esperanza4homes                 What should you look for in a Realtor?                                     Perseverance.. In today's housing market, perseverance is more important than ever.As a full-time real estate professional,I will stick with it for as long as it takes withPatience and perseverance. You need someoneTo stay with you throughout this emotional experience.I have the resolve and determination to see youThrough to the realization of your real estate dreams and goals.I will stay the course, and you can count on it. If you know anyone that could benefit from my services,Please send them my way! Esperanza Butler (818) 926-5425   My Website For Sellers For Buyers Monthly Newsletter Call me! eMail me! Canoga Park-Winnetka SF Valley Face Book Listing Book West Hills LA Gas Pr... 11/27/2012

It's my pleasure to share this cool tool that bought  last week while shopping.    It's for my smartphone it is a 10x zoom lens that turns your smartphone into a real camera.                                                                                                                I took these pictures and you can see the difference.  Also I took this video that I am going to use on my 365 things to do page    The video came in a little bit shaky  and unstable which is my foult but I know that with a little bit of practice it will get better. I  just bough it and I really love it!!! You can find it at bed bath and beyond, and no!  …. I don’t get a commission for the advertising. I wish I did. Good luck and have fun. It's really not expensive. 11/26/2012

  Dear Friends & Clients,   I hope I might lean on you for a little support today. If you could do me a small favor, it would mean the world.   Would you consider clicking on my new Facebook page below and “Liking” it?goo.gl/WW68L   Over the next few months I’m going to dedicate this page to a variety helpful and interesting information about West Hills, Woodland Hills, San Fernando Valley. I’m also offering it as a way to better serve my clients and field informal questions about local real estate and events in the area.   I’ve been very fortunate to have each of you in my life in one form or another throughout the years, and it would mean a great deal to me if I could have your vote of encouragement with this new endeavor. (I promise not to overload you with posts!)   You have my grat... 11/25/2012

Buyer, Seller or Investor.would you like to be included on my list?   I’d like to extend an invitation your way.     Recently I’ve been providing a small group of my clients with regular updates about new foreclosed properties on the market. While most of these are investors looking for good deals, I’ve had requests from a wide range of clients interested in upsizing, downsizing, or helping members of their family with a first-time home purchase.   Would you like to be included on my list? It comes as a straightforward list as new properties become available.   If you’re interested, simply reply to this email. esperanza@esperanzabutler.com    I don’t want to spam anyone with information they don’t need. If you’d like to be among the first to hear about new foreclosed homes, reply so I’l... 11/24/2012

  Due to the bad weather last week's Christmas Sale was posponed until Saturday 11-24-2012 Please come and find  holiday goodies Support Small Business Saturday only 35% - 65% off. Beautiful pillows from their staging business stock! Great bargains on additional accessories and furniture! This is an invitation to the West Hills Community and in general the San Fernando Valley from the Historical Beautiful Hidden Chateau & Gardens   Let's go and support all the vendors It's Christmas time and they will be selling many items that would make special gifts for family and friends. Their merchandise will be marked down by 35% - 65% Come and join them and have a fun time!   Hidden Chateau & Gardens presents....                 35 % - 65% off all items in the store! Please support us on small b... 11/23/2012

  I remember way back on 2007.   A friend of mine invited me to join the ActiveRain network.   I joined and I didn’t have a clue who or what the ActiveRain was.     I know now… that for sure I did the right thing. Now I know, what and who the ActiveRain is    It is the best place to be on the planet Earth. They have be biggest encyclopedia available with answers for any of my questions on any topic that you can imagine.    In other words it is a cornucopia of information and answers to a lot of common Real Estate questions   It is the best place to learn, share and express our feelings thoughts, worries, celebrations and our sorrows. It is the best place to promote our businesses, and to be seen not only in our neighborhood or city, but all over the world.                               ... 11/22/2012

  Some interesting information was released recently by Bloomberg concerning home sales and available inventory. It appears the housing recovery is real, and we’re beginning to see signs of an upturn in prices.   The article, “Existing U.S. Home Sales Decline as Supply Drops” contains a number of interesting points as they relate to your decision to buy or sell a home in the near future. From the article (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-19/sales-of-u-s-existing-homes-declines-amid-limited-supply.html):   “There are a lot of reasons to be positive on housing,” said Tom Simons, an economist at Jefferies Group Inc. in New York, who correctly projected the drop. “Mortgage rates are near all-time lows, and inventories are at generational lows. If housing prices continue to rise, people... 11/21/2012

          Dear friends as our thoughts turn to the Thanksgiving Holiday; it is my sincere wish that you may gather with friends, family, and neighbors to take a little time to reflect on how much you have to be grateful for, and how grateful others are that you exist in the world.         I know I am very grateful for your confidence and loyalty, and would be remiss if I didn’t sincerely say thank you for your support. The writer Thornton Wilder once said, “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”     If you are missing someone this holiday season, my heart goes out to you as well. I think most of us have lost someone close to us, or at least experienced the lonesome feeling when they are unable to come home and celebrate their l... 11/19/2012

  A few days ago I received an email with this beautiful player                    Even though it’s beautiful it made me feel so selfish   Asking for my home and family when I should be thanking God for all we have. “We have health” shelter and food…..                                           I should pray Oh merciful Father please protect all of the innocent people that are in the middle of the fighting between Israel and the Palestinians.   Please bring relief to all the people in New York and New Jersey that are suffering because of the hurricane named Sandy.    We also pray that you send your generous spirit to relieve all the unemployment, hunger, sickness and financial problems that the country is experiencing.   Please do this we beg you and pray in the name of Jesus Christ Amen... 11/17/2012

  This is an invitation to the West Hills Community and in general the San Fernando Valley from the Historical Beautiful Hidden Chateau & Gardens   Let's go and support all the vendors  It's Christmas time and they will be selling many items that would make special gifts for family and friends. Their merchandise will be marked down by 20% - 60% Come and join them and have a fun time!           Hidden Chateau & Gardens presents....       Welcome to our first annual    Merrie Christmas Faire! Held in the beautiful gardens of the..........  Hidden Chateau & Gardens with 30 Vendors selling beautiful hand crafted items, gifts for the Holidays, Brittle, Soaps, Candles & More...   Live Music, featuring.....   Saturday  Howard Lubin and the Children's Choir and Instrumental groups from Faith Ba... 11/16/2012

Sellers at home showings?/West Hills Ca- Real estate/Woodland Hills homes   A delicate subject I sometimes have to approach with clients selling their home is the importance of steering clear of showings and open houses while prospective buyers are touring their home.   It can be touchy. After all, how do you kick someone out of their own house? Many buyers are anxious about the showing and open house process. They feel the need to hover in the wings, which I understand. There are several reasons why this is not the best idea.      Four Reasons Why Owners Sticking Around for a Showing/Open House is a Bad Idea: 1. I’ve had experiences where prospective buyers have actually passed on a showing once they’ve found out the current owners were home.   2. It’s important that buyers be able to ... 11/15/2012

    Protect yourself and save time!   Lately I’ve come across some tools that help my clients protect their personal information while helping them never forget a password again.   I thought you might find these helpful, too: Remember those days long, long ago when you could have one password for everything, and it was as simple as your kid’s name and birthday? (And you left it on a Post-It note stuck to your computer monitor?)   Well, those days are gone. Now you probably have a different password for almost every website you visit, and each of those sites has different rules for how long your password can be, and which characters you can use to make it.   A lot of time is wasted trying to remember (and then resetting) all of those forgotten passwords. Unfortunately, password security ... 11/14/2012

  Many of my clients have been considering helping their kids with a down payment on their first home. If this is something you’re considering, you may want to know how the gift could impact their mortgage application:   Ready to buy your first home? Have a down payment ready to go? Before you apply for that mortgage, here’s something you should know about disclosing the source of your down payment.     Q: Part of my down payment was a gift from my parents. How will this impact my mortgage application?   A: It depends on the type of mortgage you’re applying for.   You should be prepared to explain your gift with documentation. While FHA loans typically will permit a down payment from a family source, your more conventional mortgage will expect at least 5% of the funds to have come from ... 11/13/2012

How can I make your life easier?     It’s probably not the kind of letter you were expecting from your real estate agent, but I was thinking of you the other day and wondered if there’s anything I could be doing to help you out.     Most people only think to reach out to me when they’re buying or selling a home. The truth is, there’s a lot of little ways I might be able to lend a hand.     Are you looking for a referral to a contractor? A plumber? An electrician? Are you looking for new quotes on insurance, or considering a home equity loan? I have a large network of people I trust, and would be glad to make a personal introduction on your behalf.   My own connection to the community puts me in a position to help connect people with others, but people frequently don’t think to contact a... 11/12/2012

 Please call for an appointment if you would like to see any of these West Hills homes. If this is not what you’re looking for please send me an email with the number of bedrooms needed and area that you are interested in. Be as specific as possible and I will email you all available homes that meet your needs. My service is at no charge, free for you, the renter. I am paid by the owner of the home once we place the tenant. Zoom in or out to view more or less homes for lease.    If you or someone you know is having difficulty making house payments I can help. I am specially trained to list and sell short sales. I am a short sale specialist with HAFA certification.  Please contact me for a confidential call to understand how a Short sale can help to avoid foreclosure.         This servic... 11/09/2012

I just found some useful information I wanted to pass along to you. I hope you find this as handy as I did.   When I help people prepare to sell their home, we often work together to de-clutter cabinets, closets, and dens. It makes a better impression on buyers when they tour the home and stop by open houses.   For most people, de-cluttering is a completely overwhelming process. Where to begin? What to do with all the “stuff” that’s built up over the years?   This article by Leo Babauta called “How to Tackle Your Clutter” offers some excellent tricks to make the de-cluttering process easier. Really great strategies for turning the chore of “cleaning out” into an (almost) pleasurable event.   How to Tackle Your Clutter http://zenhabits.net/tackle-clutter/   Hope this helps!              ... 11/08/2012

Thinking of listing your home, but you’re nervous about the home inspection?-West Hills Real Estate   Part of my job as a real estate agent is educating and protecting my clients. Many of my clients get nervous about home inspections. They often ask: “Should I have a home inspection before I put my home on the market?” Here’s my take on the pre-listing inspection:   Knowing what you're in for when it comes to selling a house is always better than getting a nasty surprise down the line. In the event you find repairs that need to be made, they can be done in a reasonable time frame.   The pre-listing inspection is also useful in situations down the line when you suspect the buyer's home inspection reflects wildly inflated estimates for repairs.   Also keep in mind that if you fail to disc... 11/07/2012

Dear Beloved God in Heaven,   Please give us a president that loves this country and everything it stands for.       Please give us a president who respects you as the one true God. Please give us a president who will, with your help, restore this nation to its former glory, the way you created her.    Please help us to respect what you have given to us and not take anything for granted ever again.   Please God weaken the evil and strengthen the good both without and within.  May our eyes be opened?           God Bless America     11/06/2012

 What is stopping you from buying right now?/West Hills Ca-Real Estate Roger Babson, an entrepreneur and business theorist in the first half of the 20th century once said, “Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present.”     If the theme this year has been “uncertainty” for many people, be it jobs, family, health, or even the right time to buy a home, there will surely be many people whose theme in a few years will be “regret.” Uncertainty paralyzes us from making decisions and seizing opportunity. Many people will look back on this year and ask themselves, “Why didn’t I buy a home?”     I strongly urge my closest friends and family to seriously consider buying right now. Not only have prices sunk to an historic low, we’re also faced with the best interest rates we’re ... 11/05/2012

    Daylight Savings time ends at 2 a.m. on November 4th.  Make sure you turn your clocks back one hour. Fire departments recommend replacing your smoke detector batteries as well. Daylight savings time ends, but you can Start Saving money on your Energy bill when you;   Wash your clothes in cold water. Much of the energy your washer uses is due to heating the water. Washing in cold can save you as much as 30%.   Put your computer on “standby” mode. This will use about 80% less energy.   Use your microwave. Heating food in the microwave uses 80% less energy that heating it in the oven..   Set your water heater to 120 degrees.   Adjust your thermostat at night or while you are away. For every degree you lower it, you’ll save about 3%                     My Website For Sellers For Buyers ... 11/03/2012