Historic Homes Blog

 If you surf, you get the best ride and the most speed from perfectly timing the wave you wish to ride. If you are a stock investor, you want to buy low and sell high. As a shopper, you look for bargains. Does this all sound familiar? So if you are a real estate investor, how do you know when to buy? The size of the decision and its long-term consequences can be paralyzing and then there is the issue of financing and affordability

We may have reached a time in the real estate market in Orange County where a potent combination of excellent interest rates, newly available financing (FHA and Conforming loan limit increases), greater selection and lowered sale prices serve up a huge opportunity. Waiting for prices to fall further is an imperfect strategy because we will never correctly time that “lowest price” moment and while we are waiting, rates may rise as they have been doing recently. My suggestion is to MAKE AN OFFER if you want to buy and see what the seller’s response is. It can’t hurt to ask!

Well, finally, for all of us pet lovers who know that our pets ARE members of our families, we have a great place to go for brunch on Saturday or Sunday.  While I was having Easter Brunch — and it was great — at the Wyndham Hotel at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, my good friend, Tom Smalley (also the General Manager) told me that starting April 5th they will be featuring “Paws & Claws Breakfast Buffet” on their lakeside terrace.  The champagne fountain would be enough to get me there, but being able to bring Bacci, my Lhaso, makes it a great family event and a good outing for us all. Click the thumbnail below for a flyer.

 For more information, contact: www.wyndham.com

Thomas Smalley, General Manager,
Wyndham Hotel - Orange County 
Email: tsmalley@wyndham.com  
Phone:  714.442.8600, 
Cell: 714.721.6562,  
Fax:  714.751.2704

Check it out and I will look forward to seeing you there!!

Ed’s daughter is going to have a baby in May and I can feel the energy building!! There are so many unknowns at this time.  Thank goodness we know it is a boy, so that helps a great deal.  But there is also the question of will he have red hair (a family trait) and what will his name be?

 We already have a collection of stuff at our house so we will have a “warm and friendly” place for him as well as Mom and Dad — and I am trying to stay calm — but the excitement is building!!

As most of you know, I was never able to have my own children, so this is such a gift to be able to share in this joyous event!! I am so very thankful for this wonderful opportunity!!  And also grateful, I must say, that he has scheduled his arrival AFTER the Home Tour!!  That way I will have lots of time to share and be there!

 So often my mind wanders to the things that we would like to do and all the adventures and excitement which lies ahead.

What a wonderful time of joy and how very blessed I am to be in the middle of it all!!

Recently I had a friend do me a “major favor” and organize my pantry.  Now if you had asked me if it would make a difference in my life to have my pantry organized, I would say you were nuts.  But I am here to tell you that, oh my God, it does!! Just being able to walk into my pantry — and I am so grateful to have a walk in pantry — and see the items I want to use is incredible. 

 I thought people were crazy when they had everything in line and orderly, but it is incredible!  I just went in there last night and spent 30 minutes moving stuff around so it would be “perfect” again, and it felt great!!

It is amazing that once you get something done the way you like it, it is a lot easier to keep it that way! Sort of like a lot of things — nothing gets done by thinking about it — you have to take action!!

The Floral Park Neighborhood, located in historic place North Santa Ana, will host its 16th annual Home and Garden Tour, April 26-27, 2008. In addition to the beautiful vintage homes and gardens open on the Tour, new historic markers will be visible throughout the tour area this year with interesting facts about the history of Santa Ana, Floral Park, and homes listed on the Santa Ana Historic Register.

Named “Best Neighborhood” in the Orange County Register’s Annual People’s Choice Best of Orange County, loral Park was discovered by over 2500 people who attended last year’s event. Whether experiencing a stroll through the beautiful vintage homes and gardens, searching for treasures at the antique and collectibles sale, viewing the classic automobile display or enjoying a snack at the food and drink concessions, attendees will surely leave the Floral Park Home & Garden Tour with nostalgic memories of a day well spent. Located in the northern tip of Santa Ana, Floral Park and its homes have been featured in publications such as The Orange County Register Orange County Home, Orange Coast, Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion, Southern California Home and Outdoor, The LA Times and OC Metro.

Floral Park was also named Neighborhood of the Year in 2005 by Neighborhoods USA (NUSA), primarily as a result of the annual Home and Garden Tour and its example of what a volunteer effort can bring to building a community. he tree-lined streets of the neighborhood capture the spirit of a simpler time from a bygone era. Once blanketed by orange, avocado and walnut groves, the neighborhood features original farmhouses that can still be seen throughout Floral Park and the sweet smell of orange blossoms still fill the air. In the early 1920s, during one of California’s building booms, developers began constructing homes in a wide variety of styles influenced by European architecture brought home by returning soldiers from World War I, as well as the international influences of Hollywood movies. The Floral Park area became a cornucopia of building styles to include Beverly Hills Bungalow, Hacienda, Spanish Eclectic, Mediterranean Villa, Mission, Farmhouse, English Tudor, French Normandy, Colonial, Federal, Georgian, Cape Cod, California Ranch, Storybook and Art Deco, all within a few blocks of one other.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $25 by mail or online at www.floral-park.com. Tickets are also available for $30 on April 26 and 27 at booths located at Flower St. & Santa Clara and North Park Blvd. & Benton Way in Santa Ana. For more information please visit www.floral-park.com or call (714) 953- 5659.

Real estate is like a great bottle of wine.  It gets better with age!!  Ask Donald Trump or any person of great wealth and they will certainly say that the way they achieved real wealth is through Real Estate! No matter how good you are at your job, unless your are Bill Gates or the like, you will never make enough money to really make giant financial strides, unless you make serious investments in real estate.

Now is the time to “jump into the real estate market”!  The seclection is huge, the prices are down 20% or more and the interest rates are at a historic low!! What better combination could you find?

Astute investors are in the market with “both feet” right now and most bank owned properties have 3-5 offers because the prices are so attractive.  It just doesn’t get any better!

Can you believe you can buy a 3 bedroom house North of 17th Street in Santa Ana for $300,000 to $400,000?  I know I have been surprised to see the unbelievable buys that are out there!!  Today there are 18 homes on the market under $400,000 and you can have a positive cash flow with 20% down. 

Just think, you can start or build your Real Estate portfolio and start building your “real wealth” as Donald Trump says. 

I have been reading Trump’s most recent book, and he emphases again that the best way to make a real difference in your financial position is to own real estate!!  We must think of the long term investment potential, and when have we ever seen prices so low and interest at rock bottom rates — and they just reduced the Fed rate again.