big bang called the Powder Monkey Breakfast. The firemen - … (6 comments)

Leon Russell - Rico Colorado 7-3-08 - 07/05/08 11:31 PM
7-5 Leon Russell I love you in a place where there's no space or time I love you for my life you are a friend of mine And when my life is over Remember when we were together We were alone and I was singing this song for you "Master of Space & Time" Leon Russell One of the things I enjoy most during my summer hiatus is attending some great concerts literally in my back yard. In addition to being famous for it's skiing and scenic beauty, Telluride Colorado also plays host to a wide and constant variety of musicians. … (1 comments)

An Ode to Roadhogs - Summer Travelog #4 - 07/01/08 09:59 PM
An Ode to Roadhogs A couple times a year I take a road trip. At least one trip brings me to Colorado like the one I just did last week. It's an 800 mile trek and takes me about 12 hours depending on traffic. Therein lies the rub - traffic. Over the years I've developed a couple pet peeves and where better to air my asphalt stained laundry than in an 'Ode to Roadhogs' blog. #1 - The 2 Milers - Please understand I don't have anything against our great brethren of the 18 wheelers. Those Road Warriors are responsible for … (1 comments)