We're basically on hold until Tuesday, when the FOMC(Federal Open Market Committee) meets to discuss our future interest rate policy.  Rumors have gone from 1/4 to 1/2 point decrease in the Federal Funds Rate.  The question is whether this will be of any real value to the market.  A 1/4 point decrease seems to be factored in.Items of note:Report in the Financial Times on Wednesday that the Fed is considering a "special purpose funding facility" otherwise called a bailout, since adding liquidity through the normal channels has done little to reduce the 30-180 day libor rates. (Of interest since many mortgages that are due to adjust soon are tied to the libor rate).  It also said that possibly the Bank of England along with the ECB(European Central Bank) would set up these programs to a... 09/14/2007

If you love Italian food and are ever looking for a great Italian Deli then the Monte Carlo is a must.This great location has been in Burbank for over 40 years and has an incredible Market & Deli.  The Deli offers a huge selection of Italian Specialties like Focaccia, Homemade Italian Sausage, Fresh Daily Veal Cutlets and Ground Beef, Italian Cookies, Pastries and Cannolis.  In addition the Market and Deli has a Imported Grocery section features dozens of Olive Oils, a giant selection of Pastas, San Marzano Tomatoes, Italian Coffees, Balsamic Vinegars, Risotto, Olive Spreads and many hard to find imported items including a large selection of Imported Wines.While there be sure to enjoy some of their 24 Flavors of Gelato and Sorbet for those hot summer nights.The location also features a ... 09/09/2007

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Monday 10Consumer Credit This report represents the overall value of outstanding consumer credit debt.  Very simply put, if demand exceeds supply, interest rates rise.    3 & 6 Month Bill Auction Tuesday 11 ICSC-USB Store Sales  Tracks comparable weekly sales from major retail chains and represents 10% of total retail sales.  Is considered to be one of the most timely indicators of consumer spending. Red... 09/08/2007

Please click on the following link to view all of our Open Homes for the weekend of September 8, 2007.Windermere Burbank Open HomesThere are some great homes being held open and we would love to see you there.If you have questions or would like to schedule a showing of any of these fine homes please do not hesitate to let me know.We look forward to seeing you there. 09/07/2007

 The Pending Home Sales number came out this morning at down 12.2% for July versus the 2% that was expected.  Realtors are reporting that sales are taking longer to close and many are failing to close.  Much of this, I'm sure, is tied to our current credit market situation and how much harder it is getting to qualify for a loan. On a more important note is what  the Libor rate is doing.  Libor stands for the London Interbank Offered Rate.  This is a widely used benchmark that many mortagages are tied to.  The 3 month Libor rate is at 5.72% with the one month rate at 5.82%.  What this means is that the many homeowners whose adjustable rate mortgages are tied to Libor are going to be in for a surprise when their payments readjust. This also highlights the fact that current rumors of an in... 09/05/2007

                                                                                                                             Monday  3Labor Day! Tuesday 4Construction Spending-Consensus 0% Good indicator of the economy's momentum.ISM Manufacturirng Index Consensus-53.0 Survey of manufacturing firms that measure their sentiments on a variety of areas including employment, production, new orders and inventories.Motor Vehicle Sales  Consensus 12.0M3 & 6 Month Bill Auction  Wednesday 5House Financial Services Committee holds hearing on recent events in the credit and mortgage markets and potential implications for U.S. consumers and the global economy. Pending Homes Sales Index-Release from NAR Gauges demand and momentum of housing marketChallenger Job Cut Report Announced corporate layoff... 09/01/2007

Hello I read an article very  recently about the advantages of including a floor plan along with pictures and a virtual tour in marketing your listings.Potential Buyers can see the layout of the home and decide if the house interests them before they even see it. Saving the Realtor, home owner and buyer precious time!Below is an aticle about using floor plans as a marketing tool. If you want to schedule a floor plan service, virtual tour or other marketing tools please call Real Ease Marketing at: 818.332.3164 or visit our website at: http://www.realeasemarketing.com/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9804E0D7123EF932A25751C0A9619C8B63#We service all of Burbank, Los Angeles, Orange County and Ventura CountyThanks and have a great day!Connie 08/29/2007

Hello This week's LA Times had a great article about pre listing home inspections. The article encourages this as a selling tool in selling Real Eastate in Burbank or the southern California area. It shows the potentional buyer that the seller is earnest in his efforts to correctly price his property and to have as smooth as possible transaction.The link is below. If you have any marketing or administrative needs now or in the future please contact me or visit my website at RealEaseMarketing.comThanks and have a great day!http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/la-re-inspect26aug26,0,413106.story?coll=la-class-realestate-news  08/27/2007

                                                                                            Monday 27Existing Home Sales-consensus 5.70M..... Year to year this number has dropped 11.4% and housing supply at 8.8 months.  June sales were down 3.8%.3 & 6 Month Bill Auction Tuesday 28 ICSC-USB Store Sales  Tracks comparable weekly sales from major retail chains and represents 10% of total retail sales.  Is considered to be one of the most timely indicators of consumer spending. Redbook a timely indicator of consumer spending and also represents about 10% of total retail sales.  This measure tracks weekly sales from discounters, chain and department stores.Consumer Confidence -Consensus 105FOMC Minutes 4 Week Bill Auction & 20 Year Tips AuctionWednesday 29MBA Purchase Applications measures ... 08/26/2007

 Thought I would write a post that highlights certain items of interest coming up at the next Burbank City Council Meeting.This week the Burbank City Council will be discussing the following items of interest:Quiet ZoneThis resolution, if passed, will look into designating the Buena Vista Street rail crossing a quiet zone.  What this means to you is that for a 1/2 mile either way, trains cannot sound their horns.   Glenoaks RehabCouncil is looking into approving an agreement with City of Glendale where a Burbank portion of Glenoaks Bl.  would be included in City of Glendale's rehabilitation project.  City of Burbank would contribute a portion of the cost, not to exceed $108,530. The Burbank City Council meets at City Council Chambers in City Hall, 275 E. Olive Ave.  Tuesday at 6:30pm. ... 08/26/2007

As i was talking to Marlene Bridges today I was reminded of a great restaurant in Burbank that I wanted to share. Since 1946 "The Smoke House" has been a community favorite.  It offers a fantastic menu and increadible Sunday Brunch.  The restaruant is visited by a few celebs as it is situated directly across the street from the Warnet Bros main lot here in Burbank.This is a must visit for any Steak or BBQ lover as you will not be disappointed in what you get.  They also boast to have "The worlds best Garlic Bread".For hours and to view a menu please visit The Smoke House Website and enjoy.  08/21/2007

We are pleased to announce our FREE Home Buyers Class.  This is great opportunity for first time buyers to be introduced to the home buying process as well as for repeat buyers to get up to speed with the current real estate market.  You will be able to speak with leading professionals in the fields of Title Insurance, Home Warranty, Mortgages, Home Inspection as well as Seasoned Realtors.All are welcome but seating is limited so please call to reserve your seat today.We hope to see you there. 08/21/2007

                                                                                                                            Monday  20Leading Indicators-Consensus .4% -Report looks at ten different sources that are supposed to indicate overall economic activity.  This figure tends to be revised after the fact and does not do a great job of predicting downturns or upturns.  3 Month & 6 Month Bill AuctionTuesday 21 ICSC-USB Store Sales  Tracks comparable weekly sales from major retail chains and represents 10% of total retail sales.  Is considered to be one of the most timely indicators of consumer spending. Redbook a timely indicator of consumer spending and also represents about 10% of total retail sales.  This measure tracks weekly sales from discounters, chain and department stores.S... 08/19/2007

 And what a week it was!  We saw housing starts and permits fall to their lowest level since 1996!  Then Merrill Lynch put out a report suggesting that Countrywide Financial Corp., the biggest U.S. mortgage lender, could go bankrupt, naturally they lowered the stock rating to a sell.  Next day, Countrywide had to tap it's $11.5 billion dollar bank line to finance it's operations.  Not good news.Today the Fed took action to lower the discount rate by .5% to 5.75% and infuse dollars into the system to try and counteract the liquidity squeeze that we are seeing.  This was viewed as an extraordinary move as the Fed has not reacted this way since 2001.   This action by the Fed did serve to stem the market losses for the week and give us the biggest rally in four years for the S&P 500.  The ... 08/17/2007

Toluca Lake Compound!Gorgeous 5 Bed 6 Bath Custom Built Home GEORGEOUS CUSTOM BUILT HOME IN TOLUCA LAKE/BURBANK. OVER 4400 SQ. FT. MAGNIFICENT SPANISH 5 BEDROOM, 6 BATH HOME WITH GUEST HOUSE. LARGE FIREPLACE IN FAMILY ROOM SEPARATE THEATRE/POOL HOUSE, BEAUTIFUL POOL & SPA PLUS OUTDOOR SHOWER A MUST SEE! Courtesy of Windermere Real Estate Dominic Naidoo 310.968.0418 08/13/2007

                                                              Monday 13Retail Sales- Consensus 0.2 Business Inventories-Consensus .4% 3 Month & 6 Month Bill AuctionTuesday 14Producer Price Index  PPI Consensus Forecast for July 07: +0.1 percent  ICSC-USB Store Sales  Tracks comparable weekly sales from major retail chains and represents 10% of total retail sales.  Is considered to be one of the most timely indicators of consumer spending. Redbook a timely indicator of consumer spending and also represents about 10% of total retail sales.  This measure tracks weekly sales from discounters, chain and department stores.International Trade Gauges economic trends by measuring levels of imports and exports. 4 Week bill AuctionWednesday 15Housing Market Index-Produced by the National Associati... 08/12/2007

  Hello Inman News had a great interview with Craig Newman of Craigslist and Alex Perriella of Realogy. It is a little long but offers great insight to the future of internet advertising!http://www.inman.com/hstory.aspx?ID=64162I watched the whole thing and am spending sometime today checking out Second Life, Yahoo classified and google. If you are a Realtor and need website maintenace, virtual assistance, marketing assistance, or products -  Real Ease Marketing offers a great program for you!Connie StahlReal Ease Marketing 08/09/2007

HelloI was wondering if anyone checked out what Inman news had to say about marketing, both online and offline. Very interesting! Seems they did a study and the most effective tool the Realtor still has available to him is - POSTCARDS!! Of course, these postcards are branded to your team or company and are a tool to drive clients to your website. But I found it very interesting that in this high tech world people still like to hold and touch advertising. Check it out: http://www.inmantv.com/?cat=62It also went on to say that your website is your hub and all advertising should direct peoplet to it. Keeping it full of facts and information is important as wellLet me know your thoughtsConnieReal Ease Marketing818.332.3164 08/08/2007

 If you are like me and try to recycle as much as possible you will want to read on!If you have any batteries, old eyeglasses, cartridges from your printers, CD's and DVD's you can take them to your local Burbank library!   Just bring them to any Burbank library location and they will take care of recycling these items.While I'm talking about recycling, please don't forget to call City of Burbank to take away your bulky items!  This free service is available by calling the Bulky Hotline at 818-238-3805. Just give them two days notice and they will come by on your regular collection day to pick up your items.  Construction and demolition materials are not included! My website is under construction, but come visit me at anaconnell.com!  08/06/2007

                                                Are you thinking about buying a bicycle or getting back on the dusty one in your garage after watching the Tour De France?   If you are, then you might want to check out the great online maps that are available for bike paths in Los Angeles County.  Another great place to look is Los Angeles Department of Transportation's (LADOT) Bicycle Maps page which has a list of bicycle path maps throughout Southern California. The great thing is that you can go for short scenic rides, such as the Chandler Bike Path or get your heart racing with a longer jaunt.  The dedicated bike path along the Los Angeles River is great if you want to take the kids and not have to worry about traffic.  The only downside is you are right next to the 5 Fwy as well.   ... 08/06/2007