The November 18, 2010 Newsletter has been published to the Villa Park Rotary website. A copy has been included below. You may also read it on-line by visiting http://www.RotaryClubofVillaPark.org/Newsletter.cfm     Rotary Club of Villa Park Newsletter Happy Thanksgiving   This week's meeting began with a Sioux Indian Invocation by Kirk Parker.  Greg Mills led the Pledge of Allegiance and Bryan Nash the Rotary Four Way Test.  We sang the Star Spangled Banner our nations National Anthem.    Guests: Chuck Liebelt- Docent at the Bowers Museum and today's speaker Will Warren- Union Bank in Villa Park - 2nd Visit Dan Cregg-  2nd Visit and looking quite well.   Announcements: Pam Dunn-  By Invitation Only event- Thursday December 9th 5-9PM                      You can send Pam an email list o... 11/19/2010

What is Highest and Best Use? Ron Accornero   Tired of the 30-year-old home. Thinking about moving?  (I love to hear that talk). Consider a remodel project to improve the value and look of your present home and save the expense of moving to a new home where you would deal with higher taxes, Mello Roos, landscaping, fences, new furniture and association fees.   You should start by contacting an architect or designer to create plans to remodel your home. He will ask you what you're looking for and how you utilize your home. What kind of square foot additions you're looking for and how extensive you want this remodel to be. Also what kind of budget are you looking at? After he develops a set of preliminary plans, you should review them or have your designer review them to be sure it is wha... 11/17/2010

The November 11, 2010 Newsletter has been published to the Villa Park Rotary website. A copy has been included below. You may also read it on-line by visiting http://www.RotaryClubofVillaPark.org/Newsletter.cfm   Newsletter Rotary Club of Villa Park Remembering Our Veterans Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine   Villa Park Rotary remembered fallen veterans and celebrated our men and women in uniform.  Pete Moriarty LtCol US Army Retired led our invocation followed by a moment of silence for our fallen veterans. Greg Mills led the Pledge of Allegiance and Bryan Nash the Rotary Four Way Test.  Our song was America the Beautiful.   Guests: Bob Fateaux- newly elected Villa Park City Councilman Dr. Peter Gordon- Director of Sue & Bill Glass Stem Cell Research Center at UCI- speaker   Announce... 11/12/2010

The November 11, 2010 Newsletter has been published to the Villa Park Rotary website. A copy has been included below. You may also read it on-line by visiting http://www.RotaryClubofVillaPark.org/Newsletter.cfm   Newsletter Rotary Club of Villa Park Remembering Our Veterans Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine   Villa Park Rotary remembered fallen veterans and celebrated our men and women in uniform.  Pete Moriarty LtCol US Army Retired led our invocation followed by a moment of silence for our fallen veterans. Greg Mills led the Pledge of Allegiance and Bryan Nash the Rotary Four Way Test.  Our song was America the Beautiful.   Guests: Bob Fateaux- newly elected Villa Park City Councilman Dr. Peter Gordon- Director of Sue & Bill Glass Stem Cell Research Center at UCI- speaker   Announce... 11/12/2010

When is the Perfect time to Sell? By Ron Accornero   The kids are grown and gone and there are other things you like to do now, like travel and see the world.  You really don't have a need for a large home anymore, but the mortgage payment is low, so you haven't thought about selling just yet.   If you have been living in your home for 20 years or more you probably have substantial equity built up.  All that equity is just sitting there and is not earning interest and its only function is keeping your mortgage payment low.   When we were young we put a 20% down payment on our home and purchased the home as a place to live and an investment.  The beauty of this was that when our home appreciated 10% we receive the benefit of earning interest on the money we borrowed just like buying stoc... 11/11/2010

The November 4, 2010 Newsletter has been published to the Villa Park Rotary website. A copy has been included below. You may also read it on-line by visiting http://www.RotaryClubofVillaPark.org/Newsletter.cfm     Rotary Club of Villa Park Newsletter    Congratulations to our own Brad Reese on his Reelection to Villa Park City Council Sincerest Condolances to Jane and Bill McDonald   Our meeting began with an invocation by Lisa Stepanski who reminded us about our right to vote for the candidates of our choice without recriminations.  Jill Kuli led us in the Pledge of Allegiance followed by our weekly recitation of the Rotary Four Way Test led by Bryan Nash.  We sang God Bless America.   Guests: Jan Koren - a guest of Pam Dunn Joe Aschenbrenner- Yorba Linda Sunrise Rotary Tom Grundy- a ... 11/08/2010

Daylight Saving time ends tonight It's that time of the year again; time to set our clocks back, return to standard time, and "gain" an extra hour. That means this Sunday, November 7 at 2:00 am, Daylight Saving Time officially ends. Remember tonight before you go to bed to set your clock back.  Remember the phase "Spring forward, Fall Back."Enjoy your extra hour of standard time this weekend. And don't hesitate to give us a call if you'd like Real Estate Advice.. A lot has changed in the industry recently, and I can be of help to you answering your real estate questions.  You may be able to save even more money than you might think. If you go to church tomorrow and nobody is there, you forgot to set your clock back.  We will return to Daylight saving time in March 2011  Ron Accornero 11/06/2010

Bargains can be found in higher-end markets across the Country, with homes in the 34102 zip code of Naples, Fla., selling on average for $370,000 below an asking price of almost $2.3 million. Homes in the 33480 zip code of Palm Beach, Fla., for example are selling on average for $212,000 below an asking price of more than $1.2 million. John Oldham, Director of Marketing for ZipRealty declared “While we’ve seen California top the list of the country’s ‘hottest’ home sale markets for some time, we’re now seeing signs that buyers in other markets across the country—including hard-hit regions like Florida and Las Vegas—may be taking advantage of the historically low pricing and interest rates characterizing today’s market.”   He continued to say “The gap between homes selling most above and... 11/05/2010

NEW ROUTES FOR THE SANTA TOUR AND DRY-LAND BOAT PARADESanta's annual tour through the City on OCFA Engine 223, along with theDry-Land Boat Parade, are two cherished traditions here in Villa Park. Thisyear, some key changes are coming to the routes for both of thesecelebrations. With Christmas just around the corner, Santa's helpers aregetting the word out to residents so they can plan for the new routes. First, for Santa's annual tour around the City on Saturday, December 4, hewill be following a new, shorter route that will allow more time forchildren and families to visit Santa at his most popular stops. Santa's tourwill once again start at 8:00 am. Due to his busy schedule, Santa needs tobe back to the North Pole by roughly 3:30 pm that day, so children andparents are encouraged to b... 11/04/2010

Now that the election is over, what can we expect from the Real Estate Market? By Ron Accornero The Real Estate market has led the economy out of the recession in the last two recessions.  Will it happen a third time?  My opinion is that it will happen, but it will take more than low interest rates.  We have to lighten up the requirements for buyers so they can get loans.  Not like we did in the past, where we gave loans to anybody who could sign their name, but bring back the stated income with excellent credit and a history of payments.  There is a pool of buyers who can't get loans because they show no income on their IRS 1040,s because they have their own business or work in a cash industry.  These people can afford a home but can't get a loan.  We need them to get loans so we can m... 11/04/2010

What do you do when you write a great blog and nobody comments? By Ron Accornero You go back to the drawing board and think why you did not get any comments?  It is just the same when you list a great property and no one calls.  "The buck stops here."  Ask yourself what you did not do correctly.  The agents and buyers are out there waiting.  To get their attention you have to think like they think.  What do they want to hear? What do they want to learn?  The number one item that agents and buyers are looking for is price. Secondly they want a great neighborhood and third, they want a house that is brand new or a house that has been totally remodeled.  It is up you how you present the home so that you meet these qualifications.  Start with a great title, gain their interest with great pi... 11/02/2010

Should we allow Board and Care homes? By Ron Accornero Board and Care homes are homes which are allowed to be occupied by up to six persons.  A board and care operator purchases the home in a residential neighborhood. The homes usually consist of six bedrooms and are usually single story homes.  They are occupied by older people, and the operator provides meals, some transportation, cleaning and utilities.  The people who occupy these homes must be able to care for themselves in ways of personal hygiene.  The operator usually charges each person $2500 to $3000 per month which includes meals.  The tenant benefits by being able to live in an upscale neighborhood, has their own room and their meals are provided.  Also some assistance with medication is usually provided.  These homes are au... 11/01/2010

I don't always boast about a service!     By Ron Accornero We get new technology everyday that comes out and at the time it seems like the best and we got to have it.  There is one service that has been out for a while that I think is worth mentioning. It is called "docusign".  This service can save you a lot of time and money and make you look like state of the art.  Converting your Ziplogic documents to docusign and sending them to the buyers agent, buyer, sellers agent, seller, escrow and the broker to sign off on is amazing.  It can all happen in minutes and you never leave your office.  The client thinks your amazing and loves the ease of signing. Once the signature is accepted it goes through the document and as you click on the signature it moves to the next signature.  It takes ... 10/31/2010

9th Annual HalloweenFestSaturday, October 30, 20104:30 PM - 7:30 PMVilla Park Towne Centre Vendor Application The night before Halloween, the VP Towne Center suddenly becomes the happy haunting grounds for young ghosts, goblins, a few pirates, some skeletons, and lots of princesses who have escaped from their local castles. Plus, a mysterious green witch has appeared, year after year. Her cackle is so loud that it scares the bats out of the trees and right on to the Rotary grill. Seems this witch must be a good one, though, as she is always offering to help with judging of the costumes, dunkinʼ for apples with the kids or finding sweet treats for them. She has even been seen making sure that the grilled Batwurst is prepared to Ghoulia Child perfection for the Rotary Club Monster Munch.... 10/30/2010

Do Open houses sell your listing? By Ron Accornero Most of us that have been in the business for several years have all sold a listing from an open house. So we cannot say no to the question of whether or not listings sell from open houses. When sellers ask us if open houses sell listings what do we say? The correct answer is yes because occasionally a house sells from an open house.  When we list a home we agree to market that home and marketing includes referrals, open houses, advertising, flyers, signs, mailers, internet marketing, previews and what other great ideas we can think of.   It is not just one thing that sells a home.  It sometimes is a combination of many things to get a home sold.  When sellers agree we should incorporate open houses into our marketing plan to do a compl... 10/30/2010

What should I be doing in 2010? by Ron Accornero Lose weight, quit smoking, get into an exercise program, eat a better diet, keep my New Years resolutions, become more spiritual, take better care of myself, write to my relatives and learn to listen to my spouse.  These are all good resolutions to be accomplished in 2010, but what about our home?  Our homes need regular maintenance and this should be part of our year-end planning as well.  What should we be doing to our homes at this time of the year? •1)      Test the smoke detectors. - This is a life saving device that needs regular maintenance. A $1.00 battery could save your life some day. Is this worth an annual checkup?  A simple push of the test button will reveal whether it is working.  It might also be a good maintenance habit t... 10/29/2010

  The Giacobbi Groups Update on Real Estate Villa Park California92861, October 28,2010 A RECORD NUMBER OF SALES THIS YEAR TO DATE!  This year in the city of Villa Park we have had a record number of sales.  To date, October 13, 2010, 64 properties are either in escrow or have closed.   See how this compares to 2009 and 2008.  One factor has remained steady-the number of distress sales-either short sales or bank owned (REO properties) holding at approximately 33% both last year and this year.   2010:  Total of 64 properties in escrow or closed: Back Up :   9 properties, average $ per sq. ft. is $282.2 Pending:     5 properties, average $ per sq. ft. is $289.6 Closed:      50 properties, average $ per sq. ft. is $290.78 The $ per sq. ft. of the Pending and Back-ups once they close will b... 10/28/2010

The October 28, 2010 Newsletter has been published to the Villa Park Rotary website. A copy has been included below. You may also read it on-line by visiting http://www.RotaryClubofVillaPark.org/Newsletter.cfm     Rotary Club of Villa Park Newsletter Halloweenfest This Saturday Don't Forget to Vote Next Week Good Morning.  Today's meeting began with an invocation by Steve Kawa.  Our Pledge of Allegiance was led by Paul Hudson, who reminded us to get out and vote.  Pete Moriarty stood in for Bryan Nash leading us in the Rotary Four Way Test.  Our song for the morning was God Bless America.   Guests: Will Warren-  Union Bank in Villa Park- Guest of Jay Applebaum Keith Kling - Orange Rotary SGT Brian Kling- Army Spud Lambing- Orange Rotary Nathan Smith- Guest of Bob Kreisberg Kadie Karche... 10/28/2010

Feng Shui Landscaping Get rid of dead plants inside and outside of your home.  These are a very bad omen. Add color to your landscaping with flowers Add a fountain to your yard or some other items to simulate water Remove cracks or fill them in your walkway to your home. Sweep and clean your entry as well as the front door.  This is very important to visitors arriving at your home. Paint the outside of your home when needed Fix sprinklers to cover the landscaping and fix those sprinklers hitting your home with water.   The Front Entrance   The front doors are a very important part of your home.  It identifies importance Front doors should be clean and free of litter Uninviting front doors keep guest away Where the garage is in front of the door this makes the car more important than the... 10/28/2010

CHI   You cannot talk about Feng Shui without talking about "CHI".   This is part of the mystical part of Feng Shui and is a little difficult to completely understand.  In the Asian community Feng Shui is full of mystery.  People of all classes talk with great relish about Feng Shui.  It is used in commercial buildings as well as residences. Much of Feng Shui is about "CHI".  What is "CHI"?  All living things in the universe are subject to the control of the environment.  The most important concept is "air".  In fact, "air" means the ‘current" or "energy" or "CHI".  This kind of "air" if directed in a knowledgeable manner is said to promote prosperity, good health and long life.    If CHI flows through your home too fast it will cause disruption and angry feelings.  If it is too slow i... 10/28/2010