Do you think the housing market is too scary to buy?  It’s NOT.   We are being hit by all sides these days:  layoffs, California budget problems, taxes, etc. It is being blared across the air waves that it’s as bad as the 1920s.  So, why would anyone buy?   Did you know that A LOT of people made money during that depression.  How?  They did not follow the pack.  This is very hard to do.  The best managers of money (Boone Pickens, Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates - for example) are a different breed of cat.  They seem to operate opposite of the crowd.  They buy when no one else is and they will freely tell you to do the same.  It takes a brave soul to not follow the crowd.   Call TODAY 707/523-2099 and ask for Lynn who can help guide YOU to getting into your new home!   There are statistics... 12/05/2011

Do you think the housing market is too scary to buy?  It’s NOT.   We are being hit by all sides these days:  layoffs, California budget problems, taxes, etc. It is being blared across the air waves that it’s as bad as the 1920s.  So, why would anyone buy?   Did you know that A LOT of people made money during that depression.  How?  They did not follow the pack.  This is very hard to do.  The best managers of money (Boone Pickens, Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates - for example) are a different breed of cat.  They seem to operate opposite of the crowd.  They buy when no one else is and they will freely tell you to do the same.  It takes a brave soul to not follow the crowd.   Call TODAY 707/523-2099 and ask for Lynn who can help guide YOU to getting into your new home!   There are statistics... 12/05/2011

Do you think the housing market is too scary to buy?  It’s NOT.   We are being hit by all sides these days:  layoffs, California budget problems, taxes, etc. It is being blared across the air waves that it’s as bad as the 1920s.  So, why would anyone buy?   Did you know that A LOT of people made money during that depression.  How?  They did not follow the pack.  This is very hard to do.  The best managers of money (Boone Pickens, Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates - for example) are a different breed of cat.  They seem to operate opposite of the crowd.  They buy when no one else is and they will freely tell you to do the same.  It takes a brave soul to not follow the crowd.   Call TODAY 707/523-2099 and ask for Lynn who can help guide YOU to getting into your new home!   There are statistics... 12/05/2011

  Foreclosures bring a well -qualified Hard Money Borrower.  Here is a great opportunity to get your money out there and earning 10 - 12%!       Foreclosures are setting the price at the bottom of the market.  It makes mathematical sense to invest in these as they have hit the bottom.       The typical buyer for these currently is using one of the federally backed loans made by FNMA (Federal National Mortgage Association or Fannie-Mae), FHLMC (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation or Freddie-Mac) or FHA (Federal Housing Administration).  These programs offer home ownership with low down payment requirements.       It has effectively closed out private money investors on the foreclosed properties except for certain situations. Hard Money specifics: www.sunpacmortgage.com/Private-hard-mo... 12/05/2011

  Foreclosures bring a well -qualified Hard Money Borrower.  Here is a great opportunity to get your money out there and earning 10 - 12%!       Foreclosures are setting the price at the bottom of the market.  It makes mathematical sense to invest in these as they have hit the bottom.       The typical buyer for these currently is using one of the federally backed loans made by FNMA (Federal National Mortgage Association or Fannie-Mae), FHLMC (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation or Freddie-Mac) or FHA (Federal Housing Administration).  These programs offer home ownership with low down payment requirements.       It has effectively closed out private money investors on the foreclosed properties except for certain situations. Hard Money specifics: www.sunpacmortgage.com/Private-hard-mo... 12/05/2011

  Foreclosures bring a well -qualified Hard Money Borrower.  Here is a great opportunity to get your money out there and earning 10 - 12%!     Foreclosures are setting the price at the bottom of the market.  It makes mathematical sense to invest in these as they have hit the bottom.     The typical buyer for these currently is using one of the federally backed loans made by FNMA (Federal National Mortgage Association or Fannie-Mae), FHLMC (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation or Freddie-Mac) or FHA (Federal Housing Administration).  These programs offer home ownership with low down payment requirements.     It has effectively closed out private money investors on the foreclosed properties except for certain situations. Hard Money specifics: www.sunpacmortgage.com/Private-hard-money   ... 12/05/2011

Just Sold 7 Valley Green St. Sales Price: $154,000 * Lovely one bedroom, one bathroom Sequoia 15C floor plan * Remodeled kitchen * Convenient location, just one block from Oakmont's central recreation facility, bank, and post office For more information on the community of Oakmont, please click on www.oakmontcalifornia.com 11/22/2011

In today’s market, many people are hesitant to buy and even hesitant to invest. But why? This is the perfect time to be buying a home instead of remaining a renter - take a look for yourself at these solid seven reasons to buy a home now. 11/21/2011

In today’s market, many people are hesitant to buy and even hesitant to invest. But why? This is the perfect time to be buying a home instead of remaining a renter - take a look for yourself at these solid seven reasons to buy a home now. 11/21/2011

In today’s market, many people are hesitant to buy and even hesitant to invest. But why? This is the perfect time to be buying a home instead of remaining a renter - take a look for yourself at these solid seven reasons to buy a home now. 11/21/2011

Just Sold 6440 Meadow Creek Ln. Sales Price: $520,000 * Beautifully remodeled Cedar floor plan * 3 bedrooms, 2 baths plus family room * Vaulted ceilings in living room and family room * Kitchen has granite counter, maple cabinets, and stainless steel appliances * Charming landscaping on owner-maintained lot * Close to West Recreation Center * Walking distance to Oakmont shops, banks, and central facility For more information on the community of Oakmont, please click on www.oakmontcalifornia.com 11/10/2011

Another 203k in the can. It's a wrap. Nothing more pleasing than to see a job reach the end and be completed in a professional, workmanlike manner. Hope you can see that Maple tree. It is beautiful. Note the walkway and the pond to the rear. What a wonderful setting to finish off the day enjoying your own cottage garden.  We had one and I can't tell you what enjoyment we had watching the animals in the back yard as they go about their daily lives. We even had a family of Pheasants raised in ours. This 203k was a main house and an in-law unit over the garage that turned out very well. The borrower's had vision for the in-law unit and it really took on a new personality when they opened up the kitchen and installed some skylights.  This is just a small in-law unit but now it has some piza... 11/02/2011

Well, here is something you don't see every day. A home owner in Santa Rosa is fed up with the City for not requiring the removal of a carport that was built without permits. The biggest issue at hand, says the home owner, is that the carport was built across his property line, reducing the size of his yard by 200 square feet. After more than 40 years and multiple owners, the current home owner saw an opportunity when Bank of America foreclosed on the offending structure. He rented a jackhammer and made 15 holes in the asphalt, installed metal stakes and ran wire from the sidewalk to the back of the carport. The home owner has spent over $30,000 fighting this problem, he has had enough. I don't blame him. If a City is not going to intervene when a neighbor builds an unpermitted structu... 11/01/2011

  It seems that now everyone knows it’s the bottom of the market.   It’s on the news shows and in news articles.  The secret is out!   You were smart to wait, but the waiting is over.       We’ve been previewing foreclosed homes for sale in Sonoma County for quite some time.  We see 30 to 40 homes a week and keep abreast of new ones that come on the market.  This way we know what’s available.  There are 3 types of foreclosed homes.  #1 is the nice, clean, move-in ready home.  There aren’t too many of these.  There are nice ones that could use paint and carpet cleaning, but there are not too many that are pristine-pretty.  #2 is the “cosmetic fixer”.  The carpets or flooring needs replacing.  Cleaning and paint is needed and maybe some minor fix-up of fixtures or countertops.  Not too ba... 10/24/2011

Open House Extravaganza - this Sunday Oct 9th 1-4pm!!! Special Santa Rosa Southwest Neighborhoods 519 Avalon Ave. Listing Price: $134,900 Beds: 1   Baths: 1 Sq Ft: 1,086   Lot Size: 7,405     Small home on a large lot.  New interior paint, cabinets and countertop. Original hard wood floors.    Dir: Sebastopol Road to Avalon Ave.    Listing Agent:  Dina Montini of Montini Realty. Ph: 707/584-3500.   553 Richardson Court Listing Price: $159,900 Beds: 3   Baths: 1 Sq Ft: 936   Lot Size: 4,791   Adorable home tucked away off Dutton down a private lan. Huge backyard that would be terrific space to grow your own veggies! Private location with 1 car detached garage.   Dir: Sebastopol Rd to S. on Dutton to Richardson or Hearn to N. on Dutton to private lane Richardson Ct.     Listing Agent:  J... 10/07/2011

Buyers, do you know if registered sex offenders live in the neighborhood you are considering moving into? This might be of real concern to you, especially if you have a family with young children. All real estate transactions come with a mountain of paperwork it seems, but one of the most important California disclosures that might get overlooked revolves around Megan's Law. This short video interview with Richard Paille, the broker of Hart & Co Real Estate in Santa Rosa, CA. discusses this important disclosure and why buyers need to do their 'due diligence' as they are narrowing down homes to make an offer on. Remember though that most sex offenses are generally not reported and more often than not involve someone close to the victim, such as a family member, friend or acquaintance. Th... 09/28/2011

I did an occupancy check for a bank yesterday, my mission was to find out if the previous mortgagor had vacated the property. I pulled up public records and realized that the auction had occurred just 3 days ago. Wow, the bank is moving fast on this one. When I returned to my office to data enter my findings, the last prompt was to upload a file. It doesn't say what to upload, it just gives me the option of uploading a jpeg or pdf. This wasn't an optional field, mind you, it was required. I thought about this for awhile, and figured what I was supposed to upload was a photo of the front elevation. I decided instead to upload a photo that would speak volumes. This is a high-end home. Leaving the pool the way it is will be leaving tens of thousands of dollars on the table. I'm not sure w... 09/23/2011

FHA 203k consultant in Fairfax to Santa Rosa FHA 203k consultant or HomeStyle renovation consultant Wow, we are very thankful for the volume of business we get from the local communities. This has been a very busy past few weeks... not too busy but it is fun to see an area as the local real estate market embraces the FHA 203k.  I've always been excited when someone new understands the power of the 203k but when a community or local area gets it, it is phenomenal. Kudos t you in Marin and Sonoma Counties for getting on board and moving those "hard to sell" properties as you are. Go for it. We have a couple that are fire burned and we'll be restoring them and one has an addition as well. Another is a home that has just grown old with the seller and had very little updating. A few walls ca... 09/23/2011

This ancient adage simply means that the facts of a matter point to one conclusion.  Since I write articles about lending and real estate, I’ll give you the facts and let’s see if “all roads lead to Rome”, that is, we conclude the same thing.   Interest rates on 30 year and 15 year fixed rate mortgages are at historic lows. Mortgage interest deduction is still intact. Property values are at or near the bottom of the market in many areas. Owning a home is as cheap as renting in many areas of the country. There are lots of homes being sold everywhere in the country. Loans are being made in all areas of the country. FHA ( Federal Housing Administration) still makes loans to Buyers with 3.5% down and there are still zero down programs! Hard Money loans now account for 1% of all loans done ... 09/21/2011

I confess...Spring Lake Park in Santa Rosa, CA beckoned me so I played hookey (hookie? hooky? You know what I mean!) yesterday afternoon. The late summer weather was a perfect 78 degrees and it was just too nice to stay inside and work, so I jumped in our ’65 VW convertible and headed over to glorious Spring Lake Park in Bennett Valley.       Spring Lake is one of my favorites of the 46 inspiring regional parks in our magnificent Sonoma County parks system and it is almost within walking distance of my home in Santa Rosa.  Situated in Bennett Valley, there are numerous hiking trails, a great family picnic and swim area at the Lagoon, bike trails, playgrounds, boat launches, horse trails, overnight camp grounds and of course the lovely Spring Lake. This park is typically filled with lots... 09/06/2011