Daily Real Estate News | January 25, 2010 | Share Critics Say Flood Maps Aren't Right - 01/25/10 09:20 PM
We want to share this with AR and the "AR Disaster Preparedness For Lunch Bunch". These are the kinds of messages that need to be shared with your sphere's of influence. It's valuable information and you will be doing your family, friends and neighborhood a big favor by sharing it with them.
The more information and knowledge you acquire and share the more credibility and momentum you gain in your community on the subject of Disaster Preparedness.Thus, more folks will seek you out as an authority on the subject. As this begins to happen (and being the marketer, promoter and entrepreneur … (2 comments)

Know Your Loan Ingredients! Part I of a Three Part Series - 01/25/10 06:43 PM
Know Your Loan Ingredients!    Part I of a Three Part Serie When the FDA required food manufacturers to reveal the ingredients, nutritional value, calorie count and net weight on their product labeling, the big winner was the consumer.  The consumer wins again now that Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has set a standard for loan transparency.  As of January 2010, all loan originators are required to give borrowers a loan"ingredient" list called a Good Faith Estimate (GFE).   This five page "label" structured as part of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) clearly discloses key loan terms … (0 comments)

Please Read This Re-Blog It Could Save Your Life Or The Ones You Love. - 01/22/10 05:58 PM
I know a lot of folks don't like cutting and pasting or re-blogging but I only do it when it's about information or knowledge I don't have and I think it important enough to share. You really ned to read this and pass it along to everyone you care about.
RED ALERT! THIS IS NOT A JOKE! IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ IT NOW, PRINT IT OUT AND TAKE HOME AND TEACH THIS TO YOUR FAMILY AND SEND THIS TO YOUR ENTIRE DATABASE, IT JUST MAY SAVE LIVES, PERHAPS...YOUR OWN.
Find out from your children’s school what they teach … (9 comments)

Take Some Time To Prepare A Survival Kit. You Won't Be Sorry - 01/19/10 12:10 PM
I had some really great responses and comments to a recent post, Are You Prepared?, and thought I'd follow up with a little more friendly advice. I don't want to ponder on the subject but with the advent of what has happened in Haiti and my 25 years of disaster response experience I just wanted to pass a little more information along to my AR friends, associates and members.
The following link and graphic is a company that I started doing business with after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. I have never been anything more than a customer but they have been … (11 comments)

"Where in the world is Obama coming up with all that money to send to Haiti?" - 01/18/10 12:07 PM
Susan Lehmkuhl (New Venture Realty, LLC) commented on my recent post, Are You Prepared?, with the following question and statement "Where in the world is Obama coming up with all that money to send to Haiti?  With the financial bailout and now this, I can only imagine how our taxes are going to increase and what will that do to our struggling economy?   More tough times ahead for all."
Well, Susan, I can answer that question quite easily. China as pledged a mere 5 million dollars of their money, an infinitesimal pittance of their wealth, to Haiti while America on … (6 comments)

Are You Prepared? - 01/17/10 11:30 AM

Here we sit in the comforts and confines of our own abodes and protected environs watching this staggering and mind boggling epic event unfold from our flat screen TV and online computer. All the while hundreds of thousands these poor souls are experiencing first hand, this horrific turning point in their lives and  not even having one second to stop and think about how this will alter or regretfully even terminate so many of their lives.
There comes a time when we just need to cast all that’s important to us aside and take a moment to appreciate and … (37 comments)

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue - 01/15/10 12:26 AM
Something to share with Family, Friends, Neighbors.
Please keep this  going....               INFORMATION EVERYONE  SHOULD KNOW.......................Blood  Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the  TongueI  will continue to forward this every time it comes  around!My  nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread  the word.I agree.If everyone can remember  something this simple, we could save some  folks.Seriously..Please read:STROKE  IDENTIFICATION:During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and  took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine  (they offered to call paramedics) ..she said she had just  tripped over a brick … (10 comments)

Isn't Blogging A Two Way Street? Am I wrong? Am I Missing Something? - 01/11/10 03:36 PM

This is a response to: Steve Shatsky - Dallas Real Estate & Short Sale Specialist (469)449-9840 (Prudential Texas Properties) recent post:
Are You Creating Conversation, Connecting with Consumers or Simply Creating White Noise with your Blog... and does it really matter?
I thought this was a very well written post about a very important subject. Inasmuch as I'm a newbie blogger and haven't a clue what I'm doing I do it all. Cut and paste, write frivolous posts, relevant posts, re-publish others' posts, etc. I'm finally starting to get the hang of it I think. I've written 70+ posts and … (3 comments)

Are You A Get Down and Getter Done Entrepreneur Or Just Another Me To RE Agent Waiting For Things To Happen? - 01/09/10 03:23 PM
Well, If You're Tired of Waiting Around For Things To Happen Check Out What Just Might Happen In The Next RE Boom.
Tens of thousands perhaps hundreds of thousands of old Trailers and Mobile Homes will be removed from "Resident Owned" Mobile Home Parks in the next few years and brand new Manufactured Homes will be installed turning these once blighted ole "Trailer Parks"nto gentrified upwardly mobile "Manufactured Home Communities"
   
                                  Before                                                                                     After
Above Left: Old Circa 50's & 60's 500sf 1+1 single wide trailers with asphalt driveway in aging and dilapidated trailer park. Right: Old trailers were removed … (31 comments)

Anyone In The AR Community Want To Own A Tiny Piece of The North San Diego Beach Community? - 01/08/10 08:49 PM

Well, there comes a time and a place for all good things to end. I've owned a cute little 14x36, 504sf one bedroom, one bath Manufactured Home in a very charming little Beach community known as Leucadia for the past several years. One of my daughters lived there from the time we put it in until she graduated from college and started her Interior Design business. As her business began to flourish she moved into the Cedros design district of Solona Beach which is zoned residential/commercial. Hence I have lost my best ever resident renter.

Having tried to be … (3 comments)

Principal Cuts May Prevent Foreclosures - 01/08/10 12:42 PM
I don't know about you folks but when I read this I became livid. Why should innocent investors have to suffer the consequences of careless reckless and even down right crooked lenders. They invested their money in good faith. Why should they have to give up one red cent of their principle investment. This whole "Loan Modification" debacle will break the banks literally and figuratively. If investors have to take a hit you can bet that they won't be putting anymore of their money into the banks anytime soon. I've been opposed to government intervention from the get go but this … (0 comments)

Today's Factory Built Housing Projects - 01/06/10 01:19 PM
Gone are the days of the "Singlewide", "Doublewide", trailer talk. "Today's Factory Built Housing" is here to stay. Be they Manufactured, Modular, PreFab, Component stacked et. al. it's a whole new ball game. I had a rather challanging, eventful and even fun-filled experience with many AR members this past year regarding the differences between site (stick) built and "Factory Built" housing so I have decided to make it my mission in '10 to educate as best I can our intimate little community. 
This is the first of many articles I intend to share with the AR community about my career and … (25 comments)

Something To Think About In Our Quest and Hunger For Air Travel - 01/06/10 12:33 PM
By now every one has probably heard about the recent incident onthe NW/Delta flight #253 fromAmsterdam as it was making theapproach toDetroit . The terrorist on board who was attempting to blow the aircraftout of the sky was trying to ignite a substance similar to the
Explosive shown in the following demonstration ... click on the link below. Be sure to read the captions on the video. After seeing the demonstration you'll be saying OMG ! http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=079_1261862556&p=1I'm not an alarmist or a doomsayer but the link above really got my attention and I felt obliged to share it with my family, friends, … (0 comments)

Boomers Aren't Choosing Urban Retirement - 01/05/10 11:13 AM
TOMORROWS HOUSING TODAY: Check Out These Lovely Modular Homes and Then Read Our Post and The Attached Article From Realtor.com. Modular and Manufactured Housing Is The Affordable Choice To Make Today.

I wanted to share this post and the attached Realtor.org article below with the AR community. I was just thinking about this on my last trip to Fort Meyers, Fl and the last San Diego Padre Home Game at Petco Park in downtown San Diego. I couldn't help but notice all the partly to almost completely empty hi-rise condo developments in these two very vital urban communities.
A very … (4 comments)

A Sweet and Fragrant idea For My Fellow AR Friends. - 01/02/10 02:12 PM
A Sweet and Fragrant idea To My Fellow AR Friends.
 

I have a major obsession and passion with the Plumeria (also known as frangipani) plant or tree as it's turned out to be on my property. Having had the opportunity to surf and travel througout many of the Tropical Islands, Mexico and the Southwest US I couldn't help but notice this beautiful and fragrant plant growing along the shoreline and in the tropical forests everywhre. So about ten years ago I began collecting and propagating various Plumaria species throughout the world. It's definitely one of the most  passionate and … (2 comments)

The Good Ole "GOLDEN RULE" & "KARMA" The Best "Code of Ethics" Ever - 01/01/10 01:35 PM
Reading AR member's posts everyday gives me the fodder, inspiration and incentive for so many of my posts. I'm very happy I joined the AR community and have really created some great long distance friends and relationships. I read a bunch of posts this morning as I do every morning because it gives me insight into our industry and the psychology and philosophy that drives it. Many of today's posts were about ethics, fiduciary responsibilities, the value of joining NAR and becoming a "Realtor" vs an "Agent", etc and they are all good messages. But isn't this all just plain ole … (4 comments)