Victor Valley on the Move

2012-02-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Keeping communication with your clients

2011-04-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

They say that communication is the key to your success. Success starts with keeping up with the times . With today's advances in communication, such as social media. A lot of us need to become trained to handle the young generation who will be are future home buyers. Builder's generally turn to innovations in building technology, design and materials. They see that today's homeowner is utilizing social media, such as texting, tweeting and virtual home model tours. This makes our home builders respond to the rapid changes to our society by shifting demographics and our current economic recovery. Some of these new approaches include changes in the design of new homes and even new home communities in which they are built. Because of this new technology and designs this will give us the safest healthiest and most environmental homes in history.

Dr Oz Gives us some tips for a Healthy Heart

2010-08-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Dr Oz, who is Oprah's resident Medical Doctor, is sharing some of his ideas that may be good advise for keeping a healthy heart.

Dr Oz believes that no less then seven hours of sleep a night and eight for a man will keep our metabolic changes in tact. Less sleep can increase your risk for obesity and diabetes. Through research they believe lack of sleep can contribute to calcium deposits in the arteries.

Know your blood pressure

The fastest way to age an artery is high blood pressure. This will cause the artery to harden like a garden hose, that has been exposed to the sun. Since there is no data to show that using drugs will lower blood pressure will give us a lasting effect, we need to exercise, lose weight, and reduce stress.

Avoid second smoke

An hour of passive smoke can cause the same amount of aging as having two to four cigarettes

Walk every Day

It is important to get the heart pumping every day, by moving regularly

Eat Fish Three Times a Week

Studies indicate that there is a protein in fish that provides a separate boost to cardiovascular health. Eat low mercury fish, such as wild salmon, catfish, or tilapia. If you are not crazy about fish, eat an ounce of walnuts a day. which will give you a dose of omega 3s

Take Half an Aspirin Daily

Evidence is strong for aspirins reducing the risk of a stroke. After the age of 40, the recommendation is half of 325 milligram tablet or two baby aspirin, with a half glass of warm water.

Floss and Brush

Any infection can stimulate the body to protect against bleeding with an increase in clotting, this could be a recipe for a heart attack

From the Victorville Daily Press July 25, 2010

2010-07-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

THREE TIME OLYMPIC BOXER OPENS A GYM IN OLD TOWN VICTORVILLE

A Home has been found for a three time olympicc boxer off 7th street and B street

Battalia Balalonundo, known as coach is looking to go back to the Olympics as a coach and has now decided to open what he calls the Bad Boy Boxing. Battalia is a three- time Olympic Boxer from Italy and a personal trainer in Los Angeles to some of the movie stars, such as Demi Moore, Eva Longoria. Battalia stated that he was looking forward to having a positive impact by providing an alternative to youth in the community. He stated that he wanted to teach kids about athletics, the military and education. He noted that he had a lot of experience and felt he could be a teacher to the kids by showing them the right direction to follow in life.

The gym will specialize in boxing, personal training and self defense. The location that has been chosen is ideal for a gym, bring clientele back into the neighborhood. The top notch training by a certified personal trainer who has dedicated his life to good health and training will be an inspiration to the community. Bad Boy Boxing will open in August 2010

Training to be the Best in 2010

2010-07-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Three young men are taking a new step to becoming firefighters in Apple Valley California

The Apple Valley Fire protection District and Victor Valley College are offering a cooperation work program for graduates of Victor valley College fire Academy. Even though there is a shrinking fire department budget the cooperation fills two voids. Academy graduates get credit for a full year of working in a department necessary to obtain fire fighter certification and the department can get extra ready to do the job at a time when hiring new firefighters is highly unlikable.The students live up to same standards any full time firefighter plus on the job experience. The city and the college are working together to assist young men and women on a lifestyle to contributing to a service that assist all of us

Fannie Mae Loan Quality Initive

2010-05-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

In effort to cut down on the loan buy backs, Fanny Ma has created the Loan Qualify Initative.

This means the lender may pull a 2nd credit report just before the closing of the loan, just to insure that you do not have any additional debt that has been applied. They may also have to perform additional verification of occupancy plans for the property. They may also may verify Social security and Taxpayer Id Numbers.

Eligibility matrix, which Fannie mae may be making changes to the Fico score requirements and LTV's. This is to take effect June 19, 2010 with the DU 8.1 upgrade

Du 8.1 Arm Qualifying Rate: To limit the payment shock for ARM borrowers, Fannie is changing the rate at which borrowers must be qualified. If you are taking out a ARM with a fixed rate period of 5 years or less, lenders must use the note rate +2 or the fully indexed rate

Interest Only program the DU 8.1: What are the changes, first this is what is not be eligible for delivery to Fannie.

Cash out refinances

Flexible Mortgages

My Community Mortgage Loans

Investment properties

2-4 units

The Minimum Representative credit score is 720

The borrower must have a minimum reserve of 24 months

The biggest Lender's say, we will not pay down your mortgage

2010-05-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

The two biggest owners of mortgages say I will not lower the principle on the mortgages that they back. these two lender are controlled by the Federal government feels that they do not need to lower the principle of their loans, instead they have chosen to opt for interest rates reductions and term extensions when modifying their loans.

Creating a Bridge off Yucca Loma Road

2010-03-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Spring Valley Lake has been trying to get all of the votes needed to close this community, now with the proposed Yucca Loma Bridge in the works, this might be back up for a vote. The 4200 homeowners of this community could also have benefits to this proposal. As it was planned, the bridge will head out from Yucca Loma Road, looping north along Spring Valley Lake's border. It will then drop down into Ridgecreast and Hesperia Roads, ultimately meeting up with Victorville's planned La Mesa/ Nisqualli interchange at interstate 15. The biggest concern of Spring Valley Lake residence is how the project will impact the traffic within in the community. This could cause a problem by traffic being used as a shortcut for those looking to access the new bridge.

Dancing with God

2010-03-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

This is not a subject matter that deals with my business, but it reflects my every day thoughts and work ethics as I proceed to begin my day on a path and then end it with the reminder that God has given me this day to meet nice people whom I am entering in with on a journey of exploration.

To all of you whom I have meet on my journey and new ones that will be entering into this path, I am writing this note to remind you of our blessings.

Dancing with God:

The word GUIDANCE reminded me of seeing dance. At the end of the word, I remember reading that doing God's will is like dancing. If two people try being the leader nothing will feel right. The movement does not flow with the music, and then everything becomes uncomfortable and jerky. When one person notices that and then let's the other lead, both of the bodies begin to flow with the music. With one gentle cue, maybe with a nudge to the back or pressing Lightly in one direction, both bodies begin to flow with the music. It will appear that the two body's become one body, moving with grace and beauty. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from another.

Going back to GUIDANCE, when I looked at the "G": I thought of God, followed by the"U" and "I". "GOD, "u" and "I" dance. yes God you and I dance. Then I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that God would guide me about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

I pray for you today and every day that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on each day of your journey through life. May you abide in God, as God abides in you.

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead you and guide you on you daily path of life.

What is your Preference, Coffee or Tea

2010-02-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

Most of us rise in the mornings having either a cup of coffee or Tea.

When making Coffee I have experienced that grinding the coffee fresh before you brew, will give you the experience of a more fresh taste of coffee. It appears that oxidation begins immediately and flavors will degrade noticeably in just a few hours. When shopping for a grinder, there are burr grinders and blade grinders. Blade grinders are the most common and the least expensive.

When using a blade grinder it's important to grind in small bursts of a few seconds at a time to prevent heat from building up and then causing burning the grounds.

Fitting the grid size to the brewing is about how much of the coffee surface is exposed to the water which desirable flavors come out first in the brewing, while the bitterness and other undesirables come out later, especially if the coffee is brewed too long. If you use course grinds they seem to be suited to a French Press style coffee maker because they let the water and the coffee steep together. When you are using medium or fine these work more efficiently with drip coffee makers. Fine and super fine are best when making espresso, reason being it that the water is being pushed through the grinds fairly quickly.

I have heard people talk about using cinnamon in the coffee for added flavor

Keep you paper work : Don't trust the Bank

2010-02-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

When doing a Short Sale and Dealing with the IRS, you could be avoiding a Double Whammy

It is bad enough to loose one's home and have a negative credit on your FICO Scoring, but one must be aware that the lender or the lenders assignee, may continue to pursue the seller for the remainder of the debt. The other could be the IRS, may come knocking at your door, seeking tax on the amount of debt that was unpaid.

Paper work that goes along with the seller approval of a short sale may include a promissory note for the difference between the debt owed and the short sale proceeds. The other option is that the lender might ask for the seller to sign an acknowledment that the lender reserves the right to pursue the borrower for this amount.

The possibility residing is that even if the debt is forgiven, the borrower may be taxed on the amount he did not have to pay back. See IRS publication 4681.

These are some of the reasons why it is so important for the seller to keep all paperwork.

Suppose that there was no specific release of the debt and the paperwork had no reference to any thing at all. Then if you recieve a 1099-c saying the debt was forgiven and then taxable, then you will have support for the claim that the 1099-c is incorrect.

Suppose that there was no specific release of the debt and the paperwork contained no reference to it. Then the seller recieves a 1099-c saying debt was canceled. Keep that information just in case the bank or assignee, comes calling a year later trying to collect the debt.

"I am not an attorney or a CPA. Information that I express is only information that I seek out by searching into the Internal Revenue services and areas that provide to the public questions and answers on the short sale repurcussions. Please search for you self in the address bar of your computer

Studies Show that too Much Sugar can fuel Tumor Growth

2010-02-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

We hear about the unhealthy diets our children intake daily. Schools are now removing soda pop from the vending machines, and replacing them with juices and water. Fortunately the schools are not there to be the parents. Some of us have grown up during the years where mom made food from scratch and the fast food and processed food were not an option. Kids were healthier, had more exercise, disease as we see it to day was not a prevalent as it is. There are Children by the time they are 6 years of age that are obese. Everyone I talk to state that their Health provider says they are over weight. By the way, look at the people who work at these facilities, they them selves have the same problem. Eating and running, not taking time out to eat healthy.

In a new Study of 60,000 people in Singapore, a research team at the University of Minnesota followed thousand of men and women participating in this study for 14 years. At the end of the study, published in a journal of Cancer Epidemiology, the team found that those who drank two or more soft drinks in a week had 87 % higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Oddly enough, those who drank fruit juice, and some of them have just as much sugar as soda, did not have the same cancer risk.

Some of the study suggests that possibly the soda drinkers, also had other poor habits, such as smoking, eating a lot of red meat, a poor life style and alcohol consumption

Consider what the pancreas job is, and that is to make insulin, which helps the body digest sugar, which is made in the pancreas. Researchers believe that soda pop interferes with the body's insulin levels which can contribute to cancer cells growing in the pancreas. The onset of diabetes later in life can also be a early symptom.

For more on this study go to AOL News

Capital Gains Question

2010-02-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Primary Residence and Rental property

A Two Family Home can be treated as one or two seperate properties

If you live in your primary residence three out of 5 years before you decide to sale the property, it can qualify you for a exclusion up to 500,000 dollars on your sale or 250,000 dollars if you are a single party. If the rental use was longer then 3 years, then any gain related to the sale of the property will be taxable and won't qualify for the sale exclusion.

Depreciation on the rental portion after May 6, 1997 is subject to what they call recapture. This means the tax rate will be at 25%. The balance of the gain is at 15% rate.

Even if the rental use during the 5 years does not exceed three years any gain related to rental use after 2008 won't qualify for the sale exclusion

This information was search out and information found was part of questions and answers by Barbara Wiltman, at Jk Lasser Institute

What Changes have Been made on the Tax Credit signed in Law in 2009

2010-02-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

Our president has signed a Tax credit for the first time Home buyer called the Home ownership and Business Assistance Act . It has now been extended though April of 2010. This credit will give back to the borrower 8,000 dollars on their primary residence. It had been previous noted that a single person making 75,000 dollars and more would not qualify for this credit, but now it has increased to 125,000 dollars for a single party and 145,000 dollars for a modified adjusted gross income for married couples. It is required that the home be used for a least three consecutive years. To take advantage of this special Tax credit a buyer must be in a contract by May 1, 2010

What are the Advantages in Buying a Residence or Renting a Residence

2010-02-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

Unless you are in a constant move and can not stay in one place two out of 5 years then it may not be the solution to buy. As a buyer you will gain equity in your home by making your mortgage payment. You can decorate your home without needing to get permission from your lender or your owner. This way decorate to your taste. You will get a homeowner tax break. You will be building credit. You can improve your home with the equity you acquire. You will have independence and pride as a homeowner. You can transfer your property though your will.

Now the Disadvantages:

Your cost can be variable, the equity might change due to market conditions. If you need to move, most of us will need to sell our home prior to making this change. It means owning, requires upkeep and maintenance. Then again it may mean that you will need more cash to get the loan then to rent a home

Are there Advantages to Renting?

Your costs are fixed for the term of the lease

You are not the one loosing equity, but then again you are not the one gaining it either

You can move at the end of the lease. Then also you have no maintenance worries

How About The Renting Disadvantages

Never acquiring equity. Not being able to Decorate your way, no tax breaks, your lease is controlled by your landlord. You may have a landlord who objects to repairs. You will probably not be allowed to sublease the property. You could face eviction if you and the landlord disagree

State of California Franchise Tax Board

2010-02-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

Foreclosure and Short Sales

I am quoting from an article from the California Franchise Tax Board about information to help the public to know about the laws that may effect their decision making when considering to let the Bank have your home or to Sell your Home in the Short Sale Process.

Quoting from this article it states questions that all of us want to know.

Will I owe tax on a deficiency?

If there is a foreclosure or a short sale a taxpayer will receive either a federal Form 1099 A, Acquisition or Abandonment of Secured Property, or a tax for 1099 C, A cancellation of Debt that provides the amount of debt cancelled, information to compute gain or loss, and whether the tax payer is personally liable for the debt. The most common situations on a foreclosure or short sale does not result in cancellation of a debt, income involve a non- recourse loan. On a non-recourse loan means the lender's remedy in the case of default is to repossess the property.

Forgiveness of a non-recourse loan does not result in Cancellation of Debt income, it may result in other tax consequences, like a reportable gain from the disposition. Even if the debt discharged is non-recourse, a taxpayer may have a gain to the extent of the balance of the mortgage forgiven if it exceeds their adjusted basis of the property.

If the gain, if any, from the foreclosure or short sale may or may not be taxable, depending on whether the IRC section 121 applies and the amount of the gain. Irs section 121 only applies to principle residences, and limits the amount of gain that can be excluded from the income

To Find out more about questions such as this, please go to your web browser and search, IRS web page titled Home Foreclosures and Cancellations

Short Sales Vs A Forclosure

2010-02-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

Let's look at a Short Sale, it seems that this process would be less damaging on the effect of a sellers credit report. Credit scores also known as FICO Scoring will loose 80 to 100 points. On A foreclosure it could take 3 years or more before a lender will offer a buyer a sensible interest rate, whereas for a buyer who went through the short sale, the waiting time could be around 18 months and at a good interest rate.

To Salvage your credit should be a primary concern, when you are considering the choice of letting the Bank foreclose or trying to do the short sale. This will be an advantage in your interest payments and for most of us consumers your buying power in the near and distant future.

There are site to visit and read that will be able to inform you on your decision. One of them is SaveMeFromForclosure.com.

Some of my information was found on EzineArticles.com

I get asked all the time "What is a Short Sale"

2010-02-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

To explain to you about a short sale, is to one where the bank allows the seller to sell their home for less then what they owe on the property. Until last year, the mention of a short sale seemed UN familiar to most. Banks preferred to foreclose on the home. But within the past few years, the short sale process has become all to familiar and popular. Banks have been notorious by delaying the process for months before they will give you an answer. But if you can hold in, it seems that this could be a better solution then to do a deed in lieu of foreclosure

As a buyer can we talk to the Lender, when we are making an offer on a short sale

2010-02-01T13:50:00.000-08:00

As a Realtor for 22 years, I am amazed that the Short Sale process has superseded the Foreclosure market. Years ago when you lost your job, became ill could not make your payment. What did the Bank do? How about Foreclose on you This past May of 2009 and then in October of that same year, the Treasury Department along with the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced programs designed to expedite the short sale process. The Treasury department even announced that lenders or those servicing those mortgages may receive an incentive compensation of up to 1,000 for a successful completion of a short sale. Also a borrower could also receive 1,500 to assist with a relocation expense. The Treasury promised to publish streamlined and standardized documentation, including a short sale agreement, which would speed up the process.

Although as of 2010, no such documents have been published, and banks are ignoring the pleas from the Treasury to complete the process within 90 days. I can speak from experience that Banks are not working for the consumer. Seven to Ten months is not an unusual procedure for these Banks . This causing the sellers to loose buyers that walk, thus starting the short sale process all over again. When you are ready for an approval, the Bank calls back the loan and it start all over again. I am not sure if the right hand is not knowing what the left hand is doing or this is a game. Homes are piling up and not being release to consumers. Their portfolio is in the hundred thousand and still climbing.

So to the buyer/ consumer, the answer is no you cannot speak to the bank about your offer. I as an agent spend 5 hours a day trying to speak to the Bank and I have an approval from the seller. What you get is a person who knows absolutely nothing, but the notes in front of them. When you ask to escalate the loan, their comment is wait 10 working days from the first escalation. You are at the Mercy of the party on the phone, who probably get minimum wage.

There are privacy laws restricting such communication

The New Grand View Plaza in Oak Hills California

2010-02-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Victor Valley has had it's moments of growth and now recession. But with all of this said, we still see the future of growth within the Vast area. With the many people seeking affordable housing, it directs them to communities such as Oak Hills. Oak Hills has many modest as well as
luxurious home. Custom built on 2 or more acres. Some in Gated communities, others spread out to accommodate horses with view's of the mountains and city. With all this growth and future expansion, the city is enlarging Ranchero Road to run through Hesperia and Oak Hills. With a talk to receive a railroad under pass and undergo an expansion from two lanes to four lanes.

When all of this project is completed this will assist commuters another viable way for traveling the east to Hwy 15, (Cajon Pass). With this happening a Construction company developed a New Plaza. This new Plaza will be called Grand View Plaza. Through analyzing the amount of traffic traveling from the east to the Hwy, this new corridor has been projected to have double the number of cars driving by the Grand View Plaza. This increased traffic traveling by the shopping center will be a bonus to the retailers. All this is to start breaking ground in 2010.

This new plaza will be located on the northeast corner of Ranchero and Escondido Roads. Near this shopping plaza, which will be 1/2 of a mile difference a new Oak Hills High School was built in 2009.

The committed Retailers so far is Mobil Gas and convience store, Alberto's Mexican food resturant