December 2014 RSS Feed

Are you worn out from all the holiday entertaining, cooking and clean up? Are you in the mood to dine out? Then Irvine Restaurant Week is just for you! From January 9th - 15th, more than 40 local restaurants will celebrate this fun event. Choose from some of Irvine's best restaurants while dining on a two or three course meal at special prices. Discover new restaurants or go back to all your favorites!

South Orange County has become a destination for people looking for great food and ambiance. California itself is a leader in locally grown produce and farm-to-table dining and there is something to suit anyone's taste in the city of Irvine. 

“Irvine's international community features restaurants offering a wide variety of foods from across the…

Photo courtesy of the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce

Coming March 19, 2015, come see which drink will be named the best in town! The 11th annual San Clemente Mixologist Competition will be held from 3:00pm to 5:00pm and is hosted by the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce. The area contest is for local restaurant bartenders to see who makes the best tasting "homemade" drink.

The judges of the competition are made up of a small group of local dignitaries and this fun San Clemente event will be held at Inka Mama's Peruvian Cuisine this year. The winner's specialty drink will be picked as the official drink of beautiful San Clemente and served at local participating restaurants. Chamber members and prospective members can attend and watch as the…

Shine those fenders, dust off those fuzzy dice and mark your calendars for Saturday, January 31, 2015, from 9:00am to 2:00pm! This is one event you won't want to miss. Join hundreds of car lovers for the 12th annual Rotary CARE Car Show sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Juan Capistrano and Capistrano Animal Rescue Effort. 

The yearly show features about 400 hot rods, exotic cars, antiques, classics and muscle cars. There is truly something for everyone at this San Juan Capistrano event! This popular fundraiser benefits the charities of the San Juan Capistrano Rotary Club and Capistrano Animal Rescue Effort's (CARE) support of animal-rescue and care of homeless and abandoned pets.

Held at the beautiful San Juan Capistrano Community Center and…

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 Orange County Real Estate Experts the Hartanov Team.

2015 is almost upon us and what better way to celebrate than a night out in beautiful Dana Point! Here are some of the local highlights to celebrate New Year's Eve:

enoSTEAK New Year's Eve

The gorgeous Ritz Carlton in Dana Point is serving up a holiday menu for New Year's Eve. There will be two seatings available, one at 6:00pm and one at 9:00pm at the picturesque enoSTEAK restaurant. Price is $145 per person for a four-course surf and turf dinner. Your choices include mouth watering potato wrapped fried oysters, Watercress Parmesan Crusted Sea Bass, Lobster and Smoked Chateau Briand with Waygu Fried Wild Mushroom and Pinot Nior Sauce. Yum! Click here for more details. 

An Evening of Diamonds and Pearls

Come to the St. Regis Monarch Beach…

If your home is currently on the market, you may be tempted to take it off during the busy December holiday season that is currently upon us.  I would suggest that you leave your home on the market regardless of what time of year it is and do your best to make sure that it shows better than any of the other houses out there for sale.  Selling your home during the holidays  doesn’t have to be overwhelming.  Here are a few tips for selling your home during the busiest time of the year!

• Decorate your home like you have never decorated it before to make it stand out above all the other homes that are for sale during the holiday season.  You may not feel like doing this because you are most likely ready to move out and get on with your life, but if you…

Photo courtesy of Surfing Heritage and Cultural Center

Riding waves is thousands of years old and the art of surfing has become a way of life for thousands of people. There are museums all over the world dedicated to securing and protecting the heritage of surfing. From the United States, to Australia to Hawaii, you can find nearly twenty surfing museums where you can learn about the incredible history of this loved sport. San Clemente is home to one of these museums, called the Surfing Heritage and Cultural Center. 

This non-profit organization is home to the world's largest collection of historic surf images and surfboards. They preserve and promote the heritage of surfing solely for the purpose of appreciation and education. This San Clemente…

On Monday, Fannie Mae announced the return of the 3% down payment. Building upon Fannie Mae’s successful lower down payment program offered through state Housing Finance Agencies, the 97 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) option will expand access to credit for qualified first-time homebuyers that may not have the resources for a larger down payment.  These loans will meet Fannie Mae’s usual eligibility requirements, including underwriting, income documentation and risk management standards. These loans will require private mortgage insurance or other risk sharing, as is required on purchase loans acquired by the company with greater than 80 percent LTV.

“Our goal is to help additional qualified borrowers gain access to mortgages,” said Andrew Bon…

Home sales in Orange County have dropped 11.2% year to date in October 2014 compared to a 8.7% drop in California. Orange County homes sales declined 0.8% in October campared to October 2013 while California home sales dropped 1.2%. The median home price in Orange County was $692,390, a 4.9% increase, and $450,620 in California, a 5.4% increase. The median market time was 62.3 days in Orange County and 41.9 days in California.

Laguna Beach is the perfect place to celebrate the holidays! There is so much to do and see, so why not take a moment out of your busy schedule to visit some of these exciting events!

Hanukkah Celebration

From December 16th through December 24th, join the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach for a lighting of the menorah everyday at 5:00pm. Contact the Concierge for all the details at 949-715-6140. 

Jewelry & Gift Trunk Show

Every Saturday, from 12:00pm to 5:00pm, at Rworld Surf Skate & Apparel in Laguna Beach, come check out the Jewelry and Trunk Show. This fun event will run until December 20, 2014. The theme is "Holiday Glitz and Glam" and you can shop for unique, hand-made gifts from local Laguna Beach artists. You can also order custom made…