The Fed has signaled that they are going to stop the purchasing of U.S. debt, and this will raise the mortgage rate.  When will they do this?  They haven't said yet, but they were talking about it in the last notes from the Fed. Reserve. Check out our web page at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your real estate needs in Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Templeton, Santa Margarita, Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, Shell Beach, Oceano, and Nipomo.   What's up today: Jobless Claims Set the Tone           Initial Jobless Claims plunged 42,000 in the April 6 week to a 346,000 level that's outside Economist low estimate and is nearly 20,000 below Economist consensus.The Import & Export price report shows very little inflationary pressures. Import Prices fell 0.5 percent in Mar... 04/11/2013

News that leaked out of the most recent Fed. notes implied that the Fed. is about ready to stop the QE3 bond buy backs and stop the low interest rates.  What will that do?  Well look for higher interest rates for mortgages in the future. Also some very interesting news came out.  The average America home owner is paying 37% less for their mortgage today than they were paying in the pre-housing bubble days prior to 2007.  Another interesting fact is that the average home owner is paying 12.6% of their income for housing, and this is compared to 20% from the time period 1985-1999.  So low interest rates for mortgages do make a big difference in the average persons standard of living.  Thank you CNBC for these great statistic. Go to my web site at www.myslohomefinder.com to see the homes ... 04/10/2013

    Rates haven't changed much!  But the news today that Japan had thrown huge amounts of money into their market to debase their currency could have other countries doing the same.  Korea with its low currency is definitely winning the car wars.  I say about 6X more people at the Kia Store locally than at the Honda Store down the street!  This will eventually led to inflation on a worldwide scale.     The Day Ahead: Jobless Claims   Upward pivot for Jobless Claims is bad news for the unemployed. The March 23 week saw the sharpest weekly increase and the highest level of the year, both now exceeded by the March 30 week with initial claims up 28,000 to 385,000. The 4-week average also shows its largest increase and highest level of the year, up 11,250 to 354,250.   Dow is trading at 14,5... 04/04/2013

Thought we couldn't have another real estate mania like pre-2006!  Well think again!  We are having bidding wars locally and Washington DC to California is having one also.  Read this great article from the Washington Post for what it looks like there. Real Estate Mania Makes a Comeback     Home-bidding wars have erupted in Washington D.C., a reminder of the days of the real estate frenzy. While much of the nation is still struggling to emerge from a historic housing-market meltdown, the District is reliving its boom days. High rents, low interest rates, low inventory, and a flood of new residents in their 20s and 30s are making parts of the city feel like it's 2005 again. Washington Post, Dec. 20 The article mentions a run-down home within walking distance of Union Station. The list pr... 03/10/2013

Rates are slightly up, and the average rate nation wide is 3.52%!  Up slightly from last week at 3.51%.  Home prices nationally are up 9.7% year over year in January.  This tells me that the local trend we are seeing with decreasing inventory and higher prices is also national. Check out our web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your Central Coast home needs. Last week- Unemployment Rate, Payroll Jobs           The jobs market has improved more than expected with a sizeable gain in payroll employment. The Unemployment Rate declined to 7.7 percent from 7.9 percent in January. Market expectations were for a 7.8 percent unemployment rate.Payroll Jobs in February were much stronger than expected. They posted a gain of 236,000, following an increase of 119,000 in January (originally up... 03/09/2013

Some people think that we are looking at higher inflation in the future, but then there is other indicators like gold and silver that are going down!  It is hard to fixure where we are going from here!  I have a gut feeling that we are looking at higher mortgage rates and higher prices for consumers.  This includes houses and rents!  Go to my web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your home search needs. The Day Ahead: Econ Data Debuts, but for the most part, all eyes on FOMC           Housing starts showed some winter volatility in January by declining and showing possible lingering effects from Hurricane Sandy. However, Permits continued to trend upward at a moderate pace. In January, housing starts declined 8.5 percent, following a sharp rebound of 15.7 percent in November. The ... 02/20/2013

This week is a short one due to President's Day!  We here at www.myslohomefinder.com like to reflect on the Founding Fathers today and the contribution they made to America.  As a history buff, we wonder what the U.S. would look like without there contribution. Visit my web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your San Luis Obispo County home needs. The Week Ahead: Most Data starting the middle of the week   Today: US Holiday: Presidents' Day all Markets Closed Tuesday: Housing Market Index, prior 47  consensus 48 Wednesday: Housing Starts, prior0,954 M  consensus0.914 M. Housing Permits prior0.903 M  consensus0.920 M. Producer Price Index, prior-0.2 %  consensus0.3 %. FOMC Minutes Thursday: Consumer Price Index, prior0.0 %  consensus0.1 %. Jobless Claims, prior341K  consensus359K. E... 02/18/2013

I Absolutely Recommend: MOM and ME - Local Paso Robles Gold Buyers. CASH FOR GOLD, SILVER & PLATINUM Mom and I will pay You top dollar Call: 805-286-2392 Visit us at the Paso Robles Train Station: 744 Pine St, Paso Robles 93446 Visit our friendly family owned store. We are located in the Paso Robles Train station and we pay top dollar for your gold, silver & platinum jewelry, crowns, coins, & more Free estimates -  License # 40041009   What is US 90% silver coin? 90% silver coin is quarters, dimes, and half-dollars minted before 1965. (90% silver coin does not include silver dollars.) Everyone knows that 4 quarters = 1 dollar. In the same way, 4 quarters minted before 1965 = 1 face value dollar. A face value dollar is how we sell 90% silver coin. So, when you ask for the price of 90% si... 01/30/2013

Want to know something funny?  We bought a watermelon and it had a little QR code on it that says “Trace me!” so I just scanned it right there on the watermelon.  Up popped the website for the watermelon company, the farm where it came from and the product information.  It’s a very great use of technology to take something that’s naturally organic and make it into something that’s marketable for today’s consumers. QR code is a code that is scanned & recognized by computer.  It’s similar to a bar code but a bar code is only a 1-dimensional tool and it doesn’t store any information; while a QR code is actually a 2-dimensional storage tool and it stores actual information within the code itself.  It’s a square shaped bar code.  It contains a bunch of small squares inside the square shape i... 01/24/2013

FREE EVENT Every Friday evening this summer, bring your chair or blanket & enjoy live music and refreshments in Paso Robles Downtown City Park. Music performed by local bands come dance the evening away! This is a FREE event and runs from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase Date: June-August 2012 Location: Paso Robles Downtown City Park Admission: Free! Stop by for the music and you may just want to stay! Looking for a vacation home, investment property or want to make the Central Coast your permanent home give me a call. I would be happy to help.   06/14/2012

Tennis in Paso Robles CA Hello my fellow tennis enthusiasts!  Yes, there are many opportunities to play tennis in Paso Robles CA.  Have you heard about the Paso Robles Sports Club?  A few years ago, it was struggling as was many other businesses here in the area.  Now, there are 8 tennis courts, a sports court, huge swimming pool, a swim- instruction pool, hot tub, fireplace and patio area and other amenities you need to see. When I moved here, my first things to do was to search for where I can play tennis in Paso Robles CA.  There are a few tennis court locations such as Sherwood Park and Centennial Park.  Centennial Park is lighted and the courts are in decent shape.  It's where the YMCA is located. My favorite place to play tennis in Paso Robles CA is at the Paso Robles Sports Club.... 05/15/2012

Short Sales In Paso Robles Short Sales In Paso Robles       I'm sure you have heard plenty about short sales in general.  If you are a homeowner, maybe you're wondering if you should do a short sale or what your options are.  Or....if you are a home buyer looking at short sales in Paso Robles, you may want to hear a little more about how purchasing a short sale will affect you.  I'll go over both of these for you here:         Homeowner   If your home is worth less today than what you owe on it, you are going to be in a short sale situation with your lender.  A few things to ask yourself when considering a short sale in Paso Robles would be:   1.  Do I need to sell because of a hardship?  This could be due to job loss, divorce, relocation, medical or another significant reason.  Your ba... 05/02/2012

Paso Robles Condo               If you are looking to buy a Paso Robles Condo, this is your new home.  Conveniently located near shopping, schools, churches and downtown, this two story, Paso Robles Condo is a great value.  It's located in a small development and the HOA takes care of the exterior maintenance so you don't have any yard work or maintenance!  There are not many condo developments in Paso Robles.  Built in 2004, this Paso Robles Condo offers a contemporary style, stucco exterior and lots of light. There are two bedrooms and a full bathroom on the lower level and the master on the upper level along with a private, full bathroom.  This Paso Robles Condo is in Impeccable, move-in condition and you will enjoy the open floor plan.  Here are some other features of this Paso Robl... 04/30/2012

  5 Tips On Buying A Home In Paso Robles, CA   Written By: Suzanne Martin, Local Agent, 805-296-9005 Are You Getting Frustrated With The Current Real Estate Market?? Did you finally see a home you like online only to find out it has multiple offers? As a Realtor® I have been helping buyers purchase homes for 12 years and I know what buyers go through when they are not working with a great agent.  So I am going to pass along to you 5 tips on buying a home in Paso Robles CA or where ever you are looking to buy a home. 1.  Get Pre-Approved             Time after time I hear the same thing from buyers who are looking to buy a home.  "Oh...I will talk to a lender once I find something I like.  We're just looking right now".  Well, in this market, you may not have enough time.  There are so m... 03/06/2012

SRA Fee Frequently Asked Questions The newly imposed fee by the State of CA for rural properties. The below questions and answers from Robert Lewin from Cal Fire, who spoke at the San Luis Obispo Realtor MLS meeting on TUES Feb. 21st.  As SLO county has thousands of homes in rural areas that will be affected by this new fee assessment, you can scroll down to the bottom and click on the link to view a map where you can type in your property address. Who is assessed the SRA Fee? The fee is assessed on all habitable structures within State Responsibility Area (SRA), which is roughly 31 million acres across California. What is State Responsibility Area (SRA)?State and privately-owned forest, watershed, and rangeland for which the primary financial responsibility of preventing and suppressi... 02/26/2012

buying a home in paso roblesTips on Buying a Home in Paso Robles Are you a First Time Home Buyer or an Investor who is buying a home in Paso Robles or the surrounding areas?  If you've been searching and looking at properties, you are probably noticing that there is a lot of competition and a lot of homes that need rehabbing badly!  Anything under $325,000 is the fastest moving part of the market because there are more buyers in this price range.  So, when you or someone you know is thinking about buying a home in Paso Robles ---or anywhere in San Luis Obispo County, pass these tips on to them. It will increase your chances of finding a home and getting your offer accepted. 1.  First, select a Realtor who knows short sales, REO's, HUD properties, and the different types of loans availab... 02/10/2012

Things To Do In Paso Robles Paso Robles Events ...Downtown! Click on the links below to view Things to do in Paso Robles downtown. Paso Robles Downtown Main Street Association is dedicated to cultivating community in the downtown area of Paso Robles.       Paso Robles Events and Things to do in Paso Robles in the Winter 2012 February EventsValentine Movie Night at Park Cinemas, February 12, 2012 Paso Robles Events in the Spring 2012 March EventsWedding and Special Events Expo, Sunday, March 4, 2012April EventsVintage Sidecar Rendezvous, Recycled Treasures, and Bicycle Bonanza, Saturday, April 28, 2012May EventsFestival of the Arts, Saturday, May 26, 2012 Paso Robles Events in the Summer 2012 June EventsKidsDay in the Park, Saturday, June 2, 2012Concerts in the Park, June 15, 2012Concert... 02/09/2012

How To Buy Paso Robles HUD Home A HUD home is acquired by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). If a foreclosed home was purchased with a loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the lender files a claim for the balance due on the mortgage.  The FHA pays the claim, and then transfers ownership to HUD, which sells the home. Tips on how to buy a Paso Robles HUD Home: *You must use a HUD registered real estate broker.  My broker, Platinum Properties is a registered HUD broker. *You must be pre-approved for a mortgage.  Get pre-approved/pre-qualified. *Owner-occupied bidders receive first priority. *HUD offers three types of properties:  FHA insurable homes, FHA insurable homes with a repair escrow (203K)and homes that are not insurable with an FHA loan.... 02/08/2012

As we are putting together a Tech Bootcamp, we brainstormed a myriad of ideas that we (and our fellow Realtors) may be interested in learning more about.  Take a look at the list, and vote on the items that YOU would like to find out more about.  We grouped the topics into sections:  Social Media, Office Tools, Transactions, Marketing, iPad & Cell Phones, and Other for a total of 33 topics!  Isn't it amazing to realize how much technology impacts our daily business, and quite honestly our business would run without it.       Topics   Social Media: 1 ·         Blogging 2 ·         Facebook 3 ·         Twitter 4 ·         Linkedin   Office Tools: 5 ·         File security & access 6 ·         Online office / “paperless” office organization 7 ·         Mobile office / laptop 8 ·         Cl... 01/29/2012

Paso Robles Home Buyer Information 10 Steps To Home Ownership! Paso Robles Home Buyer Information Step 1: Are You Ready? Sponsored By REALTOR.Org     10 Steps to Home Ownership   Knowledge and experience are the keys to successful real estate transactions. REALTOR.com® contains an enormous amount of valuable information, and such data -- combined with the expertise, experience and training of local REALTORS® -- can be the essential keys to your success. One of the keys to making the home-buying process easier and more understandable is planning. In doing so, you'll be able to anticipate requests from lenders, lawyers and a host of other professionals. Furthermore, planning will help you discover valuable shortcuts in the home-buying process.   Do You Know What You Want? Whether you are ... 01/27/2012