July 2014 RSS Feed

Summer blood banks are experiencing a shortage. You are invited to save lives and be a hero at the "Blood and Bone Marrow Drive", being held Wednesday, August 13, 2014 from 12:00pm-5:00pm. This important local San Clemente event will be held at the Community Resource Center of San Clemente, located in the lower level of the San Clemente Presbyterian Church. 

The Blood and Bone Marrow Drive is sponsored by the San Diego Blood Bank in partnership with the Community Resource Center of San Clemente. The San Diego Blood Bank provides blood donations to Saddleback Memorial Care-San Clemente and several other local Southern California hospitals that are in need. By donating blood and getting swabbed to be a bone marrow donor, you can help local San Clement…

The 48th annual Sawdust Art & Craft Festival in Laguna Beach is taking place now and runs until Sunday, August 31, 2104. This annual event is a favorite among Laguna Beach residents and its visitors. The Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach is one of the best art festivals in all of South Orange County. It has grown from modest roots to an absolutely incredible summer event. This Laguna Beach Festival attracts people from not only the local community, but from all over the state and across the country. Designed to both entertain and educate, the Sawdust Art Festival draws more than 200,000 visitors worldwide each year. 

The Laguna Beach Sawdust Art Festival is truly a local event because all the artists featured in the festival are residents of Laguna…

If you sold your primary residence and made a profit, you may be able to exclude that profit from your taxable income. Here's how it works.

Individuals can exclude up to $250,000 in profit from the sale of a main home (or $500,000 for a married couple) as long as you have owned the home and lived in the home for a minimum of two years. Those two years do not need to be consecutive. In the 5 years prior to the sale of the house, you need to have lived in the house for at least 24 months in that 5-year period. In other words, the home must have been your principal residence.

Just like calculating capital gains, the formula for calculating the gain or loss involves subtracting your cost basis from your selling price.

The formula for calculating…

507 Via El Risco, San Clemente CA 92673

It doesn't get better than this home in the San Rafael neighborhood in Talega. Need we say more? See features and Virtual Tour below.

• Custom cabinetry and built-ins throughout
• Custom staircase and railings
• Custom courtyard and driveway
• Italian travertine throughout entire first floor, with cedar wood upstairs
• Custom backyard/pool with home theatre audio/video
• Family room home theatre
• Custom garage with cabinetry, workbench, and flooring
• Garage enabled with electric hook-up for Tesla, Prius, etc.
• Tank-less water heater for endless hot water
• Custom salt water pool with solar heating, sheer descents
• Custom iron front door
• Custom closets
• Custom MBR bath and shower with jacuzzi…

One of the terrible fears of homeowners is a water leak -- the big kind that flood basements or the sneaky kind that results in mold build-up. Wally is a new product that uses sensors placed around the house to tell you when the dramatic or the quiet creep of water enters your home. Crisis averted!

How does it work?

Wally got its name because it uses walls, and the existing wiring of your home, to create a sensor network. It alerts you of water leaks as well as important trends in humidity and temperature levels. Wally's simple design makes do-it-yourself installation a snap. When Wally detects moisture it lets you and the people on your alert list know right away so you can take immediate action.

Wally makes monitoring easy with minimal…

507 Via El Risco, San Clemente CA 92673

It doesn't get better than this home. Need we say more? See features and Virtual Tour below.

• Custom cabinetry and built-ins throughout
• Custom staircase and railings
• Custom courtyard and driveway
• Italian travertine throughout entire first floor, with cedar wood upstairs
• Custom backyard/pool with home theatre audio/video
• Family room home theatre
• Custom garage with cabinetry, workbench, and flooring
• Garage enabled with electric hook-up for Tesla, Prius, etc.
• Tank-less water heater for endless hot water
• Custom salt water pool with solar heating, sheer descents
• Custom iron front door
• Custom closets
• Custom MBR bath and shower with jacuzzi bath
• “Golf-ball free” view of fairways and 18th tee
• …

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens in San Clemente will host the 12th annual "Toast to the Casa" fundraiser. This premier South Orange County event will be held on Saturday, September 27, 2014, starting at 5:00pm.

The theme for this year's San Clemente fundraiser is Una Noche en la Casa: Spanish Splendor. There will be fine wines, lush decor, deep red roses, fire spinners, flamenco and tango dancers. The "Toast to the Casa" will also feature headline singers, a live and silent auction and the best food and beverages that San Clemente has to offer! Tickets to this fun local event are $175 in advance (through September 1). 

Casa Romantica in San Clemente has many new programs, such as expanded offerings for children (Casa Kids),…

The San Clemente Real Estate Report below reflects the number of resale single family residences and condos as well as new homes selling in San Clemente. Also reflected is the % of change from 2013.

San Clemente Real Estate Market Trends - June 2014

San Clemente	Median Price	Change From 2013	Homes Sold	Change From 2013
San Clemente - 92672	$761,000	-6.0%	36	-14.3%
San Clemente - 92673	$677,500	-14.2%	54	-19.4%

If you sold your primary residence recently and made a profit, you may be able to exclude that profit from your taxable income. Here's how it works.

Individuals can exclude up to $250,000 in profit from the…

Don't miss the best party in town! The Dana Point Lobster Fest will be held on Saturday, August 16, 2014, at 4:00pm at beautiful Doheny State Beach. Enjoy an incredible steak, lobster and seafood dinner with spirits, live music and dancing under the stars!

The Dana Point Lobster Fest is sponsored by The Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club and all the proceeds benefit Make a Wish Orange County, Inland Empire Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley, Dana Point 5th Marine Support Group and other select charities. The Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club is dedicated to providing awareness about and raising money for local Children's Charities in the hopes of helping them achieve their goals. Utilizing expertise and hard work, they focus on facilitating…

The Orange County CA Real Estate Report below reflects the number of resale single family residences and condos as well as new homes selling in Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. Also reflected is the % of change from the same month last year.

Orange County CA Real Estate - June 2014

Orange County Community	Median Price	Change From 2013	Homes Sold	Change From 2013
Dana Point - 92624	$697,500	+0.4%	10	+0.0%
Dana Point - 92629	$763,000	+9.0%	21	-4.5%
Laguna Beach - 92651	$1,487,500	-2.6%	45	-6.3%
Laguna Niguel -…