CRASH..

I was minding my own business driving south on Highway 1 on my way home to Aptos yesterday, after a day of being a hard working real estate agent in Santa Cruz. Suddenly there was a loud, thumping crash. Unfortunately, it turned out be a Toyota Hylander that had run smack dab into the rear of my lovely very British coupe.

The good news no one was hurt not me, not the driver of the other car and no one else decided to smash into either of us.

The bad news Miss Kitty, my very sleek Titanium colored, earlier mentioned coupe, did not fair so well. Her boot (British for a trunk) would not open after being buckled, the rear light covers are crushed,the rear bumper is likened to a ride at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, and all the lovely chrome, and any solid body panel no longer looks as though they belong.

Having an auto accident is no fun for anyone, but it is especially problematic when you freak out. I had an undetectable melt down. The result of which is I forgot everything you are suppose to do when you are in an accident.

I failed to get proof of insurance, or the registration. I did manage to get the drivers license information, name and phone numbers. There should be a white board attached to all car sun visors that has a list and a place to write everything down, since all my paper, pen etc. was in my now locked, forever trunk.

Lucky for me, the other drive has contacted my insurance and provided the necessary information. I filed a report with the Highway Patrol very early this morning. So I imagine she will be very alarmed when the nice man with a big gun shows up at her door today to get the missing items from her.

Now the fun starts, I have to wait for her insurance to contact me about repairs, rental car etc. I thought about asking her if she knew anyone interested in buying or selling their homes, but the timing just seemed wrong.

Life in Santa Cruz is pretty darn good, lets just hope this all gets taken care of quickly, so I can go back to enjoying it!

Tip for the Times

Has the value of your Santa Cruz home decreased since you purchased it? Do you want to keep your home in Santa Cruz and ride out the current wave? How about paying less each your in property taxes?

Consider having your Santa Cruz property taxes reassessed. It is a simple and painless way to save a few dollars annually. You actually do not need to hire an outside source to have this done it as a service provided by the Santa Cruz County Tax Assessors Office. There may be a nominal filing fee or an administration fee.

In Santa Cruz you can visit Santa Cruz County Assessors Site look for the assessors appeals form, or decline in value reassessment form. When you are completing the form you will need to explain the estimate of value, this is something I am happy to provide for you by way of a free Santa Cruz Home Market Analysis. From that point a current value can be determined and presented to the assessors office.

It is also a good idea to include a cover letter, in this you will want to explain how the value was determined and any additional information you have regarding recent sales in your neighborhood, special conditions etc.

If you purchased your home at the height of the Real Estate Market the savings on your property taxes can be significant.

For information on Santa Cruz Real Estate, Buying Homes, or Selling Homes please contact(831-247-9977) me. I would be happy to include you in my E Newsletter mailing.

For a FREEE no obligation Market Analysis email me at Contact Me

Unsend an email...Maybe

Have you ever hit the send button on an email..and wished you had not?

I know I have,and I know another Realtor in Santa Cruz-who should probably never send an email written in the heat of the moment. Although it is often great entertainment to read emails that should never have seen the light of day, as a form of professional communication it is important to "do no harm".

As a Santa Cruz Realtor, email has become a primary form of communication with our Home Buyers, Home Sellers, along with Lenders, Inspectors, and one another. But there are always times that it might have been best to unsend an email.

Having second thoughts, best hope your are using an email provider that allows you to unsend.

Gmail launched an unsend function last spring.You have a 30 second window to locate the unsend feature in Google Labs. Open your Gmail page,find the green lab beaker icon i the upper right hand corner, and click to access Labs. Scroll until you locate the Undo Send and click the radio button to enable it and save your change.

Now ever time you send an email along with the line that reads your message has been sent, you will have an Undo button. Click it within the 30 seconds and Ta DA, your email with stay safe within your control.

In Outlook you will need to access the Tools menu and select the Rules and Alerts. Click on New Rule and choose the check messages after sending located in the "Start from a blank rule" section. Click "next" twice or until you reach the Select Actions page. Check the box "defer delivery" by a select number of minutes, this will activate the edit box where you will select the amount of time you desire your message deferred before delivery. You may select between one minute up to 120 minutes.

Windows live and Hotmail, are free mail services that also include msn.com, live.com Your only choice using this providers is to save your emails as drafts, then send them at a later time manually.

AOL, offered a limited deferred delivery option until earlier this year, but that service is no longer available.

If you are a Yahoo user, there is no chance of stopping anything once you have hit the send button. It is much like building projects, measure it twice, cut it once rule.

For information on Santa Cruz Real Estate, Buying Homes, or Selling Homes please contact(831-247-9977) me. I would be happy to include you in my E Newsletter mailing.

For a FREEE no obligation Market Analysis email me at Contact Me

Smart Money

This blog will re-cap a recent article on handling your money in a manner that is smart, as opposed to handling it like a "drunk debutante".

Ten Sure Fire Smart Starts:

1-Max out the 401(k)
This saves on your overall taxable income, and many companies will match to a cap what you contribute.
2-Loose the Vacation House
Unless that vacation home was dirt cheap, or you go there every weekend year round the costs do not stack up.
3-Put $5,000.00 into your individual retirement plan or Roth IRA
It is suggested that if you are over 50, stick in $6,000.00 annually. Again it is tax sheltered money and it grows. This year starts the new program allowing anyone to contribute to a Roth via the traditional IRA then converting it into a Roth. Check you your tax accountant or CPA for the taxable consequences.
4-Pay off the credit card debt
If you still carry a balance each month this is a huge win. The interest on the balances is most likely way above 15%.
5-Fire your Banker
Yipee, this should be a fun one. Check out the local credit unions, or community banks. They usually charge far less than the big guys and do a better job to boot.
6-Get your tax refund early
How? By not over paying in the first place. I know folks who get really excited that they are getting back thousands every year on their taxes. All that means is that dear ol' Uncle Sam had your money all year long, and you did not. You can then use the additional money you bring home each week to pay off your credit card debt.
7-Inflation protected bond
Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) are issued by the U.S. Goverment and are guaranteed against default. They are protected against inflation because the coupons and principal will adjust to reflect it. Be sure to hold them in a tax sheltered account.
8-Buy a bread machine
You can make your own bread and save $7.00 a week or $350.00 a year. Bread makers are easy to use cost about $50.00 so the return on your investment, about 600% in the first year.
9-Shop the competition
Call the competitors for your house, auto, life insurance and get new quotes. You will be amazed and the different rates and coverage available. Check into raising your deductibles too, that can save you hundreds if you just double your deductible.
10-Bank Freebies
Skip Starbucks and stop by your branch for your coffee, sign up for a free credit card in exchange for the airline voucher- then cancel the card.

As always Contact Me for more additional tips, and a free Santa Cruz Real Estate Update.

Social Networking

I have been making an effort to spend at least a few hours every week on social networking site. It has been great fun re-connecting with friends from my past on Facebook, checking in with past business associates on LinkedIn, then there is also ActiveRain, Blogger.com, Blogster, Plaxo, Twitter, Yelp and many other sites. Along with updating my website , actually my husband does that.

Does that sound overwhelming to you? It is very overwhelming to me, but it is an important piece of my Santa Cruz Real Estate Business. Recently,I had the opportunity to represent an old school mate in the purchase of a home in Santa Cruz allowing them to move back to Santa Cruz County, and he located me via Facebook.

Managing all the sites, photos, links etc. is more than I can deal with at times. Recently in the Santa Cruz County Sentinel there was an article about a new start up called MyWeboo that appears to be the answer to my problems, not all of my problems, just my social networking problems.

The upshot is that MyWeboo acts as a location where it creates "bins" to organize your family pictures, school reunion files, work documents, food recipes, Facebook pictures, YouTube videos, and the rest of your digital world from one single location. Allowing you to access your contents located on different storage services and social networks on the cloud, anywhere, and anytime.

Sounds like the space of my dreams, now I just need to figure out how to manage it and I should be good to go...

For information on Santa Cruz Real Estate, Buying Homes, or Selling Homes please contact(831-247-9977) me. I would be happy to include you in my E Newsletter mailing.

For a FREEE no obligation Market Analysis email me at Contact Me

Beware For Sale By Owner

Let's pretend that you are thinking of buying a house. You have been looking quite a while and have decided to target a specific area of Santa Cruz County. Somewhere close to the beach, naturally- but not too close since you can not afford "walk to the beach" prices.

There before you sits the perfect little cottage, with a white picket fence, a lush green lawn and a hand made FOR SALE BY OWNER SIGN. You call the number and get a chance to meet the wonderful couple who are moving to be closer to their grandchildren, and also refuse to hire a professional to sell their home.

Why have they decided not to hire a REALTOR, you might ask. For one thing, no one knows this house, neighborhood, etc., better than they do. They have lived here for 30 years, they raised all 4 of their children in this house, and heck, Bob the owner even built the back yard BBQ himself, back when Bob Jr. was in junior high.

The real reason is probably because they do not want to pay a REALTOR commissions. That is fair enough, but as a home buyer are your protected from Mr. and Mrs. FSBO (For Sale By Owner) if you buy this little charmer from them directly? Probably not.

The other important question is are Mr. and Mrs. FSBO protected from you, the home buyer looking for a killer deal, and willing to forgo all the "details" of selling or buying a home to save a few bucks?

As a Licensed Realtor in the state of California we are held to a standard and required to following a specific set of standards and rules when representing a home buyer or home seller, interestingly enough your FSBO is required to provide the buyers with the exact set of Seller Disclosures that we use. But, do you or Mr. and Mrs. FBSO know what those are? Do they know how to fill them out correctly? What to look out for? Probably not.

Another important concern should be liability. All Realtors' carry insurance called Errors and Omissions Insurance. It is very expensive and allows both home buyers and sellers the knowledge that if there is a problem down the line with the transaction there is recourse they can take.

If in your travels you decide to be either a Santa Cruz Home Seller who decides to sell your home yourself, or you decided as a buyer to consider purchasing a For Sale By Owner Home in Santa Cruz, please Contact Me. I have a list of important information I would be happy to provide to you.

OPPS, don't forget those HOA fees

Many foreclosed homes or condo's are managed by homeowners associations (HOAs) and are months’ or years’ worth delinquent on their HOA dues at the time of foreclosures.

Given that foreclosure takes six months or longer in most areas, the vast majority of home owners facing foreclosure are very aware that it’s coming. The vast majority of these people stop paying their property taxes and HOA dues when they realize that they’re going to lose their homes.

The type and extent of HOA collection efforts, which are legal, depends on the terms of any agreements that were signed when the property was purchased, the laws in the area.

Virtually everywhere, HOAs are authorized under state law and the terms of the complex or subdivision’s covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) to place a lien on the property once your dues fall delinquent by a certain amount (usually a certain time period, like 90 days behind).

However, this lien is placed against the home itself, not your personal property, salary or bank account. I have experienced delinquent HOA fees being paid by the lien holder in a short sale, but just as often I have seen a short sale stop dead in it's tracks due to delinquent HOA's because the lien holders refused to pay them, and the home seller does not have the money to do so.

The HOA may require the lien to be removed before the title to the property can be transferred to a new home buyer, which would mean either the bank or the next buyer would have to pay the lien off to close the deal (many banks do in fact pay these types of liens off when they resell a property after foreclosure).

However, you should be aware that it’s totally in the bank’s own discretion whether or when it tries to sell your former home. In some instances, the bank does not even attempt to resell the property for months or even years following a foreclosure.

And it may do nothing to pay off the delinquent dues until it absolutely has to — which is when escrow closes on its resale of the home.

Under the terms of many HOA agreements and CC&Rs, the HOA may pursue a variety of traditional collection efforts — including collection agencies or taking you to court — until the back dues are paid. The HOA doesn’t care who pays them — you, the bank or even the eventual buyer — but it does have the right to take legal means to collect the money until someone pays.

The next step would be be to closely read the lien you received — it is probably a lien against the home, not a levy against your personal property or bank accounts. Paying the lien off against the home, to clear the property is no longer your responsibility — the bank will deal with that.

However, do be aware that the HOA can and may pursue you for the delinquency personally, if it chooses to do so before someone else pays it.

Remember you need a professional to help you through the process of selling your home, or purchasing your new home once it has become an REO or Foreclosure property.
Contact Me for up to the minute information on Santa Cruz Foreclosures that are for sale.