gene wunderlich: Wardrobe Malfunctions and all, 'Anything Goes' entertains. - 06/26/13 02:56 AM
Looking for something to do this weekend? The Temecula Valley Players will be running their final weekend of Cole Porter's "Anything Goes". The production features some 35 actors, singers and dancers from across the region, as well as the recognized talents of Director Paul Kehler, Choreographer Cheri Kehler and Musical Director Brian Smith. 
Set aboard the USS American, the play includes star-crossed lovers, gangster wanna-be's, Wall Street wizards and an assortment of drinkers, partyers, gunslingers and holy rollers to keep any cruise happy. Well known musical numbers include "Anything Goes", "Blow Gabriel, Blow", "You're the Top",  "I Get a Kick out … (0 comments)

gene wunderlich: New Temecula Valley Hospital - Opening Ahead of Schedule & Under Budget - 06/26/13 01:49 AM
Ahead of schedule and under budget - those will be among the superlatives offered for the Temecula Valley Hospital when it opens in just a few short months. Utilizing innovative construction and scheduling techniques that have attracted visitors from around the world, the hospital will offer a state-of-the-art facility containing 140 private rooms in the 5 story, 178,000 square foot facility. The hospital will also include 20 intensive care units, 40 emergency department bays and 6 surgical suites.  

The new hospital will include an innovative Consolidated Treatment Unit where inpatients and outpatients are prepared for and receive procedures --- … (0 comments)

gene wunderlich: The Southwest California Legislative Council monitors Sacramento - 05/21/13 02:33 AM

Maybe you've heard about the new bill proposed in Sacramento that would prevent you from checking the criminal record of a job applicant, or the one that would allow a fired employee to come back into your business to go through their personnel file. How about the one that would let unemployed people collect unemployment while not looking for work. The best way to find out about these and other legislative issues that will impact your business is to follow the Southwest California Legislative Council. The SWCLC currently represents over 2,500 local business members providing jobs for more than 25,000 … (0 comments)

gene wunderlich: Murrieta's Golden Triangle Moves Forward - 05/21/13 02:16 AM
On April 11th Andy Domenigoni and Kelly Buffa of Domenigoni-Barton Properties, LLC, proudly introduced The Triangle, billed as the most exciting mixed-use property in Southwest California. Located at the confluence of the I-15 - I-215, The Triangle offers one of the highest visibility locations in the region seen by thousands of residents, commuters and visitors every day.
The Triangle comprises approximately 64.3 acres and will play host to approximately 1.7 million square feet of mixed uses for the region. As envisioned by the developer, The Triangle will combine a vibrant blend of shops, restaurants, entertainment, hospitality and office space - … (1 comments)

gene wunderlich: Hot Pocket (Listings) - with apologies to Jim Gaffigan. - 04/24/13 09:30 AM
I just got off a one hour webinar presented by the California Assssociation of Realtors Legal Staff  on the subject of 'Pocket Listings'. While pocket listings are legal if the proper procedures are followed, some agents simply are not. Agents who are not following the letter of the law will be coming under increasing scrutiny from the DRE and other regulators. That's what the rest of us need - more regulations to curb the avarice of a few. Ain't that the way it goes?

In Australia they call them 'Pouch Listings'. 
Don't know what a Pocket Listing is? Here's the legal description: REALTORS® marketing … (0 comments)

gene wunderlich: Beware of chimney fires during this winter season. - 01/17/13 08:07 AM
The other evening after a nice dinner, we were sitting around my Mother-in-Law's living room enjoying some conversation in front of the fireplace. Suddenly the fire flared up and started making a noise like a jet engine warming up. I immediately ran outside only to see flames blasting 6' out of the chimney and sparks shooting another 20' onto the roof, the lawn, the trees, etc. Needless to say it was a pretty scary sight. 
This is a drafty old wood frame house built in the 1930's with a shingle roof and I figured it would not withstand much abuse like … (0 comments)

gene wunderlich: California Homeowners Bill of Rights - New Law for 2013 - 01/01/13 05:29 AM
The new California Homeowner Bill of Rights becomes law today. If you're not familiar with this measure, it was a bill carried on behalf of California Attorney General Kamala Harris last year that sought to codify some of the measures set forth in the national mortgage settlement deal struck in early 2012. 
Initially opposed by the California Association of Realtors as well as the California Bankers Association and the California Mortgage Bankers Association, the bill was pushed through the legislature by a closed joint committee  of both houses so when the bill eventually reached the floor, it was voted on immediately … (29 comments)

gene wunderlich: Realtors OPPOSE CA 'Homeowners Bill of Rights'. - 06/27/12 08:55 AM
California Homeowners Bill of Rights:
A Lesson in Political Expediency & Unintended Consequences.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced in a much heralded press release today that her 'California Homeowners Bill of Rights' has 'taken a key step toward passage'. Here's the key step - she bypassed every preliminary opportunity for the bill to be discussed, debated or voted on in either the Assembly or the Senate. What she did, or had her minions in the Legislature do for her, was have the bill introduced to a 'two-house conference committee' that voted this morning to pass the bill. That means tomorrow … (12 comments)

gene wunderlich: Riverside Community Connect (211) - 03/21/12 12:21 PM
 
Help Starts Here
 
I you’re looking for the answers on who’ll win the Republican Primary or when housing prices will rebound or which stock to buy in 2012, the Dial 211 Riverside County folks might now have the answer. But for information on counseling, child care services, senior services, employment opportunities, health care needs and more than 3,000 other programs, they either have the answer or can put you in touch with those that do.
 
Founded in 2005, the Community Connect (211) mission is to connect people in need with those that can help. Community Connect has actually … (1 comments)

gene wunderlich: Ontario Airport to Close - 03/21/12 12:16 PM
 
Ontario Airport to Close!
 
Imagine finding that headline on your morning paper one day in the not too distant future. If the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the organization that owns and operates the Los Angeles / Ontario International Airport, has their way that day may come sooner rather than later. At a December meeting they entertained a proposal to close one of Ontario’s two terminals amid discussions of the significant reduction in passenger traffic at the regional airport.
 
The Ontario airport has been managed by the City of Los Angeles since a 1967 agreement between the … (2 comments)

gene wunderlich: Lowball offers getting you down? - 01/04/12 12:13 PM
 
Since January 2011, standard sales have increased from 29% of our active market to 41% and sales have climbed from 25% to 38% of sold homes in Southwest California. While about 2/3 of these continue to be flipped properties, good old-fashioned ‘normal’ sales make up a growing percentage. That’s a good sign for the market. But those ‘normal’ sellers aren’t finding as many ‘normal’ buyers as they might like. At least not at first blush. 
 
The market’s changed – I hope that’s not a news flash for you. Most areas are having half price sales on houses, three-for-one … (4 comments)

gene wunderlich: Top O' the Season to you & yours... - 12/24/11 11:30 AM
To all my ActiveRain friends - always good visiting with you from time to time here in the Rain. Let's work for an improvement to our market in 2012.For EVERYBODY'S sake.
From Lisa & I to you and yours, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and may 2012 be your best year ever (or at least a close 2nd). Trout Lake, CO... and just for giggles - here's a pic of me in 1957. I'm the little fella being held up in the truck. Back then Telluride CO was just a little mining town with maybe 450 hardy souls. On Christmas Day … (2 comments)

gene wunderlich: Another Extinct Species - Moderates in Politics. - 12/07/11 08:57 AM
 
Up in Sacramento, our state capitol, there's a great little restaurant about 2 blocks from the Capitol called Frank Fat's. It's been there since 1939 and over the decades it's earned the sobriquet 'The Third House' because it was a popular gathering place for legislators, lobbyists and governors - along with California's business and financial leaders. It's been said that more successful legislation has been concluded over a dish of Honey Walnut Prawns at Fat's than was ever conducted up the street. Tales of politicians from opposite sides of the aisle fighting like cats and dogs during the day resolving … (12 comments)

gene wunderlich: Occupoo LA? Musings and advice from the 98% - 12/01/11 06:29 AM
As I watched and read the news accounts of the recent breakdown of the Occupy camps in New York and Los Angeles, I couldn't help but recall a little sticker I kept on my bookcase for years - a memento of a Grateful Dead weekend in 1987 that read - "Deadheads Leave Only Footprints". For that event, some 15,000 Deadheads descended on Telluride Colorado, population (at the time), less than 1,000. Locals marveled when the horde migrated on to the next venue after a week that they left the landscape nearly as pristine as when they arrived, and in some cases, … (4 comments)

gene wunderlich: SoCal Fireplace Ban Goes Into Effect - 11/04/11 09:52 AM
Almost exactly a year ago I told you about yet another effort by bureaucrats obsessed with controlling our lives (When Fireplaces are Outlawed, only outlaws will have fireplaces) - in this case the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and their 'Check Before You Burn' Initiative. That blog and subsequent article burned up a lot of people, including a spokehole for the SCAQMD who called me to point out some inaccuracies in my blog.
The inaccuracies were predicated on information available from the SCAQMD at the time and had to do with the scope of the ban. At the … (2 comments)

gene wunderlich: Backing the Big Banks Down - one small step for mankind. - 10/31/11 06:11 AM
In March of this year I wrote a short piece about the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd -Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. I had the opportunity to trek back to Washington and testify on behalf of a business advocacy group I belong to about the deleterious impact of  excessive debit card charges (swipe fees) on small businesses across the country and the resulting impact on consumer prices. It was an uphill battle as banks were throwing over $100,000 a day into their lobbying effort to keep this from  being implemented. The loss to them from these fees is … (8 comments)

gene wunderlich: Buy a House - Get a Visa. Whaddaya think? - 10/28/11 10:37 AM
If you didn't see this,  Sen Chuck Schumer (D-NY), has an interesting proposal that he and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) are about to float a bill on. Lacking a legislative moniker yet, it's just called - Buy a House - Get a Visa and it's geared toward providing incentive for foreign investors to help dispose of some of the inventory of homes hanging over many markets around the country.
Our market in Southern California has always had a healthy proportion of foreign buyers. According to NAR stats, Canadians make up about 25% of foreign buyers while buyers from Mexico, China, England … (8 comments)

gene wunderlich: Another Scam Artist Bites the Dust in Riverside County - 10/27/11 01:50 PM
Title Compliance Office – SCAM ALERT! Recently I’ve had several members phone me or send me a copy of a report allegedly from the Title Compliance Office in Riverside County. Printed in English on one side and Spanish on the other, they warn homeowners that they need to have a deed to their home so they can prove they own it. In official souding language they offer to get you an 'official' or 'certified' copyof your deed for the paltry sum of $167.
This is a blatant scam trying to separate you from $167. Everybody gets a copy of your Grant … (2 comments)

gene wunderlich: Obama's Expanded Mortgage Relief. A Shell Game? - 10/26/11 05:09 AM
Even the headlines is a lie - 'Obama offers homeowners mortgage relief'.  The revamped Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) announced by President Obama on Monday, was actually the work of the FHFA, but lets not quibble about who takes the credit during this election cycle. It's not like the program will do enough good to matter anyway, in all likelihood. 
But one can always hope. At least the 11+ million of us with underwater mortgages can hope. Well, maybe some subset of those can hope. After all, the original HARP was supposed to provide relief for 5 million homeowners but in … (12 comments)

gene wunderlich: Temecula, Murrieta among nations safest cities. - 10/24/11 01:12 PM
Finally there's a national statistic that shows parts of California in a positive light - and two of my cities are at the top of the heap. Business Insider.com recently released their analysis of FBI statistics for 2010 showing the 13 safest cities in America along with the 25 most dangerous. California scored 6 out of the 13 safest and just 3 of the 25 most dangerous.
According to FBI stats,  violent crime, including murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, is down across the country by 5.5%. That's pretty good considering the economic situation. You might imagine just the opposite … (4 comments)