The City of Murrieta and the Historic Downtown Murrieta Association will be hosting its Second Annual Murrieta Block Party, Friday April 13th through Sunday April 15th. This is a family oriented event celebrating the City of Murrieta.

Admission is FREE, and there will be over a 100 Vendors and Craft Booths to browse, as well as Food and Beverages, featuring the Fireman's BBQ on Sunday the 15th, a Murrieta tradition for 60 years! Local businesses will also be there promoting themselves, please look for the Tarbell Realtors Booth, we will be there all three days, please come by and sign up for our many FREE drawings being held through out the weekend with lots of great prizes, also inquire about getting your real estate license and working for our family owned company.

At the block party will be live music, a community stage, local dance groups, martial arts demonstrations, interactive contest and activities for all. Carnival rides and attractions, a dunk tank, climbing wall, strolling acts, face painting and an overall good time for the entire family, please come down to the Historic Downtown Murrieta Area, located on Washington Ave. between Kalmia and Ivy Streets.

 This event will run on the following schedule;

Friday, April 13th,----4:00pm to 10:00pm

Saturday, April 14th,----10:00am to 10:00pm

Sunday, April 15th,----10:00am to 7:00pm

I will be in our Tarbell Booth on Saturday the 14th, from 7:00pm to 10:00pm, please come by and say hi!

This Saturday April 7th the city of Murrieta will be having its annual EGG-stravaganza from 8:30am to 12:00pm. This event will be held at the California Oaks Park. There will be plenty of activities for children ten and younger. Starting off with a pancake breakfast with the Easter Bunny. Pictures will be available to be taken with the Easter Bunny too. The young ones will be able to hunt for eggs, play in jumpers, slides and pet animals in the petting zoo.

Egg hunts will be held for children three through ten. For ages two and younger and the physically challenged a seperate egg hunting area will be set up from 9:00am till 11:00am. Egg hunt times for older as follows;

 

Age                                           Time (am)

9 to 10                           9:30

7 to 8                             9:45

6                                   10:00

5                                   10:15

4                                   10:30

3                                   10:45

 

So bring out the kids and their baskets and bonnets and have a great time!                              

 

Wow, we just went over the 17,000 member mark. This site is turning out to be like a snowball rolling downhill, and it soon will be an avalanche! If I was watching the counter correctly, the 17,000th member is Sara Newfield and she is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker out of Port Charlotte, Fl. Lets give her a big Active Rain welcome! WELCOME SARA!

Recently I had the opportunity to do my first listing presentation for a prospective client. During the interview, how much experience I had was asked. I like to think that honesty is the best policy, so I answered with the truth. I told them that they were my second listing presentation, the first being to a friend who was thinking of selling, but I explained to this new client that it was a bad time for my friend to sell since he had a prepayment penalty he would have to pay, and it would benefit him to wait until after the penalty expired. I was trying to show them that I cared about my clients, and I would only have their best interest at heart.

I had spent a lot of time on their CMA, and went into the presentation with the thinking that they needed to know as much as possible to make a choice if now was the time to list. In retrospect it might have been to much info and not enough about me getting to know them as was suggested by Broker Bryant in his approach to listings. 

In training at my company they suggested the way to handle the question about how long have you been a realtor is to answer, "Seems like forever", or how many homes have you sold? "a few".(counting your own home purchases) This just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but if I am ever to get a listing is this the way to handle it? Does everybody start this way in order to get those first few listings, or has anybody tried the honest approach and it worked for you?

So what say the masses, honesty or little white lies? 

 

Thank You to everyone who has responded to my question! Wow, I am blessed with my first featured blog, Thank You again! I want everyone to know that I read everyones bio, before I respond to your input, I like to put a face and get a feel of the person before I do. Thank You!!!!

I love reading bumper stickers, even though I wouldn't put one on my car.Here are some of my favorites.

 

So many stupid people.....so few comets.

Cover me. I'm changing lanes.

I brake for no apparent reason.

I'm not as think as you drunk I am.

Visualize whirled peas.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart.

He who laughs last thinks the slowest.

I love cats....They taste like chicken.

Born free...Taxed to Death.

I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.

Women who seek to be the equal of men, lack ambition.

OK, who stopped payment on my realality check?

Few woman admit their age....Fewer men act it.

I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.

Some people are only alive because it is illegal to kill.

Pride is what we have. Vanity is what others have.

How can I miss you if you won't go away.

A women without a man, is like a neck without a pain. 

Make it idiot proof, and someone will make a better idiot.

Very funny Scotty. Now beam down my clothes.

i souport publik edekashun.

Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

and my last one I dedicate to TLW: Keep Honking....I'm reloading as fast as I can.

Oops, I forgot I did once put a bumper sticker on an old truck of mine after I seperated from my first wife, it said: My ex gives great headache.

 

From an email from my best friend.

Subject: How to bathe the cat. 

 

1. Thoroughly clean the toilet.

2. Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water, and have both lids up.

3. Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him to the bathroom.

4. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot get out.)

5. CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for you.

6. The cat will self-agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.

7. Flush the toilet 3 or 4 times. This provides a "power-wash and rinse" which I have found to be quite affective.

8. Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.

9. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.

10. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet, and run outside where he will dry himself.

 

Sincerely, The Dog. 

p.s.- For the royal spa treatment, drop in a couple of tablets of Alka-Seltzer, ooh sooo relaxing!

(Author Unknown)

1. Coffee doesn't mind if you wake up at 3:00am and decide to have some.

2. You won't get arrested for trying to buy coffee at 3:00am.

3. INSTANT COFFEE!

4. Coffee never runs out.

5. No matter how ugly you are, you can always get a cup of coffee.

6. You can always ditch a bad cup of coffee.

7. When coffee gets old, you can throw it away.

8. Coffee is out of your system by tomorrow morning.

9. Your coffee won't be jealous of a larger cup.

10. Coffee can be ready in 15 minutes or less.

11. You can always heat up coffee.

12. You won't fall asleep after a cup of coffee.

13. Coffee smells and looks good in the morning.

14. If you put chocolate in your coffee, it doesn't put on weight.

15. Coffee is cheap. 

16. If you change brands, the old one won't stalk you. 

Well as a few of you know, I recently had a contact from a potential client to list their home. This came from my web site that I just started in December, and I believe that he found me from my little activity here on the Rain. After the initial shock and excitement wore of, I contacted the home owners, got some information, and got about to doing my CMA. I had set an appointment for 1:00pm, so they could put the little ones down for a nap, and we could talk uninterrupted

The day of my appointment, I drove the short distance from my office to the residential community that the home was in. I was in the area 1/2 hour before the appointment in order to check out a new home subdivision being built. I wanted to see what the competition was. They had a larger home with an extra bedroom for the same price that my hopeful clients had paid for their home a year ago. That is stiff competition!

After looking at the model homes, I left for the clients home, and still being a little early, drove around the neighborhood to check it out. I then arrived at my clients home, and knocked on the door at 1:00 sharp. The husband opened the door and we introduced ourselves. Upon entering the home, I offered to remove my shoes before entering, but was told not to bother. Then I met the wife and children. The husband then proceeded to show me their beautiful home. It was over 3000 sq ft, had 4 bedrooms & 3 baths. All 4bedrooms were upstairs, along with a small study alcove. The laundry room was upstairs too, nice feature! The master room was large and had a retreat with a fireplace(for those cold southern Ca. days) and a large walk in closet and nice bathroom. They had ceiling fans in all the rooms.

Downstairs there was 2 living areas, a bonus room, and a nice open kitchen with lots of cabinets and a small pantry. Granite on the counter tops and an island with the sink and dishwasher that was facing the living room, so when the wife was in the kitchen she could see the kids playing. Outside was landscaped, over all the house was like a model home.

We sat down at the kitchen table and I showed them all the comps I had pulled for their area, and explained as much as I could to them. I had a lot of info, maybe more than what a standard report would have in it. My concern for them was that most of the homes in the area had been on the market for a long time, and at lower prices than what they were expecting. I don't think they were expecting the values to be so low.

I told them that it would be in their best interest if they could wait another year, mostly to avoid any potential capitol gains taxes, and to avoid the California capitol gains withholding tax of 3 1/3%. I strongly advised them to seek the counsel of a CPA in order to know what their liabilities might be. I told them they should do this before entering into any contract to sell their home, being it with me or any other agent.  

They really wanted to move for the new job, so waiting wasn't what they wanted. They had seen an agent earlier in the week, and was given a listing price, which they didn't like. They wanted more if possible. They asked about my experience and I told them the truth. They were my second listing appointment, the other was for a friend who was thinking of selling their home, but due to a prepayment penalty on their loan, I had advised him to wait until that period was over.  I told them I wasn't about to screw over a friend, and that was how I wanted to conduct my business. I told them my company would place ads in the local papers, and I would have it on my web site and Active-rain too. With open houses and showings to fit their schedules as well.

Over all I was there an hour and a half, Is this too long? They thanked me for my time and I left. They informed me that they still had one agent to talk too, and would get back to me. The last agent was a family friend, but was 30 miles away and they weren't sure if he could give them service.

When I got home later that evening, I sent them a thank you email. A few days later they let me know that they were going with the friend realtor, not much of a shock there. In a way I was glad, I see that this realtor has listed the home for more than other homes are selling for in the area. I expect it to sit a while, which is not what they wanted, because the job offer wouldn't last long. It is listed for $60,000 more than the new homes being built down the street, that is a tough sell. But I wish them well, and I hope for them that it does sell quickly, at any price.

 

Well as you know I received my first listing appointment from my web site the other day, and was I excited! Being new, I wanted to do the best job as possible on the prospective client's home comps. I had our title company pull the title records and went from there. No worries.

First, the owners had only been in the home for only a year, and our market has been a little flat lately, listings are on the market close to 100 days, and lots of price drops, or concessions being given out. So I was concerned for any equity that they might have would be eaten with all the closing costs and commissions. Still blissful.

Also there is possible capitol gains to worry about for not living in the home 2 or more years, and California passed a law last year to hold 3 1/3% against any capitol gains state tax that might be due, also to be held in account. This was aimed at the flippers, because they weren't paying their state capitol gain taxes. Now I was starting to get a little worried.

In talking to the clients, they wanted to move for job reasons, and the move was more than 50+ miles away. They had put $20,000 down, and had a 1st and 2nd. They had only paid the interest on these loans so far. The original purchase price was $455,000. The house was in beautiful condition and had lots of upgrades through out. This  was a 2 story 3000+ sq ft 4 bedroom, 3 bath home, in a fairly new subdivision, and new ones being built all around the close vicinity. More worries.

I searched for comps just in the subdivision of the home, and found quite a lot of homes active, sold, or expired, with 2 pending as well. I found 2 model matches on the market, 1 at $475,000 and one at $484,900 - $494,900 (value ranged ala  Broker Bryant). And the new homes being built just up the street were being offered at $475,000 with upgrades and $20,000 for closing costs. The two matches had been on the market 85+ days each, and both had price reductions. Now a headache was starting.

Talking to the home owner, they informed me that one agent had already been out for an interview, and given them a value of $499,000. They didn't like that number! They needed more so they could get some equity, in order to buy a new home. So I really looked at the comps in the area and taking into account that they wanted to move quickly, the $499,000 amount wasn't all that bad in our market, in fact it was probably high. And I know they didn't want to be on the market more than 90 days. Give me some alka-seltzer!

In the span of a few days, I went from Everest to Death Valley. 

p.s. The numbers stated above are just a little off, too protect the innocent.

 

In my earlier blog, I commented on receiving a contact from a potential client by my web site. They wanted some comps on their home to see how long it might take to sell. They left their name and phone number on Saturday Night. I didn't  check my email till late afternoon on Sunday. I tried to call, but no answer and I left a message, and sent a return email as well.

From the information they left, I got their address from the reverse phone book. Looked up their house on the MLS and was able to get most of the information I needed before even talking to them. I called Monday Morning and talked to the Mrs. and set up a appointment to show up later in the week and give them my results.

I am new in the business, just got my license late last year and this would be my first actual listing appointment. I don't really count the one to a friend I did earlier, as my first since he was a friend, and this was a couple I had never met. Now to get to work on those comps.