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Orangewood Foundation June Event
Orangewood Children’s Foundation was founded in 1981 and has embodied what it means to be Children’s Advocate.
We at Seven Gables are lucky to have found our way to them! We look forward to our monthly visits to the Foundation on 17th Street in Santa Ana.
A flurry of activity always ensues just a few days beforehand. Agents asking what they can contribute and if they can show up and help cook for the group of kids!
Junes festivities were no different! The theme was “Emergency Preparedness Kits”.
Along with many staples, several people donated clothing items, as well as necessities in case of an emergency.
The food as always was great! Seven Gables provided the mile long sandwiches and there was no shortage of sweets, salads and fruit to go around!
We thank everyone who participated to make it such a great success!
July’s theme is “Back to School Supplies” . Want to donate? Pick up some school supplies and drop them off at any one of our offices.
Summer Success!
Pam always ready at the helm!Taking a pic of me taking his pic!
Filling this full of goodies for the kids!They always have to hold me back from eating the sweets!
They always have to hold me back from eating the sweets!
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Orangewood Children’s Home June Extravaganza…Emergency Preparedness Kits
If you have been following along, you know that every month we at Seven Gables work with Orangewood Children’s Home. Each month has its own theme and this month the theme is EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS…
Seven Gables will be contributing Submarine Sandwiches as well as supplies generously donated by our Community Minded Agents.
If you want to contribute a food item, we could always use side salads, fresh fruit, brownies and chips. We’d love to have them!
For the emergency kits, we are looking for the following items:
Bottled water,
Band-Aids
Ice packs
Medical adhesive tape
Cotton balls
Hydrogen Peroxide
Ointments
Masks
Flashlights
Batteries
Glow sticks
Gloves
Blankets
Back packs
Freeze dried food
Radios
Hand sanitizer
Maps
Garbage bags
Soap
Matches etc…
You can deliver your contribution on June 30th by 9 a.m. or sooner to any one of our three offices located at:
12651 Newport, Tustin CA 92780
5481 Santa Ana Canyon Road
Anaheim Hills, CA 9280818210 Yorba Linda Boulevard Yorba Linda, CA 92886
Your generosity and contribution are truly appreciated!
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Wanted…a Real Estate Agent to help navigate the Real Estate waters…
Real Estate…it’s not as easy as some people would like to believe it is. Sure, you will always have your Do-It-Yourself types, and for a weekend project that isn’t too complicated, it’s a great way to save some money though I’m going to suggest that there are some things you should never attempt to do yourself. Brain surgery comes to mind, as does filling a cavity or doing a root canal, and even reroofing your home or replacing all of the electrical wiring.
When you’re a buyer looking to purchase your home, there’s something you should know about the buying process. One thing is that you need to hire a local Realtor with a good reputation that will help you navigate the murky waters of purchasing your home.
A good Realtor will have a vast list of contractor’s, lenders and home inspector’s that will make your life easier: a team of professionals that he or she is happy to recommend over and over again.
A buyers agent will sit down with you and have a “Buyer’s Consultation” and help you determine what your time frame is, if a short sale is a good investment for you, explain the contract to you so that you know and understand what you are signing, give you time frames for inspections, loan contingency removals, your final walk through, etc.
A professional Buyer’s Agent will have you sit with a reputable lender to discuss how much house you can comfortably afford. This seems to be the scariest part of the transaction for some. You have to have your credit “pulled” and find out what your FICO score is. This will determine what your loan rate will be, which will in turn determine how much home you can purchase.
The lower your credit score, the higher the rate, the lower the price of the home you will be able to buy. Make sense so far?
Next comes the fun part: getting in the car and actually looking at homes that fit your needs! This can take some time so be sure that you are clear with what you need and want. It will make it a little easier at the end of the day when what you want, matches what you need.
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You’ve got the Power…
One of the things I love about being a Realtor is the freedom that I have to do research. I can block times out of my day to research trends, neighborhoods, loan information, and social media, anything and everything that is relevant to my Industry.
Today I wanted to post a blog about what it is like for you as a buyer. I had thoughts and ideas that I wanted to put on paper, but nothing was coming…so I took a drive…headed towards the beach and found a place called Inspiration Point. I couldn’t tell you what beach it is specifically, other than I think it’s in Newport.
As I pulled out my laptop, everything that I wanted to say came rushing at me…like the waves that I hear in the background. I hope you are inspired by my thoughts!
There was a time when you as consumers were limited as to what information you could gather with regards to real estate.
As a buyer you had to rely on the information a Real Estate agent gave you. You would have to drive around different neighborhoods to look at Open Houses. Sometimes you would stop in, other times you wouldn’t. More often than not, the times that you did go in you discovered that the house didn’t suit your needs. And so you packed up your family and started again.
It hasn’t been that long ago that Real Estate Agent’s didn’t cooperate with one another with regards to a listing. That is how the Open House came to be.
The Open House was created to lure BUYERS and potential sellers in, gather the information that they needed to look for a home to suit the buyers needs, run to the office, tear off a page from the “Holy Book Of Realtors” (yes, all listing information was kept in a book and changed as needed…) then set the appointment to show you properties.
Eventually came newspaper advertising, and being ever resourceful, Realtors everywhere would advertise their listing’s in print…
this also opened up a multitude of “Homes for Sale” magazines, some which are still in effect today, though the information is most of the times expired. Homes sell, listings are cancelled etc.
Nowadays, we have the internet…
Really it’s only been around for us regular folks for about 15 years.
With the internet came a whole new way to advertise…which meant power to the people!
You could log on to the net, type in a zip code and find a myriad of homes for sale, or Open Houses. They are chock full of information, pictures, square footage, price and days on market! That makes it so much easier for you, the consumer to gather your own information before making the dreaded “call”. You know the one…where you call the listing office asking to see the home afraid that if you show up for the appointment, you will be forced to buy THAT house, or worse…get put on an email campaign!
I know this is true because I have spoken to many buyers in my career and they all say the same thing!
I love the fact that you as the consumer are empowered to create your own searches…I love the fact that there is so much information out there and that because of this, we agents have had to step up to the plate and be transparent in our business.
When you log on, you have the power to create a search that will tell you pretty much everything you need to know about the Realtor that is going to represent you. You can Google their name and see what comes up. Charities they have worked with, blogs, photos…everything is online for you to decide if this is a person you want to work with.
This is the ULTIMATE power for you. I’m curious, did you KNOW that? If you didn’t, doesn’t knowing this now empower you? Please post a comment…I would really like to know!
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Cafe Rio Mexican Grill now open in Tustin!
Last Friday was the Grand Opening of Cafe Rio Mexican Grill in Tustin.
Cafe Rio now open in Tustin
Why am I so excited about this? Read the reviews for yourself!
I was unable to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony, but was lucky to have one of our own, Aakash “Kash” Master, Seven Gables Agent and Chamber of Commerce member attend! I threw my camera at him as he was walking out the door and asked him to take lots of pictures and give me feedback about the food and the mood of the place. Thankfully he did!
I asked Kash what the atmosphere was like there and the word he used to describe it was “FESTIVE”.
I had to see for myself!
Proud Tustin "Ambassadors"
Take a look at their tasty and extensive menu:
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!
This could serve as my breakfast, lunch AND dinner!
I stopped in later that evening and there was a line out the door, which is as it should be! People were smiling and it seemed as if everyone was really enjoying not just the ambiance, but the delicious food and each other’s company!
Kash had mentioned that Cafe Rio will be donating a certain percentage of it’s proceeds to local schools and there would be a Student and Teacher of the month voted for at every school! I will stop in again and confirm or deny (or elaborate on this further) when they are not so busy….hmmm…that may not happen any time soon so now sounds like a good time for me to go there, taste their food, and if I’m lucky, slip in an actual interview!
Community Conscious
Did you attend? What did you think? Would you go back and most importantly, would you tell a friend?
I’d love to know!
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Orangewood Children’s Home May Event
Once again, we are thankful to everyone that helped make this month’s event such a hit!
We know that times are tough, and want you to know that your contribution of goods, food, and time are priceless to us! We appreciate all of your help and look forward to continuing to help this amazing organization!
Wednesday morning several of us stopped in at the Tustin office to pick up last minute drop off’s of clothing for interviews and food. Three car loads later we were off to Orangewood!
We were overwhelmed by how much was given by our agents and our community!
We were excited when we mentioned this month’s theme was BBQ and looked forward to seeing how we were going to be surprised this month!
Look for yourselves!
So thankful for all the donations!
If this doesn't make your mouth water, I don't know what will
Kash brought some delicious Mac and Cheese...don't tell him I stole some!
Just to offset all of the home made goodies
Thank you for helping these kids have clothes to wear to job interviews
A dedicated team of Community Builders who couldn’t do it without you!
THANKS! -
Customer Service
Today I had the pleasure of witnessing something that I don’t have the chance to see often. I was at my sister in law’s house and we were watching the Godfather. During one of the commercial breaks (yes it was standard t.v.) there was an ad for a “Bark-No-More” type of product.
They have two small dogs, who bark at the wind, so we both looked at each other and started laughing…why not!?
She dials the number on the screen…..and then…..
Upsale…upsale…upsale….fully automated…upsale….upsale…upsale! The call took 16 MINUTES!!!I applauded her for being patient and laughed when I said I’d be off the phone and on the internet looking to order online instead after the first 3 minutes and still no real person!
It just reminded me that we are in the people business and people like, appreciate and deserve top quality service…
Think of that the next time your phone rings and you don’t want to answer it…. -
And now I’m going to stir the Real Estate Pot…
I just read an article from Freddie Mac where they speak of the social cost of strategic foreclosures .
Here they speak of people that still have good FICO scores purposely walking away from their homes because property values have gone down and how having vacant, foreclosed homes affects entire neighborhoods. They also say that too many people walking away from their homes now COULD mean even tighter lending requirements in the future, making it nearly impossible for the next wave of homebuyers to qualify.
Let me tell you how I really feel!
First, I DO NOT think it is a good idea to walk away from your home. For some this has been their only option. Loss of job, cut hours, sickness, etc. That being said, I have met a multitude of people that have contacted their banks to work on loan modifications, only to be run around by what seems to be inept phone answerers who only follow scripts and have no authority what-so-ever to make these kinds of decisions. And if they have a situation that cannot be answered by said script, they are told there is no help for them.
I have also had multiple conversations with several people who need to take it to the next level and go through a short sale. Once again…phones answered by people who follow a script and have no authority to make a decision, eventually some of these same people that had fallen on hard times and have tried to go through the right process are forced into foreclosure. I’ve had conversations with these people after having gone through the process and they are devastated. They have LOST THEIR HOME…they now have ruined credit and when they sit back and try to make sense of it all, they all ask “WHY didn’t the bank help me? I wasn’t asking for a free ride…I was asking for help.”
So back to Freddie Mac laying the guilt trip (and now asking for more money)…how about we look at the beginning…when lenders were making money hand over fist…loaning money to people that were OBVIOUSLY not ready or qualifed to buy a home. Where where they when they were coming up with STATED INCOME/STATED ASSET loans? Why do they deem it proper now when so many people and communities have been affected, to throw out the moral card? On top of this, THEY get to profit with insider trader information…
Do me a favor…get real! Are you really concerned about communities and property values? Then how about you contact these people that have been affected and work out a real solution. Arrange for payments much like rent, that can be applied in the same way as lease with an option to buy. Homes aren’t left vacant, property values continue to work themselves out, and then later a reassessment. Sure, I get all the financial issues involved. I understand Wall street and how it works. Maybe this conversation isn’t suited for those sitting on Wall Street…this may be a conversation for the regular person…working a 9-5 job, working to feed their family.
Am I living in a fantasy world? I don’t think so. I see it as a win-win. Homes are lived in and cared for. Property values are given the opportunity to adjust, banks still get paid and the homeowner is still that…a homeowner. It’s not a hand out…it’s real help given to real people. How about putting THAT in your moral pipe and smoking it? Just sayin’
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People Continue to Donate to Haiti…
Do you remember what you were doing when Haiti happened?
Just to refresh your memory, on January 12, 2010 Haiti was struck by a horrible, magnitude 7.0 earthquake. We all pulled together, some using Twitter to relay messages, offer help and support.
Remember the wonderful Telethon…worldwide…that George Clooney and others in the entertainment industry created? They came together to raise funds and awareness. What a great and inspiring event in our worlds history!
Time has moved on, and unfortunately, we’ve had many other catastrophes that have pulled our attention away from Haiti.
Fortunately there are those who remember and continue to move forward, looking to raise awareness and contribute…
Supplies are still being sent to Haiti and I recently heard a wonderful story about a local mom who wanted to help. Want to meet her?
Her name is Sharlin Craig. She is a Mom, active member in her community and writes and records her own music. She is also a patient music teacher. Her daughter Anna attends Spurgeon Pre-School, a part of Spurgeon United Methodist Church. I had the pleasure of interviewing her today. I asked her what prompted her to get involved.
Me: What prompted you to get involved?
Sharlin: I felt horrible and asked the school if they were going to do anything to help, possibly send supply kits (they were going to send 60). I decided that I needed to help and I asked permission to record a CD with the kids talking, singing songs and see what results we would get, sell them and then donate the proceeds to the Red Cross. The conversations are all set with classical music in the background.
Me: What kind of research did you do to know what kind of questions to ask and how to go about putting it all together.
Sharlin: I was inspired by Bill Cosby and Art Linkletter and started watching their shows to get ideas of what kinds of questions to ask the kids.
She rallied her friends for help and support. Her friend Emily Frye created the CD layout (which wasn’t easy being a 4 page jacket). She looked to see the colors of Haiti were and chose the color of the flag.
Her friend Gina Chiaramonte did the photograph’s.
Michael Maughan did the CD mastering, Sharlin worked on the production, engineering and music and Groove House records helped with the manufacturing and packaging it.
I asked her what her goal was.
Sharlin: We created 300 CD’s and I would like to get them all sold before the end of the school year (June 10th) and then donate all the proceeds to the Red Cross for relief for Haiti. I would for all of the children to know what it’s like to make a difference.
Here are her own words:
A benefit CD for the Haiti earthquake survivors was just recorded by Spurgeon preschool children in Orange County and is now available for purchase at CDBaby . The CD is filled with silly, profound, touching, unpredictable comments and songs by the children accompanied by beautiful classical music. Kids of all ages are responding to this CD. They love hearing the children’s’ voices. It’s also a great gift for expectant moms, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and basically for anyone who loves children. You will find yourself laughing and crying at its sweetness. Even though the voices on the CD are of the children at Spurgeon, they could be the innocent, sweet voice of any child.
We were inspired to find a way to help the Haitian people. We decided that recording and selling a CD would be a wonderful way for the children, at a very young age, to learn about the importance of helping others and allow them to take an active part in the process.
All proceeds of the purchase of this CD will be donated to the Haitian earthquake survivors. We will donate all proceeds to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Many thanks to CDBaby and Groove House Records for donating a portion of their proceeds to this cause.
What a great and inspiring story! Please help Sharlin and the children of Spurgeon Pre-school help those in Haiti. Order here.
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Looking to Donate to a Charity but don’t know how?
Donating to a charity, whether it be your time or your money is not always as easy as one would think. In todays day and age, we may have the tendency to be a cynic, and rightly so. There are so many scams out there that take advantage of giving souls.
So where does one begin?
First, you need to begin where your passions are. What things intrigue and motivate you? What would you contribute your money to and more than that, your time.
Once you have discovered your passion, you can ask your friends and family if they know of a charity that resembles who you are and what you want to donate to. If you don’t have this as a resource, you will want to start your search online.
Google it! Type in what kind of charity you are looking to contribute to in your home town, become a slueth, and check them out online.
A great place to start is Network Solutions.
What this does is give you insight into who the person is that created the account, when it was created and how to contact them. Be sure to do your due diligence. Check for an offline contact source as well as online (phone, fax and snail mail address) Here is an example of what this looks like on my this site.
Or, if this sounds like just too much work, you can always go to Consumer Reports. There is a bevy of information on different charities who have already had the once-over!
No matter which route you choose to take, our world is a better place, thanks to people just like you!
(As a side note, we contribute to charities like “Make-A-Wish Foundation” “Orangewood Children’s Home” “Habitat for Humanity” just to name a few. Feel free to check them out yourselves!)
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