37th Annual Corona del Mar Christmas Walk

Timeline_CDMHolidayWalk

A Holiday Festival & Community Tradition

FREE to the public. Join us on Sunday December 06, 2015 11:00AM – 4:00PM at our office.

3653 E. Coast Hwy in Corona del Mar. Corner of PCH & Poinsettia.

Champagne, Hot Chocolate, Donut Bar and Open Air Photo Booth with Mrs. Claus & her Elves!

The Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce is proud to present the community’s most popular event of the year! This is an absolute can’t miss special event filled with holiday festivities for family, friends, residents and visitors looking for a spectacular way to ring in the holiday season. Each year “The Walk” brings together thousands of fun-loving people into the Village of Corona del Mar for live entertainment, food, prizes and games in true holiday spirit!

Festivities include:
>Toys for Tots Drive
>Corona del Mar merchant promotions throughout Corona del Mar’s Business District
>Live Entertainment with over 12 signature bands in strategic locations
>The popular Fireman’s Grill BBQ provided by the
NB Fire Department
>Restaurant tastings and celebration parties.
>Kid’s entertainment including snap shots with Santa Clause, bouncy houses, bungee jumping, holiday characters, a petting zoo and more.
>Unique vendor exhibits in the popular vendor faire at the center stage.
>Beer & Wine Garden located in Bandera’s Lower Parking Lot with Signature band “Pinch Me”
>Famous Opportunity Drawing with over $15,000 worth of prizes.
>Langford Properties Raffle, stop by their booth
>Performances by High School and community organization

Win Great Prizes!

Christmas Walk Opportunity Drawing
Langford Properties Raffle: Enter your name at their booth 11-4PM

Pre-sale tickets Avail / Winner Need not be present:

Each year local merchants donate prizes for the popular Christmas Walk Opportunity Drawing and the odds are spectacular. Purchase tickets to win unique gift items, hotel stays, restaurant dinners, spa packages, gift certificates, services and more than $15,000 worth of prizes. Winner need not be present so get your tickets in advance. Tickets also make great gifts for clients.

Ticket prices = $1 ea.
11 tickets for = $10
25 tickets for = $20

#SindeoSitDown Recap: Reeling in Buyers With Video

BY

In our latest #SindeoSitDown, Owner of The Boutique Real Estate Group and video guru, Raj Qsar, sat down with us to talk about how and why realtors everywhere should be leveraging video to grow their business.

So…what did we learn? For starters, if you’re not already using video to market your listings you should be! Listings that use video receive 4x as many leads as those without. Video has become the #1 ROI for money spent and returned for Raj and his team, as is the case for most realtors doing video successfully.

What kinds of things can you add to video to make them exciting and “sticky”?

  • Add a human element – Create videos that are about more than just the property. Feature pets, give the house a story, include actors that “live” in the home, find ways to make it feel real so viewers can relate.
  • Include the community – B-roll footage is key. Buyers aren’t just moving into a house, they’re moving into a community. So, show it to them! Shots of local businesses, parks, beaches, and amenities go a long way. Plus, this content is evergreen, meaning you can use it again and again.
  • Make it cool – There are so many hi-tech additions you can incorporate to put your video above the rest. Use hyperlapse, add filters, film aerial shots with a drone!

Create beautiful and effective listing videos that capture a buyer’s attention and keep clients coming back.

Don’t know where to start? Get inspired by some of Boutique Real Estate Group’s amazing videos. Check them out!

Missed the webinar? No problem! You can catch the entire thing by

CLICKING HERE.

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11 reasons to sell your home this Holiday season

Surfing Santa

11 Reasons to List During the Holidays

1. People who look for a home during the Holidays are more serious buyers!

2. Serious buyers have fewer houses to choose from during the Holidays and less competition means more money for you!

3. Since the supply of listings will dramatically increase in January, there
will be less demand for your particular home! Less demand means less money for you!

4. Houses show better when decorated for the Holidays!

5. Buyers are more emotional during the Holidays, so they are more likely to pay your price!

6. Buyers have more time to look for a home during the Holidays than they do during a working week!

7. Some people must buy before the end of the year for tax reasons!

8. January is traditionally the month for employees to begin new jobs. Since transferees cannot wait until Spring to buy, you must be on the market now to capture that market!

9. You can still be on the market, but you have the option to restrict showings during the six or seven days during the Holidays!

10. You can sell now for more money and we can allow for a delayed closing or extended occupancy until early next year!

11. By selling now, you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the Spring, when many more houses are on the market for less money! This will allow you to sell higher and buy lower!

Connect with us today!

Check out our marketing!

Chinese Real Estate Buying Boom Makes Good FENG SHUI A Must For Home Sellers

BY LIZ FLORA via JingDaily

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Photo Courtesy of The Boutique Real Estate Group

While many American real estate brokers would name features such as safe neighborhoods, proximity to top schools, and good sunlight as big factors upping a home’s value, some new elements are becoming equally important: stairs that don’t face the door, a stove that’s not placed below the master bedroom, and a bathroom that’s not in the center of the home. Thanks to growing Chinese demand for property in the United States, houses that align with good feng shui principles are earning big money and have propelled a cottage industry of feng shui-literate agents, developers, and design consultants in the U.S. real estate industry.

The results of a new survey by the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and AREAA find that the feng shui design philosophy plays a role in home selection for the vast majority Chinese-Americans. A philosophical system that translates to “wind and water” in English, feng shui is focused on harmony with the surrounding environment and has traditionally been used in China to plan the orientation, architecture, and interior design of buildings. Out of 500 Chinese-American survey respondents, a staggering 86 percent say that feng shui will play a role in their future real estate purchasing decisions. A total of 76 percent said that they are familiar with feng shui principles, with over half of those familiar saying that they use it in their daily lives. Out of those surveyed who are homeowners, 81 percent said that feng shui had factored into their purchase.

Feng shui is already having a major effect on luxury home design in America as a result. In Arcadia, California, an upscale suburb of Los Angeles nicknamed the “Chinese Beverly Hills” due to its large Chinese population, developers are buying up older houses devoid of feng shui influences, tearing them down, and constructing new ones following the proper rules governing the flow of qi, or the invisible forces that govern the universe, according to the philosophy. This includes not only floor plan and layout, but the placement of the home itself—developers are most interested in buying lots that are in the middle of the block and facing south, while corner homes are less auspicious.

11 Ivanhoe, Irvine, Ca 92602

Photo Courtesy of The Boutique Real Estate Group

These principles are being employed at luxury developments across America as feng shui experts are called in to guide designers on how to appeal to wealthy Chinese real estate investors flocking to the United States, after they spent $22 billion on U.S. property last year. In Queens, New York, a condominium development called The Grand at View Sky Parc placed entrances in a way that would prevent the flow of negative energies, while strategically placing stones, plants, water, and wood in its rooftop park. Meanwhile, the waterfront Ritz-Carlton Residences in Miami Beach employed Hong Kong feng shui expert Patrick Wong to make sure the design and decor of the building were feng shui-compliant for its properties, which range from $2 million to $40 million.

This big investment in feng shui can lead to some major profits for developers, as a total of 79 percent of survey respondents said they would pay an average of 16 percent more for a home with proper design. Meanwhile, 90 percent of respondents said that they believe implementing feng shui elements will help improve a home’s resale value. Agents with knowledge of feng shui are especially prone to success with Chinese buyers, as 36 percent said they wouldn’t even work with an agent with no knowledge of feng shui.

For home sellers, poor feng shui now comes at a price, since many respondents saw negative elements as “deal breakers.” A home being at the end of a dead-end street is the worst, and would prevent 31 percent of those surveyed from buying it, while 29 percent wouldn’t buy a house with stairs directly facing the front door or with a sloped backyard, and 24 percent couldn’t accept front and back doors aligned with one another.

Feng shui, of course, isn’t the only important selling point for a home marketed to Chinese buyers. In Arcadia, new homes are also being tricked out with wine cellars, marble-lined double-entry halls, multiple master-bedroom suites to accommodate extended family, and separate “wok kitchens.”

 

Items required for a home loan

Important Documents Your Lender Will Need From You.  Yea. It’s a crazy list!

Using this list of key documents, gather all the materials into one online folder so that you’re never scrambling to find the right paperwork.  We suggest dropbox or google drive.

  • Copy of your driver’s license or passport
  • Proof of regular rental or housing payments
  • Copies of your two most recent paycheck stubs
  • Copies of your W-2’s from the past two years
  • Copies of your federal tax returns with all schedules for the past two years – state not needed

 

Are you self-employed?

  • A statement of year-to-date profit-and-loss for the business
  • Copy of any corporate tax returns and K-1’s for the past 2 years

 

Proof of assets:

  • Copy of all current IRA statements, stock and bond accounts, or any other retirement or investment accounts for the past 2 years
  • Copy of current bank statements for each account for the past 2 months
  • Documents on the value of personal property like automobiles
  • Forms showing the face amount and value of life insurance policies
  • Copy of lease agreement for all rental properties
  • Copy of any student loan deferment letter or agreement reflecting the monthly payment

 

Additional documents you may need:

  • If you are divorced, a copy of the final divorce decree
  • If you have filed for bankruptcy, the complete bankruptcy paperwork including discharge paperwork
  • If you are an active veteran, a statement of service, DD-214, and Certificate of Eligibility

 

Shopping Your Loan? Here are some good questions to ask…

Print out the following list and keep it on-hand as you start shopping for your home loan. Meeting with loan officers can be overwhelming — this way you won’t forget to ask important questions.

  • Is the mortgage fixed or variable?
  • If the loan is fixed, what is the interest rate or annual percentage rate (APR) of the loan?
  • If the loan is variable, when does the rate change? And how is the rate change determined?
  • How long are quoted interest rates good for?
  • Is the Good Faith Estimate guaranteed?
  • What are the escrow requirements for taxes and insurance?
  • Is there a penalty for paying off the loan early?
  • Do you allow extra principal payments?
  • How long do funds, say for a down payment, need to be in my bank account before closing?
  • What are all the closing costs? Will you provide a written list?
  • Are any of the costs or fees negotiable, or capable of being waived?
  • Which financial firm will service the loan?
  • How long does the funding process usually take? Are on-time closings guaranteed?
  • What changes, such as employment changes, should I avoid before the loan closes?

 

For questions or comments please contact Allycyn Bennett with United American Mortgage Company at 949-717-7290 or Abennett@uamco.com

To find out the current value of your home please visit http://GetMyHomeWorth.com

Items Needed For A Loan