Riverside CA - UCR Botanic Gardens - What a Great Way to Spend an Afternoon - 02/21/09 07:57 PM
I visited the University of California, Riverside Botanic Gardens yesterday. This was my first visit here and I would like to come back in a couple of months when there are leaves on the trees and the roses and other flowers are blooming.  


 
The UCR Botanic Gardens are located in Riverside CA in the foothills of the Box Springs Mountains on the east side of the University of California, Riverside campus.  The gardens contain a large amount of diversity, with more than 3,500 plant species and 200 bird species.  There are rose gardens, a herb garden and cactus garden, a pond and … (2 comments)

My Riverside California "Best Buys" in Homes for Sale - February 11, 2009 - 02/11/09 10:08 PM
Well, its that time again for my list of the "best buys" in Riverside California.  It was very discouraging tonight trying to come up with the list.  There are two things that will always keep a house off my "best buys" list - regardless of price.  Those two things are: houses must not be short sales, and the listing must have at least one photo.  I went through almost 150 new listings and most of them were short sales and many did not have any photos.  Because of the huge number of listings with these two problems, my "best buy" list is very short this … (4 comments)

FHA Loans in Riverside CA - How much are the closing costs? Part 1 - 02/09/09 06:38 PM
FHA Loans are HOT!  But how much are closing costs?
It's true - FHA loans are hot.  A large number of Riverside and Corona homes that have been sold in the last couple of years have been financed with FHA loans.  FHA loans are allowing many first-time buyers  to purchase a home with very little cash to put down.  The minimum down payment required by FHA is 3.5%.  The maximum limit for FHA loans is $500,000 for both Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.  Since many people in the Riverside and Corona are using FHA loans, I want to provide some education about FHA loan closing costs.  … (6 comments)

Real Estate Market Report for Riverside California - 02/06/09 01:11 PM
Here is the latest look at Riverside California residential real estate. These tables show real estate sales for single family homes in Riverside in January 2009. In spite of all the "doom and gloom" that we are constantly bombarded with by the media, houses are selling in Riverside and throughout the Inland Empire and banks are lending. I have to add here that banks are lending; but they are much more restrictive than in recent years (before the housing bubble burst), and they are requiring more documentation.  The number of active listings and pending listings is as February 6, 2009.  Pending listings are homes that … (1 comments)

"7 Pounds" and a Remarkable Life - 02/01/09 10:07 AM
I recently saw the movie Seven Pounds.  In this movie one of the main characters, an obviously good person, said that she had not lived a remarkable life.  Since seeing this movie, I have reflected again and again on her comment and have asked myself: What IS a remarkable life?
I imagine that everyone has a different vision of what makes remarkable people.  To some a remarkable person is someone who has achieved great things, maybe invented something amazing, to others it may be people who have had influence for good on the world like Mother Teresa.  Being remarkable is not … (6 comments)