County of Castles: Orange County Real Estate Blog

Something passed through my email today that simply blew. me. away.In our company, we get a daily email telling us what our brokerage's new listings are for that day.  Today there was one in there that was a SFH, 3/1, in Garden Grove, for LESS THAN $400,000.  And we're not talking short sale wish...

This is a concept that's been rattling around in my brain for some time. When you break down the holidays, look closely at their commercialism as well as their meaning, and viewed in light of how they are celebrated, Thanksgiving is a standout of a holiday.I'm not saying it's my favorite, just th...

I can't believe this still happens in this market.  I was doing some research on an open house I picked up, and one of the competing listings has been on the market 71 days and still has NO PHOTO in it.  This is even more amazing when you consider that our MLS has a "report violation" button and ...

Market worries have you feeling a little under the weather?  Here's some Chicken Soup for the... uh, stomach. Yesterday I made a lovely chicken soup in the crock pot.  Here's how you can do the same:3 cans chicken broth (on sale right now due to the impending holiday!)2 carrots, peeled and sliced...

Down payment assistanceBack when we had our Spring Update Meeting in our office, one of the topics that came up was down payment assistance programs. One agent in our office worked with a client who was able to buy a home in Anaheim with the assistance of a whole list of city government programs ...

There's been a lot of talk about "interest rates" lately and what they're doing.  Let's take a look, shall we?  From MSN Money:Today's National Averages Mortgages        APR 30-yr. fixed      6.21% 15-yr. fixed      5.90% 1-yr. adj.         6.70%A week ago, they looked like this:30-yr. fixed 6.22...

Today I read an interesting article on MSN Money: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/ContrarianChronicles/StageIsSetForAStockCrash.aspxNow, to some extent, I'm always ready to take the doom-and-gloom articles with a grain of salt because, let's face it, news agencies are in the busine...

The City of Aliso Viejo is currently fighting a proposal by the US Postal Service to build a massive (417,300 square foot) mail processing facility along Aliso Creek Road, close to where it crosses Aliso Viejo Parkway.  The city's complaint is that the 24-hour facility would bring undesirable amo...

I recently stumbled across a great-looking recipe for bean soup.  I have modified the recipe somewhat to suit my own tastes and preparation needs (eg: as EASY as POSSIBLE!).  This is a great one for just tossing together before leaving in the morning and coming home to a tasty and healthy dinner ...

Sunday, November 11th is Veteran's Day.A recent missive from OCAR has this to say about the holiday:"THE HISTORY OF VETERANS' DAYNovember 11th, or what has come to be known as Veterans' Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor Armistice Day - the end of World War I, which official...