A Quick Introduction to Freedom First Properties
February 3rd, 2010 by Dan Brough
Dan & Melinda
First Time Home Buyer – Things to Think About
September 22nd, 2009 by Dan Brough
image by Tony The Misift
If the rule of real estate is location, location, location, then the rule for the first time home buyer should be research, research, research. There is all kinds of information on this subject that you can find by searching online, at your local book store or by connecting with a local real estate agent. Buying a home is a major purchase and you need to have some answers before taking on a mortgage.
The following list is a good starting point for a first time home buyer.
- Income – Will there be one or two incomes in the house to make the mortgage?
- Future Income – Don’t count on your income going up (it might, it might not)
- Children – Is it possible you will lose an income to a stay home parent?
- Down Payment – How much will you need? 20% is a good starting point.
- Budgets – expenses, repairs, maintenance
- Type of Mortgage – A 30 year fixed is a good idea.
- Starter Home – it might not be your “dream home’ but it needs to be affordable.
- Monthly Payment – not just the mortgage, include taxes and insurance.
- Closing costs – this is not part of your down-payment, it is in addition to.
- Location – is it close to work and schools?
- Credit – do you know your credit score? (credit scores can be improved
Buying a home is a big decision, getting an agent and asking lots of questions is a good starting point.
Anaheim Hills September Newsletter
September 17th, 2009 by Dan Brough
We published our first newsletter for Anaheim Hills and if you would like a copy you can download it here. The newsletter covers some of the current real estate market in Anaheim Hills along with some other community information.
Music
September 1st, 2009 by Dan Brough
How To Get Your Home Sold In A Buyer’s Market
August 11th, 2009 by Dan Brough
Photo Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ooh_food/ / CC BY-NC 2.0
What is a buyer’s market? A buyer’s market takes place when the inventory of homes for sale is up and the number of buyers is down (large inventory with few buyers). This puts pressure on the seller since there are few buyers and those that are buying have lots to choose from.
There are several reasons for the current rise in inventory and one of the biggest reasons is the change in the economy. With everyone feeling the economic times we are in, people are not spending and buying homes like they were a few years ago. Another reason is that lending has become very tight and banks have made it harder to qualify for a loan, reducing the number of buyers that might otherwise want to buy a home.
So what can you do if you are trying to sell in today’s market? There are several things that you can do to help move your property and get it sold.
One of the most important things that you can do as a home owner to get your home sold is to price it correctly. How do you do this? If you are working with a real estate agent they can run CMA reports that will give you a view of the current market. Another way to get a good idea of the price on your home is to hire an appraiser who can look at several factors to come up with a price. Are you a do it yourself type person? Then you can take to the internet with a site such as Zillow.com that can give you an indication of the price.
Now that you have the house priced to sell in the market the next thing is to make your home “move-in-ready”, because a home that shows like a model is going to sell faster. This is a three part process consisting of the interior, the exterior and then your “stuff”. Starting with the exterior the yard should be green and all of the gardens looking well-kept, the home itself looking cared for and maintained. The interior needs to very clean and without the need of any repairs or updating. With this taken care of the final step is to remove your “stuff”. This is where a home staging company could come in handy, such as Staged4more.com, helping to make the house look bigger and less cluttered and allow the buyer to imagine the home as theirs.
Since you now have a home that is priced right and looking fantastic, you need to get potential buyers in the door, and this is done through marketing. If you decide to use an agent they will put the listing into the local MLS as well as post your home on several websites such as Craigslist.org and Yahoo that will bring in buyers. If you are doing this yourself, FSBO, then you can post the listing on several web sites at little or no cost. Another key part of marketing is holding an open house and inviting potential buyers to come look at your home.
While it might take a little longer, and involve more effort on your part, it does not mean you should give up. Look at your house and see what you can do to make it look more appealing to a buyer. Search the web, pick up a book or hire some help where you might need it. It will sell, it just takes time and effort.
4th of July in Anaheim Hills 2009
July 24th, 2009 by Dan Brough
The 4th of July is a big holiday in Anaheim Hills and is celebrated with several local events.
The morning begins with a 5K/10K run – 3K walk and Health Fair. The run starts at the Canyon High School track and turns onto Santa Ana Canyon Rd. This year our entire family, relatives and several friends ran in the 5K/10K. At the starting area there are several booths, live music, snacks and drinks. After the run there is a pancake breakfast at the high school cafeteria.
Just after the run there is a dog show held at the high school outdoor stage. There are several categories and prizes.
Later in the afternoon you can find food and fun at Peralta Park, one of the largest in Anaheim Hills, where there are food and game booths. If you are still looking for something to do you can then watch the parade that is put on by the local community. The parade has floats, bands, clubs and all kinds of things to see.
Of course no 4th of July would be complete without a Fireworks show. Anaheim Hills puts on a great fireworks display that takes place at Peralta Park.
Living In Anaheim Hills
July 7th, 2009 by Dan Brough
Yes, I live in Anaheim Hills and it is a great place to live. I have lots of family here that live in the local community and so we all get together often. In addition to having lots of family we have friends that are close by.
There is lots to do here with many local parks, hiking trails, mountain bike trails and even a small zoo. There are a couple of movie theaters, a library, a golf course with a driving range and a nature center.
If you want to eat out there are restaurants for almost every taste, from sushi to Mexican, to American, from big chains to the small eateries.
Anaheim Hills has lots to do, has a great community and is a wonderful place to live.
Real Estate & Social Media In Orange County
June 29th, 2009 by Dan Brough
I went to the #REBCOC at the Blue Beet in Orange County and the place was full. Looking at the session board that was full of great topics, I knew it would be a great day; Twitter, video, blogging, SEO, Wordpress, Facebook, and just about anything you can think of around social media 2.0. Here is a recap and the major take-aways of the day.
The opening keynote was done by Jim Marks who did a fantastic job, even with a few broken ribs; something about a wench, some rope and a bunch of guys, but no, really it was from a sailing accident. If I had to break down what he said into one word it would be – CONVERSATION.
Went to a session on Wordpress led by Eric Stegeman who went over the basics of Wordpress.com versus Wordpress.org. In a nut shell – .com is easy but less control and .org is hard but lots of control. The class was only an hour and he could have done a couple of hours on each. This blog is run on wordpress.org so I must have learned a few things.
The next session was on video and what is happening with it on the internet. Video is big! The two guys leading this were Morgan Brown and Derek Overbey. Video is a great way to create content and get it up quick. Your video does not have to be polished and perfect but it should communicate a point of view and provide value. I am going to get a FLIP camera for sure.
There was a break for lunch, had pizza and if you follow me on Twitter, you might already know this (a little twitter humor). Now to session three, this was on SEO and was kicked off by Jim Marks and a person from Zillow (I did not get his name – email me and I will edit). There are two ways to get SEO traffic, either on-site (content on your blog) or off-site (links). A lot of jargon was tossed at this session – longtail, shortail, llink-backs, permalinks, google-juice, i-frames, and this list goes on. I could use a lot more time in learning about SEO.
After this I had to leave the event although there were two more sessions to follow. I learned a lot and still could spend many more hours on almost every topic that was put up on the board at #REBOCOC. There was a lot of knowledge given out and it was given absolutely free. Nothing was sold, no tapes, no web-sites, no books, nothing. If you want to learn more about real estate and social media I would suggest you attend the next Real Estate Barcamp and be ready to get social.
Santa Ana Home – Built 1883
February 16th, 2009 by Dan Brough
Today I looked at some old homes in Santa Ana, California. This house was built in 1883 but this is not the original location. It was moved to the French Park section of Santa Ana in 1987.
