I just returned from the American Diabetes Association's annual convention. I am the president of the Diabetes Association in Santa Clarita and it was my pleasure to attend the convention.Diabetes has become an epidemic throughout the world and children are suffering the most from this. Many times a child will become ill and is taken to the emergency room with symptoms that resemble the flu. These hospitals and clinics do not regularly check for diabetes and instead treat the child as though he has the flu. This leads to a worsening of the condition and prolonged wait time until the diabetes is correctly diagnosed.Each person in this country consumes 66 pounds of high fructose corn syrup annually. High fructose corn syrup is derived from corn but is an artificial product developed and p... 06/29/2007

OK, HERE IS ANOTHER UPDATE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE HAVING A HARD TIME SELLING. The number of calls we are getting asking about the rental market, made by people whose homes are on the market, is skyrocketing. In fact, we are having trouble keeping up! The funny thing is, THEY ARE RENTING AS FAST AS WE CAN LIST THEM!  Remember the resale market of yesteryear? The one where you put your home on the market at midnight and had multiple offers by 6:00 a.m. the next day? Well, the rental market isn't quite that good here in Santa Clarita, but its pretty dang close. Even the Antelope Valley is picking up! HERE ARE A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES: 1) 2900 square feet in Alta Vista, 5+3, listed at $3100.00/mo. RENTED IN 6 DAYS for full price! 2) 3+2.5 in Fair Oaks, $2500.00/mo., RENTED IN 4 DAYS for full ... 06/28/2007

I spent this past weekend in Chicago for the annual Diabetes Foundation meeting. Chicago is so different from my home in Santa Clarita, California, yet the people there are just as proud of their city as I am of mine. I had a chance to get to know some new people that are working hard in the fight against diabetes. This year I will have twice as many people walking in the Diabetes Walk-A-Thon in October. 06/25/2007

CALL ME! 06/25/2007

An interesting article in The Signal today reports that our Santa Clarita school districts may miss out on much needed funding if their enrollment numbers trends downward as they appear to have started to do. School districts such as Saugus Union, Sulphur Springs, and Newhall school districts all reported a decrease in enrollment numbers. Meadows elementary in the Valencia area reported that their graduating 6th grade class had 125 students in it. Contrast that to their brand new 75 student kindergarten class. Meadows is in the Newhall school district. Newhall School district says it only expects drop enrollment by about 70 students in 2008, however that drop could mean a loss of approximately $380,000, or $5,429 for each student. A few years ago, demographers reported to the Newhall Sc... 06/25/2007

If you have ever been to the Shell station on the old road backing the (5) freeway in Saugus, California then you probably know "Chuy" who works the counter and Kevin Hurley.  I met Kevin when I pulled up to the self serve car wash today only to learn that I didn't have any ones or five dollar bills which is the only bills the machine accepts.  So of course, the knucklehead that I am pulls up with a ten dollar bill and a few twenties.  So I had to make a decision back all the way out before someone traps me in or ask the guy Kevin (pictured to the left) walking by if he had change for a ten?  Well it just so happens that Kevin Hurley is the general manager of the Shell station in Saugus, California and has been for the last 10 years.  Well if luck would have it Kevin didn't have the cha... 06/23/2007

DID YOU EVER LOOK BACK ON SOMETHING SOMEONE YOU RESPECT SAID AT SOME POINT IN YOUR PAST AND THINK, 'MAN, THEY WERE RIGHT....WHAT A GOOD LESSON"?That recently happened to me. I remember one time when I was about 24 years old, my dad, my brother-in-law and I were trying to spread topsoil in a big area of the church lawn. Man, that pile of soil was HUGE. It seemed like the more we worked, the bigger the pile got. And, it was HOT. We were sweating, getting blisters, getting sunburned, and in the case of my brother-in-law and I, CRYING LIKE BABIES. "It's sooooooooooo hot!" "I'm tired!" "My hands hurt." Blah, blah, blah. My dad? He said nothing. AFTER ABOUT 8 HOURS, MY BROTHER-IN-LAW AND I QUIT.  "We'll finish tomorrow", we said. My dad kept working. So, we left. Went and had some beer. The n... 06/21/2007

I was recently invited to a local community meeting for Habitat for Humanity by Fred Arnold.  Fred Arnold is the host of the Santa Clarita Business hour on our local hometown station KHTS 1220 A.M. as well as owner of American Family Funding.  I guest host every other week with Fred on the show.  We met with Jack Shine President of the Board and Donna Deutchman  the Executive Director/CEO, and staff member Joyce Grair of the local Habitat For Humanity which encompasses the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley. Other business leaders in attendance were Tracy Hauser of REMAX, Russell Myers of REM Architects, Laura Langen of Southland Title, Richard Galway of Magna Realty, Frank D. Di Tomaso of Santa Clarita Bank, Kathy Smith of KHTS 1220 A.M. and Neel Schmitt local community a... 06/20/2007

Funny to think that a city like Santa Clarita, with a population of over 170,000 people, isn't on any trust worthy map. But indeed that was the case until our city Manager Ken Pulskamp wrote a letter to National Geographic. The editors of National geographic reportedly received a letter from the city manager noting the rather large missing city from the popular maps that they publish. The city manager went on in the letter and noted that Santa Clarita not only has a sizable population, but it has also been named the best city to live in California, and the 18th best to live in the country by CNN/Money Magazine's annual list. The educational organization took notice, and finally published the City of Santa Claritaon the California map, along with other exclusive cities such as San Diego,... 06/20/2007

Its now easier than ever to find a Santa Clarita MLS home for sale! Have you ever driven by a monument sign of a community, and said..."hmm, Miramonte looks nice, I wonder what those homes go for?" There are over 500 tracts of homes in the Santa Clarita real estate market. Wouldn't it be nice to simply identify homes for sale in any given tract, rather than sifting through an entire area's homes for sale? Well, now you can. I created the Santa Clarita Tract Directory to make it easier for Santa Clarita home-buyers to find the home of their choice. Some of you have no idea any of the tract names out here, but, most of you know a few. And the few that you do know about, tend to be the ones you care most about! Now just click on a Tract Name, and view up-to-date homes for sale in that trac... 06/18/2007

I just finished reading a blog from Jeff Turner in which he described an encounter with a restaurant owner back east and it struck a nerve with me. It got me thinking about how I could make a difference in someone else's life just by sharing an experience I had with them.  So I'm driving along listening to KHTS 1220 A.M. the hometown station here in Santa Clarita and they announced a local contest in which you vote for someone you think is a local hero. Which only ingrained this thought in my mind.  (Disclosure: I was a former guest-host on the Santa Clarita business hour a show on this station).  There are hundreds, thousands of people that I encounter in life that are unsung heroes. They quietly go about their business doing small gestures for others and not looking for anything in re... 06/13/2007

Never buy a house without an inspection. We have seen several buyers on our current listings waive their right for a home inspection.  WHY? If you take into consideration the repairs that a buyer has to make once they move into a property, it is cheaper to have a professional inspector look at the property before you have to remove all contingencies. The saving is uncomparable. Here is a referral for one of Classic's Business to Business Partner.  Craig's Home Servies has worked with Classic Real Estate and Property Management for several years.  We have used him for home repairs and home inspections.   Serving Valencia, Saugus, Newhall, Castaic, Canyon Country, Aqua Dulce and Acton.  And portions of the Northeast San Fernando Valley.Call Craig's Home Services for the following Services... 06/13/2007

Are you contemplating the purchase of real estate in the near future? Congratulations!It's a big decision and an exciting, rewarding process. Dave has lived and worked in the Santa Clarita Valley for 20 years. He has seen the city grow and the real estate market in its good times and bad times.  Dave will find you the right house for your needs.Whether you are a first time buyer or have bought many homes; Whether you are moving across town or relocating to the Santa Clarita Valley from another area. Here is some information that may be helpful.Located 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, the City of Santa Clarita encompasses 52.032 square miles of the approximately 200-square mile Santa Clarita Valley. Therefore, the City of Santa Clarita is the largest in geographic size within ... 06/12/2007

It's about time. It's overpriced, but it's about time. This highly anticipated townhome community has finally annoucned their first grand opening, or as they call it, previewing event. This event will take place Saturday June 16th. The Valle di Oro community is located off of Sierra highway just east of the Golden Valley Rd intersection. The community itself is interesting on many levels. Some of the main highlights are that its has gated access at the entry, and the floor plans itself are ENORMOUS compared to other townhome living options in Santa Clarita. Where many people will opt-out, will of course be over the price. Pricing is anticipated to start in the mid $500,000 range. And thats just for starters, I can't wait to see the rest of the price sheet once available. Homebuyers can ... 06/12/2007

Yes, this is the shameless plug of an extremely proud dad, but shouldn't we all be proud of our kid's accomplishments.From Kindergarten to Graduate school, the months of May and June are cornerstone months symbolic of academic achievements and scholastic growth.  Graduations are celebrated, report cards are issued and a chapter in a students life is closed, but as parents what does this mean beyond the class room?  How is our kid developing behaviorally? Sociologically and Philosophically? It used to be that our elementary schools only focused on the core studies of Math, Science, Reading and a few other foundational subjects, but today's student are much more sophisticated and our school system and parents need to look deeper than core subjects to understand how our kids are maturing. ... 06/12/2007

Just about every weekend I hold an open house here in the Santa Clarita real estate market. And over the years, I have learned some of the best ways to showcase a home during the open house, which is after all, a presentation to the public. It can be costly to leave your home in disarray, or cluttered. Often time a homebuyer will translate that into other things being wrong, and discount their offer. So, lets save you some money, and get your home in tip top shape for that open house, or simply for when you know a potential buyer will be swinging by with their agent. My list goes something like this:•-          First thing is first, remove clutter, while you may love your collection of beanie babies, it obstructs the view of the wall behind it, and the buyer can't really tell where all ... 06/11/2007

Water is once again a hot topic in Southern California these days, with rainfall and snowpack at very low levels, and the recent scare where the water flow from San Franciso Bay/Delta area being shut down for a short period of time recently.What can be done to help save our most precious resource, water?First of all, make sure that you're following the standard common sense water conservation practices. Here's a short list from Santa Clarita's Castaic Lake Water Agency.For Indoors:Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers.Check for toilet leaks by adding a little food coloring to the tank. If the bowl water has color in it after about 30 minutes, then you have a leak.Don't use toilets for disposing Kleenex or other items that can be thrown in the trash instead.Take shorter showers, a... 06/10/2007

I may have missed the Active Rain party in Long Beach tonight, but the event I went to instead was superb.Tonight I was at the Santa Clarita Valley Boys and Girls Club 36th annual auction and fundraiser. The theme was "Grease" and people showed up in their poodle skirts and leather jackets. They auctioned off many great items, including a '56 Chevy and a Golden Retriever puppy sired by Merlin, the same dog that sired one of Oprah Winfrey's dogs.I had the chance to speak to many of Santa Clarita's movers and shakers, including Active Rain's own insurance man, Greg Nutter. Greg is the 2007 Man of the Year in Santa Clarita. He does so much work for the local charitable organizations that he was unanimously choen from among 12 nominees.I may have missed the AR party, but I was glad that I a... 06/09/2007

I am part of the greatest community in the world, Santa Clarita. I have been blessed by being involved with some of the charitable groups that are an important part of the reason that Santa Clarita is such a special city. Tonight I was at a fundraiser for the Santa Clarita Valley Boys and Girls Club. This group ensures that the young people in our city have a place to spend time, facilities to strengthen their minds and bodies, and role models to guide them to a bright future.This is just one of many charities here in Santa Clarita. To read more about what our city is doing during 2007 read SCV Progress. My article is on page 42 and the views and insights of many other community leaders are also included in this publication.This city does not just work by magic. It is the time and dedic... 06/09/2007

Yet another reason to be pleased to own Santa Clarita Real Estate, our city was bestowed with the honor of ranking in 24th out of 100 top California cities for being a top retail market. Data was compiled by Jim Vaughn's California Retail Survey. This survey is widely reviewed and closely eyed by big shopping center developers and businesses. Having another coin in its pocket now, Santa Clarita will use this latest claim to boast about its local economy to other businesses and developers looking to make their home or next project here within Santa Clarita city limits. This is no small accomplishment, Santa Clarita now tops other cities such as Pasadena, Glendale, and Santa Monica. Santa Clarita took in approx. $2.42 billion in retail sales in 2006, slightly lower in 2005. The city of Lo... 06/09/2007