I want you to try something. Do a Google search on "Jason O'Neill". Pick your jaw up off the floor - yes, he's thirteen. I visited with Jason and his mom this afternoon at Starbucks. He is one amazing kid. I found Jason on twitter. You may know I was on the fence for quite some time about the value of twitter, but I'm a true believer now. I saw that Jason was from Temecula, which is right next door to Murrieta, where I live. I contacted him via twitter and asked if I could interview him. I then wound up arranging the interview through his manager, his M.O.M (Mother Of Me). Jason told me he's been interested in making money since he was five years old. He sold lemonade and hot chocolate and got into recycling (which he still does). A little over three years ago, his mom and grandmothe... 04/14/2009

At one time or another I think everybody has seen Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting of 'The Last Supper'. But have you ever seen it live? I don't mean the painting itself - but the actual Last Supper portrayed live? Well now's your chance. Now thru Saturday, you can catch this brilliant depiction of Jesus and the Apostles at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater at 7:30 each evening. The show presents a full scale reproduction of da Vinci's masterpiece featuring life-size actors portraying everyone at the table that fateful evening. What you don't see is a lot of action or dialogue between the characters. The set-piece is introduced by Leonardo himself and the actors are frozen 'en tableau'. The scene begins right after Jesus has disclosed that one of his Disciples will betray him b... 04/09/2009

I don't personally care if you're for or against the Liberty Quarry Project proposed for the foothills southwest of Temecula. All I ask is before you engage me in a discussion, please have some facts at your disposal. I get real tired of emotional arguments proferred as facts, out-and-out lies and mis-statements masquerading as the truth, and NIMBY and environmental whack-jobs trying to sway me to their cause by increasing the volume of their rhetoric. Simply yelling BS loudly does not make it a fact - it merely makes it loud BS.  OK. Now that we're clear on the ground rules, the Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors has been evaluating the Granite Construction project at Liberty Quarry. This is a major project that may be a neighbor to our community for the next 75 or 80 y... 04/09/2009

It is all over the news!  "Real Estate Investing", "Invest in Real Estate", "Invest in Real Estate"!   Some of the websites I've seen are so complicated with so many articles with information over analyzing the whole Real Estate Investment process! It is as simple as this! You want Positive Cash Flow!     You want great homes in areas that will appreciate in value!  Here are some Free Tools:   Most people like to go on the Internet and find out for themselves what their payment will be....here is a useful tool that is easy to use:   PITI calculator    Here's another one:  www.rentometer.com  This tool will figure out your rent for you before you purchase your Real Estate Investment property. Here's a snapshot I took of a PITI calculator with the result of an investor putting down 20% on... 04/09/2009

Temecula Bank Owned Homes and Murrieta Bank Owned homes are abundant, there are many great buys on the market and understanding all of the circumstances leading a home from a short sale to a bank owned home, can make it easier to understand why they take so long to purchase. The parties involved: Banks- Have their own Loss Mitigation department and each bank handles business a little bit differently.  Timeliness of the process depends on how many employees departments the bank has to conduct the pricing, legal aspect and marketing of the home.   Borrower/Owner - Must obtain a short sale package from their lender, and fill it out properly.    A short sale package is what the borrowers' bank uses to determine if they will accept less than the borrower owes in the first place.  The Borrowe... 04/08/2009

Just one more reason to live in the beautiful Temecula Valley, or buy a Temecula Home as an investor, is our highly rated schools.  The Great Schools website, which itself has a rating as being the best family and parenting websites, has rated Temecula Valley Unified School district to be an 8 (10 is the highest).  The great schools website also has reviews for each school written by parents.  It shows each schools ratings for academics, teachers, extra curricular activities as well. Temecula has many schools that are awarded with the California Distinguished School designation. A California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately fiv... 04/08/2009

Old Pacific Coffee - Temecula California Would like to take a moment of your time to spread the word about a really nice small business here in the southern part of Temecula. The owners are really down to earth and are always looking to better their place in order to satisfy their customers. The first time I met one of the owners I really felt welcomed there and was surprised after finding out there was the owner and not just an employee. He and his wife really took my needs to the next level that day. I came and asked what the strongest coffee you have is and they said try our Vietnamese Coffee which I still love this day. When you are driving down Highway 79 South in Temecula heading towards Wine Country or going to play a round of golf at Red Hawk Golf Course then stop on by and have... 04/07/2009

$8000 In FREE MONEY! If you are a first time homebuyer (which means you have not owned a home for the past three years) and have been sitting on the fence, now may be the best time to buy. Not only are interest rates at historically low rates, if you are a first time home buyer you can get an $8,000 tax credit! Buy Now and Benefit Menifee and Temecula Valley's have many fantastic properties for sale. There is an abundance of both bank owned (also called REO's) and Short Sale Listings. From January 1, 2009 through December 1, 2009 reap the benefits in many ways. Low Interest RatesAn Abundance of InventoryHuge Tax Advantages If you want to know if you qualify for this fantastic offering, contact your local FULL-TIME Realtor right away. While selecting a Realtor be sure to ask if they are ... 04/07/2009

Myself as a REO Agent and the others I speak to.   Going the wrong way that is for sure, remember the days when agents would actually allow others to help them sell their property? Why are people becoming so greedy in these times of need?   Some Brokers amaze me, they have no buyers agent yet the "office policy" is only their buyer's agents can hold open houses.   Since when has it been a standard to not return other agents'/brokers' calls, especially after they have sent you an offer. It is understandable being overworked well if that is the case then stop taking on more business.   In the future these same agents are going to have some serious problems because us career consultants don't forget these types of things.   Majority of the people in the industry that I personally know init... 04/06/2009

Since escrows are taking longer these days, (average of 90-120 days), due to bank staffing being lower and short sales at an all time high.   It's important to note that the $8000.00 First Time Home Buyer tax credit expires on 12/1/2009.  Here are the basic guidelines below:   To go directly to the site and obtain more info such as Frequently Asked Questions:  Click Here We are experienced Real Estate Brokers offering excellent and individualized Customer Service.  If you are looking for Temecula Real Estate or if you are thinking of living in the surrounding areas of Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar, Menifee, Winchester, Fallbrook, Southwest Riverside County, or North San Diego County,  please contact us for a private tour of the area.         04/06/2009

Hello Fellow Realtors, It is my pleasure to invite all of you to watch this beautiful play at the Great Temecula Valley Theater owned by the City of Temecula.  I am playing a major role for the first time and very lucky to have a great director who is very good in directing plays.  Check it out and see your own fellow Realtor breaking into a different industry and having a great relationship with professional actors within our community. See details below and hopefully I can send you more pictures of the beautiful customes that I would be wearing for this play. 04/05/2009

When you were younger did your parents just hand you money without you doing anything for it or were you like me and had to do chores and find a JOB?   Why if while we were growing up did our parents tell us to get a JOB and work for the money we needed or wanted however now those same people are going up to the government and getting a hand out and destroying the value of the dollar while they at it?   Stop handing out money and tell them to WORK!   Work on reducing their expenses (that doesn't mean start by layoffs) that means be a business person and figure out where the waste is in the company and cut it out!   Some ideas for any executives that might be reading this would be turn off the lights when not needed, install energy efficient light bulbs, stop paying import taxes and star... 03/31/2009

Dan Atwood is no stranger to The Wine Company. He's been of part of it since its inception in its first location on Ynez Road. He was just much more in the background than he is now. Since the end of last year, however, Dan has stepped out of the shadows to take a much more active role. These days, more often than not, you're likely to find Dan either behind the counter and visiting guests from table to table. Dan moved to Temecula twelve years ago. He purchased horse property on Rancho California Road that was also planted with Chardonnay grapes. Unfortunately, the vines had been attacked by the glassy-winged sharpshooter and needed to be torn out. Dan turned to a friend at Leonesse Cellars who told him he  should plant Syrah grapes in their place. With help from Leonesse, Dan has bee... 03/30/2009

It's Spring in the Temecula Wine Country and there are flowers and grape vines blooming everywhere.       If you like Starry Nights, Horses, Hot Air Balloons, and Wine, then Temecula Wine Country living is for you! I joined Twitter a couple weeks ago and I am still figuring it out, but one thing I saw on there was a comment about Temecula being boring.....Yikes, I guess if you like crowded suburban living then this would be true.  So, it is true, that the beautiful Temecula Wine Country is not for everyone but again, if you are searching for a beautiful serene place to live then this is it. Temecula Wine Country Homes offer, five acre minimums, that keep the neighbors just far enough away for you to enjoy the quite.  And with the "Ralphs Super Center" being only 10 minutes away it reall... 03/30/2009

So Many Buyers So Little Time I should complain. I have so many buyers and bless them, they have been  keeping me busy. "Can we look at all these homes today?" "We have just happened to be in the area this morning and we would like to preview these properties." Ofcourse, any time, I would not think of saying NO to any of my clients!! For the pst 3 months, I have had many showing of properties in De Luz, La Cresta, Fallbrook, Bonsall and Temecula Wine Country. I have written so many offers and they are waiting for the BANKS to approve the short sales or waiting for the escrow to close. I am keeping my positive attitude and good thought about all these offers. I am sorry I do not have time to post the BLOG, but I am hoping for good business results to all of you. Peace & Love, Jieranai   ... 03/29/2009

Temecula has so many beautiful Custom Homes available right now.  Prices are lower than they have been in years.   The Temecula Wine County has minimum lot sizes of 5 Acres, horse trails, many beautiful view lots that look over the valley.   Some are nestled right in with the wineries! Please visit my website at www.soreal.biz . Where I have customized links for your convenience. If you are thinking about purchasing or selling your home whether you are a "First Time Buyer", or an "Investor", who wants to work with a local area expert, contact us toll free at (866) 621-0155   We proudly serve and sell Residential and Commercial Real Estate in Riverside and San Diego Counties!  03/27/2009

My agent invited me to go to the mall to see the new stores that just opened up last Sunday.  There was a live band and it was great.  A lot of people listening to the music and it looked so similar to San Diego Gas Lamp.  My agent and I checked out the Yard House and had a great drink and accidentally met the owner. Apparently, he was interested in buying a house and he immediately gave his information to my agent to find some homes for him.  Then he talked to a couple of the ladies and they ended up talking to us to help them in selling their house. We had a blast meeting people and so glad to be able to help them on Real estate.  The stores definitely will help the community.  Great attraction for people to buy more houses in this area.  I am very optimitistic about our community tha... 03/26/2009

Check out the latest businesses for the Family Spring Expo 2009!  Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about them and they are also giving a lot of give-away prizes... A lot of entertainment, musicians will be performing from Music Academy, Karate skilled students will also be performing, Starbucks will be serving coffee, Hula dancing and Hip-hop dancers will also be bringing their best....If you are in town, don't forget this date April 25, 2009 from 10 am to 3 pm... Call for details at (951) 378-5316 or visit www.IVBCF.com. Business Name Business Type Temecula House of Imports Auto Dealership Excellent Auto Care and Tire Auto Dealership Citibank Banking Bell Bookkeeping Bookkeeping The Leadership Source Business Coaching Dine-In Catering Services Maria's Catering Catering Service... 03/23/2009

I've revised this post from it's original version.  After seeing so many people lose their homes it has become obvious that the majority of homeowners do not want to foreclose on the the home they live in. The most important thing to consider is recovery after a foreclosure, or a short sale.   While foreclosing intentionally can constitue fraud with so many foreclosures it would really be difficult to prove.  Also, there are various levels of "intention". Intentional foreclosure is a tool that can be used and when and how is strictly up to the note holder and I do not judge anyone for foreclosing! Speak to an attorney first there are several that will give free consultations and if you need a referral to one give me a call. Before anyone decides to be involved with "Intentional Foreclos... 03/23/2009

It's heartening to see new businesses become established and successful. Diane Walden called me yesterday to invite me to take a look at the California Tea & Coffee Brewery. Laura and I dropped in this morning, met Diane and her husband Vern and checked it out. Wonderful smells hit your nostrils the moiment you step in. They offer forty different loose leaf tes, with flavors like Caramelized Pear, Cinnamon Plum and Apricot Dream as well as the more traditional Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Oolong and the like. They also serve coffee. As Vern put it, they major in tea and have a minor in coffee. I had a dark roast coffee and Laura tried a Vanilla Earl Grey Latte. Both were delicious. Diane bakes pastries and they also offer herb pizzas and omelet pretzels. It's a welcome addition to the... 03/18/2009