Red Hawks in Flight                       We had some strong winds several days and the red hawks took advantage of it and were soaring through the sky.                             Their multi color feathers are so bold and stands out.             Kristin Hamilton DRE #014092138 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, and Los Angeles Counties. I am a trained and experienced Short Sale agent. If you are looking for a professional and experienced agent, I am just a click away. Google me at Kristin Hamilton-Real Estate ... 06/02/2013

    Yesterday, while showing property in East Highland, CA, I came across this duck pond.                     Perhaps looking for some tasty treats in the dirt.                 Such a lovely site to see the ducks with their ducklings swimming on a hot spring day.         Kristin Hamilton DRE #014092138 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, and Los Angeles Counties. I am a trained and experienced Short Sale agent. If you are looking for a professional and experienced agent, I am just a click away. Google me at Kristin Ham... 06/02/2013

Full Flower Moon Recently...Beautiful and Mysterious           Full Flower Moon was on May 25, 2013. It was given this name because in most areas there were flowers popping up everywhere. Other names for this moon were "Full Corn Planting Moon" and "Milk Moon".                         Did you get a chance to see how beautiful the full moon was? I am fasinated by the solar and lunar phases and love to take pictures of full moons.     Kristin Hamilton DRE #014092138 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, and Los Angeles Coun... 05/30/2013

Should you Rent or Buy…That is the Question?   This is the million dollar question and I get a lot of calls from buyers asking me what I think and do I think the prices are going up now. “Yes” I tell them since prices have increased in the past 6 months. Do I think it is a good time to buy? “Definitely” I tell them as if the prices continue to go up as we all predict, the buyers will pay more for the same home later. Also loan rates are at an all time low and this will not last forever. Buying a home is the ‘American Dream’ that we have all grown up wanting but still there are factors to consider in making this decision sensibly.   ·       Tax Deductions- This is the one of the main reasons to buy a home. If the buyer needs a tax break, the monthly mortgage payment is deductable as rent... 05/21/2013

  Join the ‘National Ride to Work Day’ on Friday May 17, 2013   Facts about Bicycling:      ·      May is National Bicycling Month    ·      May 13-17 is National Bicycle Week    ·      May 17th is Ride Your Bike to Work    ·      Bicycling saves you money on gasoline    ·      Great Exercise    ·      Less Congestion on City Streets    ·      Easier to Find Parking     Top 5 Cities Promoting Bicycling In honor of Bike to Work Week, here are the five most bikeable cities, according to Walk Score’s 2013 rankings. ·      Portland, Oregon ·      San Francisco, California ·     Denver, Colorado ·      Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ·      Boston, Massachusetts Author’s Comments: I live in San Bernardino County and many cities here are very bike friendly and we have a yearly ‘Redlands Bicycle Cl... 05/16/2013

  Look Who Was Shopping at CVS…Quack Quack   While getting out of my car at CVS, this duck had cornered a man at his car and stood there talking to him. The man asked me if I had any food but I didn’t. I could tell this duck wasn’t going anywhere until he got some snacks.     Wildlife is so cute and I always wonder how and why they showed up in the strangest places. It has been several days and I am still worrying over the duck in the parking lot and hope he didn’t get hit.     CVS Pharmacy 7241 Boulder Avenue Highland, CA 92346 (909)425-1298    CVS Pharmacy 101 Redlands Mall Redlands, CA 92373 (909)748-7788 Kristin Hamilton DRE #014092138 Keller Williams Realty – I am a full time agent and deal in all types of real estate transactions. Trusts, Probate, Short Sales, Standard Listing, Si... 05/15/2013

Real Estate Sales in Highland, CA from Jan-April 2013   Please let me introduce myself.  My name is Kristin Hamilton and I'm an experienced and local Realtor from Keller Williams Realty in Redlands. I am also involved in many community programs to better this area. I sit on the board of several organizations and I work 24X7 for my real estate clients. Call me at 909-557-6966 to list your home!   I have prepared a chart showing how many listings there are in the city of Highland, CA, for Jan-April 2013. I have broken it down by the type of listing; Standard Sale, Real Estate Owned Sale (REO) and Short Sale. This chart shows a trend of standard sales dominating the market and the prices are rising. If you are ready to sell, call me to give you a comprehensive marketing analysis on your h... 05/06/2013

Last Call Before Sundown     As the sun was going down, all the Hummingbirds in the yard were grabbing their last sip of nectar.                                                 The Finches were eating the sunflower seed.                                       And then it was dark.                     Kristin Hamilton DRE #014092138 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, and Los Angeles Counties. I am a trained and experienced Short Sale agent. If you are looking for a professional and experienced agent, I am just a click a... 05/04/2013

  Congratulations to Me….Growing More Technological Savvy on the iPad & Internet   We live in an ever changing world and I try to spend 3-4 hours of every day improving my skills and becoming a better Realtor. This is some of the things I have worked to improve and will continue to do so:   ·       Signing Contracts on the iPad ·       Making videos with my video camera ·       Also making videos with my iPad ·       Becoming more internet savvy to capture leads ·       Using DocuSign to sign contracts with my clients ·       Go from being primarily a Selling agent to being both a selling and buyer agent. ·       Obtaining more listings and helping more buyers ·       Upgrading my website so as not to miss viewers ·       Attend more education classes and get my GRI certificate ·       ... 04/25/2013

Celebrate Earth Day today April 22 .....Plant some Flowers or a Tree   What day of the week is Earth Day 2013? This observance always falls on April 22. On Earth Day, enjoy the tonic of fresh air, contact with the soil, and companionship with nature! Walk through the woods in search of emerging wildflowers and wildlife. Enjoy the outdoors.   Ever wondered how Earth Day started? This observance arose from an interest in gathering national support for environmental issues. In 1970, San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson separately asked Americans to join in a grassroots demonstration. McConnell chose the spring equinox (March 21, 1970) and Nelson chose April 22. Millions of people participated, and today Earth Day continues to be widely celebrated with... 04/21/2013

Sellers Beware....Pitfalls of Over Pricing Your Home It's hard for homeowners to be realistic when they are emotional about the home they have lived in and raised their family in. But this is exactly what sellers need to do so that they can make rational decisions about a list price that will actually result in a sale. Your decision should be based on homes that have sold in your area that could be considered somewhat comparable to your home; Realtors and Appraisers called them ‘comps’. Stop in at a few open houses in your neighborhood and see how they compare with yours. Try to put yourself in the buyers' shoes. This is easier for sellers who are also buying in this market. They know what it's like to want to make sure they're getting a good deal. Your house needs to be listed at a pr... 04/02/2013

  Fun Easter Trivia #2 For the Entire Family     1. What is special about the eggs used in the White House Easter Egg Hunt?               2. When is the White House Easter Egg hunt held?               3. What is the traditional flower of Easter?               4.  How much money do Americans spend on Easter candy each year?               5. How many pounds of Easter candy do Americans buy each year?               6. What's the most common way to eat a chocolate rabbit?               7. What are the most favorite flavors of jelly beans?               8. What special belief does Linus from The Peanuts comic strip have about Easter?               9. In “It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown” what does Marcie do with the eggs Peppermint Patty   wants to color?               10. In the same s... 03/31/2013

  ARE YOU READY for the Market Shift in Real Estate in California and the US?   In the last few years, we have seen some major changes in real estate. We thought everything was going great and prices were high but what we didn’t see coming was the collapse. Yes prices fell and hundreds of thousands of homeowners lost equity and eventually their home. Then the banks got smarter and started approving short sales and slowly prices started coming back up but not through the roof. Homes are reasonably priced now. So the current shift across California and the US is again a “Seller’s Market”.  Seller’s have been holding onto their properties and now can sell with some equity and walk away with a profit instead of being short. For the past 5 years we have seen ‘Short Sales’ and ‘REO’ propertie... 03/27/2013

  Buyers….Do I Need to Spend My Money on a Home Inspection?         I am a Realtor in California and have compiled a list of questions that are sometimes asked of me when I discuss with buyers about having a home inspection while in escrow.   I think you will find this Q & A article very helpful.           Do I have to have a home inspection?  No, it is your choice but I highly recommend you do.       The cost is around $350 so wouldn’t I be better not to spend it and save it for a few repairs or remodeling costs? No, the home inspection goes through the entire home and looks for minor items but more importantly looks for major issues that can be red flags about the property. You will spend more than $350 for one major repair you were not counting on.       Well, what kind of major item... 03/25/2013

To ‘Open House’ or not to ‘Open House’…that is the Question   I came from a brokerage who said you must do an open house twice a week for a year. Do this and you will get business. When I did not have my own active listings to show, I would do others in the office. Between doing open houses and farming, I did get many listings and a few buyers so I got really busy.©   I think it is important to openly discuss open houses  the day you take the listing as many sellers do not understand or have a negative idea about them. Then if the seller says "Absolutely Not" then everyone is on the same page.    Should we do open houses? Yes, I think it is important to advertise to the area that your home is for sale.   How many should our Realtor do per week?At least one per weekend and if you and you... 03/21/2013

10 Ways to Brand Yourself as a Realtor   In today's competitive real estate climate, smart branding is a must. Creating your REALTOR® brand tells potential clients who you are and what your specialty is. Creating a successful and workable brand can help keep you focused and provide a structure for your business1. Find your niche.   1. Figure out what sets you apart. Is it short sales, condos, luxury homes or what?  Decide carefully and do not spread yourself out too far. Your niche needs to be something you can stay passionate about throughout your career   2. Know your client base. Who are you trying to appeal to? Don't go too narrow, but be specific enough to have a clear, recognizable specialty.   3. Be the kind of REALTOR® your client wants. Yes, your brand is about you, but you’re... 03/19/2013

More Bang for your Buck It seems like we buy a house and spend all of our money and weekends into upgrades. Remove this, replace that, paint here, add this………and so forth. But are we getting more equity in our homes or not? Here is a chart compiled by the California Association of Realtors who keeps statistics on remodeling homes. If you are thinking about remodeling anytime soon, maybe this chart will assist you in making your decision on what room to do first.   Kristin Hamilton  DRE #014092138 Keller Williams Realty -I sell real estate in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties commonly called the Inland Empire. I am a trained and experienced Short Sale agent. If you are looking for a professional and experienced agent, I am just a click away. Google me at Kristin Hamilton-Real Estate ... 03/12/2013

 Crazy Closet with no Space so Get Organized and Double Your Space   My closet was not organized as I had left the original rods that came when we bought the house. So last weekend, I totally ripped out all the shelves and rods. I painted the closet a more soothing color than white. I selected a nice color called “sweet honey” and it warmed it up.           I have a lot of clothes, purses and shoes so I had to find an organizer that would give me the most use of space. I looked at the organizer sets but they just did not work.           Instead I went to the home improvement store and bought the long shelves and the workers there cut the shelves to the lengths needed.                     With my battery operated drill, I was able to install the headers with several bolts. Then I hung th... 02/22/2013

  What is the Best Day to List Your Home?   By compiling data from over 1,000,000 homes in 2012, Redfin found that homes listed on Friday sold for 99.1 % the listing price according to the Wall Street Journal.   Stats show the first day you list the home; you will have four times the traffic so if you list it at the right price and knowing agents will show on Saturdays and Sundays, you are more likely to get it sold fast for a good price. The second best day is Thursdays. So you ask, why Fridays? Well, most people looking for homes work Monday-Friday and want to look for their home on the weekends. They are either driving around looking themselves or they have scheduled an appointment with their Realtor for the weekend. Typically, agents will check their searches for any new listings an... 02/18/2013

When will the rain stop?   Yesterday we had a huge rain/thunderstorm all over Southern California. We really need the rain so I am not complaining but my backyard birds were very unhappy and drenched. Today the rain had cleared out and we finally had sunshine by noon.                                                                                                                                                                                                         Kristin Hamilton  DRE #014092138 Keller Williams Realty -I sell real estate in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties commonly called the Inland Empire. I am a trained and experienced Short Sale agent. If you are looking for a professional and experienced agent, I am just a click away. Google me at Kristin Hamilton-Real Estate... 02/09/2013