Easter Egg Hunts in the Inland Empire on March 30, 2013     Chino Hills- Easter Egg-citement- 11-2:00pm! Participate in a variety of activities including egg hunts, an egg decorating contest, pictures with the Easter Bunny, crafts, musical entertainment, a craft fair, and refreshments to purchase. No outside baskets or bags allowed. The City will provide bags for egg hunts.   Fontana - Easter Egg-citement @ Jessie Turner Center. 10-1pm! Come out and participate in the Easter Egg Hunts, games, crafts, and even a visit from the Easter Bunny!   Fontana- Easter Eggs-perience @ Cypress Neighborhood Center. 10-12pm! Play games, participate in the Easter egg hunt, and be sure to take a picture with the Easter Bunny.   Fontana- Easter Egg-travaganza @ Don Day Center. 10-1:00pm! Be part of our E... 03/29/2013

  One of the Most Expensive Penthouse Apartments in US.....for Sale Soon   This Manhattan Penthouse occupies the top 3 floors of the Pierre Hotel. Features includes Chandeliers in most rooms, an enormous Marble Staircase, 5 Fireplaces, 4 Terraces, a fantastic view of Central Park, a Ball Room including a Harp.   This home currently belongs to the widow of Martin Zweig who passed away last month on February 20, 2013. If you will remember Zweig was a successful financial investor and predictor of the Stock Market Crash of 87. They bought this home in 1997 for $54 Million.   You ask what the price is for this lovely home? This lavish penthouse price is listing for a mere $120 Million Dollars.   Kristin Hamilton  DRE #014092138 Keller Williams Realty -I sell real estate in Riverside and San... 03/22/2013

  The Surf Scoter Duck also known as Skunk Head     We stayed in San Diego this week and enjoyed the wildlife near our hotel in Point Loma, San Diego, CA.   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 Agent. Homeowners and Buyers both will find my services top notch and successful. Call me to sell your home; both traditional and short sales. 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... 03/20/2013

Is Your Riverside Home Underwater? Short Sale that Riverside House!Riverside Short Sales are nothing new. In fact, most of the Riverside housing market consists of short sales these days.If you’re struggling to make your mortgage payments on a property that is worth half the value of what you purchased it for? This is NOT the American dream. No one wants to lose their home to foreclosure. And no one wants to sell them home if they don’t want to move. But doing nothing and letting the bank foreclose, or staying with a home that is financially crushing is not the way to support your family.A Riverside short sale may be the best option for you. But how can you know without talking to a Riverside Short Sale Expert (That’s us!)? Have you considered a loan modification instead of a short sale... 03/20/2013

 Do You Know Why March 20th is Called ‘The First Day of Spring…Fun Facts?   The first day of spring is also called the vernal equinox. “Vernal” and “equinox” are Latin terms meaning “spring” and “equal night”     First Day of Spring--Above and Below the Equator The vernal equinox, which occurs on March 20 or 21 each year and signals the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, is also the autumnal equinox—the first day of autumn—in the Southern Hemisphere. Conversely, the autumnal equinox in the north, which occurs in late September, is the first day of spring south of the equator. ·        If you were standing on the equator during either the vernal or autumnal equinox, you would see the sun pass directly overhead, the only two times in the year when that is true. ·        The two e... 03/19/2013

Grasshopper Needs Some Advice on Getting a new Website   I have had the same website since I started real estate and frankly, I need a new one quick.   Everyone seems to have nice boxes for visitors to click in but I do not.   I must give my notice within the next month as they just have a 30 day window before it expires.   So does anyone have any good recommendations for a web site? I am not looking for anything super expensive but just want something that does the job for a fair price.   Second Question: I pay the company $15 per year for my domain name. So how does this work? I do not want to lose my domain. HELP!                                      Kristin Hamilton  DRE #014092138 Keller Williams Realty -I sell real estate in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties commonly called th... 03/18/2013

List it High Right off the Bat! Yeah...the spring selling season is upon us, so seller's "lets play ball." I am recommending that Riverside seller's come out swinging aggressively. Riverside, and the Inland Empire's, low inventory levels have caused major changes in the Riverside real estate landscape. The capricious winds of change are whistling through the city and it has become a seller's market! Supply versus demand, combined with low interest rates and pent-up demand (Californian's traditionally move every 5 - 7 years) have combined to create a fantastic selling opportunity for Riverside sellers. I am counseling clients to prepare their homes and list it high right off the bat. However In a frenzied rush to get the most dollars for your home do not overlook the caveat - prepare you... 03/18/2013

  Victoria Grove - Riverside CA - Home Sales Activity - March 2013   If you are interested in current real estate activity in Victoria Grove Riverside CA, read on.  This information is as of March 16, 2013.  If you are thinking of selling your Victoria Grove house, it is a terrific time to sell because there is such a low inventory of houses for sale in the Inland Empire, particularly in Riverside and Corona. On the flip side, it can be a challenge to find a house if you are looking in the area as there are fewer houses for sale at this time.   There are only four houses currently for sale (active listings) in Victoria Grove in Riverside California.  That is compared to 10 active listings at this time last August.  Of the houses currently for sale: one short sales, two standard sales an... 03/16/2013

  ‘Little Girl with Fishes’ Fountain   My family member is in the hospital in San Diego at the Scripts Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. We went to see her yesterday and I was fascinated by the beautiful fountain at the entrance of the hospital. So there I was taking a few pictures before we entered. The fountain shows the life-sized “Little Girl with Fishes” who dances in a fountain outside the hospital’s main entrance.       Later I found that the hospital has a Wolfstein Sculpture Park and Healing Gardens with 31 sculptures donated by the Wolfstein Family. When I go back tomorrow, I am going to go find the gardens with my camera.   You don’t have to be ill to come to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla located at 9888 Genesee Avenue in La Jolla, CA.   T.J. Dixon & James Nelson created th... 03/16/2013

Riverside New Construction Springing into the Selling Season The builders are gearing up and all signs point to a fantastic selling season in the Riverside/Inland Empire area. The real estate selling season has officially begun as builders, determined to capture a percentage of eager buyers, move aggressively to answer the pent up demand. Riverside new construction builders offer three different communities appealing to a wide segment of buyers, many from the neighboring Orange and Los Angeles counties, attempting to expand their purchasing dollars. Riverwalk-Vista is a master planned community with homes ranging from luxury to entry level. Riverwalk-Vista's entry level community, Promenade by Woodside Homes, will be releasing phase 5 this weekend. Expectations are high the homes will b... 03/11/2013

Are there Harmful Chemicals in the Blue Box Mac & Cheese?   Yesterday on the news, Vani Hari and Lisa Leake, both food bloggers and mothers, who are petitioning the Kraft Company to remove the Yellow Dye 5 and Yellow Dye 6 from their popular product Macaroni & Cheese. They claim that the dyes are dangerous and can cause many health issues; hypertension, allergies, hives and tumors.   They brought up a good argument though. The product is sold in Europe but the Yellow Dyes 5 & 6 are banned there so they sell it under the name ‘Cheesy Pasta’ and claims it tastes exactly the same but is not the dark orangey-yellow color. They also sell it in a red box instead of a blue box but it is otherwise identical except for the dyes.Europe thinks the dyes are unsafe so why does USA think different?  ... 03/11/2013

Former Artist's NY Cottage & Paintings Worth 30 Million Dollars       In 2007, two investors bought a former artist’s home, Arthur Pinajian 1914-1999, which included a shed full of boxes. The relatives sold the boxes containing artwork, drawings, and personal journals to the buyers for an additional $2500 over the selling price of the Bellport cottage home of $300,000.     One of the owners just couldn’t toss the painting and held onto them. He later had them restored, framed and appraised. What a surprise when just recently they found the works of art to be worth approximately 30 million dollars.      Apparently it had been the wishes of Pinajian for his relatives to throw out his painting at the landfill when he died. Luckily the relatives held onto them and thought they were getting... 03/09/2013

Riverside sellers leap into the spring selling season with a well planned selling strategy and marketing plan! Riverside homes gained a 20.6% appreciation over last year as reported by the California Association of Realtors.  If you are a Riverside homeowner now is a great time to put your home on the market. The low interest rates, 3.5% for a 30-year fixed rate loan as of today, are enticing buyers from Los Angeles and Orange Counties to the Riverside/Inland Empire area seeking to purchase the home of their dreams. What are buyers looking for in Riverside Homes? Resale - The median price in Riverside is $240,840. First time buyers are seeking homes in established neighborhoods with excellent school districts. Orangecrest Riverside a community of newer single family homes built from 199... 03/07/2013

Remembering Riverside Police  Officer Michael Crain     Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain was fatally shot in the line of duty while on patrol when a dangerous fugitive drove by and ambushed him and his partner Officer Tachais, who was critically injured but luckily survived.       That was the message on 02/13/2013 as law enforcement officials from all over the state of California joined family and friends in mourning the death of the 34-year-old Riverside Police Department officer who was killed in an ambush by an ex-LAPD officer fugitive. At the time of Crain’s funeral, there was a nationwide manhunt to find his killer so many officers across the nation could not attend.       Over 1,000 people, including Gov. Jerry Brown and state Attorney General Kamala Harris, gathered at th... 03/07/2013

  Could Property Related Stocks Falling in China Benefit the USA?    The reason property related stocks fell on Monday in China is due to the Chinese government announcing measures that are designed to cool down the hot housing market in some cities in that country.     Due to steep rises in property prices, higher down payments are now required. Mortgage rates on second homes also increased. On top of all that, there is now a 20% capital gains tax on existing home sales. Could this benefit our market however as more cash buyers may be looking else where to invest real estate money? We are already seeing many cash buyers coming from this area of the world as there is a great opportunity right now awaiting investors to take advantage of the present rebound in real estate prices in the US... 03/03/2013

Over 30% of our real estate market in La Quinta, California is investors. They buy and lease or buy,fix up, and sell. There are investment opportunities in any real estate market. As we all know, the secret is to buy low and sell high. For now, we have low prices and lots of good homes to choose from. With minimal renovation, there is money to be made by leasing the homes or reselling the homes. Returns of 10-20% are not unusual. Good returns on investments are available in all price ranges. Why not jump in now and by a few homes for $200,000 or less and make $20-$40,000 each by reselling them within a few months/ I am your local investor real estate broker. 03/01/2013

  Try Ribbit’s New Eraser Tool…it’s Great!   This week Ribbit introduced the Eraser Tool. Now you can easily delete areas from layers, textures, frames and stickers! That means it's now easy to add another person to a photo, and to customize textures, stickers and frames by deleting areas you don't want.   So last night I had to practice doing this and watch the video twice but it is pretty simple and so cool to be able to add people or pets into a picture.   First add both pictures into the Upload area. Click on the main picture and it will show up in the center of the screen. Look down below where the “photo basket” is and you will see your other picture. Just slide it up and you can enlarge it and move it around. (the video shows this nicely)   Here are my examples. Here is my first ... 02/28/2013

 Double-Dipping, the 5 Second Rule, Washing Meats on Cutting Boards, & More   I do not have a germ-phobia but recently I was watching an episode on the news and then later on a television show and both discussed some very good health habits that I thought I would share on AR.       5 Second Rule- Even though you want to make sure your children's immune system develops properly (they need exposure to good and bad bacteria for that), too much of the 5-second rule isn't healthy. It depends on what hit the ground (wet things like apple slices and pacifiers collect germs quickly; harder, dryer candies or crackers, not so much) and where it landed (the sidewalk is surprisingly clean, say researchers, while your kitchen floor may have bacteria from raw meat juices and other foods that can caus... 02/26/2013

Full Snow Moon February 25, 2013           February's full Moon is traditionally called the Full Snow Moon because usually the heaviest snows fall in February.               Hunting becomes very difficult, and so some Native American tribes called this the Hunger Moon, Bone Moon, and No Snow in the Trails Moon. There was very little food and many starved unless they found animals. 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 Agent. Homeowners and Buyers both will find my services top notch and successful. Ca... 02/25/2013

Winning the New Construction Game in Riverside Once again the times are changing in real estate and a pent up buyer demand has the New Construction builders ecstatic. The low inventory levels have resulted in rising prices yet buyers ready to enter the fray can (and are) purchasing the home of their dreams. An understanding of the process will help to enhance the experience for buyers considering purchasing Riverside/Inland Empire new construction homes. Knowledge is valuable so your first step is to be aware the sales counselor represents the seller, (the builder) and is obligated to protect his best interest - a fiduciary responsibility. They are working to win the best price and terms for the seller. Therefore, even though you maybe a savvy individual, it is in your best interest to ... 02/25/2013