Israel's Big Bear Blog

Al Gore Parody Video

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:12:09 -0600

This clip is hilarious. Al Gore speaking at the public schools about a danger that threatens the entire planet. Global Warming? Nope. None other than ManBearPig!

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155237

My Government Healthcare Story

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:41:40 -0600

Everybody is going on and on about socialized government healthcare and what the consequences of enacting it may be. I had a rare opportunity to see government healthcare in action two years ago. Back in 2007, my brother announced to the family that his wife was pregnant and they were going to have a baby. Needless to say, we were all excited about the prospect of a new family member. In fact, my wife and I were in the process of trying to have a baby ourselves. Just two weeks after my brother's announcement, we had one of our own. My wife also became pregnant. It was a really cool time for my family.

My brother is a very hard working man. He is a concrete worker and makes a pretty good living when times are good. Times are not good now, and were worse then. My brother went from working 40 hour weeks, to barely making it. With a baby on the way, he was reduced to taking any odd job he could to supplement his income. To his shame, he could not afford the baby on his own and was forced to apply for government aid. He was accepted into the medi-cal program, to help with his hospital expenses. I, on the other hand, am lucky enough to work for a company that provides health benefits to it's agents. Our experiences were very different.

My wife and I were afforded the luxury of being able to pick our own doctors. We went to the The Beaver Clinic in Highland and received excellent care throughout the pregnancy. My brother and his wife had to go to a doctor they did not like and were forced to wait for hours at a time in a waiting room filled with illegal aliens and drug addicts. We were allowed to choose which hospital we were going to have our child at. My brothers family was forced to go the hospital they were told to use.

When my wife went into labor, we were given a private room with a nice, clean bathroom just for us. The television was a nice flat panel and there was even a cushioned bench along the wall were I could sleep in comfort. When my daughter was born, she was never removed from our presence. We were all taken to a private recovery room where we stayed for three days. Nobody was allowed in we did not want in. When they thought my little Keely might have jaundice, they wheeled in a portable light chamber for the room. She never left us and it was a great experience.

When my brother and his wife went into the hospital, it was a very different experience. They were forced to go to Arrowhead Hospital, which is an enormous edifice in the bad part of town. When I went to visit, I had to stand in a huge line to get through a metal detector manned by armed guards. The lobby was filled with illegals, gang members, and low lifes. I felt in danger even though everyone was searched for weapons. My brother and his wife were forced to share a room with an illegal alien family. There were six of them separated from us by only a curtain. I am sure it sucked as bad for them as it did for us. There was no place for my brother to rest. There were only two plastic chairs. The television was old and blurry. Because the father of the other child had to go to work at night, my brother was not allowed to spend the night with his family. He had to make the hour and a half drive home at 8:00pm and then drive back down in the morning when the hospital allowed visitors. After a birth, the mother is in a lot of pain and discomfort and needs to be in a clean, quiet environment. Being forced to share a single bathroom with a group of strangers is not in anyones best interests. As a matter of fact, they took my nephew away from his family all the time. He had to be a communal nursery for long periods of time. When they thought he had jaundice, they took him away from his parents and put him in a light box in a seperate room. The only way you could see him was through a glass wall.

When my brother and his wife finally got the baby home, their joy was short lived. The baby started having trouble breathing and had to be flown in a helicopter to the hospital. It turned out he somehow got a staph infection through his belly button. My brother is convinced that he contracted it through the poor conditions in the hospital. My baby's birth was a much better experience. Being able to pick doctor's I trusted and being in a private, clean environment made all the difference in the world. I am really bummed that my brother had to live through that. Hopefully, he will not have to use government assistance next time.

REO Urban Legends

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:07:54 -0600

It seems like everybody has a story about a cousin or brother in law or long lost Uncle who offered half of the asking price on a foreclosure and got it. It has almost reached urban legend status in this market. I have bad news for people that believe this story. There are no giant alligators in the sewer. If you say Bloody Mary three times in front of a mirror, she will not appear. Even more terrifying, there are no bank owned properties in Big Bear that you can buy for half of the list price.

As a matter of fact, writing lowball offers is a sure way of losing out on a property you might really like. When an asset manager sees an offer that is over 10-15% low, they automatically put that offer into the crank file. Usually, they don't even bother countering an offer that low. When they do counter, it is usually for $100.00 off of the listing price. The only thing that happens when you write a really low offer is you lose all your credibility. Instead of coming off as a serious, viable buyer who is looking for a good deal, you come off as a shyster trying pick the bones of an unfortunate soul.

When a bank prices an REO property, they don't just pick a random number. They don't price it off of what the remaining loan is. They actually have Realtors give them price opinions on current market value. Then, they price the home at a fair market price. Usually, this a very good deal. Just because there is only $50,000 owed on $200,000 property, does not mean the bank will take $100,000 for it. They will sell you the property for a good, fair price. If you come in at $125,000, they will not even acknowledge you. If you come in at $150,000, they will counter at $199,000. If you come in at $175,000, they will probably give you a real counter to work with.

I am not saying that it is impossible to get a great deal. It is highly possible. You just have to reevaluate what a great deal is. If a home last sold for $350,000, and you buy it for $250,000, you are getting a great deal. You just need to be realistic. Plus, while you are dickering around with lowball offers, the odds are very good that someone who understands what is going on will come in with a respectable offer, and you will lose out. If you think it is a good deal, it is certain that somebody else will too. I feel the best strategy is too give the bank the opportunity to say " Yes."

Is This Racist

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:00:56 -0600

Almost from the inception of Activerain, I have seen numerous instances of members calling each other names and accusing each other of horrible things. It is not unusual to see someone called a homophobe or a liberal, American hating terrorist in the same blog. This has led me to question whether things I think are funny could be construed as rascist or Non-Pc. In order to ascertain whether I am twisted or not, please watch this video and tell me what you think. I, personally, find it hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5hy2fCASyw

Cool Anti-Communism Cartoon From The 30's

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:47:45 -0500

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVh75ylAUXY&feature=player_embedded

I really liked this cartoon. It is refreshing to go back to a time when everything wasn't so PC. These days you would have a Supreme Court case from some sort of Communist/ Fascist/ Socialist group crying about how this cartoon is misrepresenting their interests. Because we all know how much better everything is when your government controls every facet of your lives.

Yes, this harkens back to a simpler time when our enemies were in plain sight and we were all on the same page. A time when the Constitution still meant something. I hope that one time, somebody like Ron Paul can get elected and help get us all back to where we need to be.

Bank Owned Furnishings

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:24:02 -0500

When it comes to agents that list bank owned properties, they seem to fall into two distinct categories. The first group takes their time and makes sure the house is completely ready to be sold. These agents make sure that the house and yard are clean and presentable. They also post the 18 day notice for the foreclosed owner to remove their belongings. Then, after the 18 days are up, they have everything removed to storage, leaving the house in great shape to be sold.

The other group of agents don't bother with all those steps. They don't wait for the home to be cleaned or, sometimes, even for the tenants to be evicted. They just throw their sign up and put it on the MLS. Because of this, the home is often still fully furnished when it is being shown to prospective clients. This leads to nothing but problems.

Because people have a tendency to covet what they see, furnishings left in REO listings lead to nothing but trouble. You can tell your buyer 100 times that none of the furnishings are going to be included with the sale, and they will still dwell on it and bring it up. Often. Questions about what happens to the furnishings and why they just won't leave them. " Maybe you can call the listing agent and tell him not to do the clean out" is something you will probably hear at least once. Some buyers will go crazy for the mirror over the mantle and insist it must be a fixture. When you tell them it is not, they will insist that you call the listing agent and offer money to buy it. It is not the listing agents property to sell. It is not the banks property to sell.

For all agents out there, be very firm from the start regarding the furnishings in a bank owned home. If you don't, it will cause nothing but problems. You need to quench the desire for that nice couch from minute one or your buyer may start obsessing over ways they can acquire it. Buyers, you need to realize that there is no way you are going to be able to get the furnishings. The bank may be taking the furnishings and throwing them on an enormous bonfire, as you suspect. They still won't give them to you. They may languish in a dust filled storage bin for 20 years until they deteriorate. You still can't have them. Be happy with the great deal you got on the house and let the rest go. Believe me, it's not worth the mental anguish.

Short Sale? Be Careful.

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:03:09 -0500

I just wanted to give out a word of warning to anybody considering buying a short sale property. The house is a short sale because the owner is in financial straits. People in this situation can be a little unpredictable and do things you wouldn't normally have to be that concerned about. Things like stripping the house to the bone for instance.

A few days ago I wrote an offer on a short sale with some clients. It was a good deal on a really clean home in a nice area. Luckily, as I always do, I wrote into the offer that all appliances and fixtures were to be included in the purchase price. Our offer was accepted and I was getting ready to open escrow. Then, the listing agent called me and told me that the seller was going to take all the appliances and fixtures with him but we could purchase them outside of escrow for $2,500.00 . When I told her that we considered the appliances fixtures and would not purchase the house without them, she said she understood and would try to get the seller to come around. He didn't. It soon became apparent that he was probably going to strip everything he could take out of the house and then try to " Sell " it back to my clients outside of escrow in an effort to defraud the bank.

Needless to say, we refused and backed out of the deal. The seller basically bought the house, mortgaged it to the hilt, defaulted on his commitment to the lender, and then wanted to steal even more money from them. I don't know about you, but I found this unacceptable. I can only hope that the bank catches wind of this and puts a stop to it. I wouldn't be surprised if the window coverings, lighting, and bathroom vanities all end up in the sellers garage. Anybody who deals with somebody like this really needs to be on their toes and write everything they expect to come with the house into the contract. Also, make sure you do your walkthrough at the last possible moment. Don't give a guy like this the opportunity to take advantage of you.

Mastermind Of 9/11 Attacks Says He Lied Under Torture

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:19:45 -0500

There are quite a few of us who think that torture is an acceptable way of getting information out of suspected terrorists. The ends justify the means and us stooping to such a level of barbarism is right and good. Even though we become what we hate, we need to get the info at any cost. But what about future costs? Like when the time comes to put these men on trial and it comes out that everything they confessed to was admitted to under torture. Will a jury find the evidence admissable when it was extracted after 181 waterboarding sessions? When you read the statements of the terrorism suspects below, we have made it possible for some people to actually feel sorry for these scumbags. The one terrorist even goes on the claim that he almost died four times due to our interrogation methods. True, or not, we have left the door open for these claims against us. The question remains, is this all worth it? Does making us look as savage as those we fight, work in our favor?

Detainee claims to have lied under CIA torture

AFP/File - File photo of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged organizer of the September 11, 2001, attacks, shortly after ...

Slideshow:9/11 Terror Attacks

Play Video Video:Liz Cheney Defends Her Dad on Torture ABC News

Tue Jun 16, 10:03 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, an accused top Al-Qaeda operative and self-confessed mastermind of the September 11 attacks, claimed to have lied under torture by the CIA, according to government transcripts released Monday.

"I just make up stories," he said in broken English, telling a 2007 military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay of an interrogation session during which he was asked about the location of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

"Where is he? I don't know. Then he torture me," said Mohammed, the self-confessed mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

"Then I said: 'Yes, he is in this area or this is Al-Qaeda...' I said no, they torture me."

Although he said he made false confessions, in the same hearing, Mohammed had a personal representative read a statement in which he admitted to having taken part in 31 separate terror plots and responsibilities.

Another "high value" detainee, Abu Zubaydah, said he almost died under interrogation.

"After months of suffering and torture, physically and mentally, they did not care about my injuries that they inflicted to my eye, to my stomach, to my bladder, and my left thigh and my reproductive organs... Doctors told me that I nearly died four times," Zubaydah said.

"They say, 'this in your diary.' They say, 'see you want to make operation against America.' I say no, the idea is different. They say no, torturing, torturing. I say 'okay, I do. I was decide to make operation.'"

Zubaydah was the first "high-value" detainee to be subjected to enhanced interrogation approved by the George W. Bush administration, including waterboarding, a simulated drowning method critics say amounts to torture.

A CIA spokesman, George Little, said, "The CIA plainly has a very different take on its past interrogation practices, what they were and what they weren't, and on the need to protect properly classified national security information."

The partially redacted documents were released as part of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to obtain uncensored transcripts of military tribunals held to determine whether detainees were "enemy combatants," a designation that has been dropped by President Barack Obama's administration.

The hearings were closed to both lawyers and the public. Previously released versions of the documents had blacked out most references to prisoner abuse under CIA custody.

Majid Khan, the only US national among "high value" detainees held at Guantanamo, the US naval base in southern Cuba where some 230 prisoners remain, also claimed he had been tortured.

"In the end, any classified information you have is through... agencies who physically and mentally tortured me," he said.

ACLU staff attorney Ben Wizner called on the Obama administration to release more documents related to the CIA's detention program and said the rights group would return to the court to seek a full declassification of the documents.

"The documents released today provide further evidence of brutal torture and abuse in the CIA's interrogation program and demonstrate beyond doubt that this information has been suppressed solely to avoid embarrassment and growing demands for accountability," said Wizner.

Bank Owned Checklist

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:02:32 -0500

Recently, it seems like every time a good bank owned property comes on the market, it is like blood in the water with four, five or more offers coming in. If you want to have a chance at snagging one of these good deals away from the other sharks, you need to come prepared. I have prepared a sort list of things you need to have ready in order to write the best offer possible.

1. Make sure you are preapproved and have your letter with you. This will let you know what you can afford and also let's the selling bank know that you are already approved and can buy the property in question.

2. Have current bank statements and your check book. You will need to write a deposit check and many banks are asking for proof of funds up-front with the offer.

3. Be prepared to go over asking price. If a home is worth $200,000, but only priced at $135,000, you can be sure that somebody else will offer full price for it. If you really want it, you will have to come in even higher. Most banks will give everybody the chance to come in with a " Best and Final " offer, but not always. Sometimes, your first offer is your only shot. Be prepared for this eventuality.

4. If your Realtor is an experienced agent who has dealt with REO properties, listen to their advice. Odds are they have been in a similar situation and they know what to expect.

5. If there are multiple offers, don't ask for a home warranty, termite work, or anything that is not absolutely necessary. The more you ask for, the less chance you have of getting your offer accepted.

While there are many variables that can occur, keeping these five things in mind will help you get the property you want.

My Rant

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:00:37 -0500

As I see it, one of the big problems the Republican party is facing is the fact that the party has been hijacked by The Religious Right. Instead of a platform of small government and financial responsibility, the right focuses on issues those of us without a religious bent, can't really get behind. I , personally, don't think our government should stick their noses into our personal lives. I don't want to be bombarded by anti-gay propaganda and cries over stem cell research. I don't want to be preached at about family values by hypocrites whose values are no better than anybody Else's.

I don't want to be forced to live under a regime who takes away my rights to privacy and personal choice. I don't want to be governed by religious laws. I want to know that my leader will make choices based on common sense and what is best for the population. Not prophecy or dogma. I don't want to fight any " Holy Wars " or engage in disputes based on 2,000 year old ideas. The best thing for people of faith is too have the government leave them alone to worship as they please.

This really leaves people like me in a serious bind. I don't want to be governed by far left Liberals either. I don't like the idea of taxing the rich into oblivion to prop up the non productive among us. I don't mind giving a hand up, but at some point you have got to start doing something for yourself. Corporate welfare is even worse. Both the left and the right are saving these cretins who robbed us blind. We give them billions of dollars with no restrictions as to how they spend it. It was their criminal spending habits that got us where we are today.

I have no choice but to vote for third party candidates who have no chance of winning. At least it sends a message. How about a party that stands for fiscal responsibility and small government without the " Big Brother " mentality. Keep out of folks private lives as much as possible. A party that is smart enough to realize that overtaxing the money makers in our country is not the best way to do things. A party that will reform the IRS and do away with The Federal Reserve System. A fair tax for everybody. A party that will go the extra mile to strengthen state's rights and allow them more freedom to create their own laws and govern themselves. A party that will realize The War On Drugs has turned into a War On The Poor and will embrace treatment as opposed to imprisonment as the answers to the problem.

Until voters start thinking outside of the box, we are going to be stuck with the same old, same old. They will keep on doing what they have been doing for the last 100 years. The wealthy corporations and special interest groups will keep buying politicians that forward their agenda no matter if it is good for the country or not. They will tell the same lies over and over again. The Democrats will pretend that they are champions of the poor and downtrodden. The Republicans will pretend like they are the party of small government, fiscal responsibility and family values. We have nearly four years to think about it. Use it well.

Big Bear's Finest

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:50:23 -0500

It's hard to believe it has already been so long. I came across this story today from a man who shared a plane ride with a Marine from my town on his last flight home. It touched me to the bone when I originally read it and it touched me again over two years later. I didn't know Jared that well. He was quite a bit younger than I, and we didn't run in the same circles. However, I know his older brother , Aunt, and Mother very well. It just reminded me that whatever my feelings about the war, it is of utmost importance to love and respect those fighting it.

Thursday, 08 March 2007

1st Lt. Jared Landaker's final flight.

Leon Greer forwarded a clipping to me about the final flight of Marine 1st Lt. Jared Landaker.

It is a piece written by Stuart Witt.

Final Flight By Stuart Witt

Feb. 17, 2007, 0350 curbside at 24th and M, Washington DC. 16 degrees with a light breeze. Going home after my second week of freezing temps. Fly my aircraft, ride a horse, climb a mountain and get back to living. I'm tired of the cold.

0425 paying the taxi fare at Dulles in front of the United Airlines counter, still cold.

0450 engaging the self-serve ticker machine and it delivers my ticket, baggage tag and boarding pass. Hmmm, that Marine is all dressed up early...? Oh, maybe,,, Hmmm, "Good morning captain, you're looking sharp."

Pass security and to my gate for a quick decaf coffee and five hours sleep. A quick check of the flight status monitor and UA Flight 211 is on time. I'm up front, how bad can it be? Hmmm, that same Marine, he must be heading to Pendleton to see his lady at LAX for the long weekend all dressed up like that....? Or maybe not?

"Attention in the boarding area, we will begin boarding in 10 minutes, we have some additional duties to attend to this morning but we will have you out of here on time."

That captain now has five others with him. BINGO. I get it, he is not visiting his lady, he's an official escort. How I remember doing that once, CACO duty. I still remember the names of the victim and family, The Bruno family in Mojave ..., all of them, wow, that was 24 years ago. I wonder if we will ever know who and why?

On board, 0600: "Good morning folks this is the captain. This morning we have been attending to some additional duties and I apologize for being 10 minutes late for pushback but believe me we will be early to LAX. This morning it is my sad pleasure to announce that 1st Lt. Jared Landaker, USMC, will be flying with us to his Big Bear home in Southern California.

''Jared lost his life over the skies of Iraq earlier this month and today we have the honor of returning him home along with his mother, father, brother and uncles.

''Please join me in making the journey comfortable for the Landaker family and their uniformed escort. Now sit back and enjoy our ride, we are not expecting any turbulence until we reach the Rocky Mountains and at that time we will do what we can to ensure a smooth ride. For those interested you can listen in to our progress on button 9."

Up button 9: "Good morning UA 211 you are cleared to taxi, takeoff and cleared to LAX as filed." From the time we started rolling we never stopped. 1st Lt. Landaker began receiving his due.

Four hours and 35 minutes later, over Big Bear Mountain, the AB320 makes a left roll and steep bank and then one to the right, Nice touch captain

"Five minutes out from landing, the captain: "Ladies and gents, after landing I'm leaving the fasten seatbelt sign on and I ask everyone in advance to yield to the Landaker family. Please remain seated until all members have departed the aircraft. Thank you for your patience, we are 20 minutes early."

On roll out, I notice red lights, emergency vehicles everywhere. We are being escorted directly to our gate, no waiting anywhere, not even a pause. Out the left window, a dozen Marines in full dress blues. Highway Patrol, police, fire crews all in full dress with lights on. A true class act by everyone, down to a person, from coast to coast. Way to go United Airlines for doing the little things RIGHT, because they are the big things; Air Traffic Control for getting the message, to all law enforcement for your display of brotherhood.

When the family departed the aircraft everyone sat silent, then I heard a lady say, "God Bless You and your Family, Thank You." Then another, then another, then a somber round of applause. The captain read a prepared note from Mrs. Landaker to the effect, "Thank you all for your patience and heartfelt concern for us and our son. We sincerely appreciate the sentiment. It is nice to have Jared home."

After departing the aircraft, I found myself, along with 30 others from our flight, looking for a window. Not a dry eye in the craft. All of us were bawling like babies. It was one of the most emotional moments of my life. We all stood silent and watched as Jared was taken by his honor guard to an awaiting hearse. Then the motorcade slowly made its way off the ramp.

I have finally seen the silent majority. It is deep within us all. Black, Brown, White, Yellow, Red, Purple, we are all children, parents, brothers, sisters, etc ... we are an American family.

What you don't know is that on the flight I was tapped on the shoulder by Mrs. Landaker who introduced herself to me after I awoke. Her words were, "I understand you have sons in the service. Please tell them we appreciate their service. We are so proud of our kids who chose to serve at this time. We were so proud of Jared and today we find ourselves in a fog of disbelief. Jared was three days from returning home."

Early in our taxi out from the gate at Dulles, the gent next to me (a Fairfax City Council Member and acquaintance of the Thuot family) and I were talking to the flight attendant and mentioned that we had sons serving on active duty, "What do you say? How tragic, they must be devastated." He said many of the passengers had told him the same thing so somewhere in the flight he shared his tidbits with Mrs. Landaker. Our flight attendant had been struggling with what to say, to find the right words, so he told the Landaker family of passengers who were parents of service members who connected with their grief as parents. After I gathered myself, I stepped back to their row, two behind me and introduced myself to Mr. Landaker (a Veteran of South East Asia as a Tanker) and Jared's uncle and brother. What a somber moment. Their Marine captain escort was a first rate class act. He had been Jared's tactics instructor and volunteered for this assignment, as he said, "Sir, it is the least I could do, he was my friend and a great stick. He absolutely loved to fly, It's an honor to be here on his last flight."

1115: On my connecting flight, my mind raced. How lucky I was to have had an opportunity to fly my father to Spain and ride the carrier USS John F. Kennedy home in 1981. The same year Jared was born. How lucky I was to have my father on the crows landing when I made my final cat shot in an F-14. Jared's father never had that chance. Jared was at war, 10,000 miles away.

When Mr. Landaker and I were talking he shared with me, "When Jared was born he had no soft spot on his head and doctors feared he would be developmentally challenged. He became a physics major with honors, a high school and college athlete, and graduated with distinction from naval aviation flight school. He was short in stature, but a Marine all the way." Visit his life story on line at www.bigbeargrizzly.net . Bring tissue.

February 7, 2007, Anbar Province, Iraq. 1st Lt Jared Landaker, United States Marine Corps, Hero, from Big Bear Calif., gave his life in service to his country. Fatally wounded when his CH-46 helicopter was shot down by enemy fire, Jared and his crew all perished. His life was the ultimate sacrifice of a grateful military family and nation.

His death occurred at the same time as Anna Nicole Smith, a drug using person with a 7th grade education of no pedigree who dominated our news for two weeks while Jared became a number on CNN. And most unfortunately, Jared's death underscores a fact that we are a military at war, not a nation at war. Until we become a nation committed to winning the fight, and elect leaders with the spine to ask Americans to sacrifice in order to win, we shall remain committed to being a nation with a military at war, and nothing more. (And possibly no funding if congress has their way!)

1st Lt. Landaker, a man I came to know in the skies over America on 17 February 2007, from me to you, aviator to aviator, I am unbelievably humbled. It was my high honor to share your last flight. God bless you.

Semper Fi.

Here is 1st Lt. Jared Landaker's obituary from the Big Bear Grizzly newspaper.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Issues Statement on Death of Big Bear City Marine

From la.indymedia.org:

Jared Landaker was piloting a CH-46 helicopter and had picked up a wounded Marine in Karbala, Iraq, and was taking him to a hospital when a support helicopter crew saw fire in the back. The helicopter spun around twice and crashed on its left side. Everyone inside burned to death, the pilot's mother said.

The Big Bear Grizzly newspaper has got a good follow-up story about his life Jared Landaker - A man of principles.

Added: MySpace tribute site for Jared Landaker.

Added: The Washington Post's Faces Of The Fallen project entry for Jared Landaker.

Watch Out For The Other Guy

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:13:20 -0500

One of the benefits of the market being in decline is the mass exodus of bad agents. If you are a buyer or a seller, the odds are much better that you will get a competent agent to represent you. Unlike days past when an agent just had to sit by a phone to do business, today's Realtor actually has to work his or her tail off to be successful. That being said, you still need to be careful.

There are still part time housewife's out there who do a deal or two a year for some extra money. The checker at the local Von's still dabbles when an unsuspecting victim falls into the web. Even the meter reader for the electric company will try to pass as a full time professional Realtor. They are not doing their clients any favors. The market has undergone a massive upheaval and you can not do business the same way as five years ago. In Big Bear, bank owned properties make up 10% of the inventory and 40% of the sales. If your Realtor is not proficient in dealing with REO's, Short Sales, etc, you are asking for trouble.

I have an example from my last escrow to share with you. My clients put in an offer on a bank owned property listed by an office from out of our area. We did everything we were supposed to do and were just waiting for escrow to open. I have sold around 20 bank owned properties in the last year or so and there is almost always a delay in the bank opening escrow. So, after a week went by I wasn't too concerned. After almost two weeks went by, I became alarmed. I called and emailed the listing agent two or three times a day for three days without receiving a response. I finally had to call his broker and demand that someone who was competent be put in charge of the deal. I was given an assistant who seemed to have some idea of how things worked. Finally, after almost three weeks, I was emailed an extension agreement that stated we were requesting an extension due to the listing office opening escrow with the wrong company and not realizing it for two weeks. Two weeks? If I hadn't called the broker with my concerns the listing agent would have just coasted along obliviously and incompetently until our deal crashed and burned.

I also have experiences that are the exact opposite. I sold a bank owned property a little while back that was listed by Theresa Grant with Coldwell Banker in Lake Arrowhead. Like most bank owned homes, it took the bank longer than usual to open escrow, but everything else ran perfectly. Theresa made sure I received regular updates and her assistant was on top of everything. I got all the paperwork on time and done correctly. Because we both did what we needed to do , the transaction was very smooth and I was able to give my client excellent service.

If you are considering buying or selling, ask the Realtor you are dealing with some qualifying questions before you proceed. Make sure they are a full time, professional Realtor and not a part timer. Make sure they have a good, working knowledge of the local market. If you are planning on buying in Big Bear, it is a very bad idea to use somebody from L.A. or Orange County. If you are planning on buying a Bank Owned listing, it is especially important to use somebody who is experienced in selling them. The banks do thing very differently and a Realtor who doesn't know what they are doing can blow the deal or end up costing you a great deal of money.

Originally posted at www.bigbearilluminated.com

REO Timelines

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:48:29 -0500

Buying a bank owned (REO) property is a much different process than a traditional listing and it is imperative that your Realtor know the difference. If your Realtor is not aware of the differences, they could not only cause you to lose the property, but also cost you money in the process. Let me explain.

Banks hold all the cards in a bank owned transaction. They don't have disclosure requirements and set all the rules. They usually make the buyer sign an addendum that basically takes away most of the buyers protections and puts the ball squarely in the banks court. They set out a timeline you, as a buyer, have to meet or face the consequences. While they don't have to deliver anything until they feel like it.

For instance, I have a bank owned property in escrow right now that I got approval on almost a month ago. Guess what? The bank didn't open escrow until three weeks into the 30 day time period. We didn't get a copy of the signed contract or bank addendum until three weeks into the deal. Of course, the bank addendum we signed at the beginning of the transaction had us agree to pay a $100.00 per day per Diem for every day we went over the 30 days agreed upon in the contract. Then they did nothing on time to make it possible for us to make the deadline.

This is where my experience came into play. I have had this happen to me numerous times on bank owned purchases and I have learned that my buyer just needs to forget about the bank and make sure he does everything he needs to do to stay on track. As long as we can show the delay is not of our making, we can get out of paying the per Diem. I made sure our inspections were all done within 10 days and I made sure the listing agent had the termite inspection done also. Since my buyer is paying cash, the appraisal was not an issue. On a property where the buyer is getting a loan, you need to be on the phone with the lender every step of the way to get the appraisal done before the contingency period is up. You don't want anything going wrong at the last minute if you can help it.

You can't always get everything to go the way you would like, but if you do everything you can do, things tend to turn out OK. I always have to remind my clients that most banks don't really have any idea of what is going on at any given time. They seem to just flounder around in the hopes something will eventually happen. In the last couple of years I have seen numerous instances of banks doing things that make absolutely no sense. It is actually kind of rare to have a bank owned transaction that goes perfectly smoothly. If you hire a good, knowledgeable Realtor and do everything you need to do on time, you will come out ahead in the end.

Originally Posted At www.bigbearilluminated.com

Bank Owned VS Short Sales

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:11:57 -0500

A question I seem to get quite a bit these days from my clients is " What is the difference between short sales and REO's?" I then , usually, go into a whole explanation of the pro's and con's of each, and end up telling them that REO's are superior in every way. I have a couple of dealings over the past couple of months that really bring this point home.

The first case involves a really neat family I have been dealing with for over a year. They are from North Hollywood and have wanted to buy a place up here for a long time. When we initially looked, we couldn't find anything that really fitted their needs. They decided to wait a year and then take a look when the prices had really dropped. So, I took them out a couple of months ago and found a cabin that was perfect for them. The cabin is super clean and situated on a great lot with a ton of beautiful oak trees. Even at the $149,900 price tag, it was a great deal. The one big problem with it was it being a short sale listing. I warned them of the major hassles that usually accompany buying a short sale, but they liked the house enough to risk it.

As many of you know, the majority of short sales do not close successfully. This is usually due to the listing agent not knowing how to do them, but taking the listing anyways. If the listing agent doesn't put in all the work ahead of time, a short sale is a nightmare. In this case, the listing agent assured me that he had done all the footwork and the bank was ready to move. With this information, we decided to offer $120,000 cash for the cabin, knowing it would probably be refused and we would have to come up to make the purchase.

A month into the process we still hadn't heard back from the bank. At this point I was fairly certain the listing agent was full of it and hadn't really done what he needed to do to get a short sale done. I told my clients that all we could really do was wait and see what the bank would do. After a month and a half, the listing agent called me to say that the bank had just taken the listing away from him and never gave us an answer. I knew sooner than later, I would be seeing the home again as a bank owned listing. I told my clients to hang tight and that I would check the MLS everyday until it appeared.

Sure enough, a week and a half later it came on The MLS for $130,000 as a bank owned property. I called my clients the minute I saw it and we wrote an offer for $115,000 cash. The bank came back the next day at $117,000 cash and we snatched it up. Not only that, but the bank repaired some broken pipes under the house that the original owner most likely would not have been able to afford to do. Basically, the bank took a month and a half and did nothing when it was a short sale. Once it was a bank owned, we bought it in two days for less money and had repairs thrown in as a bonus. Bank owned One, Short sales Zero.

The second situation is very similar. My clients put in an offer of $340,000 on a short sale listed at $389,000. Again, we waited patiently for almost two months while the bank had the home reappraised and numerous BPO's done. In the end, after two months, they rejected our offer and let the home go into foreclosure. Like the last time, I watched the MLS and saw the home come up as a bank owned property for $390,000. My clients and I both felt the home was overpriced and we should wait and watch it to see if it would reduce. After two weeks, it hadn't sold and we decided to make our move. We came in at $333,000, and waited for a response from the bank. This time it took one day to get their answer, which was no. After a week of wrangling, we put the home into escrow for $339,000. So, we got a lower price in only a week when it was bank owned. Bank Owned Two, Short Sales Zero.

Originally Posted At www.bigbearilluminated.com

Newt Warns Of Third Party In 2012

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:21:58 -0500

April 2, 2009
Gingrich warns of third party in 2012
Posted: 11:56 AM ET

From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby
The former Republican Speaker discussed 2012 during a recent speech at a Missouri college.

(CNN) - Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is warning of a third party mutiny in 2012 if Republicans don't figure out a way to shape up.
"If the Republicans can't break out of being the right wing party of big government, then I think you would see a third party movement in 2012," Gingrich said Tuesday. The speech, to a group of students at the College of the Ozarks in Missouri, was recorded by Springfield TV station KY3.
But Gingrich, bemoaning President Barack Obama's "monstrosity of a budget," acknowledged that Republicans are partially to blame for the escalation in federal spending.

"Remember, everything Obama's doing, Bush started last year," he said. "If you're going to talk about big spending, the mistakes of the Bush administration last year are fully as bad as the mistakes of Obama's first two, three months."

Gingrich told the students that the current governmental system "is so sick, so out of touch and so arrogant that you're going to have a nationwide rebellion at the polls of people in both parties who are just fed up."

"You can do a Facebook page, you can Twitter," he said. "I Twitter right now and I think we're at like, I don't know, 18,000 or 20,000 thousand people that follow my Twitter, which I have to say I think is nuts. But there are ways to communicate, you're not trapped by CBS news."
Gingrich has repeatedly said that he will decide in early 2011 whether he plans to seek the White House in 2012.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...party-in-2012/

I'm with Newt. We desperately need a viable third option. I don't feel well represented by either Republicans or Democrats. I want somebody to be fiscally responsible for once. I don't like the morality stuff the right foists upon me and I don't like the enormous social welfare and taxes the left shoves down my throat. The Republicans spent like drunken sailors the last eight years and Obama is starting off just as bad. We can't spend with careless abandon, assuming eternal supply.

Ron Paul On The Drug War

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:36:53 -0500

Every time I turn on the news or look at my computer, I see a story about a drug related murder. The War On Drugs is an absolute failure. More people than ever before use drugs and our prisons are filled to capacity with drug addicts who need treatment much more than they need jail. Like Ron Paul, I am certain this big government administration will take this opportunity to enlarge existing departments and throw more money down this hole. Anyways, here is Dr. Pauls statement:

We have recently heard many shocking stories of brutal killings and ruthless violence related to drug cartels warring with Mexican and US officials. It is approaching the fever pitch of a full-blown crisis. Unfortunately, the administration is not likely to waste this opportunity to further expand government. Hopefully, we can take a deep breath and look at history for the optimal way to deal with this dangerous situation, which is not unprecedented.

Alcohol prohibition in the 1920's brought similar violence, gangs, lawlessness, corruption and brutality. The reason for the violence was not that making and selling alcohol was inherently dangerous. The violence came about because of the creation of a brutal black market which also drove profits through the roof. These profits enabled criminals like Al Capone to become incredibly wealthy, and militantly defensive of that wealth. Al Capone saw the repeal of Prohibition as a great threat, and indeed smuggling operations and gangland violence fell apart after repeal. Today, picking up a bottle of wine for dinner is a relatively benign transaction, and beer trucks travel openly and peacefully along their distribution routes.

Similarly today, the best way to fight violent drug cartels would be to pull the rug out from under their profits by bringing these transactions out into the sunlight. People who, unwisely, buy drugs would hardly opt for the back alley criminal dealer as a source, if a coffeehouse-style dispensary was an option. Moreover, a law-abiding dispensary is likely to check ID's and refuse sale to minors, as bars and ABC stores tend to do very diligently. Think of all the time and resources law enforcement could save if they could instead focus on violent crimes, instead of this impossible nanny-state mandate of saving people from themselves!

If these reasons don't convince the drug warriors, I would urge them to go back to the Constitution and consider where there is any authority to prohibit private personal choices like this. All of our freedoms - the freedom of religion and assembly, the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the right to be free from unnecessary government searches and seizures - stem from the precept that you own yourself and are responsible for your own choices. Prohibition laws negate self-ownership and are an absolute affront to the principles of freedom. I disagree vehemently with the recreational use of drugs, but at the same time, if people are only free to make good decisions, they are not truly free. In any case, states should decide for themselves how to handle these issues and the federal government should respect their choices.

My great concern is that instead of dealing deliberatively with the actual problems, Congress will be pressed again to act quickly without much thought or debate. I can't think of a single problem we haven't made worse that way. The panic generated by the looming crisis in Mexico should not be redirected into curtailing more rights, especially our second amendment rights, as seems to be in the works. Certainly, more gun laws in response to this violence will only serve to disarm lawful citizens. This is something to watch out for and stand up against. We have escalated the drug war enough to see it only escalates the violence and profits associated with drugs. It is time to try freedom instead.

Better Than Bank Owned

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:43:22 -0500

Originally Posted at www.bigbearilluminated.com

With all the fervor over bank owned properties, it is sometimes easy to overlook homes listed by an actual homeowner. This can be a big mistake. If the homeowner in question is savvy on market conditions and has a good Realtor to advise them, traditional listings can be just as much of a bargain as an REO. Case in point is this home on 385 Glenwood, located in The Castle Glen area of Big Bear Lake. This home is a true beauty. It is full log construction and backs to wide open eagle preserve. The home is 2,200 square feet and sits on an oversized 15,300 foot lot. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a detached two car garage. All for only $599,900.

Believe me when I tell you, there are bank owned homes in worse condition and lesser settings that are priced higher. This seller realized that he was in direct competition with bank owned homes and priced his home accordingly. Since the home is owned by a real person, there would be full disclosure and a chance for repairs to be done. I guess the point I am trying to make is, don't just concentrate on REO's. There are a great many other homes out there that may be even better buys. Enlist the services of a professional Realtor and let them be your bloodhounds. If they are good, they will be aware of the best deals, no matter who the seller. For information on this home or any other for sale in The Big Bear Valley, please email me at izzy.barden@gmail.com or call me at 909-273-8980.

Wall Street Looters

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:14:06 -0500

I read an article today which really got me steamed. I believe we can all agree that wall street really stuck it to the American people. The majority of us work our tails off , day in and day out, to make a comfortable life for our families. Unfortunately, many folks work seems to consist of working the system to cheat the taxpayers of their hard earned dollars. All these banks and investment companies knew this was going to happen. They wrung us dry and left the taxpayer holding the bag.

Like most Silent Majority members, I think all this nationalizing banks and saving poorly ran corporations is a bunch of malarkey. Spending your way out of a deficit doesn't seem to make any sense. Bush spent us into a 50 foot crater and Obama seems intent on throwing dirt on top of our heads. Republicans and Democrats of the last eight years have shown themselves incapable of responsible government. We need every voter who feels betrayed to come over to Libertarianism. Defend the constitution, be fiscally responsible, and stay the hell out of people's private lives. I am going to post the article below and would like to know what you all think.

The Looting of America's Coffers

By DAVID LEONHARDY

Sixteen years ago, two economists published a research paper with a delightfully simple title: "Looting."

The economists were George Akerlof, who would later win a Nobel Prize, and Paul Romer, the renowned expert on economic growth. In the paper, they argued that several financial crises in the 1980s, like the Texas real estate bust, had been the result of private investors taking advantage of the government. The investors had borrowed huge amounts of money, made big profits when times were good and then left the government holding the bag for their eventual (and predictable) losses.

In a word, the investors looted. Someone trying to make an honest profit, Professors Akerlof and Romer said, would have operated in a completely different manner. The investors displayed a "total disregard for even the most basic principles of lending," failing to verify standard information about their borrowers or, in some cases, even to ask for that information.
The investors "acted as if future losses were somebody else's problem," the economists wrote. "They were right."

On Tuesday morning in Washington, Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, gave a speech that read like a sad coda to the "Looting" paper. Because the government is unwilling to let big, interconnected financial firms fail - and because people at those firms knew it - they engaged in what Mr. Bernanke called "excessive risk-taking." To prevent such problems in the future, he called for tougher regulation.

Now, it would have been nice if the Fed had shown some of this regulatory zeal before the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. But that day has passed. So people are rightly starting to think about building a new, less vulnerable financial system.
And "Looting" provides a really useful framework. The paper's message is that the promise of government bailouts isn't merely one aspect of the problem. It is the core problem.

Promised bailouts mean that anyone lending money to Wall Street - ranging from small-time savers like you and me to the Chinese government - doesn't have to worry about losing that money. The United States Treasury (which, in the end, is also you and me) will cover the losses. In fact, it has to cover the losses, to prevent a cascade of worldwide losses and panic that would make today's crisis look tame.

But the knowledge among lenders that their money will ultimately be returned, no matter what, clearly brings a terrible downside. It keeps the lenders from asking tough questions about how their money is being used. Looters - savings and loans and Texas developers in the 1980s; the American International Group, Citigroup, Fannie Mae and the rest in this decade - can then act as if their future losses are indeed somebody else's problem.

Do you remember the mea culpa that Alan Greenspan, Mr. Bernanke's predecessor, delivered on Capitol Hill last fall? He said that he was "in a state of shocked disbelief" that "the self-interest" of Wall Street bankers hadn't prevented this mess.

He shouldn't have been. The looting theory explains why his laissez-faire theory didn't hold up. The bankers were acting in their self-interest, after all.

The term that's used to describe this general problem, of course, is moral hazard. When people are protected from the consequences of risky behavior, they behave in a pretty risky fashion. Bankers can make long-shot investments, knowing that they will keep the profits if they succeed, while the taxpayers will cover the losses.

This form of moral hazard - when profits are privatized and losses are socialized - certainly played a role in creating the current mess. But when I spoke with Mr. Romer on Tuesday, he was careful to make a distinction between classic moral hazard and looting. It's an important distinction.
With moral hazard, bankers are making real wagers. If those wagers pay off, the government has no role in the transaction. With looting, the government's involvement is crucial to the whole enterprise.

Think about the so-called liars' loans from recent years: like those Texas real estate loans from the 1980s, they never had a chance of paying off. Sure, they would deliver big profits for a while, so long as the bubble kept inflating. But when they inevitably imploded, the losses would overwhelm the gains. As Gretchen Morgenson has reported, Merrill Lynch's losses from the last two years wiped out its profits from the previous decade.

What happened? Banks borrowed money from lenders around the world. The bankers then kept a big chunk of that money for themselves, calling it "management fees" or "performance bonuses." Once the investments were exposed as hopeless, the lenders - ordinary savers, foreign countries, other banks, you name it - were repaid with government bailouts.
In effect, the bankers had siphoned off this bailout money in advance, years before the government had spent it.

I understand this chain of events sounds a bit like a conspiracy. And in some cases, it surely was. Some A.I.G. employees, to take one example, had to have understood what their credit derivative division in London was doing. But more innocent optimism probably played a role, too. The human mind has a tremendous ability to rationalize, and the possibility of making millions of dollars invites some hard-core rationalization.

Either way, the bottom line is the same: given an incentive to loot, Wall Street did so. "If you think of the financial system as a whole," Mr. Romer said, "it actually has an incentive to trigger the rare occasions in which tens or hundreds of billions of dollars come flowing out of the Treasury."
Unfortunately, we can't very well stop the flow of that money now. The bankers have already walked away with their profits (though many more of them deserve a subpoena to a Congressional hearing room). Allowing A.I.G. to collapse, out of spite, could cause a financial shock bigger than the one that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Modern economies can't function without credit, which means the financial system needs to be bailed out.

But the future also requires the kind of overhaul that Mr. Bernanke has begun to sketch out. Firms will have to be monitored much more seriously than they were during the Greenspan era. They can't be allowed to shop around for the regulatory agency that least understands what they're doing. The biggest Wall Street paydays should be held in escrow until it's clear they weren't based on fictional profits.

Above all, as Mr. Romer says, the federal government needs the power and the will to take over a firm as soon as its potential losses exceed its assets. Anything short of that is an invitation to loot.

Mr. Bernanke actually took a step in this direction on Tuesday. He said the government "needs improved tools to allow the orderly resolution of a systemically important nonbank financial firm." In layman's terms, he was asking for a clearer legal path to nationalization.

At a time like this, when trust in financial markets is so scant, it may be hard to imagine that looting will ever be a problem again. But it will be. If we don't get rid of the incentive to loot, the only question is what form the next round of looting will take.

Mr. Akerlof and Mr. Romer finished writing their paper in the early 1990s, when the economy was still suffering a hangover from the excesses of the 1980s. But Mr. Akerlof told Mr. Romer - a skeptical Mr. Romer, as he acknowledged with a laugh on Tuesday - that the next candidate for looting already seemed to be taking shape.

It was an obscure little market called credit derivatives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/bu...leonhardt.html

Fool Me Once.......

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:31:57 -0500

I was inspired to write this blog today by, coincidentally, a blog written by another Big Bear Realtor that I read today. In his blog he made a claim that was so far off base it was laughable. He claimed that home prices in Big Bear are actually rising. Rising? I watch this market like a hawk and I have seen nothing that points to a rise in prices. As a matter of fact, for now, prices are dropping almost 1% per month. I understand seeing the glass as half full but, spreading misinformation like that is helpful to nobody. What is going to happen when he talks somebody on the fence into buying a home based on his made up statistics? When that buyers home doesn't appreciate in value that first year, there is going to be some you know what to pay.

As a buyer or seller, you owe it to yourself to use somebody who is not afraid to tell you the truth. No matter how bad it may be. In fact, honesty should be the number one characteristic you look for in a Realtor. There are definitely some unsavory characters out there. Folks who will tell you your house is worth more than it is, so they can get the listing and then hammer you for a price reduction afterwards. Or, they might tell you that prices have started going back up to get you to buy right now. A good Realtor will give you all the correct facts and let you make the decision.

I don't know where the bottom is on this market. I don't think anyone knows for sure. All we can do is make educated guesses and try to do our best. Are prices going up? No, they are not. Do I think the bottom is close? Yes, I do. Do I think this is a good time to buy? Definitely. With prices and interest rates at a low level, I feel it is a good time to buy. However, only if you plan on keeping the property for at least five years or longer. You need to give the market time to correct itself and start an upward climb once again. If you feel like you are talking to a used car salesman instead of a professional Realtor, don't be afraid to make a change and find somebody you can trust.

Originally Posted at www.bigbearilluminated.com

Never Count Your Chickens.......

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:30:26 -0600

I am making this post as a word of warning to the buyers and sellers out there. Just because the lender assures you everything is okay, don't take their word for it. A deal can go south at any time. Most times, at the last minute. You have your buyers ready to sign docs and WHAMO! The underwriter just torpedoed the whole thing. In most cases your buyer probably has spent hundreds of dollars on home inspections and related items. The seller may have spent thousands of dollars doing repairs and getting termite work done. When the lender pulls the plug, it can create massive problems.

A perfect example of this happened to me today. I have the buyer and seller on a short sale property here in Big Bear. Typically, the bank that holds the note is a major hurdle in a short sale transaction. Surprisingly, the bank was prompt and helpful this time. They wanted to get this cabin sold and did everything in their power to get the deal to go through. My buyer got pre-approved through GMAC very quickly. He has done two refi's and bought two other properties with them in the past. They approved him for a 30 year fixed with 15% down. The home appraised and GMAC assured us everything was a go. We were scheduled to get docs today and hopefully be closed by next Tuesday or Wednesday. Then, all of the sudden, the underwriter says that they want an extra 5% down from the buyer. This loan has been in the works for a month and they just suddenly decide to change the terms on the last day. Not only did my buyer pay for inspections, he bought new furniture for the house based on his lender telling him everything was fine. What a mess. If they had told him he needed 20% down from the get go, we could have made this work. He could have saved for another month and not bought furniture right away. As it is, the lender has created a huge mess for everybody involved but them. Frustrating.

Originally Posted at www.bigbearilluminated.com

Thing's Are Looking Up

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:22:14 -0600

All day, every day, it seems like we are bombarded by negative media reports telling us how dire everything is. They make it seem like the best thing to do is to change careers ASAP. Or maybe open a business making clothing from animal furs as we are heading straight for another stone age. At our board meeting the other day, somebody I respect said " Listen to less news and more music " and he was right. If you let your negative emotions hold you down, you will never get anywhere. The only thing you can control is yourself.

Today in our office meeting we were examining the statistics of the year so far. Guess what? Sales are up 100% in Big Bear Lake from this time last year. 100%! Who knows, maybe we just got lucky. I don't think so. I think low prices, combined with low interest rates have opened a window of opportunity for many folks who had been priced out of the market before. It has also enticed folks with money to take that step and invest in the future. The other day our broker asked us if we believed in America. Because if you do, then you have to have faith that we will rebound and the investments you make today will bear fruit at some point. I do believe, and I am positive, in time, things will be spectacular.

Those of us who take this time to work hard and get a grasp on all the new technologies will only get stronger through adversity. Sure, there will be a ton of Realtors who gripe and moan and don't do the things it takes to survive in this market. They will drop off one by one, while the rest of us persevere. When things get better, they will rush back in a flood. Unfortunately for them, they will be miles behind the rest of us.

Big Bear Bank Owned Info

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:22:30 -0600

Originally Posted at www.bigbearilluminated.com

I just thought some folks would be interested in an update on what is going on with bank owned property in Big Bear Lake. Like every where else, Big Bear definitely has it's share of foreclosure woes and their impact on the market. But, not as bad as you might think. With some areas of San Bernardino County having as much as 50% of the listings being bank owned, we are not doing so bad at all. As a matter of fact, bank owned properties make up less than 10% of the listings in Big Bear. I checked our local MLS and this is what I found:

1) There are currently 956 homes listed for sale on our MLS.

2) Of the 956 homes listed for sale, only 77 of them are bank owned listings. A little over 12%, a far cry from the 50% in other parts of the county.

3) However, there are currently 128 properties in escrow in Big Bear. Of that number, 68 are bank owned. That is a little over 50% of sales that are bank owned properties.

4) Most bank owned properties are selling within 5% of their list price.

So, as you can see, even though REO properties only make up 12% of the listings, they are accounting for over 50% of the sales. This just goes to show you what a great deal bank owned properties can be. It also shows you that if you find a bank owned home you like, you should be prepared to move quickly. These things just are not sitting around. They are selling briskly, close to asking price. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, want to look at property, or would like a list of bank owned properties. izzy.barden@gmail.com

Tight Fisted Sellers

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:58:17 -0600

I just wanted to take a moment to offer a word of warning to potential buyers that are getting ready to take the leap into buying a property in Big Bear Lake or elsewhere. In times past, it was commonplace for the seller to fix a certain amount of items in order to get the home sold. It seems like a wise move to spend a little, to sell the house and allow the transaction to go smoothly. Lately, this does not seem to be the case. With the big losses being suffered by home sellers these days, a tight fist has become the norm.

For example, I just closed an escrow on a home here in Big Bear, where the seller refused to spend a single dime on repairs. During the home inspection, we discovered both the spa and oven were inoperable. The estimate for repairs came in at over a thousand dollars. My clients, trying to be reasonable, asked for $500.00 to get a new stove and they would take care of the spa, the major expense, on their own. When the seller was contacted by the listing agent, his response was " We are losing enough money as it is, they can take it or leave it." My clients were dumbfounded. They made a reasonable request and were turned down. The sellers were prepared to lose a qualified buyer because they knew they had priced their home low enough that if my clients didn't get it, somebody else soon would. Luckily, me clients realized this fact, and agreed to pay the items themselves.

Then, just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, we got hit with a termite report with $1,000.00 of section one work on it. In the contract the sellers capped the section one work at $500.00 with any additional to be negotiable. Well, when it came time to negotiate, they refused to pay one cent over the $500.00 they had agreed to. Leaving my clients, once again, with the option to either pay the money themselves or walk away. They were getting a great deal on the house, so they bit the bullet and payed the $500.00.

My point being, things are changing and it is no longer a certainty that a seller will make any concessions to the buyer. Sellers are losing money in this market and is harder than ever for them to come up with the extra money necessary to make the requested repairs. I not saying you shouldn't ask, just have your clients prepared for the advent of a negative reply.

Originally Posted at www.bigbearilluminated.com

Good News In Iraq

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:05:43 -0600

Unlike many partisan hacks who populate political groups such as this one, I can admit when a side I don't particularly agree with, does something good. The instance I am speaking of is the elections that took place in Iraq. The event was highly successful, without the high casualty rate that many would expect. Security was provided by the Iraqi government, with little assisstance from The United States. I attribute this good outcome to the surge that was instituted during the last part of The Bush Administration. Even though I think the first 75% of the war was conducted in a manner that was embarrasing and incompetent, I will give credit where it is due. George W. Bush finally got rid of his cronies and put some people in command who got things done. Bravo. It can be very hard to admit you were wrong and take measures to fix a mistake. George Bush did just that and should be commended for it. Unlike Rush Limbaugh who hopes for failures that will hurt our country, I am hoping the Iraq situation turns out for the best. Hoping our country fails at something for the pleasure of a " I told you so " is not an honorable path.

Iraq wraps up election with no major violence

By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press Writer - 2 hrs 32 mins ago AP - An Iraqi man holds up an ink-stained finger after casting his vote in the country's provincial elections ...

Slideshow: Iraq

Play Video Video: Iraqi democracy faces election test Reuters

Play Video Video: Iraq in lockdown on eve of provincial vote AP

BAGHDAD - Iraqis passed through security checkpoints and razor-wire cordons to vote Saturday in provincial elections that are considered a crucial test of the nation's stability as U.S. officials consider the pace of troop withdrawals.

Polls opened shortly after dawn after a step-by-step security clampdown across the country, including traffic bans in central Baghdad and other major cities and closure of border crossings and airports. Voting ended 11 hours later with no reports of major violence, though voters at some polling stations complained that their names did not appear on lists. Balloting was extended for one hour to accommodate voters.

Officials said counting would begin Sunday with preliminary results are not expected before Tuesday.

Although the voting was generally peaceful, a shooting occurred in Baghdad's Sadr City district. Shiite lawmaker Ghufran al-Saidi said a military officer opened fire and injured two people after voters chanted slogans at a polling station.

But Iraq's military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, told Al-Arabiya television that the shooting occurred after some people tried to carry mobile phones through security cordons. One person was killed and one injured, he said.

The reason for the conflicting accounts was not immediately clear.

In Tikrit, about 80 miles north of Baghdad, three mortar shells exploded near a polling station, but caused no casualties, said police, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

A bomb found near a Tikrit voting center was defused, police added.

Hundreds of Iraqi Kurds stormed an election office in the disputed northern city of Khanaqin after claiming many of them were not on voting lists. There were no reports of serious injuries. The incident was part of lingering disputes between Kurds and the Arab-run central government over control of the city near the Iranian border.

Signs of the blanket security measures were everywhere. In the Baghdad neighborhood of Karradah, Iraqi police and army soldiers manned a series of checkpoints - some only 200 yards apart. Stores were closed and the streets cleared of cars.

A group of U.S. soldiers patrolled on foot, but well away from polling centers. The U.S. military assisted in security preparations for the elections but said troops would only be called in on election day if needed.

In the western city of Fallujah - once a center of the Sunni insurgency - police used their patrol cars to help some people get to voting stations.

More than 14,000 candidates, including about 3,900 women, are running for 440 seats on the influential councils in all of Iraq's provinces except for the autonomous Kurdish region in the north and the province that includes oil-rich Kirkuk, where ethnic groups were unable to reach a power-sharing formula.

Voters headed home waved their purple-tinted index fingers, which are dipped in ink to identify people who already cast ballots. The ink-stained fingers became an iconic image of Iraq's first post-Saddam Hussein elections four years ago.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, shadowed by a bodyguard, dipped his finger into an ink box after voting in the walled Green Zone enclave in Baghdad.

He appealed for a high turnout - which would help boost his government's attempts to use the election as a sign of progress.

"This gives a picture of trust in the government, the elections and the people's right to take part in this democratic process," he said.

Although violence is sharply down - and with pre-election attacks relatively limited - authorities were unwilling to take any risks.

An election without major attacks or charges of irregularities would provide a critical boost for Iraqi authorities as the U.S. military hands over more security responsibilities. Serious bloodshed or voting chaos could have stole momentum from supporters of a fast-paced withdrawal of U.S. combat troops next year.

The provincial councils have no direct sway in national affairs, but they carry significant authority through their ability to negotiate local business deals, allocate funds and control some regional security operations.

This election is also a possible dress rehearsal for bigger showdowns in national elections later this year, when al-Maliki's U.S.-allied government could face a power challenge from the country's largest Shiite party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council.

The security measures implemented for the election brought back memories of the most deadly years of the war. The closely monitored frontiers with Iran and Syria were among borders that were sealed. A nighttime curfew also was in place, apparently to block extremist groups that plant roadside bombs under cover of darkness.

Voters in many places passed through double-ring search cordons. Women teachers and other civilians were recruited to help search for possible female suicide bombers.

In Baqouba, the capital of the violence-wracked Diyala Province northwest of Baghdad, long lines formed.

"We were not able to vote during the 2005 elections because of the deteriorating security situation," said Ahmed Jassim, 19. "But now we feel safe enough to go out and vote."

Iraqi special forces in full combat gear patrolled streets in Baghdad's Fadhil district, which was once a hub in the Sunni insurgents' car bomb network. The tense atmosphere there contrasted with the more relaxed mood in other parts of the city.

In Baghdad's Azamiyah neighborhood - once a stronghold of support for Saddam Hussein's regime - a voting station at a girls' high school still carried a small image of Saddam, calling him the nation's "hero and martyr."

But one voter, Zaid Abdul-Karim, 44, said the elections will hopefully ease tensions between Shiites who gained power by Saddam's downfall and Sunnis who perceive themselves as sidelined since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

"These are the people we need now: people who represent everyone in Iraq and have no sectarian bias," said Abdul-Karim, a government employee.

Among Sunni groups, powerful newcomers could reshape the political hierarchy.

In Anbar province, the Sunni tribes which rose up against al-Qaida and other insurgents - and led to a turning point of the war - are now seeking to transform their fame into council seats and significantly increase their role in wider Iraqi affairs. Their gains could come at the expense of the Sunni Iraqi Islamic party in the current government.

A couple who fled to Kuwait in 2004 to escape the violence returned to their northern Baghdad neighborhood to vote Saturday. Salih Zawad Ali and his wife Zeinab looked longingly around the Sulaykh district after casting their ballots.

Listen To Your Realtor, Or At Least Pretend To

Israel Barden (Coldwell Banker The Tim Wood Group) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:39:17 -0600

Originally Posted At www.bigbearilluminated.com

No doubt about it, today's buyers are a savvy lot. They most likely have been looking at properties online for several months, if not a year. They have looked and tracked homes they are interested in on a daily basis. By the time they take the step of finding a Realtor, they feel like they are somewhat of an authority on the homes they are interested in and the market in general. They probably know the list prices of every house in the neighborhood they want to buy in. They most likely have already formulated a plan of attack and just want the Realtor to get them into the houses and write the offer for them. As a matter of fact, many of todays buyers may view their agent as just a component of their master plan.

In a way, they are right. In a way. There are plenty of places to get information these days. Buyers don't have to depend on Realtors anymore for all their information. They can just go to Zillow.com and a whole world of information opens up before them. Current list prices, pending sales, and sold prices are there for anybody who can use a computer. Just nose around a bit, compare prices and then make a low offer. Simple. Right? Not so fast. What many buyers don't realize is, real estate is a local market and just because prices have fallen 50% in one area doesn't mean they have fallen that much in another. In Big Bear, property values differ from street to street in some cases. One block will have average prices of $150,000, while the next block over, prices will average $250,000. The Internet real estate sites just don't have the ability to make those distinctions. Believe it or not, your Realtor should be able to give you a much better idea of the values in a particular area than any website.

Most buyers also have this idea that you can just offer 25% off the list price and walk away with the property of their choice. This is simply not true. I don't care what show you watched or article of doom and gloom you read. You are not the only buyer out there. There are many buyers that are active at this very moment. Every property that I have seen in the last year that was attractive and priced well has sold. Every single one. Usually very close to list price or above. Especially REO properties. Most REO properties in Big Bear that are clean and priced well garner multiple offers. The last five bank owned homes I put offers in on had other offers pending. If you try to come in 20% low on a home like that, you are going to lose it.

However, there are properties you can low ball with a reasonable chance of success. You just have to bid on the right ones. If you have a competent Realtor and you trust them, than listen to them when they offer you advice. I have had clients who refuse to listen to my advice and then get angry when they lose out on the house they wanted to buy. Even though they came in 20% low on a house that was already priced below market value, they just assume they should get it. They look shocked when they realize it went for over asking price. Sometimes one time is all it takes and they will become more realistic the next time around. Sometimes, they never learn and keep wanting to make ridiculous offers until something sticks.

In today's tough market, qualified buyers do have the advantage. They are less numerous than before. However, they are not close to being extinct. Owning your own home is still The American Dream and home ownership is still the best path for the common man to acquire wealth. Do your homework. An educated buyer is a boon to everybody. It allows you the security of knowing what you are about. It allows you to make an educated decision on what you want to purchase. Just keep in mind, even The President has advisers he listens to and respects. At least give your Realtor the benefit of the doubt and consider what he has to say. It could work in your favor.

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