- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2/09/10 10 Things You Can Do on a Rainy Day 1. Read a book or the Wall Street Journal.
In Search of the Perfect Scone. . . Just in Time for the Holidays My son is now 20, and I have followed a low-carb diet since his 16th birthday. About a year ago, I just had to lighten up – or perhaps I should say, load up. I walked into Barnes & Noble for my bone-dry low-fat cappuccino and spotted a cinnamon scone. “Do you want it warm?” asked the attendant. I couldn’t resist. However, at $1.95 a triangle, I thought I could do better. How hard could it be to make scones? As it turns out, finding a good recipe was very difficult. I tried recipes from the Internet and recipes from my lifetime accumulation of cookbooks. Nothing was as good as that cinnamon scone from B & N/Starbuck’s. And then I found Rebecca Griffith. A fellow REALTOR®, she was having a broker “lunch” at a new listing of hers in my old neighborhood. “I came for the scones,” I announced unabashedly as I walked in the front door. And scones they were! Cherry and lemon zest, light and flaky, delicately proportioned, served on ethereal Caspari napkins with unsalted butter! The Golden Triangle found! I have Rebecca to thank for the recipe that follows. Her scones – and now my scones – are better than those at the Four Seasons Sunday tea, better than those served at an obscure river plantation in Georgetown, SC, (where we stopped on a recent vacation) and, yes, even better than Barnes & Noble/Starbuck’s cinnamon scones. In deference to my husband, I have even altered the recipe to make them gluten-free. Here goes: • 2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free bake mix with 2-3 teaspoons of xanthum gum added) 1. Preheat oven to 425. Grease a baking sheet. 2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 3. In a small bowl, beat eggs and 1/3 cup milk mixed with cream until blended. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture with a fork to make a soft, nonsticky dough, adding more milk or half and half if necessary. Add your choice of dried fruit (raisins, dried cherries, dried blue berries or my favorite – dried orange-flavored cranberries from Trader Joe’s) or lemon zest at this time. 4. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough 6 to 8 strokes. Form dough into a flat circle about 1 in high and 11 inches in circumference. Brush with milk and sprinkle with course sugar. With a sharp knife dipped in flour, cut 8 (I make 10, in deference to my low-carb diet) pie-shaped wedges. Carefully transfer the wedges to the baking sheet. 5. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Do not over-bake! 6. Remove from baking sheet; serve warm with butter (or clotted cream) and enjoy the perfect scone!
Do You BOGOPOD™? In this age of tweeting, texting and chatting, there is a new verb in town: BOGOPOD. In a nutshell, BOGOPOD is a free service for consumers in Ventura County, the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles that provides bi-weekly alerts via e-mail and social media channels - Twitter, MySpace and Facebook - on deals and promotions from area merchants. At BOGOPOD.com you can find hundreds of tempting offers from more than 125 local merchants. For example, at Bruegger's Bagels in Agoura Hills you can receive three free bagels. “BOGOPODING” at Cosmos Grill in Calabasas will give you 50% off an entrée. For local merchants and service providers, BOGOPOD provides feedback on the effectiveness of their promotions. BOGOPOD’s patent-pending technology tracks how many customers have viewed, clicked, printed and redeemed merchants’ coupon offers, as well as where those customers are coming from. The cost to the merchants and service provides, according to Bay, is around $150 to $200 a month. BOGOPOD offers one additional benefit: to merchants and consumers alike: It’s a “green” form of promotion. The brainchild of longtime Oak Park resident David Bay and his business partner, Adam Leff, of Newbury Park, “Buy One Get One Plus Other Discounts” is primarily local. But the concept is transportable. Says Bay, “Our plans are to expand regionally and then nationally. Right now our hands are full with Ventura County, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles and Portland. We will be entering Seattle in the next month.” So the next time you step out the door, step up to your computer first and print out your BOGOPOD coupons to help stretch your dollar and your shopping experience.
Find It at the Farmers' Market From tomatoes to tamales, pearls to persimmons, pomegranates to Pacific salmon – find it all in one place, though not under one roof. Where else but the farmers’ market? Thousand Oaks has held its farmers’ market for a number of years near the Oaks Mall. Making its debut this summer was the Oak Park Farmer’s Market. This is a small, intimate neighborhood affair, like an over-grown fruit stand really (but alas, no sales by the peck or bushel, as I remember from my youth in Adams County, PA). It is held on Saturday mornings from 9:00 until 1:00 in the parking lot of the shopping center housing Starbuck’s and Beau Image. This past weekend, to the tune of a folk-rock singer remembering “Yesterday,” I easily made my way through the two aisles to find my favorites – a quick 20-minute trip. This market is small enough that I can survey all the stalls first, then return for my four or five chosen items. Not to be outdone, Westlake Village recently opened its farmers’ market in the parking lot by Bauducco’s and Yozen Frogurt. (Great neighbors!). Much larger than Oak Park’s market, this market holds court from 10 until 2 on Sundays. My husband in tow this past Sunday, I lingered over strawberries, gluten-free chocolate almond pastry, roses for $7 a dozen, tomatoes (a farmer’s market staple), ears of corn and red bell peppers. The orchids, which I resisted this time, were freckled and speckled and yellow and peach and orchid (of course) and purple and white – amazing specimens for amazingly low prices. The proliferation of farmer’s markets in the Conejo echoes a national trend. According to the Farmers Market Coalition’s web site, there were approximately 1,755 farmers markets in the United States in 1994. In 2009 there are almost 4,900, attracting more than 3 million consumers and more than 60,000 farmer-merchants annually. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates these neighborhood markets generate $1.2 billion in consumer spending a year. The reason for this farm-fresh phenomenon? In a nutshell, so to speak, for consumers the goods are, well, farm-fresh and the shopping experience is direct and neighborly. And for the merchants and farmers, they provide an opportunity to sell to their customers without a cut for the middleman. So the next time you’re in the mood for John Dory or jujube, drop by your local farmer’s market in Oak Park or Westlake Village.
9/27/09 California School API Scores Released One of the most desirable features of the Conejo Valley is our excellent schools. Recently the state released the Academic Placement Index growth reports, and for the most part our schools continue to excel - and continue to be one of the main reasons people want to live here: Conejo Valley Unified School District
“For-Sale” Inventory Halved in California The “for-sale” inventory of homes has dropped by more than half from May 2008 to May 2009, according to the latest California Association of Realtors (CAR) report on May home sales and prices. The association’s Unsold Inventory Index suggested that the market had reversed from a buyer’s market in May 2008 to a seller’s market in May 2009. The Index, which measures how long it would take to sell all “for-sale” homes given that month’s sales pace, was 4.2 months in May 2009 compared with 6.7 months in May 2008. In contrast, the National Association of Realtors reported a 9.6-month supply of “for-sale” homes nationally. According to a report by DataQuick, Southern California home sales rose for the 11th consecutive month in May, as the median price increased slightly from the prior month for the first time since July 2007. The report also said that 83% of the previously owned Southland homes were purchased for less than $500,000.
6/05/09 Quick Market Update for the Conejo Valley "Water, eater everywhere, nor any drop to drink." This famous Coleridge quote, from "Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner," applies to the number of buyers we see seeking to buy homes in the Conejo Valley and the low number of properties available for them to buy. Even short-sales and bank-owned properties are selling above list price to buyers with large down payments or all cash offers. Month-end sales continue to show demand for homes and lack of inventory. And nice, well-priced homes are garnering more than one offer at a time. The pick-up in home sales above $1 million, noted in last month's report, has intensified, with 38 pending sales in May in this price range, compared with fewer than 20 in recent months. As more positive news on the economy surfaces, interest rates, while still low, have increased. The unknown factor in all of this is bank-owned properties. At some point they will hit the market and how many and how soon or how quickly are unknown factors.
“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” -- Wayne Gretzky We don't need the great Gretzky to tell us where the economy is today. But where is it – and the housing market, which commands a 21% share of the economy - going to be? For a clue, read recent headlines: 05/11/09 U.S. Economic Growth Seen Resuming in Third Quarter - Reuters Rupert Murdoch: The Worst Is Over – MoneyNEWS 05/12/09 The Return of the Homebuilders – CNNMoney 05/14/09 Then this past Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the 52 economists in its latest economic survey see an end to the recession by August, with full recovery taking perhaps years. If the glass is half full to you, then this is good news.
"The essence of knowledge is, having it, to use it." -- Confucius The biggest problem with some of the homebuyers I talk to is that they are not listening to the market. In other words, they have the knowledge but they are not hearing it. So it was a pleasant surprise to see the venerable Wall Street Journal confirming what I've observed. Yesterday's Journal discoursed on a trend evident here in the Conejo Valley: the dearth of homes on the market - especially in fast-moving price ranges, which is up to about $750,000 here - coupled with multiple offers submitted on bank-owned properties and cash-heavy offers winning the day. 1. How many REOs (foreclosures) are listed in our MLS? 2. Is the median price of sales rising or falling? 3. True or false - There is a glut of homes on the market. 4. True or false - Home sales over $1 million are stagnant.
This Week's Quote TARP funds. Mark to market. Loan modifications. Banks not lending money (until recently an oxymoron). What can we make of all of this? As we continue to sort this all out, remember Thomas Jefferson’s thoughts on our lending institutions in 1802: “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.”
If you or someone you know is having trouble making payments under the terms of your mortgage note – or if you believe fraud, predatory lending and/or violations were involved, then a loan modification may be an option for you. This involves a change in the loan terms, usually the interest rate and/or the term (number of years mortgage payments are owed). Loan Modification Experts Inc. is an affiliate of my brokerage, Ewing and Associates Sotheby’s International Realty. Please e-mail me for more information or to set a up a free consultation. This is a safe and secure way for you to understand all the options available to you while getting the advice and perspective you need to determine your best financial path forward.
Tax Time Quotes My final Tax Time Quote is from Ronald Reagan, 1986. As we approach the 4/15 filing deadline, keep this in mind from the Great Communicator: "Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases. If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
Tax Time Quotes "I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” -- Winston Churchill
Tax Time Quotes “A government big enough to give you everything you want…is strong enough to take everything you have.” -- Thomas Jefferson Look for more of these quotes during the next two weeks. 4/03/09 Use Your Ira to Buy Real Estate! Did you know that you can use a self-directed IRA to invest in real estate? Though not widely touted by Wall Street (which hasn’t figured out how to make money from it), this option has been around since 1974. It’s particularly attractive for cash-rich investors who can put 30% down on rental properties. Writing in "Market Watch" today, reporter Chris Plummer went on to say, “The U.S. housing market may not yet have hit bottom, but the winds appear to be shifting. Existing-home sales are on the mend in hardest-hit markets and foreclosure-avoidance programs are expected to stem the rising inventory of bank repossessions, meaning the window to buy at rock-bottom prices could close before the year is out.” For the full text of this article – or if you want to buy investment properties in the Conejo Valley – just call or send me an e-mail.
March Market Trends - Conejo Valley Could our local Conejo Valley real estate market be turning a corner – or at least showing signs of new life? The March-end sales are positive: fewer listings on the market than at the end of February, substantially more opened escrows, and closed sales apace with those in previous months. This trend holds true for a year-over-year comparison as well. Of the 106 closed sales (based on statistics from the Conejo Valley Multiple Listing Service on 3/31/09), half were at a price point less than $475,000; only eight closed sales were over $1,000,000 - three more than the previous month. Among the opened escrows – considered a forward-looking indicator – half were over $520,000 list price, and 13 were over 1,000,000. The encouraging sign is that million-dollar-plus sales seem to be increasing, while homes in the 7’s and below may garner multiple offers.
HUD Website Imposter Beware of this scam! The following website - http://bailout.hud-gov.us/ - is posing as HUD. The website attempts to dupe people into providing personal information. And because it has been designed to appear to be an official U.S. Government website, people may fall prey to this scam. HUD's official website for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is www.hud.gov/recovery.
3/20/09 Wall Street Journal, 3/20/09 From today’s Wall Street Journal (front page): “The Federal Reserve is going to extraordinary lengths to push down long-term interest rates, including home-mortgage rates. But those hoping mortgage rates will fall sharply from current levels, already historically low, may be disappointed.” (E-mail me for the full text of this article).
CA Tax Credit for Purchasing New Construction The state of CA has allocated $100,000,000 in tax credits available to qualified buyers who purchase a principle residence that has never been occupied (new construction) after March 1, 2009, and before March 1, 2010. The tax credit is equal to either 5% of the purchase price or $10,000, whichever is less. Taxpayers must apply the total tax credit in equal amounts over three successive tax years (max $3,333 per year). Tax credit allocations are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and once the $100,000,000 has been allocated, the tax credit will no longer be available. A qualified buyer is anyone eligible for the property tax homeowner’s exemption, who is buying an owner-occupied SFR or condo that has never been previously occupied. The taxpayer must occupy the property for a minimum of two years and must apply for the allocation within one week of close of escrow.
3/16/09 • Win with FHA’s low 3.5% down payment In 2009, first-time homebuyers have all the advantages…affordable home prices, historically low interest rates and FHA’s low 3.5% down payment requirement. Add to that a gift from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – a first-time homebuyer tax credit up to $8,000 IF YOU CLOSE YOUR PURCHASE BY 12/01/09.
FHA Announces New Loan Limits 3/13/09 It's official: FHA has announced the restoration of 2008 loan limits for areas that had their loan limits reduced in 2009. These new maximums are available for loans approved on or after March 12th. In California these maximum limits apply to 14 counties including Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Orange: $729,750 for 1-unit properties Combine the FHA program with today's very low mortgage interest rates, and you have a winning combination. Please contact me if you have questions about your purchasing power using these temporary FHA loan limits.
The IRS has announced the details of the 2009 Home Buyer Tax Credit (a tax credit, not a deduction). Taxpayers who qualify for the first-time homebuyer credit and who purchase a home this year before December 1, 2009, have a special option for claiming the tax credit either on their 2008 returns due April 15 or on their 2009 tax returns next year. If you have never purchased a home -- or have not owned a home in the past three years -- this provision may benefit you. If you need the details for yourself or a friend, just send me an e-mail. And always consult with your tax and or legal advisor on any tax matters!
NUMBER1EXPERT® © Best Image Marketing and/or its clients. All rights reserved. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
