The mortgage companies now have  (finally) standard processes for handling Short Sales. The entire process now takes about 45 days.  You have to have somewhat of a hardship and not just a desire to get out of an upside down property.

For some, the change in the economic environment might be enough if living on the edge.

If you are in San Diego and think a short sale is for you, call me, we can easily determine the right path for you.

A few KEY points:

The effect on your credit is minor!

You do have to move out of your house or condo.

Fighting Foreclosure

The new HAFA short sale provides $3,000 to help with relocation.

If a San Diego short sale is for you, I am a HAFA certified agent and am happy to assist you.  CALL ME! (619) 985-6528.  If you are anywhere else, I can still help.  I will refer you to the top Certified Residential Specialist  (CRS) in your area.

Here is a link to my free book…..Fighting Foreclosure.

I just like the food and like to eat there. They are not “rated” as I like them all.  They are not categorized geographically, as you can pretty much drive to all of them in under 15 minutes.

Just go and enjoy.

Original Pancake  House

Richard Walkers

Ricky’s

Brians’ American Eatery

Cafe on Park

The Mission

Hash House A Go Go

The Huddle

Du Pars

San Diego Home Cookong

These are my ten favorite

Shadow inventory

This shadow inventory will slow down the housing market recovery. Monthly foreclosure numbers will remain high through 2012 and the REO Inventories will remain high through 2013 possibly even 2014.  The banks hold about 800,000 REO and three quarters of those are not listed for sale.

The shadow inventory keeps home prices down for months and even years. States like California, Florida, Illinois, Georgia and Ohio have the largest shadow inventories. It takes more than a year for the bank to put up “For Sale” Signs.  All of the people 90 days or more past due are all potential foreclosures if they can’t accomplish a modification or a short sale.

Many short sale prices are not an accurate reflection of true market value.  Many buyers gravitate toward short sales for two reasons. The first is that the price is attractive and the second is that the potential buyer believes the seller is desperate.

Short sales are on the rise as the foreclosures have slowed over the last few months. This gives distressed homeowners who do not qualify for loan modification or refinancing a viable option to foreclosure. Short sales also give lenders the opportunity to avoid the long, costly and increasingly messy process of foreclosure
and the responsibility of reselling the property as an REO.

Once a property is foreclosed upon, the bank usually will not be able to get a higher price for the property. Many
times if the bank can negotiate with the seller’s buyer on the offer price for the property, they are going to get more for that property than if they take the property to sale.

So….if you are looking, go get a deal on a short sale or if your mortgage challenges have got you down, call me at 619.985.6528. I will take very good care of you in San Diego or refer you to the best CDPE, CRS  in your area.

Free book Fighting Foreclosure – get your copy NOW!

Articles across the internet are boasting the level of incentives the credit card companies are giving to it’s potential consumers in order to open yet ANOTHER credit account with them.  This is despite that the average interest levels for these cards have increased significantly over the last two years.

It’s important to understand that the credit crunch is making these credit card companies give massive incentives because their consumer base has shrunk over the last few years because of the very crisis’ that they created to begin with.

As homeowners in this volatile housing market, it might be wise to be cautious when applying for credit lines when other areas of your financial well being might be suffering.  Most of the credit card companies have switched from fixed rate interest to variable rate interest, similar to what was the adjustable rate mortgages that caused a massive stir in the foreclosure market.

Food for thought:  If interest rates in general start to rise, credit card costs will increase at a very rapid rate.  All the televisions, food, gas, etc. that were purchased on it, can quickly get outrageously expensive.
Check out this article in AZCentral http://www.24HourHomeBusiness.com/?cp=gc662lxa

Get my free book on Fighting Foreclosure. If you are having trouble paying your mortgage or your house is upside down, a short sale may be an option.

This last week a good friend of mine and one of the best writers I have ever known published an article which is relevant to the real estate market, for only after we create jobs can the real estate market truly recover.

Here is a link to my internet marketing blog if you want to read more articles by this author. Incomefaucet.com.

The music he recommends can be found here…. Get the music and then read on!  Comments always welcome.

President Obama is a goner, unless he gets the message fast: the issue is and always has been: Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Author’s program note. You know and I know (and may be even they themselves know) the folks in Washington, D.C., those congress people, and even the president of these United States, just don’t get it. I mean, it just seems like common sense, logical, that a human person needs a job and the  income that derives from it. So today I’m going to do these exalted poobahs a favor. I’m not going to wait a moment longer… I’ve got a detailed plan for what the Honorable Barack can do — right now. And he better use it, too, before all the folks without jobs hand him his hat… and some other gent his job.

It doesn’t cost trillions of dollars and your right arm. By Washington standards, it’s cheap… and that’s probably why they’ll turn up their noses at it… because this plan isn’t going to swell the ranks of the bureaucracy; it is only going to help real people get work and focus the president on what’s important: having a job, like he does.

For the incidental music to today’s article, I’ve selected a pip of a tune. Your mom probably sang it to you when you were a kid. Mine did… and mom (who was a bit of a ham, like all good mothers) needed no persuasion, not just to belt it out, but pretend she was a train and that I was her favorite passenger. The tune is “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad.” You’ll find it in any search engine. Go now, find and sing it at the top of your voice. Feels good, doesn’t it, especially if you’ve got a job!

It’s a traditional American folk song first published in a book of glees, “Carmina Princetonia”, by Princeton University in 1894. Those privileged boys knew nothing about work, of course; but they did know a good tune when they heard it…and so did the Sandhills Sixteen who first recorded it. It was released by Victor Records in 1927… and was so popular everyone and his bro’ recorded it, too. It’s easy to see why. It’s got traditional American pep and toe tapping rhythm.  It’s the way a bunch of folks would sound as they let off steam (and had a cool one, or two) after work… The key was “work.” And that, Mister President, is why you need to listen to this tune and its lyrics and get the message:

“I’ve been working on the railroad All the live-long day.”

A pie cutter, not a  pie maker.

To understand  Barack Obama better, you’ve only got to remember that he’s a lawyer. And while that isn’t exactly illegal, it is certainly not what we need when the issue is, as it has been throughout his presidency, jobs, pure and simple. That’s because lawyers are adept at dividing wealth (always keeping a good slice of it for themselves); they are not and never have been good at creating wealth. I like to say, lawyers can cut up a pie and distribute it… but they don’t know a hill of beans about making pies. And that’s Barack’s problem and why he’s having so much trouble… and why much more trouble is heading his way unless he gets the message and starts creating some jobs.

And one more thing… the problem is even worse because he’s a Harvard LAW grad.

Now, I’ve got nothing against the “Harvards” (as Lyndon Johnson used to call them); I have two Harvard degrees myself. but you’ve got to understand something. Harvard Law graduates (the best trained lawyers on earth) are cool, detached, analytical to a degree. They have been trained in the mastery of words… not in the necessary skills for working with, inspiring and motivating people. And if you don’t see Barack Obama in these words, you need to change your bi-focals. He was trained in a way that provides no assistance whatsoever in making pies and feeding Americans who need them.

I’m here to help. I am always glad to pull a Harvard Law grad out of the drink… It helps humble that insufferable breed.

Here’s my suggestion designed to save the president’s bacon and, while we’re at it, put millions of Americans to work, which is where they ought and want to be. Here’s where a knowledge of business,  marketing, and the Internet come in handy.

First, let’s make sure we’re focused on the right enemy and get Obama focused, too. He missed the boat (as every political junkie knows) by concentrating first on health care, gays in the military, etc. These were important, of course, but never as important (or as marketable) as JOBS. And here the Honorable Barack unquestionably muffed it. It’s what put him in the soup and soured America. Real people never forgot that which Obama gave no indication of ever knowing; namely that having a job (with that all-important predictable income) is the key to the good life and the mental serenity that everyone needs. It’s that “pie maker” thing I mentioned above.

Declare war on the real enemy –  unemployment.

Obama is the Commander-in-Chief of all the president’s  horses and all the president’s men. He needs to act like it and select the right enemy: unemployment. This means setting the goal and going about the business of achieving it.

Start by turning the Roosevelt Room into what it used to be: a military command center. Tell the nation that a 24 hour-a-day strategic center will work from there… and that it will help folks around the nation CREATE jobs… and recognize those who do. Make it clear that you, the president, will appear in this war center daily; also, that you will address the nation for 5 minutes or so. Monday through Saturday. Set up the necessary video facilities in the White House.

Then get a website where the jobs being created are listed along with the folks responsible for thus helping achieve victory in the war for employment. Make it clear to your fellow Citizens just what you are doing and that you are calling upon them to help add new workers to their enterprises and organizations.

Each day cite progress, outline problems, say what you’re doing to solve them and make progress. Show the American people what YOU are doing… and then make it clear what they need to do. Americans like this kind of common sense approach. They can understand it, unlike mere statistics as reported by government agencies and run in newspapers. Your job is to keep it clear and simple so that even teen-agers understand.

“Hi, fellow Americans, here’s what we achieved together today.”

You pioneered in using the Internet to raise money and identify supporters. Now use it to motivate and recognize job creators of any kind for everything they do. Be enthusiastic! Always mention the names of these heroes in the war for job creation and growth. Make your website interactive like my Live Business Center. Have employers leave their job creation info… and have a staffer get back to them at once for all the details. Make sure you phone some of them… and always, always, always thank the people — by name — for what they do towards creating the jobs Americans need. And, remember, every job created has a tremendous ripple effect, the new job holder, his family, the children, the merchants where they shop, you get the picture.

Turn it into a Big Deal…. because it is.

One more thing: by doing this and embracing the American people and their needs and concerns, you’ll not only save your soul; you’ll probably save your presidency, too. And if you follow these recommendations and achieve success, you’ll deserve it!

About the Author

Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Jeffrey Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books. Republished with author’s permission by Alan Schmitt http://AtHomeInSanDiego.com

Well, what did you think??Feel free to comment!

And…by the way….If you are having even the slightest hint of mortgage problems, go get my free book,  Fighting Foreclosure.

I am a Certified Residential Specialist serving all of San Diego County in Southern California. Please contact me if you have any real estate questions at all. I can refer you to a Certified Residential Specialist and a short sale expert in your area.

Enjoy!

Whether you own a home or a condo, or rent an apartment, you should make your home as safe as possible for yourself, your family and for your guests. There are many simple things you can do around your home to avoid injuries. Listed below are several helpful tips on home safety:

Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Lives can be saved by simply having smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home. It is recommended to have one in each bedroom and in all hallways leading to the bedrooms. You will also want to check the batteries on a regular basis to ensure they are still good. Smoke detectors should be installed on the ceilings or high on the walls, since smoke rises; and carbon monoxide detectors should be installed low on a wall, since carbon monoxide descends. Please read instructions for proper use and installation.

Remove rugs, mats and floor runners

One of the most common injuries in homes is caused by tripping on rugs, mats and floor runners. So it is recommended to simply remove all of them from your home. If you choose to keep rugs in your home, secure them by taping, stapling or nailing them to the floor. For bathmats, make sure you have the non-skid bottoms on the mats.

Stay by the stove when cooking

Another very common thing that we do is put something on the stove or in the oven and then leave the kitchen to do something else. This is a big “no no” for obvious reasons.

Keep cleaners, medications and poisonous materials locked away

Whether you have children or not, it is very important to have all of your cleaners, medications and any poisons like Drano locked away in a safe and secure place. This will avoid one of your children or a visiting child having access to them.

Install handrails on all stairways

Whether you have just a few steps leading to your front door, or several flights of stairs in your house, it is essential to have handrails. It is recommended to have them on both sides of the stairs to maximize safety.

Fence a pool with a self-latching gate

If you have a pool it is a must to have the pool completely fenced with a self-latching gate. There are still hundreds of children that drown each year in backyard pools. Most of these deaths can be avoided with a pool fence and gate.

Install nightlights

Porches and walkways should be well lit at night. It is very easy for someone to trip when they are not able to see well. Also have nightlights in hallways and bathrooms for that middle of the night trip to the restroom or the trip to the kitchen for that midnight snack.

Never leave candles or other open flames burning unattended

We all love the ambiance of candles. But never leave candles burning or any other type of open flame when you are not present.

Keep your hot water heater at 120 degrees or lower to prevent scalds

Many of us do not realize that our hot water heaters are set too high, which can cause scalds. By adjusting your setting to 120 degrees, you can prevent scalds and also save on your utility bill.

Do not leave small objects lying around

Never leave small objects around your home. Small items the size of a marble or a quarter are items that children and pets can easily choke on.

Use electric outlet caps

Cover your electric outlets that you are not using with outlet caps. They are very inexpensive and easy to install. I can remember as a child sitting on the bathroom floor trying to stick a pair of tweezers directly into an electrical outlet. Luckily I was not injured and grew up to be big and strong.

Keep a disaster preparedness kit

It is recommended to always have a disaster preparedness kit in your home and at your office. The most important items for the kit are drinking water, a flash light, a battery operated radio, batteries for the flashlight and radio, basic first aid kit with bandages and antiseptic, individually wrapped granola or breakfast bars and some cash. For more information on disaster preparedness, Google “disaster preparedness.”

Remember if there is ever a life-threatening situation in your home or if there is any kind of an emergency, always call 911 immediately.

There are so many simple and inexpensive things you can do to make your home safer and avoid injuries. Above are just some recommendations for increased home safety. For more tips on home safety, Google “home safety tips” and you will find dozens of additional recommendations for your home. So enjoy your home and always be safe!

Underwater and need help? Go to ExplainMyOptions.com . Buying investment property in San Diego? Check out my advanced search at AtHomeInSanDiego.com or call me for the best Certified Residential specialist in your neighborhood at 619.985.6528

Gateway Family Apartments brings 42 units of affordable housing in the Barrio Logan Redevelopment Project Area.

The fiscal debate over redevelopment is often mischaracterized as a choice between funding schools or subsidizing sports stadiums.  In fact, Jerry Brown’s proposal to scrap redevelopment agencies is just the latest attempted budgetary confiscation from America’s most fiscally irresponsible city—Sacramento.

Redevelopment provides monetary incentives to spur development to the great physical and monetary benefit of cities.  However, a government that repeals its own economic subsidy is bound to create unintended consequences—witness the changes to the Internal Revenue Code limiting deductions for passive real estate losses and the ensuing real estate crash and S&L bailout two decades ago.

The focus on redevelopment will remain budgetary, but one of the biggest reasons to keep redevelopment is to allow growth in a way that causes the least impact on our environment.

Redevelopment stimulates construction in areas that are already environmentally impacted and reduces development in open space.  Redevelopment is good for the environment.  Eliminating redevelopment in California could cause immense harm to California’s environment or stifle an already troubled real estate development industry so badly as to add further suffering in our stagnant economy.

In addition to pulling a cruel hoax upon California’s cities—upending cities’ plans for growth and future budgets— Brown’s changes to redevelopment would cause more development on virgin land, eliminating habitat, causing more traffic, air pollution and water pollution.   The impacts upon our environment would last far longer than any temporary budget plugs.

Take the city of San Diego for example.  Certain neighborhoods are nearly free from undesirable environmental impacts—count the number of gas stations next time you drive through La Jolla.  Wealthier communities are more pristine because they fight any and all development, particularly by abusing environmental litigation.

Try to build a student facility on an ugly median across from UCSD.  Meet the community opposition armed with the California Environmental Quality Act.  No matter how meritless their purported environmental impacts, the resulting delays and costs will kill projects.  Want to build a condo on the corner of 6^th and Upas—one that would block the views of a neighboring condo?  No matter how baseless and trumped up the environmental challenges, this type of project will be litigated until bankruptcy.

San Diego’s City of Villages concept was based upon mixed-use communities where people could walk to work.  No matter how environmentally beneficial this planning would be, the addition of a biotech facility becomes impossible when it meets opposition so adamant about protecting the environment (read: the number of cars driving through a neighborhood) that they can scare the local school district to bring trumped-up environmental claims.

San Diego’s less affluent communities are the past and present home to industry, bearing the use and storage of toxic substances.  The homes are not the only part of these neighborhoods which are “blighted”—so is the soil.

Developing on such land is like tap dancing across a minefield.  Without redevelopment, builders would avoid projects built upon land bearing every environmental risk and requiring inordinate replacement of infrastructure.

So where can we build homes and offices for the next million people who will call San Diego home?  One must build far enough from the well-funded NIMBYs and the legacy pollution of past industrial sites.

Stand upon a crest at Torrey Pines state reserve.  Look west and find inspiration in the beautiful coast.  Look east and witness unrepentant land rape.  Drive down the 56 and try to count the number of homes molded with the same stucco shell.

Eliminating redevelopment means that the next million San Diegans will live in homes carved into the rolling hills of open space.  Eliminating redevelopment means that blighted neighborhoods will remain toxic hotspots for longer, and more San Diegans will drive to work–and drive farther.

More storm water runoff will carry their brake pad residue, motor oil and fertilizer into our ocean, spoiling our coastline—this region’s most valuable asset.  Paradoxically, without redevelopment, our economy and environment will suffer so badly that the next million people might not move to San Diego.

Having mortgage troubles?  visit http://www.knowyouroptions-sd.com

My internet marketing blog is at  http://www.incomefaucet.com  visit if you need some freevisitors to your website.

Now is the time to jump on in.  Property in San Diego will be on another pretty steep incline within the next few years. Take a look, how many cranes do you see around town?  Any new developments??

All of the builders are gone – new permits are soooo low. Nothing new in sight.  Buy it up now while you can. Returns look very promising! And…. where will San Diego build single family homes?   No where – there is just no more land. Anyway, I’ve included a chart for you which I believe will start heading North very soon.So -  go get one now!.

Please call me if you have any questions. 619.985.6528.  If you or anyone you know is having a problem paying the mortgage, check out my website at  www.knowyouroptions-sd.com

Our Team’s real estate site where you can search the MLS is located at www.AtHomeInSD

Please feel free to post your responses here.  If you are serious about blogging, read this article at IncomeFaucet.com

And finally for today, I will gladly assist you with any of your real estate needs here in San Diego County and my parternership office in Gilbert Arizona  (www.charleneSpillum.com) and I have a group of Certified Residential specialists all over the country to assist you.

Call me now! 619.985.6528 . ‘Til the next time   – Alan

Below, is an article by Michele Mowad which was published in Pacific San Diego Magazine.  Please read an enjoy. All comments are welcome.  Please feel free to call me if you need any kind of real estate assistance at 619.985.6528. If you or anyone you know is having mortgage troubles, send them to

www.knowyouroptions-sd.com

Also, if you are ready to purchase or want to consider selling your home, please visit my website at

www.AtHomeInSD.com

Make Your Move
All over the county, the time is right for first-time home-buyers