Ring Out the Old, Ring in the New !

December 31, 2007

Always as one year ends and another is about to begin, I reread the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem, "In Memoriam". It is a lengthy poem, but the final verses are a great way to "Ring out" the old and "Ring in' the new. I quote:

"Ring out wild bells to the wild sky,

The flying cloud, the frosty light:

The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

The civic slander and the spite;

Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;

Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace."

Celebrate responsibly !

Giving Back to Our Communities

December 28, 2007

Since the mid 1980s, our company has had a policy of putting $10.00 from every commission check into a "charities fund". Each office has a committee of agents who review donation requests and select the organizations and programs that we will support. In addition, the agents donate individually to the United Way, Family Service and the Children's Fund.

Our company was the leader in providing funding for free days at the San Bernardino County Museum. Some of the other beneficiaries from our charity fund include: Riverside Recovery

Yucaipa High School

Child ID Day

Inland Empire United Way

Movies in the Park

Victoria Elementary School

YMCA of the East Valley Scholarships

Cal State San Bernardino Foundation

Children's Theater

East Highland Ranch Easter Egg Hunt

East Highland Ranch Meet Santa

Option House Monthly Support



and the list goes on!

You Want to Sell Your House in 2008

December 27, 2007

An article yesterday in Inman News , an email newsletter to which I subscribe, was entitled "New Year's 2008 resolutions for home sellers".

Planning ahead was the key message for sellers. Here is a synopsis of a few of the resolutions.

1) Get my home into shape before I let anyone see it. (Pass the "Wow" test.)

2) I will invite at least 3 agents to create a market analysis. (Since the market has changed so dramatically and quickly, the market analysis is vital.)

3)I will know my selling timetable before I list my home. (Do you just want to sell or is there a specific reason why you need to sell?)

4) I will be realistic about the market. (Understand what is happening in your local market. It may be different than the national news media report.)

5) I won't list my home until I am clear about where I am going after it sells. (Start before you list to research the neighborhood or different city.)

6) I will read all the documents before I sign any of them. (One of the most heard complaints as the credit markets imploded was "I didn't understand what I was signing." Don't be afraid to ask if contracts are unclear.)

7) I will not be driven by greed. (This is the corollary to setting a realistic price.

Consider all offers as serious. Know that as a seller your list price is your best of all possible worlds and the buyer's offer is the best of all possible worlds for him/her or them.)

If you resolve to do the above, you can be a successful seller in 2008.

Winding Down the Year 2007

December 26, 2007

As I reflect on the year 2007, I am struck by how rapidly the real estate market transitioned from a fairly neutral market in 2006 into a really "bearish" market (to use a stock market term). A "Bear Market" on the stock market is when investors want to sell and few investors are actually buying. During the hot real estate market of 2004 and 2005, the investor mind set took over and folks looked on home ownership as an investment rather than as a place to put down roots.

Over the long term, owning a home generally does prove to be a great wealth builder. I would not deny that approximately every 10 years the real estate cycle permits profits from "flipping" houses. However, 2007 became the year for the re education of sellers that the party was over for the time being and the re education of buyers regarding the true benefits of owning your owning piece of the planet.

As 2007 winds down, we learned that

1) Up markets come to an end

2) That supply and demand do influence prices

and

3) Creative financing is not always a winner

With this knowledge, we can approach the new year with a realistic approach to purchasing a home.

Glad Tidings od Good Will

December 25, 2007

From all of us at CENTURY 21 Lois Lauer Realty, we bring you the message of yore, "Glad Tidings of Good Will and Peace on Earth for all.

Twas the Day Before Christmas - 2007

December 24, 2007
All the news media are busily featuring shoppers hustling and bustling to complete the last minute Christmas shopping. Hopefully some of you have finished your gift buying and are enjoying our beautiful weather, the music that is on or in the air and the calls and visits from family and friends.
Generosity and celebration are the bywords of the season. We give for the joy of pleasuring those about whom we care. We celebrate because we are blessed with family, friends and the kindnesses that a Christmas season encourages.
So don't turn the season into "Bah Humbug" just because there seems to be such pressure to feel that your life is out of control. Take time to smell the roses - or if you have already pruned your rose bushes - smell the cinnamon spices, the evergreen branches and the roasting turkey. In any event, the holiday seasons offers a respite from the daily routine and allows us toput aside our cares and enjoy, at least for one day, the folks who are most important to us.
Cheers!!!!

Holiday Lights

December 20, 2007

I can remember when my parents would take us out for a drive around town to look at all the decorated houses. That was back before mini lights and plastic decorations. It was a treat to see the brightly colored decorations that lit up the evening.

With the proliferation of the mini lights and the icicle lights and the various deer and tree and what-have-you statues, front yards and houses have become truly bright and shining.

I try to take a different route home from the office every evening in order to see the creativity in holiday lighting that is occurring. Two homes I passed yesterday were especially nice. One on the corner of Brookside and Lakeside and one on the corner of Lakeside and Cypress.

I hope that your neighborhoods are enjoying the fun of lighting up the evening.

I believe the lights make the season very joyful and help to make us grateful that we live where we live.

Are you confused by the sub-prime mess?

December 19, 2007

I have been refraining from posting information about the various programs which Congress and the Federal Reserve have proposed to rescue the credit industry - or is it to help the underwater homeowner? To date it has seemed to me that there is a great deal of confusion about who and how it helps.

However, late yesterday, the House passed the Senate version of the "Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007". It will now go to the President for signature and it is expected that he will sign it. The centerpiece of this act is that the amount of debt forgiven by a lender will not be subject to income taxes as it has been until now. This is an oversimplification on my part and it will be interesting to see what limitations on the use of the provisions of the bill are included in the bill. For sure this mortgage forgiveness is limited to a principal residence.

A kind of quirky new provision is the upping of the capital gains exclusion of a single surviving spouse to $500,000 to $250,000, but only if (a) the spouse died within 2 years of the date of sale and (b) the sale closes after January 1, 2008. If you fit these requirements and your home is in escrow, you might want to delay your closing for a few weeks.

Stay tuned and I will try to post more information.

Fireplace Logs Revisited

December 18, 2007

When I posted a piece about cleaning a chimney, I received a question about the use of "chemical" logs. Now that colder weather is here, the stores are featuring the man-made logs. They are a popular and easy way to have a cozy fire in your fireplace. The question had to do with how safe these logs might be and what effect does burning them have on the sooty deposits in your chimney. As good fortune would shine on me, there was a short article in the Sunday, December 16, 2007 San Bernardino Sun newspaper.

The article was written by Morris and James Carey and I quote it here.

"The truth about fireplace logs

Q. We burn package logs from the grocery store in the fireplace of our weekend home for more heat in addition to our electric wall heaters.

Are these man-made logs safe for the fireplace - will they cause a buildup?

A. The popular brand of man-made logs is safe, though they do contain a lot of wax that could accumulate in the chimney over time. Not only that, but they are not the best product to produce heat. The best heat will come from seasoned hardwood.

Seasoned means that it has been aged so it's dried out and burns hotter than other logs might. It takes three years to season most firewood.

Actually, in the long run, real wood not only burns hotter but it is far less expensive for the amount of heat generated."

Now you know!

Operation Gratitude

December 17, 2007

In keeping with Century 21 Lois Lauer Realty's emphasis on giving back to our communities, our Yucaipa office is once again putting together care packages to send to our troops oversees.

I f you would like to donate items to this effort you can drop them off at the Century 21 Lois Lauer Realty office at 33699 Yucaipa Blvd. (The office is just opposite the shopping center at oak glen and Yucaipa Blvd.) If you have any questions regarding items that might be appropriate you can call the office at 909-570-6000.

Operation Gratitude was begun three years ago and it is wonderful to be able to gift our soldiers who must spend the holidays away from their families.

Gifts For the Home

December 14, 2007

For several years I had been wanting rain gutters for our house. (That was back when we had a really rainy season.) The rain would pour off the valley of the roof just outside our bedroom window and sound like a deluge. What a wonderful surprise when my husband gave be rain gutters for Christmas!

Are there projects or improvements you wish you could do for your home?

Maybe instead of perfume and jewelry or shirts and ties, you could give a gift to your living environment.

Here are some thoughts.

New awnings or a patio cover.

A new appliance for the kitchen.

A new wall hung TV.

A surround sound system.

New windows.

And once you do the gift card to announce these gifts, you could visit State Street in Redlands and enjoy the Christmas entertainment at Ed Hales Park.

And here are some useful tools that would make great gifts.

A Gecko Level (Black & Decker, $24.99) 24 inch aluminum box level has "Gecko Grip" friction pads that really help keep the level from slipping. As someone who hangs a lot of paintings on my walls, I would love this tool!

Then there is a Rota-Driver (also from Black & Decker, $29.99) This is a compact screwdriver that has a head that rotates into 4 different positions to reach the tightest most confined spaces. It has a built-in work light, and accepts any 1/4 inch hex drive tips; comes with a plug in charger and 2 tips.
It is fun to be creative with your gift giving!

The Beauty of our Mountains

December 13, 2007

Since the heavy rains of the past weekend which have been followed by crisp, clear days, we are able to enjoy picture perfect snow capped mountains.

One of the true benefits of living in the Inland Empire is the beauty of the scenery. Couple that with the opportunities that our centralized location offers.

Traffic notwithstanding, we are an hour from the oceans for surfing and swimming, an hour from the ski slopes of Wrightwood, Arrowhead and Big Bear and an hour from the desert resorts of Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Joshua Tree National Park.

When folks are looking to relocate to our Southern California area, they do find that there can be real benefits in purchasing a home in the Inland Empire. First, the price of property is lower than at the coast or at the resorts. Second, the coast has lots of morning fog banks, the mountains have icy roads and the desert gets very hot in the summer.

It used to be that shopping was a bit limited, but over time we have had malls and boutique stores open here. We have traffic, but with the addition of new lanes on I-10 and the opening of the 210 freeway, it has become less congested.

All in all the Inland Empire is a great place to put down roots. Just look at the beauty that surrounds us today!

A Question of Permits

December 12, 2007

In the selling of real estate since the mid 1980s, the question of whether additions were done with permits has become increasingly vital to the overall marketability of a property. Back in the old days 1950s through the 1970s, "do-it-yourself" was a popular way for homeowners to make improvements to their properties. In California in approximately the mid 1980s, we began asking sellers if their additions had been done with permits. A written statement was then furnished to the buyer as a disclosure. California state law made disclosure a mandatory part of every real estate transaction of residential 1-4 unit properties.

Buyers then could request that a seller obtain an "as-built" permit from the building and safety department of the municipality in which the home was located. Some cities charged penalties, but usually the basic permit cost was doubled. Should a seller not wish to become involved with a the process of obtaining a permit, the buyer then had a decision to make regarding continuation of a purchase.

I have discovered that governments are becoming more and more stringent about the inspections and requirements of "as-built" additions.

Here are a few of the challenges:

The addition will need to be brought to current construction codes. This could require new wiring, new insulation and even fire sprinklers.

The addition will need to meet current set-back requirements.

The assessor is now evaluating whether to collect back assessments that would have occurred when the unpermitted addition was built.

All in all, getting permits when doing alterations and additions to a home is a wise and probably an important first step for any homeowner. The lack of permits can cause a loss of a sale and /or a decrease in the value of the property.

Winter Has Come - Is Your Garden Ready?

December 11, 2007

I had frost on the windshield of my car, so I know the winter season has arrived!

Many times it takes me unawares and I lose some of my treasured plants. We have just had some really soaking rains which will be great for our gardens. In Southern California, we can trim up our perennial plants and add color with annuals . Cyclamen and pansies seem to be favorites for our winter gardens.

If you really want to increase the attractiveness of your yard, a seeding of winter rye will turn your lawn a beautiful shade of bright green. There are companies such as Green-Guard that will do this seeding for you.

From now until the end of January, rose bushes need to be cut back. I know that the sticks that remain are not especially attractive, but the roses will thrive and send out healthy new shoots.

Visit your local garden shop and get the professional advice about nutrients and about pruning. If you can spend the time now to spruce up your yard, you will be thrilled with the results when Spring arrives.

What Makes a Community a Great Place to Live?

December 10, 2007

It struck me as I was attending the dedication of the new clubhouse for the Boys and Girls Club of Redlands that this was the kind of amenity that keeps a community on the "Great Places to Live" list. A community that provides programs and locations for both children and adults to learn and grow is also a community that typically has more stable property values.

The dedication of the clubhouse was a great way to start a holiday season. Greeting the attendees were the youth members of the Boys and Girls Club. Playing music was the volunteer band called the Zanja 8 - teenagers from both of Redlands' High Schools. There was a county supervisor, city council members, many of the donors who had financially made this building happen, parents of the Boys and Girls club members and just folks such as myself who have followed the ups and downs of the club in its desire for a permanent location. It was the exemplification of a community working together for the benefit of all.

I know that there are many other projects in other communities of the Inland Empire that would be helped by a donation. I repeat my belief - support for projects that enhance the life of a community make those communities great places to live.

Santa's Inland Empire Workshop

Toys for the Children's Fund

December 7, 2007

Just thought I would share a photo of the gifts our Century 21 Lois Lauer agents have assembled for the San Bernardino county Children's Fund. This accumulation of bikes, dolls, games and other toys is piled in front of my desk. It gives all of us such a proud feeling to be able to share with others.

If you have the inclination, there are "Toys for Tots" boxes around town. (I saw one at Hatfield Buick on Redlands Blvd. this morning.) Of course you can always make a monetary donation to the may charities in the area that provide food and gifts to those in need.

Sharing the spirit of giving makes the holiday season sparkle.

Mortgage Bailout Plans

December 6, 2007


It seems as if every branch of government and many of the presidential candidates are proposing some kind of mortgage bail out plan. All strongly deny that the plans would benefit lenders or investors or speculators. All say the purpose of the proposals is to help homeowners who are in trouble to keep their homes.


There is the Secretary of the Treasury Paulson's plan, there is congress's plan, there is President Bush's plan, there is Hilary Clinton's plan and who knows what other folks may also make a proposal. Bottom line: How do you feel about helping the folks threatened with losing their homes? I would love to hear whether you think some plan is necessary or whether you think people need to be responsible for their financial decisions - good or bad.


For those of you who are in danger of a foreclosure, there is a new hot line established by the HOPE NOW Alliance and is managed by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation. It provides free, independent, bilingual, HUD approved counseling and advice 24 hours a day. For more information you can go to www.hopenow.com.

Christmas Gift Idea

December 5, 2007

Several months ago, I posted a blog regarding Emergency/Earthquake preparedness. At that time, I had been unable to discover a local source for commercial kits that could be purchased and which would provide the basic emergency supplies.

Yesterday I had lunch in the ESRI cafeteria on New York Street in Redlands.

There is a display set up and information about a company in Redlands that sells emergency kits. They have a display of the blue plastic tub and the supplies that are in the tub. They also have a display of a 3-day emergency kit.

Here is my holiday gift idea. The kit is attractive and would be a great item to have in your vehicle or even at home. I recommend visiting the ESRI cafeteria during the noon hour for more information.

If you prefer, you can go to http://www.simplelife.com/ or visit the Redlands location at 2035 Park Ave. Suite#1, Redlands, CA 1-800-266-PREP (7737).

I believe the 3-day kit sells for between $25 and $35.

Median Prices

December 4, 2007

In a very unsophisticated method, I went through the residential sales reported in the IMRMLS and found the median sales prices for homes in the various Riverside/San Bernardino municipalities. Median signifies that half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less. Often there was a fairly great difference between the sale prices of the homes on either side of the median price. However, in the interest of giving some picture of the local markets, I did use the sale at the middle of the units sold. I did this same procedure to arrive at the median for 2006 in order to look at the trends in price devaluation. So here are the numbers:

Banning/Beaumont.........2007/$240,000..........2006/$315,000

Bloominton.......................2007/$330,000..........2006/$375,000

Colton................................2007/$310,000..........2006/$310,000

Fontana.............................2007/$370,000..........2006/$415,000

Grand Terrace..................2007/$315,000...........2006/$370,000

Highland...........................2007/$340,000..........2006/$350,000

Loma Linda.......................2007/$375,000..........2006/$450,000

Moreno Valley...................2007/$300,000.........2006/$370,000

Redlands............................2007/$376,000.........2006/$390,000

Rialto.................................2007/$289,000.........2006/$375,000

Riverside...........................2007/$360,000.........2006/$425,000

San Bernardino................2007/$265,000.........2006/$320,000

Yucaipa/Calimesa...........2007/$350,000..........2006/$350,000



As you can note, Yucaipa, Colton, Highland and Redlands had the least amount of change. I always regard this data with scepticism because all real estate sales median or average data depends on the particular mix of homes sold that month.

Closed Sale Statistics - November 2007

December 3, 2007

As the year 2007 winds down, I once more will post the comparison of closed sales for some Riverside/San Bernardino municipalities that were reported through the IMRMLS for the month of November 2007 compared to the closed sales reported for November 2006. These numbers are the number of single family properties sold.



Banning/Beaumont..........2007/36..........2006/62.........Change of 42%

Bloomington......................2007/7............2006/17..........Change of 59%

Colton.................................2007/8............2006/37..........Change of 78%

Fontana..............................2007/57..........2006/142........Change of 60%

Grand Terrace...................2007/9............2006/10..........Change of 10%

Highland............................2007/29..........2006/31..........Change of 6%

Loma Linda.......................2007/9.............2006/10.........Change of 10%

Moreno Valley...................2007/47...........2006/153.......Change of 69%

Redlands............................2007/34...........2006/51.........Change of 33%

Rialto.................................2007/22...........2006/51.........Change of 57%

Riverside...........................2007/87...........2006/259.......Change of 66%

San Bernardino................2007/51............2006/155........Change of 67%

Yucaipa/Calimesa............2007/22...........2006/50.........Change of 56%



These numbers do not reflect new home sales or for-sale-by-owner sales.

Tomorrow I will be attempting to determine median prices from the data reported though the IMRMLS.