August 2014 RSS Feed

Top 10 Things To Know About Buying a Home!

Here are great tips for buying a home from CNNMoney.com.

1. Don't buy if you can't stay put.

If you can't commit to remaining in one place for at least a few years, then owning is probably not for you, at least not yet. With the transaction costs of buying and selling a home, you may end up losing money if you sell any sooner - even in a rising market. When prices are falling, it's an even worse proposition.

2. Start by shoring up your credit.

Since you most likely will need to get a mortgage to buy a house, you must make sure your credit history is as clean as possible. A few months before you start house hunting, get copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any…

San Clemente is home to some of the best waves in Southern California. No matter what type of wave you are looking for, you are bound to find it at one of the many beach and surf spots. This south orange county surf town has ideal weather and offers year-round surf. Over one million visitors visit San Clemente State Beaches and surf spots each year.

Here is your guide to the best surf spots in San Clemente:

SAN ONOFRE

San Onofre has been one of the most popular surfing beaches in California since the 1930s. People drive from all directions to visit "San-O" to enjoy the longboard surf here. This spot is also one of the best places to learn to surf in all of Southern California. Look for the big nuclear plant on the coastline to find where to…

The Laguna Dance Festival has been bringing world-class dance to the city of Laguna Beach for the past ten years. To celebrate a decade of excellence in dance, the company has decided to throw a huge party! This event will showcase the most popular and exciting companies and artists who have performed in the festival, along with introducing new stars of the dance to Laguna Beach. You are invited to their Gala Performance with the Stars of Dance on September 13-14, 2014. 

This must see event features some of the most famous stars of the dance world! Misty Copeland of American Ballet Theatre will dance with Gonzalo Garcia of the New York City Ballet. The incredible principal dancers from the San Francisco Ballet, Lorena Feijoo and Vitor Luiz will also be…

The California Association of Realtors closely monitors and analyzes trends in the residential real estate industry. The table below contains the latest reported existing home sales series, median home prices, unsold inventory index, median time on market, first-time buyer housing affordability index, and the latest mortgage rates.

Information courtesy of The Hartanov Team, Orange County Realtors.

The Orange County real estate market is continuing to see growth, especially in the inventory sector. Figures for June 2014 indicate that the housing market may be shifting towards a more normal buyer-seller balance. There was a 47% jump year over year in the amount of homes for sale and last month saw a 5.6% increase. The amount of homes on the market in Orange County is the highest it has been in more than a year. This is a great sign for prospective buyers!

The month of July 2014 saw a total of 8,025 homes for sale with 2,651 sold and 2,847 pending in escrow for Orange County. The average sale price was $715,000, with an average price per square foot of $387.8. The average time a home was on the market in July was 67 days. Orange County's…

Each year, a fleet of historically significant sailing vessels comes to Dana Point. This year, the Ocean Institute celebrates its 30th year as host of the Toshiba Tall Ships Festival. This Dana Point event is the largest annual gathering of tallships on the West Coast and will take place September 6th & 7th, 2014, with a sunset parade on Friday, September 5th. 

Bring the whole family to the Tall Ships Festival in Dana Point where you can explore the wonder of these real working wooden vessels. You will experience the smell, the sounds and the sights of this incredible event. There will be interactive history encampments, blacksmiths, scrimshaw artists and the infamous Port Royal Privateers. This Dana Point event has some new events and displays…

Lower interest rates and stablizing home prices combined to boost California home sales in June 2014. However, home affordability remains a challenge for buyers in higher prices areas of California.

Ready to move to Orange County CA? Learn all about our area here!

Iva Lee's Restaurant in San Clemente is a perfect spot to come listen to live music and enjoy some good old-fashioned comfort food! Iva Lee's offers Southern and Creole cuisine and uses recipes that were passed down from generations of Southern women. This fun San Clemente restaurant also features local live music Wednesdays through Sundays!

Chef Christopher Starr had teamed with owners Lisa and Eric Wagoner to create a menu firmly rooted in the South, but with flares of a modern technique and presentation. Iva Lee was Lisa’s thoroughly Southern grandmother, and the inspiration for the dishes come from her. Much of the restaurant expertise comes from Lisa’s O.C. culinary pedigree: She opened the much-loved Ramos House Café in San Juan Capistrano in…

Preparing your home to sell and wondering just what decor buyers respond to in today's market? Realtor Magazine has great tips for staging your home to sell. Take a look:

The devotion to sparse decor and neutral color palettes—once iron-clad truisms of “proper” staging—is giving way to a livelier vision encompassing more trendy, inviting interiors and exteriors that are intended to make a listing more marketable.

As stagers reject stripped-down, beige-heavy stylings that are as boring as they are forgettable, they’re replacing them with designs that complement a home’s architecture and price point and present a lifestyle that buyers will want to buy into.

That means bolder color pops—yes, even this year’s Pantone color of the year, the…

If you are looking for good old-fashioned family entertainment, look no further than the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo, taking place on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24, 2014. This fun local San Juan Capistrano event hosts the top 30 rodeo contestants that compete for a chance at $200,000! This year marks the tenth anniversary of what has become known as "America's Richest Two-Day Rodeo" and has the highest purse in the nation. 

The Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo contestants compete in saddle bronc, bareback riding, steer wrestling, tie down roping, team roping and bull riding. There are also free activities for children in the vendor area, food, shopping and a chance to ride the mechanical bull at this fun local San Juan Capistrano event.…