Real Estate Information

Carol & Jim

Carol or Jim Chamberlain

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Displaying blog entries 91-100 of 122

  Service Phone Website
Anaheim
City Hall 714-765-4311 Anaheim.net
Convention Center 714-765-8950 Anaheimconventioncenter.com
Fire 714-765-4000 Anaheim.net
Libraries Anaheim.net/library
Police 714-765-1900 Anaheim.net
Public Schools Anaheim.net
Brea
City Hall 714-990-7600 CityofBrea.net
Chamber of Commerce 714-629-4938 BreaChamber.com
Community Center 714-990-7100 CityofBrea.net
Fire 714-990-7644 CityofBrea.net
Library 714-671-1722 Ocpi.org/63branch.asp
Police 714-990-7623 CityofBrea.net
Post Office 714-529-2163
Public Schools 714-990-7800 Bousd.k12.ca.us
Senior Centery 714-990-7750 CityofBrea.net
Fullerton
City Hall 714-738-5338 Ci.fullerton.ca.us
Fire 714-738-6500 Ci.fullerton.ca.us/depts/fire
Libraries FullertonLibrary.org
Police 714-738-6800 Ci.fullerton.ca.us/depts/police
Post Office Usps.com
Public Schools 714-447-7400 Fsd.k12.ca.us
La Habra
City Hall 562-905-9700 LaHabraCity.com
Chamber of Commerce 562-697-1704 LaHabraCity.com
Community Center 562-905-9708 LaHabraCity.com
Fire 562-905-9794 Fire.lacounty.gov
Library 562-694-0078 Ocpi.org/61branch.asp
Police 562-905-9750 LaHabraCity.com
Post Office 714-992-0580
Public Schools LaHabraCity.com
Placentia
City Hall 714-993-8231 Placentia.org
Chamber of Commerce 714-528-1873 PlacentiaChamber.com
Fire 714-573-6280 Ocfa.org
Library 714-528-1906 PlacentiaLibrary.net
Police 714-993-8164 PlacentiaPD.org
Post Office 714-993-1163
Public Schools 714-996-2550 Pylusd.org
Yorba Linda
City Hall 714-961-7100 Yorba-Linda.org
Chamber of Commerce 714-993-9537 YorbaLindaChamber.org
Community Center 714-961-7181 Yorba-Linda.org
Fire 714-573-6280 Ocfa.org
Library 714-777-2873 YLPL.Lib.ca.us
Police 714-990-7625 Ci.Brea.ca.us
Post Office 714-528-7052
Public Schools 714-996-2550 Pylusd.org

One of The Best Places To Get Moving Supplies?

by Carol or Jim Chamberlain

One of the biggest deals about buying or selling a home is the Packing. If there is anything that would keep most people from moving its the pain packing up all our stuff and then unpacking at the new home or apartment. The Box connection makes the job so much easier for the job of packing. Best of all you can order online and they will deliver all your supplies the next day. Sometimes even the same day. We have recommended this company for years and they have never let us down or clients. Click Here to get to the website. They will deliver anywhere in Orange and San Diego counties.

 

 

Placentia's Movies In The Park

by Carol or Jim Chamberlain

Back by popular demand Movies in the Park, FREE! Every Friday between July 11 - August 22, 2008, bring the whole family, come by yourself, young and old  will have a good time. The movies begin at dusk at the Champions Sports Complex, 505 N Jefferson, Placentia. All movies are PG rated. Bring your fold up chairs and blankets for a inexpensive night out under the stars.
Best seats in the house fill up early. July 11 Over the Hedge, July 18 Surf’s Up, July 25 Happy Feet, August 1 Bee Movie, August 8 Flushed Away, August 15 Shrek the 3rd, August 22 Water Horse, Legend of the Deep.

City of Brea Home Foreclosure Workshop

by Carol or Jim Chamberlain
For those facing difficulty keeping up with house payments, or perhaps already in receipt of a notice from their lender, a free workshop will be held on Saturday, May 3, at 10:00 a.m. in the Brea Community Center. Experts from Consumer Credit Counseling Services will conduct a Home Foreclosure Workshop to explore practical options. For the rest of the information click here.

10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable

by Carol or Jim Chamberlain

1. Get rid of clutter. Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier. Clean out the garage.

2. Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.

3. Keep everything extra clean. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates. Mop and wax floors. Clean the stove and refrigerator. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.

4. Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows.

5. Put higher wattage bulbs in light sockets to make rooms seem brighter, especially in dark rooms. Replace any burnt-out bulbs.

6. Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression. Small problems, such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet, may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well maintained.

7. Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.

8. Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.

9. Clean your gutters.

10. Polish your front doorknob and door numbers.

 

Are Short Sales The Best Buy For You?

by Carol or Jim Chamberlain

In the past year everyone has been talking about short sales and how much money you can save when buying a home. What is a short sale? In the simplest of terms, it is when a home owner has a loan on their home that is more than the current market value of the home.

Is this a perfect opportunity for a home buyer to purchase a new home at a price well below the current market value? The Seller just wants to get rid of the property at any price as he has not equity anyway. The bank doesn’t want the property. Banks are not in the property management business. The bank wants its money so that it can lend to someone else who will pay them back with interest.

If it looks to good to be true, it usually is. Most offers on short pays never get accepted by the bank’s loss mitigation department. It is not uncommon to take 4 to 6 weeks to get just to get an answer back on your offer.  Then there is certainly to be a counter offer regarding the price. Many listing agents of short sale properties list the property very low so that it looks like a “really good deal”. Then when an offer or even multiple offers are presented to the bank usually they will counter even higher than the list price.

Fact is, many sellers do not qualify for a short sale and they are not even aware of it. Before the property is listed for a short sale, a hardship package should be completed and sent to the lender to verify the sellers’ eligibility for short sale. There are strict guidelines that a seller must fall into when selling their property as a short sale. Many homes are listed before the hardship package is even sent to the bank. It can take 4-6weeks to get an approval for a short sale. This process has to be completed with each loan that is on the property.

It must be a true hardship or the bank will not look at it at all. The most common reasons lender will approve a short sale are:

Relocation out of the area
Inability to pay the loan
Death in the family
Loss of job
Court ordered sale of the property, usually due to divorce

The lender will want to see the last 2 years of the sellers’ tax returns. This is to ascertain if they any other assets, in state or out. The bank also wants to verify amounts in checking accounts, savings accounts, and retirement accounts (401k’s included) to see if this truly is are a hardship case. As a seller, the bank feels that you borrowed money from them and they expect you to pay it back. The seller is asking them to “let them off the hook due to them making a poor investment or exercising poor judgment on their ability to repay the loan.” So, before the bank agrees to allow the seller out of the loan for less than they are owed, they are going make sure the seller is truly a hard ship case. If the seller does have other assets, they will not approve the hardship, and the property will go into foreclosure.

Multiple loans on the property increase the difficulty of getting a short sale accepted. With multiple loans there’s a good chance the second will not get any or very little money. And a third is usually just out of luck. So why would you as a lender agree to a short sale at all if you are not going to receive any money? Most won’t. There’s nothing in it for them and the first will more than likely get the property back and get most of their money after they foreclose and the subsequent sale of the property.

This is a highly abbreviated version of what it takes to do a short sale. Look at purchasing an REO (Real Estate Owned) property. The Bank already owns the property and now you will deal with one identity that can make a decision in a reasonable amount of time and you will still get an excellent deal.

Click here and read more information about short sales in Wikipedia


Retirement Expo 2008--Back by Popular Demand

by Carol or Jim Chamberlain

Baby Boomers are putting their mark on yet another one of life's milestones—their retirement years. Increasingly, retirees are looking for part-time work, interesting experiences and learning opportunities. Boomers can network with employers and non-profit organizations offering such prospects at Brea's Retirement Expo 2008 set for 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on April 19 at Pioneer Hall. For more information click here

5 Things to Do Before You Sell

by Carol or Jim Chamberlain

1. Get estimates from a reliable repairperson on items that need to be replaced soon, such as a roof or worn carpeting, for example. In this way, buyers will have a better sense of how much these needed repairs will affect their costs.

2. Have a termite inspection to prove to buyers that the property is not infested.

3. Get a pre-sale home inspection so you’ll be able to make repairs before buyers become concerned and cancel a contract.

4. Gather together warranties and guarantees on the furnace, appliances, and other items that will remain with the house.

5. Fill out a disclosure forms provided by your sales associate. Take the time to be sure that you don’t forget problems, however minor, that might create liability for you after the sale.

How Big a Mortgage Can I Afford?

by Carol or Jim Chamberlain

Not only does owning a home give you a haven for yourself and your family, it makes great financial sense, too.

This calculation assumes a 28 percent income tax bracket. If your bracket is higher, your savings will be, too.

Rent: _________________________

Multiplier: X 1.32

Mortgage payment: __________________

Because of tax deductions, you can make a mortgage payment—including taxes and insurance—

that is approximately one-third larger than your current rent payment and end up with the sameamount of income.

For more help, use Fannie Mae’s

online mortgage calculators

Do I have to re-register for the Do Not Call List?

by Carol or Jim Chamberlain
No. Your number will stay on the Do Not Call list unless you direct the Federal Trade Commission to remove it. The FTC no longer requires people to sign up every 5 years. (It is not necessary to register cellphone numbers, since telemarketing to them is illegal.) Sign up at the FTC website, www.donotcall.gov or call 1-800-382-1222. Check, too, to see if your state has a no-call list. Despite the lists, it's impossible to stop all telemarketing call. The best thing to do is hang up and report the offender's number to the FTC. To file a complaint go to www.donotcall.gov and click on the "File A Complaint" button and follow the instructions. 

Displaying blog entries 91-100 of 122

Contact Information

Photo of Carol and Jim   Real Estate
Carol and Jim
Preferred Home Brokers
3230 E Imperial Hwy, Ste 125
Brea CA 92821
714-726-3144
714-726-3144

Carol & Jim Chamberlain 714-726-3166 or 714-726-3144                  "Yes, We Can Be In Two Places At Once!"                                              BRE Lic Numbers: 00912962, 01015143