Real Estate Darwinism

Romance is in the Air in Long Beach!

 

Valentines Day seems to turn everyone into a Romantic. Here in Long Beach there are many men that are in a complete panic over February 14^th. To make their lives a little easier here are Ten Romantic Things to do in Long Beach CA this Valentines Day with your Long Beach Sweetheart!

 

1. Go the traditional route. Take your Long Beach Sweetheart out to dinner. Long Beach is full of wonderful restaurants to select from:

 

1. Parkers Lighthouse will provide you first class surroundings and award winning cuisine 435 Shoreline Village Drive Long Beach CA 90802
2. Romantic Northern Italian try Christys Ristorante - 3937 E. Broadway Long Beach CA 90803 (866) 919-5774
3. Your Long Beach Sweetheart is a little more exegetic? Try Café Piccolo 3222 E. Broadway Long Beach CA 90803 (562) 438-1316
4. In the mood for a great Steak? Then off you go to Kellys Restaurant - 5716 East 2^nd Street Long Beach (562) 433-4983
5. Talk about Love, How about taking your Long Beach Sweetheart to The Queen of Long Beach CA? The Queen Mary has several dining options for you to select from. 1126 Queens Highway Long Beach CA 90802 (562) 435-3511
6. Do the two of you enjoy Jazz? Try this little romantic spot Nicos Restaurant 5760 E. 2^nd Street Long Beach CA 90803 (562) 434-4479
7. Perhaps a more contemporary American cuisine is what your desire? Then try The Madison 102 Pine Avenue Long Beach CA 90802
8. Want a great view of Long Beach; try The Reef on the Water. 880 Harbor Scenic Drive Long Beach CA 90802 (562) 435-8013
9. Elegant seven course meal how about Delius Restaurant - 3550 Long Beach Blvd. Long Beach CA 90807 (562) 426-0604
10. Your Long Beach sweetheart loves wine, try LOpera Ristorante with an extensive wine list that is sure to please. 101 Pine Avenue Long Beach CA 90802 (562) 491-0066
11. The ultimate romantic evening-dining and dancing at the top of the Breakers at The Skyroom; 40 South Locust Avenue; Long Beach, Ca 90802; 562-983-2703 - Like stepping back in time¦
12. Or my personal favorite in Downtown Long Beach - LaTraviata; 301 Cedar Avenue; Long Beach, CA 90802 562-432-6222

2. On a budget? Romance is not about how much you spend, but the time you spend together. How about taking your Sweetheart to the Aquarium of the Pacific and spend the day together walking hand in hand and enjoying the Aquarium and the sense of wonder¦ Go on a Whale Watch or take advantage of the Valentines Day Dinner.

3. Free to spend a little more money and want to wow your Long Beach Sweetheart? Instead of staying in a hotel, how about renting a yacht for an incredibly romantic evening in Rainbow Harbor with magnificent views of the Queen Mary and Downtown Long Beach skyline.

4. Money no object this Valentines Day? You want to purchase the truly unique and one of a kind Long Beach Valentine Gift? How about purchasing your Long Beach Sweetheart a romantic Historic Bed and Breakfast? The Historic Victorian Bed and Breakfast is For Sale in Downtown Long Beach California - 90802.

5. Ok, so you were thinking a little more along the lines jewelry instead of Real Estate. Understandable, but dont forget me when it is time to buy or sell Real Estate in Long Beach California! Here are a few Long Beach Jewelry Stores you might just find the perfect trinket for your Long Beach Sweetheart:

1. Mood Swings Jewelry 455 E. Ocean Boulevard Long Beach CA 90802 (562) 437-6250
2. Every girls heart skips a beat when they get a little blue box from Tiffany & Co. 10250 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90067 (310) 557-0840
3. Dave Schneider Fine Jewelry 245 The Promenade Long Beach CA (562) 437-0448.
4. LA Ventanilla Jewelry Shop 351 E. 7^th Street Long Beach CA (562) 495-8370

6. Take a little trip over to Naples IslandRomantic Gondola Cruise on the Naples Canals, sunset? and take your Long Beach Sweetheart on a

7. Take your Long Beach Sweetheart to the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden and Koi Pond and enjoy the spectacular gardens.

8. Flowers are always a good touch and are always a good bet. Here are a few Florists in the area that would be able to create that bouquet to remember:

1. Devynns Garden (562) 594-0104 (My Favorite - Gorgeous flowers & arrangements.
2. Piccolo Flowers 9800) 638-7797
3. Conroys Flowers (562) 421-9401
4. Vons (562) 984-1421
5. A Beautiful California Florist (562) 437-4106
6. Passion Flower (562) 437-3706
7. Allens Flower Market (562) 981-9499
8. Flowers by Vickie (562) 437-0525

9. Chocolate is always a hit! Something sweet for your sweetheart, here are a few places that you can always get great candy from in Long Beach:

1. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory - Shoreline Village 419 Shoreline Village Drive. Long Beach CA 90802 (562) 436-5901
2. Sees Candies - 2129 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach CA 90815 (562) 597-5189
3. Bodega Chocolates 17290 Newhope Street Fountain Valley CA 92708 (714) 432-1537
4. The Candy Baron - 419 Shoreline Village Drive Long Beach CA 90802 (562) 435-5661

10. Want to give your Long Beach Sweetheart a unique gift, something different, perhaps one of these stores will give you inspiration for that great gift!

1. Blue Windows has a selection of interesting gift ideas. 5276 E. 2^nd Street Long Beach CA 90803 (562) 434-7195.
2. Loving life on the racy side? The Rubbertree; 5018 East 2nd Street
   Long Beach, CA 90802; Telephone: (562) 434-0027
3. Hot Stuff has a selection of Adult gifts, they are located at 2121 E. Broadway Long Beach CA 90803 (562) 433-0692
4. Once Upon a Story is a bookstore with lots of interesting books and is located at 3740 E. 4^th Street Long Beach CA 90814 (562) 433-6856. Ok a childrens bookstore but think hard, remember your sweetheart telling you about a favorite childhood book.
5. How about purchasing a subscription to the Long Beach Opera and enjoy giving the gift and 4 wonderful evenings with your Sweetheart? Opera too much for you or your Long Beach Sweetheart? How about purchasing tickets to the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra instead.
6. The Museum store at the Long Beach Museum of Art might just have that unique gift you are seeking for your sweetheart. They are located at 2300 E. Ocean Blvd Long Beach CA 90803 (562) 439-2119

Have a very Happy Valentines Day!

 

 

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There’s a saying in the news business, “If it bleeds it leads", meaning sensationalism sells the news.  The press isn’t interested in hearing that the real estate market is doing well in some places.  It’s not news to them. If you look closely at the statistics being used by the media, they flip the percentages showing the negative above the positive. The press in the San Francisco market is guilty of this big time and I see it everywhere I look.

What do I mean?  Did you know that 2007 is on track to become the 5th best year in the history of real estate?  How can this be, you’re saying?  It’s estimated that over 5.5 million homes were sold during 2007 - a year that began the melt down of the mortgage industry.  The average sales price in the US has gone up consistently. Did you know that through November 2007, 95% of all mortgages were current in the United State?  But that’s not news.  It’s more exciting to say 5% of mortgages are in default.

Real estate markets have cycles of about 10 to 15 years and most real estate goes up over time.  Take a look at the past three decades of data courtesy of NAR and you’ll see for your self.

 

Millions of Houses Sold
Year	Low	Rebound	High
1970	1.6M
1976		3.0M
1978			3.9M
1982	1.9M
1986		3.6M
1988			3.6M
1990	3.2M
1996		3.6M
1999			5.2M

In each of the past three decades, we have seen low and high numbers of homes sold.  The 1980’s never quite recovered to the same level as the end of the 1970’s.  But, by 1996, a real recovery took place.  During those decades we suffered recessions, rebounds, and even some inflation, but housing prices were able to ride it out and generally provide the owner added equity.  What you must remember is that a house is your home, and if it gains equity, great, but if it doesn’t, you still have shelter above your head and you own it.  You can take the tax deductions for the interest you pay on your loan and for property taxes, and make your house all yours.  What else can you buy that affords appreciation over time?  Not much.

The only way you, the consumer, can be sure you are getting a fair deal is to use a first rate Realtor.  We’re out there for you.  We can assess the local market for you.  We can help you find the best home for your budget and make sure you are working with a reputable lender.  Top agents work with the best in the industry and we do not work with bad lenders, bad title companies or bad brokerages.

Buying a house is the biggest investment you will ever make in your life. You owe it to yourself to work with the best people to be sure you are not taken advantage of, and are protected.  Ask questions.  Keep your eyes open.  Educate yourself.  Right now is a good time to enter the real estate market to buy a home to live in.  Money is available at amazing rates.  Just stop reading the newspaper, watching the news on TV and listening to the radio.  Look at the statistics.  Raw data does not lie. Talk to your Realtor and find out for your self.

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Now This is Disclosure!

 

Wanna Buy a House?

It comes with a clown!

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If that title didn’t catch your eye, I don’t know what will……

You and your family have decided to sell your Palm Beach Gardens real estate and I’m going to cover some things that should help make the process smoother and faster.

 

 

The most important thing is pricing the home correctly.  If you didn’t hear me, I said

PRICING

 

One of the biggest problems facing Palm Beach Gardens real estate right now is the fact that so much of it is soooooo overpriced!

As I’ve said to many people, when you’re considering what your property is worth NOW:

• What you paid for it doesn’t matter
• How great you think it is doesn’t matter
• What you owe on it doesn’t matter
• And what it was worth 2 years ago doesn’t matter either.

That might sound rough, but I’ve got no reason to sugarcoat things.

When I meet with you to to get the listing on your home I’m going to recommend a price based on the following:

• Comparable sales: what homes similar to yours and in the same neighborhood as yours have sold for in the last 6 months
• Comparable listings: what are homes just like yours currently listed for
• Since no 2 homes are exactly the same, those #’s will be adjusted for any variations- water view or not, on the golf course or not, pool, etc
• How quickly do you want to sell?
  

In addition, I always suggest having a formal appraisal done if you’d like a second opinion.

Based on that information you and I will decide the exact listing price.

Too many Palm Beach agents will take a listing - regardless of how overpriced it is - and then hope that you will go for huge price drops in the future.  Will they sell the property?  Maybe - but only after it’s been on the market for a long time and the price is dropped to what it should have been in the first place!

Don’t get me wrong, price adjustments are not always bad as long as you start with a realistic price to begin with and update accordingly based on new / changed listings and market conditions.

Laurie Manny recently wrote an article - Chasing the Market Down - Are You Guilty?.  In it she discusses the problems with REACTIVE price changes.  As she demonstrates that’s NOT the way to go.  Proactive = GOOD, reactive = BAD.

OK - we’ve beat up on price enough for now.

CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN

 

Next we need to talk about the cleanliness of your Home.  Some people just don’t understand!  Just because you and your spouse think the home looks good, does not mean that someone that’s going to pay several hundred thousand dollars + for it will think the same way. 

 

• Unless you are almost surgically neat, pay a service to clean the house up AND KEEP IT THAT WAY. 
  
• If you are a smoker, you MUST get a service to come in and remove the cigarette  / cigar stench from the house!  You don’t smell it anymore - but prospective Buyers will and 99% of the time they’ll walk in the front door, take one whiff and leave without even looking.
• There is no such thing as too clean - I’ll use a current listing of mine as an example: in a recent showing the prospective Buyer asked me how long the Owners had been gone for.  They were actually outside walking their dog - they live there almost full-time and the house is ALWAYS immaculate.

Again - turn the tables on yourself, if YOU walked into a dirty home, would YOU buy it?

 

DO NOT RESTRICT SHOWING DAYS

 

Lastly, restricting showing days.  This is just plain stupid.  Sorry - I meant it’s not a good thing to do.

This is another basic that can really wreck your prospects.  If you were to ask for say, 24 hours notice because you always have to straighten up, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.  An entire day’s notice is not always possible - think about it this way, what if a serious Buyer was in town just for that day, wanted to see your house….  you say NO, but would tomorrow be OK?  Probably not.

One of the worst requests I’ve ever had was to not show a home on the weekend, not just ONE weekend, but NEVER on the weekend!

In a perfect world all appointments would be locked in stone and they would always be made several days in advance. Not going to happen.

 

Don’t give a Buyer ANY reason to even think about looking at another house !

So remember - price it right, keep it clean and don’t restrict showing times!  So simple, yet so often ignored.

 

I’m running out of coffee….. I’ll go over a few tips for Buyers tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“This buyer’s market will serve as a clean-out process for the real estate industry.  Clueless, unprofessional and inefficient real estate agents will not stand a chance".  

This statement was made by Rick, my husband and business partner, 2 years ago and I thought it was a bit ruthless.

Now I look around and realize how right he was and although it may sound cruel, there were a lot of real estate agents that did not belong in the business.

Rick and I, both with professional and corporate backgrounds, made a conscious decision to go into real estate because we were sick of working for someone else and saw an opportunity in an industry that lacked professionalism and integrity.  We had dealt with numerous Realtors that did not communicate, were not upfront in the transaction and we were always left wanting more.

The truth is that there are better Realtors out there because of the down market, and the consumer will have a better selection of professionals.
 
One factor does stay on the back of my mind and I hope this serves as a warning to many.  Yes the weak agent is gone, but this does not necessarily mean that the best remain.  Just last week I was at the park with my son and heard 2 women having a discussion about 2 local real estate agents and their horrible experience, I could not believe what I was hearing.  Their agents manipulated appraisals, were in collaboration with mortgage brokers, falsely inflated sold prices in the MLS, provided false inspections and were caught in the act by the buyers.  When I asked them if they had placed complaints against the agents they said it was too complicated and they felt it was better left untouched. 

If these crooks are not reported, they will keep scamming other people.  Has the market served as a cleaning process?  Absolutely, is there a long way to go?  You better believe it.  There are better Realtors now without a doubt, but with the continued help of the market and the collaboration of the consumer, the real estate industry will be sanitized and only good Realtors will remain.

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