Congrads to my Friend, Colleague, Employee and Huge Fan of Costa Mesa, Jim Fisler is  moving on from  Costa Mesa Planning Commission  to join the board of directors of the Mesa Consolidated Water District.

He will replace former board member Paul Shoenberger, who resigned his post to take the job as the district™s general manager.

Fisler™s first water district meeting will be Sept. 8.

Is this the really happening….. Yes, yes yes and yes again.

After five months, over 130 logged phone calls, I have finally received from Bank Of America (formerly Countrywide) a written approval of a short sale I have been working on in Costa Mesa’s Eastside. This is where things get interesting. We have worked through three asset managers, two supervisors- all promising to get this deal done…. Now let me give you some background. We brought the home on the market in March, we had 6 offers in the first week and the price was over $15,000 over asking price with additional concessions. Never the less, Bank America approved our submitted deal (Just Today) with a buyer I have never heard of (meaning they never changed the acceptance template that they use for acceptance) and it is probably going to take 3 days to get it corrected. It really surprises me how the banks hire these asset managers who have little or no experience at all and are making these decisions… Would you let someone making $14 dollars an hour control a $100,000,000 portfolio? I am telling you right now, this is crazy!

Foreclosures drop to 29% of resales

July 17th, 2009,   · posted by Jeff Collins

Click to enlarge

DataQuick reports that Orange County foreclosures made up just 29% of all home resales in June, the lowest percentage in more than a year, as banks fall behind in bringing delinquent loans to foreclosure and demand rises for discounted foreclosures.

DataQuick measures the percentage of homes sold that had been through a foreclosure in the previous 12 months. Most of those likely are bank-owned homes.

Foreclosure™s share of home resales peaked at 46% in January, according to DataQuick, and has been falling since (see chart). The percentage of foreclosed homes selling last month was the lowest since April 2008, when foreclosures made up 27% of resales.

One reason is there are fewer foreclosures on the market. Aliso Viejo broker Steve Thomas has reported that there were 374 foreclosures for sale in Orange County last week, just 4.2% of all homes on the market. First American CoreLogic data from May showed while the ratio of foreclosures to all loans dipped, the ratio of mortgages at least 90 days late but without a notice of default jumped to 6.3% in May, from 4.6% in April and 4% a year ago.

Foreclosure specialist Tom Moon of Huntington Beach reported that his own inventory of bank-owned homes for sale has declined to around 200 homes, down from nearly 400 earlier.

Moon has not filled four vacancies on his staff since the decline hit. In addition, his brokerage purchased a scanner to digitize records as a way to keep staff busy during the slow period.

Banks are bringing fewer foreclosed homes to market for a variety of reasons. More loan modifications are reducing the number of homes for sale. And   more people are buying at home auctions, known as trustee™s sales, because banks now are offering large discounts (60% off at a recent foreclosure auction)   ” something they didn™t do when the bubble first burst.

In addition, banks simply are overwhelmed by the shear size of the backlog of homes in default or foreclosure

This was sent to me by one of my clients and good friends Tuesday Ward. Thank you Tuesday… I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

Change Your Thinking

It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room’s only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back..

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would

close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, ‘Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.’

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count
 all the things you have that money can’t buy.
 

 This year’s most talked about event!!!!

It™s Time to Reveal The Weight Room Makeover funded in part by Costa Mesa United!

You™re Invited to an Open House & BBQ Celebrating the New

Estancia Football Training Facility

Thursday, August 20, 2009 ¢ 5:30 p.m. ¢ Estancia High School Football

Training Facility (Adjacent to the Tennis Courts)

2323 Placentia Avenue, Costa Mesa

Please join us for a ribbon cutting ceremony, tours of the newly

renovated weight room, and a delicious barbeque dinner.

We hope you can come.  Please RSVP to Jill Stack at 714-641-9619 or

via e-mail at djmrstack@aol.com.

GO EAGLES!

www.estanciafootball.com

THE JOB – URINE TEST(Whoever wrote this one deserves a HUGE pat on the back!)

Like most folks in this country, I have a job. I work, they pay me.  I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck in my case, I am required to pass a random urine test (with which I have no problem). What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don’t have to pass a urine test.

So, here is my Question:  Shouldn’t one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?

Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their ass – doing drugs, while I work. . . . Can you imagine how much money each state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

I guess we could title that program, ‘Urine or You’re Out’.

I am excited to offer you the following reports free of charge.

The data and inventory provided in the Snapshot is the most up to date homes for sale and homes recently sold, directly from the local Multiple Listing Service!  The map has several visual options; road, aerial and bird™s eye views and initially, you will see listings identified by green (Active Listings) or red flags (Homes that have Sold).  Click the bird™s eye view to see your backyard or even your neighbor™s back yard!  Hover your mouse over any of the listings and a pop up box with a picture of the home will appear.  Within the pop up is a link; click to view details.  This will give you detailed information on that particular house just like the info you initially saw on the website created for your neighbor.  The details will show home the asking price, selling price, days on market, property features and comments!

The Kurt Real Estate Group

Specializing in Foreclosures, REO’s, Short Sales, Distressed Homes and MLS Searches.

www.KurtRealEstate.com –  One of the most comprehensive real estate websites in the country especially designed  to help buyer’s and seller’s meet their goals in the fastest time possible.

Whether you’re looking for your dream home or a bargain in Foreclosures, REO’s, Short Sales, Distressed Properties, or a new vacation home in one of the many coastal California cites such as   Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, and Laguna Beach or simply dreaming of a new home in Orange County California, KurtRealEstate.com has it all!  

Enjoy the largest collection of state wide and the hottest listings offered in the thriving Orange County,  Costa Mesa, and Surrounding communities. We also offer a taste of Southern California with Orange County listings for those who like small towns with big city growth.

Find the right home, in one of the fastest growing areas in the country and discover the California lifestyle for yourself at KurtRealEstate.com! In addition to accessing homes and real estate for sale in Orange County, this web site features comprehensive community information   for Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Tustin, and all other popular Orange County areas that will help guide you in selecting the right real estate or home for sale.

On August 15, 2009 at 13:00 PM, you are invited to an Open House at 2039 Phalarope in Costa Mesa. If you are looking for a Resale – single family property in this area, don™t miss this rare opportunity to visit this magnificent property. For a preview of this Resale – single family property, check out my site at http://www.KurtRealEstate.com. Please do not hesitate to Contact Me if you have any questions or wish to schedule a private showing.