Memorial Day! Remember!

Memorial Day is again upon us. A day to remember our brave men and women in uniform who have sacrificed so much for this great country of ours. A day to remember their unselfish acts of heroism and duty. Yesterday I was privileged to attend a Military Service for a great family friend at one of our National Cemetery's and I must say it was more moving than I could have ever imagined. Feel this POPULACE! A beautiful sunny day with a sea breeze cooling family and friends in attendance as they overlook a sea and city skyline. The American flag is unfolded and draped over the American hero by two of Americas finest then refolded and presented to the surviving family member. The sound of taps fills the air where 100,000 men and women some as young as 17 lay, 37 of which are Medal of Honor recipients, flags flowing over every grave site. Silence falls as men and women visiting their loved ones stop to place their hand over their heart to pay their respect to the American hero who is being honored and laid to rest. The sound of taps ends yet the silence remains. The feeling is beyond explanation. The honor, care, and respect given to our American Flag as it was unfolded then folded was stirring to say the least. And the presentation of the flag to the surviving family member shook me to the core as the voice of honor flowed from the lips of the military presenter as he knelt on one knee to present the American flag giving thanks on behalf of America for her fathers service. The sense of respect given not only to this hero but to our country would have given anyone a feeling of pride and honor for this great country of ours. We are truly blessed to be living in America POPULACE! There is no greater place on Gods earth than America. If this sounds patriotic it is. Why anyone would disrespect these men and women and our country is beyond my comprehension. These great heroes take such pride in who they are and who they represent it is absolutely amazing. You can feel their pride. I am thankful for their service and for keeping our country safe. And today I thanked two of them personally. You should thank them too POPULACE!

Remember: BE IN THE KNOW!

Carl O

Short Sale Precautions

Hello POPULACE! A word of warning when contemplating a short sale and a few items to watch out for. Unfortunately there are still many who pray on those whose lives are in turmoil and you need to be aware. License is the key word here. When deciding short selling as an option please make sure that you are talking to someone reputable. Just today here in Bakersfield there is a story about a family who gave thousands of dollars to a company with zero results and who is now trying to recoup their lost fees. Consult a professional be it an attorney or real estate professional if you feel that short selling is your best option.

Remember: BE IN THE KNOW!

Carl O
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31906102/DRENewsrelease-shortsales-alert050510

After Foreclosure Protection

Thought this was important POPULACE! I guess some lenders are still trying to recover monies from foreclosed homeowners. Facing a foreclosure is a very stressful experience for anyone. But once it's over most families try to regroup and reestablish themselves. There is an attempt to close a loophole in California law that allows lenders to sue homeowners who have refinanced their homes for less than it's value and then were foreclosed upon. While I understand the lenders reasoning, I have to disagree with their actions. Most lenders received stimulus monies to compensate for their loses and to try and recover additional funds from those whose lives are in turmoil is somewhat unconscionable. Lenders should be helping to stimulate our housing markets by concentrating on processing short sales quicker, easing lending guidelines to those looking to purchase, and truly working on reasonable loan modifications homeowners can take advantage of. Borrowers do shoulder some of the blame for the foreclosure crisis but lenders need to move on, not look back, and concentrate on stabilizing and stimulating our housing market.

Remember: BE IN THE KNOW!

Carl O
http://losangeles.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2010/05/17/daily8.html

Fannie and Freddie Not Forgiving?

Are Fannie and Freddie saying do as I say not as I do? It seems a little unfair that our government is asking banks and investors to forgive homeowner debt while the departments under their control do otherwise. While both departments have sought to assist and mend a broken housing market you would think that they would comply with the wishes of the Obama administration and act as other banks have done. Now they may have their reasons due to the fact that their largest investor is the American taxpayer and they are using its money. But a lot of work still needs to be done in order to stimulate a volatile housing market and only partially complying only prolongs the process. What say you POPULACE!

Remember: BE IN THE KNOW!

Carl O
http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/14/news/economy/fannie_freddie_principal_reduction/index.htm

Veterans Get Yours

With Memorial Day just around the corner I wanted to remind our hero's of a great benefit afforded to them. The VA Guaranteed Home Loan. I find that most Veterans do not take advantage of it and simply do not pursue using it. After sacrificing so much for this Great Country of ours all of our men and women in uniform should be utilizing it to get their piece of the American Dream. In the past VA loans were difficult to do due to the fact that sellers did not feel they had to pay closing costs so these loans lost out to other more traditional loans. But in today's market most sellers are paying for closing costs sometimes up to 3% so these loans now can compete with other loan programs. There are procedures to follow but a good lender will know how to follow them. I have attached a very good FAQ from the Veterans Administration to help with any questions you may have. With prices where they are and most sellers paying closing costs the time may be right for you to take advantage. As Memorial Day approaches remember to thank these brave men and women POPULACE! I did just that yesterday.

Remember: BE IN THE KNOW!

Carl O
http://www.homeloans.va.gov/faqpreln.htm

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Defaults on Da Decline?

Interesting first quarter stats POPULACE! Is the housing market preparing for an upswing? While I believe that there are still challenges, I have been saying all along that we are stable. What I thought was interesting was that the L.A. market is beginning to see signs of recovery which is good news for us as we tend to follow Southern California. Now the road to recovery is still very rocky but at the very least there are positive signs lurking. The decreases in defaults were small, but they were decreases nonetheless. It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next few months. But know that I will keep you posted.

Remember: BE IN THE KNOW!

Carl O
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mortgage-defaults-20100511,0,270272.story

Follow Me On Twitter: www.twitter.com/bksfdrealestate

Tile With A Smile

I hope you will be smiling anyway. With all the remodeling going on these days I thought I would post a basic tile how to. While it is never a bad time to hire a tile professional, there may be some small jobs that you might be able to do on your own. If you have the ingenuity and gusto this may help you get off the couch and tackle that new tile backdrop you are always talking about doing. Get off the couch POPULACE! Most of all have fun and be creative as your home is who you are and should reflect this. Although, I wouldn't go to crazy as some day you may decide to sell your home and you don't want World War III going on inside.

Remember: BE IN THE KNOW!

Carl O
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31288625/Tile-Basics

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11 Buyer Do's & Dont's

So you have made an offer on a home and are now in escrow. What should you be thinking? As a buyer there are certain things that you should not be doing. I have compiled a list of some of these items which I believe to be the most important. After all you don't want to get to the end of the transaction only to find out that you no longer qualify for your loan. Nightmare! Anyway as I want you to Be IN THE KNOW these tips will help. Heed the advice POPULACE! All I want is for you to have a smooth transaction.

Remember: BE IN THE KNOW!

Carl O
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31235270/Top-11-Things-Buyers-Should-Not-Do

Follow Me On Twitter: www.twitter.com/bksfdrealestate

Equity Are We There Yet!

Hello Populace! I have been on hiatus but have now returned. Hope everyone is doing well. When will we see our homes equity begin to increase or at least stabilize. The future is always unpredictable but this report gives a pretty good indication that while we may stabilize, equity growth will be slow. There are many factors considered which is why I liked the detail of this report, so while it is lengthy it gave a very good overview. Is the Populace feeling that we will need to stay in our homes longer to realize true growth? Remodeling is becoming popular again so is this an indication that homeowners are deciding to stay in their homes longer? Also, as a new homeowner will you decide not to trade up until much later as equity is realized at a much slower pace? This may help you make those decisions aficionados (Spanish for expert).

Remember: BE IN THE KNOW!

Carl O
http://www.facorelogic.com/newsroom/marketbriefsdetails.jsp?id=10746

Follow Me On Twitter: www.twitter.com/bksfdrealestate