July 30 , 2009, 1:00 PM PST National Average Fixed Rate Mortgage  Unchanged today at 5.29% Fannie Mae Mortgage Backed Securities MBS Up 0.026% at 4.982% 10 Year Treasury currently 3.640% Down -0.05%  Lock Advice: FLOAT. MBS were up and down today with a 12/32 price swing, ending on the upside.  Relief that the 7-Year Treasury auction went well helped MBS markets. DJI stocks closed today at 9,154.46  +83.74  +0.92% European and Asian Markets Up 1.68% Nymex Crude Oil currently $68.90 Up $3.57 WORRIED ABOUT AN OUT OF TOWN APPRAISER?  If you are concerned about the value of your listing and need a local appraiser consider FHA financing where we can still control the appraiser selection Where are the best rates: Mortgage Brokers or Direct Lenders?  Rate Survey The dreaded Stealth Rate Shoppe... 07/30/2009

Over the past few months I've been talking with clients about the recovery in our San Diego housing market....and how things are getting better in a lot of other areas like Arizona...Well, the mainstream media has finally picked up the scent....it only took them four months...that's pretty good!! Here's an article from the AP that talks about bidding wars for foreclosed homes in Phoenix... Low-priced foreclosures incite bidding wars  Jul 20 01:14 PM US/Eastern  By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press Writer    http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99IABTO3&show_article=1 There is a quote in this artivcle that says the clients were making three offers a day on properties they haven't even seen!!!! That reminds me of the old saying..."The definition of insanity is performing the same ac... 07/29/2009

Risk Based FHA UFMIP In 2008, FHA decided to change UFMIP from a fixed amount to a variable risked based UFMIP, an amount that would vary depending on the loan-to-value and credit score of the borrower.  Then, before risked based UFMIP was put into effect Housing Bill HR 3221 placed a moratorium on Risk Based Pricing Beginning October. 1, 2008 and ending September. 30, 2009.  The way it is presently structured, once it goes into effect, Risk Based UFMIP will vary from a low of 1.25% for borrowers with 680 or better credit scores to 2.25% for borrowers with credit scores below 600. FHA charges two types of Mortgage Insurance Premiums; Up Front Mortgage Insurance (UFMIP) and Monthly Insurance (MIP).  The borrower pays each and it protects the lender in the event of default. FHA UFMIP is a... 07/29/2009

Tips for Selling Your Home on Lake Hodges, Escondido If you are interested in selling your home on Lake Hodges in Escondido or anywhere else in San Diego County and beyond, you will have to be sure that your home is in "tip top" shape. This means that it has to be in great show condition: beds have to be made, dirty laundry needs to be tucked away in closed hampers, counters need to be clear, etc. It's a challenging job to prepare your home for sale either in Lake Hodges in Escondido, or anywhere else for that matter. Here are some helpful tips from Annie Pinsker-Brown, a home stager in Los Angeles, California about how to clean up and "stage" your bookshelves and built-in units: 1) Keep some shelves EMPTY! Remember the idea here is to show an abundance of storage space. So if you have ... 07/29/2009

Short Sales in Hidden Meadows: Common Seller Questions If you are thinking about selling your home in Hidden Meadows, Escondido or anywhere in San Diego County and you owe more on your loan then your home is worth, you may be participating in a short sale. Most homeowners who are considering a short sale have questions. And . . . rightly so! Participating in a short sale in Escondido, Hidden Meadows, or beyond is stressful and should not be treated lightly. Here are the answers to some common seller questions about short sales: How will a short sale affect my credit? Depending upon how the short sale is negotiated and the agreement made at the bank, it is possible that the short sale could have only a small impact on your credit score. However, the missed mortgage payments (if there are... 07/28/2009

Short Sales in the Escondido Country Club: Getting Familiar with the Process If you live in the Escondido Country Club and need to sell your home right now, you may need to participate in a short sale. A short sale occurs when you are "upside down" on your mortgage-when you owe more on your loan then your property is worth. That's where a Realtor® can help. A Realtor® experienced with short sales can negotiate with the bank that services your loan for them to accept the current market value and forgive the difference. If you live in or around the Escondido Country Club area of Escondido in the North San Diego County, then you probably are already familiar with the term, short sale. The process, however, can be tricky and time-consuming and it helps to be familiar with the short sale pro... 07/25/2009

Short Sales in Escondido, California are now a great way to buy a home! If you are considering purchasing property in Escondido, California, you should definitely thinking about buying a short sale. In North San Diego County, many property owners have found themselves "upside down" on their homes. Sadly, many more individuals have found themselves unable to make their mortgage payments. As a result of this, there are many wonderful properties listed for short sale not only in Escondido but throughout the North County. Buying a short sale is not for the faint of heart; it takes patience and a good understanding of the process. First off, a buyer must understand that the purchase price is ultimately decided by the bank. It does not matter whether you offer, say $100,000, and the seller ac... 07/23/2009

Hello and Welcome to Escondido California Foreclosure Auction, Bank Owned REO, Short Sales, and Homes for Sale. July 20th, 2009 Understanding the foreclosure property auction (also known as Trustee Sale) process takes time, due diligence, and understanding.  Saavy Real Estate investors can find some of the best deals around buying at these auctions, but is it right for everyone.   We would like to help explain further about these auctions and the benefits and downsides of buying Real Estate at them. Here are some of the latest statistics from Foreclosure Radar hot off the press for June 2009.  If you are unfamiliar with some of the following terms please read below for further explanations. Notice of Defaults for California rose by 11.8% to the second highest level on record at 45,691 f... 07/20/2009

Hello and welcome to Escondido Foreclosure Homes. During the recent down turn Escondido home prices have experienced declines due to the overwhelming number of foreclosures and the tightening of credit. The region also faces pressure due to the recent rises in unemployment. So the question to ask, Is there opportunity to buy in this market? We believe the answer is Yes, but only with the right approach. The potential silver lining and opportunity here is the following: According to Dataquick, in the month of May, 2009 there were 3,094 sales in San Diego county which represents a 8% increase in sales volume over May of 2008. The median home price for San Diego has actually increased by 15,000 over the last 3 months to 295,000. The median home prices in Escondido for that same 1 year per... 07/13/2009

During the holiday weekend, in between writing offers and showing property, we took a little time to go on a short hike in Escondido at Daley Ranch.  Although there are over 20 miles of multi-purpose trails, we hiked only about 5.5 miles on a very easy trail.   For more information on Daley Ranch, the trails and the history, visit the City of Escondido website. 07/06/2009

It was almost a year ago we started working with Darren and Shona.  They were newlyweds looking to buy their first home.  At last count, we had shown them over 60 homes in North San Diego County.  I may have lost track on a few.  If I was out of town representing Women's Council of Realtors, my husband, Steve, would show them homes.  We wrote several offers along the way.  Sometimes with as many as 20 other buyers competing for the same home.  Their price point is a fast moving section of our market.  Finally, we found another house that would fit their needs.  It was a bank owned property built in 1971, complete with shaggy, smelly dirty green shag carpet, outdated wallpaper that looked like it could be Christmas wrapping paper, and linoleum that I'm sure is the same pattern that was i... 07/05/2009

Escondido California Foreclosures, Bank Owned REO, Short Sale, and Homes for Sale June 29, 2009 Real Estate Silver lining or still too early to tell? Lets look at the numbers... May 2009 Foreclosure, REO, and Short Sale update. According to Foreclosure Radar (A service which tracks every single foreclosure daily in the state of California) in the month of April Foreclosure notices in the state of California saw a decline while foreclosure sales rose in the state of California. Sales at the actual foreclosure auction rose by 32 percent overall.  According to estimates foreclosure sales sold to third party investors at an average of a 28% discount from estimated market value. Notices of default dropped by an estimated 4.2% from the record level set the prior month.  Notices of Trustee sal... 06/29/2009

Are the kids out of school yet? Are they driving you crazy? Don't have money to send them to camp? Well, here are some great summer activities in the city of Escondido for locals and vacationers alike: Starting June 13, 2009, you can participate in an Ocean Adventure at the Escondido Children's Museum. Here you can journey under the sea and learn about the mysteries of sea life. Kids can even examine shells and make their own fish that they can take home! On July 11, 2009, the Children's Museum will host Pioneer Day where visits are made to a pioneer schoolhouse to learn about the old west_  making candles, churning better, working with leather. August 8, 2009 is Everything Desert Day. Reptile experts will be on hand with live reptiles, and there will even be a take home project using d... 06/06/2009

Hello and Welcome to Escondido California Foreclosure Auction, Bank Owned REO, and Homes for Sale. Understanding the foreclosure property auction (also known as Trustee Sale) process takes time, due diligence, and understanding.  Saavy Real Estate investors can find some of the best deals around buying at these auctions, but is it right for everyone.   We would like to help explain further about these auctions and the benefits and downsides of buying Real Estate at them. Understanding the process is the key, and here is how the process goes as an overview: Pre-Foreclosure (Also known as Notice of Default).  Pre-Foreclosure is usually when the current homeowner is 90 days past due on their Mortgage.  The current lender files with the County Recorders office a Notice of Default.  When thi... 06/04/2009

Life in colonial Mexico revolved around The Hacienda. Haciendas were the economic, political and social center of every settlement, town and city. In the early 16th century the Spanish conquistadors, under orders from the Royal Spanish Crown, created the "Hacienda" as an institution to extract wealth from the land. As the haciendas grew, they became feudal estates supplying all the needs of the surrounding community, including food, clothing and medical aid. Haciendas played host to a variety of activities ranging from simple family gatherings to elaborate occasions such as baptisms, weddings, celebrations of saints' days, charro (cowboy) parties and contests, bullfights, and harvest festivals. Hacienda de Vega, located in Escondido, uses this hacienda model of the 16th century and trad... 05/31/2009

Escondido California Auction, Foreclosures & Bank Owned REO Real Estate We have added a new Pre-Foreclosure and Foreclosure Auction Search feature to our website.  You can now search every Pre-Foreclosure, Foreclosure, and Auction property in San Diego County.  This new capability, along with the ability to search all active Foreclosure, Short Sale, and REO listings, along with the entire San Diego County MLS, makes the Four Seasons Realty Website one of the most up to date and informative websites in the region.           Click the Yellow Map Below to search Pre-Foreclosure, Foreclosure, and REO Properties.   April 2009 Foreclosure, REO, and Short Sale update. According to Foreclosure Radar (A service which tracks every single foreclosure daily in the state of California) in the month ... 05/29/2009

This past week provided me a very special and rare experience of being an invited lunch guest by a patron of the Golden Door, The World famous Health Spa. From the moment the front gate opened, you feel the exclusive nature of this amazing luxury spa. Set on over several hundreds acres of the most  magnificent grounds, one is easily taken in by its sheer beauty and tranquility. A family friend who frequents the spa with annual regularity, invited me to join her and her two daughters for a specially prepared lunch at the koi pond. The stylings at this spa opened since 1958 are of the Japanese Honjin Inns famous in Japan. And as far as I could tell, from style of the architecture to the sheer beauty of the surroundings, that I just as well could have been in Japan. Tucked away in an area ... 05/27/2009

Over 15,000 clothes dryer fires are reported annually, with failure to properly maintain the dryer duct and vent system as being the number one cause.   Professional dryer vent cleaning is recommended each year to prevent dryer fires and to keep your dryer working efficiently.   Your dryer duct system removes heat, moisture and lint from your home.  Much of the lint that manages to escape the lint screen gets stuck somewhere in the dryer duct.  As lint builds up, air-flow is restricted and your dryer is unable to perform its job efficiently.   As the dryer labors to dry your clothes, it consumes more energy.  Poorly maintained dryer vent systems can result in spending an additional $18 - 24 per month not to mention repair bills when the appliance breaks down.   When your dryer vent syst... 05/24/2009

Looking for Bank Owned Homes in Escondido? If you do NOT have an ESCONDIDO REALTOR.. please read on... if you do.... this was NOT intended for you HIT THE BACK BUTTON AND GO ASK YOUR AGENT WHAT THEY HAVE DONE FOR YOU LATELY..                                 If so, you most likely just typed in something like ESCONDIDO FORECLOSURES, or ESCONDIDO REPOS, ESCONDIDO BANK OWNED HOMES, LENDER OWNED PROPERTIES, FIXERS, REO's....... am I close? Here are two options for you for finding BANK OWNED HOMES IN ESCONDIDO. 1) SIGN UP ON www.BankOwnedHomesByEmail.com and never miss a good deal again! BECOME A VIP HOMEBUYER AND BEAT OTHER HOME BUYERS TO THE HOTTEST NEW LISTINGS.... then call me to make offers, send you comps, sales activity, or make offers on the best deals in North County Sann Diego 2) S... 05/21/2009

                                Looking for Bank Owned Homes in Escondido? If you do NOT have an ESCONDIDO REALTOR.. please read on... if you do.... this was NOT intended for you HIT THE BACK BUTTON AND GO ASK YOUR AGENT WHAT THEY HAVE DONE FOR YOU LATELY..                                 If so, you most likely just typed in something like ESCONDIDO FORECLOSURES, or ESCONDIDO REPOS, ESCONDIDO BANK OWNED HOMES, LENDER OWNED PROPERTIES, FIXERS, REO's....... am I close? Here are two options for you for finding BANK OWNED HOMES IN ESCONDIDO. 1) SIGN UP ON www.BankOwnedHomesByEmail.com and never miss a good deal again! BECOME A VIP HOMEBUYER AND BEAT OTHER HOME BUYERS TO THE HOTTEST NEW LISTINGS.... then call me to make offers, send you comps, sales activity, or make offers on the best deals... 05/21/2009