California is the Place to Be-Live Here, Retire Here or Move Back California is the Place to Be-Live Here, Retire Here or Move Back   California is the place to be for many reasons; great year-round weather, deserts, mountains, beaches, affordable housing, great schools, and is #2 for the number of golf courses in the US. With so many amusement parks, world famous natural playgrounds and scenic landscapes, it is no wonder that California attracts millions of visitors from all over the world. Only in this state can one experience the likes of stunning coastal drives, a forest of the world’s tallest trees, a lake that offers year-round fun, magical theme parks and shows starring killer whales. To learn more about what to see and do in the Golden State, check out the following top tourist ... 10/21/2013

Highland CA REALTORS Many Highland home sellers, whether they are selling the property as a standard sale, short sale or just curious about price-setting, have many questions and reservations. But the real estate market climate in Highland is not much of a mystery, its just hard sometimes to filter through the abundance of information to get simple answers. Highland homes are selling faster than listings are hitting the market. This creates a seller's market. Home prices have firmed up and are slowly rising. Also, standard sellers, or equity sellers, are still reluctant about selling due to still-low home values and their own mortgage loans that may keep their net profits from being able to clear cost of sale. Highland short sales are still hitting the market and are a large percentage ... 10/18/2013

How Will the Government Shutdown Effect Real Estate Transactions This message came up on the WhiteHouse.gov site tonight. Today the National Association of Realtors sent out an email today summarizing how this current government shutdown could affect the closing of many of our transactions. Here is a summary below and frankly some of these I had not considered. Internal Revenue Service: The IRS is closed and has suspended the processing of all forms, including requests for tax return transcripts (Form 4506T). While FHA and VA do not require these transcripts, they are required by many lenders for many kinds of loans, including FHA and VA, so delays can be expected if the shutdown is protracted. NAR has received indications that many loan originators are adopting revised policies during ... 10/03/2013

Things to Consider Before Buying New Trees for your Yard When trying to decide what trees to select to put into your yard, there are things to consider. Do you want a tree that will lose its leaves in the fall and winter? If you live in a cold climate, will the tree adapt to the cold weather? Or if you live in a hot climate, will the tree survive the heat? Does the tree have big roots that could crack the cement if planted near a walkway, patio or pool? Though many trees are pretty, do you really want the mess?     t             What kind of trees do you have? What type do you prefer?     Thanks for Reading my Blog     California is a dream-come-true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, rustic mountains and desert communities.... 09/28/2013

Decorating With Nature Accents Many people have a favorite theme or color so that is usually what they start with when decorating a room or an entire house. Whether you select the pieces yourself or hire someone to select them for you, you should plan the space carefully as you have to live in it afterwards.               I particularlly love this picture and my office is in black and white so I replaced a "zebra" picture I have had for a long time. It gave the room a new, fresh look and I adore dogs.                                 Here are some other nature pieces I found at "Lamps Plus" this weekend. I thought I would share some of these items with you.                                                                                                                                I als... 09/16/2013

Important Information on your Preliminary Report- Judgments & Liens   When you hire a company or contractor, it is important to do some research on this entity. Any licensed contractor can be found on your state internet site. You can find valuable information; good and bad. It will tell you if there have been complaints and if the person has an active license.   When you hire a company to do work on your home, be sure to resolve any disputes over the work or the cost involved. When your work is done and you have paid, it is good to keep a copy of the check, then get a copy of the cancelled check (s)  and have the company give you an invoice showing it was ‘Paid in Full’.   If you do not resolve any disputes, they can end up on your home as a “Mechanics Lien” and if you are trying to s... 09/13/2013

Do You Grow your Own Birdseed? I buy big bags of an assorted wildlife mix for my birds and it seem to last a long time. Recently a lot of corn has popped up in my yard where the seeds had fallen last spring before I moved that feeder.     Hadn't notice until yesterday but these plants are getting very tall and even my dogs are trying to eat the leaves.     Last summer a big sunflower plant came up in this spot spot but it died off after blooming for several months.       Bags of birdseed is big business in the US. An estimated 4.6 billion pounds of wild bird feed is purchased in the each year which works out to approximately $1.45 billion in sales.   Here is some ideas for planting your own plants for the birds in your area. Sunflowers that come in about 70 varities. Millet, particular... 09/01/2013

  The 3 Most Important Steps Before Selling Your House- Q & A Q What is the most important thing to do before listing your home. A The answer is to De-Clutter every room, closet and cabinets.   a) Furniture- Put any excess furniture in storage. If you have 5 TVs in your           house, get rid of most of them and I bet some of them do not work. Put the TV          in the family room. Remove the TV’s out of the Bedrooms and make sure you     do not have extra furniture; Bed, nightstand, small dresser and a lamp is all you need. Gigantic furniture makes the rooms look small too.   b) Closets- You need to remove all the junk and old clothing out of the closets. Box this stuff up and put in storage or give it away. c) Bedrooms- Make sure your bedrooms are either staged as bedrooms or as an... 08/24/2013

Once in a Blue Moon   A Blue Moon: The Almanac Moon Rule   In the Maine Farmers' almanac page for August 1937, the calendar ‘Definition of a Blue Moon’ explained that occasionally "one of the four seasons would contain four full moons instead of the usual three."   There are seven Blue Moons in a Lunar Cycle of nineteen years and commenting that in olden times the almanac makers had much difficulty calculating the occurrence of the Blue Moon and this uncertainty gave rise to the expression 'Once in a Blue Moon.'     Names were assigned to each moon in a season: For example, the first moon of summer was called the early summer moon, the second was the midsummer moon, and the last was called the late summer moon. But when a particular season has four moons the third was apparently called ... 08/21/2013

Do You Know Where Your Wood Comes From   As I was waiting to get on the freeway yesterday, a humongous truck was getting off the freeway and on the side of the wood it said "MT HOOD" and I was so excited just loooking at this huge load of lumber that had come such a far way. I grabbed my phone and got a picture just as it was passing. As I drove back to my office, I wondered where it was going? With all the trees and forests in California, someone really wanted this Mt. Hood, Oregon lumber. My guess is that is was on its way to Lake Arrowhead heading North on Waterman Ave. which is sort of ironic but so many of the trees in the San Bernardino Forest are infected with the Bark Beattle.   Then I was looking on the State Contractors site and saw that starting in 2013, companies now have to... 08/15/2013

Budgeting for Homeownership so You're Not Surprised Later       When buying a new home, buyers get caught up in the sale process and sometimes forget that they will need money after closing. Don’t be caught off guard!       ·     Gardener ·     Landscaping ·     Remodeling ·     Pool Maintenance ·     Pest Control ·     Appliance Failure ·     Plumbing, Electrical and Roofing Malfunctions ·     Property Taxes/ Supplemental Taxes ·     Home Insurance ·     Car Repairs ·     The New House Payment ·     Monthly Utilities ·     Food, Day-Care and Credit Card Expenses ·     New Furnishings for the house; furniture, accessories, drapes, carpeting, flooring.    I certainly promote home ownership but just want buyers to remember to save enough money so they can live comfortably and not struggle... 08/04/2013

Follow the Leader   ..............and I am the Leader!                                                                                                      Thanks for Reading my blog California is a dream-come-true state no matter what your needs or wants are. We have year round warm weather, beautiful beaches, rustic mountains and desert communities. If you are looking for a home in Southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in the Inland Empire community and am aware of the local market. I am here to help you find a home or to sell the home you currently own. California has great opportunities to view Nature and Bird Watching. Whatever your needs are, you will find it here in California! From the Inland Empire you are 45 minutes to the beaches, mount... 08/03/2013

Top Clicks & Comments for June and July on ActiveRain....Amazing Statistics   JULY Top Clicks on ActiveRain-Kristin Hamilton     Date Title Comments Clicks 07/12/13 Do Not Put Bad Pictures into the MLS When Editing is Simple and Fast 92 908 07/08/13 Open Houses are like Hosting a Party…Buyers Have Fun & Feel at Home 36 636 07/23/13 What Defines A Bedroom- Many Different Opinions by Experts 45 605 07/09/13 Am I Back On Track....Yes Since 2012 Was My Worst Year in Real Estate 46 225 07/01/13 Will Overturning Prop 8 Have a Positive Effect on Real Estate 4 125 07/10/13 Shop Brighton collectables for all your Handbag and Jewelry Needs 14 111 07/07/13 Top 10 Beer Drinking States-Eureka Burger for Food & BEER in Redlands 12 103 07/19/13 Sometimes a New Bed Can Really Change the Look of a Room... 07/26/2013

12 Ideas to Spruce up Your Patio & Yard Home Decorationing Tips   This is the time to spruce up your patio to make it more relaxing and fresh looking. The idea is to spend time enjoying the space and watching nature too. Here is a few ideas to make you feel like sipping lemonade and watching the sun sets in the cooler evenings.       First of all if you have chaise lounges that are still in good condition, perhaps some new cushions will perk up the area. This is a picture of the before and after and of course you can see which one my dog perfers....the lounger with the new cushions.               If your patio furniture is in need of replacing, here is a set that might make you feel you are sitting in your living room but enjoying the outdoors too.               And here is a cute idea;... 07/17/2013

Do Not Put Bad Pictures into the MLS When Editing is Simple and Fast   I have written articles before critiquing listings in the MLS that had no pictures or only one front image which is a requirement. But another gripe of mine is putting in BAD pictures. And in all fairness, many agents might not know how to take them correctly and if needed, how to edit them. I always try to to take straight pictures, remove items that might be distracting or look messy like toothpaste or dishes, and try not to be in the pictures of the bathrooms due to the mirrors. When taking the picture try to line the camera up with the wall or ceiling line and your picture will be straight. And I try to shoot for the center of the room as this gives the viewer a good image of the size of  room instead of just a f... 07/12/2013

  Real Estate Agents Practicing Dual Agency- Legal but is it Always Ethical?       Last week, I received a call from a prospective buyer who was calling about one of my listings. After a few questions, I asked him if he had a Realtor that he was working with. He replied no and said he only works with the listing agent and wanted to know if I would represent him. I told him I had no problem with that. I did ask him why he only dealt with the listing agent as there are many experienced agents in the community who could clearly represent him. He said that was his practice and the agents always made sure he got the deal. Really I said!   On that particular listing, I received 15 offers and several were offers I put in for the buyers. I prepared a chart to give to my sellers and had a column... 07/03/2013

Highland CA REALTORS know that the Highland CA real estate market has stabilized and Highland CA home values are on the rise. This is great news for Highland home owners looking to increase their equity and sell their homes for a profit. In the recent two years we have seen Highland home values stabilize from the market crash that began in 2007 and 2008. Now, with real estate inventory so low in the Highland area, buyers are fighting over and over-bidding on reasonably priced homes on the market. In a "normal" real estate market, there is typically about six months of inventory on the market at any given time, but in today's Highland real estate market we are seeing only one to two months of inventory at any given time. In fact, homes are actually selling, or going into contract, within... 06/25/2013

Highland CA Market Report for May-June 2013 Recent reports from CAR show a 20% increase in Single Family homes for 2012 and they expect a 20% increase in value for 2013. Currently 64% of the working populace are now finding a home purchase affordable compared to 16% when the market was at its peak in 2007.     If you are looking to buy now is the time. For Sellers our listing inventory is very low and this opens the opportunity to obtain multiple offers. Kristin Hamilton DRE #01492138 Keller Williams Realty – I am a full time agent and deal in all types of real estate transactions. Trusts, Probate, Short Sales, Standard Listing, Single Family Homes, Apartments 1-4 units, Duplexes and Condos. I am also an experienced REO agent. I sell real estate in the Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange,... 06/23/2013

We are Highland short sale agents, and we can help you in this difficult time. Highland short sales are declining as the real estate market stabilizes, but that doesn't mean a short sale process can't help you if you are struggling to make payments or if you've endured a hardship like losing a job or loss of income or unforeseen medical bills. Highland real estate consists of many short sales, and we have helped numerous distressed home owners unload that cumbersome mortgage and regain control of their financial future Are you: Underwater on that Highland home? Struggling to make large mortgage payments? Realizing that the home is not worth what you owe? If you need advice about how the Highland short sale process is handled call us and let's talk. We have worked with many banks, situat... 06/13/2013

10 Signs that the Housing Market is Picking Up 1.   Home Values are rising steadily. 2.   More Americans say it is a good time to sell. 3.   Loan Demand for home purchases is rising. 4.   Interest Rates are remaining low and keeping loans more affordable. 5.   New Home Construction is on the rise and this is a excellent sign of recovery. 6.   There are many standard sales on the market and fewer short sales and REO's. 7.   Foreclosures are down all across the United States. 8.   Many first time homebuyers are now able to purchase homes. 9.   Since prices are rising, fewer homeowners are underwater in their home. 10. Real Estate is contributing to 'Economic Recovery' across the US.       We have been hearing conflicting news for the past two years but the numbers are up and they do not l... 06/05/2013