Posted by Maura on October 13th, 2009 — Posted in real estate
A strong Pacific storm rolled into the area last night dropping alot of rain and blowing wind to the Tahoe region. My son and I were looking for something fun and interesting to do besides watching videos all day and drinking cocoa like we were tempted to do. I remembered a friend telling me that this was the week that the Kokanee Salmon come back to Taylor Creek located at the U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center at Taylor Creek, 3 miles north of the City of South Lake Tahoe on California Highway 89.
Although it was raining sideways and was maybe 45 degrees out, it was a beautiful setting that I have never visited in my 15 years of living in the area. Beautiful neon pink/red streaks splashed and jumped out of the creek, some desperately trying to swim up stream to spawn before the died.
We strolled the Rainbow Trail to the creek, eerily expecting to run into a bear. There are signs posted all over to be “Bear Aware” as they too come out to watch (and eat) the salmon. I guess today was too chilly for the Black Bears to come out, as we did not spot any.
At the end of the trail is a Stream Profile Chamber, where you can gain an underwater perspective of the salmon swimming alongside Rainbow Trout in a deep pond. Both fish are so beautiful, particularly the Kokanee with their bright pink color they take on when returning the the stream. The Rainbow Trout had very subtle reds and blues near their fin with beautiful spots on their olivey-brown body.
Despite the weather, this was a beautiful and mellow flat hike, perfect for doing with kids. Hurry though, the Kokanee probably won’t be there much longer.
Happy Tuesday!
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Posted by Maura on October 6th, 2009 — Posted in real estate
Lets face it, folks. Short sales are here to stay for a while longer. As a Realtor, I am struggling to try and understand this process. And yet the more I learn, the more I want to stay away from them. If you are anybody in this arduous process, be it broker, buyer or seller, be ready to use patience and diligence, and be ready to be thoroughly confused.
Perhaps you have already purchased or successfully closed a short sale. Congratulations. You are now a short sale expert, right?
I was at my weekly office meeting yesterday, and my colleagues were discussing current sales that they are working on, and situations that they have encountered recently. All of the confusion that we vented at our broker was concerning short sales. I felt as though I was an intern at a staff meeting for a company that I just got hired at. I barely could follow what everyone was talking about!
“Is there a negotiator assigned yet?” “Is their second and third forgiven?” “Is the seller aware he has a second?…did you change the status to short sale or does the seller not know his property is short-sale status? Can it be a short sale if the seller hasn’t filled out the package?” “Who is the lender? Ooohhhh, not them. They won’t call you back for months.”
AGHH! Last I checked, I did not have my J.D. but feel as though I am pushed into a changing tide of real estate where we as Realtors are put into a very precarious position of having to counsel our clients on their financial choices and repercussions concerning their loan, their house, and the sale of their house. I don’t know about you, but I feel way in over my head.
Not to mention the success (or failure) rate of short sales that actually close. I opened my local paper yesterday where I found 13 homes in my area about to go to auction in the next two weeks. Many of them are currently for sale as short sales, and many of those short sales are “active -contingent status” meaning the seller has accepted an offer but buyer and seller are waiting on the bank to agree to the offer. They better work it out quickly, because it is foreclosing in a matter of days.
Which brings me to my point…why bother with short sales? I know they are here, and there is potential for good deals, but at what cost? Realtors are now advertising homes as “Not a Short Sale! Easy to close and ready to go!” understanding that buyers today are sick of dealing with the hassle and lack of response that goes with short sales. While waiting for a response from the bank, interest rates could rise making their offer unaffordable and thus not valid.
Is it easier to just wait for the property to foreclose?
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