Princessa Estates - Canyon Country Ca

There’s been a noticeable trend lately, especially among first-time homebuyers. Roommates. Frugality. Caution. And, responsibility. We’ve helped quite a few first-time buyers lately purchase Santa Clarita condos, and right after escrow closed, they took to Craigslist, or Facebook, and announced that they had a room to rent out.

Saving Money & Living Comfortably

Maybe it’s from being acutely aware that over-leveraging a mortgage is bad, credit card debt is dangerous, and that the economy isn’t what it once was when they were growing up. Many first-time homebuyers, especially the younger ones, aren’t even “guaranteed” good jobs once they graduate college (no less great ones). They’re more frugal, and cautious. While it may be the right time to buy a condo, and the prospect of jumping into the real estate market with good timing can be exciting, not all of them are counting their future equity just yet. They still want to save money, and not spend money they haven’t earned (see the “using your equity like an ATM card” analogy).

Simple Math

Imagine this scenario. The average Valencia, Ca condo for sale is approximately $270,000 as of today. You’re a Santa Clarita first-time homebuyer who scrounged up a 20% down payment. Perhaps a family member, or parent is helping with the down payment. Let’s drill down a few more details:

• $270k purchase price
• 20% down payment ($54,000)
• $216,000 30 year conventional loan at 4% interest
• property tax at 1.25%
• Equals Monthly Payment = $1,312

HOW YOUR SANTA CLARITA REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL CAN ASSIST IN YOUR DIVORCE

By David E. Rickett, Esq.

The Reape-Rickett Law Firm

25152 Springfield Court #100, Valencia, CA 91355

(661) 288-1000

http://divorcedigest.com

As many of you may know, being in Court with any type of legal case can be a long and time – consuming ordeal. Recently, the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s budget was drastically reduced. This means the judicial system now must operate with the ever increasing case loads with fewer clerks, longer lines, and fewer judicial officers. All this means is that until the “new machine” is up and running (which could take some time), it may be even longer before it is a “well oiled machine”. In a divorce case, it is no different. However, there is a great way to avoid all this bureaucracy – and that is to Mediate your case. You will never step foot into a courthouse when you mediate your case. Having mediated many cases, it is by far less expensive, less time consuming, and allows you to be a participant in winding up your case as opposed to being a spectator. It also allows other professionals to be involved in the case without going through all the formalities of a subpoena and a legal proceeding. This is where your realtor can assist. In many cases , the house, or houses, are by far the largest assets in the case. Being one of the largest assets in a case can also mean it is one of the most difficult issues to resolve. This is where the Realtor comes in. They can guide the parties as to what the going market value is for your house. What you could expect to sell your house for in today’s ever – changing market and the expected time line involved. They can even guide you to find additional values with minimal improvements so you are able to sell your home for top dollar. Should the house be upside down , they can guide you through a short – sale process and what is to be expected with that undertaking. The wonderful part of mediation is that the parties can each bring in their own Realtors if need be to discuss the dynamics of all the options on the table as to how to dispose of your biggest asset. To do this through the court system would take an enormous amount of time and money. Through mediation , your divorce can be handled quickly and efficiently ; and with the assistance of your real estate professional , the value of such a service increases immensely. Should you know of anyone going through or about to go through a divorce, custody, support, or property dispute , be sure to let them know they should give mediation a chance first before running off to court.

Verify Verify Verify! Just a word to the wise, when shopping for a Santa Clarita home that falls within an HOA where there’s monthly or quarterly dues.

Sure, you see the HOA dues listed in the MLS, where the listing agent stated what they are for your information. However, you should take it as possibly imperfect information that, needs to be verified.

Here’s an action plan for the average Santa Clarita homebuyer regarding figuring out the HOA dues…

Who should verify the HOA dues?

Your local Santa Clarita real estate agent should help you verify them.

When should the HOA dues be verified?

Really at anytime interest in a home or community is expressed, but especially before making an offer on any one particular home.

How can the HOA dues be verified?

Two ways. You or your SCV real estate agent can call the HOA management company directly and ask them about the dues for any particular address. Don’t forget to ask what the dues include! The other way to verify, is to wait for the HOA paperwork once you open up escrow. If you’re the type who thinks that learning about any variance in HOA dues after you’ve opened up escrow, is too late, then definitely figure that out before writing your offer!

Looking for expert Santa Clarita real estate assistance? Contact us here at The Robert and Brian Team!

Many of you are considering renting a condo or single family home here in the Santa Clarita Valley. You know, something outside of an apartment complex, where it’s individually owned. In today’s real estate market, both locally here in Santa Clarita, and nationally, you need to be concerned as a would-be renter about the financial condition of the owner, you’re thinking of renting from.

There’s actually very little out there to enable to figure that out. However you can find out if the home you’re considering renting out, is in the preforeclosure process. The last thing you want to see happen is, you moving in, and subsequently moving out shortly down the road after finding out the owner you’re paying rent to each month, just got foreclosed on.

Luckily foreclosure data is public record, and we here at The Robert and Brian Team, your local Santa Clarita Realtors, want to help you. We have a tool at our Santa Clarita real estate website, called Foreclosure Radar. From this tool, you can utilize a map and list to find out which homes are in the foreclosure process, in the neighborhood you’d like to rent in.

Our Santa Clarita Foreclosure Radar Tool

If you see that there are Santa Clarita homes in the foreclosure process on the street you’ve been considering, simply hit the inquire button for the particular home you’re curious about, and we’ll get right back to you with details on it. Perhaps it’s the home you were thinking of renting out? That might be something you’d want know before moving forward? Right?

Already in a rental home and concerned that the owner is letting it go into foreclosure?

We can help you, too! Either use our Santa Clarita Foreclosure Radar tool to figure it out, or simply shoot us a message with your address, and we’ll let you know if we see any public record of the home being in the foreclosure process.

Remember! It could be 3 or more months after NOT having made any payments, before any home shows up as officially being in the preforeclosure process. If a homeowner only missed one or two payments, we likely would see no record of that.

It’s smart to do your homework, before renting out your next home. We’ve seen way too many good people (renters) have to prematurely move out due to the home they were renting out, getting foreclosed on. When all else fails, contact a good Santa Clarita real estate agent to help you investigate.

Need help? Ask! We’re here for you at The Robert and Brian Team.

The Appraisal Institute just came out with a new appraisal addendum, which will enable an appraiser to more accurately give credit for and analyze Santa Clarita homes with ‘Green” upgrades. It’s all about energy efficiency these days. Sellers love to tout their upgrades like, energy efficient windows, solar paneled roofs, and Energy Star appliances. It will be much easy now for your Santa Clarita home to get the credit it deserves, and possibly receive a higher home value, due to this new addendum.

Listen to the tips below, on how to best use this addendum, and don’t forget to click the link below to print up the addendum for yourself!

Looking for energy efficient “Green” homes in Santa Clarita? We can help you. Contact us here at The Robert and Brian Team to get started on your home search.

Click this link to print up or review the Appraisal Addendum for Green Homes

We just launched our new Santa Clarita home search website, that’s mobile! Use it from your iPhone, your Droid, or whatever…just use it! It’s full of awesome, and we think you will like it. Don’t forget to turn on your phone’s GPS and get good use of searching for homes, with the mobile site’s GPS feature. There’s nothing like finding out all the information you need about homes around you, with the touch of a button. Don’t you just love real estate technology?

Ah Realtors. There’s quite a few of them. But who do you chose? How do you decide? And do you really want to use the Realtor that your parents or relative swore did a great job for them back in 1985? It’s time go high tech, new school, and rogue with your choice of agents.

We have us in mind, of course. After all, this is our blog. Despite the bias, we know what you need as a homebuyer in Santa Clarita. Whether you’re a first time homebuyer in Santa Clarita, or seasoned homeowner looking for a move-up purchase, we have an array of real estate tools to enable your home buying experience to be successful. I mean, put a WOW on your face, successful. What we offer you as a homebuyer is second to none.

What you need:

1) Information

2) Tools to deliver you information

3) Accessibility to your agent to consult you on the information

Without giving you an entire course on the tools we have at our disposal to WOW you with when buying a home in Santa Clarita, we’ll just narrow down the best ones right here. See below.

5 Reasons To Hire The Robert and Brian Team When Buying a Santa Clarita Home…

1) The Robert and Brian Team iPhone/Smartphone app:

The Robert and Brian Team iPhone app - for Santa Clarita real estate

With this app you’re able to search for homes from your iPhone, or any other Smartphone (Android, etc). It uses your phones GPS. Imagine driving through a neighborhood, you’re curious about a few For Sale signs you come across…well, just pull out your phone, map closest homes for sale to your position, and wah-lah – there’s the information. Right in your hand. To download The Robert & Brian Team app for your phone, just text SCVHOME to 87778. Go head. We’re waiting…

2) We’re mobile ready:

Screenshot of TheScvAgents.com Mobile

This is a no brainer, and we’re leading the way with this option. Our app is one thing. Our website is another. Ever visit a website that just didn’t look right or navigate well, when browsing it from your phone? You know what I mean. Zoom in Zoom in, and zoom in some more just to see the tiny options you need to click on. Well, you won’t have that problem at our main Santa Clarita home searchng website, TheScvAgents.com. Go ahead, try it. Go to your laptop, or desktop computer, and type in www.TheScvAgents.com. Ok. You see it in all of its awesomeness. Now, go ahead and break out your iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, or whatever you have…go to the same site. =) Pretty cool huh? Totally different experience and you can even use your phone’s GPS to search for homes from there, as well. Just like with our app.

3) Auto Listings Website:

Auto Listings Portal

You’re own website? But you’re just a homebuyer? Right? Yep! But we give you one anyway. We call them Portals actually. An Auto Listings Portal. Your very own place on the web, to view listings on the market, tailored just for your preferences. When we learn about the type of home you’re looking for, and your various criteria, we go to work, and set it up for you. It will send you notifications about the new listings that hit the market, direct to your inbox. We can set yo up to be notified as they happen, in the AM, in the PM, or once a week – it’s you’re choice. Most of our clients enjoy the email once a day though. It keeps them in the loop about what’s hitting the market, and it ensures no homes slip through the cracks. We’re making you successful, and giving you the information to crush the other home buying competition.

4) Foreclosure Radar:

Foreclosure Radar screenshot of preforeclosures in the SCV

Now this is super cool, and very high-tech. More than that, its filled with information most consumers don’t have access to. We splurged and have granted you access to the information from Foreclosure Radar. Ever wondered what homes are about to be foreclosed on? Want to make an offer on a home, but it’s not yet on the market? Think it may be in foreclosure? Enter Foreclosure Radar to answer all of these questions. Simply visit our website TheScvAgents.com, click on Foreclosure Radar, and click on an area you’re curious about. All of the pre-foreclosures, auction homes, and bank owned homes in Santa Clarita will populate. Want more information on a home? Just send the request to us through the submit button and we’ll get back to you real quick-like.

5) Market Snapshots:

Market Snapshot Inquiry Form at TheScvAgents.com

Rounding out all the coolness that are some of the top real estate tech tools we provide you, is none other than our Market Snapshot service. Now, this isn’t just for homebuyers. Actually it’s a tool that’s excellent for homeowners and buyers. It will provide you with a monthly report on home values, comps, and listings information for your neighborhood/zip code. Sellers and homeowners alike love it because they can keep tabs on what’s happening around them, and buyers can keep track of an area that most interests them, and review data filled reports that is…wait for it…information RICH!

Remember, information is king. You need it to be successful. You need access to it. But access isn’t enough. It needs to be in a format that works for you. With a hint of being use friendly. You’re busy. You don’t need to land on a website that’s not optimized properly for your smartphone. You need to get to work, and find that home.

We make all investments in our Santa Clarita real estate tools with one thing in mind. You. What works best for you?  What will really help you? This is what we ask ourselves, when setting out to add new tools to our arsenal over at TheScvAgents.com. We love making our customers happy and enabling their experience of buying or selling a home in Santa Clarita to be second to none.

Next time you’re in the market for a home in Santa Clarita, or considering selling, swing by TheScvAgents.com, and see what’s happening!

Auto Listings Portal screenshot

Just what you need, more emails! If you’re slightly curious about real estate in Santa Clarita, this is something you may want to think about. It’s best for those with some sort of a trimmed down criteria for an SCV home they’d like to buy, or better yet, homeowners in Santa Clarita that care about listings and sold homes in their neighborhood.

Receive Santa Clarita Home Listings Direct To Your Inbox!

It’s effortless. It’s our Auto Listings Portal. It’s hooked up direct to the Santa Clarita MLS, and as such, all info comes straight from the source – the Southland Regional Board of Realtors (SRAR). There is no middle man information with this tool we leverage to you.

Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia…they “got nothin” on this. Receive emails with listings daily, as they happen, monthly, in the AM, or in the PM. It’s really tailored for your preferences. As your criteria, or interests change, so can your Auto Listings Portal that we set up for you.

Care to be in the know? This is the tool. Homeowner, know what’s happening in your hyper-local real estate market. Buyers, know what’s for sale – first!

We here at The Robert and Brian Team & The SCV Agents site, are arming you with every tool necessary to be the most informed, about Santa Clarita real estate. Notice, I don’t say LA, or SFV, or etc. We focus on Santa Clarita. The SCV. This is where we’re from. This is where we live. This is where we work.

We look forward to hearing from you. Sign up for your very own Auto Listings Portal below! Don’t forget to call us with any questions. Or better yet, just visit us at our Santa Clarita Real Estate page on Facebook.

Screenshot of TheScvAgents.com Mobile

Our hub for Santa Clarita real estate, that is, TheScvAgents.com, is now mobile ready. And by mobile, I mean it’s optimized for your smartphone. Whether you have a Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or anything else, you’re now able to search for Santa Clarita homes in style, over at TheScvAgents.com. Over the years, our little website has improved and improved, and become  a super popular destination for homebuyers entering the Santa Clarita real estate market.

Times are changing, and so have we. More and more homebuyers utilize their smartphone and mobile internet connection to find the information they’re looking for, on the go.

We’re a part of this trend, just as much as our clients. Before this change to TheScvAgents.com, one would visit our site on their iPhone for instance, and have to zoom in, zoom in, and zoom in some more, just to see some of the applicable search fields, when home shopping. No longer is this the case, and you’re experience will now be so much better.

Shop from your laptop, and you get the full site experience, while information gathering. Shop from your phone, and you get the trimmed down user friendly experience to get the 411 on Santa Clarita homes for sale, while you’re out and about (or sitting on the couch).

Check it out. Go to TheScvAgents.com from your desktop computer or laptop. Ok. Now, go to the same URL from your smartphone. Pretty cool, huh?

We are the first Realtors in the Country to offer you this product from a Word Press based website, thanks in part to our partners over at RealtyTech, Inc.

Our tools are contstantly changing here at The Robert & Brian Team. We’re always innovating and bringing you our A game, to improve your home buying or selling experience. One thing won’t change, however. You can always expect the best, from us.

Now, go search for homes in style from your phone…www.TheScvAgents.com.

Ps – We also offer an App for your iPhone, Android, or other smartphone. It’s GPS based too, and pretty darn cool. Download it by texting SCVHOME to 87778.

Use your iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, or any Smart Phone to search for homes! Our app uses the GPS from your phone, to search and locate homes for sale in the Santa Clarita Valley. It will also find homes for sale in many other parts of the country!

Imagine driving through a neighborhood that interests you. Imagine. Just for a moment. You take your iPhone out. Click – Map Closest Homes – then, like magic, all homes around your exact position, populate on a map. From there you can view all details about these homes, photos, and even comparable sales to get an idea about what the neighborhood market values are. Pure real estate tech heaven (thanks to Smarter Agent for assisting us with the app).

We’re making it easier to find homes for sale, and the overall experience better, for homebuyers. This app, is just one of those tools that enables us to do that.

Watch our promo video, and the lovely Rachael Rini, as she tours you through it all. Want to download it? Just Text: SCVHOME to 87778. As always, call on us here at The Robert & Brian Team for all of your Santa Clarita Real Estate needs.

Enjoy!