IT IS WHAT IT IS
IT IS WHAT IT IS
I love that phrase. It smacks of dealing with reality, of accepting exactly what is and even implies, “Now how are you going to deal with it?”
Take the economy, for example. It is what it is. Many of us have lost a lot of future retirement money in 401K’s (now laughingly called 201K’s), college funds for the kids; money saved for a car or needed repairs for the house. Many are busy trying to figure out how many more working years this economic downturn will add on to their lives because of investment losses. This unexpected hit in the gut with the economy adds even more anxiety to our already loaded plate of concerns regarding our family’s health, getting along together, having enough time together and the stresses of work and school. We don’t need anymore weighty issues putting stress on us.
Well, in my travels chatting with friends and clients, I’m seeing a trend that is quite refreshing as a result of all the bad economic news. There is a pleasant return to the basics. What are they?
I’m glad you asked! Enter the simple stuff of life. The free stuff takes center stage. For example, Wally and I went for a walk on the beach yesterday. The sun was out after some cold, cloudy days. There were kids and adults on bikes, rollerblades and people of all ages just lying in the sun soaking it up. We strolled along, bought an ice cream cone and split it. We talked with many pet owners and petted their wonderful wagging-tailed friends out for a stroll. We met two Border collies strutting their stuff inviting attention with each wag as if they were the self appointed welcoming committee. Several people had their beautiful Golden Retrievers sitting at the snack bar sharing their ice cream cones with them. The exuberance of the wagging tails reminded us of how lucky we are to be here. We sat and watched phenomenal waves crash in the distance by the pier and felt the cool breeze brushing our cheeks. Just getting out of the house and walking away from the cell phone reconnected me to my handsome husband as we chatted away with small talk. I think I’d forgotten how charming he can be. At
the pier yesterday there was the inevitable exotic Congo drum players rhythmically pouring their hearts out and providing a tropical island feel to the sunny day. It was almost Hawaii without the airfare!
It all brought to mind the master plan I had drawn up in my head several weeks ago. Determined not to let the media news drag me down, I resolved to listen to only one newscast per day. I don’t need to hear about the self-entitled CEO’s and their underserved bonuses and bailouts. I can’t do anything about GM in my personal life. So why listen to it numerous times a day? My plan is simple but it works for me and my friends, too. First of all, I will only listen to one or two news casts per day. If I’m in the car, as you know, the news blasts away at the top of every hour and half hour. Do I need that? No. I’ve turned to FM music or my music CD’s (yes, I love Elton, jazz, country…all of it. I even sing along with it while no one else can hear and be horrified.) Such a simple thing, but it lifts my spirits. Secondly, I’m making sure I get good care of myself like getting enough sleep, giving up reading late into the night Thirdly, ok, the old adage…more fresh fruit and veggies every day and always the struggle to drink more water. My logic is that if I’m feeling good, it keeps my energy up and keeps me upbeat. I’m really trying to lay off the sugar stuff…the donuts and beloved chocolate. For I cannot eat just one little piece of dark chocolate. Noooo. One piece leads to another and another, etc. I hope you have a lot more self control than I do.
So, as I do the basics of taking care of myself and my family, all our spirits are lifted. We go on. Americans do that. We’re famous for it. Our history is filled with inspiring stories of everyday Americans who work hard to earn the good life. All is not doom and gloom. Everyday life is good. Remember the old song, “The moon belongs to everyone. The best things in life are free. The stars belong to everyone, the gleam there for you and me. The flowers in spring, the robins that sing, the sunbeam that shines, they’re yours, they’re mine. And love can come to everyone. The best things in life are free.” Ah, yes! We can distribute buckets of love to everyone around us, even a smile to the local clerk in a store…all that for free! So, my friend, take good care of yourself especially at this time so that you will feel so energized that you’ll splash warmth, grace and love everywhere you go! This too will pass. Life is good. Turn off the stressful news and enjoy what you have and those you love. That’s what matters most.
-----------------------------\
words 893
QUOTE BOTTOM OF 1ST PAGE:
“Don’t let failure go to your heart and success go to your head.” (Will Smith’s grandmother)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AND NOW, SOME GOOD NEWS! Home owners, this is for you!(There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.)
You probably won’t be reading this in the newspaper or on line for several months or even longer. This is my experience the last month as I go out with buyers to shop for a home. This will affect some of you as you decide to sell in this supposed “difficult market”. What my buyers and I are finding is that because there are so many short sales, foreclosures and bank owned properties and the lenders and banks have so many files stacked on their desks it’s taking months after an offer is submitted before the buyer hears back on his offer causing much stress on the three or four poor buyers waiting to hear. Why? Well, for starters, files are severely back logged because they have fired so many employees thus double loading the lenders that are left. Secondly, and you probably don’t know this, agents list a house for whatever price they feel appropriate…usually low to attract a load of buyers If it is a short sale (which means the owner owes more than it is worth), the agent and seller have no idea what the bank will actually accept. Example: say a house is listed for $515,000 in South County where I have spent many days with one of my current buyers. The owner owes $625,000 or more (thus the term short sale). The listing agent has no way of knowing what the lender will accept until an offer is submitted by a buyer and the agent submits it to the bank. Many buyers come running thinking they are getting a fabulous price. Of course, they even come in much lower than the $515,000 theorizing it’s a buyers market. Quite often, the bank (lender) will let that offer and many others on t he same house sit there waiting to get a higher offer. Frequently, by the time he gets back to the several buyers, it has been months and the buyer has given up on that one and gone elsewhere. For example, a recent home I found for my buyer closed escrow early March. Guess when he wrote his first deposit check when we submitted the offer? August 1 of 2008! All the other buyers had given up, couldn’t wait that long not knowing if their offer stood a chance and went elsewhere. Worse yet, if a buyer has to sell his home, his potential buyer will not wait for that seller to find the next home if the counter says, “subject to seller finding a new home”. A smart buyer has figured out that it could take months for that seller to hear back from the bank his offer is submitted to. I’d say 80% of what my buyers looked at this month has been in this situation. Well, here’s the good news that you won’t see in the papers for months because DataQuick and the papers only gather statistics of homes going into escrow and solds.
Enter the new star in the crown of the seller category who has everything going for him. He is called the Equity Seller. This means he has lots of equity, is a normal sale, doesn’t have to wait in line with his lender to approve his sale and, most of all can close his sale in a normal fashion. That means length of escrow is negotiated quickly, price is agreed upon between buyer and seller with a normal counter offer within a few days, proof of funds is checked and the house closes escrow after the usual disclosures. The delightful news for that seller is that agents rush to his listing in droves. How do I know that? Because a recent listing of mine, even in this supposed “bad” market sold over price to four good offers in a short three weeks. Agents anxiously called me before they showed it in happy disbelief that it was not a short sale or repossession. Could they actually close before they lost that buyer or he gave up and looked elsewhere, they asked. Sure thing! Then, as my seller and I shopped for him, I was making the calls to find out with each short sale how long it would take to hear back from the lender. If they take too long, my buyer will lose his buyer! The bottom line is that the Equity Seller is king. He gets the first showings and the first chance with the buyers. If you are an equity seller, and you’ve owned your home more than, say, 6-10 years, you can get in on selling to one of these hot buyers who are swarming now because of the fabulous rates, some under 5% depending on their credit scores. Lenders are telling us that these are the lowest rates we may see in our lifetime. Further, first time buyers can get up to $8000 as a tax credit and FHA and VA have an 18 month “forbearance” clause in case the buyer loses a job or is ill. He can renegotiate either a lower payment or pay only taxes depending on his situation. And the State has tax credits too. At a recent open house I held in downtown HB, I went loaded with all this new loan info and I have more buyers on my plate than I can even get to. This atmosphere will not last forever. And smart buyers know it. Equity Sellers are seizing this opportunity to sell and get where they need to go and buy for less. In fact, my happy seller sold his home over list price with four multiple offers. What a breath of fresh air! Call me if you would like to enter the rarified air and take advantage of being an EQUITY SELLER! Life is good!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADS
FOR SALE. SOLD!
S & S Beauty reigns in Garden Grove
13321 SHAPPEL STREET $430,000
Charming ONE STORY Upgraded 3 bedroom 2 bath pool/spa beauty.
Open floor plan, large country upgraded kitchen & baths, newer tile floors and neutral carpet. Large living room with remodeled brick fireplace, recessed lights, house wired for stereo. Roof 5 years new, 40 year warranty. Pool & spa resurfaced and retiled 1998.
Pool heater 8 years new. Inside tract location.
This home with its beautiful architecture simply will not last!
BRAND NEW DREAM HOME
DOWNTOWN HUNTINGTON BEACH
222 LINCOLN AVE
BLOCKS TO THE BEACH. HAS IT ALL!
$995,000
Best price and one of the few absolutely new never lived in beach home.
3 bedrooms, 4 baths, 2445 SF, huge granite kitchen, walk-in pantry, family room, fireplace, Laminate floors downstairs. Large master, balcony, view of mountains.
Huge bonus room, balcony. Two car garage with sun deck. Home pre-wired for Sound, Alarms, Cable Satellite. One of the few all new homes under $1 million downtown.
HUMOR CORNER
(With apologies to God, all mother’s everywhere and our great kids)
God said, “Do NOT eat the fruit!” “Why?” “Because I am your Father and I said so!” God replied wondering why He hadn’t stopped creation after making the elephants. A few minutes later, God say His children having an apple break and He was ticked!
“Didn’t I tell you not to eat the fruit?” “”Uh huh”, said Adam. “Then why did you?”
“I don’t know”, said Eve. “She started it,” Adam said. “Did not!" Did too! Did not!”
Having had it with the two of them, God’s punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed. If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven’t taken it, don’t be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you? (You know, its good old free will we each have)
THINK ABOUT IT!
1. You spend the first 2 years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next 16 telling them to sit down and shut up.
2. Grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.
5. The main purpose of holding children’s parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.
6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.
ADVICE FOR THE DAY
Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day.
AND FINALLY
If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle:
“Take 2 aspirin and keep away from children!!!
Other Humor quotes: Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does!
Or
We’d worry less about what other people think of us if we knew how little they did.
I love that phrase. It smacks of dealing with reality, of accepting exactly what is and even implies, “Now how are you going to deal with it?”
Take the economy, for example. It is what it is. Many of us have lost a lot of future retirement money in 401K’s (now laughingly called 201K’s), college funds for the kids; money saved for a car or needed repairs for the house. Many are busy trying to figure out how many more working years this economic downturn will add on to their lives because of investment losses. This unexpected hit in the gut with the economy adds even more anxiety to our already loaded plate of concerns regarding our family’s health, getting along together, having enough time together and the stresses of work and school. We don’t need anymore weighty issues putting stress on us.
Well, in my travels chatting with friends and clients, I’m seeing a trend that is quite refreshing as a result of all the bad economic news. There is a pleasant return to the basics. What are they?
I’m glad you asked! Enter the simple stuff of life. The free stuff takes center stage. For example, Wally and I went for a walk on the beach yesterday. The sun was out after some cold, cloudy days. There were kids and adults on bikes, rollerblades and people of all ages just lying in the sun soaking it up. We strolled along, bought an ice cream cone and split it. We talked with many pet owners and petted their wonderful wagging-tailed friends out for a stroll. We met two Border collies strutting their stuff inviting attention with each wag as if they were the self appointed welcoming committee. Several people had their beautiful Golden Retrievers sitting at the snack bar sharing their ice cream cones with them. The exuberance of the wagging tails reminded us of how lucky we are to be here. We sat and watched phenomenal waves crash in the distance by the pier and felt the cool breeze brushing our cheeks. Just getting out of the house and walking away from the cell phone reconnected me to my handsome husband as we chatted away with small talk. I think I’d forgotten how charming he can be. At
the pier yesterday there was the inevitable exotic Congo drum players rhythmically pouring their hearts out and providing a tropical island feel to the sunny day. It was almost Hawaii without the airfare!
It all brought to mind the master plan I had drawn up in my head several weeks ago. Determined not to let the media news drag me down, I resolved to listen to only one newscast per day. I don’t need to hear about the self-entitled CEO’s and their underserved bonuses and bailouts. I can’t do anything about GM in my personal life. So why listen to it numerous times a day? My plan is simple but it works for me and my friends, too. First of all, I will only listen to one or two news casts per day. If I’m in the car, as you know, the news blasts away at the top of every hour and half hour. Do I need that? No. I’ve turned to FM music or my music CD’s (yes, I love Elton, jazz, country…all of it. I even sing along with it while no one else can hear and be horrified.) Such a simple thing, but it lifts my spirits. Secondly, I’m making sure I get good care of myself like getting enough sleep, giving up reading late into the night Thirdly, ok, the old adage…more fresh fruit and veggies every day and always the struggle to drink more water. My logic is that if I’m feeling good, it keeps my energy up and keeps me upbeat. I’m really trying to lay off the sugar stuff…the donuts and beloved chocolate. For I cannot eat just one little piece of dark chocolate. Noooo. One piece leads to another and another, etc. I hope you have a lot more self control than I do.
So, as I do the basics of taking care of myself and my family, all our spirits are lifted. We go on. Americans do that. We’re famous for it. Our history is filled with inspiring stories of everyday Americans who work hard to earn the good life. All is not doom and gloom. Everyday life is good. Remember the old song, “The moon belongs to everyone. The best things in life are free. The stars belong to everyone, the gleam there for you and me. The flowers in spring, the robins that sing, the sunbeam that shines, they’re yours, they’re mine. And love can come to everyone. The best things in life are free.” Ah, yes! We can distribute buckets of love to everyone around us, even a smile to the local clerk in a store…all that for free! So, my friend, take good care of yourself especially at this time so that you will feel so energized that you’ll splash warmth, grace and love everywhere you go! This too will pass. Life is good. Turn off the stressful news and enjoy what you have and those you love. That’s what matters most.
-----------------------------\
words 893
QUOTE BOTTOM OF 1ST PAGE:
“Don’t let failure go to your heart and success go to your head.” (Will Smith’s grandmother)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AND NOW, SOME GOOD NEWS! Home owners, this is for you!(There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train.)
You probably won’t be reading this in the newspaper or on line for several months or even longer. This is my experience the last month as I go out with buyers to shop for a home. This will affect some of you as you decide to sell in this supposed “difficult market”. What my buyers and I are finding is that because there are so many short sales, foreclosures and bank owned properties and the lenders and banks have so many files stacked on their desks it’s taking months after an offer is submitted before the buyer hears back on his offer causing much stress on the three or four poor buyers waiting to hear. Why? Well, for starters, files are severely back logged because they have fired so many employees thus double loading the lenders that are left. Secondly, and you probably don’t know this, agents list a house for whatever price they feel appropriate…usually low to attract a load of buyers If it is a short sale (which means the owner owes more than it is worth), the agent and seller have no idea what the bank will actually accept. Example: say a house is listed for $515,000 in South County where I have spent many days with one of my current buyers. The owner owes $625,000 or more (thus the term short sale). The listing agent has no way of knowing what the lender will accept until an offer is submitted by a buyer and the agent submits it to the bank. Many buyers come running thinking they are getting a fabulous price. Of course, they even come in much lower than the $515,000 theorizing it’s a buyers market. Quite often, the bank (lender) will let that offer and many others on t he same house sit there waiting to get a higher offer. Frequently, by the time he gets back to the several buyers, it has been months and the buyer has given up on that one and gone elsewhere. For example, a recent home I found for my buyer closed escrow early March. Guess when he wrote his first deposit check when we submitted the offer? August 1 of 2008! All the other buyers had given up, couldn’t wait that long not knowing if their offer stood a chance and went elsewhere. Worse yet, if a buyer has to sell his home, his potential buyer will not wait for that seller to find the next home if the counter says, “subject to seller finding a new home”. A smart buyer has figured out that it could take months for that seller to hear back from the bank his offer is submitted to. I’d say 80% of what my buyers looked at this month has been in this situation. Well, here’s the good news that you won’t see in the papers for months because DataQuick and the papers only gather statistics of homes going into escrow and solds.
Enter the new star in the crown of the seller category who has everything going for him. He is called the Equity Seller. This means he has lots of equity, is a normal sale, doesn’t have to wait in line with his lender to approve his sale and, most of all can close his sale in a normal fashion. That means length of escrow is negotiated quickly, price is agreed upon between buyer and seller with a normal counter offer within a few days, proof of funds is checked and the house closes escrow after the usual disclosures. The delightful news for that seller is that agents rush to his listing in droves. How do I know that? Because a recent listing of mine, even in this supposed “bad” market sold over price to four good offers in a short three weeks. Agents anxiously called me before they showed it in happy disbelief that it was not a short sale or repossession. Could they actually close before they lost that buyer or he gave up and looked elsewhere, they asked. Sure thing! Then, as my seller and I shopped for him, I was making the calls to find out with each short sale how long it would take to hear back from the lender. If they take too long, my buyer will lose his buyer! The bottom line is that the Equity Seller is king. He gets the first showings and the first chance with the buyers. If you are an equity seller, and you’ve owned your home more than, say, 6-10 years, you can get in on selling to one of these hot buyers who are swarming now because of the fabulous rates, some under 5% depending on their credit scores. Lenders are telling us that these are the lowest rates we may see in our lifetime. Further, first time buyers can get up to $8000 as a tax credit and FHA and VA have an 18 month “forbearance” clause in case the buyer loses a job or is ill. He can renegotiate either a lower payment or pay only taxes depending on his situation. And the State has tax credits too. At a recent open house I held in downtown HB, I went loaded with all this new loan info and I have more buyers on my plate than I can even get to. This atmosphere will not last forever. And smart buyers know it. Equity Sellers are seizing this opportunity to sell and get where they need to go and buy for less. In fact, my happy seller sold his home over list price with four multiple offers. What a breath of fresh air! Call me if you would like to enter the rarified air and take advantage of being an EQUITY SELLER! Life is good!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADS
FOR SALE. SOLD!
S & S Beauty reigns in Garden Grove
13321 SHAPPEL STREET $430,000
Charming ONE STORY Upgraded 3 bedroom 2 bath pool/spa beauty.
Open floor plan, large country upgraded kitchen & baths, newer tile floors and neutral carpet. Large living room with remodeled brick fireplace, recessed lights, house wired for stereo. Roof 5 years new, 40 year warranty. Pool & spa resurfaced and retiled 1998.
Pool heater 8 years new. Inside tract location.
This home with its beautiful architecture simply will not last!
BRAND NEW DREAM HOME
DOWNTOWN HUNTINGTON BEACH
222 LINCOLN AVE
BLOCKS TO THE BEACH. HAS IT ALL!
$995,000
Best price and one of the few absolutely new never lived in beach home.
3 bedrooms, 4 baths, 2445 SF, huge granite kitchen, walk-in pantry, family room, fireplace, Laminate floors downstairs. Large master, balcony, view of mountains.
Huge bonus room, balcony. Two car garage with sun deck. Home pre-wired for Sound, Alarms, Cable Satellite. One of the few all new homes under $1 million downtown.
HUMOR CORNER
(With apologies to God, all mother’s everywhere and our great kids)
God said, “Do NOT eat the fruit!” “Why?” “Because I am your Father and I said so!” God replied wondering why He hadn’t stopped creation after making the elephants. A few minutes later, God say His children having an apple break and He was ticked!
“Didn’t I tell you not to eat the fruit?” “”Uh huh”, said Adam. “Then why did you?”
“I don’t know”, said Eve. “She started it,” Adam said. “Did not!" Did too! Did not!”
Having had it with the two of them, God’s punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed. If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven’t taken it, don’t be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you? (You know, its good old free will we each have)
THINK ABOUT IT!
1. You spend the first 2 years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next 16 telling them to sit down and shut up.
2. Grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.
5. The main purpose of holding children’s parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.
6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.
ADVICE FOR THE DAY
Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day.
AND FINALLY
If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle:
“Take 2 aspirin and keep away from children!!!
Other Humor quotes: Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does!
Or
We’d worry less about what other people think of us if we knew how little they did.
posted by Ann Baker, Realtor at
7:16 PM
