STAGING YOUR HOME - DECLUTTER

Clutter, both inside and outside your home makes it extremely hard for the buyers to visualize moving into your home. Your knick-knacks may have significant value, personal or financial, but potential buyers don't know that. Besides, do you want to take the chance of having someone handle your priceless artifact and drop it? Pack all those precious mementos.

The clutter will directly affect the buyer’s ability to focus on your home and they will most likely overlook your key selling features. In addition, clutter has the affect of making your home appear smaller than it is. Removing the clutter makes your home feel open and spacious.

STAGING YOUR HOME - DEPERSONALIZE

Home staging is a crucial step to help a buyer connect with your home and visualize themselves living in it. Staging showcases the house in the best possible light. After all, we never get a second chance to make a first impression. It is imperative that your house is “dressed to impress.”


First, depersonalize your home. Your home is filled with all of your personal memorabilia, but to the buyers it represents a huge distraction. People need to be able to envision their family photos on the fireplace mantle. Your photos make it feel like your home and they are just guests. Your objective is to change the view of your home from “lived in” to “ready to move in.”

STAGING YOUR HOME

Staging your home does not have to mean renting all new furniture and moving out. Staging a home could simply mean cleaning, packing and de-cluttering. When you are ready to sell your home, you must keep several extremely important things in mind.


In this crazy real estate market, your home must stand out from the crowd to get it sold for what it is worth. Over the next several days, we will blog about some of the most important things you can do to make a potential buyer say “Wow…this is a really nice house!”

SAN CLEMENTE HIGH CLASS OF 68 REUNION

The 40 year reunion for the San Clemente High School Class of 1968 is set for Sunday, September 21 at Lucy's El Patio in Capo Beach at 2pm. For more information, click here.

FAVORITE RESTAURANT MOVES TO SAN CLEMENTE

How would you like it if your favorite restaurant moved to San Clemente? If there is a restaurant you frequently travel to and would like to see it in SC, tell us. We will send them a letter letting them know about this great opportunity we have to buy a building perfect for a restaurant. Who knows, your favorite restaurant may be the new SC hot spot!

EVER DREAM OF OWNING A RESTAURANT?

A classic “Spanish Colonial Revival” building has just come on the market in North Beach. The vision for North Beach is to establish an entertainment and recreation area that serves as the gateway to the city, yet retain a unique sense of place and beach town character. The theme of the area is “fun” through the further development of restaurants, entertainment, retail, hotel & recreational uses.

Be a part of the revitalization. The front “dining” open area & restroom is 1,800 square feet (approx.) with a potential kitchen of over 900 square feet. In addition there is a 1,300 square foot outdoor “Al Fresco” dining area.

With all the new construction underway and new development proposals being processed, this property will see the full advantage of the North Beach vision.

We invite you to experience San Clemente and look forward to bringing your restaurant to San Clemente.

FORECLOSURES SET NEW RECORD

A record number of Orange County homeowners lost their homes to foreclosure in July, DataQuick reported today.

The number of foreclosures reached 1,351 last month, topping the previous record, set in May, by 220. It’s the third straight month that O.C. foreclosures have topped 1,000. In June, lenders foreclosed on 1,056 homes.

The news of record foreclosures comes as DataQuick also reported that the average price of an O.C. home tumbled 28% last month and the number of homes sold rose for the first time in 33 months

OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY

SATURDAY AUGUST 16 11AM TO 4PM

OPEN HOUSE

10385 Verdugo Road, Murrieta

On the Orange County line, approximately 5 miles down Ortega Hwy from San Antonio in gated Rancho Carrillo across from Caspers Park entrance.

Wilderness home away from the city and crowds to live alongside your horses, livestock and animals. Over 3 secluded acres of level premium lot and horse pasture with a cozy three bedroom, two bath, two story ranch house. Enjoy the friendly equestrian neighborhood complete with trails, open space, and community center.

Call Roxann Fraser for more information and directions. 949-690-5840

OCEAN VIEW AND WALK TO BEACH!

A beautifully remodeled single-level house with ocean views at the top of Calle Frontera. Located in one of the Coast District’s most desireable areas. Where a huge & private 10,000 square foot lot backs up to a greenbelt. Where the large yard has grapevines that climb the patio cover and passion fruit covers the archways over the French doors. Where the outdoor kitchen with built-in BBQ, firepit and above ground spa invite you to gather with family and friends.

3030 Calle Frontera is offered at $1,080,000. Contact Bob Hesse for a private showing at 949.276.8000

ATTENTION BUSINESS OWNERS

Are you looking to relocate your office? DCP Commercial currently has over 15,000 square feet of office space available. You don't have to move out of San Clemente. This office space is downtown and priced to lease. Call Bob Hesse for more information. 949.276.8000

PENDING SALES ON THE RISE

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said sales have been in a pattern of rising and falling within a fairly narrow range. “The vacillation of data from one month to the next indicates a housing market in transition,” he said. “The rise in pending home sales was broad-based with all four regions showing gains. This is welcome news because a rise in contract activity is necessary for an overall housing recovery. With a tax credit now available to first-time home buyers, increases in home sales could be sustained with the momentum carrying into 2009.”

BEACH BUNGALOW FOR RENT

Check out this charming 2 bedroom, 1 bathrooms single story home for rent in San Clemente's Pier Bowl. Walk to the beach, the Pier or downtown in 5 minutes. Located in the heart of everything San Clemente has to offer. Recently renovated and has a fireplace and yard, this place won't last!

Call 949.276.8000 for more information

TIGHT SECURITY

Surveillance cameras (300,000) will outnumber athletes (12,000) by 25-to-1 at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games that begin Friday (8/08/08) in Beijing, China (source: Financial Times, USA Today).

AVOIDING FORECLOSURE

In order for a homeowner to qualify for assistance under the housing bill signed into law by President Bush last Wednesday, the individual or couple must be spending at least 31% of their monthly income on their mortgage payment and they must be living in the home. By refinancing their existing mortgage into a 30-year fixed rate loan backed by the government, the borrower agrees to share any future profit from the sale of the home with the government (source: The Library of Congress).

SAY GOOD-BYE TO THE SIGNS

The San Clemente City Council has decided not to appeal the decision made by the Orange County Superior Court.

You may or may not remember back in May, residents of San Clemente that oppose the signs approved by City Council went to court. A group called San Clemente Citizens for Integrity in Development say the Marblehead Coastal Outlet Center signs don't follow state and city codes as they were approved. The Orange County Superior Court agreed.

Do you think a new sign design will come any time soon?

Absolutely Incredible Property

A beautifully remodeled single-level house with ocean views at the top of Calle Frontera. Located in one of the Coast District’s most desireable areas. Where a huge & private 10,000 square foot lot backs up to a greenbelt. Where the large yard has grapevines that climb the patio cover and passion fruit covers the archways over the French doors. Where the outdoor kitchen with built-in BBQ, firepit and above ground spa invite you to gather with family and friends.

3030 Calle Frontera

For more information, contact Bob Hesse or Brooke Mackenzie at 949-276.8000

FORECLOSURE ASSISTANCE

The President signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 Into Law. Some of the key provisions include assistance to those facing foreclosure and communities devestated by foreclosure.

The HOPE for Homeowners Act: Creates an initiative within the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to prevent foreclosures for hundreds of thousands of families at no estimated cost to American taxpayers.

Assistance for Communities Devastated by Foreclosures: To ensure that communities can mitigate the harmful effects of foreclosures, $3.92 billion in supplemental Community Development Block Grant Funds will be provided to communities hardest hit by foreclosures and delinquencies.

Foreclosure Counseling for Families in Need: To help families avoid foreclosure, the bill provides $180 million in additional funding for housing counseling and legal services for distressed borrowers.