Holiday Happenings ~ It's that time of year again, Orange County craft shows and holiday boutiques are here. 

I've compiled a list of local holiday craft fair events and boutiques, in and around SoCal. So here's your opportunity to get a head start (if you haven't already) on your holiday shopping and enjoy yourself at the same time, these are always fun events!

Brea  ~  Nutcracker Craft Boutique, Friday Nov. 21, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm & Saturday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Location: Brea Community Center, 695 E. Madison Wy, Brea (center is behind the Brea Post Office)

Brea ~ Brea-Glenbrook Holiday Bazaar, Rain or shine, Sat. Dec. 5th  9:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Location Glenbrook Clubhouse, 1821 E. Greenbrier, Brea 92821. Click here for more info on Brea Glenbrook Club. 

Costa Mesa ~  Annual Holiday Boutique, Friday Nov. 13th. 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Location: Orange County Dept. of Education, 200 Kalmus Dr., Board Rm., Costa Mesa, 92626.

Huntington Beach ~ Annual Craft Fair,  Saturday Nov. 14^th. Location: St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, 714-842-3956.

Irvine  ~ Holiday Faire Boutique,  Friday Nov.  6th,  5:00-9:00 pm, Saturday Nov. 7^th,   9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Location: Irvine Fine Arts Center, 14321 Yale Ave. Irvine, CA  92604 (949) 624-1901

La Habra ~ Craft Fair & Chili Cook-Off, Saturday Nov. 14^th, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Location: United Church, 631 N. Euclid Ave. , La Habra, CA 90631 (562) 691-1797.

La Habra ~ Walnut House of Treasures Home Boutique, Friday Nov. 20, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Sat., Nov. 21, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Location: 521 N. Walnut St. La Habra, 90631. (Between Whittier Blvd. and La Habra Blvd).

Lake Forest ~ 15th Annual Santiago de Competela Church Holiday Boutique,  Week-end of  Nov. 13th 4:40 pm to 9:00 pm, Nov. 14th 9:00 am to 6:30 pm, Nov. 15th 8:00 am to to 2:00 pm. Location: 21682 Lake Forest Dr. & Trabuco Rd. Lake Forest.

Mission Viejo ~ Annual Holiday Gifts & Goodies Boutique,  Rain or Shine, Indoors!  Saturday Nov. 21st, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Location:  Norman Murray Community & Senior Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Vieho, for more info visit click here. 

Santa Ana ~ Ebell Holiday Boutique, Friday Dec. 4th, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Location: Historic Ebell Facility, 625 French St. , Santa Ana, CA.

Tustin ~ Holiday Boutique, Saturday Nov. 7^th, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Location: Tustin Area Senior Center, 200 S. "C" Street, Tustin,  92780 (714) 544-5341.

Tustin ~  Jamestown Village Vintage Flea Market,Nov. 22, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Location: 474 El camino Real, Tustin, CA.

Yorba Linda ~ Annual Craft Fair, Saturday Nov. 7^th, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Location: Yorba Linda Community Center, 4501 Casa Loma, Yorba Linda,  92886.

For a list of neighboring county boutiques visit LivingInSoCal.com for a more detailed list including L.A., San Bernardino & San Diego Counties.

• It's important to note that some of these events are charity fundraisers and may charge for admission.

Have fun and happy shopping!

If you have a craft show or event coming up you would like to add to the list, send me an email, I'd be happy to help out.

If you're looking for help with So Cal real estate, let me know, text or direct714 595-1494, Lynda Eisenmann, Broker/Owner, Preferred Home Brokers, Brea, CA. Broker's License #00402040. Serving home owners and home buyers for more than 30 years in Southern California.

Beautiful Idyllwild, CA, I took this shot a few days ago while hiking in our local mountains.  Who says we don't have color here?

La Mirada, CA is one of those cities in So Cal I love working in for many reasons. The location is just one, La Mirada is very well located in the suburbs of in Eastern Los Angeles County. Orange County is nearby just to the east. 

If you lived in La Mirada you would be one of approximately 50,000 residents living here. If you commuted to work you would have easy access to the 5 and 91 freeways to the south. The 605 freeway is to the west and 57 to the east. La Mirada is also home to the well known Biola College, a private Christian University.

Single Family Home Activity for September:

• 58 up slightly from 53 re-sale homes currently for sale compared to 53 last month and 42 previously.   
• 23 pending sales, slightly more than 21 last month and down from 37 July.  
• 38 homes closed escrow, up from 29 last month and down slighly from the peak last month at 40, compared 35,39,35,35,19,19 in 2009. 
• $396,000 was the median sales price for a single family home with an average of 1600 square feet.

I sold and closed the home pictured upper right, closing in Sept. for $440,000, 3 bedrooms & 2 baths, beautifully updated. This home was near Biola College and is very typical for the construction of homes in La Mirada.

Condominium activity for September:

24 condos are currently for sale, about the same as the past few months.    

3 pending sales, (in escrow) slightly more than the past few months.

• 8 properties closed escrow, compared to 6,9,3,1,2,0,5,8 since the first of the year. 
• $220,000 was the median condo sales price with an average of 945 square feet, with an average days on the market of 49. 

Photo upper left is an example of a condo I sold and closed in September at just under $200,000. It's located in the La Mirada Landmarks, a beautiful 55+ community.

Like the theater? La Mirada is home to the La Mirada Performing Arts Center showcasing talented performers in exciting productions.

If you're like me and love the outdoors you will definitely appreciate the beauty of the city in the La Mirada Regional Park.

There are so many things to love about this place,definitely something for everyone, from frisbee golf, local fishing, tennis, swimming, to one of the most inovative child playgrounds I've enjoyed in a very long time. You can tell I took the photo above left on a beautiful fall day.

If you love this park, it gets even better, parking and admisssion is FREE.

Need more reasons to consider La Mirada, check it out, why to live in La Mirada here. 

If you lived in beautiful La Mirada, California you would be approximately:

• 27 miles east of LAX ~ Los Angeles International Airport ~ Los Angeles, CA
• 23 miles north/west of John Wayne Airport ~ Santa Ana, CA
• 36 miles west of Ontario International Airport ~ Ontario, CA
• 10.5 miles north/west of the "Happiest Place on Earth" Disneyland ~ Anaheim, CA

If you're considering buying a La Mirada home contact me, Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com . See more at my Living In La Mirada and see why  La Mirada was also named 'One of the best places to live" by Money Magazine.

Text or direct: (714) 595-1494 Preferred Home Brokers, successfully serving home buyers and sellers for over thirty years. ~ CA DRE License #00402040.

• -Data source, SoCal Multiple Listing Service 2009

Over the past 2 ½ years I've empathized and agonized when I've read the heart wrenching stories from others in the Rain when it comes to an illness of an individual Rainer, family member or dear friend.  I remember the feeling of loss shared by so many of us here with the passing of a youthful Karen George  from cancer far too early in life.

We all know cancer knows no boundaries and all of those stories hit too close too home for me personally as some of you may know.  After joining Active Rain in Jan. 2007 a few months later Katie G. my little granddaughter was diagnosed at age 5 with Leukemia, yet our family has lots to be thankful for.  Katie's type of Leukemia with today's medicine was/is very survivable in young children.  We we know that's not true for everyone, we lost another sweet friend also from Leukemia six weeks ago. She was a young Mom in her early 30's who also left two small daughters of her own behind.

Yet today I can after after 2 ½ years of in and out  hospital stays, blood tests, spinal taps, cat scans, more tests and chemo, today is a milestone and a great day for our family! Katie had somewhat minor surgery today to remove her chemo port implanted just under her skin in her chest area. It looked like the size of the lifesaver for the past few years. Her doctor said it came out as easily and it went in.   

She's now back home and more importantly KATIE is in REMISSION and the CHEMO FREE! Her prognosis is good and we expect her to live a very long life!

The photo (left) is Katie and her Daddy at the "CHOC Walk" for Children's Hospital of Orange Co., Oct.  2007. Her bloating cheeks, thinning hair and fatigue were visible signs of the impact of chemo.

Photo (right) was taken of a sweet little friend and Katie on the right.Both girls(also born on the same day/year) were team members of "Katie's Krew" and both finished the 5K "CHOC Walk" fundraiser at Disneyland one week ago.

 Gone are the chemo days for this little girl!

CHOC, Children's Hospital of Orange County is an amazing place of dedicated caring professionals that treats all children irrespective of the ability to pay.

Photo left is from the playroom at the hospital, the kids were visited by the "Angel Ball Girls" that day.

Thanks go the self-less dedication other others, Katie is just one of the many examples of the progress made in today's cancer treatment.

THANK YOU CHILDREN'S HOSPTIAL OF ORANGE COUNTY!

Brea, CA Real Estate Sales Report ~ Brea housing inventory continues to decline, September 2009 was low for the year! 

Brea Single Family Homes for September 2009:

• 50  re-sale homes were  for sale, compared to 59/56/67/81/65/94/ respectively for the past few months.   
• 28 pending sales & back-ups, down from 42/33/20/23/18/15/24/20/16/36/30/27 in prior months.  
• 23 homes closed in Sept. as compared to 20/22/15/24/29/12/13/20/11/28/30/24
• respectively in the prior 12 months. 
• Average selling price for Sept. was $541,400 down slightly from last month at $559,500, for just over 2,000 sq. ft.  
• The average days on the market for Sept. 56 compared to 78 in August. 

Brea Condo Sales Activity for September 2009:

• Only 10 condos were for sale, compared to 10/14/16/14/6/12/9/13 in the past few months. 
• 8 pending sales/back-ups went into escrow, compared to4/6/3/3/1/4/3/1/5/7/2/1/1/ in prior months. 
• 7 condos closed  escrow in Sept. compared to 3/6/2/1/2/6/0/5/3/4/2 respectively in preceding months.

• Brea is a City is well known for excellence in education. The schools have been definite attraction for residents in our community. We often say Brea enjoys some of the bigger city benefits, yet maintains a small town feeling. Many of us who live here feel we have the best of both worlds. 

If you lived in Brea-California you would be approximately:

• 30 Miles east of downtown Los Angeles.  
• 39 Miles west of LAX ~ Los Angeles International Airport,
• 16 Miles north/west of  John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, CA.
• 10 Miles north of Disneyland the "Happiest Place on Earth" ~ Anaheim, CA.           

If you're interested in learning more about Brea see why Sunset Magazine named it one of the best places in the west, or check out Living In Dowtown Brea, or Downtown Brea Nights, Visit Brea Family Fun, Brea's Curtis Theatre or Downtown Brea Dining. Here's more on the new Sports Park, check it out. Looking for low/no cost fun in our city, take a look at Brea Fun On A Budget.

Planning on spending a day or two here? Check out, Brea ~ CA as Featured in Westways Magazine  for day tripping around town. If you're want more on Brea real estate contract me, Lynda Eisenmann at Preferred Home Brokers for Real Estate Help, we're one of longest established real estate companies in Orange County under the same ownership.

For real estate, contact me, Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, we're one of the longest established independent  brokerages in Orange County under the same ownership, check us out Preferred Home Brokers.

•  To reach me: Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, text or direct (714) 595-1494.

~CA Real Estate License #402040  

La Mirada, CA is located  in the "burbs" of  Eastern Los Angeles County, with nearby Orange County bordering on the east side of the city. If you lived in La Mirada you would be one of approximately 50,000 residents who lives in this beautiful Southern CA community.

Single Family Home Activity for August:

• 53  re-sale homes currently for sale compared to 42 last month.  
• 21 pending sales, down from 37 last month.  
• 29  homes closed escrow, down from the peak last month at 40,  compared 35,39,35,35,19,19 in 2009. 
• Average selling price was $423,800 (up from 418,800 last month). 
• Average price per square foot was  $232.50, for 3.6 bedrooms, at 1,692 square feet.
• Average days on market 27.

Condominium activity for August:

• 24 condos are currently for sale, about the same as the past few months.    
• 6 pending sales, (in escrow) slightly more than the past few months.
• 6 properties closed escrow, compared to 9,3,1,2,0,5,8 since the first of the year. 
• $228,100  average sales price for August, @$240.50 a square foot.
• Average days on market 196.

 If you lived in beautiful La Mirada, California you would be approximately:

• 27 miles east of LAX ~ Los Angeles International Airport ~ Los Angeles, CA
• 23 miles north/west of John Wayne Airport ~ Santa Ana, CA
• 36 miles west of Ontario International Airport ~ Ontario, CA
• 10.5 miles north/west of the "Happiest Place on Earth" Disneyland ~ Anaheim, CA

La Mirada has been a favorite since very early in my early days in real estate. The city is also home to Biola College and the famous La Mirada Theater, home to outstanding theatrical productions. 

To learn more about buying or selling a La Mirada homes, contact me, text or direct 714 595-1494 or Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com . See more at my Living In La Mirada and see why  La Mirada was also named 'One of the best places to live" by Money Magazine.

Preferred Home Brokers, successfully serving home buyers and sellers for more than thirty years. ~ CA DRE License #00402040.

• -Data source, SoCal Multiple 2009

It's that time again, time for "dancin in the street" in down town Brea!  Down town Brea's Birch Street Jazz Festival is the place to be Friday and Saturday nights in Orange County.

Photos are from the event that began last week-end, it was a happening place to be. Locals spent the time in the warm air evening listening to the cool sounds of Jazz.

In addition to the jazz, the event includes a fine arts and craft show beginning Fridays at 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays at noon.

Entertainment begins at 6:00 p.m. with the headliners performing at 7:30. Come early, the place will be packed!

The event is FREE to all attending, including parking, however reserved seating is available:

Tickets are $40.00 each and include seating at tables by the stage,including a $25 Yard House Gift Certificate, a Complimentary Chocolate Fondue Dessert from The Melting Pot, free souvenir Brea Jazz Festival  T-shirt and other coupons and gifts from the Downtown Merchants.

If you're interested in learning more about Brea see why Sunset Magazine named it one of the best places in the west, or check out Living In Dowtown Brea, or Downtown Brea Nights, Visit Brea Family Fun, Brea's Curtis Theatre or Downtown Brea Dining. Here's more on the new Sports Park, check it out. Looking for low/no cost fun in our city, read Brea Fun On A Budget.

For real estate, contact me, Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, we're one of the longest established independent  brokerages in Orange County under the same ownership, check us out Preferred Home Brokers. To reach me: Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, text or direct (714) 595-1494.

~CA Real Estate License #402040