With the Summer months amongst us, there are some ongoing events that make for great ways to get out and enjoy the warm days and nights with the family or even just to have some fun ‘me’ time.
Click on the links below for the Lodi and Stockton area Chamber of Commerce for the local event calendars, and general community information.
I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend!
Randy
So, who doesn’t like to save money? As for me, I’m always interested in finding new or even revisiting old ways to save money.
I like finding great deals on things I buy, places I eat out, or money saving ideas that I can pass along to family and friends.
Well, I’ve recently come across a good source for some great money saving tips regarding your home. Whether it’s ways to save on energy costs, a new tax credit-eligible product, or even a How-To video to save money doing things yourself around the house.
Click Here for…WAYS TO SAVE MONEY
I look forward to sharing many more great ideas with you.
Make it a great day!
Randy
With the summer months upon us there are more and more people buying homes and moving into them. And depending on where you’re moving to it may get a little too hot to do the moving yourself. That’s where you’ll need to exercise some caution and choose any professional movers you may hire very carefully.
Here is a link to a great article that will provide you with some much needed info and guidelines…
If you’d like a referral to a great local and/or national moving company, then I recommend:
David Lane @ Broadway Moving & Storage Inc.
Cell: (707) 334-7130
Email: DavidLLane at sbcglobal.net
www.BroadwayMovingandStorage.com
Happy Moving!
Randy
Personally, I love my iPhone 3G. It was a nice upgrade from my previous 2G model. I even made money when upgrading by selling my 2G on eBay for more than my new 3G cost me.
I’m excited for the new features of the 3G S, but are they worth having to go through the hassle of switching everything over to a new phone? Perhaps, but I am going to wait for a while since I just downloaded the new 3.0 software update.
I get most of the new features of the new 3G S on my current 3G model. Remember…the 3G S is a new iPhone alltogether, but the 3.0 is the newest version of just the software. Got it?
With the new 3.0 software I can now use the “cut, copy & paste” feature that I’ve wanted. What I’m really looking forward to is the addition of being able to send and receive not just standard text messages, but now MMS multi-media messages like photos, videos, etc. However, that feature won’t be active until later this summer.
For a full rundown (yes, Jim…rundown) of the new iPhone 3G S, then CLICK HERE and you’ll get a look at pretty much all the goods of this amazing device.
Life is good!
Randy
According to a recent article I read…
http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2009060403?OpenDocument
It states that “Two major home builders say their losses were shrinking compared to last year because buyers are coming back to the market.”
I see this myself a little more each day. I find many people are ready to purchase their first home or even an investment home due to the lower home prices and lower interest rates.
My first-time homebuyers can finally afford to purchase that home they’ve been dreaming of, and my investor clients are realizing that they can once again cash flow on some great deals in the area.
What I’ve been hearing more and more lately is that there will even be MORE great deals for homebuyers in the coming months with more Short Sale and REO opportunities. Will this drive the current prices down even further, or just create more opportunities and choices?
Either way, ‘Renting vs. Owning’ still has Owning coming out on top. Make smart decisions and you too can reap the rewards of owning real estate.
Life is good!
Randy
…Despite not being able to walk.
(What does this story have to do with real estate? Nothing. What does it have to do with life; how we look at it, and what we take for granted? Everything.)
By Don Norcross
The pain began in Erica Davis’ lower back.
”Worse than any backache I’ve ever had, combined,” recalls Davis.
A chiropractor’s adjustment didn’t help. Neither did a friend’s massage. Three days after the first symptoms Davis began feeling a tingling sensation below her waist. Her walk slowed.
Standing in a drug store to fill a prescription, Davis leaned against a shopping cart to stop from falling.
A day later Davis grabbed the walls at her Lodi, CA, home while staggering to the bathroom. When she woke up later that morning Davis tried standing, only to stumble to the floor. She slid downstairs on her bottom.
The date: Dec. 31, 2005. At midnight, as Davis was transported to a hospital, an ambulance driver blasted the siren so she might celebrate New Year’s Eve. Davis, now 25, has not walked a step since.
The condition is called cavernous hemangioma, a collection of abnormal blood vessels found primarily in the brain and spinal cord. In layman’s terms, one of Davis’ blood vessels erupted, causing nine inches of her spinal cord to inflame. She’s paralyzed from the navel down.
Sandwiched between an older and younger brother, Davis fit the tomboy image.
“I grew up in the country,” she says, “riding dirt bikes and climbing trees.”
She played varsity volleyball, basketball, and softball at Lodi Academy. The private school offered a girls flag football team and Davis, the team’s most valuable player, scored 48 touchdowns as a senior.
During a 2 1/2-hour visit at the Davises’ Carlsbad home - where mother and daughter moved to a mobile-home park in January to be closer to her rehab facility - the only time Davis’ mother cried was when talking about Erica’s athleticism. (Davis’ father works in Lodi, where he owns a real estate company. He commutes to Carlsbad two to three times a month.)
“Her whole life was sports,” says Carol Davis. “And so my tears were for what she couldn’t do or might not be able to do.”
Davis comes equipped with a dry, deadpan wit. When told the severity of her condition, she thought of her cousin, Ray Brown, who was born with brittle bone disease and lives in a motorized wheelchair.
“Well,” Erica said, “cousin Ray and I will be able to race in our wheelchairs.”
As would be expected, there have been valleys. A metal filter was inserted down Davis’ neck and into a main artery to prevent blood clots from forming in her legs. It was supposed to be temporary, but medical personnel were later unable to remove the filter. The artery had grown around the filter, which still has not been removed. The Davises say doctors don’t know the long-term effects of the situation.
During a heart-to-heart, mother-daughter talk soon after the incident, Erica told her mother, “I don’t know why any guy would want to date me.”
Later, Erica said, “Mom, don’t ever leave the medications down where I could get them.”
Six months after becoming paralyzed, Davis, pushing a wheelchair, entered an 8-kilometer race in Sacramento, CA. She had butterflies.
“Like before you go up to bat or before you see somebody you love,” she says.
In October last year, Davis participated in the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s San Diego Triathlon Challenge, pushing her wheelchair for the 13.1-mile run. Her relay-team swimmer: Olympian Amanda Beard. Davis asked Robin Williams to sit on her lap for a picture. The sometimes ribald Williams obliged, saying, “That’s the most fun I’ve had all day.”
Using a handcycle, Davis participated in the Redlands Bicycle Classic in March and won every lap in the women’s handcycle class, earning $625. In May, she weathered rugged surf and, while unable to complete the swim course, she finished the Encinitas Triathlon. Last month, she completed her second triathlon, the Solana Beach Triathlon, which included a quarter-mile swim.
“I’ve never heard one word of pity from her,” said Kate Major of Rancho Sante Fe, CA, one of the world’s best Ironman triathletes, who has become a friend of Davis’. “With her attitude, just the desire, her will, she’s amazing to be around.”
Like any athlete, in her youth Davis dreamed of the Olympics, maybe as a swimmer or softball player. She knew the odds were long.
“Being in a chair, now I have a much better chance of being in the Paralympics,” Davis admits. “Maybe this is the Olympics I’m supposed to be in.”
Her biggest goal: On the second Saturday in October 2009, becoming the first paralyzed woman to finish Ironman Hawaii.
Since undergoing therapy the past 7 1/2 months at Awakenings Health Institute in Solana Beach, CA, which specializes in spinal-cord rehabilitation, Davis has shown improvement. She can crawl from one side of a room to another with a little assistance. She has regained some feeling below her waist. With some assistance, she can stand for three minutes.
Davis rehabs at the facility five days a week, 13 hours a week. The cost, which is not covered by insurance, is $4,000 a month.
Since becoming paralyzed, Davis has steadfastly believed she will walk again.
“I just know I will,” she says. “There’s never been a thought of anything else.”
Recently, Davis told her mother that if she could go back and erase the past, she wouldn’t.
“I know (because of the paralysis) I’m becoming a better person,” she says.
After the Solana Beach Triathlon last month, Davis was sitting in her chair in the transition area when a woman approached. With tears in her eyes, the woman, an able-bodied athlete who raced that day, thanked Davis.
“Thank you for being such an inspiration,” the woman said.
Davis appreciated the gesture. But in a way, she felt a bit peculiar.
“Me,” says Davis, “I’m just living.”
To learn more about Erica Davis, log on to www.HelpEricaWalk.com. The site allows visitors to shop for everything from food to entertainment to clothing. A small percentage of the online purchases goes toward Erica’s rehabilitation.
No comments | Thursday, April 23, 2009
A word of caution - agents create ads solely to make the phone ring! Many of the homes have some drawback not mentioned in the ad, such as traffic noise, power lines or litigation in the community. What’s not mentioned in the ad is usually more important than what is.
For this reason, be very careful when reading ads. Remember, the person writing the ad is representing the seller, not you! The most important thing you can do is have someone on your side looking out for your best interests. Your own agent will critique the property with an eye toward how well it meets your needs and will point out any drawbacks you should know about.
So, whether you decide to work with us or not, pick an agent you feel comfortable with and enlist the services of that agent as a buyer’s broker. Then you become a client with all the rights, benefits and privileges created by this agency relationship, and you’re no longer just a shopper. Did you know many homes are sold WITHOUT A SIGN ever going up or an AD EVER BEING PUT IN THE PAPER? These “great deals” go to those people who are committed to working with one agent. When an agent hears of a great buy, who do you think he’s going to call? His client, for whom he has a legal obligation to work hard, or someone who just called and said “keep your eyes open for me”? To get the best buy on a property, we always recommend you hire your own agent and stick with him or her.
No comments | Sunday, April 19, 2009
Your agent should show you everything available that meets your requirements. Don’t make a decision on a house until you feel you’ve seen enough to pick the best one. Go to the Multiple Listing Web site with your agent to make sure you are getting a COMPLETE list of homes for sale and not just the home that the agent wants to show you.
In the late 1990’s, homes were selling quickly, usually a few days after listing. In that kind of market, agents advised their clients to make an offer ON THE SPOT if they liked the house. That was good advice at the time. Today, there usually isn’t this urgency unless a home is drastically under priced, and you’ll know if it is. But keep in mind, if you wait too long, there is always a chance of the house selling before your offer is submitted to the seller. If you really like a house, get an offer written and make sure your agent includes the appropriate clauses to get you out of the offer, should the need arise.
Don’t forget to check the SCHOOL DISTRICTS of the area you’re considering. Information is available on every school: class sizes, % of students that go on to college, SAT scores, etc. You can get this information from your agent or directly from the school.
No comments | Friday, April 10, 2009
2. Play the Game of Nines
Before house hunting, make a list of nine things you want in your new home. Then make a list of the nine things you don’t want. I call this “NINE OF THIS AND NONE OF THAT”. You can use this list as a scorecard to rate each property you see. The one with the biggest score wins! This helps avoid confusion and keeps things in perspective when you’re comparing dozens of homes.
When house hunting, keep in mind the difference between “SKIN AND BONES”. The BONES are things that cannot be changed such as the location, view, size of lot, noise in the area, school district and floor plan. The SKIN represents easily changed surface finishes like carpet, wallpaper, color and window coverings. Buy the house with good BONES, because the SKIN can always be changed to match your tastes. We always recommend that you imagine each house as if it were vacant. Consider each house on its underlying merits, not the seller’s decorating skills.
No comments | Wednesday, April 8, 2009
1. Don’t Get “Pre-Qualified”!
Do you want to get the best house you can for the least amount of money? Then make sure you are in the strongest negotiating position possible. Price is only one bargaining chip in the negotiations, and not necessarily the most important one. Often other terms, such as the strength of the buyer or the length of escrow, are critical to a seller.
In years past, we’ve always recommended buyers get “pre-qualified” by a lender. This means that you spend a few minutes on the phone with a lender who asks you a few questions. Based on the answers, the lender pronounces you “pre-qualified” and issues a certificate that you can show to a seller. Sellers are aware that such certificates are WORTHLESS and here’s why! None of the information has been verified! Often, unknown problems surface! Problems I’ve seen include recorded judgments, child support payments due, glitches on the credit report due to any number of reasons both accurate and inaccurate and down payments that have not been in the clients’ bank account long enough, etc.
