TinaJan.com

Updated Traffic Details - Inland Empire

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:52:00 +0000

My new favorite site is www.pe.com/traffic for the easy to use SigAlert traffic map. For some reason, most traffic sites don't really cover the Inland Empire region. So I'm happy that there is FINALLY a dedicated site for the SigAlert information for the area that I'm always in.

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Real Estate News for July 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:48:00 +0000

According to Data Quick News, Southern California median sales price increases for the first time since 2007. Foreclosure resales accounted for more than 50% of all SoCal resales. The sharp declines in median sales price over the past year were due to above-average number of sales occuring in the Inland Empire. At the lower end of the price spectrum, first-time buyers continue to rely heavily on goverment-insured FHA financing. 38.4 percent of all Southland home purchases last month were FHA financed. In the Inland Empire, more than half of all home purchases in May were financed with FHA loans. The typical monthly mortgage payment that SoCal buyers committed themselves to paying was $1,052 last month, which is down from $1,782 a year ago. Foreclosure activity remains near record levels, while financing with adjustable-rate mortgages is near the all-time low, as is financing with multiple mortgages. Click here to read more from DQNews.com.

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Back to Work

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:43:00 +0000

Things have been busy lately. This is a good thing. I'd rather be busy than twiddling my thumbs doing nothing. Today after work in Beaumont, I had to take a long drive west to Los Angeles and Malibu. The apartments and homes along PCH are absolutely gorgeous and crazy expensive. The views are stunning and well worth the price tag. Well, better get some sleep. My eyes are starting to twitch, which means that I'm either tired or finally going street-rat-crazy.

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OUT OF THE OFFICE

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:34:00 +0000

I'm going to be out of the office for the next 4 days. I will still answer my phones and I will have my computer with me. Just going up to Norcal for the weekend. I will be back on Monday though. It's Murphy's Law, that things will get busy the minute you get ready to leave for vacation. I'm a stressed-out-wreck at the moment. My stomach has been churning for the last 2 days. Ugh.

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Loan Modifications - What Do I Need To Get Started?

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:35:00 +0000

Home Affordable Modification Program

Am I eligible for the Home Affordable Modification Program?

Loans originated on or before January 1, 2009.
First-lien loans on owner-occupied properties
Unpaid principal balance up to $729,750. Higher limits are allowed for multi-unit properties.
Delinquency is not a requirement for eligibility.
Loans can only be modified one time under this program.

How do I get started?

If you meet the above eligibility requirements, mail the following documentation to your lenders.

Completed and signed IRS 4506-T form.
The two most recent pay stubs for each wage earner on the Note
The most recent tax returns for each customer on the Note
A signed affidavit of financial hardship.
Please gather the following information and have this ready when you speak to a Loan Counselor.
- Income (monthly gross and take home pay).
- Checking and Savings Account balances
- Other assests (boat, cars, personal property)
- Expenses (monthly household expenses)
- Other Expenses (auto loans, credit card payments, etc.)
Important Links
http://makinghomeaffordable.gov/
http://www.treas.gov/initiatives/eesa/
http://www.financialstability.gov/

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Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae Loan Check?

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:07:00 +0000

Are you wondering if your loan is owned by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae? You can check your loan by contacting these numbers and websites.

For Fannie Mae,
1-800-7FANNIE (8am to 8pm EST).
Does Fannie Mae Own Your Mortgage
http://loanlookup.fanniemae.com/loanlookup/

Freddie Mac
1-800-FREDDIE (8am to 8pm EST)
Freddie Mac - Avoiding Foreclosure
http://www.freddiemac.com/avoidforeclosure/

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Are You Eligible for a Loan Modification or Refinance? Go to MakingHomeAffordable.gov

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Like many people, you may have been wondering if you are eligible for a loan modification or refinance. The website, http://makinghomeaffordable.gov, can help you figure out your eligibility. There is a self-assessment tool on the website that can calculate your ability to get a modification or refinance. Many of the banks have similar assessment tools for calculating your eligibility when you call them about loan mods or a refi. Go to http://makinghomeaffordable.gov, the help is FREE. Beware of foreclosure rescue scams that ask you for an upfront cost. Staying informed is the best way to save your money. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about your home.

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Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters in the NEWS

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:28:00 +0000

Okay, well not technically. But our real estate signs showed up twice in the Press Enterprise Business front page.

And here's the other picture.

And both of these photos were taken by Rodrigo Pena of The Press-Enterprise. Click here to read the article associated with these photos.

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OPEN HOUSE - Saturday, May 16th, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:42:00 +0000

I'm holding an open house this weekend, Saturday to be exact. There is a beautiful home for sale in Banning that will be open to the public from 12pm to 2pm. Affordably priced at $110,000. Call me or email me for the address and details!

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Small Improvements in Housing Demand

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:45:00 +0000

According to Time.com, Warren Buffett and the National Association of Realtors both agree that there is some improvement in the demand for housing. Low home prices and very low mortgage rates have been enticing buyers. At the same time, unemployment is increasing and loans are difficult to obtain. Banks are wary of issuing credit, since a large percentage of payments for credit cards have been late. Click here to read more from Time.com.

Sacramento is seeing a rebound. One of the first cities to have a real estate collapse, Sacramento is now in the embryo stage of recovery. First-time home buyers and investors are out in full force, buying up the cheaper bank-owned foreclosure properties. Other collapsed areas like Las Vegas, Florida, and our very own Inland Empire, are also seeing improvements. Click here to read more from the New York Times.

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Internal Wireless Card Death!

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:57:00 +0000

The one thing that makes a laptop totally worthless is not having a functional internal wireless card! It's practically a desktop computer at that point. I don't know what happened tonight, but my wireless connection disappeared. I have a little switch so that I can turn my wireless on and off manually, so I checked to see if I had accidentally turned it off. I kept switching it on and off hoping it would remember to come back to life, but to no avail. Luckily my wireless router came with an ethernet cable, so I was able to access the internet. But what am I going to do at work tomorrow??? I suppose the first thing I have to do is visit BestBuy and plunk down $50 to get a wireless USB adapter. I haven't used on of those for 5 years. Oddly enough the previous one I had used 5 years ago was happily attached to the Tivo, but that died recently too, so I will have to buy two of them.

Just when I thought I didn't need to spend more money.

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The Internet is Alive, At Last

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:39:00 +0000

I am back online! I can't even begin to describe how frustrating it is to not have internet access. Even the PC games I bought ahead of time for an internet outage needed me to be online so it could verify the Unlock Code! My world comes to a crashing halt without internet access. Thank you Verizon technician for coming out today. Even though someone was supposed to come out yesterday between 10am and 4pm, I'm just glad you finally made it and fixed things. I am practically jumping for joy.

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Riverside County Down Payment Assistance Program - Funds Available!

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:23:00 +0000

According to www.rivecoeda.org, there are now new funds for down payment assistance and other activities. These funds have been available since March 17th, 2009 and will be available until they are exhausted. Keep reading to see if any of these assistance programs apply to you or click here to go to www.rivcoeda.org for more details.

"In response to the drastic increase in foreclosures and the impact of the subprime lending environment on housing, Congress authorized the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) under Title III of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. The new entitlement program is provided to currently funded grantees and states of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. As a direct recipient of other HUD community development entitlement programs the County of Riverside was awarded $48,567,786 in federal NSP funds.

On March 17, 2009, the Riverside County Economic Development Agency (EDA) is inviting applications for NSP funds for the following NSP activities:

(NSP-1) Acquistion, Rehabilitation and Resale to First-time Homebuyers. Eligible applicants include public and private non-profit organizations. Allocation: $20,000,000.
(NSP-2) Acquistion, Rehabilitation and Rental of Affordable Units. Eligible applicants include public and private non-profit organizations. Allocation: $1,855,000.
(NSHP) Neighborhood Stabilization Homeownership Program. Down-payment assistance and home repair to qualified first-time homebuyer families for the purchase of foreclosed homes throughout Riverside County in designated Target Areas. Allocation: $9,700,000.
(NSP-4) Acquisition, and Rehabilitation of Foreclosed and Vacant Multi-Family Properties, or the Construction of New Multi-Family Rental Projects. Eligible applicants include public, private non-profit and for-profit organizations. Allocation: $12,157,000.

Applications for funding will be considered on an "over-the-counter" basis until available funds are exhausted. Applications will be accepted from March 17, 2009 until such time that EDA has received what determines to be a sufficient number of applications to reasonably use all currently available funds. EDA will give notice on this site when funds are no longer available."

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Blackberry & Blogger & Short Sales, Oh My...

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Does anyone know of a Blackberry Curve application that would make blogging from my phone easier? I know I can send an email, but an application would make it so much better. I've Google searched (from my Blackberry browser no less) to see if there was anything out there for me. So far, I have only come up with dead-ends in the forums.

Many new changes have been happening in the housing market, and simultaneously, in my own life. Well, perhaps it's actually a cause-effect type of change. Short sales have become a large part of the real estate scenario for 2009 and unfortunately (or is it fortunately...) all my BPO work hasn't amounted to any REO listings. So the only direction for me is SHORT SALES. Keep in mind, the short sales we have today are not at all the same as the ones in the past. What we have here is a whole new beast. I'm happy to say though, that I've been well-trained and I'm armed with the best office out here!

Anyway, if you have any questions about short sales, loan modifications, REO & bank-owned properties, or anything else... just give me a call/email/tweet/txt/smoke signal.

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My Favorite Internet Resources - Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:09:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share some of my most used internet resources with you. Most of these are integral to my real estate researching. I hope they will benefit you as well!

Mapping tools with satellite, street, or bird's eye views are very handy to have around. I use these in addition to APN parcel map searches from the counties.

http://maps.live.com/

http://www.google.com/maps

Craigslist is great for studying current rental prices. This is good place to start if you're a budding investor and wondering what rents you can get back for your future real estate purchases in different areas.

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/

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San Bernardino County Property Information Managements System - PIMS

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:14:00 +0000

Hi everyone, this is a great tool that I have found very useful lately. It's the San Bernardino County Property Information Management System - PIMS. You can use it to perform APN parcel searches!

http://nppublic.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/newpims/PimsInterface.aspx

And if you need the San Bernardino County Office of the Assessor website, click here.

Best of luck in all your parcel searches!

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Real Estate News for Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:10:00 +0000

New-home sales in Southland fall 53% in December. Bargain hunters are busy snapping up foreclosures and other distressed properties, causing sales of all homes to rise 51% last month. New-home builders are putting a pause on building, waiting until the market recovers. The Southern California median home sales price in January 2008 was $415,000 and by the end of the year the median price had slid to $278,000. December median sales prices were $180,000 in San Bernardino County and $209,000 in Riverside County.

California Has 8 of 10 Worst Real Estate Markets. But still, it's California, we don't have to worry about a shortage of people wanting to live here. The state may be issuing IOU's to taxpayers this year, but the weather is still fantastic year-round, which almost makes it worth the trouble! The 8 trouble areas include Los Angeles, Stockton, Riverside, Sacramento, Santa Ana/Anaheim, Fresno, San Diego, and Bakersfield.

Honestly, despite all the bad media press, I'm busier than ever. As you've probably noticed, I have even less time to blog now. Sales in the area have been increasing, but the prices keep dropping.

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Loan Modification Scams

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:03:00 +0000

Time flies doesn't it? I can't believe I'm already posting up news tidbits for 2009. The new year has brought along with it many real estate changes. Despite the lagging real estate industry, new debt relief and loan modification companies have sprung up everywhere. Be extremely wary if any of the companies ask for an upfront fee! If it smells like a scam, it is probably a scam. My boyfriend was contacted by a legitimate loan modification service, it was through his lender. The service was completely free. It did take some time though, about 3 months before all the paperwork was squared away. For those who think a loan modification might help you, contact your lender right away. Unlike a short sale, you don't need to miss any payments to get the process started. You do need to have a pretty good financial status to get a loan modification. They will ask for bank statements and tax info and other financial documents. This article from CNBC goes into more detail about the loan mod scams. Read up and be smart homeowner!

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Very Much Back to Work

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:34:00 +0000

It's the season to get back to the office. Things are busier than ever. Will update everyone later today on the details.

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TinaJan.com Vacation Mode

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:26:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know that Tina Jan is going to be taking a little mini-break from work. You can still call me with any questions and I will still be checking my emails. It's like nothing has changed. :) Soon I will be back and we'll get back to blogging and chatting about real estate and other matters. Until then, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

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Etsy - Handmade Goods for your Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:34:00 +0000

I am a big fan of the website Etsy.com. Nearly all of the items are handmade and of excellent quality. The remainder of the items are usually supplies so that you can make your own handmade goods! There are people who sell furniture, housewares, jewelry, apparel, and anything else you can think of that can be made by hand.

For those who are tired of buying the same stuff as everyone else, this is a good place to find something unique and truly one of a kind, while helping your local craftsperson and maybe even the domestic market!

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Knit Discovery

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:30:00 +0000

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/96145585@N00/3069520096/" title="1129081523.jpg by Tina-rina, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/3069520096_1d492bb990.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="1129081523.jpg" /></a>

Look at this gorgeous holiday yarn ball wreath from Starbucks!

I've discovered that I really dislike seaming up knitted clothing. I'm converting to wonderful, magical, oh-so effortless "circular needles." Although there are things that I don't like about circs. They need to be slippery and sometimes they catch my yarn. Sometimes the wire holds its curl a bit too much. My favorites are Addi Turbos, but they're quite expensive.

Straight needles are still awesome.

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New! First Dog Park in Beaumont, California

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:49:00 +0000

The new dog park, dubbed Canine Country Club, is at Noble Creek Park in Beaumont. The dog park is divided into two play areas, one for large dogs, the other for small dogs. Both areas are landscaped with grass, trees and pathways and include dog waste bag-dispensers.

CANINE COUNTRY CLUB

The first dog park in the San Gorgonio Pass area opened Saturday.

Where: Noble Creek Park on West Oak Valley Parkway in Beaumont

Hours: Dawn to dusk, daily

More information: 951-845-9555

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Jack in the Box in Beaumont

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:37:00 +0000

We have a new Jack in the Box at the corner of Beaumont Ave and First St!

Jack in the Box
89 S. Beaumont Ave
Beaumont, CA 92223
(951) 769-2888

They have those new Teriyaki Bowls meals. I might try one of them.

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New Technology - October 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Tina) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:16:00 +0000

Foreclosure Congressional Heat Maps - This map-based search gives you unique information about the relationship between politics and the housing market. 435 congressional districts are mapped out and clearly designated by party affiliation. Zoom in, you'll see that districts represented by Republicans have red labels, and Democratic districts have blue labels.

iphone.coldwellbanker.com - Coldwell Banker has redesigned their website with navigational tools that are customized for display on iPhones. The website "automatically recognizes that it is being accessed by an iPhone, and will serve up the special iPhone interface," the company announced.

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