As I was working on my flyers for the new year I was thinking of the Pros and Cons of a Short Sale and a Foreclosure.. The pros to a short sale include: A minimum of 2-3 years to recover Get to walk away from the debt Can possibly extend your stay in the house a bit longer while the short sale is being negotiated Cons of a short sale include: There is a possibility the short sale will not get approved You still have to move Considering you don't file bankruptcy after the short sale is complete and you are able to move forward in recovering your credit, it will still be 2-3 years before you can buy again. Now the Cons of a foreclosure: You lose your house Your still stuck with that debt It will take you a minimum of atleast 8 years to recover from a foreclosure, and that is if you don't ... 01/01/2011

Looking for Sandbags in The City of Yorba Linda or Placentia Residents are welcome to stop by these local fire stations to obtain free sandbags and sand. Yorba Linda Fire Station 53, 25415 East La Palma  If you are a resident of The City of Placentia visit Placentia Fire Station 34, 1530 N. Valencia Ave. You can never be too cautious.Especially with the amounts of rain we have had in the past week. I have walked around my home and property several time to make sure that all my drains are clear and that water is not pooling aound my house or garage. Don't wait until you actually have a flood. Be prepared and not worry about water intrusion problems that could happen quickly.    Posted by Tina Maraj, Yorba Linda Homeowner and Real Estate Agent. 12/22/2010

Yorba Linda Ca: FHA or HRAP/DELRAP Approval will be required if you are purchaseing single family home using FHA financing in  communities with associations, like Hertiage at Vista Del Verde. Now that the FHA loan limits in Southern California are higher, more home buyers are taking advantage of the low down payment options and eaiser qualifiy ratios of FHA financing. Here are the communities that are approved for FHA Financing as of December 13, 2010 Condo/CommunityName Condo ID /Submission Address ApprovalMethod Compositionof Project Comments DocumentStatus ManufacturedHousing FHAConcentration Status StatusDate ExpirationDate FAIRMONT HILL COMMUNITY ASSOC. S005151 001 YORBA LINDA, CA 92886 HRAP ALL 416 UNITS WITHIN 124 BLDGS OF PROJECT. None Recorded/Not Uploaded No 6.00% Approved 03/... 12/13/2010

Yorba Linda Ca: FHA Approved Condo and Town Home Communities as of December 13, 2010. If you would like to purchase a condominium or town home using FHA Financing, you must be sure that the properties you are viewing are HRAP/DELRAP Approved. In the past week many communities approvals have expired. This means you can not close an transaction using FHA Financing until the community has been re-approved again. Here are a list of the Condominiums that have successfully completed the approval process with US Department of Housing and Urban Development. CondoName Condo ID /Submission Address ApprovalMethod Compositionof Project Comments DocumentStatus ManufacturedHousing FHAConcentration Status StatusDate ExpirationDate FAIRMONT HILL COMMUNITY ASSOC. S005151 001 YORBA LINDA, CA 92886 HRAP A... 12/13/2010

If you are currently looking to buy a home in Yorba Linda, Ca., right now is a great time to buy. There are some wonderful properties on the market that will welcome your family into the Orange County lifestyle and astound your friends and family once they come over for the holidays and gatherings and see the amazing home you have established for you and your family. Here are a few properties currently available in Yorba Linda, Ca. that have swimming pools, located near award winning schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, that can close quickly. If your desire is to be a homeowner before the coming new year, please give me a call at 949-350-8922 so I can assist in making that dream of owning a home in Yorba Linda, Ca. come true! 6020 Nicosia Way Yorba Linda, CA. 9... 11/15/2010

Holiday Boat Parade in East Lake Village - Yorba Linda - Land of Gracious Living East Lake Village Hosts it's annual Holiday of Lights Boat Parade Beautifully Decorated Homes and a Fabulous Boat Parade make this a great holiday tradition in Yorba Linda!  This is a great way to spend the evening with friends and family.   Christmas in Yorba Linda, California is exceptionally beautiful and there’s always a very festive atmosphere in our city, aptly known as the Land of Gracious Living. One major reason for this, is the East Lake Village Boat Parade. This 25 year, annual tradition is a favorite local event with Yorba Linda residents, and serves as a reminder that the Christmas season has officially begun. This year there will be several food trucks at the East Lake Village Clubhouse, so yo... 11/14/2010

Should You Wait To See If Prices Drop More in Yorba Linda, California Before You Buy? This is a question that I hear often and my answer is a resounding "NO"!Actually, my answer is more like NO, Uh-uh, NOPE, Not a single day, No siree Bob, ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Now, if any of you are still unclear about how I feel, please email me, but I think you may get the point : )Here's why I feel so strongly about this question:Mortgage interest rates are at an ALL TIME LOW! We cannot guarantee where prices are headed, but we can guarantee that interest rates will increase at some point in the future, and possibly sooner than we anticipate. I have worked in the mortgage industry since 1996 and I have yet to see lower mortgage interest rates. In fact, I have clients that will never want to refinance aga... 10/27/2010

East Lake Village Holiday Boat Parade in Yorba Linda, California Yorba Linda, California, known as "Land of Gracious Living", is a compilation of beautiful neighborhoods surrounded by rolling hills and sweeping skyline views. One of the most well known and perfectly situated neighborhoods in Yorba Linda, is East Lake Village, and every year the residents and homeowners association host one of the most anticipated holiday events in the city- the East Lake Village Holiday Boat Parade! What makes this such a unique light show is the fact that East Lake Village is set around a 15 acre man made lake, and the residents decorate not only their homes, but their boats as well, which they then parade around the lake, for everyone to admire. The view of the lake is stunning, but especially with al... 10/25/2010

The Black Gold Golf Course Wine Stroll at Vista Del Verde in Yorba Linda, California The Black Gold Golf Club is a premier golf course set in the rolling hills of Yorba Linda, California, in a upscale development known as Vista Del Verde, located at One Black Gold Drive, Yorba Linda, California 92886. The entrance can be found at the corner of Lakeview and Black Gold Drive. On Sunday, October 24th, 2010, you will be able to not only view some of the luxurious Toll Brothers and MBK model homes that comprise this incredible and exclusive master planned community in Yorba Linda, but you'll also be treated to a wine tasting event, known as the Black Gold Wine Stroll. The Black Gold Wine Stroll helps to benefit numerous local charities through the GIVE initiative, so you'll also be helping o... 10/23/2010

I just got a confirmation call from my lender to let me know that a 203k deal that we have been working on since July has FINALLY funded..We are soo excited because everybody involved in this transaction worked so hard to get it closed. So this is my 2nd experience with a 203k loan for my FHA buyers and I would like to give some simple tips and info of what a 203k loan is and how to close one. If any of you have had FHA buyers that would like these homes that are fixers and you know would not be FHA approved do to the extent of the work and knowing the inspector would in NO WAY approve this! A 203K loan allows them to buy these fixers, it lets the FHA inspector know that "hey this house is jacked up, but they are using a 203k loan, they have contractors ready to give their bids, and the... 10/19/2010

Alright, with the cold and flu season starting to rear its ugly head on the horizon, I think that its time to for some reminders of what we can do to protect ourselves from these virus', because lets face it, as realtor's we may not have normal business hours, we may not have a boss that we have to answer to if we get sick, but one head cold is enough to make your clients to never want to shake your hands again..Do you really want your clients to introduce of this "This is my realtor, they got me this awesome house, and they also gave me a cold!" So here are some helpful suggestions on what I do the counteract those pesky bugs. Gurgle with hydrogen peroxide atleast twice a day- This will kill the bacteria in your mouth and throat, also kills the germs that are known to be the cause of t... 10/15/2010

The crime rate in Yorba Linda has historically been - and continues to be - among the lowest in Orange County. The City of Yorba Linda and the Brea Police Department maintain and publish the following crime data in the hopes that it will help enhance our already safe and secure environment. The California Department of Justice (DOJ) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) is a city, county, and state law enforcement program. This program provides a statewide view of crime, based on the reporting of statistics by law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Every crime report is evaluated according to the UCR requirements/guidelines and is classified by seriousness and frequency. Part 1 crimes include those considered to be the most serious, with all other crimes classified as Part 2. Listed bel... 10/15/2010

With all the banks in the hot seat right now due to the foreclosure fiasco, they are getting quite desperate, my broker told me today that the same bank that he has been negotiating two short sales with, the same bank that put him on hold for hours and hours, the same bank that continued to transfer his call and NEVER once gave him a direct answer, is all soo eager now to negotiate that short sale now, I wonder why???? But with that little layer of sarcasm that I just laid on pretty thick, being said, I think now is a great time to negotiate these short sales with these banks, due to the fact that until this freeze is lifted and foreclosure is not an option right now, for those homeowners that realize that they are in default and going to lose their house freeze or no freeze, and the fr... 10/13/2010

If you are obtaining FHA financing when you purchase it it critical to make sure the community your are looking in is an FHA Approved Community! It would be terrible to fall in love a a condo or town home and find out that you can't obtain FHA financing!  CondoName Condo ID /Submission Address ApprovalMethod Compositionof Project DocumentStatus ManufacturedHousing FHAConcentration Status StatusDate ExpirationDate FAIRMONT HILL COMMUNITY ASSOC. S005151 001 YORBA LINDA, CA 92886 HRAP ALL 416 UNITS WITHIN 124 BLDGS OF PROJECT. Recorded/Not Uploaded No 5.50% Approved 03/12/1975 12/07/2010 HERITAGE AT VISTA DEL VERDE S005307 001 YORBA LINDA, CA 92886 HRAP PHASE 1: TRACT # 16804,UNITS 23-27,68-70 = 8 UNITS OF PROPOSED 86 UNITS MAX.LENDER TO VERIFY OWNER OCCUPANCY RATE IS >51% LOCATION: 18068 ... 10/09/2010

Alright if you haven't heard about the foreclosure freeze already I suggest you flip on your television because it is all over the news. Due to the corruption in the banking system, which we all knew was there for a loonnnnnnggg time now, foreclosures in several states are coming to a halt.  As I was talking to my broker we where discussing what effect this is going to have on the Short Sale market, and we determined it is going to be one of two extremes with these homeowners. First Scenerio: With foreclosures coming to a halt, it might make it easier to negotiate these short sales with the banks since foreclosing is no longer an option and making the process go by alot quicker, and smoother, and you we might actually be getting people on the phone, on the banks end, of people that actu... 10/08/2010

The park name is in honor of the Yorba family, who owned Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, a 62,000-acre Mexican-era land grand on the south side of the river. José Antonio Yorba, a Spanish soldier with the Portolá expedition, was granted the land in 1810 and his son, Bernardo, used his family's holdings by raising animals harvest corn and wheat, planting vineyards and orchards. The area remained agricultural well into the 20th century. Yorba Regional Park opened in 1976. For the hiker, Yorba's offerings are limited to paths along the Santa Ana River and paved walkways linking the park's lakes and facilities. Bird-watchers say the birding is pretty good along the Santa Ana River, which attracts a variety of waterfowl and shorebirds. 10/07/2010

As I was looking at the contents under my bathroom and kitchen sink I was trying to think about how could these items relate to me and my real estate business? All of these things are different, but I did find one common similarity between them all. They are all GENERIC! Stuff that I bought from Costco in bulk to save money. These items may not be "name brand", like the high end Hefty, Cascade, and Charmin Utra with ripples, but it gets the job done. The generic brand   I can somewhat in ways relate to my generic goods. I mean look at my name "Stacey Smith" how much more generic can you get??? I am not a flashing person, I don't drive a flashy car, I love my little Nissan Altima Hybrid, I have never paid more than $50.00 for a pair of jeans, sale racks are fantastic, and I unfortunately... 10/05/2010

East Lake Village, known as a "Land of Gracious Living" is a planned setting of spacious homes, creating a setting far removed from the hustle of metropolitan life, while located close to virtually every venue offered in Southern California. East Lake Village is centered around a 15-acre private lake offering fishing and boating, and including a fully-staffed recrational and meeting facilities, these beautiful residences include private waterfront homes known as East Lake Village Shores and an overall, master planned development of East Lake Villages's spacious, individual, single family residences on spacious lots. East Lake Village is a fully established community of 2,240 distinctive homes, each quality designed to provide a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. As displayed below are a ... 10/03/2010

  Fannie Mae wants to pay buyers agents a bonus to help them sell their homes, and pay the buyers to buy it!!! Their inventory is large...here is their latest incentive. Fannie Mae is going to pay buyer's agents a $1,500.00 bonus on top of their normal 3% commission of the sales price when they bring clients who close on the purchase of one of their REO's as their primary residence by December 31. The offers must be submitted on or after September 23, 2010 and must close within 60 days. Fannie Mae will give homebuyers who will be owner-occupants of HomePath properties up to 3.5 percent of the final sales price that can be used towards closing costs. They feel this will help increase sales to owner-occupants, and in turn have a stabilizing effect on home prices and communities. Fannie M... 09/23/2010

Anyone that has had to negotiate a short sale in this market knows that banks are a pain to work with.. Doesn't matter if its Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, etc. they all seem to get a sick twisted pleasure in giving you the "run around" and how no matter how many times you ask the same question, your going get a different answer with each person you talk to. Oh, and don't you just love being treated like a number instead of a person.. It really does seem that only incompetent space fillers are hired to answer the phones, and strategically trained on how not to give a direct answer, and are PROFESSIONALS at losing the information that you EMAILED to them in PDF format 2 WEEKS AGO!!!! Now there is word going around that banks much rather have the houses foreclose and make things mo... 09/13/2010