murrieta: IRS Hosts Free Tax Prep in Riverside County - 03/20/09 03:57 AM
The IRS is hosting Super Saturday on March 21, 2009 to help provide free tax help.  Volunteers will prepare your 2008 tax return free of charge if you have an income of $42,000 or less.  See link below for the IRS flyer to read the necessary documentation you will need to provide.  
Click here to check out the flyer. 
The IRS locations in our region are:
Riverside
Casa Blanca Family Learning Center98 Madison St10 am - 4 pmEastside Library/ Cybrary4033-C Chicago Ave10 am - 4 pmGlen Avon Library9244 Galena St10 am - 4 pmRubidoux Library5763 Tilton St10 am - 4 pm Santa Anna
… (2 comments)

murrieta: Southwest California Legislative Council issues Action Alert on Employee Free Choice Act - 03/16/09 10:37 AM

You may be aware that the Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors has been a supporting Partner of the Southwest California Legislative Council since its inception. The SCLC, a coalition of Southwest California Chambers of Commerce, Legislative Representatives and business representatives - advocate on behalf of Southwest County Businesses. Each of you, as working Realtors, is the owner of your own business. The SCLC has proven to be an effective lobbyist for local concerns and we have a great dialogue with our local Legislators.  
Today the SCLC posted recommendations on the Proposition votes upcoming in May. I'll cover that … (2 comments)

murrieta: Murrieta Recreation EXPO - Something Fun for Everyone. - 03/11/09 04:44 AM

Murrieta Community Services Manager Debbie Tharp would like to invite everybody to a Recreation EXPO next Saturday - March 21, 2009.
The EXPO will be held from 10am to 2pm in Town Square Park at Kalmia & Jefferson and provides a chance to see the classes offered by the City, meet the staff and teachers, watch performances from ongoing classes and even offers 10% off registration fees during the event.
The City of Murrieta just published their Spring/Summer Recreation Guide which runs to 30 pages of classes and activities ranging from Arts & Music to Swimming. There are … (2 comments)

murrieta: Murrieta/Temecula - Boomtowns in Waiting. - 02/09/09 10:20 AM
Forbes.com recently posted an article entitled 'America's Post-Subprime Boomtowns'. It calls out the top ten markets in the country that, in some cases have suffered the most as a result of the sub-prime melt-down, but that are poised to come roaring back after the fall. Not surprisingly, California cities are in 7 of the top 10 spots - and right up at the top of the list are Perris in #5 spot, Temecula coming in at #3 and
Murrieta at #1.

"Woodbridge joins Murrieta, Calif., Queen Creek, Ariz., and Port St. Lucie, Fla., on a list of towns that … (0 comments)

murrieta: May God Bless & Keep You Always - 12/24/08 03:50 PM
Every year for the past 12 years or so, Santa Claus visits the City of Murrieta. But he doesn't just visit the mall or the City Center, Santa climbs aboard a city sleigh and visits EVERY neighborhood in town - nearly 400 stops. When you're driving clients around town they invariably ask - "What's with all the big stars painted on the streets"? Well, that's where Santa stops.
One of our first City Councilors Jack van Haaster started the tradition years ago. Jack would get all dressed up and ride around the town, which numbered about 20,000 people then, and hand … (6 comments)

murrieta: Murrieta 'State of the Community' - It's All Good. - 12/02/08 06:31 AM
This morning I attended a 'Murrieta State of the Community' address by Mayor Rick Gibbs. Today is Mayor Gibbs last day on the job as he will hand over the gavel to Gary Thomasian at tonights City Council Meeting. Rick has done an outstanding job for us this year, bringing a high level of decorum to the office, a professional reserve and a business-like attitude. His tenure helped heal many of the remaining rifts our city suffered as the result of our council recall from a few years ago. Rick served as my Vice-Chair a few years back when we worked … (2 comments)

murrieta: Murrieta Condos For First Time Buyers. Great Prices - Great Programs. - 09/03/08 01:16 PM
9-3 murrieta condos 120- MURRIETA CALIFORNIA  - FIRST TIME CONDO BUYERS ARE WINNING! IT'S TIME TO BUY A CONDO ! 
CALIFORNIA OAKS  *  ALTA MURRIETA  *  MADISON PARK  *  ARBORETUM  *  OLD TOWN MURRIETA
SouthwestCaliforniaHomes.com CAN HELP 
ATTENTION:   Murrieta, California condos priced for First Time Home Buyers under $120,000! Way cheaper than rent!

HELPFUL PROGRAMS THAT SouthwestCaliforniaHomes.com  FOUND FOR FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS in Murrieta. (Don't all apply to 1 single home)   CITY OF MURRIETA AFFORDABLE HOUSING GRANT   $7,500 TAX CREDIT!     FREE HOME WARRANTY!    BROKER REBATE!    FREE HOME INSPECTION!    FREE APPRAISAL!   TEMPORARY INCREASE IN VA LOAN … (2 comments)

murrieta: Murrieta Homes For First Time Buyers. Great Prices - Great Programs. - 09/03/08 12:44 PM
9-3 murr 170- MURRIETA CALIFORNIA  - FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS ARE WINNING! IT'S TIME TO BUY A HOME ! 
CALIFORNIA OAKS  *  ALTA MURRIETA  *  RANCHO BELLA VISTA  *  MAPLETON  *  OLD TOWN MURRIETA
SouthwestCaliforniaHomes.com CAN HELP 
ATTENTION:   Murrieta, California homes priced for First Time Home Buyers under $170,000!

HELPFUL PROGRAMS THAT SouthwestCaliforniaHomes.com  FOUND FOR FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS in Murrieta. (Don't all apply to 1 single home)   CITY OF MURRIETA AFFORDABLE HOUSING GRANT   $7,500 TAX CREDIT!     FREE HOME WARRANTY!    BROKER REBATE!    FREE HOME INSPECTION!    FREE APPRAISAL!   TEMPORARY INCREASE IN VA LOAN LIMIT!   HIGHER FHA LOAN … (0 comments)

murrieta: Improving Your Credit Score & Payment History Tips - 06/17/08 04:31 PM
6-16 improving your credit score *  AR Members I recently participated in a Housing Preservation workshop with a representative of Springboard, a non-profit consumer credit management company headquartered in Riverside, CA. They produce a variety of excellent printed materials, Q & A's and seminars and I wanted to pass along their contact information as well as well as a link to an excellent publication entitled 'What Makes Up Your Credit Score'. Available as a web file or PDF download, this booklet is a must-read for anybody thinking about buying a home and maximizing your credit score. For additional information, please read … (2 comments)

murrieta: What Makes Up YOUR Credit Score? - 06/17/08 04:03 PM
6-16 what makes your credit score *  AR Members I recently participated in a Housing Preservation workshop with a representative of Springboard, a non-profit consumer credit management company headquartered in Riverside, CA. They produce a variety of excellent printed materials, Q & A's and seminars and I wanted to pass along their contact information as well as well as a link to an excellent publication entitled 'What Makes Up Your Credit Score'. Available as a web read or PDF download, this booklet is a must-read for anybody thinking about buying a home and maximizing your credit score. For additional information, please … (2 comments)

murrieta: Understanding Credit Scores - How Important is it to YOU? - 06/17/08 12:43 PM
6-16 credit reports * AR Members I recently participated in a Housing Preservation workshop with a representative of Springboard, a non-profit consumer credit management company headquartered in Riverside, CA. They produce a variety of excellent printed materials, Q & A's and seminars and wanted to pass along their contact information as well as well as a link to an excellent publication entitled 'What Makes Up Your Credit Score'. Available as a web read or PDF download, this booklet is a must-read for anybody thinking about buying a home and maximizing your credit score. For additional information, please read my article entitled … (5 comments)

murrieta: Paying it Forward - One Scholarship at a Time. - 06/11/08 07:25 AM
5-10 mvhs scholarship A couple weeks ago I wrote about Paying it Forward with our Association Scholarship Foundation. Last night it was my privilege to be able to present 3 more scholarhips to the Nighthawks at Murrieta Valley High School, the high school my children graudated from. I don't know how many were in the graduating class this year but over 250 of them received scholarhips last night from 180 different donors. These were the non-academic scholarhips presented by individuals, trusts and civic groups. These were some outstanding young men and women, the kind that are rarely featured in the media because … (3 comments)

murrieta: NAR Policy on Board Jurisdiction - What's YOUR take? - 06/09/08 11:46 AM
6-9 NAR board of choice Whew - it's been a busy few weeks. First back to DC for NAR's mid-year Legislative Meetings then up to Sacramento last week for our California Association Legislative Days. Both series were chock full of great content, long days and too much good food. I'm back for awhile now but the meetings have left me with a few questions. I'll be posting an issue here from time to time to see how the rest of you feel starting with this one - It was a hot topic of discussion in our region and state leading up to … (1 comments)

murrieta: More Silver Linings Showing Thru - CA sales strengthen - 05/30/08 06:51 AM
5-30 sales increase According to a report released today by the California Association of Realtors,  home sales in California actually increased in April reversing a 30 month decline in sales numbers. According to the report, home sales statewide rose 2.5% above April 2007 led by areas that have taken some of the biggest hits like Sacramento and Riverside County. As pointed out in my latest local market update, Southwest California (Southwest Riverside County) sales were up nearly 45% on average over a year ago. That's the good news.
The flip side is that prices were down statewide by 32%. Our median … (1 comments)

murrieta: Seller Bail-Out or Just Another Fraud? - 05/29/08 02:20 PM
5-29 new home builders As a result of our declining market situation here in Southern California, many new home builders have halted construction or significantly scaled back their operations. They can no longer compete with the inventory of bank owned properties that sold as recently as 18 months ago for $237 + / SqFt and are now selling for $100 or less. There is a home builder in San Diego County who is actually doing a 'Buy 1 - Get 1 Free' home deal to try to get rid of his inventory. If you buy one of his custom country homes … (11 comments)

murrieta: Memorial Day - A Day of Tribute & Thanks - 05/24/08 11:23 AM
5-24 memorial day
As you are aware from past articles, every year some of your SRCAR Directors & Officers travel to Washington D.C. in May for our annual National Association of Realtors Legislative Conferences. We meet with other N.A.R. Directors, discuss federal legislative issues and meet with our Senators and Representatives. During any downtime, we also see parts of the city and visit our nations historic treasures including the Lincoln Memorial, WWII Monument, Viet Nam Veterans Memorial, the Capitol and, of course, Arlington National Cemetery.
Our trip usually falls between two of D.C.’s premier and most beautiful events – … (8 comments)

murrieta: You're Either At The Table - Or On The Menu. - 05/22/08 11:28 AM
5-22 at the table You're either at the table or on the menu
Many of you have heard me make that statement at one time or anther over the past few years regarding participation in the political process. I know a lot of you could care less about politics but the fact of the matter is, you have to be engaged today or you’ll be out of business tomorrow.
Members of the largest trade association political action group in the country, the National Association of Realtors held our mid-year Legislative Meetings in Washington DC last week. In addition to all … (3 comments)

murrieta: Another Fraud Scam Bites the Dust - 05/22/08 10:11 AM
Brown Announces Arrest of Foreclosure Rescue Scam Artists SAN DIEGO--California Attorney General Brown today shut down a team of scam artists that acquired deeds to hundreds of homes in foreclosure by convincing desperate consumers to place their property in a “land grant,” a phony and worthless real estate document. “There hasn’t been a legitimate use of the land grant since the conclusion of the Mexican-American war,” Attorney General Brown said. “If some fast talking scam artist offers a quick escape from foreclosure using archaic documents, be extremely suspicious.” Yesterday, investigators from the San Diego District Attorney’s Office and FBI agents served … (0 comments)

murrieta: Southwest California Homes Sales - 5/08. Some Good News - 05/20/08 02:14 PM
04 comps Temecula, Murrieta & Lake Elsinore Home Buyers LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS! I’m not trying to tell you the slump is over – because we’ve still got a ways to go. But the numbers speak for themselves and this is the first month where the number of homes sold has exceeded last year. Murrieta's sales volume more than doubled April 2007 and Temecula was up by almost a third. In fact the numbers in all three cities are back to 2006 levels – and that’s not bad. Prices are still dropping, and that's not good for private Sellers. Our sales … (1 comments)

murrieta: Paying it Forward - Scholarship Style - 05/20/08 07:09 AM
2008 scholarships Yesterday evening I had the pleasure and privilege of presenting 9 scholarships to very deserving Seniors at three area high schools. The Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors and our Affiliates have been providing scholarships for several years now. Back when we started there were only four high schools in our coverage area, today there are 10 with another under construction. It has been our custom to give two $500 scholarships per high school but this year a contribution from our affiliate group allowed us to increase that to three per school for a total of $15,000 in scholarships … (2 comments)