Moments in History  for  August Including Betty Boop August 9, 1930 – Betty Boop makes her cartoon debut in Dizzy Dishes. Betty Boop was so popular but some cities banned her like Philadelphia as being too risque so when she returned a few months later, she had lost her garter. Betty Boop merchandise is very popular still today as they sell clothing, purses, stationary, jewelry and other memorabilia with the popular wide eyed girl. Betty was known for saying Boop-Ooop-a-Doop in a sexy manner. August 3, 1936 – Jesse Owens wins the 100 meter dash, defeating Ralph Metcalfe, at the Berlin Olympics.   August 3, 1900- The Firestone Rubber Company was founded.   August 4, 1958 – The Billboard Hot 100 is published for the first time. August 5, 1957 – American Bandstand, a show dedicated to the ... 08/09/2014

Do You Know What Is On Your Credit Report? Find Out Free - Really!!! So I was going through my email today, and came across an email from Trans Union reminding me that I hadn't signed into my account with their website to review my credit report since last year. I check my credit reports and my wife's once a year just to be sure there's nothing on them that I don't know about. But before you rush off and buy a peek of your credit reports, either through the so-called free credit report websites, or pay the credit bureaus themselves, I've got a well-known secret to share with you- Thanks to a federal law, everyone single person is entitled to one free credit report from each of the credit bureaus per year. Yep. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion all are required to allow you access to your... 08/05/2014

Indoor Plants Help Remove Biological Toxins and Make Your Air Quality Better   During the summertime we find ourselves spending more time indoors. Most homes have biological pollutants that can cause health problems. Poor air quality is typically the problem and not always detectable.   People who decorate their home with indoor greenery and household plants report less complaints about headaches, stress, and heart/circulation-symptoms, as well as a decrease in colds. NASA did a study that found common houseplants improve over all air quality; houseplants were able to remove up to 87 percent of air toxins in 24 hours. The recommendation? Use 1 "good-sized" houseplant (in a 6 to 8 inch diameter container) for every 150 square-feet in your home.   Just adding just a couple of plants to yo... 08/01/2014

Make a Spectacular Garden with Orange Flowers in California Late Bloomers I am so excited for this bulb to bloom as it is a late bloomer.Our weather here in Southern California is so mild that many plants bloom year round and rarely does a plant ever freeze.     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. If you are looking for a home in southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in the Inland Empire community and aware of the local market. I am here to help you find a home or to sell the home you currently own. California has great opportunities to view Nature and Bird Watching. Whatever your needs are, you will find it here i... 07/29/2014

How to Know if a Home is "For Sale" or Not As real estate agents we come across buyers, potential buyers or just curious neighbors trying to find information on homes or a particular home, whether they are for sale or not, even if that home doesn't have a for sale sign in the yard, can't be found in the MLS, or even online. In fact, I fielded a call from a close friend this past week interested on a home that sat empty for a long period of time. She was interested in this property because of the close proximity to her parents home, and she was considering purchasing it if it was for sale. Unfortunately this particular house was a foreclosure and currently held as a HUD home. Any home in a Housing and Urban Development portfolio could sit without being placed for sale for years. This typ... 07/25/2014

I'm Not So Sure ActiveRain is Going To Work For Me Anymore..... No, the title of this blog is not just a hook. Its not a title just to get you to click and read this blog, only for me to write about how great ActiveRain is.... I'm truly nervous about the future of ActiveRain. When Trulia acquired ActiveRain I was also nervous , but not like I am now. I just heard that Zillow is making a major push to purchase Trulia, and with it ActiveRain. Look out. Trulia had a fairly OK reputation for how they treated real estate agents, their blogs on Trulia and their interaction with the website. Yes Trulia applied nofollow tags to links in the agent blogs, but Trulia didn't mess with ActiveRain when they bought the website. They left the community intact. They left our various links alone and didn... 07/24/2014

Yucaipa Real Estate and the Stalemate Between Buyers and Sellers Have you been paying attention to the local real estate market in Yucaipa, California? If not, let me be the first to tell you there is a stand-off war being waged between buyers and sellers. Yes the real estate market in Yucaipa has heated up over the past year or so, and yes prices have jumped considerably since the bottom of the market crash, but Yucaipa real estate, like real estate in most of the state of California, has witnessed an uneasiness of buyers lately. Why, you ask? It all comes down to attitudes of value, and the state of the lending market. Buyers are increasingly getting cold feet every time they hear prices are up. They are afraid of another bloated real estate market and crash, while they get stuck hold... 07/23/2014

Night Flowers are Beautiful & Vibrant   While outside at night taking Supermoon photos, I put my camera on Night Photography and took some flowers in my neighborhood and yard.   I love the way the colors pop out off the picture.        One drawback with night photography is that it shows up all imperfections. Here is one of my favorite flowers.   Thanks for Reading my Real Estate Blog....... 07/13/2014

Super Moon Last Night in California   See the 5 Stages in the Inland Empire   Last night on July 12, 2014 was the second of 3 supermoons this year. The term is use to signify that it is a 'Perigee full moon'  meaning it is closer to the earth. This lunar phase also causes elevated tides around the world. This supermoon appears 14% closer to the earth and 30%  brighter. The name 'Supermoon' was coined by an astrologer, Richard Nolle, over 30 years ago. The term has become accepted by all and popular in 2011.   As we know the full moons of every month were named for weather occurances for the tribal cultures. This super moon is known as "Full Buck Moon" as it was the time the new antlers on of the buck deer started pushing out on their foreheads. It was also known as "Full Thunder Moon" b... 07/13/2014

How Google Earth Assists Crooks to Enter Your Home We live in such a great era where technology seems to get better and better but it is sad when crooks use this technology to further their desire of becoming rich by taking advantage of homeowners by using modern technology. We are at risk of becoming victims of identity theft from hackers, and theft of wallets or even as simple as going through trash cans to find credit applications but now we find that a group of crooks called the "Ninja Robbers" who used Google Earth to gain information to assist them in robbing victims in their homes.  In a jail house interview, one of the robbers was asked what was their intentions and how did they gain their information. He said they used Google Earth to look for 'Easy Access' to obtain their goal... 07/12/2014

FAA Trying Still to muscle REALTORS and OTHER Commercial Users From Using Drones I was in Yuma, Arizona this past spring. The family and I were enjoying Easter weekend, if I remember correctly. We have a Myers Manx buggy and we were riding it through canal roads, along crops and through the various washes the area has. Its a hot spot for people wanting to play a little in the dirt without the crazy riding that comes with places like Glamis and other dirt and sand riding destinations. Along one of the washes, which parallels many homes, communities and even a golf course there's a runway. Many planes take off and land on this runway daily. In fact, I've seen multiple aircraft on the runway at a time. But you know what I never see? Any air traffic control. No FAA enforcement. No nothing. ... 07/11/2014

Apple Annie's Restaurant in Oak Glen, CA for Great Food                           Apple Annie's 38400 Oak Glen Road Oak Glen, CA 92399 909-797-2311 www.appleanniesoakglen.com   Thanks for Reading my Real Estate Blog....... Kristin Hamilton DRE #014092138 Keller Williams Realty – I am a full time agent and deal in all types of real estate transactions. Trusts, Probate, Short Sales, Standard Listing, Single Family Homes, Apartments 1-4 units, Duplexes and Condos. I am also an experienced REO agent. I sell real estate in the Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties. 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 bot... 07/05/2014

What Event Turned My Life's Direction Towards 'Real Estate' My mom had been in the hospital (11 years ago) and since th Master Bedroom in our home was downstairs and other bedrooms upstairs, we had to give my mom our master bedroom for a week until she was able to go home with part-time care.  So that got us thinking about selling our home and buying a new one with a downstairs bedroom and bath suite for her. We thought maybe she would come and stay with us permanently someday and should be ready for the event. I had driven around in our neighborhood and saw a nice home for sale. I called the agent on the sign and she said it was PENDING but had a home coming on the market soon. She wanted to meet and see our home and two days later our home was on the market and offers started coming i... 06/26/2014

Birds..Sing Every Morning Outside My Office Window I usually get up about 6:00 am and do some work at my home office for a couple of hours before going off to appointments or to my work office.   Every morning the Finches sing beautifully and they are so loud and echo throughout the house. Funny thing is I do not have a bird feeder for them yet but they are happy anyway. At my last house, I had 4 bird seed feeders and they never sang! 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. If you are looking for a home in Southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in the Inland Empire community and am aware of the local market. I am here t... 06/23/2014

World's Ugliest Dog Contest 2014 and Here is the Winner  The 26th Annual World's Ugliest Dog Show was held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, CA.   The winner of the 2014 Ugliest Dog Award goes to a 2-year-old mutt named Peanut, who has wild streaks of white/ brown hair, bulging eyes, and buck teeth. Peanut is a happy and loving pet and full of energy.   Holly Chandler of Greenville, North Carolina, says Peanut was seriously burned as a puppy, resulting in bald patches all over his body. Peanut was in a shelter for 9 months before Holly found him and fell in love with the energetic puppy and adopted him.   Chandler hopes Peanut's victory will help raise awareness about animal abuse. Chandler plans to use the  $1500 prize to help pay for other abused animals vet bills. For the ... 06/21/2014

Latest Trends- Men and Women Prefer Different Features in Real Estate Men and Women want similar but different in a home As you can see women are interested in appliances and fixtures, floor plans, curb appeal and backyard areas.   Men seem to be more interested in Garages or Man Caves but also interested in floor plans, backyard areas, and curb appeal.  Latest Trends from C.A.R.- Buyers Have House Crushes on Certain Features Thanks for Reading my Real Estate Blog.........   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. If you are looking for a home in Southern California, please contact me. I am a local California Realtor, live in the Inland Empire community and ... 06/19/2014

 250 Realtors Attended 1st Annual Inspirational Brunch Redlands County Club On Friday June 13, 2014 I attended the 1st Annual Inspirational Brunch. The event was the creation of our Keller Williams Market Center Auditor Benjamin Herrera and Team Leader Aaron Wood.   The event was attended by over 250 Realtors and over 30 tables. We heard 5 speakers who had all experienced life-threatening events and had found the way back through faith, stamina and the love of God.            Opening Ceremonies started with the San Bernardino Valley Young Marines.     It was a very moving event and we had two singers that are real estate agents for Keller Williams. Stephanie Martin sang "God Bless America" and a song she wrote "Winner".             Agent Kim Boda sang the National Anthem and the song 'H... 06/15/2014

Lighthouse Celebrates its 250 Anniversary in Sandy Hook, New Jersey Built in 1764 and Still Providing Light    The Lighthouse located on the banks near Sandy Hook has been standing bright for 250 years. The lighthouse was built by the Colonists in 1764 and has been in service the entire time except during WWll when the light was turned off and it was painted gray to conceal it.  The beacon was constructed out of  a granite substance called rubble stone and continues to throw a 12 mile beam out into the Atlantic Ocean. It shines a 1,000 watt bulb called an oblong Fresnel light. In 1974, the Army sold off the lighthouse to the National Parks and it was opened up to the public for tours.    Here is Tom Hoffman giving a tour down the windy stairs.     To read more about this historical site... 06/11/2014

Fire Season is Here So Be Prepared for Any Unknown Disaster Are You Prepared for a Natural Disaster in Your Area   Are you prepared for a national disaster in your area? Every year millions of people in the US are affected by natural disasters such as Firestorms, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Flooding. Would you be prepared if this happened to you?  Here are some safety tips to help you prepare for such a disaster.  Keep you gas tank half to full; never go to sleep on a empty tank. You might not be able to buy gas for days.  Have water on hand for you and your family and don't forget the pets. Have spare dog food available for your pets.  Keep food on hand that doesn't need to to be cooked. 1 week supply is hopefully sufficient. Make sure you have a "First-Aid" kit with disinf... 06/09/2014

 Red Hawk on the Golf Course...Run   It was reported on Thursday night that at the Huron Hills Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Michigan between the 10th and 18th Hole, golfers have been attacked by a Red Hawk. Apparently there is a hawk's nest up in a big Oak tree nearby and the hawk is just being very protective.   In the past couple of weeks, two other golfers have been attacked but everyone has recovered and the hawk and her young will probably leave the nest in the next 4 weeks.    Doug Kelly, Director of Golf for the city of Ann Arbor said the other two golfers were wearing hats and got away. In the latest incident, the golfer was not wearing a hat and the hawk cut his head and drew blood.  Francie Krawcke, head of the raptor program at Ann Arbor's Leslie Science and Nature Center said t... 06/08/2014