Southern California Bucket List - An incomplete list of the things every Southern Californian should do, starting this year!   A few months ago, I urged you not to wait to do the things you always meant to do.  Now I’m going to drive the point home with this New Year’s Resolution-type Southern California Bucket List!  If you are reading this and you have not watched the movie; put that first on your list.  I didn’t see it in theaters - much to the chagrin of friends who immediately encouraged me to rent it.  I did.  It was fantastic! This list is just a start.  I'm looking for you, my friends and loyal readers, to add to the list.  I'll update the article and credit you with your great ideas.  I'll also add to the list as I come across irrestable ideas. 1.            Watch The Bucket L... 01/05/2011

Maybe I was feeling optimism because I was welcomed into my life-long friends home for Christmas this year.  They did a fantastic job of making me a part of every single celebration.  Of course, life goes on and I had plenty of time to read the newspaper and watch the news.  I was following the stories about the rain and flooding back home, but they were not the lead stories.  The lead stories were reports of consumer confidence being up since 2010.  It didn't matter what my news source was; the lead story was how people were spending 3-15% more than they spent on Christmas 2009; it depended on the source. Forbes.com reported that on-line spending was up 15.4%.  The National Retail Federation reported spending was up over 3%.  MSNBC reported spending up 4%.  I didn't get Fox News there,... 12/26/2010

Search for homes in Anaheim Hills and nearby areas. Get a head start for finding a home in 2011 12/26/2010

Are you wondering if you can track when Santa Claus will arrive in Anaheim Hills?  You've come to the right place, now check out the NORAD Tracks Santa site! For basic graphics, this is all you need:  http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html For cool 3D graphics with a Google Earth plug-in, check out this cool link!  http://www.noradsanta.org/en/track3d.html Now go track Santa Claus in Anaheim Hills! 12/24/2010

First Time Home Buyer Stats  It is a fact that the majority of homes sold in USA in 2009 was to First Time Home Buyers! Infact 47% of the homes sold nationwide were to first time home buyers! I came across an article by the National Association Of Realtors. They did a survey and here are some facts I obtained from The 2009 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyer and Sellers. Here are parts of that Survey which I thought were most interesting. Home Buyers: The number of first-time home buyers rose to 47 percent of all home sales from 41 percent of transactions in last year's study, and was the highest on record dating back to 1981.The profile shows the median age of first-time buyers was 30 and the median income was $61,600. The typical first-time buyer purchased a home co... 12/23/2010

End Of The Year Housing Trends eNewsletter 2010  Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter. This eNewsletter is specially designed for you, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you're in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general. Please click on this link to view the Housing Trends DECEMBER-2010 Newsletter http://mikepatel.housingtrendsenewsletter.com The Housing Trends eNewsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS®, the U.S. Census Bureau, Realtor.org reports and other sources. Housing Trends eNewsletter is filled with local and national real estate sales and price activity provided by MLSs and the National Association of Realtors... 12/21/2010

Holiday Discounts at Anaheim Golf Courses Makes For Good Christmas Gifts! Two golf courses in Orange County are giving wonderful discounts for the Holiday season that would serve as a perfect gift for the golf player in the family! One of the golf courses that is giving discounts is the Anaheim Hills 18 Hole Golf Course that I wrote about earlier this year. The other golf course is the beautiful Dad Miller Golf Course. Green fees, club memberships, golf clothing and gift certificates have all been discounted! Most of these deals only last up until the 31st of December so don't wait till the New Year to purchase your favorite golfing accessories! Each of these Anaheim Golf courses are of the best that Orange County has to offer and will provide a smile for a person receiving or giving a ... 12/15/2010

Blogging is becoming a Norm.. Few months back, whenever I had 'free' time  or 'down' time, I got on the laptop and went to Facebook, or Twitter or other social media sites or any other site for that matter.  I was 'surfing' the net! Lately I have noticed that whenever I have such down time or free time, I go to ActiveRain and READ blogs and have started blogging... somewhat regularly. I have actually made it a point to read blogs daily, several time a day if I can. I learn a lot from reading blogs and getting feedback and responded from other AR bloggers, and I also enjoy writing blogs. I know I will improve as I attempt to post more and more blogs. Blogging is becoming a habit and I seem to be enjoying it. It will also help me with SEO as well, not to mention giving exposure to other s... 12/12/2010

If you would like to search the MLS the same way I do, email me at LesslieG@aol.com The following statistics include real estate transactions for Anaheim Hills as of Friday, December 10, 2010.                       Condo Listings, by Zip Code, Activity between 12/3/10-12/10/10   Active condo listings in 92807: 12, Average price is $364,712; 1,628 square feet or $224.02 per square foot. Closed: 1, $165,000; 785 square feet or $210.19 per square foot. No Back-up or Pending sales between 12/3/2010-12/7/2010.   Active condo listings in 92808: 27, Average price is $324,099; 1,142 square feet or $283.80 per square foot. Back-up: 3, Average price is $329,733; 1,167 square feet or $282.55 per square foot. Pending: 1, $264,900; 1,061 square feet or $249.67 per square foot. Closed: 2, Average pri... 12/10/2010

  Riverside County Economic Developement Agency Housing Devisionwww.rchomelink.comThe County Of Riverside is offering a new down-payment assistance program on foreclosed homes for first time home buyers called the neighborhood stabilization homeownership programTo find out more information,  please contact the Riverside County Economic Developement Agency at  951.955.3389  or  800.909.0079 12/09/2010

Price You Home Accuratly And Competitively Don't be confused by the ever-changing news about home prices - I and Prudential is here to help.  Our trend graphix technology takes the guess work out of buying,  selling and pricing homes by providing you with the past and present market indicators.  As a result,  you'll have the insights you need to make smarter real estate decisions. Don't buy or sell your home without getting the facts & trends. Call me today for your detailed market analysis 12/09/2010

  Together we can: Analyze the current value of your Real Estate and determine if this is a good time to sell Look at the excellent buying opportunities available today. Discuss faster processing of short sales utilizing the HAFA Program (AVOID FORECLOSURE) Negotiate on your behalf with your current lenders for a short sale. Consider your options for distressed mortgages to minimize your loss and taxation amd improve your control of the current difficulties. Make an informed decision about your home. Call NOW for a No Cost Consultation before assistance programs expire!   12/08/2010

  We in an interesting time in Real Estate.  Every decision we make about our housing options seems to be tied to money.  Articles are written explaining that prices will still drop and therefore buying a home makes no sense.  Some people have judged whether living in their home over the last  "X"  amount of years was a good thing based purely on the profit they received  (or didn't receive ) when they sold it. Wait a minute.  Did we buy the house to make money ?  Or,  did we buy our house because we wanted a home for our family ?  We have written about the reasons why buying a home today still makes sense financially.  There are other reasons why people buy homes besides the investment however. As a matter of fact,  Fannie Mae just came out with their National Housing Survey which ask... 12/08/2010

You can Join.Me anytime anywhere with this new program.  Have you seen the latest Internet technology? It is absolutely rockin'!  You can meet with your parents, your siblings, your spouse or your business partner.  You can give your clients a personal tour of the actual MLS as you are searching for their home! Imagine the power of showing them how detailed you can set up their search.  "Oh, put Walk-In Closet!"  I have to advise you not to put Walk-In Closet because it is not a mandatory field.  "Put it anyway, I want to see what comes up!"  That is connecting with your client via technology. Do it now because it's free.  Go to Join.Me.  Not www or anything like that, just type in join.me.  Download the free software and start having fun with it.  When you are done playing; start work... 12/06/2010

The Wall Street JournalDeficit plan wins backers In February, the White House created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to examine how the country spends money and collects taxes. The commission also was tasked with creating a proposal that would cut the federal budget deficit. KEEP THIS IN MIND• The deficit commission’s proposal was released to the public this week and calls for cutting the federal debt by $4 trillion through 2020 by upending many tax and spending policies.• Among the proposed changes include a recommendation to reduce the mortgage interest deduction (MID) currently offered to homeowners as an incentive to own a home. The ability of homeowners to deduct the interest paid on mortgages is a powerful incentive for home ownership and has been one... 12/06/2010

Holding Open Houses Home selling is somtetimes doing the things you really do not have to do, but have to do it anyways to get the job done, or to fulfill your committment to the seller. I personally am NOT a big fan of Holding Open Houses. But I am holding an Open House today anyways! In Sales, sometimes you have to do things out of your comfort zone . Open Houses are a great way to expose the home to potential buyers,, they may buy it on the spot!.  Open houses are also a great way to meet new sellers, from that very neighborhood! One of the best reasons to hold Open houses is to meet, help and guide new Buyers. Many of the buyers that visit the open houses are new to the area or neighborhood, wanting information or the price trends, conditions, schools, etc. If buyers or potential bu... 12/04/2010

10 Reasons To Sell Your Home During The Holidays Many sellers put off selling their homes during the End of the Year Holidays. There are always serious buyers who want to buy at the end of the year for various reason. Here are 10 reasons why you may want to sell during the Holidays. 1.  Houses show better when decorated for the Holidays! 2. People who look for a home during the Holidays are more serious. 3. Buyers have more time to look for a home during the Holidays than they do during a work week. 4.Some people must buy before the end of the year for tax reason. 5.  You can still be on the market, but you can have the option to restrict showings during the 6 or 7 days during the Holidays.  6.  Serious buyers have fewer homes to choose from during the Holidays and less competition mean... 12/03/2010

If you would like to search the MLS the same way I do, email me at LesslieG@aol.com The following statistics include real estate transactions for Anaheim Hills as of Friday, December 3, 2010.                       Condo Listings, by Zip Code, Activity between 11/26/10-12/3/10  Active condo listings in 92807: 9, Average price is $375,183; 1,724 square feet or $217.64 per square foot. Back-Up: 1, $429,950; 1,890 square feet or $227.49 per square foot. No Pending, or Closed sales between 11/26/2010-12/3/2010.  Active condo listings in 92808: 29, Average price is $334,544; 1,189 square feet or $281.37 per square foot. Back-up: 1, $287,000; 1,061 square feet or $270.50 per square foot. No Pending, or Closed sales between 11/26/2010-12/3/2010.    Single Family Residence Listings, By Zip Code,... 12/03/2010

During this difficult time in my life, many of my friends have insisted I join them for dinner one evening. Last week, Bethany and Kevan invited me over. It was amazing because their invitation dictated the way I lived the entire day. I visited my favorite Chiropractor earlier that day. Dr. Mike Berry went through a divorce three years ago and he offered me his best advice; "You have to stay out of the imaginary future and the dead past and live in the moment. You have to seize the moment and make the best decisions possible. By doing that, you will influence people with love and respect. That is something the dead past and the possible future cannot do with nearly as much impact." I left his office feeling better physically and spiritually. As the day went on, it occurred to me that th... 12/01/2010

Weekly Video Real Estate Update - Mike Patel  Dec 1st 2010 The market is still ever changing. Last weeks news is this weeks history. What you are hearing from the mainstream national media about Real Estate is only one small part of the story. Here is the link to my Video Newsletter: for the latest. http://www.patelsupdate.com My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include: Current Real Estate NewsInterest RatesMortgage AdviceQuestion & Answers Short Sales Foreclosures Plus much more. It is "real time" and changes weekly. Whether you are thinking about selling or buying, or you just want to keep abreast of the market, I hope you find this information useful and informative. Please contact me any time. Sincerely, 12/01/2010