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How to get TOP DOLLAR for Your Home
How to Find a Buyer Quick
Aaron Zapata, Broker, MBA, CHS, is ranked in the Top 1% nationwide with Prudential. Experience matters and the Zapata Group can help you with all your real estate needs.
As a Certified HAFA (Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative) Specialist, he is qualified to handle your Short Sales as well.
Filed under: Selling | Leave a Comment »
I got this email from Bank of America today becuase I work on a lot of their short sales every year. I wanted to pass it along just in case you need some help.
“Need a status update on your short sale? Want help with an issue that’s delaying the process? Having trouble getting responses?
Your short sale specialist (at BofA) should always be your first point of contact for resolving your short sale questions and concerns. Conduct all your communications via Equator messaging, not through your personal email. (This will soon to be a requirement.) Equator messaging will:
To make the most effective use of Bank of America’s response system, please contact the following resources in this order when seeking solutions to your short sale concerns:
If you have an urgent need, such as a foreclosure postponement, please call Short Sale Customer Care at any point in the process.”
I have also found the tweeting about BofA is a great way to get them to respond
quickly. They have a customer service department via Twitter that is very quick to respond.
I hope this helps. If you have your loan with Bank of America and need an expert short sale agent, please give me a call at (714) 904-7877. Thanks and I look forward to helping you!
Filed under: HAFA, Short Sale | Tagged: bank of america, Equator, Short Sale | Leave a Comment »
This Church, located in Central Corona near Grand and S. Main is perfect for a growing church. The 3,500 sqft building includes a main santuary holds up to 120 people, kitchen, and three classrooms. The 7,920 sqft lot includes a large cement patio and a large covered outdoor fellowship hall. This is a great place for a church or an investor who wants a great ROI.
Offer price: $525,000 – $575,000
For a private showing, please call (714) 904-7877.
Filed under: Churches, Property Updates | Leave a Comment »
Here is a great article by the KCM Blog about renting v. buying. You can link directly to the article here: http://www.kcmblog.com/2012/01/10/9947/
by The KCM Crew on January 10, 2012
There is too much misinformation being spread about today’s real estate market. Studies are being misinterpreted. Prominent names are being used to foster a point even if their quote is from years ago.
As an example, we want to look at a story published last week by The Fiscal Times titled The New American Dream: Rent, Don’t Buy. In the article, they claim:
“Call it the Big Selloff—America is headed toward a future in which fewer people own the spaces they call home… Those trends are just the beginning.”
We are not arguing that the homeownership rate is under downward pressure in this country. We are disputing some of the ‘evidence’ used in the article. Here are three points we want to refute:
The article quotes a Morgan Stanley study from July 2011 which did make the argument that the homeownership rate was trending downward. Many others made the same point at that time. What the article failed to mention is that the homeownership rate unexpectedly increased in the third quarter of 2011! As DSNews reported in early November:
“After falling to a 13-year low during the second quarter, the homeownership rate posted a highly unexpected rise in the third quarter, according to a Census Bureau report.”
The jury is still out as to whether the homeownership rate will continue to fall or whether it has already bottomed out.
In the article mentioned above, they claim that the team that founded the prestigious Case-Shiller Pricing Index believes that buying makes little sense. The article explains that back in 2006 Robert Shiller presented a study based on data collected prior to 2005 showing that, over time, it made more sense to rent than buy. They use this information to conclude:
“Another skeptic is Yale economist Robert Shiller, co-creator of the Case-Shiller Home Price Index.”
They claim Shiller is a skeptic today based on what he said six years ago!
The major challenge we have with this is that Karl Case, the other founder of the Case Shiller Index, came out ten days ago saying that now is the time to buy. The New York Times in a story published on 12/30/2011 quotes Professor Case as saying:
“If you’re buying a house or apartment to live in and pay for over time, and can afford the payments, then it’s a terrific time to buy.”
The Fiscal Times article went on to say:
“And in a paper this June in the journal Real Estate Economics, two researchers calculated that over the past 30 years, most often it would have been better to rent than buy.”
They were referring to the great study done by Beracha and Johnson titled Lessons from Over 30 Years of Buy versus Rent Decisions: Is the American Dream Always Wise? We are very familiar with this study as we posted on it back in May of last year. The paper does explain that over the last thirty years the financial benefits of buying vs. renting could be debated.
However, the conclusion of the paper left no room for argument. According to professors Beracha and Johnson, NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY!
“(F)undamental drivers now appear to be in place that favor homeownership over renting in the near term future…
“[This] might seem unwise to many given the recent crash in the real estate markets around the country. However, rent-to-price ratios now seem to be in place along with other fundamental drivers that favor ownership over renting.”
They conclude their research paper with this sentence:
“Conditions (historically low mortgage rates and relatively low rent-to-price ratios) now seem in place to favor future purchases.”
Dr. Johnson, Ph.D. — Florida International University (FIU) and Editor of the Journal of Housing Research, is now a guest blogger on this site and in November shared with us his current presentation on this issue. To download the presentation, go to http://realestate.fiu.edu/buyer-or-renter-nation.html.
We attempt to keep our readers current on this very rapidly evolving housing market with this blog, our tweets, our facebook posts and our subscription service. The letters K-C-M preface each offering. They actually stand for ‘keeping current matters’. We believe that helping our followers stay on top of the latest information available will help correct the housing market.
Filed under: Buying, First Time Buyers, Market conditions | Leave a Comment »
I just received this letter from a past client. It’s a great reminder to me of why I do what I do!
“Dear Aaron,
We are writing this letter to express our deep gratitude for representing us in the sale of our home. You made the complex process of a short sale seem extremely uncomplicated. We appreciated your attention to detail and your enthusiasm to help us.
We have dealt with other realtors in the past however; they were no comparison in service and commitment. We also respect your knowledge of the real estate market and new technology to help in the process. You were extremely responsive and available which says volumes about the type of work ethic you possess.
Again, we are nothing but pleased with your performance and would most definitely recommend you to everyone.
Sincerely,
Mr. and Mrs. Youngblood”
Thank you for the letter! It was a pleasure working for you and I enjoyed helping your family every step of the way. May God bless you in your new home.
Filed under: Client Testimonial | Leave a Comment »
Filed under: Market conditions | Leave a Comment »
I got this from my accountant. I can forward you his contact information if you have any questions. I do not give tax advice. 
For estates of individuals who died in 2010, executors have until January 17, 2012, to elect not to have estate tax apply and to have the beneficiary’s basis in property received from these 2010 decedents determined under the modified carryover basis rules in Sec. 1022. Effectively the beneficiary’s basis in property received will be the lower of:
1. The fair market value on the date of the decedent’s death; or
2. The adjusted basis of the property immediately before the death of the decedent, plus certain additions
Each estate will receive potential basis additions, including:
1. $1.3 million basis step-up;
2. $3 million addition to the surviving spouse
This election is made by filing Form 8939, Allocation of Increase in Basis of Property Acquired from a Decedent.
The estate and gift tax lifetime exclusion increases from $5 million to $5.12 million for 2012.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Mike Agresti, CPA
Tax Manager
Lesley, Thomas, Schwarz & Postma, Inc.
Filed under: Legal Matters, Taxes | Leave a Comment »
Filed under: Homes For Sale, Luxury Homes | Leave a Comment »
The sun has risen and the shadows are fading.
The so-called shadow inventories of foreclosed homes have all but disappeared here in Southern California.
As you can see from this map, the worst is behind us here in Orange County. New England, however, is a different story. Fortunately for us, we have better days ahead. This chart shows that OC will have 24-36 more months where we see distressed properties on the market. For most of the eastern part of the United States, they still have 72+ months of inventory to clear.
If you are planning to sell a home, condo, or apartment building, please contact the Zapata Group today at (800) 573-1520.
Zapata Group specialties include:
Home Sellers:
Home Buyers:
Investors:
Corporate Services:
For more information about how we market homes visit www.aaronzapata.com/sellers
For more information about our team visit www.aaronzapata.com/aboutaaron
You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AtoZRealEstate
Filed under: Bank Repos - REO, Buying, Market conditions, Selling, Short Sale | Leave a Comment »
According to this article by Voice of OC (www.voiceofoc.org), a non-profit investigative news agency for Orange County, Mayor Mark Schwing violated a man’s First Amendment Rights when he required that the man identify himself during the public comments portion of the City Council meeting this week. The man, who identified himself as Louis Smith, did not want to give a name, but was required to by the Mayor, before he could proceed.
The man was giving his opinion about the City’s decision regarding their contract with the Brea Police Department.
What do you think about this?
Article Link: http://voiceofoc.org/oc_north/article_1f43e70c-2db7-11e1-ab76-0019bb2963f4.html
Filed under: Legal Matters, Local News | Tagged: City Council, Free Speech, Mark Schwing, Police, Yorba Linda | Leave a Comment »
I need your yelp!
If you have used my services or have recommended me in the past, I could use your Yelp recommendation.
Yelp.com is a great source for generating new referrals and an integral part of my business as I continue to help people with their real estate needs.
Please visit http://www.yelp.com/biz/aaron-zapata-brea and write a review today!
Thank you for your help! May God Bless you in 2012!
Filed under: Real Estate Marketing | 1 Comment »
