Real Estate for Today’s Paradise California Investment Sellers and Investment Buyers  Are you looking for alternative investment options to the stock market? Many experienced investors are turning to the real estate market to generate current cash flow, short term capital gains, and the generation of long term wealth. Real estate is an important component in any investor's overall investment portfolio. In fact, real estate is often included within many investors' mutual funds or real estate investment trusts, because of its ability to react in a different fashion to market conditions than traditional investments often do. Now is one of the best buying opportunities for Paradise real estate investors seeking to purchase physical properties as investments, as the prices have dropped signi... 03/22/2010

Paradise CA Short Sales Aren’t Difficult - 5 Ways To Make Sure You Get Your Short Sale Approved It seems that everyone knows someone who is facing losing their home to foreclosure. It can also be said that if you know somebody in foreclosure, the chances are someone has told them that a short sale is the strategy to unlock the foreclosure prison. While short sales can save many homes from a foreclosure auction, it is a very complicated process and one that should not be taken lightly by the person who is not educated about short sales. If you are a homeowner who is facing foreclosure, a short sale might be for you. However you will need to be open, honest, diligent, cooperative and understand that the 5 tips listed below are crucial to your short sale being successful: 1. While you may ... 03/19/2010

Weekly Paradise California Real Estate Market Report, including Magalia CA   03/17/2010

Relay for life,Fight Cancer Relay For Life of Paradise Sat 10am - Sun 10am, June 5-6, 2010 at Paradise High School Click to view the latest information for this event See you all there! 03/17/2010

How to Avoid a Paradise CA Foreclosure   Contact the Lender Absolutely the first step to avoid a Paradise CA foreclosure is to contact the lender and let them know your situation. In many cases, they can work with you to temporarily modify payment terms until your situation is resolved.   Never, ever ignore late notices, letters or calls from your lender. They would much prefer to work together with you to resolve the situation, but will not hesitate to begin foreclosure proceedings if it appears that you are unwilling to work with them to avoid your Paradise  foreclosure. Redo Your Mortgage If you're still current on your payments, or not too far behind, refinancing may be a viable option for you. Refinancing your Paradise home will pay off your current mortgage and in many cases lowe... 03/15/2010

Just a Reminder to Spring Forward this weekend On Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 2 a.m., Daylight Saving Time begins in the United States. Every Spring we move our clocks one hour ahead and "lose" an hour during the night and each Fall we move our clocks back one hour and "gain" an extra hour. But Daylight Saving Time (and not Daylight Savings Time with an "s") wasn't just created to confuse our schedules. The phrase "Spring forward, Fall back" helps people remember how Daylight Saving Time affects their clocks. At 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, we set our clocks forward one hour ahead of Standard Time ("Spring forward"). We "Fall back" at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November by setting our clock back one hour and thus returning to Standard Time. Have a great day! Tammy Vertrees 03/11/2010

  Real Estate for Today’s Paradise California Home Sellers For Sale by Owner vs. Using a Realtor Multiple Listing Service Your listing contract should specify whether or not the house will be listed with the local Paradise MLS (multiple listing service). It is definitely in your interest to have the house listed. This is because your sales force is automatically multiplied by however many agents are members of the local Paradise MLS. If your house is not listed, then you only have one real estate agent working for you instead of many. This is where selling "by owner" generally fails. Owners see that an agent puts a sign in the yard, prepares brochures, holds open houses, advertises in the paper and on the internet and they think this is how houses are sold. It is easy to understand why ... 03/10/2010

Paradise California and Magalia Real Estate - Weekly Market Report Tammy Vertrees, Paradise CA Real Estate Consultant                                                                 03/09/2010

  Real Estate for Today’s Paradise CA Homebuyers Interest rates have been harboring around historical lows. Paradise and Magalia Foreclosures and Short Sales make great bargains in Butte County. Banks and lenders just want to get out of real estate business and go back to doing what they've always been doing: lending money. On top of that, the Federal government continues to help stimulate the housing market by offering the First Time Home Buyer $8,000 Tax Credit.  Don’t forget you can get help with your down payment for your new Paradise Home through the Town of Paradise First-Time Home Buyer Program. ABOUT THE TOWN OF PARADISE The Town of Paradise, incorporated in 1979, is a beautiful community with a population of nearly 27,000 and another 20,000 people living in the adjacent unincor... 03/09/2010

Paradise, California - In the Top 20 for Best, Affordable Places to Retire Tammy Vertrees Paradise California Realtor® Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains rising from the broad valley below in gentle northern California, the community of Paradise is aptly named. Tall pines abound, summers are cool at night, and the winter brings a dusting of snow to this quiet, picturesque community along a ridge top. Although California home prices can be high, Paradise CA offers great northern California retirement living at an enviable price, with many housing options. There's a reason why Northern California Retirement has become so popular. Actually, there are lots of reasons: Northern California has more to offer in one package than any other state. From mountains to seacoast,... 03/05/2010

Paradise California Home Sellers Short Sale - Foreclosure Alternative for Paradise California Homeowners Tammy Vertrees, Paradise California Realtor® Nearly 2 million housing units in the United States are in foreclosure or are bank-owned, and more are expected to follow. With foreclosures on the rise, homeowners are looking for a viable solution to their problems. When compared to foreclosures, short sales are clearly the better route. According to the National Association of Realtors, almost 500,000 transactions last year were short sales, representing almost 10 percent of all home sales. Banks are beginning to go along with short sales in increasing numbers. Short Sales almost tripled to 40,000 in the first six months of 2009, compared to the same months in 2008. However, in the fir... 03/04/2010

Home Value Estimate Cincinnati Real Estate Get this widget ParadiseReal Estate Statistics Paradise homes for sale Get this widget Newest For Sale Homes in Para... More Paradise real estate Get this widget 03/03/2010

PARADISE CA Real Estate - DEADLINE APPROACHES - $8,000 - $6,500 Tax Credit - PARADISE CA Homes For Sale  Legislation: The Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009, Nov. 6, 2009, DEADLINE APPROACHES for Buyers in the market for a primary residence to access the $6,500-$8,500 Tax Credit                                          Tax Credit - $8,000 max. / 10 Percent of Purchase Price ( Max. Purchase Price $800,000) Who Qualifies - 1st Time Home Buyers Tax Credit - $6,500 max./ 10 Percent of Purchase Price Who Qualifies - Existing Home Owners (Owners living in their Primary Residence 5 consecutive yrs/last 8) Purchase Deadline: Contract Signed By April 30, 2010, Close Escrow by June 30,2010 Tax Period: The Credit may be applied for 2009. 2010 tax years Income Limits: The credit begi... 03/03/2010

About Paradise California 03/02/2010

Qualifications for a Short Sale in Paradise California Tammy Vertrees, Paradise California Realtor® Before you eagerly climb aboard the short sale bandwagon, consider the following to determine whether you may qualify for a short sale. If you cannot answer yes to these requirements, you may not qualify for a short sale. • The Home's Market Value Has Dropped. Hard comparable sales must substantiate that the Paradise California home is worth less than the unpaid balance due to the lender. This unpaid balance may include a prepayment penalty. • The Mortgage is in or Near Default Status. It used to be that lenders would not consider a short sale if the payments were current, but that is no longer the case. Realizing that other factors contribute to a potential default, many lenders are eag... 03/01/2010

Town of Paradise First-Time Homebuyers Program for Paradise, CA Tammy Vertrees, Paradise California Realtor® The Town of Paradise offers a deferred, low-interest loan to eligible first-time homebuyers based on Federal 2009 Income Limits as downpayment assistance to purchase a Paradise, CA home. A first-time homebuyer is someone who has not owned a home in the past three years. The loan is a “bridge” or “gap” loan meaning that the loan amount is based on the difference between what the borrower can afford and the amount of money needed to purchase the Paradise CA home. The loan is secured by a note and a deed of trust and does not require monthly payments. The loan is due when the Paradise CA home is sold; the homeowner stops using it as their principal residence; or the title is transf... 02/25/2010

Tammy Vertrees, Paradise California Realtor® Buy Now! Beat The Spring Rush Down market. Up market. It doesn't matter. Spring showers typically bring spring buyers.  But if you wait for the seasonal thaw you'll join what could be a throng of market savvy buyers who have already scoped the lay of the land and are elbowing for position. In many communities, an over-supply of homes for sale with reduced prices, foreclosures, auction sales and sellers shopping for short sale buyers, all make it an opportune time not to procrastinate. "We are seeing a confluence of events that contributes to the increase in the number of closed sales." "Interest rates are at a record low and the affordability index nears a 5-year high. For first-time buyers, rents are skyrocketing and that's an added incenti... 02/22/2010

Paradise CA Real Estate - Top 10 Most Dangerous Drivers by Profession - Paradise CA Homes For Sale                              Have you ever wondered which professions have the most dangerous drivers?  Well the findings may surprise you.  The survey is based upon the results of accident history of insurance policy applicants.  While the results don't rule out REALTORS I glad we didn't actually make the list. Top 10 Most Dangerous Drivers by Profession 1. Attorney/Judge - 44% of attorneys seeking insurance quotes had a previous accident claim 2. Financial professionals 3. Government worker 4. Bartender or Waiter  5. Other – Professional 6. Dog Groomer  7. Marketing/Advertising  8. Barber/Stylist  9. Coach  10. Nurse    The least dangerous drivers? * Athletes 17% * Homemakers 24% source:... 02/20/2010

Man's Best Friend May Cost You A Home Sale As beloved as pets may be to sellers they can be a detriment to the sale of a home. One of the main reasons has to do with how convenient it is for buyers to see your home. There can be issues caused by the pets that make seeing your home more difficult than viewing other properties. For instance, if sellers have to be called first before their home can be shown this can make it less appealing to buyers and agents. You've got issues of access because you might have special pet instructions such as remove pets prior to entering home. This makes it so agents and buyers have to set special appointments. In today's market, anything that impedes a showing is a hindrance to selling the house. It's not just access to viewing the property that causes ... 02/15/2010

                 Paradise CA Real Estate - Lake Oroville, Oroville Dam - Paradise Homes For Sale                          Lake Oroville is a large man-made reservoir created by Oroville Dam in central Northern California in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.  Located east of Oroville, California in Butte County. Capacity of 3,537,580 acre feet  Created by the Oroville Dam on the Feather River Completed in 1968, Oroville Dam is the tallest earthen dam located in the United States, measuring over 770 feet (235 m) high and 6,920 feet across. Shoreline estimate 167 miles The lake supplies water that is transported to the San Francisco Bay Area and southern portions of the state. The dam hosts an underground hydro-electric plant that was completed in 1967 Generating a maximum  capacity of 8... 02/13/2010