Lynne Pope is your Realtor in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach

Real Estate related industies from  Realtors, to Builders-and  all connections to that indstry have a deep concern for the future. In my circle of connections we share good news as we learn it. Our local MLS  www.SouthBayAOR.com  in the South Bay of Los Angeles, is creating a “Guide for Greening our home.” It is located in Torrance California. It serves Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo, Lawndale, Lomita . 

This Christmas let us be mindful of the energy savings we can do. Small steps…energy saving front porch light is a great start. When you order new appliances did you know to take advantage of the money you can save both initially and over time? (It’s usually posted online or on the appliance)

These are som e web links on Rebates Discounts and Special offers available TODAY.

South Bay Environmental Services Center http://www.sbesc.com

Southern California Edison www.sce.com

The Gas Company www.socalgas. com 

West Basin Municipal Water District www.westbasin.org

Merropolitan Water District of Southern California www.bewaterwise.org

www.epa.gov

www.energystar.gov

www.epa.gov/watersense

Follow the guidelines on tree removal in your local city.

Drive slower and save gas with a soft petal

Bless people in your thought as you move through the holidays. Malls, roads, bring the spirit of joy and don’t fallinto the rush.

Look into a simple thing…insurance from  the department of water and power. for a small fee you can insure the line from  your home to the main city connection, several dollars per month on your water bill.  and possibly save thousands if there is a break in between. Without it…its your property and your bill.  How did I hear about that….I read the little paper the put in the bill one day…its usually a good suggestion before you toss it away.  They usually have a tip.

Otherwise: Clean out those roof gutters, weatherstrip the doors, caulk the tub shower and sink and you are on your way to homeowners pride and JOY.

The pricier areas will likely have more short sales show up soon. Keep several things in mind…LENDERS- Investors are bidding up the lower income properties and this may be harder for the lenders who have to get people qualified for the conforming and Jumbo loans.

Redondo Beach may have some affordable properties show up in the short sale arena.

 NEW INFORMATION:

Short Sales have been difficult to close, and these new measures are a huge step in the right direction. One major highlight: A lender must give a yes or no answer to an offer within 10 days. Also included: a moving allowance, incentives for sellers and lenders, commission rules, and a stipulation that releases sellers from debt liabilities.

This is a very HOT topic. Stay tuned to know how this can help you buy or sell a home. As a CDPE specialist- (Certified Distressed Property Expert) expect to keep up on the latest breaking news.

Tis the season to be Jolly. But Fa La La- not this year. Recent “Gift Card” scam hitting the public couldn’t have come at a more powerful time. The news suggests that somehow people are able to swipe the credit card of its gift before the present is even delivered. There are dire predictions of the widespread scam and no leads at present (disclaimer here, no pun intended)  Credit gift cards are now under attack from a computer predator of some sort. Beware and avoid gift cards for the present time- the holiday season.
The safe way is just regift this year. We all have too much stuff & little cash anyway.

Good credit card fraud department:
Only this year I got a call from my credit card company and the fraud department. They knew my card was likely stolen before I did. My card was in my wallet. Someone in San Diego had made 2 cash withdrawals of 500 each in different places. I was shocked that someone could use my card when I still had it. I was also surprised they  figured it out! You may think that you are only a number to the world but by golly they knew this was Not my buying habit.Wow. The predator was someone in our nearby Arco station that put some kind of device on the atm that stole the number and the pin. This Redondo Beach Arco station bilked so much money out of our local people that the station is now closed. Within 10 days the money was returned to my account by the Bank. They never caught the criminals but they stopped that location for scam.

Gas station issue number 2

I was at a Chevron station and it said to see attendant when I put in my zip code. I started walking  toward the attendant and decided to just get gas later. I flipped around and got in my car and drove off.  Only later in the day did I realize my wallet was missing. Did I lose it? Was it stolen? I started calling the credit card companies and sure enough my wallet was taken and a credit card used. In a split second the wallet was taken and not my purse! Are we aware how close we are to people as we pump gas? I am now and was not then. The security cameras were not working either. Had I xeroxed all my credit cards in my purse front and back? Not then but when I got all the new ones I did. It will make it easier for me if it ever happens again. The good part is that I prayed for my wallet to be returned. It was a week later. The wallet and credit cards were tossed out in a parking lot of a local restaurant. A kind caller scooped them up and called me- My business card was inside. The drivers license, small amount of money and gift cards to the movies were gone but I got back all the other things I needed, like my NAR real estate card and Vons and Barnes and Noble card. I learned a valuable lesson and a nice person returned most of my wallet.
This takes me to credit ( another no pun intended) a writer for 2 amazing articles on credit cards.

This investment news is brought to you by Money and Markets. Money and Markets is a free daily investment newsletter from Martin D. Weiss and Weiss Research analysts offering the latest investing news and financial insights for the stock market, including tips and advice on investing in gold, energy and oil. Dr. Weiss is a leader in the fields of investing, interest rates, financial safety and economic forecasting. To view archives or subscribe, visit http://www.moneyandmarkets.com. The November 9th article is on archive about Credit cards are not  our friend and he blames borrowers and credit card companies for the current state of disrepair- jacking up fees at will. This one basically explains the overall history in a nutshell.

Does ¢â‚¬Å“Unfair Isaac¢â‚¬Â Give Credit Where It¢â‚¬â„¢s Due?

by Nilus Mattive   06-30-09

In the Dividend Superstars issue that just went to press, I talked about FICO credit scores ¢â‚¬â€ the three-digit numbers that greatly determine how much money we can borrow, what interest rates we pay, and even how employers and landlords view us.

And I think this information is so critical to your financial life that I want to go over some of the details again here in Money and Markets today. Plus, I want to tell you why I think the system as it stands today is treating many responsible savers and borrowers unfairly in these credit-crunched times. That¢â‚¬â„¢s something I didn¢â‚¬â„¢t have room for in the latest Dividend Superstars newsletter.

So let¢â‚¬â„¢s get into it ¢â‚¬Â¦

The Basics of Credit Scores

If you¢â‚¬â„¢ve been reading my columns and issues, you know I firmly believe you should pull your credit reports from the three major reporting agencies ¢â‚¬â€ Equifax, Experian, and Transunion ¢â‚¬â€ once a year. Doing so is now completely free because of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

You can choose to pull all three reports at one time, or space them out throughout the year so you get a frequent look into your records.

Whatever way you choose to do it, look for errors, incorrect addresses, or any suspicious activity. If you have questions or corrections, don¢â‚¬â„¢t hesitate to contact the agency. After all, your credit score affects the interest rates you pay on all kinds of loans.

To get those reports, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228. You can also request them by mail at: Annual Credit Report Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

Of course, when you pull those reports you WILL NOT see your actual credit score, which is derived from your reports.

The most commonly cited credit score number is known as your ¢â‚¬Å“FICO score,¢â‚¬Â named after the firm that created it, Fair Isaac Co. The three-digit number falls between 300 and 850, with most people falling into the 600s or 700s.

Landlords and employers use credit scores as a way to get a sense of who you are, and as I noted, a FICO score greatly affects your borrowing ability. Fair Isaac says a borrower with a 580 might pay three percentage points more for a loan than someone with a 720!

The importance of your FICO is only getting more dramatic with the ongoing credit crunch. Some mortgage lenders have even been creating additional tiers above the 740-750 level, which has typically represented the general cutoff point for their ¢â‚¬Å“best¢â‚¬Â customers.

How a FICO Score Is Calculated,
Along With Recent Important Changes ¢â‚¬Â¦

Fair Isaac¢â‚¬â„¢s website gives the following general guidelines:

• Your payment history counts for 35%. Being late on credit card balances, declaring bankruptcy, and other factors fall into this category.
• Your debt counts for another 30%. This includes your overall debt vs. credit available, the balances on individual cards, and similar factors.
• The length of credit history makes up 15%. In simple terms, the longer your credit history, the better your score will be.
• Applications for new credit contribute 10%. Whenever you go shopping for a mortgage or open a new credit card, your score can potentially suffer.

The rest of your score comes from a mix of other factors. And note that the exact algorithm behind the FICO score is a closely guarded secret that is continually being tweaked.

For example, in February of 2009 Fair Isaac made a number of important changes to the formula:

1. Only spouses and children are able to piggyback onto your cards to boost their scores.
2. Debts of less than $100 that go into collections do less damage to your score.
3. Having less available credit hurts a score more.
4. A healthy smattering of loans (i.e. student, mortgage, credit card, etc.) helps a score.
5. Closing accounts hurts a score.
6. Single negative events may have less of an effect.

So How Can You Help Your Score
(Or At Least Not Hurt It)?

Here are some of the basic steps you can take:

First, you should keep a few credit cards open for as long as possible, and with high available lines of credit even if you aren¢â‚¬â„¢t really using them all that often.

It can make sense to close a couple newer cards, especially if they levy annual fees, but be careful that you¢â‚¬â„¢ll still have a healthy amount of available credit and a long continuous history.

Cancelling credit cards might actually hurt your credit score!

And don¢â‚¬â„¢t let your few cards sit completely idle because lenders may unexpectedly close them, reduce your available credit, or stop reporting the activity to the credit agencies.

Second, you should not go around opening new cards just to get those initial 10 percent-off discounts or shopping for a home equity loan just to see what rate you can get. FICO tries to account for similar credit inquiry activity all falling within a small window (roughly 45 days) such as when you go mortgage shopping, but it still makes sense to limit your activity in this area.

Third, high balances are to be avoided. And if possible, you should spread out your activity among a few cards.

Fourth, don¢â‚¬â„¢t forget about the simple steps like consistently paying bills on time and correcting errors on your credit reports, either.

Yet All This Begs One Last Question:
Is the FICO System Even Fair in Today¢â‚¬â„¢s Environment?

Think about some of the steps I just outlined: Keep cards open that you aren¢â‚¬â„¢t really using ¢â‚¬Â¦ have a ¢â‚¬Å“healthy mix of debt¢â‚¬Â ¢â‚¬Â¦ and don¢â‚¬â„¢t shop around for loans very often.

Do those make sense to you? Do those sound like steps a conservative consumer should take?

No way!

And yet these are apparently some of the best ways to get ¢â‚¬â€ and keep ¢â‚¬â€ a top credit score.

Consider this case: A hypothetical borrower has paid cash for his house and cars. He uses just one rewards card for all his purchases and pays off the balance in full every month, though he sometimes changes what card he uses based on the best rewards program at the time. And he frequently rolls his savings into CDs with whatever bank pays the highest rates.

Now, that sounds like someone I would loan money to! I mean, the guy has no debt and makes sound financial decisions.

Yet, as far as the FICO system is concerned, he doesn¢â‚¬â„¢t have much of a credit history nor a smattering of loans. And all that credit card and CD shopping will also cause a lot of credit report pulls.

Oh, and get this: From what I¢â‚¬â„¢ve heard, the FICO system doesn¢â‚¬â„¢t recognize patterns like regularly paying off large credit card balances. So in our hypothetical example, Mr. Conservative would also show a high debt-to-available credit balance.

Now, I¢â‚¬â„¢m sure this guy would still have a very decent score. And if he¢â‚¬â„¢s cash rich and debt free, he probably wouldn¢â‚¬â„¢t give a darn what Fair Isaac¢â‚¬â„¢s system thought of him, either.

But what if he did decide to go shopping for a second home mortgage? Would the system ¢â‚¬â€ or the lenders who blindly rely on it ¢â‚¬â€ actually see him for the low-risk borrower he is?

My general impression is that FICO is best applied to the masses ¢â‚¬â€ people who live with all kinds of loans and spend the rest of their days faithfully paying off little bits here and there. And I guess that¢â‚¬â„¢s exactly who lenders want to court, too.

Still, anyone who is responsible and doesn¢â‚¬â„¢t fit ¢â‚¬Å“the mold¢â‚¬Â might be left calling FICO¢â‚¬â„¢s creator ¢â‚¬Å“Unfair Isaac¢â‚¬Â when it¢â‚¬â„¢s time to shop for a loan.

Best wishes,

Nilus

Got to love Saturday night live, because we live in California we spend about 10 times more for a house and sometimes have jobs that allow us to pay that mortgage. The Government has not really figured out the State of California and NY and a few other places don’t fit the “one size fits all ” regime of thought.

The first time home buyer credit did help one of my buyers this year! Hooray.

It was almost a miracle. Getting the right home in escrow and closing in the timeframe.  Now with the new tax credit…it could help others.

However…see if it “Fits” your income.

“The first-time homebuyer tax credit may be restricted by the taxpayer¢â‚¬â„¢s income.  The tax credit starts to phase out for an individual taxpayer with a modified adjusted gross income from $75,001 to $95,000 (or $150,001 to $170,000 for joint filers).  The tax credit is eliminated entirely if an individual¢â‚¬â„¢s modified adjusted gross income is over $95,000 (or $170,000 for joint filers).  (26 U.S.C. § 36(b)(2″

Soon I will add a page from NAR that shows the way the formula could work if you fit the income formula. Your lender and tax people will have to get involved with you to actually work out all the facts. Your realtor can help get you all you need on the house, the time frame and keep the ball in the air till your people measure your exact profile to see if it works.

The Avenues in Redondo have just had a huge hive of wonderful bees removed from the area by Bee Catchers 866- 544 0074. They provided the humane moving service to take the whole colony away to newer diggs. The local kids were getting stung playing in their yards. Cartwheeling, baseball and gymnastics had all but stopped for a while. The kids have had to be cautious before.

Some of us have NO on a dog to ask for the yards to be free of dog visitors who can use the area between the sidewalk and street.

Back to Bees. www.beecatcherssocal.com  remove and relocate these useful busy little buzzers.  Google bee removal to find other great groups like www.beerescue.com/

Our neighbors used the first group although there may be local groups too. There are 50 types of bumble bees in N. America. Every bee is a good bee.

The removal guys come out and remove the siding, remove the hive and a ton of bees. the worker bees left buzzing around will hang around for about 2 weeks. Wow how would you feel if the whole town left and you and your patrol group were all that was left of the group…Twilight zone…yea I know.