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A now former employee of Countrywide had downloaded millions of files of consumers and sold that private information to the employees of other lenders to be used as sales leads.

The alleged thief was caught back in 2008 and his trial begins on Oct 19th of this year, and he is currently free on bond while waiting for his trial.

There were possibly 15-17 million consumers that were at risk from this crime and Bank of America, which bought Countrywide back in 2008, is now offering free credit monitoring for two years to all those consumers that had provided personal and private  information to Countrywide before July 1, 2008, or who had a mortgage loan service by Countrywide before that date as well.

I don’t know what affect this settlement will have on the current real estate market, but Bank of America has been more quickly to respond to a couple of my Short Sales of homes for sale in Stockton and Lodi, CA recently.  Perhaps they realized they’d make more money on the short sale rather than letting the home go into foreclosure.

If you’d like to get more information on this and even file a claim for the free credit monitoring you can call (866) 940-3612, or visit their website at www.CWdataClaims.com.

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• Bank of America Settles Data Theft Claims  dailyfinance.com)

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I came across a good article by Stephanie Andre and posted by RISMEDIA yesterday that hits on a subject that we’ve all heard and read about many times in the last few years…water conservation.

Summer is nearing the end soon and here are some tips that we can all adhere to in order to use/consume less water and do our part to make a difference.

1. Water your lawn only when it needs it. An easy test to tell if your lawn needs water is to simply walk across the grass. If you leave footprints, it’s time to water. (An added benefit of watering less often is that fewer, deep-soaking waterings encourage deep root growth and stronger turf.)

2. Water in the early morning. As much as 30 percent of water can be lost to evaporation by watering during midday.

3. Set your lawn mower one notch higher to make your lawn more drought-tolerant.
4. Use drip irrigation hoses to water plants, and water in the early morning or evening.

5. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your sidewalk, driveway, or patio.

6. Forego the hose and wash your car with a bucket and sponge instead. According to EPA WaterSense, a hose left running can waste as much as six gallons per minute while a bucket and sponge uses only a few gallons to do the job.
7. Keep a bottle of cold tap water in the refrigerator. You’ll avoid the cost and environmental impact of bottled water and you’ll have cold water available in the summer without running the faucet.

8. Run dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are full. If you have a water-saver cycle, use it.

9. Adjust the water level of your clothes washer, so that it matches your load size.

10. Regularly check your toilet, faucets and pipes for leaks and have them fixed promptly. An easy test for toilet leaks from EPA WaterSense: Place a drop of food coloring in the tank. If the color tints the water in the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak. Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.

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There are many homes for sale in the Lodi and Stockton areas that are now empty due to foreclosure and/or a short sale situation, and since no one is living in the house, then no one is watering the lawns or flushing the toilets.  This can of course cause damage to the grass and plumbing of these homes.  This is not the same as water consumption.  Some of these homes are unsightly in their appearance, but it won’t take much for them to be brought back to life and beautify the neighborhood once again.

Well, I hope you can use at least a couple of these tips and implement them into your routine.  It WILL make a difference.

Make it a great day!

I’ve had the great fortune of being able to stay with my broker and his family at their 2nd home in Carlsbad, CA, while attending an international convention for the world leader in nutritional cleansing with Erica Davis.  They live only 2 blocks from the ocean near Pinto Beach.  Here’s a photo I took my 1st night here.

Life is a Beach!

I’m really looking forward to returning home to my own family, which I miss very much, but I do find myself wishing that it would be easier for them to all just move down here.  The scenery is beautiful!

The local real estate market in Lodi and Stockton area is much different than what it is here in the Carlsbad and San Diego areas.  Most of the homes for sale in the San Joaquin County are foreclosures and short sales.  The median sales price for single family homes in San Joaquin County in the month of July 2010 was $175,000.  Oddly enough that’s the same median sales price for the same time last year.  The median sales price for San Diego County was $380,000 and $352,000 respectively, but here is Carlsbad the prices are even higher.

For assistance in finding good deals on homes for sale in the Lodi and Stockton areas be sure and contact Realty World – Davis Homes & Properties.  And for the Carlsbad, CA area make sure and contact Steve and/or Carol Davis with Davis Coastal Properties.

Although we don’t have any oceans in Lodi, it is where my home and family are, so I am really looking forward to seeing them and getting back to taking great care of my real estate clients I’m currently working with and also the ones that I’ll soon be helping.

It’s a great life!

Randy

We also know that the facility has needed a facelift for quite some time now.  The bleachers were dated.  The field was bland.  The landscaping was less than desirable and the concession stand and announcers booth showed plenty of signs of wear and tear.

Unfortunately one of the main problems was that the Lodi Grape Bowl wasn’t exactly disabled-friendly.

Well, most, if not all of that, is now finally changing thanks to a $2 million make-over.

Photo Courtesy of: CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record

Although there has been much progress there is still more work to be done both on the facility as well as on the legalities of the use of it.  Hopefully all the wrinkles will be ironed out soon because a line is starting to form with people, groups, etc., wanting to use this location for all sorts of venues including a possible concert.

It’s improvements like this that I think will continue to bring more people to Lodi, which will in turn perhaps help the Lodi real estate market.  More people equals more homes for sale that just might be finding a buyer.

Count me in!

The group focuses on renter’s rights and th

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

eir study states 37 percent of California’s foreclosed residential properties involved renters and effected an estimated 200,000 residents, many of whom were displaced, which is a nice way of saying they were given their walking papers, which is a nice way of saying they were evicted from their homes.

Unfortunately I have seen this first-hand while working with Short Sales in Stockton, Lodi and the surrounding areas.  It’s never a good day when families are being asked to leave (evicted) from their homes even though they may have been paying their rent on time, but perhaps the owner of their home wasn’t paying the mortgage.

Once the owner stops paying their mortgage, soon after they have to decide whether to let the home be foreclosed on by the bank or to try and do a Short Sale, but either way the renter loses out and has to find another place to live.

At Realty World-Davis Homes & Properties, we try to be advocates for all parties involved in any situation if we can.  If you have questions, then most likely we have answers.  We highly recommend that anyone facing foreclosure or a short sale of their home to always seek the advice of a CPA as well as a real estate attorney.

Don’t just “wait and see what happens”.  Be sure to seek professional assistance to get a fully informed as you can.

I sure wish I had my Magic 8-Ball six years ago when I bought my new home, that’s for sure!  Who knew that there would be such a crisis that would cause so many Short Sales in Stockton and so many other cities across the nation?  Did the banks know?  Did their investors know?

Will the market bounce back?

Well if you’re looking to move in the near future, here’s another article I found with a list of Top 10 Improved Housing Markets by the year 2014.  This might be a good thing to know, or just another fortune teller looking to get their name in print.

CLICK HERE to view the Top 10.

Leave a comment telling us what you think the next 3-5 years holds for our local Stockton, Lodi real estate markets.

More and more people have turned to purchasing mobile homes in the last few years, because that was all they could afford.  But now that home prices have fallen so much that it’s actually within reach again to purchase a home in the Lodi and Stockton real estate markets without having to give your body organs as collateral.

However, you’ll be steadfast to find a home, especially a FURNISHED home, in this price range unless grandma is selling to you and doesn’t know what her home is really worth.

The sellers of this charming little home are moving away to be closer to family and enjoy a more ‘mobile’ life than what their current residence provides them.

Their home is located in a quiet, cute little park on E. Lockeford St. in Lodi, CA.

Price Too Low To Pass Up!

We have many homes for sale in Lodi, but not too many at this low of a price, and certainly not ones that are fully furnished as well.

There’s also an electric GEM car up for bid too if you’re interested.

Make it a great day!

This is one spectacular property, but with TWO homes located on it.  If you’ve wanted to live like a King, but didn’t want the responsibility that goes along with being one, then this is YOUR castle!

Reminds me of Mayberry

I’m showing the home to a local attorney tomorrow and I know she’s going to fall in love with the main home itself.  But once she sees the grounds she’s gonna go Lady Gaga over it.      (I just made that up on the fly)  Ha!

CLICK HERE to see the video and enjoy the view.  (Get it?)

Enjoy your own lake-like pond!

Forget the vacation and enjoy your STAYcation!

For more information about this wonderful Lodi, CA property with two homes on site…CLICK HERE.

There are many unique properties in the Lodi real estate market, but none are as ready to give you that country-like living and still be as close to town as this one.

Life is good!

]]> http://randyelliotthomes.com/2010/07/27/lakefront-living-in-your-own-backyard/feed/ 1 http://randyelliotthomes.com/2010/07/26/beautifully-unique-and-ready-for-viewing/ http://randyelliotthomes.com/2010/07/26/beautifully-unique-and-ready-for-viewing/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:13:52 +0000 Randy Elliott http://relliott.blogs.rwnetwork.com/?p=448 Get ready to fall in love with this wonderful 4.3 acre property with two homes on site.  The custom-built main home is incredible, and the rear of the property is breath-taking.  This is one of the newest homes listed in the Lodi, CA real estate market that offers a unique opportunity for rural living, but still close enough to town to not feel too isolated.

For a quick panoramic view of the front of the property, CLICK HERE.  Stay tuned for ongoing posts with more videos and photos.  Wait until you see the tour of the beautiful large pond.