Make your home as safe as you possibly can!

October 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
smoke detector

This information about home safety was written by a local San Diego agent Trent St. Louis and I find it worth sharing.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Mortgage Rates Lowest in History!

October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
lowinterestrates

Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped below 4 percent this week for the first time in history amid increasing global economic concerns, Freddie Mac said in releasing its Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

A separate survey by the Mortgage Bankers Association suggested many homeowners and would-be homeowners are unwilling or unable to take advantage of record low rates, with demand for refinancings and purchase loans both falling last week.

Inman news reports that we have now surpassed the lowest of the low.

Fannie Mae economists are projecting that mortgage rates will stay well below 5 percent through 2013, and that demand for purchase loans will more than double in the next two years.

Freddie Mac’s survey showed rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.94 percent with an average 0.8 point for the week ending Oct. 6, down from 4.01 percent last week and a 2011 high of 5.05 percent in February. Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages have never been lower in Freddie Mac records dating to 1971.

 

Call me at 619.985.6528 and I will refer you to the best Certified Residential specialist in your area. Of course, if you are in San Diego, call me. Not only will I find you an incredible loan, but…an awesome property to live in or for investment.  Now Is The Time.

Visit my website for the best local search available.  AtHomeInSanDiego.com

Filed Under: Current San Diego Market, First Time Home Buyer, investors, lenders, National Tagged With: ,

The clock is ticking! Short Sell Now!

October 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
short sale

If you ever plan to sell your house via short sale, the time to get started is now! 

The MTDFRA ( Mortgage Tax Debt Foregiveness Relief Act) and many state counterparts will expire at the end of 2012. That means that if the transaction closes after that date the homeowner will need to pay taxes on the amount forgiven.  This is HUGE! If you are having any trouble paying your mortgage and see ANY chance that you may not be able to pay (even if you’ve already modified your loan) short sell the house now.  Everything is perfect for you right now. Go back to renting for a little while then buy again in 2 years! The HAFA short sale program has several benefits and you might qualify for a HAFA short sale which allows the seller up to $3,000 to assist in closing costs. Check out the HAFA short sale guidelines now and contact your local Realtor  ( in San Diego that is me Alan Schmitt). Email or call me and I will refer you to an incredible short sale expert in your area.

The short sale process can take 4 to 5 months and with the deadline closing in, I expect a deluge of short sales hitting the system within the next 6 months. Have yours completed and be well on your way to your next purchase!  Don’t get caught with your pants down.  Act Today.

Check out short sale information at www.knowyouroptions-sd.com

Filed Under: lenders, National, Short Sales Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Shadow Inventory in housing and the effect on the housing market!

August 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Shadow inventory improves but still threatens housing recovery

Despite all those millions of distressed properties out on sale,
depressing home prices even further, there is one glimmer of hope
according Standard & Poor. According to the report the time it
would take for banks to purge all of this so-called “shadow
inventory” from the market (through foreclosure sales, mortgage
modifications and other measures) shrunk to 47 months during the
second quarter, a significant drop from the 52 months it
estimated for the first quarter of this year. The report also
found that the total dollar value of the loans on these
properties — known as non-agency loans because they are not
backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or the Federal Housing
Administration — also fell to $405 billion at the end of June
from $433 billion three months earlier. S&P said the decline was
helped by stabilizing liquidation rates and by fewer borrowers
falling behind on their mortgage payments as the economy slowly
recovered during the quarter.

S&P estimates that there are still a total of between 4 million
and 5 million homes, including those with agency-backed loans, in
shadow inventory, an amount that continues to jeopardize the
housing market’s recovery. Nevertheless, Fannie and Freddie are
looking to rid themselves of a large percentage the shadow
inventory they do have — and quickly. Earlier this month, the
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the Treasury Department
and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were
seeking suggestions on how to dispose all the repossessed homes
now owned by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing
Administration in a way that would benefit local communities.

Filed Under: Current San Diego Market, First Time Home Buyer, investors Tagged With: , , ,

Oil prices down in time for summer. Might there be a spark?

June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
oil

Oil drops to 4 month low

Oil fell to the lowest in four months in New York, bringing its
decline from this year’s peak to 20%, on speculation a
weakening global economy and Greece’s debt crisis will lead to
reduced fuel demand. Futures slid as much as 2% today, erasing
this year’s gains, as European governments failed to agree on
releasing a loan payout to spare Greece from default and
Japan’s exports dropped in May more than forecast. Crude traded
for a second day below its 200-day moving average, a major
technical- support level. Today’s low marked a 20% decline from
its 2011 settlement high in April, the sign of a bear market.
“The fear is that a Greek tragedy will lead to another
2008-style recession that will drive prices lower,” said
Thorbjoern Bak Jensen, an analyst at Global Risk Management in
Middelfart, Denmark. “But I think that the European Union will
consider Greece too big to fail.”

Crude for July delivery fell as much as $1.87 to $91.14 a barrel
in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
That’s the lowest intraday price since Feb. 22 and below
$91.38, the final settlement price of 2010. It was at $91.55 at
9.59 a.m. London time. Futures reached a 2011 settlement high of
$113.93 on April 29. A 20% decline is typically considered to be
an indicator of a bear market. The July contract expires
tomorrow. August futures are down $1.31, or 1.4%, at $92.09.

Filed Under: investors, National

Too many opinions too sort out!

June 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
renews

When you are reading real estate news, make sure you are reading about your local market.  There are huge differences between what is happening in San Diego and Miami for instance.

That said, there are too many expert opinions right now so  you will hve to do your homework.

Many feel that San Diego is past the bottom , but on a real flat path for a year or two.  Most of the economists in San Diego talk about a real bright future but are uncertain when it will begin. Unemployment is holding the housing market back. There are many upside down mortgages in San Diego and nobody wants to sell at the current price level.

However, many rich people are coming over from Mexico to avoid the drug wars, there is really no more property on which to build in San Diego and , there is currently virtually no construction in the county. It appears San Diego is poised for price increases. Once the prices start to rise, and people begin to enter the sales market, the growth spurt will begin.  Over the next five years, my bet is we see growth of  between 25 and 40% (total…not oer year!). This will get us back to the levels of 2005 and 2006 by the end of 2016.

Properties are very affordable and interest rates have taken another little turn downward. Buy something now so in 10 years you won’t be saying ” if only I had”.

Feel free to call me at 619.985.6528

also – anyone in a little bit of mortgage trouble visit www.knowyouroptions-sd.com

 

Filed Under: Builders and housing inventory, First Time Home Buyer, investors, Short Sales Tagged With: , , , , , ,

There is still time! We won’t be saying this in another 6 months!

April 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
housing prices

We are beginning to see more and more stories along these lines. It may be your last chance to buy at or near the bottom!  Interest rates are still at historic lows. The ship will be sailing soon!!

This article is from From MoneyNews.com

New-Home Sales Surge 11 Percent but Pace Is Far From Healthy Level

Monday, 25 Apr 2011 10:07 AM

 More people bought new homes in March, giving the battered industry a small lift after the worst winter for sales in almost a half-century.

New-home sales rose 11 percent last month from February to a seasonally adjusted rate of 300,000 homes, the Commerce Department said Monday. That follows three straight monthly declines. Still, the pace remains far below the 700,000 homes a year that economists view as healthy.

Sales of new homes fell last year for the fifth consecutive year and the market is showing no signs of rebounding. Economists say it could take years before sales return to a healthy pace.

The median price of a new home rose nearly 3 percent from February to $213,800. New-home prices are about 34 percent higher than the median price for re-sales. That’s more than twice the markup in healthy housing markets.

Builders are struggling to compete with a record number of foreclosures, which have forced down the price of re-sales and made them more of a bargain. The disparity has dragged on the economy. New homes represent a fraction of sales but they have an out-sized impact on the broader economy. Each new home creates an average of three jobs for a year and $90,000 in taxes, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

“New housing prices look much less attractive compared to cheap existing stock,” said Yelena Shulyatyeva, an analyst with BNP Paribas. “As such, new housing demand will likely remain depressed throughout this year and next.”

Many builders are waiting for the glut of foreclosures and other distressed properties to be cleared before stepping up construction. But with 1.2 million foreclosures forecast this year nationwide, according to foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac Inc., a turnaround isn’t expected for years.

“You can’t put lipstick on this pig,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial. “The new housing market remains weak no matter how the data is cut.”

High unemployment, tight credit and a lingering fear that prices will fall further have kept people from making home purchases.

The seasonally adjusted number of new homes for sale in the United States is the fewest since the summer of 1967, when there were 110 million fewer people in the country.

Requests for building permits, a gauge of future construction, sank in the winter to their lowest level in more than 50 years. They recovered somewhat in March, but that improvement was spurred by a more than 28 percent jump in permits for apartment and condo buildings.

New-home sales rose in most regions of the country last month. Sales jumped nearly 67 percent in the Northeast, which was hit hard by wintry weather; by almost 26 percent in the West, which saw a surge in buying three months ago because of a Jan. 1 deadline for a California state tax credit; and by nearly 13 percent in the Midwest. Sales fell 0.6 percent in the South, which accounts for the nation’s biggest home-sale market.

Given the pace of new-home sales, it would take more than 7 months to clear them off the market. Economists say a six-month supply of homes is healthy.

Also catch our marketing blog at www.Incomefaucet.com

Filed Under: Articles, Builders and housing inventory, Current San Diego Market, First Time Home Buyer, investors Tagged With: , , , , ,

Not a Good time to buy real estate in San Diego?…guess again!

April 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
housing

Right now is one of the most incredible times in our history to buy a home in San Diego. The market has really changed over the last year or two.

Although inventory is not at killer highs, the market is still favoring buyers. The San Diego housing market is now seeing more and more anxious sellers who will go to great lengths to make a sale. As prices creep up, more ned more of those who have been waiting a few years to sell will put their homes on the market.It has been a long time since the number of homes listed reached the current level especially non REO’s and short sales.It has been even longer since sellers were willing to so much for a buyer and make the concessions they are making now. Prices seem to have leveled out or are on a slowly upward path in the San Diego market with some areas doing better than others. The correction appears to be finishing up and prices are expected to beginning rising at moderate levels shortly. No one knows how long this buyers market will last. But, there is very very little construction in San Diego county, and nobody’s making more land.

Mortgage rates are still near all-time lows. If you are thinking of buying but are putting it off to wait until prices start climbing, you may miss the best buyers market of the decade (or many decades). Owning the real estate in which you live has and always been and will always be the best investment that you can make.

Here is my main website to search the San Diego market and to contact me. Also if you or anyone you know is having mortgage problems, check out our website  for all your options.

If you do any internet marketing, please check out our blog at IncomeFaucet.com.

Today I am featuring Escala in Mission Valley. Want to know all about it? Visit Escala here!

 

Feel free to call at 619.985.6528. Thanks

Alan

 

Filed Under: Builders and housing inventory, Current San Diego Market, investors, Short Sales Tagged With: , , ,

Foreclosures still around?

February 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
foreclosure

The short answer is yes. And….they are on the rise. There is still quite alot of activity in the foreclosure area, primarily due to the slowdown caused by the Robo-signing incident.

I’ve attached a summary of where the acivity is in San Diego County.  Chula Vista,Spring Valley,Mira mesa, El Cajon, Lakeside, Santee, San marcos, Escondido, Oceanside are where you’ll find most of them. Here is the link to the report

This article was in Sign On San Diego and is a good read on foreclosures.  If you or anyone you know are having mortgage issues, send them over to http://www.knowyouroptions-sd.com .  We are short sale experts and will gladly review all of your options.

Filed Under: Articles, Builders and housing inventory, investors, Short Sales

A great article on San Diego redevelopment.

February 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
brown
This article by David King of the San Diego News Room spells out all of the issues on this hot topic.I myself was wondering where the next million go. Read on and feel free to comment on this article. I enjoyed it and it is really something anyone living in San Diego and especially selling real estate should understand.Environment and Resources – Land
BY David King   

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 6th 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.

David King is the founder of the San Diego Newsroom and The King Law Group. The opinions expressed are his own.

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.

 

Filed Under: Articles, Builders and housing inventory, Current San Diego Market, investors, Uncategorized
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