MURRIETA/TEMECULA/MENIFEE CA. REAL ESTATE - CAMERON WILSON

 It is not a secret that home prices in Murrieta Ca. are down as we are no different than other parts of the country and this has created a mindset with many consumers that houses are selling for pennies on the dollar,especially if the property is bank owned (REO), and they want to go "fishing" for a deal. There really are some great deals on homes right now but they are not free and yesterday I had the privilege to hand over the keys to a beautiful home to a client, Ryan, who now understands the real estate market.

 Ryan looked at five REO properties in the beginning of our search and I showed him the comps on each property before he decided to make a offer on one in particular but the offer he wanted to make was ridiculously low but he insisted on making the offer. I explained to him the bank not only would reject his offer they might not even respond to it but I would write this offer on the condition that this would be the only "fishing" trip he and I would go on together. One week later we called the listing agent who happened to be a friend of mine and Ryan was shocked to hear that the bank was not going to respond.

 We found Ryan another home and the bank had just reduced the price 10% but they agreed to drop another 4% and pay $5000 towards Ryan's closing costs and he is thrilled with his purchase as he is now an informed consumer with a better understanding of the real estate market.

 Educating the consumer is my responsibility as a Realtor.

 Today one of the agents in my office came to ask me a question about a listing she wanted to take and did I have time to help her as she couldn't find the broker.

 She said a possible client had called her about listing a property he had inherited and could she list it and she wanted to know how to do the contract. I asked if the property would need to go through probate or did it pass through a trust set up by the deceased. Her response was it was in a trust and the gentleman who called was the executor of the trust. I told how to go about this simple process and to make sure she furnished escrow with the notarized copies naming the executor when the property sold but to go ahead and list the property.

 Now to the classic question she asked me: Which person would need to sign the paperwork, the executor or the person who owned the property before the death?

 I told her to think about it for a moment and when I could see the light bulb wasn't lighting up, couldn't help myself, I told her whichever person could pick up the pen and sign their name was the person you are looking for.

 With all the media reports from the so called Experts we all have been hearing about recently on how bad the real estate market is and how it will continue to decline all I can offer is the market report for my primary area of Temecula, Murrieta and Menifee California.

 In January 2008 we had 49 properties go into pending status (accepted offers) and that was an OUCH month.

 In Febuary 2008 there were 338 properties that went into escrow.

 From March 1st 251 properties have gone into escrow and many of these properties had more than 1 offer so those buyers are still looking for another property which in turn will bring more sales this month.

 These numbers are not going to bring us out of the current real estate slump but the numbers presented here do show the market, at least in my area, is picking up contrary to the media reports of gloom and doom. Is it a good time to purchase real estate? Obviously the 638 people that purchased in this valley think so.

 Murrieta Ca. is a city that has grown to a population of 100,000 since it incorporated in 1991 with 27,000 residents and was a close-knit small town. The residents, myself included, voted to tax ourselves so our own fire department could be formed and the dept. has been a source of community pride ever since.

 Today we once again have that small town sense of community as we mourn the death of one of our first firefighters, Captain Matt Moore, who passed away Monday night after being in the hospital since December fighting a rare form of meningitis.

 On Saturday March 8 the residents of Murrieta came together for a pancake breakfast fundraiser to benefit Capt. Moore and his family and raised close to $40,000 to help them thru this difficult time. What a great community we are fortunate to live in and be a part of and Capt. Moore will be greatly missed not only by his family and fellow firefighters but by the whole city as we have lost one of our own.

 Donations to the Matt Moore Family Fund that has been set up by the Murrieta International Association of Firefighters can be made at Wells Fargo Bank, 41232 Murrieta Hot Springs Road.

 The Murrieta Ca. firefighters auxiliary held a pancake breakfast today, March 8,2008, for Captain Matt Moore and the good people of Murrieta stepped up to the plate and helped this brave firefighter and his family to the reported total of $38,000.

 Capt. Moore and his brother Capt. Mark Moore were two of the first firefighters hired by the city of Murrieta 18 years ago and both have worked their way up the ranks to their current rank of Captain and coming from a family of firemen they know the danger of their profession and they face it proudly. Recently Capt. Matt Moore fell into a coma due to an obscure form of meningitis that has invaded his body. His wife Sherry and their three children, Alyssa 16, Trent & Brandon 13, are praying for a miracle for this wonderful husband and father and the firefighters in Murrieta took it upon themselves to help the family of their brother and what a terrific job they have done.

 When Southern California was on ablaze last year these brave men and women were in the midst of the firestorms risking their lives for all of us and now the people of Murrieta have said Thank You to Capt. Matt Moore and his family in their time of need.

 May God bless this family and all the firefighters across this great land as it takes a special person to run into a burning building as everyone else is running out.

 How to donate; The Murrieta International Association of Firefighters has set up a fund to benefit the Moore family. To make a donation to the Matt Moore Family Fund, contact Natalie Martinez at Wells Fargo, 41232 Murrieta Hot Springs Road, or call the associations president,Capt. Mike Ramos, at (951) 970-5712

 Due to the rise in foreclosure rates across the country and the problem of neglect with some of these properties the city of Murrieta Ca. on Tuesday March 4th adopted an ordinance that will require lenders holding these real estate owned (REO) properties to keep up with the maintenance or they will be fined.

 The ordinance requires lenders to maintain security and landscaping on the homes which they have taken possession. Lenders will be fined $100 per day for failing to register the property or failing to post that the property is bank owned; $250 for allowing lawns to die or failing to remove graffiti, litter or weeds. In addition they will be fined $500 for unmaintained swimming pools with stagnant water or unsecured structures on the property; and up to $1000 if the city learns public utility theft happens on the property.

 As a Realtor who works with REO properties on a daily basis I can understand the position of the city and all of us want to get families into these homes as quickly as possible but the city has to work with the agents and not come down with a heavy hand and impossibly short timeliness.

 The cost of business just went up and we agents who market these properties pay for the utilities and now the upkeep upfront and then wait for reimbursement from the lenders so all we ask from the city is cooperation and understanding.

 In the meantime I guess I'll go Mow the lawn.

 Recently I had the fortunate opportunity to help the most inspiring couple I have ever worked with in my 20 years in the Real Estate industry purchase a home. Bill and Kristi, last name withheld upon request, are two people who live life to its fullest everyday and when problems arise and they are dealt lemons they make lemonade and keep on living life. Something you should know about Bill & Kristi is the fact they are blind.

  At 8:05 on a Saturday morning my phone rang at the office and the caller wanted some Real Estate questions answered so I did my best to answer them and then Kristi told me she & her husband Bill had made a deposit on a yet to be built 2 story townhouse and the builder had told her it was the best price in our area and everything would be fine. I confirmed that this builder had good prices and delivered a nice product and that's when Kristi told me she and Bill are blind but they were told their were no homes cheaper than these townhouses and was that the truth because that was more than they wanted to spend and it was a 2 story home that posed danger to them. I made a appointment to meet them at their apartment so they could show me their likes and dis-likes about their current home and after talking with them for 3 hours I left on a mission to find them a home that met their unique needs praying the whole time as these folks were placing more trust in me than anyone had ever done in the past.

 Bill & Kristi have been in their single story home within a 55+ senior community for six months now and they could not be happier since it is not only safer for them they paid $78,000 dollars less than the townhouse and they have made many new friends myself included. This lovely blind couple taught me to see with my eyes closed and I will be eternally grateful to them for that and showing homes to them was unique butthat will be saved for another day as that is not the point of this blog.

 We all place trust in others in our lives and others place their trust in us at times not only in the Real Estate industry but with Doctors, Lawyers, Friends, Family and the list goes on and on but the question I pose to all of us is do we take that trust seriously and treat it with honor and respect or do we take it for granted because thats what we do?

 TRUST: May we not take it for granted.

 Your opinions are valued not only to myself but to others as well. Life is too short to not have an opinion and voice it.

 After a long day that began at 5:30am I finally arrived at home tired but happy that we closed a purchase on a foreclosed property in Murrieta Ca. for my buyer client who had the misfortune of being in a rental property in Menifee Ca. that went into foreclosure and as in most instances went back to the bank.

 Needless to say this was a shock to my clients when they found out they were going to need to move and it was understandable to me when we met that they were anxious and scared so we began the process to find them a house to buy and make it their home. Now, I work the listing side of real estate owned (REO) properties representing the sellers (banks) and the buyers side in some circumstances and in this case I represented the buyers as we found a house that a friend of mine had just put on the market and guess what, it was an REO.

 Being involved in many REO transactions this was nothing new to me but little did I know what lay in store for us as we proceeded off to escrow with this transaction. To make a long story short this thing went sideways and to the listing agents credit because of their experience and to my experience and my clients trust and patience plus 72 hours of hands on work we got this transaction closed and my clients will be moving into their new home this weekend.

 Due to the nature of the real estate business sometimes the public does not fully understand what really is involved behind the scene in a real estate transaction but as a Professional I consider that simply as " thats what I do" and do my best to make the dreams and goals of my clients become reality. This was the case here but I have to admit it stretched me further than ever before and I could only imagine the stress on my clients but through it all they hung in there to the end.

 Back to arriving at home I just received a phone call from my clients, that brought about this article, thanking me for my work and I had to thank them for their effort as well and the greatest compliment I have ever received was this, We will sleep well tonight.

 May their sleep be sound and their dreams sweet.

What is the best compliment you have received?