Eva Bradley's Blog

Most of us are affected by the downturn of the economy in more then one direction, but nobody feels it more than a small business owner. 

Small companies are the backbone of our economy and most of them are struggling; trying to safe money to pay the employees and bills when job orders are practically none existent, is staggering chore for a family operated business or small enterprise.  The last thing on their mind is to give out money  for advertisement.

 This gave me the idea of promoting a few of these local small businesses on my website, to give them a little bit of exposure, as sort of like my “good deed for this Holiday Season”:  It is my pleasure to introduce to you Allegiance Roofing, Inc,.

Allegiance Roofing is a family owned business:  Susan Tanupo and her husband Sako Tanupo own this company since 2000 and were, until recently, operating mainly in the San Jose area. 

A little over a year ago, Susan and Sako moved to Tracy and would like to serve the Tracy and surrounding areas as well.  So, please give them a call when you need a roof or gutter repairs next time and give them a chance to work a little closer to home.

You can reach Susan and Sako by calling 877-roof-344 or by emailing to allegianceroofing@comcast.net

Please visit their website www.allegianceroofing.net for more detailed information.

What is your “good deed of this Holiday Season”?  Please feel free to share it with me….

                                                                                                                   Eva Bradley

Save money during the holidays and buy that dream house in the New Year

The holidays can put a dent in your savings especially if you’re planning to buy a home. But there are several ways to cut costs so your finances aren’t in the red by New Year’s Day. Consider the following money saving tips:

• In lieu of buying presents for every family member, suggest a gift exchange and draw names out of a hat.
• Agree on a spending limit for gifts for friends and family and stick to it.
• Make your holiday meals a potluck and assign each guest an item to bring.
• To prevent the urge to overspend when shopping, use cash and leave your credit cards at home.
• Consider buying a joint gift rather than individual gifts for a family such as a zoo membership or movie tickets.
• Instead of holiday wrap, buy monochromatic wrap in holiday colors such as green, red, or gold that can be used all year.
• For young children, half the fun of holidays is often opening the gifts. Wrap small, inexpensive items separately – coloring books, crayons and picture books or novels, even stocking stuffers work well. Or recycle hand-me-down toys by wrapping them up and putting them under the tree.
• Instead of spending a lot of money on gifts from the mall, give homemade treats like fudge, truffles, cookies or jams and jellies.
• To cut down on postage and holiday card costs, send mail only to out-of-town friends and family you’re not likely to see throughout the year. Or send e-cards, which are usually free.
• To keep your electricity bill down, use a timer to turn outdoor lights on and off at designated hours.
• If you know you won’t be able to pay your credit card off right away, make sure you use a single low-interest card to make purchases – that way you can easily track them.
• When traveling during the holidays, try to fly on the day of the actual holiday (Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day). It’s usually cheaper and there are plenty of seats.
• Subscribe to receive e-newsletters from your favorite online merchants. They will often e-mail coupons to use for savings on purchases and shipping costs. Or subscribers may receive private sale information.
• Sometimes buying an item online is cheaper than going to the store since many sites don’t charge sales tax and offer free shipping. Use the savings to have the gift mailed directly to the recipient instead of standing in line at the post office.
• Instead of buying an expensive gift, make a donation to a worthy cause in a friend or family member’s name.

Wishing you and your loved ones a peacefull, safe Holiday Season.

Realty World Corral Hollow Real Estate and Property Managment, with Sue Langdon and Jennifer West as owners, its agents and property management staff are working feverishly to “deck the halls” to be ready just in time for Santa’s visit this weekend. Preparations are well on the way: candles lit, presents all wrapped, and the Christmas tree has already been decorated and lighted; the holiday spirit is here. Welcome,and please join us.

It is my pleasure to announce our traditional “Pictures with Santa” event this holiday season. This year is marking our 15th anniversary of this popular event. Many of our customers are coming back year after year to have their children and grandchildren photographed with Santa, for free.
This year’s event is not going to be any different and although our office location has changed, we are expecting a huge turnout again.
Every family with children will have pictures taken with Santa Claus, plus a bag filled with goodies and will enter in a drawing for a bicycle, all this at no cost. Also, families can enter in a drawing to win a decorated Christmas tree as well.
Refreshments: cookies and soft drinks – and while waiting for a visit with Santa, movies for the kids are provided. Pictures will be ready for pickup the same day.

Date: December 12th, 2009 10:00am-2:00pm

Location: Realty World Corral Hollow Real Estate

Address: 104 West 10th Street, Tracy, Ca 95376

Please call 209-914-0683 or email me at eva@evabradley.com for more information.

Please click here for directions.

This time, I would like to tell you a bit about me; I was born and raised in Hungary.  Came to the US in 1987 as an immigrant,  without speaking a word of english.  Even Today, when I speak, I have a strong accent, which will stay with me for the rest of my life.  When you read my blogs, you will notice that sometimes my sentences are not put together the right way; please forgive me for that. 

Just like most of us who grew up in Europe, I have very strong family and community values and respect for the aged, which I continued to pass on to my kids as well. 

I learned to cook from my grandma and enjoy feeding who ever is willing to taste my food.  When I cook or bake something Hungarian, I always take a plate to my office  for everyone to taste.  When cooking or baking  hungarian food, I use a lot of onion, sour cream, garlic, red pepper (paprika) and many other spices.

I am a proud mother of three kids and grandma of four grand kids.

 I love helping people and I love being in the real estate business.  I am a simple person and like to talk in simple terms.  I like when people are straight with me, as I am with them. I take critisism very seriously and always looking  for ways to better my self. 

I thought that maybe there are some people out there who would like to see how the Hungarians are doing things, so here is a video clip about  “American Idol” – Hungarian style:  

Recycling – Hungarian Style  

 

 

Avoid Holiday Theft

Although we’d like to believe the holidays bring out peace on earth and good will towards men (as the Christmas carol goes), the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day tend to be a prime season for criminals. During this busy time of year, you can take some easy precautions to prevent becoming a victim of theft. Consider the following safety tips:

When holiday shopping:

• Don’t park in unlit areas at night.
• Put your shopping bags in your trunk. Don’t try to cover items on your seats with a blanket. Better yet, take your packages straight home after a shopping spree and then go back out.
• Don’t carry large amounts of cash with you, or else, keep it in your front pocket not in your purse or wallet.
• Be extra careful when carrying a purse – they are the prime targets of criminals in crowded shopping areas. If you must carry one, make sure it has a strap that can go over the shoulder and be held under the arm, making them more difficult for purse snatchers to grab.
• Keep a record of all of your credit card numbers in a safe place at home.
• Beware of strangers approaching you. This is the time of year when thieves may try various methods to distract you with the intention of taking your money or belongings.

At home:

• When leaving home for an extended time, have a neighbor or family member watch your house and pick up your newspapers and mail.
• Leave a light on when you leave your home at night or put your lights (including Christmas lights) on an automatic timer.
• Make sure your holiday gifts are not visible through the windows and doors of your home.
• Never say you are away from home on the outgoing message on you answering machine or voice mail. Simply say you are unable to get answer the phone at the time.

During the holidays, many people can become careless and vulnerable to theft and other holiday crime. Protecting yourself and your home from potential crime is the easiest way to ensure a safe and happy holiday season.

Here are some more tips:

• Never ever sit in your car without looking in the backseat area.
• Always be aware of your surroundings.
• Snap or zip up your hand bag.
• Do not ever roll down your car window for anyone.

Have fun shopping this Holyday Season, but remember: better be safe than sorry.

My husband and I live on the outskirt of Tracy, in midst of country properties. Most of the homes are sitting here on one to two acres, so homes are pretty far set from each other.  Our neighborhood is very quite, rarely any chance to talk to anyone. 

It was a Thursday afternoon, garbage pick up day. My husband, John, is a cautious and alert guy, receptive to any changes. As he was coming home from work noticed that our only neighbor on the right side, a retired gentleman who lived alone, still had his garbage tote out front, which was unusual.  He always took care of it right after the garbage truck left, but not on this day. 

John pulled the tote into the drive way, not sure where he supposed to put it.  He was thinking that there is something not right; maybe our neighbor got sick, or he is gone for a few days, or who knows what.  

As he was getting closer to the entrance, our neighbor opened his front door and asked my husband why he does this.  My dear husband replied:  it was so out of routine for him to leave the garbage can outside, that John got worried, thinking perhaps something wasn’t right.  The man was obviously so surprised, he couldn’t find words right away.  He was thanking John for being such a caring neighbor and said that he would have never thought anyone is looking out for him.  Right there he made a promise to pay more attention to us and the surrounding neighbors from now on.

 Folks, you never know what will happen in the future; you may need such caring action form your neighbor or you may not.  Nevertheless, neighbors are important, not only because they might help you some day, but because they are the ones, along with you, who are shaping your neighborhoods to be desirable and giving value to your homes and to the area where you live.   So, when next time one of the homes around you will be listed for sale, the Realtor can, with good conscience, write it into the marketing “Located in a Very Nice, Established Neighborhood” without hesitance, because it will be the truth.

Purchasing a home is probably the single biggest investment you will ever make. Before closing on the house, you’ll want to know that no other individual or entity has a right, lien or claim to the property.

For a modest, one-time title insurance premium, you will receive continuous title insurance protection in an amount equal to the purchase price of the property or its current market value. This premium typically includes your “owners” policy as well as the “lenders” policy.

One of the marked advantages of title insurance is that prior to a policy being issued, the title insurance company completes extensive research into relevant public records, maps and documents to trace ownership of the property and determine if anyone other than you has an interest in the property. Through its research, the title insurance company can usually identify any title problems that may arise and have these problems cleared-up prior to closing.

This is extreemly important, escpecially these days, where many homes going trhough foreclosure, and changing hands rather rapidly.  As a home buyer, you want to make very sure that the tilte of the home you are buying is free of any leans!    

 

Check out my November Newsletter; it contains many real estate related, useful information and good housekeeping tips. Please feel free to comment on the issues, or ask questions.

I came across this article in the newsletter I receive  from First Tuesday, and I think it is worth to be shared.  Please read it carefully, as it does clarify some of the aspects of the whole foreclosure process and different types of it:

http://blog.firsttuesdayjournal.com/?p=1833

Tracy Real Estate market is waiting for the “shadow inventory “, a release of some of the already foreclosed homes.  As of today, November 3rd, there are 189 active homes for sale in Tracy and surrounding areas.  That is a combined number of REO”s, “normal” and short sale listings. 

In Tracy and surrounding areas we have sold 139 homes in the Month of October.  These sold homes were an average of 43 days on the market before selling.  The average listing price was $236,718 and the average sales price was $243,393.  As we see multiple offers on many of the homes listed, the offers coming in were over the asking price. 

As most homes are selling for more than they were listed for, it seems that the appraisers have their hands full with appraising the homes for the value. This is mostly do to the fact that the appraisers’ evaluation is based on homes that have been sold recently in the same neighborhood.  Many deals fell through because the value could not be justified by the recent sales on record.  As a result, many buyers are asked to pay out of pocket to make up the difference. 

Those buyers, who have been qualified for an FHA loan, have little chance to a fair shot to get an acceptance on their offer.  Many buyers are coming in with cash at hand.  Others are frustrated with this market and giving up on buying all together.  In general, this is a buyers market, home prices are favorable, interest rates are still low, many people who are ready to buy homes…. but we don’t have enough homes to sell. Go figure.

Click here to see a daily interest rate lock advisory.