Wordless Wednesday - Let's Call Him Wilbur, Shall We?

Wordless Wednesday - Let's Call Him Wilbur, Shall We?

Okay so, I have always loved pigs.  But most especially recently since there were teacup pigs at the Los Angeles county Fair.  I even went to far as to ask for one on my Christmas List.  But in searching where to get one, I discovered that these little beauties (who only grow to about 20-30 pounds) are expensive... I mean REALLY expensive.  They start at $3500 and then there is shipping (all the way from England) and food.

(You really didn't think I was wordless, did you?)  Anyway, here's a 3-day old piglet we saw at the Oklahoma State Fair a couple of weeks ago.  He's beautiful, but he's gonna get really BIG... I mean REALLY BIG! But he's still beautiful.  Let's call him Wilbur, shall we? (Charlotte's Web comes to mind.)

  

Serving the 210 Corridor - the cities of Monrovia, Duarte, Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont, Upland, Pomona, Chino, Chino Hills, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana.

Warmest Regards,
Linda K. Mayer, Realtor

License # 01767321

A Realtor you can Trust!

(626) 824-8927 Cell

LindaKMayer@live.com

Linda's Website

Last Week's National Real Estate News, Week of September 17-23, 2012

Last Week's National Real Estate News, Week of September 17-23, 2012

Okay so, I have decided to start publishing national real estate and mortgage articles so you guys can see the bigger picture.  Simply click on the link to read the article. As always, keep in mind that these areticles represent the entire nation, and all real estate is local - even down to the neighborhood.  

1 Million Failed Modifications!

Home Building Gains Impressive But Not Convincing

Investor Group Raises $8B to purchase REO's

Four Common Mistakes To Avoid When Refinancing

Renters Burdened by Higher Costs

August Home Prices Down Slightly

Home Prices Up Year over Year, Inventory Down

New FHA Condo Rules

Women Rate Homeownership Higher Than Men

Multiple Offers Doesn't Mean You're Overpaying

So if you are thinking of moving into my area of Southern California, please don't hesitate to contact me for more local information and listings.  I will be more than happy to answer any questions and get you on the right path to homeownership!

Serving the 210 Corridor - the cities of Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont, Upland, Pomona, Chino, Chino Hills, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana.

Warmest Regards,
Linda K. Mayer,
Realtor, Office Manager  
License # 01767321
A Realtor you can Trust!
(626) 824-8927 Cell
LindaKMayer@live.com
Linda's Website

A Fabulous Place To Find Southern California School and Demographic Information

A Fabulous Place To Find Southern California School and Demographic Information

Okay, so I was reading a blog today on the world-famous Active Rain.  Robert Farrell of New York posted a blog and included this amazing website called Zip Skinny.  It's where you go to get "the skinny" on a certain area.

Now, there have been many other sites I have visited for the best information on demographics of a certain area or school information and test scores.  (Many people want to check this information out before they move into an area, especially if they have kids.) , I have referred others in the past, but this website is amazing!  You simply put in the zip code and it gives you so much information. And if you are not sure about the zip code, or want information on a city with more than one zip, you simply click on the state and then click on the city.  

One thing I did discover by clicking on Glendora, California is that it only gave me one of the two zip codes.  So it may be better to know which zips you are thinking of moving into beforehand.  Of course, if you are using a great Realtor, they send you listings complete with zip codes!

Zip Skinny gives you much more than school information.  It gives you social indicators such as levels of education, how many housing units in a city and the size of the city in sq miles.  It has economic indicators, race indicators, male vs female and even the average age.  There are even tabs with charts and comparisons to other nearby zip codes.  Very useful when thinking of moving to a certain place.

So if you are thinking of moving into my area of Southern California, please don't hesitate to contact me for more local information and listings.  I will be more than happy to answer any questions and get you on the right path to home ownership!

Serving the 210 Corridor - The cities of Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont, Upland, Chino, Chino Hills, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana.

Warmest Regards,
Linda K. Mayer,
Realtor, Office Manager  
License # 01767321
A Realtor you can Trust!
(626) 824-8927 Cell
LindaKMayer@live.com
Linda's Website

So Many Things to Blog, So Little Time

So Many Things to Blog, So Little Time

Okay, so, two months later, she comes back swinging.  Yes, I can FINALLY walk and show homes.  And I didn't really blog much due to the fact that pain meds really do mess with your mind - badly.

So now, I can think of a bunch of things to say.

1.  I am in Oklahoma City, OK.  I came with my husband as he has a two-week class.  Why in the world the government put all the FAA classes in OKC, I will never know.  But the compund is impressive and a bit like Fort Knox.

2. Yes, I AM working from here.  I actually have clients coming in next week from Washington State and have been on the phone and email with themevery since I arrived here.  I am excited to be back up and running (well, that's a total figure of speech!) The doctor said the swelling in my foot won't go down for about a year.  But, hey, what's flip flops for a year compared to not walking!  Oh, and did I mention the Oklahoma State Fair is here right now!

3.  The housing market reports are looking really good.  However, when you look below the surface on things such as pricing, there isn't as rosey a picture.  Take the areas I work in: There has been an inventory shortage of houses on the market.  This has once again started many a bidding war and driven prices up a bit as reflected in the reports.  But really, when the banks start unloading their vast supply of bad loans (foreclosures and short sales) which Obama said had to be done by 2014, the market will once again be flooded and in turn the prices will once again drop.  Check out this article!

Anyways, more to come in future blogs.  Stay tuned for adventures in OKC and more real estate news.

And if you are thinking of moving, definitely pick a local expert and someone you can trust.  I will be more than happy to answer your questions or help you with your real estate needs.

Warmest Regards,
Linda K. Mayer,
Realtor, Office Manager  
License # 01767321
A Realtor you can Trust!
(626) 824-8927 Cell
LindaKMayer@live.com
Linda's Website

Claremont Summer Reading Program Kick-off June 20

Claremont Summer Reading Program Kick-off June 20

Okay, I still love BOOKS!  My mother was a teacher and every night she read to me when I was little.  Then I started reading to her.  We shared many books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.  Shoot, those vermiscious knids gave me some scary nightmares.  Our kids need to read so they can picture this stuff in their own imagination instead of losing it by playing video games and watching tv.  But that's another story for yet another day.

So, with all that being said, there is good news for the kids of Claremont!  The summer reading program at the Claremont Library will begin on Wednesday, June 20 and kids can come sign up from 1PM to 7PM.  There will be a puppet show at 3PM featuring "Sleeping Beauty in Outer Space".  How's that for getting both boys and girls interested!

Last year's summer reading program in Claremont had 702 children participating for a total of 4,448 hours of reading.  Folks, that's 4,448 hours of using their imaginations instead of watching tv or playing video games!  Just think if all the kids around would do this! (I know, I use exclamation points way too much.)  

You can read more about Claremont Library's Summer Reading Program by clicking HERE.

And if you are thinking of moving into the area, definitely pick a local expert and someone you can trust.  I will be more than happy to answer your questions or help you with your real estate needs!

Warmest Regards,
Linda K. Mayer,
Realtor, Office Manager  
License # 01767321
A Realtor you can Trust!
(626) 824-8927 Cell
LindaKMayer@live.com
Linda's Website

Summer Reading Programs in San Dimas CA

Summer Reading Programs in San Dimas CA

Okay, so when I was a little girl I loved summertime as I'm sure most of you did too.  But I really loved the summer reading programs at the library.  My mom would sometimes drop me off and let me stay for a couple of hours and I would check out books and listen to records (ya, we had records back then) of The Osmonds, The Jacksons and so on.  (And my son says my first boyfriend was a dinosaur.)

The library in San Dimas has wonderful programs planned for the summer.  

1.The kickoff will be June 16th with two magicians, some crazy puppets and various workshops for the kids.  (SIGNUPS ARE REQUIRED for the workshops.)  

2. For the teens:  San Dimas High requires volunteer hours for graduation and the library has places for you to get your hours!  Call them at (909) 599-6738 for further information.

3. Incoming 7th-12 graders can OWN THE NIGHT @ YOUR LIBRARY.  Signups are online or in the library on June 16th and the program runs every Thursday starting the 21st at 3PM.

4. For the Adults: Signup online to read or listen to books and write short reviews.  You will be entered to win a Kindle Fire and there are prizes just for signing up!  There will also be various workshops available such as a cooking class, a popotillo art class and a paper-making workshop just to name a few.  

San Dimas, like it's neighbor La Verne, is on the county library system giving you access to many more books.  You can order a book from a county library and they will let you know when it comes into San Dimas.  How easy is this!

You can read more about it HERE (it takes a little bit to download, but it's worth it) or you can go online at www.copublib.org/srp.

And if you are thinking of moving into the area, definitely pick a local expert and someone you can trust.  I will be more than happy to answer your questions or help you with your real estate needs!

California Home Sales, April 2012

California Home Sales, April 2012

Okay so here's the April information for housing in California.  Now, bear in mind that these are statewide statistics and as we all know, real estate is local, down to the neighborhood, not even as big as the city the home is in. I get this information from DQ News which is used widely in the real estate community, but you can go onto their site at any time and check the city reports regarding housing prices under CA City Charts.

Overall, there was a 2% increase from March in home sales statewide combining both new and used homes.  The good news is that is an 8.6% increase over April of last year.  Things are starting to move again in California. And the median home price was $264,000 which was up 5.2% from March and up 6% from last April.  The homes re starting to regain their value IN CERTAIN PLACES.

Distressed property sales are still making up half of the total sales which is not good.  Personally I'd be happy if we saw less and less of those REO's and short sales and got back to business as it was previously.  I'm not sure when it will happen but hopefully sometime soon. In April 30.3% of the homes sold were foreclosures which was down from both March and last April, but not enough to suit me.  Just sayin'.

You can read more about things such as average mortgage payments by clicking THIS LINK.

If you are thinking of moving to California, my area or others, please don't hesitate to call me for my services or a referral to a Realtor You Can Trust in other parts of the state.  You definitely need a local expert to help you through the process who knows the area and the local real estate market.

Warmest Regards,
Linda K. Mayer,
Realtor, Office Manager  
License # 01767321
A Realtor you can Trust!
(626) 824-8927 Cell
LindaKMayer@live.com
Linda's Website