Historical Downtown District (Riverside, CA) Homes for Sale + Historical Downtown District (Riverside, CA) Real Estate Agents

Historical Downtown District (Riverside, CA) Real Estate News

Riverside California Listing Agents – Sell My House in Riverside CA

Devona Garrigus - Call Us Now: 1 (888) 9-LIST-IT (Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters)

Riverside California Listing Agents – Sell My House in Riverside CA

Riverside California Real Estate Agents
So you’ve decided to sell your house in Riverside California. There are many factors to consider when entering into such a transaction. First, in tumultuous times like these, you must first determine what type of sale you will need.

Are you selling a Riverside property with equity?

In another words, do you owe less than what the property is worth? If so you will be conducting a standard Riverside real estate sale. This type of sale obviously is the best scenario because you should come out of the deal with a margin between the sales price and any money owed on the Riverside CA home, minus the cost of sale.

Do you owe more on your Riverside House than it’s worth?

Like many Americans, the real estate market has put severe strains on the dream of home ownership. If you owe more on your Riverside California home than it’s worth, you may be able to conduct a short sale. A short sale can relieve you of your mortgage burden without destroying your credit and your financial future. Many distressed Riverside homeowners are short selling their properties.

Find a Riverside CA real estate agent you’re comfortable with.

This is a two-sided process. You must find a REALTOR whom you feel comfortable executing this important transaction, but you must also find a competent Riverside agent. Just like any profession, some agents are good, and some are bad. A good agent can make your home sale less difficult and complete it successfully. A bad and incompetent agent can really cause you and the sale a lot of grief, and the sale may not be successful.

Prepare the Riverside home for the sale process.

Unfortunately, many Riverside home sellers miss this simple step. A home will sell better if it is cleaned up and as free as possible of any damage. Would you sell your car without washing it first? Of course not. So when you’re selling your Riverside house, make sure the landscaping is maintained, any repairable damage is completed, and above all, clean. Dispose of any junk or other trash in the property, or on the premises. Another easy thing to do is to de-clutter the house. An open and brightly-lit home will be more appealing and have a better chance of selling.

You’ve received an offer, but now what?

Negotiations are one of the most intense processes of a Riverside home sale. You want to ask for what you feel the property is worth, but you also don’t want to scare away your buyer. Know your goal. If you don’t know what your bottom line is, it will be much harder to achieve a good sale. There are many factors to consider other than just the sale price. What other personal property will be included in the sale? Who will pay for closing costs? How will escrow and other fess be split? What will the time-line of the escrow be? And referring back to choosing the right agent, make sure your real estate agent can handle negotiations effectively.

CALIFORNIA REAL ESTATE AGENTS

After an agreement has been made, the sale will go to escrow. Inspections, contingencies and other processes of the sale will be executed before escrow can close, and all monies will be dispersed.

Of course this article is a simplified breakdown of the Riverside California Home sale process, but hopefully it can point you in the right direction to get started. If you need help figuring out the rest, call us anytime. We’re always here to answer your questions and provide any help you need.

Call us now at (888) 9-List-It. That number is (888) 954-7848.

Click Here if you need to Short Sale Your Riverside CA Home

CALL US NOW TO SELL YOUR HOUSE: 1 (888) 9-LIST-IT

GARRIGUS REAL ESTATE
Foreclosure Agent/REALTOR & Short Sale Specialists
SERVING RIVERSIDE & SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES
Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters Associates

GarrigusRealEstate@yahoo.com
www.GarrigusRealEstate.net <--- Check out our website for useful info and tools!
Devona Garrigus / DRE License # 01844441

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE in compliance with the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ("FTC") MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE RELIEF SERVICE ("MARS"): Before using this service, consider the following information - Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters Associates are not associated with the government and our services are not approved by the government. Seller acknowledges that the Broker/Agent is not qualified to provide financial, legal or tax advice regarding short sale transactions. Therefore, the seller is advised to obtain professional tax advice and consult independent legal counsel immediately regarding the tax implications and advisability of entering into a short sale agreement with their lender/servicer. If you stop paying your mortgage, you could lose your home and damage your credit rating.

Newly Renovated Fox Theater in Downtown Riverside

Heather Chavez, Real Estate Virtual Assistant (928) 692-3235 (Second Self Virtual Assistance)

I am a HUGE fan of movies, architecture and history. When you put all three together, I am in heaven. Last weekend, we were fortunate enough to take a tour of the newly renovated Fox Theater in downtown Riverside. I have wanted to see the inside of this building since I moved to Riverside in December of 1985. I even wanted to see it when it was all boarded up. I didn't care. This is where they showed the first screening of Gone With the Wind in 1939. This building has been around for decades and has seen Riverside change from a field of oranges to the bustling city that it is today.

I felt very underdressed for an occassion such as this. Even though everybody was in jeans and it wasn't a black tie affair, I felt like I should have been wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown with my hair in a chic chignon and diamonds dripping from my neck. You were brought back to when the Fox Theater was first erected in 1929 when you saw the classic Ford vehicles from the era lined up on the street outside.

Of course, I was prepared and brought both my still and my Flip cameras to capture the action:

I'll be seeing something here and soon, I promise. Broadway has come to Riverside via the newly renovated Fox Theater in downtown Riverside. I'm in heaven!

Heather Chavez, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

Riverside's Historic Mission Inn - Club Chaos Eye Candy

Heather Chavez, Real Estate Virtual Assistant (928) 692-3235 (Second Self Virtual Assistance)

When CC Miller first brought his family out to our fair city of Riverside, CA in 1876, there was nothing but orange fields as far as the eye could see. CC Miller built a small, two-story adobe boarding house that he named Glenwood Cottage on the one city block that CC had purchased. He and his family ran the boarding house until 1902, when CC decided that he wanted a change of scenery and moved with his wife out of the area. At that time, CC's son Frank decided to take over running the boarding house.

But, Frank Miller had much grander plans than his father. Frank's vision was to create a beautiful destination hotel, which would eventually become the Mission Inn. At the turn of the century, California was known for its missions that were founded by the Franciscan monks. Frank Miller decided that calling his hotel the "Mission Inn" would help create a certain mystique and aura that would draw people to this tiny out-of-the-way town. If someone thought his hotel was originally a true mission, he wouldn't correct them. He even went so far as to dress like a monk, board the trains that came out to the area and comment about how great the Mission Inn hotel was, handing out oranges to anyone who was interested. When wealthy travelers came out to inspect the Mission Inn that this monk was speaking so highly of, they would stay for weeks at a time (a "season").

Entrance of Mission Inn in Riverside CA Archway in front of historic Mission Inn in Riverside, CA Bell tower over entrance to the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA. It was created to resemble the San Gabriel Mission.

While never considered a wealthy man, Frank Miller was quite the visionary. He would travel to Europe, see something he liked in either architecture or even furniture, make a drawing of it (if it wasn't cheap enough for him to be able to buy it) and have it reproduced for his hotel. He would buy pieces he was interested in at yard sales or estate sales as long as they fit his "bargain basement" mentality. At one point, he even let the community know that he was willing to buy up anyone's wrought iron fencing that they were willing to part with. He took these wrought iron pieces, none of which matched by the way, and created a beautiful brick wall that incorporated all the panels.

Frank Miller loved the bells incorporated into other California missions and decided to add his own. He also wanted to honor the local Native Americans in the area by utilizing the dual cross (called the "Rain Cross") in the design. The City of Riverside liked this so much that they offered to buy the rights to the symbol of the dual cross above the bell. Frank, in his very salesman-like way, told the City that they didn't have to buy it. They could use it as much as they wanted to as long as they didn't change it in any way. He figured that whenever anyone saw the symbol, they would think of his Mission Inn. And, this strategy paid off. You can see this symbol on everything from street signs to street lights to City of Riverside stationery, including your electric and trash bill.

Beautiful brick wall and exterior of rooms outside Mission Inn in Riverside, CA Close-up view of one of the bells Frank Miller used to evoke a feeling of a California mission at the beautiful Mission Inn in Riverside, CA Author's Row wing added later on at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA

Throughout the years, other wings were built in differing styles from the original "U"-shaped Mission Inn, somehow incorporating European, Spanish, Renaissance, Italian, Asian and Turkish influences, among others. While the building itself is technically four stories tall, there are over 20 different levels throughout the entire building.

When Frank Miller purchased a beautiful gold family altar from friends in Mexico, it was too large to put anywhere in the Mission Inn. So, he had a chapel built around the altar. The chapel also contains seven of eight original Tiffany stained glass windows that were given to Frank Miller by Mr. Tiffany himself after the church they were originally housed in was destined to be torn down. Not one to cater only to one theology, Frank's chapel also includes a menorah and representations of other religions.

Many celebrities and dignitaries have graced the halls of the historic Mission Inn, including several presidents (Harrison, McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, Hoover, JFK, Nixon, Ford, Reagon and George W Bush). Ron and Nancy Reagan spent their honeymoon night at the Mission Inn. Betty Davis got married in the Inn's chapel. Sarah Bernardt, Mary Pickford, Clark Gable, Harry Houdini, Ginger Rogers, Cary Grant and Spencer Tracy are just some of the big stars that have stayed at the Inn over the years. Even current celebrities, like Barbara Streisand, Arnold Swartzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Drew Barrymore and even the Osbournes have spent time at the Inn.

Exterior of the Cloister Annex at Mission Inn in Riverside, CA Looking up inside one of the rotundas at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA The lounge outside the restaurants of Mission Inn in Riverside, CA

From the day after Thanksgiving to just after the new Year, the Mission Inn is bathed in the brilliance of thousands of Christmas lights to celebrate Riverside's Festival of Lights. This is a sight to behold, believe me!

After Frank Miller died in 1935, his children decided they didn't want to run the hotel. Ownership changed hands several times over the years. At one point, it served as dorms for students attending the University of California at Riverside. One company bought it and went bankrupt just a couple of months before it was set to celebrate its grand re-opening and was boarded up for many years, sitting empty. When some of the Mission Inn was set to be demolished to make way for a parking lot, many people (officially calling themselves the Friends of the Mission Inn) lobbied to have it declared a historic landmark. It now holds the distinction of being a city, state and national landmark and has been reborn as a beautiful, luxurious hotel in downtown Riverside.

The hotel has four different restaurants: the outdoor cafe-style Las Campanas that serves wonderful Mexican food, the Mission Inn Restaurant that has an amazing Sunday brunch to die for, the Bella Trattoria that is a wonderful Italian experience in an outdoor setting and the upscale Duane's Steak House.

It's amazing what can come of one simple man's dream. When you think of Riverside, California, you can't help but think of the Mission Inn.

Doorway to chapel at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA Just one of the magnificent original Tiffany stained glass windows that can be seen at the chapel of the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA The courtyard outside of the chapel at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA

Heather Chavez - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

Habitat for Humanity Celebrates Earth Day in Riverside CA

Heather Chavez, Real Estate Virtual Assistant (928) 692-3235 (Second Self Virtual Assistance)

The amazingly fantastic organization Habitat for Humanity will be hosting an Earth Day Festival at White Park (3901 Market Street) in Riverside CA on Saturday, April 25th from 11am-4pm. The Earth Day Festival is open to the public, so bring your family down to join in the festivities. Some of the sponsors of the event include the City of Riverside, Lowe's, CURE (Clean Up Riverside's Environment), the WMWD, Altura Credit Union and the Riverside Public Utilities. The local Habitat for Humanity office is located at 2121 Atlanta Avenue, Suite B in Riverside, CA (951-787-6754 ext 115). I hope to see you there. Happy Earth Day everyone!

Heather Chavez, Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

Riverside's Festival Of Lights - Behold The Glory Of The Season (LOCALISM FEATURED)

Tom Plant (WINEormous.com)

Mission Inn

Each year at this time downtown Riverside is turned into a winter wonderland. At the heart of it all is the historic Mission Inn. This is where U.S. presidents come to stay when they visit. When Laura and I went Wednesday evening, we strolled the streets soaking up the 16th annual Festival of Lights. Block after block is filled with lights, ornaments, trees and horse drawn carriages. Vendors sell fresh donuts, cookies, light wands and more. There's an ice skating rink. It's truly a spectacle.

Next year I hope to attend the opening ceremony, which features a jaw-dropping fireworks display followed by the lights being lit. It happens annually the Friday following Thanksgiving. Happy holidays to you and yours!

front of Mission Inn skating arch carriage blue tree gifts side gingerbread dancers angelitas carolers seasons greetings

Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – Active Rain Ambassador (951) 907-9701

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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The Best Room in the House: Mission Inn Riverside

Jeremy Rivera (Riverside Home Source)

Glenwood Suite, Mission Inn, Riverside The Best Room at the Inn

The historical mission in Riverside, California is a fabulous testiment to the Mission Revival style of architecture. Rooms in the mission in vary in price from the low hundreds to the thousands per night. One of the best rooms in the entire hotel though is the Glenwood Suite.

Looking out from the spacious living room of this two room suite, you look down into the courtyard of their 4 star restaurant, and across the way you can see the herb garden and oriental style roof of the Japanese wing of the Inn. Staying a night in this room will set you back around $1300-1400 but it is a terrific romantic getaway with style and class.

Riverside Real Estate

Jeremy Rivera (Riverside Home Source)

The Chapel at theMission Inn

Find a Home in Riverside

Riverside California is a beautiful community in Southern California. The city has several distinct regions that you can look in and find the home that you are looking for. The historic downtown area has the Mission Revival architectural marvel of the Mission Inn. This is a 4 star hotel, with the classy Presidential Lounge, and 4 world class restaurants.

Downtown Riverside

In downtown, they hold a farmers market weekly, selling fresh fruits, flowers and other local products. You can also enjoy the diverse culture of Riverside through it's Art Walk on the first thrusday of Every month.

Unique City, Unique Architecture

If you want to find a craftsman, Vistorian or colonial revival style home then you should look to the "Woods Streets". We can help you relocate and find the best piece of Riverside Real Estate, that meets your specific needs. Riverside is really a gorgeous community.

Tour Riverside Through Video

Want to get a fresh look at Riverside, check out these "Riverside in 20 seconds" video tours!

Riverside, CA Real Estate Professionals

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