One of the commitments the the mountain communities is that Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty, Arrowhead Home Loans, Inc and Alpine Escrow make available to community groups free of charge the use of the "Blue Jay Room".  A partial list of organizations that benefit from the use of our room are:Lake Arrowhead Christian Men's GroupLake Arrowhead SoroptomistMountains Community Hospital Board of DirectorsRim of The World Parks and Rec BoardSenior ConnectionCedar Ridge Home Owners AssociationMeadow Shores Home Owners AssociationSierra ClubMountain Girls SoftballMountain LiteracyMountain Kids Christmas FundMountain Community Bridge ClubLadies BuncoThe meeting room is offered on a first come first served basis.  If you have a community group that needs a place to meet, contact Coldwell Banker ... 02/26/2008

Lake Arrowhead might be a small community, but there are very different locations to it.  I receive very similar emails from clients asking about the area of Lake Arrowhead.  Many times it is easy for us as Realtors to get in the habit of stating a neighborhood by its nick name.  We have the Palisades, The North Shore, Tavern Bay, Emerald Bay, Bourbon Gulch, Village Cove, The Hamiltairs, Cedar Ridge, etc...  Using these nick names is a way for most of us to associate a different area of the 14 miles around the lake, but for our clients it can get confusing.  I thought I would lay it out as a map, well sort of...The Village is the heart of Lake Arrowhead... Factory Outlet Stores, Boutiques, Restaurants, The World Class Lake Arrowhead Resort, The Arrowhead Queen (slip off for a cruise aro... 02/26/2008

If you are in need of a Spanish Speaking Realtor, George Cerecedes is your man.  He is both professional and customer driven.  George has proven that he has the ability to help navigate through the real estate process as part of the number 1 team at Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty he has the resources available to assist any home buyer or seller.  If you need assistance, give him a call today at Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge RealtySe Habla Espanol 02/26/2008

Lake Arrowhead Country Club is a private 18 Hole course nestled in the pines near Lake Arrowhead, Blue Jay and Twin Peaks.  At an approximate elevatioin of 5200 feet, the course has a true alpine feel to it.The golf season generally runs from Mid to late April through the end of October weather permitting.  Often you will see on a warm Winter day members out walking the course to take advantage of the beautiful scenery.There are approximately 450 members of this private course.Price ranges on the course are from the mid 600's to over 2 million.  The golf course area is one of the most sought after areas in the Lake Arrowhead vicinity.  If you need further information on LACC or the surrounding properties, email me at steve@cbskyridge.com or visit us at www.mountainmoves.com for online p... 02/25/2008

In the March 2008 issue of Inland Empire Magazine, Lake Arrowhead's very own Neale Perkins was spotlighted for his accomplishments as a businessman and prominent Inland Empire citizen.  We are very fortunate to have people like Neale living and participating in our local mountain community.For a complete copy of the article about Neale contact Inland Empire Magazine.   02/25/2008

WEEKLY MARKET UPDATE (2/17/08-2/23/08)   To be an informed seller or buyer, it is imperative to know what is happening in the current market.  There are many factors to determining the proper price when listing a home for sale.  There are just as many factors to help you decide whether you are getting good value for your dollar when you purchase a home.The links below take you to weekly breakdowns of new listings, homes sold, active listings and homes currently in escrow.  We have further broken down this information to show you median prices and price ranges, number of days on market and the percentages of list price to sales price.To discuss your particular property and to get a more detailed idea of what your property is worth in our current market, including a free comparative marke... 02/25/2008

The following chart shows all single family home listings that have sold in Lake Arrowhead for the last 90 days as of February 25, 2008 according to the Rim Association of Realtors.  Additionally, I have listed market shares for the  largest companies in the Lake Arrowhead Market.OfficeListings SoldMarket ShareColdwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty2854%Remax Lake Arrowhead1631%Century 21 High Country36%Prudential California24%Lynne B. Wilson and Assoc12%The Arrowhead Company12%Associated12%Windermere0NoneTotal Listings Sold52For more detailed information on any of these statistics, or the Lake Arrowhead real estate market in general, please contact me at steve@cbskyridge.com 02/25/2008

"My husband and I are in the market for our first home. We like our agent but she hasn't been an agent for very long and she can't give us a straight answer about how much below the list price we should offer. We don't want to spend too much with the current real estate market. What do you think?"Assuming you are here on the mountain, here's what I recommend:Only search and view homes that are within your price range. If you can afford a $300K house - don't look at $350K houses in the hope that those sellers will come down.When you find a home that meets your wants and needs, consider its relative value to other comparable homes that you have viewed. If this home compares favorably, then chances are it is priced properly. If it seems overpriced, it probably is.Your agent should then do ... 02/25/2008

Earlier this week, I requested that our sales team give the answers to the following 5 questions.  Who are we?  What do we do? Whom are our customers?  What makes us unique? and What value to we bring to our customers?  The following are the raw un-edited answers I received back to the first question... Who are we?THE real estate company in this special resort community...retaining the title of #1 in production for 22 years We are the premier commercial and residential real estate brokerage team for the mountain communities.  Whatever claims our cometitors may make, Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty Lists and Sells more real estate than any other broker on the mountain. We are the largest real estate office in Lake Arrowhead and have controlled the market since opening our doors 25 years... 02/25/2008

Earlier this week, I requested that our sales team give the answers to the following 5 questions.  Who are we?  What do we do? Whom are our customers?  What makes us unique? and What value to we bring to our customers?  The following are the raw un-edited answers I received back to the second question... What do we do?We make dreams come true Through Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty and our affiliated companies Alpine Escrow and Arrowhead Home Loans, we provide a full spectrum of real estate services, including sales, escrow, and lending. We provide the highest quality real estate related services to our community. List & sell properties to the satisfaction of our clients. We help people with there real estate hopes and dreams by listing and selling more real estate than any other offic... 02/25/2008

The following chart shows historical information for average mortgage rates by year for the last 35 years.  As you can see the current interest rates are among the lowest in history.  Now is the time to take advantage of the historically low rates.Imagine what it was like in 1981 with those rates!30 Year Fixed Rates Since 1971Yearly AverageYearRatePoints20076.38%0.4320066.41%0.520055.87%0.620045.84%0.620035.83%0.720026.54%0.620016.97%0.620008.05%0.919997.44%119986.94%119977.60%1.119967.81%1.719957.93%1.719948.38%1.819937.31%1.819928.39%1.619919.25%1.7199010.13%2198910.32%2.1198810.34%2.1198710.21%2.1198610.19%2.2198512.43%2.2198413.88%2.5198313.24%2.5198216.04%2.1198116.63%2.2198013.74%2.1197911.20%1.819789.64%1.619778.85%1.319768.87%1.119759.05%1.219749.19%1.119738.04%1.219727.38%0.9 02/25/2008

Last night some friends and I tried the local Mountain Taxi service to drive us to dinner.  The owner operator Darin picked us up on time and did a great job of getting us to dinner.This kind of service has been badly needed here in the Lake Arrowhead Area.  If you need a ride, Darin can be reached at 909.273.7400 02/24/2008

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW....Arrowhead Home Loans, our in-house lender, put out a series of informational sheets to the agents in our office entitled, "What you ought to know..." that is incredibly educational for people who are a little less-than-familiar with the terms and jargon associated with loans and the lending community.  We feel they are a great benefit and want to share the information with you.  Just click on the titles below to view the articles.Another fabulous resource, made available by Tom Crate at Arrowhead Homes Loans, is his publication, "The Mortgage Market Guide."   This is a periodic piece chock-full of information about market trends and changes, etc, that I think you'll find most useful. What you ought to know (#1)...My client is quoting a great rate for his home l... 02/23/2008

Good Saturday morning... This post is nothing more than reflecting on my day yesterday.  In total shock, I was at one of my favorite uncles funerals yesterday.  If a funeral could be for a moment a beautiful ceremony, this was.  This being the first father of myself and my cousins who has been lost, it came as a blow to our tight knit family.  As I sat back and listened to the funny stories that my father shared during the eulogy, the realization that these wonderful people I have shared so much time with will some day say goodbye.  I have no regrets with the people I love and I was able to say goodbye and have a great picture in my mind of what my uncle Kenny meant to me... he shared laughter and jokes, and when I was down made me smile, loved my aunt and cousin with every once of hims... 02/23/2008

THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOBLake Arrowhead and the surrounding communities have been experiencing a winter like "the winters we used to have" back in the '70's and '80's.  We had a large series of snow storms work through the area and dump a ton of snow in a relatively short amount of time - the likes of which we have not seen in years.  This resulted in a number of people being stranded in their own driveways, unable to get their vehicles dug out.  Adding to this, once the County snowplows cleared the roads, they left snow berms 3 to 5 feet tall and several feet deep.  Removing all the snow became quite a challenge.One thing I learned through these storms and the subsequent build-up of snow, is that it is important to have the right tool for the job.  By this I mean that, for a couple in... 02/22/2008

LAKE ARROWHEAD:  LAKE LEVEL AND STATISTICSWith rain coming down as I write, and with more on the way, it is fairly certain that we will see a full-to-capacity lake in the very near future.  The full lake level for Lake Arrowhead is 5106.70' and, at last reading on 2/21/08, the level was at 5104.21'.  With only about 2.5 feet to go, it won't be long until our beautiful alpine lake is brimming to the edge.Here are some other interesting statistics about Lake Arrowhead:Length of Lake  2.2 milesLength of Shoreline  14 milesVolume of the lake  47,418 acre feetSurface when full  782 acresDeepest Point  185 feetNumber of gallons  15.8 billionFull Lake Level  5106.70 ft (elevation from sea level) 02/22/2008

ARROWHEAD WOODS PRICE REDUCTIONSAs of today, 2/21/2008, there are 302 active listings in Arrowhead Woods (not including condos or lake fronts).  Of the 302, 135 (or 44.7%) have reduced from their original list price.  Of the remaining 167 active listings that have not reduced their prices, 1/3 of them were listed in 2008 (52 days on the market or less).What does this mean?  This obviously shows that the market has been in decline and sellers have had to adjust their prices downward.  I would contend that many will have to adjust again (and perhaps again) before they get an offer.I would strongly suggest that buyers write offers - even ones that you think may be rejected.  Many of the sellers that have been listed for months and months have yet to receive even one offer and may be much m... 02/21/2008

The following chart shows residential sales of single family homes sold in Lake Arrowhead from January 1, 2008 to February 20, 2008 vs. January 1, 2007 to February 20, 2007.  The data shows that the Lake Arrowhead Market according to the Rim Association of Realtors is down 28% for the number of transactions year over year.  I am proud of the fact that for listings sold in the market, Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty increased market share from 42% in 2007 to 58% in 2008. 02/21/2008

I was talking with one of my agents yesterday who took a listing, put it in the MLS and within a few days had 10 offers competing for the purchase.  Who said there aren't any buyers out there.  Clearly, there are buyers in the market looking for good deals.In this market, properties that are priced correctly will get plenty of activity.  If you are a buyer looking for opportunities, they are out there, you need to have an agent working for you keeping an eye out for "the deals".  If you are a seller and you want to get your property sold, realize that there are buyers out there and you need to do everythinig possible to make your property as a attractive as possible. (Price, Apearance, Incentives, Etc.)If you need an agent who will keep an eye out for good deals, send me an email at ste... 02/20/2008

Professional Photo                                        My PhotoThe Cost is worth it...In Real Estate there are so many cost that come with marketing a property, whether it is time spent or money spent, it definately adds up in the long run.  I started weighing if it was worth spending the extra money on the professional photos and virtual tours on each home... Well, I think these two photos demostrate why a great photo is vital.  My photo shows that my expertise is definately not photography.  First my photo is dark and makes the room look small, second, I don't even begin to show the beautiful wood work on the ceiling.  Yep, money well spent.  If I am turned off by my photo, definately a consumer looking for the "Wow" factor will be turned off.  In the world of internet I would have... 02/20/2008