Christopher's Hemet CA Real Estate Blog - Mission Grove Realty: June 2007

I don't know about you but, this one really bugs me.

A simple Thank You can go a long way in any business or relationship. We all know this. It is a very basic principle taught to most of us and used on a daily basis....or should be. Common courtesy.

My problem is with the response to this basic phrase. It seems that there has been a shift from, what I believe to be, the most common and acceptable response of " You're Welcome" to "No Problem".

What do you think of when your sincere thanks comes with a response of "no problem"?

My first though is that if I thought it was a problem to deliver my meal....I would have had dinner at home. If I though it was going to be a problem to pay you for a service, I would have done business....someplace else. I don't want to ruin someones day by doing business with them.

Could it have been a problem and, by some sort of luck, it ended up not being a problem so...."no problem".

Whew! Thank goodness it wasn't a problem! Maybe next time it will be? Should I count my blessings that I managed to dodge the bullet this time and go somewhere else next time? It could have been a problem...then what? Maybe I should have shopped on-line! No pleasantries exchanged....no problem!

How about You're Welcome?

Is it just me or has common courtesy gone out the door on this one?

Have I simply lost my mind?

What is your response to a sincere Thank You?

Thank you for reading my rant.

If you are over 55 and selling your existing home, you may be able to transfer your property tax basis from your old home to your new home.

This can be a great benefit if you have had your existing home for a long period of time. Lets say you purchased your existing home for $100,000 many years ago and it is now worth $350,000.00. Your current property taxes, assuming you have no major improvements done that required re-assessment of your property value, would be roughly $1,000.00 per year +-. When you purchase a new home at equal or lesser value, you could be paying over $3,500.00 in new property taxes! A deterrent to those llooking to retire soon.

Riverside County allows those over the age of 55 the opportunity to transfer your existing tax basis to your new home if you are over 55 and moving within Riverside County! This could save you thousands of dollars every year. You can even transfer to a brand new home of equal or lesser value than what you sell your existing home for.

Here is a little quip directly from the Riverside County Assessor's office:

"homeowners over the age of 55 years who sell their principal residence and purchase a replacement dwelling within two years that is of equal or lesser market value and is located in the same county are eligible to transfer the pre-sale assessed value of their original property to the replacement dwelling. The same may be applicable in other counties in California whose Board of Supervisorshas passed an enabling ordinance permitting transfers of pre-sale assessed values to replacement dwellings of equal or lesser market value between counties (Proposition 90). On June 30, 1995, the Riverside County  Board of Supervisors repealed its enabling ordinance no. 670 for inter-county transfers of assessed values on replacement dwellings.

For further information or claim forms, please contact the Office of the Assessor at (951) 955-6200, or 1 (800) 746-1544 within the 951 and 760 area codes".

Want to Learn More? Call us at (951) 927-8940 for immediate assistance.

There is some good news if you have outgrown your existing home or, simply want to upgrade or move to a  different part of the neighborhood or City.

If home prices have dropped significantly in your area, it is almost certain that ALL home prices have fallen in your area. If it is simply your neighborhood and other areas in your city or town ar stable or rising....you may have to "Bite the bullet". Let's focus on an the typical area where values have fallen equally:

• Your homes value has fallen.
• The home you want to buy has fallen too.

In this type of market, it is not uncommon to hear from homeowners that " Gee, I can sell my home for X  and buy a much better home that is larger and on a much bigger lot with granite and stainless applianes and....FOR MUCH LESS THAN I CAN SELL MY HOME FOR!" If this is your situation or belief...STAY PUT!

When you are in close proximity to your existing home, consider that most buyers out there right now know that the home you want to buy is available too. The one that is "Priced less than yours is "worth". If you truly feel that your home is worth more than a newer, larger, better home than yours....put yourself in a potential buyers shoes for a minute. What will they see? What will make yours worth more than the new home? The same one you want to buy! If you understand this and ready to get moving......You are in luck.

The good news for you?

• Your homes value has fallen.
• The home you want to buy has fallen too.

It is that simple. Be prepared to sell for less and buy for less too. It can be a good thing!

• If you are subject to capitol gains on the sale of your home, your obligation will be less to the I.R.S.! If not subject to capitol gains......all the better!
• The new home purchased will have a lower tax basis....If you are in CA and some other states this will save you a ton of money in the long run.

Now...get ready to sell!Price your existing home at a realistic price. Consider what you will be paying for a better home and be reasonable with yours. Do not list your home with the agent that gives you the highest estimate for a list price and do not scrimp on the commission! There are MANY homes on the market in most areas....what will separate yours from the rest. Agents want to get paid and money is just about the best motivator out there. One could be priced a little less than yours and yours sells simply because the agent gets paid more. Make sure that your property is marketed correctly. If you are reading this, you understand the power of the web....Does the agent understand too? Ask for ONE of the agents other listing examples. Google the address of that listing. If nothing shows up.....they do not understand the web. Like most areas, a HUGE percentage of potential buyers DO NOT COME FROM THE SAME TOWN. They come from other cities, towns or states. Your local paper does not reach those buyers. You must have proper web marketing!!! Assuming you have chosen the right agent and priced your home at the correct price.....start packing!

What is property values fall more?  Your new home will be worth less.....your old home will be worth less......Whether you stay or sell and buy another home. As long as your are buying and selling on an equal plane....All is equal. You loose on the new home and you would have lost on the older home too.

When Should I Make The Deposit on a New Home? Afteryou have sold your existing home is the best time. If you are buying a new home from a builder, resist the temptation and pressure that :"The one you want wont last" , "This one is the best in the neighborhood".....Do not make a deposit on another home until, at the very least, that your property has had some activity. And then, make certain that your purchase has a contingency period that allows a refund of your ENTIRE deposit. To sell your home and then buy a replacement may seem like a hassle...and it can be a little of a hassle. To relieve some of the stress, hire a mover or utilize the services of "Get A SAM" or "PODS" which allows yo  to load a secure container at your convenience. You can then have the contents stored for a few weeks while you find your new home. Stay at a local hotel, resort or extended stay motel......a little break after the sale and all of the packing etc. can be a very good thing! A mini vacation. You will be in the best bargaining position on a new home purchase.

Want More Help? Call us....or a local REALTOR that will be willing to explain all of your options.

The Hemet housing market still seems to be booming. Sure, resale homes have slowed a bit but, new home developments in the area are still moving at a pretty steady pace.

New Home builders like KB Homes, Lennar, Osborne Development and many others are still producing quality homes at affordable prices.

This is all good news for new home buyers. Not simply because new home builders are still producing home but....The "bad news bears" out there have had an effect on home buying. With the secondary loan market all but drying up, even new home developers have had their share of a slow down. In South West Riverside County, California, recent predictions indicate that over the next 10 years, there will not be sufficient housing to meet demands! MORE GOOD NEWS....especially for new home buyers. Simple laws of supply and demand tell us that home values WILL GROW over the next 10 years. Regardless of the gloom and doom out there.

What does all  of this mean to you? A new home in Hemet or... new homes in San Jacinto may now be some of the best buys in California real estate...In my opinion at least.  New homes in Hemet and San Jacinto are being built at such a pace that current demand (Yes, I hear the news too...there is no demand. But their certainly is demand. People still need a place to live. More of us are born to this planet each and every day and, as someone once said...."They aint' buildin' any more land"  where will all of them live?) has far exceeded production. At least for now.

New home builders are offering incentives, upgrades and special subsidized financing programs that are unparalleled. Picking the right development seems to be the only problem. There are plenty of homes, great financing and some builders even paying all or part of the buyers closing costs. Re-sale homes, in some cases, can not come close to the value received in a new home. Sad to say but it is true.

The bottom line....It is  great time to be buying a new home in Hemet or San Jacinto, CA and many other areas too!

Picking the RIGHT development poses the biggest problem and potentially dangerous situation for the average and experienced buyers too.

What to do when looking for a new home? We have the solution!

Mission Grove Realty offers New Home Tours to potential home buyers at no cost and without any obligation. This exclusive service offers potential buyers the opportunity to tour model homes of developments throughout the Valley that meet their specific needs. No need to waste time and gas hunting for the right development! Without knowledge of the Valley, it would take weeks to see them all.

Tour home developments that meet your needs with an experienced local guide that will assist you in finding the Right home at the Right price to meed your needs and financial situation without cost or obligation. Doesn't it make sense to have someone assist you in locating the right home and save you money in the process....without cost? Of course it does.

Read more about this exclusive program here:

It truly is a great time to buy a new home in Hemet or San Jacinto and, with a knowledgeable local guide on your side...you can have the peace of mind that you made the right decision! There is no need to go it alone when looking for a new home.

Another exclusive service from
The Valley's Premier Real Estate Offices.

Are you looking for a new home in Hemet or San Jacinto?

Have a Mission Grove Realty New Home Specialist be your local guide.

With our exclusive "New Home Tour" services, experienced agents with extensive local knowledge and no
affiliation with local builders can be your unbiased guide to new homes in the Hemet and San Jacinto Valley.

At no cost to you, an experienced and licensed guide will:



·        Determine and address your specific needs in a new home.

        (Finding homes and creating a personalized tour that meets your needs)


·        Tour new home developments and model homes that meet your specific needs.

        (Saving you time, money and gas! by touring homes with an experienced guide)


·        Provide unbiased opinions and insight about each home.

        (What the builder may not tell you)


·        Provide invaluable information about community schools and services.

        (Schools, shopping, restaurants, community - area insight that only a local guide can provide)


·        Provide valuable information about builder incentives.

        (Upgrades, builder financing and other cost saving incentives that you may not know about)


·        Provide brochures and maps of your personalized tour.



Don't wait until it's too late!

Find out in advance about:



·        Model home closeouts.

·        Community tax rates.

·        Hidden taxes - fees.

·        H.O.A. dues and restrictions.

·        Local Schools.

·        Available upgrades

·        Builder incentives.

·        Subsidized builder financing programs.

·        What new home builders won't tell you.

·        Mission Grove Realty's Exclusive rebate offers for new home buyers.


Want to learn more about this exclusive service designed to save you time, money and give you peace of
mind about a new home purchase? Call Mission Grove Realty today and we will be happy to provide
additional information or schedule an exclusive new home tour at your convenience.

"You don't have to go it alone when looking for a new home!"

Call us  today at:                   (951) 927-8940

Contact us online at:      New Home Tour Request

We look forward to hearing from you.

Tours provided by licensed real estate agents with no builder affiliation. New home tours and rebates available to qualified home buyers that have not
previously registered as a buyer with toured builder.

Tour developments in Riverside County from builders and developers like these fine communities:

Alexander Communities
Potter Ranch
Up to 3,150sf
from mid $300,000's

Artisan Communities
The Trails
Up to 3,200sf
from mid $300,000's

Bui Communities
Arterra
Up to 2,445sf
from high $300,000's

Empire Homes
Sandalwood
Up to 3,626sf
from mid $300,000's

D.R. Horton
Bristol & Hampton
Up to 3,031sf
from low $300,000's

Granite Homes
La Veranda
Up to 3,150sf
from mid $300,000's

Griffin Communities
Park Meadows
Up to 2,997sf
from low $300,000's

Heritage Pacific
Pamilla
Up to 2,899sf
from high $200,000's

K. Hovnanian
Four Seasons 55+
Up to 2,775sf
from high $200,000's

Lennar Homes
Mc Sweeny Farms
Up to 3,150sf
from mid $300,000's

Lennar Homes
Brookhill Estates
Up to 3,409sf
from high $300,000's

KB Homes
Autumn Ridge
Up to 3,117sf
from mid $300,000's

Meeker Group
Menlo Estates
Up to 3,150sf
from mid $300,000's

Osborne Development
Saratoga Ranch
Up to 2,804sf
from mid $500,000's

Pacific Century
Peppertree 55+
Up to 3,000sf
from high $100,000's

Ryland Homes
Up to 3,319sf
from low $300,000's

YCH Communities
Almaden
Up to 2,993sf
from low $300,000's

So.....Now what Dorothy?

• Feel that there is no light at the end of the tunnel?
• Real Estate has gone bust?
• The agent next to you is busier than a one armed paper hanger?

Maybe....just maybe, you have fallen victim to the bad news bears.

No, not the baseball team.....the team of folks out there that preach, believe and live "gloom and doom".

The best advice I give all of our agents is to stay away from those folks. Put down that paper and create your own market.

• Do people still need a place to live? You betcha!
• Do people still need to sell? No doubt!

Are you ready to succeed or...are you caught up in all of the "gloom and doom"?

Change your attitude. Get away from the water cooler. Put down that newspaper. Get out there and do what you do best!  THERE IS BUSINESS OUT THERE. Go and get YOUR share.

Get a Quality Listing Today............

I know that a lot of agents are staying away from listings and attempting to focus on buyers that can seem to be in short supply. Listings do create activity though. We all know it yet want to avoid the negative side of a listing that will tend to be on the market a bit longer. Without those listings though, you are losing out on the opportunity to actually find those buyers. If you have a wide range of product to offer, you are better suited to meet the needs of of a potential client. There are many articles out there encouraging consumers to: Deal directly with the listing agent.Those articles tell consumers that they are more likely to get a better deal when the listing agent is also the selling agent. Most of us understand some of the potential pitfalls of this advice but....not what this Real Estate Blog is about. We cant fight the press and, in most cases, you need those listings to create more traffic. So, how do you get a real estate listing today?

Your local home improvement center is an excellent source!

Who goes to a home improvement center? Homeowners do!

Just about anywhere in your local Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace Hardware or other home improvement center has an aisle that sells signs......For Sale by Owner Signs.

Hang out at your local home improvement center on any given day and you will see someone leaving the store with one of those lovely Help Wanted signs. ( Is that not what a For Sale by Owner Sign is.... A cry for help?) Especially in the current market, I would have to say that 90% or more of the calls they will be getting will be from agents.

If you are like most of us, you are there anyway. Why not make the best of it.

Watch for one of those lovely Help Wanted Signs leaving the store with their confused owner attached and seize the opportunity to offer your help.

You could  open with " Take that sign back....you don't need it anymore!" and go from there....Find a creative opener that fits YOUR personality. You may surprise yourself at the results.  Taking the opportunity to find a client at that moment is priceless. They are at a time when they have made the decision to sell and are probably wondering at that very moment....I have decided to sell, I have my lovely little sign....NOW WHAT?

If you have the tools you need and the ability to truly market their property, your assistance will be appreciated and welcome. Once that sign hits their front yard, the odds are much slimmer that you will be successful in obtaining the listing. Not to mention, every other agent in town may have already called. Beat the competition and create your own little niche in the market, create your own luck.

This is something that you can do today...or any other day for that matter. Try it and I guarantee you will be amazed at the result!

You are a winner and......Winners make it happen!

Are you feeling lucky today?

What is luck?

I think it was Heny Ford who Said:

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"

I think just about everyone has had a "Lucky" agent in the office. Someone who always seems to have a deal working. Has jsut had another one close and another waiting in the wings. What is the difference between the agent with luck and you? Basically.....NOTHING. Most of us has the ability to be lucky....Are you prepared to be lucky?  Have you been doing anything and everything possible to create your own luck? Do you have the tools necessary to be lucky?

Do something to prepare for luck today and I will be willing to bet you will actually be lucky too.

Listen to all of the gloom and doom out there, be part of the office gossip, succumb to the negativity and you too shall be one of the unlucky ones.

Want to be lucky? STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING and create YOUR OWN LUCK!

Are you feeling lucky today? Are you prepared for luck?  It is your choice to be lucky or unlucky in real estate... or anything else you do.

The Distressed Property Market Poses New Challenges for Agents Across America

Like it or not, It is inevitable that most agents will be involved in distressed property sales in the future. You could have avoided them in the past yet, will have to have the tools to work with a short sale, foreclosureor other distresses property situation to succeed in todays market.

One of the most important developments, at least for California real estate transactions, are laws affecting owner occupied properties that can prohibit investor-buyer representation. See the Active Rain Blog on representing investors. In short, this article provides information about the dire consequences of having an agency relationship with an investor-buyer of distressed property and reveals the possibility of jail time in certain situations.

Even when you represent a buyer who intends to occupy the home in a distressed property sale and can legally represent him, we should all consider the clients needs, and desires for purchasing distressed property. The obvious reason is that the buyer feels they will be buying property at less than market prices. This, in itself, is where I see many agents may be opening themselves up to problems in the future.

In many market areas, property marketed as a short sale, pre-foreclosure or "R.E.O." are not marketed at "Less than market" prices. Unsuspecting first time home buyers and inexperienced "investors"seem to be seeking these properties exclusively without truly analyzing, and without regard,  the local market around these properties. It is my opinion that, without proper representation, these buyers may end up in a situation that is worse than the prior homeowner. They have bought what they think was a great deal simply because of the fact that a property was marketed-as "distressed" or and R.E.O. ( Bank owned property).

It is our duty to educate, inform and dutifully represent these buyers when we have created an agency relationship with them. The problem I have seen recently, and feel will escalate in the future, is that some agents, in their desperation or with lack of knowledge, end up seeking only distressed property when there may be a "better deal" that is not a distressed property just down the street. As an example: I had an investor recently that was looking only for "distressed" property. Another agent had told him that it was the only way to go, that he would save thousands and would be silly to look at anything else. When he came to me, and we established that he had no agency agreement with the other agent, we determined his specific needs and started our search for property. What we ended up with is a home that was in perfect condition, at a price of over $50k less than 2 0ther "distressed properties" were under contract for in the same neighborhood. This property had just fallen out of escrow, he timing was right, our buyer was ready and the other agent was a bit desperate as well. The perfect recipe for a great deal. Are those deals out there? Right under our noses? You bet they are and we have an obligation to find them!

Just because it is easier to find the distressed property sale right now, is it truly a good deal for our clients? Some of them might be....It is my opinion that many of them are not. Take the time to find the seller that really needs to sell.....BEFORE they end up in that situationand everyone will be happier. The seller will be grateful to the buyer for getting them out of the situation. The buyer will be happier because they did something that benefited both. You will have 2 people singing your praises rater than 1 that my end up disgruntled in the future!

Bottom line.....In this market, we must not forget or obligation to our clients. We must be acutely more aware of the market around us and be prepared to deal with distressed property buyers, sellers and "investors".

Have a great day! Spread some good news about  real estate.... today!