My First House

My husband and I are personally responsible for housing booms all over So. California. Every time we would move somewhere the housing prices would boom. So we finally make our way to the Victor Valley 17 years ago and we found our home. We lived in a few different houses since we've been here, but truly the Victor Valley is home and where we have raised our kids and have become part of the community.



We first moved up here because our daughter had allergies and was miserable in the LA basin. We came up over the hill and she cleared up and we knew then that this is where we were moving.



So we look around and we talk to lots of the new housing tracks and they all were $10,000 more than we felt like we could go for a house. So we started looking at the resale market.

We had the following ideas about where we wanted to live......

Near the freeway, my husband was commuting at the time.

The house needed to be light blue to match our picnic table,

and it needed a long hall for the family pictures.



We were out and about driving around and we ran into an open house one afternoon, it might have been because of an ad in the paper and we drive up to the house,

that is right off the freeway,

blue and white,

check and double check.

We go inside and meet the agent and do the tour of the house,

long hall way.

Check, check, check.



It was OUR house and we both knew it, I was jumping up and down in the hall way, hopefully out of sight of the agent saying, "I want it, I want it, I want it."

So we made our offer and the agent helped us get a loan.

They accepted it and we were on our way.



This all happened in Nov of 1991. My husband got his Christmas bonus in Dec, that was our down payment and New Year's Eve we moved in to our new home. We'll we didn't move in that day, but we slept in the house for the first time that night. We also made our first call to poison control. We were painting, the house was all closed up because it was winter. We had our 14 month old with us sleeping on the floor. Well to many paint fumes and not enough fresh air.
It really scared us more than did anything to her except to have her cough for a few minutes.
It's funny now but it wasn't then.



So we got our first house and had our second child there and made great friends with the neighbors. We still drive by it know and again. But I'd rather remember it the way it was rather than look at what the new people that live there now have done. It was a great first house and it left us with great memories.

How they got their first home

Hey blog fans,
I though you might enjoy stories of people buying their first or second homes. Here is our first story from Steve Hackney of Learning RX.................enjoy.



I had been driving and looking. We like older houses with "Character". I found one that looked interesting and called the agent we had been talking to. He did everything but refuse to show it. He told me I wouldn't like it, it was too old, too many repairs, etc.

The agent and his agent wife drove up, (in matching Mercedes), and opened up for us. We walked into a house with multiple broken windows, holes from the roof all the way through the ceiling, backed up plumbing, trash from transient occupants, (squatters), nasty carpet, holes in the walls, multiple unorthodox room arrangements and construction projects.

I walked through the house, turned to the agent and said, "My wife will love it!" He thought I was nuts, and continued to try to talk me out of it.

I called my wife. She drove over, walked in, looked around, and said, "It's us!" The agent and his agent wife were now convinced that we were nuts, but we bought the house anyway. We have lived there for just over 15 years, and it is almost done.

Steve Hackney
Director, LearningRx Victor Valley
16192 Siskiyou #1
Apple Valley, CA 92307
Office: 760-242-9893
Direct: 760-403-4084
s.hackney@learningrx.net

New Year's greetings

Hurray! Claudia in Victorville won the dinner for 2 to Mimi's. YUM!

She told me that she was going to be the winner.



Happy New Year to all the rest of you that gave it a shot.



Happy Home buying and have a GREAT 08!



Karen

This is IT!!!!!!!!!

Hello Blog Fans!

The first on to e-mail me @

KarenSoldIt@yahoo.com and tells me thanks for dinner, wins a dinner for 2 at Mimi's.

I need your address to mail it to so please include that in your e-mail also.

If you didn't get a calender and would like one, you could also let me know that.
I have a few left.

Merry, merry Christmas. My wish for you is a meaningful holiday season, full of love and loved ones.

Karen
Hamilton Landon GMAC

Interest Rates and Holding Title

Greetings blogger fans and a most heartfelt wish that are enjoying this holiday season and looking forward to a great 08.


My Realtor e-newspapers this AM were stuffed full of great articles. I wanted to share a couple links with you.

If you are waiting for interest rates to drop before buying you may want to check this out.
http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20071210_farmrates.htm

Great now you've done it, you've signed your name countless times, read everyword of those 35 plus pages we've given you to sign to make an offer.

You've got the paper back with the acceptance line signed. Yahoo! You are heading to escrow. Then never mind the mountain of paper work you've generated for your lender. Now comes a stack of paper work from the title company. You may be filling them out, thinking like I did, I know I'm me, what's the big deal. But that's another blog. But in there is the how do you want to hold title question.

This is a link to an informative article about how to hold title.
Of course, it's a decision that has tax and estate issues attached to it so you need to make that decision with wise council. Talk to your tax and legal professional.
http://www.homepages.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=3a04ab3a-0b7f-4c2c-a3a7-bfcf4f7a469a

Would you like to share a thought with me?
KarenSOLDit@yahoo.com

Until we blog again,
Karen

Karen's Koupons

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/cheyenne_3923___article.html/program_morrison.html

If you are interested in going to Learning RX, mention my name, Karen, to Mr. Hackney and he'll give you a discount on the testing.

When is the market going to turn?

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/how-spot-signs-housing-crisis/story.aspx?guid=%7BCA70400A%2DE313%2D47A1%2DB82F%2D4A61C3CF5968%

This is an interesting article about the key factors to watch for in the housing market.

Seasonal Fun

Life is too short to think about Real Estate all the time.

Take a break and enjoy.

www.ElfYourself.com

Karen
karensoldit@yahoo.com

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1114038324 Here is mine in case you wonder what I do in my spare time.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

It's traditionally a time to be with family and reflect, eat to much and be thankful.

It's traditionally NOT a time to buy real estate. Well I say not all traditions are equal and some should be abolished. I can tell you that our phones are ringing off the hook.

Someone is out there buying real estate. It could be you.

Or you could make your landlord happy and make that house payment for him or her.
You can really make your landlord thankful, sign another year lease.

If you buy now, you will be liking your tax appointment, (OH NO! Not the tax word, yes it's not to early to be thinking about that.)

So what ever your situation, renting or owning, I hope you have along list of things to be thankful for.

Happy Home Buying,

Karen
Hamilton Landon GMAC

VA Loans/from my favorite lender

New-and-Improved VA Mortgages Look Better in a Difficult Market Loss -- Washington Post
By Elizabeth RazziNovember 11, 2007
Veterans Day presents an opportunity to take a look at an important benefit available to military veterans and active-duty personnel, the zero-down payment VA mortgage.
Thanks to some needed modernization to the Department of Veterans Affairs program, combined with buyers' growing leverage in the real estate market, VA mortgages have become much more useful than they were only a few years ago. They're even relevant in an expensive housing market like the Washington area.
Considering what some real estate agents have told me recently, though, that news hasn't reached everyone. Some agents remember the VA program of old, which was shunned by home sellers -- and even some eligible buyers -- because it involved red tape, delays, extra expenses for the seller and a low cap on the amount of money a veteran could borrow.
David Billups, an associate broker with Long & Foster's Lorton office, said sellers are much more willing to accommodate extra expenses associated with a buyer using a VA mortgage. "The market is getting more difficult, so sellers are happy to get a bona fide offer on the property," Billups said.
"It is a tool that is probably going to be used more now that some of the no-money down mortgages have dried up," he said.
VA mortgages were practically mothballed during the real estate boom. Many buyers who qualified for the VA guarantee instead found it easier to take a subprime loan that required no down payment and little documentation of income or assets. Lenders were offering easy terms such as interest-only payments, which are not available through the VA program.
Craig Pierson Home Mortgage Consultant Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Victor Valley Branch
(866) 843-3899 x139 Office (866) 437- 6722 eFax

I'll be home for Christmas

I was at the mall today and Christmas was busting out all over.
I know it's Veteran's' Day. So it's a little weird to be hearing , "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." But when it came to, "I'll be home for Christmas," You could be singing that song this year, but we need to get cracking now and find you your dream home now.

So prices are down, but my gosh, they may drop more. Are you willing to take the chance that interest rates will stay low and prices will continue to drop? Chances are that if prices drop much lower then the interest rates will rise. Also, have you figured the cost of not buying?

Back to the sentiment of the day, Happy Veteran's Day. Thanks to all the brave men and women that have served. Thanks also to the special men and women that are currently serving, especially, Brian, Phillip, and the Walton boys.

What is DAP?

Hi again it's Karen, your neighborhood Realtor,

A DAP is a down payment assistance program for income eligible people or families.

If you know of someone that might me interest in a DAP, let me know. I have several sources.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Neighbors

My first neighborhood newsletter went out and I wanted to welcome the neighbors to the blog. Please remember to let me know if you do something special, like sell Avon, or you are going to have a special holiday display.

Thanks for viewing.

Karen
Your neighborhood Realtor
KarenSOLDit@yahoo.com

FALL BACK

Tis that most wonderful time of year. The leaves they are a changing and best of all we get to set our clocks back. So enjoy that extra hours of sleep this weekend.
It gives you more time to think about your dream house.

Happy House Buying,

Karen

www.VictorValleyDreamHomes.com
karensoldit@yahoo.com

The first koupon is ready!

Hi all,

My first Karen's Koupon is ready for you, just in time for all your fall flower needs.

It's $5.00 off an order of $25.00 or more.

It's good until Thanksgiving o7.

http://www.acflorist.com/ to view the web site , you have to go in or call to get the discount.
760-948-1718, the shop is on Main Street in Hesperia, North side of street, between 3rd and 5th. The military supply store is next door.

Thanks for checking out the blog and check back often, the dinner for 2 contest will be coming soon.

Happy Home Buying........
Karen

PS I'll be hosting an open house at my listing on Quinnualt on Halloween evening. So come on by, not tricks just treats.

Why wait?

Hi Home Buyers,

So you've been reading the paper and watching the news and it looks ugly out there. It seems as though the sky is falling.

Is that the reality of the situation? I think not. We have an affordability index of 45%. So 45 % of our neighbors can afford to buy a home.

Our local communities have first time buyer programs It's a great time to be a first time buyer.
Home prices are down, so you have more choices of homes that will fit into the guidelines. So if you are paying the average amount of rent that a house rents for, you could be in your own home.

Oh my............what if I buy and the price of my house goes down?
Well, what do you have to gain in paying rent?
Are you getting a tax write off for making someone else's payment?
Do you have the satisfaction of home ownership when you send your rent check in?
Are you building lasting memories in a place you will moving out of next month?


OK, the price of your house goes down........ Are you planning on selling the house this next month? The price of the house only matters if someone is going to buy it. If you are planning on spending the next year or decade in your home it really doesn't matter till you sell if prices are going up or down.

Buying a home can be an investment, but the reality of it is, it is a place to live, have the holidays, entertain your family and friends, a place to live, love and laugh.

Happy Home BUYING,

Karen
Hamilton Landon GMAC
Apple Valley CA