Qualifying Short Sale Buyers.  Sounds kind of crazy since we have been told by our Brokers over and over again to qualify our Short Sale Sellers, but in this market, we also need to qualify our Short Sale Buyers.  Ideal Buyer candidates for Short Sales are: Ready to purchase with few to no contingencies Do Not have to sell their property before purchasing a Short Sale Are not within a 1031 time frame period Are patient and hav time to wait out the months of delay Have resources to repair/rehab the property if necessary As a Buyer's Agent, we need to get answers to the following: Will my Buyers follow through on my feedback regarding, among other things, market value and contract contingencies? Do my Buyers understand that the Lender will be making the final call on price and terms? Are ... 02/03/2010

The Old Town Artisan Studio is a 501 (c)(3) public charity which offers an alternative to the typical charity.  This amazing organization reaches out to the community to express themselves through clay.  Some people relate to music , some to nature and some to art.  What a unique and amazing way to allow people to ex pres themselves. For those who want to improve or learn their techniques of sculpting, throing pots and glazing there are instructors available and classes.  Donations provide classes for area children and children with special needs and also other charitable groups. Thank you Artisian Studio for being a part of Old Town La Quinta and giving back to our community.... 02/02/2010

FORECLOSED HOMES COMPETE WITH APARTMENTS IN INLAND EMPIRE;  La Quinta, Coachella Valley.   Don't expect to see much apartment construction in the Inland Empire any time soon. As everyone knows, a glut of foreclosed homes has flooded much of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and those homes compete with apartments for tenants, according to a new report by real estate brokerage Marcus & Millichap. That's especially true in outlying areas such as Palm Springs, Perris and southwest Riverside County, the report said.  Certainly true in La Quinta, Palm Desert and the Coachella Valley in general..there are some low income housing projects and a few custom homes and equestrian estates being built, but nothing in the way of apartments.  Investors are seizing this opportunity to purchase for... 02/02/2010

Our phones are our lifelines-- to clients, friends,and family.  Okay, I wanted a new phone-- but I did not drop it in the pool on purpose!  How many of us have dropped, kerplunked, flushed, drowned our most important tool for our business?  Here is a short video on how to give your phone CPR--- and perhaps revive it from an unexpected plunge ! How To Fix a Wet Cell Phone on Howcast 02/01/2010

Do you remember the first time you set off a house alarm when you entered for a showing?  Every time it happens, it is still embarassing, rattling, and annoying!  Yesterday I was showing a property with clients, my Broker, and another Agent from our Team in tow--- and BLEEP, BLEEP BLEEEEEP!   Then, of course, the Sheriff showed up--- Great. The MLS listing stated:  "Call first for lockbox location",  nothing about an ALARM!  Since I had previewed the property months ago (minus the alarm), and I already knew the lockbox location-- I went direct. OOPS.  Come on Agents-- if your listing is armed-- let us know in advance!       01/31/2010

The Palm Springs valley art season kicked off today with the 24th iteration of The Southwest Arts Festival in Indio, the desert's largest and longest-running art show. The three-day affair takes place at the Empire Polo Grounds—a verdant venue with glorious views of the snow-capped Santa Rosa Mountains. The world-famous polo grounds just hosted the nation's largest dog show and now claims ownership of the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals. Today the venue supplied pure art seasoned with pleasant weather, appealing music and good food. My girlfriend, Marianne, and I spent a lovely afternoon savoring new and familiar artwork. Here are snaps of a few of the 260 artists participating, many of them favorites and some newcomers who caught my eye. My very favorite artists, Sumati and Mi... 01/30/2010

Short Sales in 2010;  This is YOUR year!  Watch out because there are changes afoot with regards to Short Sales, the banks involved, benefits to Sellers, and response time for Buyers.  Being a Realtor involved on both sides of the Short Sale process for the past 3 years, I am now becoming a National Association of Realtors, Certified Short Sale specialist (SFR).  Why???  Because the Short Sale story is changing dramatically..and for the best!This is the year that Banks may opt into the Federal program with it's incentives (Foreclosure Alternatives), which guarantees.. $1,000 for servicers $1,500 for homeowners for relocation fees $3,000 for paying junior lien holders to release liens (4/2010) VOLUNTARY BY THE BANKS (that's a problem!) No Foreclosure activity during listing period If the... 01/30/2010

There must be alot of misinformation floating around about what happens in a Short Sale.  The general public has heard of them-- and like the perfect golf swing, they think they know a little bit about them.  For the most part, I have found that a large percentage of people...accountants, lawyers, bankers, Realtors, included... have many different ideas about what happens in a short sale and when it is a viable option.  Most people don't know how to grip the club. Much less, hit the ball. I have a client who came to me and said he needed to short sale his home.  I asked for the pertinent information to send to the bank... and he said "HARDSHIP ??  What's that??  My income was over a $1Million dollars in the last  3 years, and I'm getting divorced, and my house is'nt worth what I have in... 01/28/2010

I had so much fun "just doing my job" last Sunday.  I drifted high above my listings in the California desert in a hot air balloon.  I took some fantastic aerial photos of my listings at Boitano Palms and enjoyed the most beautiful snow covered mountains and soft desert breezes as we floated above citrus groves and equestrian estates.       Why not come along for the ride?   Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800 PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper. South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hill... 01/28/2010

I read a story today about an older man who was trying to relate the importance of savoring each and every moment of your life. He said he had a theory to help him prioritize-- And that's when he began to explain his theory of a 'thousand marbles.''You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic.  The average person lives about   seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. 'Now then,  I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the  average person has in their entire lifetime. It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail', he went on, 'and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays.' 'I got to thinking... 01/27/2010

We complained about the rain last week-- it dampened the usually sunny ☼ BOB HOPE CLASSIC ☼.  The amateurs were rained out on Wednesday, and the Celebrities skipped our course on Thursday... courses were soggy and the weather was cool, cloudy, wet and breezy... not our kind of weather at all!  But the sun finally came out  on the weekend and look at what we saw!! FOR MORE GREAT DESERT PHOTOS AND FUN  GO TO MY SITE LIVETHEDESERTLIFE.COM ! I can't believe I live here! 01/27/2010

I had a challenging client several months ago-- a client who ranted and raved, who made the whole process tough-- who gave our escrow officer and our transaction coordinator fits-- And when it was all said and done my broker said-- tell him Thank you for the business, but we are done. I was conflicted about firing him-- he is a neighbor, a club member, and his friends are my friends.  I  blogged about it... and my fellow Realtors advised me to let it go.  Wait and see.  You just never know.... Now, he is back,-- with signed listing papers in hand.  I hope my Broker won't be too angry.... but I want the listing, and have learned from the past.  What would you have done?  01/27/2010

Home & Condo Sales for Coachella Valley.  As I firmly believe and keep seeing from my daily neighborhood examinations..on the street and through statistics, the Coachella Valley is seeing lots of Sales.  The following sales are MEDIAN SALES PRICES which I do not put much faith in.  However, in my local Coachella Valley area, they are closer to the truth because prices have stabilized in the lowest priced areas.  These stats are courtesy of DataQuick in La Jolla, CA., and were for Nov. of 2009.  Indio:  92201   78 homes @ $159/sf 9 condos @ $89/sfIndio:  92203    67 homes @  $200/sf    3 condos @ $93/sfLa Quinta:  92253    101 homes @ $305/sf    23 condos @ $154/sfPalm Desert: 92260  32 homes @ $283/sf 35 condos @ $ 158/sfPalm Springs:  92264  33 homes @ $431/sf    31 condos @ $203/sfRan... 01/26/2010

If you have forgotten some of those New Years Resolutions-- here is a way to tone, stretch, strengthen and burn a few calories right at your desk.  This short video will motivate you to get moving while sitting still--during these winter months when most of us are putting in extra hours at the office!  Luckily, here in the desert, the weather is usually nice enough to head outside--- but if you live in a cold climate and are spending all your time indoors-- try DESKERCIZING!!     How To Deskercize on Howcast 01/23/2010

New Home Sizes Down; Cents & Sensibility.  Reports from the National Home Builders Association are find that first time Buyers and our ever increasing 55+ population have different preferences for New Homes.  They want less square footage, less costly upgrades and more green amenities.  The following is from the New York Times... House Must-Haves Builders, attempting to respond to those consumer demands as well as hold the line on prices, told the NAHB surveyors that they were most likely to include these features as standard in their houses this year: Walk-in closets in the master bedroom. Laundry rooms. Insulated front doors. Great rooms. Energy-efficient windows. Linen closets. Programmable thermostats. Energy-efficient appliances and lighting. Separate shower and tub in master bathr... 01/23/2010

For a golf-rich area like the Coachella Valley, Sweet Spot—La Quinta Museum’s newest exhibition—is perfectly named. The museum's latest exhibit showcases 50 years of desert golf lore while celebrating master clubmaker, Mario Cesario, an artisan whose handcrafted woods have been wielded by such notable golfers as Tom Watson, Gary Player, Craig Stadler and Patty Sheehan.Considered one of the finest clubmakers and designers of the 20th century, Cesario left an indelible mark on an ancient sport.  First trying his hand as a professional golfer, Cesario soon realized his real passion lay off the greens in designing the sport's equipment. In 1958, he opened Mario’s Golf Shop in Redlands, California, and pioneered cutting-edge clubs for more than half a century.The special exhibit touches on t... 01/22/2010

California home prices inch up; should buyers believe it?  Remember that California is HUGE!  Whenever I see Dataquick reports such as the one I will add here, I know my Buyers will react differently.  This would appear to be great news, right?  Yes, it is..for certain areas.  The Coachella Valley is seeing this slight uptick at certain price points, in certain cities, in certain developments..as a Buyer, do your research Know your Inventory..or hire a local Agent who does Throw out the Median reports for California..be more localized in your research. Be aggressive and sure on your offer price, and make it a clean offer Decide if you are a home buyer or an Investor, and STICK with that decision.  Buy accordingly.  (Now here come the DataQuick stats..) California home prices ticked up 1... 01/22/2010

Admit it-- our phone is our lifeline.... to our clients, our office, other Agents, our families, and our friends.  We leave phone messages and play phone tag all day, everyday.  Here are some tips to help you leave a short, effective message and help you get the answer you are looking for!     How To Avoid Sounding Stupid in a Voicemail on Howcast For more great How-To videos go to LivetheDesertLife.com ! 01/21/2010

La Quinta Country Club still loved by Bob Hope Classic golfers ! LA QUINTA — Although the sun wasn’t shining at La Quinta Country Club on Wednesday, players sounded like they were in golfing paradise.“I remember my first year out here in ‘07, I was going, ‘Man, I could play here every day,’” George McNeill said. It didn’t hurt that McNeill shot the lowest round of the day at the course — a 7-under 65 — but fellow pros echoed his praise. They are pleased that the course has rejoined the rotation at the Bob Hope Classic after a one-year absence. “I’ve always liked this golf course,” McNeill said. “It’s always in just absolutely perfect shape.” The course wasn’t used last year primarily because a new clubhouse was being constructed. It opened last fall. But it’s the course’s historic charm... 01/21/2010

La Quinta honored its own last week in the 8th annual Pillars of the Community awards at City Hall, celebrating residents who make a difference in their community.Linda Williams, a friend and Windermere Real Estate colleague, was among five honored by La Quinta for their significant contributions to the city’s quality of life during a special ceremony January 15. Although she moved to the Cove area of La Quinta from Chicago a scant six years ago, Williams quickly found her niche in a variety of civic activities. After serving as secretary of the La Quinta Historical Society, she donned the mantle of president in 2008. Williams plays an integral role in mounting permanent and revolving exhibits at the city’s beautiful new museum while continually prospecting for donations of artifacts an... 01/21/2010