San Diego County Offers Free Halloween Fun County Offers Free Halloween Fun   October 2009Trying to figure out where to take your little ghouls or goblins this year? County parks and recreation centers are offering safe, family-friendly Halloween events - and best of all, they're free!Tuesday, Oct. 27Rancho San Diego Branch Library, 11:15 am. Halloween Story Time & Costume Parade for preschoolers offers not-too-scary stories and a bag of treats!Wednesday, Oct. 28 Imperial Beach Branch Library, 6 p.m. Halloween Costume Contest offers spooktacularly scary fun for children!Thursday, Oct. 29Encinitas Branch Library, 11 a.m. Halloween Sing-Along fun for preschoolers and toddlers.Friday, Oct. 30 Ramona Branch Library, 3 p.m. El D�a de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Skeleton Crafts allow kids t... 10/27/2009

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS FROM JASON email    Jason Kardos   Featured Articles Halloween Safety Costumes Tips For Parents About Treats Decorations Pedestrian Safety Trivia Block Halloween Safety There's No Trick To It! The observance of Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of witches, ghosts, devils and goblins. Over the years, Halloween customs and rituals have changed dramatically. Today, many of the young and young-at-heart take a more light-spirited approach. Glowing skeletons and lighted Jack O' Lanterns decorate homes, while children dressed in all kinds of costumes begin flocking out onto neighborhood streets in search of treats. Make this year's holiday extra safe by following these safety tips on costumes, treats... 10/27/2009

Spring Valley, CA Real Estate Agent • Oct. 27, 2009 - Daylight Savings Time Change - Sunday, November 1st at 2 AM   How to set your Clocks for the 2009 year: On November 1st 2009 at 2:00 a.m., you set the clocks back an hour. Interesting fact about time change and Halloween.............. Halloween Trick-or-Treaters Through 2006, Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. ended a few days before Halloween (October 31). Children's pedestrian deaths are four times higher on Halloween than on any other night of the year. A new law to extend DST to the first Sunday in November took effect in 2007, with the purpose of providing trick-or-treaters more light and therefore more safety from traffic accidents. For decades, candy manufacturers lobbied for a Daylight Saving Time extension to Halloween, as man... 10/27/2009

• Oct. 18, 2009 - Selling Your Mt. Helix, CA Home In The Next 6-12 months? If You're Going To Sell Your House In The NextSix To 12 Months, What You Do Right Now Could Mean A Difference Of Thousands Of Dollars -- Especially If You're Going To Buy Another Home... Mt. Helix, La Mesa, CA - Even though your house isn't on the market yet, the buyer for your house is already starting to read the real estate magazines - just like you are right now. A recent interview with Jason Kardos, Real Estate Broker revealed several tips for anyone thinking of selling their Mt. Helix -area home. "Most owners think their homes will sell quickly. Everyone thinks that their home is special and will bring a good price. In fact a lot of all new listings that go on the market eventually expire with the home stil... 10/18/2009

FREE 10% off Lowes coupons and Termite Reports at www.JasonKardos.com July 10, 2009, 2:30 PM ET The Appeal of 3.5% Down: FHA Mortgages Increase in Popularity Uncle Sam keeps getting more popular. Last month, the share of applications for government-insured mortgages reached its highest level since November 1990, with government-insured loans accounting for nearly 36% of all mortgage applications, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Most of those loans are made by the Federal Housing Administration, a New Deal-era agency that doesn't actually make loans but insures lenders against losses. Other government-insured loans are offered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. In May, the government-insured share of mortgage applications stood at around 26%, down slightly from 27% in... 07/16/2009

 10% Off Lowes Coupon and FREE Termite Reports at www.JasonKardos.com Can My Buyer Really Get a Tax Credit Refund Before Closing? FHA has announced two ways that first-time homebuyers using FHA financing can acquire an advance on their anticipated first-time homebuyer tax credit and use it as their initial 3.5% down payment: •·         Secondary financing through a government agency or FHA approved non-profit associated with a government agency OR •·         Purchase of the Tax Credit by a government agency or FHA approved non-profit associated with a government agency. While any party, including the FHA approved Lender or the property seller, could purchase the tax credit from the buyer, FHA only allows proceeds from the sale to be used for additional down payment, closing costs, or in... 07/16/2009

San Diego Personal Property and Real Estate Auctions at McCormackAuction.com Auction Gavels (Again) Mark the Return of Distressed Real Estate By Randyl Drummer July 15, 2009 With the recession taking a toll on traditional channels for selling commercial real estate, auction houses are once again stepping up to the podium to call "going, going, gone" on a new set of distressed assets just beginning to hit the market. Auctioneers, brokers and agents who weathered the real estate slump of the 1990s and early 2000s say a well-recognized pattern in the market cycle is starting to emerge, with commercial properties now joining the residential foreclosure auctions that have been mainstays for more than two years during the current economic downturn. An estimated $58.6 billion in real estate wa... 07/16/2009

 FREE 10% off Lowes Coupons and Termite Reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com 3 Things a "Rogue" Mover Won't Tell You When your clients are making a move, it may seem like a simple task. But it is a little more complicated than one might think. There are many items that must be accounted for before a decision is made to ensure that when your clients arrive at their new home, there goods make it there as well. Rogue movers may leave out a few details leaving your clients stressed out, upset, and paying more money.Here are just a few things that that rogue movers won't tell your clients: Rogue Mover - "My insurance is extremely inadequate." One of the biggest complaints against moving companies is broken, lost, or stolen possessions. The fact is that interstate movers are liable for ... 07/16/2009

 FREE 10% Lowes Coupons and Termite reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com Factors buyers consider when choosing a neighborhood   According to the National Association of Realtors® 2008 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 62 percent of buyers say the quality of the neighborhood is an important influence on their neighborhood choice, followed by these factors: Convenient to job, 51% Overall affordability of homes, 41% Convenient to friends and family, 38% Convenient to shopping, 27% Quality of the school district, 27% Design of neighborhood, 24% Convenient to schools, 21% Convenient to entertainment/leisure activities, 19% Convenient to parks, recreational facilities, 16% These figures reflect all buyers, but the full study also segments buyers by location, including suburb/subdivisi... 07/11/2009

 FREE 10% Lowes Coupons and Termite reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com Top News Foreclosures fall 11% in the Second Quarter, Loan Application Up - BusinessWeek - - to 494,078. Even on a month over month basis things seems to be getting better. June's foreclosure numbers reached record lows for the year. "These huge drops-double-digit in many parts of the nation-are a sigh of relief for the economy and Mortgages: Mortgage rates drop again, hitting six-week low - MarketWatch - - 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at lowest level in 6 weeks CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Mortgage rates fell this week, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropping to its lowest level in six weeks, according ... 07/10/2009

FREE 10% Lowes Coupons and Termite reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com Home Affordable Refinance eligibility expanded to 125 percent LTVFannie Mae last week announced the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) will be expanded to permit refinancing of existing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans with current loan-to-value ratios (LTVs) up to 125 percent, an increase from the current LTV limit of 105 percent. Fannie Mae characterized the expansion as a move to help lenders serve more borrowers with a demonstrated track record of paying their mortgages, but who have been unable to refinance due to significant property value declines. Loans with LTVs above 105 percent will be eligible for a same-servicer refinance under the Refi Plus manual underwriting option, and the new loan must ... 07/08/2009

FREE 10% Lowes Coupons and Termite reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com How to Sell Your House For the Most Money In the Shortest Possible Time    Your imagination is the most powerful tool you have to improve the value of your property - and it's free.  Here's how:  Step out of your own shoes and step into your potential buyer's shoes.  Then take a good, realistic look at your house and property, and consider:  Is it appealing?  Can you imagine yourself living there comfortably?  Or do you imagine yourself putting in a lot of work to make the house and property acceptable? Most buyers are interested in three things about a property they're considering •¨      Visual appeal (landscaping, spaciousness, cleanliness, color, lack of clutter) •¨      Maintenance (everything in working ... 07/06/2009

FREE 10% Lowes Coupons and Termite reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com Making the Move Easy On the Kids Most often, a move represents an important step forward for the adults in the family because of a new job, promotion, transfer to a different office, or financial success has allowed them to buy a more comfortable house in a different neighborhood. Moving from one house to another is seldom easy and enjoyable for adults (who chose to move), and can be especially troubling for children (who prefer to stay where they are).  But if parents are mindful of their children's concerns and needs, they can minimize distress and discomfort.   A Move Affects Children and Adults Differently People typically live in a house for about five years and then move on as their jobs and incomes allo... 07/06/2009

FREE 10% Lowes Coupons and Termite reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com 10 Dumbest Mistakes Smart People Make When Buying or Selling a Home - and How to Avoid Them Buyers Mistakes Prevented By 1.  Not knowing how much they can afford to pay for a house before they make an offer. Get pre-qualified for a mortgage from a Lender, so you know in advance exactly how much you can afford. 2.  Not finding out in advance whom the real estate agent represents.    Asking your Realtor.  Most people think their agent is working for them.  But unless the agent is working as your buyer representative, he/she represents the seller. 3.  Not realizing that the wrong mortgage can cost thousands of dollars in unnecessary interest and taxes.    Consulting with a mortgage consultant, accountant, and/or... 07/06/2009

FREE 10% Lowes Coupons and Termite reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com How to Buy a House With (Little or) No Money Down  Of course you want to buy a home in San Diego, CA with zero down payment.  Who doesn't? Here's exactly how you do it: Many people never buy the home of their dreams simply because they don't think they have enough money for the down payment.  They've been told through the years that they need 10 percent or 20 percent of the purchase price in order to buy a home.  Well, this simply isn't true. So why have so many real estate companies told them this? Quite honestly, it's because selling homes to people with 10 percent or 20 percent down is easier than selling homes to people who have little or no money for a down payment.  Most real estate salespeople would rat... 07/06/2009

FREE 10% Lowes Coupons and Termite reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com MILITARY MOVING RESOURCES Base Housing Resources Navy/Marine Housing: Housing links, services and resources. Army Housing: Housing information for Army installations world-wide. Air Force Crossroads: Air Force Crossroads is the new website providing Internet-based, one-stop-shopping for family and community needs. SITES: Worldwide relocation information on major military and associate installations for use by Service men and women and their families during permanent change of station moves. Finances Home Loan and Mortgage Resources Pioneer Military Loans: - Pioneer Military Lending is committed to serving the active-duty and career-retired men and women of our armed forces. For Military Loans up to $10,000 cli... 07/06/2009

FREE 10% Lowes Coupons and Termite reports for clients at www.JasonKardos.com Monica Schaefer MilitaryByOwner.com With the current economy, you may be feeling the squeeze and one of the first things we reconsider is that summer vacation. Well, I am happy to tell you that as a military family, there are so many great travel discounts to take advantage of, that it is easier than ever to put together a great vacation even on a small budget. Whether you are making your way across country and are just looking for inexpensive billeting, or you want to venture out across this great land and explore a new place, it is always a great idea to look into military discounts. While it can be a bit overwhelming to find information on this subject, a great place to get started is by using the "Temporar... 07/06/2009

 FREE Lowes 10% Coupon and Termite Reports at www.JasonKardos.com Countrywide Financial (Bank of America) Program What is the Countrywide Financial (Bank of America) Program? The Homeownership Retention Program for Countrywide Customers Program will systematically modify troubled mortgages with up to $8.4 billion in interest rate and principle reductions for nearly 400,000 Countrywide customers nationwide. When does it Begin? The program begins Dec. 1, 2008, and has no end date specified.       Who is eligible? Borrowers eligible for loan modifications under this program must have received a qualifying subprime mortgage or a pay-option adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) prior to Dec. 31, 2007, and the property must be a one- to four-unit owner-occupied residential property. In addition, cer... 07/03/2009

 FREE Lowes 10% Coupon and Termite Reports at www.JasonKardos.com Making Home Affordable Refinance What is the Making Home Affordable Refinance Program? (The Obama Administration's Loan Modification Program) This program is designed to help homeowners in existing Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loans that are current on their mortgage payments to refinance and take advantage of today's lower interest rates. Under the Administration's plan, Fannie and Freddie will be allowed to refinance qualified homeowners up to a 105 percent loan-to-value of the current value of the home. When does the Making Home Affordable Modification Begin? The program begins March 4, 2009 and ends in June, 2010. Who is Eligible? You should contact your lender to determine eligibility, but you may qualify to participate... 07/03/2009

 FREE Lowes 10% Coupon and Termite Reports at www.JasonKardos.com Making Home Affordable Modification What is the Making Home Affordable Modification Program? (The Obama Administration's Loan Modification Program) This program is designed to help homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure.  The Administration is offering government assistance to loan servicers and investors to help offset the cost of modifying qualified homeowners into affordable mortgages that will allow them to keep their homes. This may be done by reducing the mortgage interest rate, extending the term of the loan, principal forbearance, and/or principal cramdown. This program is voluntary and the servicers must agree to contracts with the Treasury to participate.  Please keep in mind that loans can only be modified o... 07/03/2009