While we sell Santa Clarita real estate, and are experts when it comes to the 4 walls and roof stuff, one of the most common questions posed to us agents is in regards to traffic conditions and commute times! It’s true!

With Santa Clarita being so close to Los Angeles, many Santa Claritans, and those looking to relocate to the Santa Clarita Valley, have the need to commute to the LA areas for work.

How Long Is The Commute To…?

Now you can consult Walk Score for the answer!  Walk Score is a website that offers information about how close (or far) any one address is from places such as stores, parks, schools, restaurants, and…you get the point. They relate the addresses proximity via a score of 0-100. The larger the number, the more pedestrian friendly the address inputted. Walk Score has become an integral part of real estate listings online. Often times the Walk Score shows up right next to a price, or other key information about a home. Walk Score now offers a new metric…commute time!

If you’re new to an area, or just considering how long it takes to drive from one end of town to the other, Walk Score’s Commute Report can easily assist you. Just type in your address on the home page, or an address you’re considering to rent/purchase, then click the Your Commute tab. There you’ll input the address you commute to, to render the Commute Report and all of its wonderful information.

It’ll tell you how long it’d take you to walk there.

It’ll tell you how long it’d take to bike there.

And, most useful, how long it’d take to drive there!

Is There Traffic at ___ Time?

Now if only the Commute Report at Walk Score actually told you what the commute would be at various times of day, or at a time you inputted as your commute time. That’d be cool! Perhaps they’re reading this and will add that? 

Thinking of relocating to Santa Clarita? Will you be commuting for work? Curious about how long it takes to get from point A to point B? We can still answer these questions for you. It’s what we do. And having lived in the Santa Clarita Valley our entire lives, we know a thing or two about it! Contact us here at The Robert and Brian Team, let’s connect about your commute…and maybe even homes?

Around here, we pay the Santa Clarita Sunshine Tax. It’s baked into most prices. Most communities around the United States get a fair amount of sunshine during the spring and summer. And their cost of living isn’t affected, too much.

Come to Southern California, however, and the cost of living goes up. Why?

BAM!

Sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. Visibility for miles. Oh, and it’s 81 degrees here in the Santa Clarita Valley on January 5, 2012. I’ve come to the conclusion, that we’re either really blessed here in Southern California, or the world really is ending in 2012? With temps like this, who cares? I say, let’s keep paying the Sunshine Tax here in Southern California, so long as Mother Nature keeps up the good work.

Santa Clarita in January 2012

January 5, 2012 - Valencia, Ca temperature.

Homebuyers. They can be both the very thing the drives me, and the very thing that drives me nuts. They’re a diverse lot. They have lows. They have highs. Some have thank you cards and wine when you hand them keys, others have lawyers to right a wrong.

It got me thinking. Who is it, that I deal with on a day to day basis?

They’re people at the end of the day. They are me. They are you. They are them. They just come in all sorts of different personalities. Here’s my take on the variety.

The 5 types of homebuyers. Which one are you?

The Grinder

This homebuyer likes to…grind. They are the deal seekers who pack a tool belt with a grinder in it (is there such a tool?). While getting the deal they want is the ultimate goal, The Grinder is also extremely well versed in the minutia of a real estate transaction, and is there to micromanage. As if a full 30 days of constant negotiations isn’t enough, The Grinder always has stamina for more. Before 9am, only The Grinder could put their agent on hold after they were the one to have made the call, and then subsequently show up to the real estate office without notice to set the record straight. The phone call just wasn’t enough. Like the praying mantis, The Grinder will eat their own, a team member if you will, if that’s what it takes to make the deal go through. The home must be had. No. Matter. What. That is The Grinder. Don’t feel bad Grinders. Wait? Who am I kidding? They don’t have feelings!

The Note Taker

If you’re compelled to bring a note pad, or your iPad, to the home tour and note how many stars each home earned (1-5)…you may be The Note Taker. Real Estate agents usually get along very well with The Note Taker. Rarely is there a conversation not based in fact, since The Note Taker is usually just clarifying what they already knew and had written down. During the contract and disclosure signings, The Note Taker is very fastidious. They’ll be the ones to spot a missed signature or, remind their agent that their take-home stack is missing a particular copy. The Note Taker will usually take the advice of their real estate agent, and feel accomplished when they start to really “get” how the whole buying a house process works.

The Stresscase

If you’re prone to getting cold feet, or buyer’s remorse, then you may be The Stresscase. Much of an agents energy is spent calming the nerves of The Stresscase, and reassuring them that the home purchase is in-fact going as planned. Quite often, The Stresscase is inclined to think that the transaction has strayed off course, and the deal is close to falling apart. While back in Realityland, what seems like the end of the world, is simply one of the interesting cogs to a real estate transaction, and usually gets ironed out within a day or two. To keep the nerves at bay, to the extent that they can be, The Stresscase needs replies to their emails after 10pm. They also prefer to have their agents home phone number, just in-case the world does end after hours. The Stresscase is also likely to friend their agent on Facebook and secretly look for the agent’s Foursquare check-ins, just to make sure they aren’t taking a vacation during the escrow process. After-all, that would cause stress. In the end, it usually works out for The Stresscase, and all the worry was for nothing. Not only do they get the home, but they identified with, and made a friend out of their stressed out agent.

The AWOL

If you’re the type to plan a two week vacation in the middle of your four week escrow, and or not even attend your own home inspection…then you may be AWOL. You have the ability to throw caution to the wind. Being AWOL and all, you’re very busy, and you must somehow fit this home buying crap into the schedule. Bank shmank. They give you 10 days to inspect the home, and you need 25. After all, your plane doesn’t land back in ____ until ____. The AWOL homebuyer doesn’t usually feel that buying the home is as urgent as, let’s say, The Stresscase. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. They’ll usually apologize and thank everyone for their time. They’ll be back and ready to look for another home, when they have time.

The Faithful

If you think that you’re a cross between The Note Taker and the AWOL homebuyer, then you may actually be the Faithful buyer. The Faithful homebuyer totally entrusts their agent. They rely on their advice, without jotting down every word. The Faithful tend to show up for all necessary appointments such as the home inspection, disclosure signing, loan document signing, and finally to just pick up keys. There aren’t many calls however. Nor emails. You’re qualified, able, and question-less, mostly. You just trust, and have faith in your real estate agent. You hired an excellent agent, and you prefer to let them do their job. You prefer to be on a “need to know” basis so you don’t turn into The Stresscase. Perhaps you’re a seasoned homebuyer, and you’ve worked with the same real estate agent for years?  You have faith that it will all go as planned. This way you can focus on all the other details involved with the move, such as packing, and arranging for future home improvements.

In Summary…

There isn’t one business in the world where raw emotions and personalities shine through, as much as they do, in real estate. Ok, well, maybe in the Wedding Planning biz, too? Real estate is usually the biggest investment one will ever make. So it makes sense that you’d want a deal, and grind until you get that deal. It makes sense, that you’d get stressed when making such a huge life-changing decision. It’s prudent of you, to become a student of the game, take notes, and ask questions, before moving forward. It makes sense, that after years of experience buying homes, and years of experience working with your real estate agent, that you’d have faith in the process, and let go a bit.

What doesn’t make any sense to this day, is…for the love of God, why would you go on a 2 week vacation during escrow!? C’mon AWOL!

So which one are you? Award yourself with 5 bonus points for being honest.

Some Santa Clarita Realtors work. And some perk.

What does this mean?

We’re a self employed bunch, us Realtors. And what with real estate being so important to the economy and all, the business of real estate should be treated seriously by those who work in it.

The real estate industry is full of very serious, hard working full time agents, and even part time agents who float two or more jobs. A full time real estate agent isn’t necessarily better than a part time agent. Though you may have your preferences as to who you align with, when diving into the Santa Clarita real estate market.

Some agents, however, don’t work. They aren’t students of the ever changing real estate market. They don’t closely follow market conditions. They don’t engage in networking to procure the best deal for their clients.

What does this lot of agents do?

They just perk.

They take advantage of the fact that there’s no clock in or out. Perhaps they’re taking golfing lessons with their lender of the week. Or enjoying free lunches at office meetings and skipping out on the actual reason for the meeting. They’re sipping coffee and looking good, but avoiding the work.

With this job, there comes a lot of responsibility and duty to our clients. There happens to be a few perks, as is true in many fields of work.

What type of Santa Clarita Realtor are you going to hire for the job of selling your home, or finding your next home to buy?

One that works? Or one that perks? Be careful.

For a team that works…for you, contact us here at The Robert and Brian Team.

Most of you have heard by now, that almost everyone needs to install a Carbon Monoxide detector, or two, or three, into their Santa Clarita home. The new California legislation went into effect July 1, 2011, for single family homes.

More specifically, if your single family home has any gas appliances (fossil fuel burning as they say), or an attached garage, or a fireplace, then this law applies to you. You must install carbon monoxide detectors that have been certified by the State Fire Marshal. The Fire Marshal must approve the detectors and the instructions that come along with them. I’m sure that all the reputable places like The Home Depot, etc, will only be selling the detectors that have been certified. Just make sure to check the brand here to see if it’s on the California Fire Marshal approved list of Carbon Monoxide Detectors.

The law basically reads (and read it for yourself), that a carbon monoxide detector must be installed outside  of each separate sleeping area, in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms, and on every floor level, including basements (which we don’t have much or any of in CA).

This new California law, SB 183, will take effect on January 1, 2013 for duplex, apartment, and condominium units. Currently it applies to single family homes.

Whatever your opinion on the new legislation, it’s time to make sure whether or not you’re compliant. Own rental property in Santa Clarita? Have tenants? Things to think about.

I haven’t stopped to realize, just how many blog posts have been published here at SCREF (Santa Clarita Real Estate Forum). While some of the 600 posts haven’t been worthy of your time or attention, a lot of hard work and time has been put into this blog. Selling homes is what we do best here at The Robert and Brian Team, talking about it, I suppose, is what we do, second best.

This is more a medium for us to have some fun, outside of our normal RE duties. And hopefully, in that process, we’ve given you, the reader, some great, ok, maybe good, information on the topic of real estate and Santa Clarita real estate more specifically.

Since starting this SCV RE blog back in October 2007, we’ve launched other media content hubs. Hubs such as our YouTube channel, which is called SCV Real Estate 360. We also launched, much like many businesses, our Facebook business page.

Who knows what the next four years of Santa Clarita real estate blogging will bring, or the next 600 posts? All I know is that we’ll keep on bringing it, as long as people keep on visiting. Thank you all for being a part of our blog.

Ahhhhhhhhhh. This feels good. To author a post, in our beloved Santa Clarita real estate blog. I’m really sorry for the two month delay, but we had to take a hiatus from the creating media content to keep up with business.

Aside from having the busiest April, May, and June that we’ve seen in a while, we were occupied with upgrading some of our other websites, like our main Santa Clarita home search site over at TheScvAgents.com. There you will find our completed Santa Clarita Tract Directory. What an awesome tool, to help you search for Santa Clarita homes, by tract (as the name indicates). During that same two month hiatus, we also managed to make huge improvements within our operations, with respect to our database, and client follow up process. All in the name of great customer service!

Now that some major projects have been completed, it’s back to what we love best – bringing you the Santa Clarita housing market 411.

More SCV blog posts.
More SCV real estate videos.
More great interviews with the people that make our local industry tick.

Now, off to make this blog awesome, again.

Sabor Cocina Mexicana

And the picks are in! Here are our favorite Santa Clarita restaurants. There’s so many restaurants to choose from in the Santa Clarita Valley. We just wanted to note which restaurants and eateries that we frequent the most and get the most value from. There are great places to eat in the SCV that we didn’t mention, and I’m sure a few of you Foodies out there have some strong opinions about this. So excuse our simple, yet, in my opinion, delicious list.

Let’s end the suspense. What SCV eateries do Robert and Brian eat at the most, and get hunger pains for?

Here you go:

Recap with linked to Yelp rewiews:

Robert’s Favs

- Las Rocas Bar & Grill in Castaic
- The Lazy Dog Cafe in Valencia
- Sam’s Flaming Grill in Saugus/Canyon Country
- Marias Italian-American Deli in Newhall
- Whole Foods Market in Valencia

Brian’s Favs

- Piccola Trattoria in Canyon Country
- Chronic Tacos in Saugus
- Kisho Japanese Restaurant in Valencia
- Sabor Cocina Mexicana in Valencia
- Panera Bread in Valencia/Canyon Country

Tell us, what are your favorite restaurants and eateries in the Santa Clarita Valley? If we’re not talking about real estate, we’re probably talking food. So, let’s continue that conversation here, if you’d like.

Congratulations to our buyers agent Rachael Rini, on her very first real estate closing. Rachael has worked for The Robert & Brian Team as a transaction coordinator and rental specialist for the last two years. In a new role at The Robert & Brian Team, she recently began assisting homebuyers.

She successfully helped a fantastic couple buy their very first home in the Valencia Creekside area.

We’re looking forward to many more success stories, of Rachael matching homes with deserving homebuyers! Congratulations! - Robert & Brian!

She sold a home in the Valencia Creekside area. Perhaps that’s an area that interests you too? Below is a list of homes currently for sale in the Creekside area of Valencia. Always up-to-date!

Showing properties 1 - 10 of 18. See more Valencia Creekside community real estate.
(all data current as of 5/22/2012)

1. $225,000 : 24060 Meadowbrook Lane, Valencia
   
   3 beds, 3 full baths

   Home size: 1,330 sq ft

   Lot size: 31,998 sqft
2. $270,000 : 19649 Babington Street, Valencia
   
   3 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 1,358 sq ft

   Lot size: 5,871 sqft
3. $249,000 : 27439 Coldwater Drive, Valencia
   
   2 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 1,352 sq ft
4. $350,000 : 27398 Coldwater Drive, Valencia
   
   4 beds, 3 full baths

   Home size: 2,156 sq ft

   Lot size: 2,831 sqft
5. $375,000 : 24011 Cornelia Place, Valencia
   
   3 beds, 3 full baths

   Home size: 1,761 sq ft

   Lot size: 3.01 ac
6. $299,000 : 27406 DEARBORN DR,
   
   3 beds, 3.0 baths

   Home size: 1,804 sq ft

   Lot size: 3,190 sqft
7. $299,000 : 27402 DEARBORN DR,
   
   3 beds, 3.0 baths

   Home size: 1,804 sq ft

   Lot size: 3,117 sqft
8. $389,000 : 27360 Riverside Lane, Valencia
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,156 sq ft

   Lot size: 3,670 sqft
9. $309,000 : 27452 RIVERSIDE LN, Valencia
   
   3 beds, 3.0 baths

   Home size: 1,761 sq ft
10. $349,943 : 27505 Weeping Willow Drive, Valencia
    
    3 beds, 3 full baths

    Home size: 2,073 sq ft

    Lot size: 4,104 sqft

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Robert & Brian (Brian left, Robert right) @ The Realty Executives Santa Clarita Year End Awards

On Thursday, March 10, 2011, we were honored with a few accolades at the 2010 awards banquet for Realty Executives in Santa Clarita. Those who achieved top production numbers amongst the four Realty Executives offices, were honored. The four Santa Clarita Valley offices are: Realty Executives Santa Clarita, Realty Executives Valencia, Realty Executives Canyon Country, and Realty Executives Agua Dulce.

The setting was The Oaks Grille, at the Valencia TPC. Love that restaurant! We here at The Robert and Brian Team, were hoping to improve upon our 2009 finish, which left us 5th overall in sales production. And we did just that.

The Robert and Brian Team (and it is a major team effort), earned #1 in listing production. That means we sold more listing volume than any other agents, at Realty Executives in Santa Clarita.

Also…

The Robert and Brian Team, earned #2 in overall production – total sales volume. That means we had the second highest volume of total sales – both listings and buyer sides – than any other agents at Realty Executives in Santa Clarita. A very deserving Rod McIntosh Team took top honors for total sales. Rod runs a great team, and we couldn’t be happier for their success in 2010.

Emily Ball, left, and Rachael Rini, right - The Robert & Brian Team

When we, The Robert and Brian Team, came to Realty Executives Valencia in 2008 from the now defunct Vintage Sotheby’s International Realty, we felt like a little fish in a very, very large pond. We’ve been so pleasantly surprised that such a large and successful real estate brokerage like Realty Executives in Santa Clarita, can feel like a small family. The company environment, along with those that manage it, have helped us prosper and flourish at The Robert and Brian Team, in what has been a difficult real estate market, for most.

We’re proud to be part of the Realty Executives Santa Clarita family, proud to contribute to its success, and proud of our accomplishment for 2010.   I wonder what 2011 has in store? The first quarter is almost over…we’ll see!

To find out a bit more about us, please visit our about page at TheScvAgents.com.