Irene Chan, MS, REALTOR - Modesto CA Real Estate Agent

Real Estate Expenses - Plumber Modesto Costs

2011-09-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

Real estate expenses breakdown from a plumber: Tony's Plumbling Services Inc. in Modesto and Oakdale. My advice is to find a plumber who carry more plumbing parts in the truck...

Real Estate Expenses - Plumbing Service - Plumber Charges

Modesto Home with Renewed Colors - Modesto Painter

2011-05-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Painter Nuno and Team - Turlock CA, Central Valley CA - Painter Pictures

Spring Time Modesto CA - fleur de Ville | "I Hope You Dance"

2011-04-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

fleur de Ville CA - Picture Taken in Spring 2011

Driving home the other day 4/26/2011, Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" was playing on the radio in the car and the song has been stuck in my head for a while...

Lyrics

I Hope You Dance Lyrics - by Lee Ann Womack

Electronic Signatures - Not a Reality | Modesto Seller / Bank Owned Property

2011-04-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

While trying to fast-track a real estate purchase agreement using the free electronic signature software offered by the real estate professional association NAR, I got the response from the real estate listing agent notifying me about the requirement of signature by hand. Paperless transaction is not a real estate reality as of last week, April 19, 2011 in part (or all) of the Modesto real estate REO / bank owned market.

Downloading the real estate contract, signing it by hand, scanning the real estate purchase agreement and sending it by email in addition to faxing the paperwork takes very little time though. ~~Expediantly~~ Expediently, all were accomplished in record time.

Digital Signature - Buying Real Estate using Paperless Agreements

The above screen shot showed the email notification from zipLogix and the email was automatically sent after the online real estate agreement was not acknowledged by the real estate listing agent. Pertinent home for sale address, realtor information, and detail purchase document link was blurred and "pixelated" to ensure confidentiality.

Note: The spell checker was used before posting this real estate blog entry - another very good tool to use for real estate agents who are involved in real estate transactions - real estate contracts, real estate agreements, real estate MLS listings, etc. I left the misspelled word in 'strikethrough' font format and the spelling mistake was reported by the spell checker.

Oakdale Home on mls and Oakdale Restaurant - California Day Trip

2011-04-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Oakdale Home

I saw this home in Oakdale CA on the mls, listed by Lebon Real Estate.

The 6.5 acres in the property description caught my attention. I rarely tour / preview any property like this one.

Oakdale Restaurant - Modesto Bee email update

I remember reading about the new restaurant in Oakdale from the Modesto Bee - Mary Beth's Grand Central Station, 220 S. Sierra Ave, Oakdale.

So my family and I decided to take a weekend trip to look at a couple of Oakdale homes and try the new restaurant in Oakdale. (Fast forward 3 days) I still remember the Triple-Layered French Toast with Sweet Cream Cheese, half of the french toast with Strawberries and the other half with Caramelized Peaches - I ordered it in half of each flavor since I wanted to sample both and couldn't decide with one to try first. The chef didn't mind preparing the order in this special way for me - I was really appreciative.

Anyway, regarding the Oakdale home - there was a gate leading to the property and it didn't seem like there was access to the home from the road. I'll have to see if there will be an Open House scheduled for the home on Orange Blossom Road and make another trip to Oakdale from Modesto - a good excuse for a Modeso Realtor to visit her newly discovered restaurant with her favorite french toast on the menu...

New Homes in Hughson CA | Hughson Real Estate

2011-04-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

For home buyers who are looking for new homes, the following real estate website links maybe one place to start. I subscribe to Modesto Bee daily digest email and this is a real estate related news on new homes in Hughson / Stanislaus County in the Central Valley. From time to time, home buyers who contacted me are interested in new homes. The real estate link below "Valley Glen New Homes in Hughson" also listed some other new homes in the area.

New homes on the real estate market : Grand opening of Hughson homes - Business - Modbee.com

Valley Glen New Homes in Hughson

Home Sale Market Data for Zip Code 95326 in Hughson CA from TrendVision - MetroList (for comparison)

Amenities from Walk Score: 1901 Tully Road Hughson CA 95326

Ripon Home for Sale | Ripon Real Estate

2011-04-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Homes for Sale in Ripon, a LAFS (love-at-first-sight) property:

Ripon Home on the MLS - Listed by PMZ Real Estate

Ripon Homes on the MLS, link (Ripon real estate link, valid for the next 30 days).

The following criteria were used in the real estate search:

Custom Home
One Story Home
Between Kaiser Manteca and Kaiser Modesto
4 mile radius real estate search from Ripon High School
Price range of the home search is between $250,000 to $600,000

The real estate property is in Ripon CA, which is between Manteca and Modesto.

It would be good to have an 'excuse' (home buyers) so as to call the home owner selling the home. I happen to be in town this weekend. There is a Gallo performance and a HOA meeting I have to attend this weekend. Other than that, I'm free.

The home price listed on the MLS is $465,000 as of 4/6/2011 and is listed by PMZ Real Estate.

Ripon one story home in Spring Creek Meadows, near Country Club.

Map of Ripon (Tasha Dr Ripon CA 95366) using Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Ripon Real Estate »Ripon Foreclosures »

Disclaimer: The opinion on the Ripon real estate home for sale (the 'LAFS' part) is solely my 'humble' opinion and does not reflect or represent my company's or any other opinions (professional real estate or otherwise) thereof. I'm not associated with PMZ Real Estate but might be 'suspicious' to someone reading this real estate blog as to why I'm promoting their listings. I secretly would like you to call me, real estate agent in Modesto, instead of PMZ, obviously.

MetroList Find - Power Search with Enhanced Neighborhood Knowledge

2011-04-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

After spending some time browsing through the online help for the "MetroList Find" feature, I'm impressed by the text search capability and very pleased with the Neighborhoods Option which provide a mapped legend of a city's various neighborhoods. Within the Neighborhoods option, you can 'Create your Own Neighborhood', 'Using City-Assigned Neighborhoods', and there is an additional option to 'Working with Your Neighborhood'. Other options include 'Find Community', 'Find
Schools', 'View District Report' (view a complete list of all schools in the selected district).

After running a real estate Search to find a home on the real estate market, users can 'Open' the map, expand the 'Layers tab' and then expand the 'Neighborhoods and School District option'. The interactive real estate map displays the neighborhood name label which is clickable and shows the boundary of the neighborhood once it's clicked. I've been looking for this kind of software features and it really helps real estate agents. I haven't tried the various natural language text search criteria and categories but will certainly do so soon.

I am also looking for a way to see if there is a real estate widget option for embedding this new Find and Neighborhood feature on real estate websites and blogs. I have been using the widgets from Zillow and Trulia on this real estate blog.

Modesto Neighborhood Map from MetroList's Find

Modetso Neighborhood Map near Memorial Medical Center from the MetroList 'Find' Feature

There will be classes on the MetroList 'Find' and real estate agents can check out the 'Training' option in MetroList's Single Sign On.

Home Owners: Would You Like to be Paid to Get a House Sitter While Your (Way) Above-Median Priced, Not Short Sale, Not Bank-Owned, MLS-Active Home is on the Real Estate Market?

2011-03-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

After posting the real estate home for rent in my real estate Modeto blog and looking at the fleur de Ville Modesto real estate homes for sale on the MLS, I am thinking (warning: brainstorming moment to follow) -

Will sellers of the fleur de Ville custom homes in Northwest part of Modesto consider renting their fleur de Ville homes, along with the many benefits:

1. Get paid (rental income) to cover the real estate property taxes.
2. Have a house sitter for the (otherwise) vacant home.
3. Write off the expenses including: mortgage interest while the mortgage interest deduction lasts, property tax, property management expenses, other expenses for the real estate agents (if any) since the home for sale is now an income investment property.
4. Make an agreement with the renter to continue showing the real estate.
5. Have the renter take care of the lawn services at the renter's expense (possibly).
6. Same as above, but replace 'lawn service' by 'electricity', 'water and sewer', etc.
7. Rent out part of the home, such as 2 bedrooms / 2 bathrooms, instead of the entire house (5-6 bedrooms, 3plus bathrooms) so the rent is more affordable. The rental market ideal rent would be $1000 to $1500, not $2500 - $3000.
8. The real estate scenario might work out perfectly for a potential home buyer who might even be interested in a 'rent to own' situation (try-it-before-you-buy-it).

I happen to have a potential renter/buyer who is looking for a 2 to 3 bedroom/2 bath custom home near Kaiser Medical Center who could really use the fleur de Ville home for 6 months...

Please don't hesitat to contact me if you are considering the above real estate proposal.

/* * * Comment: end of real estate brainstorming moment * * */

P.S. At the end of the day, it's not always about the numbers, it is about and it's for a doctor who saves lifes at the E.R.

Relocation to Modesto CA | Real Estate Modesto Home Search

2011-03-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

Before Relocation - Search for Real Estate in Modesto for Rent

A step-by-step guide to pre-screen real estate Modesto rental homes and find out the safety of a certain Modesto neighborhood prior to visiting Modesto CA. A lot can be done on the internet these days to minimize time spent driving around town.

Note: for this blog entry, I'm using the address of the Kaiser Medical Center on 4125 Bangs Ave Modesto CA, just as an example of a future work address, to navigate to the real estate homes for rent and various destinations. Modesto real estate agent was contacted by a Kaiser doctor who is moving to Modesto and looking for a home for rent. The real estate home search criteria are: near Kaiser Medical Center, one story home, all tile or hardwood floor, preferrably no carpet.

Narrow Down the Neighborhood to Relocate / Settle In

One way is to start the search for a real estate rental home / rental apartment is to use a local property management company. When I moved to Modesto in 1996, I found my own rental home through Liberty Property Management (LPM). The company is now located on 1120 Scenic Drive, Modesto CA 95350. Their phone number is 209 576-0934.

Link to LPM's website: http://www.libertypropertymanagement.com/service-areas/modesto/

Directions from the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center to LPM:

View Larger Map

Other Modesto real estate property management companies / real estate websites found on Google real estate search, Bing, and Yahoo real estate:
Yoder Properties, Tri-Tal Realty and Property Management, http://www.rentals.com/, craigslist, http://hotpads.com/, http://www.rentalads.com/, http://sweetrents.com/, just to name a few, to search for rental homes and rental apartments in Modesto CA.

Searching the Liberty Property Management real estate website:

1. From the LPM website, select 'view currently available rental properties / rental homes':

View Modesto Rental Homes / Rental Properties

2. Check out the distance of the rental homes from the future work address, or any address:

Using the LPM site: On the 'Search Results' screen, with the lists of Modesto rental homes displayed, select 'Directions' on the right of the screen and enter the work address:

Find Driving Direction to Rental Home from Work Address

3. The distance between work address/address and the rental home is displayed on the next screen.

Find Distance Between Two Addresses (e.g. Work and Home)

Before Relocation - Search Real Estate Apartments for Rent on Zillow Real Estate

Rentals

Modesto Apartments for Rent

Get this widget

Other ways to plan the day in the new town, figure out driving directions - use Google Maps or Mapquest, or Google Earth.

Use 'Get Directions' in Google maps and 'Add Destination' for Multiple Locations

Find out the safety of a neighborhood

I've heard of an Android real estate app called 'Safe Neighborhood'. There are a lot of reviews about the app. I personally do not have an Android smartphone. I searched the internet and found a real estate related website call Family Watchdog. I've been using it to find out about a neighborhood beforehand.

Below are screen shots of the Family Watchdog website, with results from a search near Kaiser Medical Center in Modesto CA. Please consult other official safety / crime statistics websites for additional information and do not rely on purely one search result.

Disclaimer: The information here is verified but not guaranteed. I'm not associated with the property management companies or any websites mentioned above. The owner of this blog is not liable to any outcome pertaining to the use of the advice.

Also, if you have other ways to search for rental properties, please kindly leave me a suggestion in the 'comment' section. Thanks and have a nice day!

fleur de Ville Modesto CA Current Home Prices and Other Information

2011-03-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

fleur de Ville Modesto CA Home Prices

fleur de Ville - Amenities at a Glance
from Walkscore.com

Banks, bike shops, book stores near fleur de Ville; child care facilities, fitness centers, groceries stores near fleur de Ville; restaurants and shopping within one mile of the fleur de Ville gated community in Modesto CA. Also included are hospitals in Modesto CA.

fleur de Ville Modesto CA - Amenities at a Glance (walkscore.com)

Please note that the new Kaiser Permanente Medical Center (hospital and clinics) are within walking distance even though it is not listed on the walkscore.com website.

Private Schools
and Public Schools (from the
Salida Union School District and
Stanislaus Union School District)
near fleur de Ville

For fleur de Ville residents, the attendence school district is Salida Union School District for elementary and middle schools. The closest high school, Joseph Gregori High School, belongs to the Modesto City Schools District and the new high school opened in August 2010 and was enrolling students in 9th and 10th grades for the school year 2010-11. High school students can select other high schools that belong to the Modesto City School District through open enrollment. Students who enroll in the International Baccalaureate program attend Modesto High which is the only high school in the distict that offers the program as of 2011.

Notes: Stanislaus Union Schools API Report for 2010 from the California Department of Education.
Salida Union School API Report for 2010.

Note: The Stanislaus Union School District is not the attendance district for fleur de Ville residents but accepts inter-district school transfers.

Disclaimer: information provided here is not guaranteed. Please verify the accuracy with the appropriate sources.

La Jolla, California - Back to December 2010

2011-03-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

La Jolla, CA - Beach town near a college, UC San Diego

La Jolla Market Report from Zillow.com for Jan 2011

Back to December - Trip to La Jolla, CA

Windansea Beach in La Jolla, CA

Bird Rock in La Jolla, CA

La Jolla Bird Rock website

Crystal Pier Hotel and Cottages

Empress Hotel - Convenient, Walker's Paradise per walkscore.com

Places to Revisit in La Jolla, CA

La Jolla CA Itinarary Saved in Google maps

View La Jolla, CA - California Beach Town in a larger map

Back to December - La Jolla, CA

California Regional Multiple Listings Service (CRMLS)

2011-03-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

Real estate listings evolution: California Regional Multiple Listings Service (CRMLS) agreement to bring national property database to their realtor members.

Excerpt of the email real esate agent in Modesto, subscriber of Metrolist MLS, received

on 3/18/2011, from Dale Ross, CEO of RPR, LLC; copyright belongs to RPR.

References and links:

Gustine CA Real Estate | Homes for Sale | Home Price | Search Listings

2011-03-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Gustine, California

Gustne is located in Merced County, California. It is located 29 miles west of Merced, 36 miles from Modesto (per Google maps). The city's population, per 2000 Census, was 4698.

Map of Gustine

View Larger Map

City of Gustine

City of Gustine official website

Schools in Gustine

Gustine Unified School District Website and 2010 API Report for Merced County

A lot of the details about California public schools can be obtained from the California Department of Education website:

To obtain the Academic Performance Index (API) from the home page, select "API Reports"; then select "District Reports" from the next screen, enter "Gustine" for the district name/press the "submit" button, select the current year from the next screen; select "County List of Schools" on the top right hand corner of the next screen.

Note:
2009-10 API Report Information Guide from the Dept of Education: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/documents/infoguide09.pdf

Gustine's Walk Score / Amenities

Zillow Real Estate for Gustine, CA

Homes in GUSTINE, CA

Gustine Real Estate on Zillow

Get this widget

Median Listing Price for Gustine, CA

Homes for Sale in Gustine, CA

Newest For Sale Homes in Gustine

Get this widget

Gustine homes for sale

Recently Sold Homes in Gustine, CA

Recently Sold Homes in Gustine

Get this widget

Gustine real estate

Real Estate Training | Agent Reboot | "Warm Boot or Cold Boot"

2011-03-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

Real estate Modesto agent got an email regarding a real estate training program called Agent Reboot by Inman News from Zillow Academy.

It's about technology for real estate agents: mobile real estate tools, WordPress real estate blog, optimizing Facebook for real estate business, video, lifestyle branding, real estate buyers and sellers, and the iPad for real estate listing presentations, etc.

Now that iPad has a new version with cameras, Modesto real estate agent will be visiting the Modesto Apple store to obtain the latest and greatest iPad for real estate applications...

At the same time, I'm having this "geek moment" regarding this "Agent Reboot", is it a warm boot or cold boot?

Warm boot (soft boot), in computer terms, is hitting the Control-Alt-Delete key combination on the PC, so the computer will restart under software control and has time to write the cache to permanent storage.

Cold boot (hard boot), in computer terms, is to hit the Power switch, abruptly turning off the computer, without shutting it down and thus causing the lost of data (possibly).

Modesto real estate agent's "warm boot" : "clear the schedule, take a real estate training class / real estate continue education, to get up to speed on real estate technology, to renew the real estate license, etc".

Meanwhile, the real estate market in Central Valley, CA is still going thru the reboot process, with all the short sale real estate, bank owned real estate, and auction real estate...

Sharing This

Short Sales: The Basics for REALTORS from the National Association of Realtors

2011-01-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

Short Sales: The Basics for REALTORS from the National Association of Realtors

As of 1/17/2011, short sale Modesto statistics:

Active short sale residential income properties: 7
- Average days on market: 54
- Median days on market: 21

Active short contingent residential income properties: 13
- Average days on market: 122
- Median days on market: 89

Active short sale for single family homes: 341
- Average DOM/CDOM: 103/120
- Median DOM/CDOM: 74/92

Active short contingent for single family homes: 236
- Average DOM/CDOM: 133/144
- Median DOM/CDOM: 110/117

Compared to active status properties (not short sale):
Active residential income: 19
- Average DOM/CDOM: 174/220
- Median DOM/CDOM: 56/96

Active single family Modesto homes on the MLS: 501
- Average DOM/Cumulative DOM: 73/94
- Median DOM/Cumulative DOM: 42/54

Recent short sale experience / brain dump / mind transfer:

A "sing and thrive" moment --- for the short sales that actually made it to the finish line:
"It's amazing" by Jem --- http://www.pandora.com/music/song/jem/its+amazing

Chateau Provence Homes in Modesto

2010-08-22T09:13:00.001-07:00

There are two Modesto homes in Chateau Provence gated community that are available.
One on Lourmarin Lane and one on Avignon Lane. Below is a map from MLS.

I've previewed the Modesto homes. Both do not have pool. There is a smaller (2238 sq ft.) one-story home on Lourmarin Ln and a larger two-story home (2726 sq. ft.) on Avignon Lane. One of the homes need to install landscape in the back yard. Both were built in 2003

Both are asking at around $125-%128 per sq. ft. Previously, the listed homes which were short sale were asking at around $110 per sq. ft.

I contacted the listing agent on another home which already had an accepted offer and I might be able to view that home on Savoie Way as well, either as a comparison or might even be a back-up offer.

It is a good idea to show all the homes at the same time. I wonder if the agent/owner of the property on Touraine Parc would be interested in letting us view the home (active short sale contingent on the bank accepting the offer) as well. My broker and I contacted the listing agent on the Touraine Parc Ln home before but we didn't get a return call. At that time, my client was desparate to look at that home and call it her 'dream' home.

Fleur de Ville Gated Community Modesto - Reduction in Price - Listing Detail #90089244 - Residential

2010-05-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Modesto Real Estate: Modesto Home Listing Detail #90089244 - Residential

Daily email update from MLS showing new reduction in price for a property on Fleur De Lis Drive, Modesto CA 95356.

There are currently multiple properties ranging from around 800K to over 1.3 Mil.

Two properties are under construction. I'll be happy to email anyone who is interested in getting a list of properties on the market in this area.

mapspread: Create, edit, share and publish maps in minutes

2009-10-11T18:46:00.001-07:00

mapspread: Create, edit, share and publish maps in minutes

Shared via AddThis

I spend this evening playing with the mapspread tool I found, this is the Modesto Real Estate Neighborhood Locator map I created. I have yet to obtain the Modesto home sale prices from MLS to complete this fun little project...

Please feel free to email me at ilaichan@comcast.net if you have a neighborhood that you would like to add to this map.

California Home Price - News from C.A.R.

2009-10-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

California median home price - August 09: $292,960 (Source: C.A.R.)

Calif. highest median home price by C.A.R. region August 09: Santa Barbara So. Coast $828,750 (Source: C.A.R.)

Calif. lowest median home price by C.A.R. region August 09: High Desert $111,770 (Source: C.A.R.)

California First-time Buyer Affordability Index - Second Quarter 2009: 67 percent (Source: C.A.R.)

Mortgage rates - week ending 10/01/09 30-yr. fixed: 4.94% Fees/points: 0.7% 15-yr. fixed: 4.36% Fees/points: 0.6% 1-yr. adjustable: 4.49% Fees/points: 0.5% (Source: Freddie Mac)

Other links of interest to Real Estate Agent in Modesto CA:

Customizable “Green Living Tips” available at http://car.indieprinting.com/

Links of interest to home buyers at http://www.homesteps.com/

Save 3.5% of buyer's closing cost for single family HomeSteps® home as their primary residence, expires 10/30/09.

Home Protect - 2 year warranty paid by Freddie Mac.

The above is from the California Association of Realtors newsline.

Index shows home prices rose for 3rd month in July - Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee

2009-10-06T21:46:00.001-07:00

Index shows home prices rose for 3rd month in July - Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee

Posted using ShareThis

Writing Course for SAT Prep near Modesto CA

2009-10-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

Institute for Excellence in Writing
presents an event with Andrew Pudewa
Saturday, October 31, 2009

Location:
Mosaic Christian Church
4430 Granite Dr
Rocklin, California 95677
To register for this event, go to:
http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/event/rocklin-ca-high-school-essay-intensive
or call (800) 856-5815

* * * Please forward this information to friends and colleagues! * * *

High School Essay Intensive
A One-Day Seminar for High School age students and teachers
Saturday, October 31, 2009 8:30 3:30 pm
Cost: $50.00/participant (parents $25 if attending with student)
The High School Essay Prep class is an excellent way to get immediate experience and inside tips on how to do your best on the timed, 25 minute response to a prompt required on the new SAT test. Participants will actually write two full essays, carefully study and then apply the College Board evaluation criteria to sample essays, while receiving a detailed booklet of resources and lesson plans for continued practice.

Additionally, students will learn special structure and style tools for use in composing the college application "personal essay"an entirely different type of writing task. The complete process will be presented: choosing the question, creating the outline, and polishing a final version. Participants will leave with a clear concept of the task, their own outline for an actual personal essay, and several new tricks and techniques to add to their repertoire.

Although this seminar is specifically designed for those who will be taking the SAT or submitting college applications within the next 1-2 years (and especially those teaching such students), it is also useful for general writing practice, tools and tips. It is open to all students, regardless of their experience with IEW courses or materials. A lot of actual writing is done during this six-hour class.

Institute for Excellence in Writing http://www.excellenceinwriting.com

* * *

The above is an email I received from Andrew Pudewa.

I've some writing course on DVD that I purchased from the Institute for Excellence in Writing. I played the DVDs in the car and torture, I mean educate, my kids when we are on the road from Modesto to other CA destinations. Another "not so fun" things to do with my kids to balance out the "fun things to do with my kids".

I plan on signing up for this class with my child once she is in high school...

California Day Trip - Things to Do with Kids - Visit Alcapa Ranches

2009-09-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

California Day Trip near Central Valley - Things to do with kids :

Visit Alpaca Ranches this weekend during their open house for National Alpaca Farm Days

Who:

Alpacas is a cute face animal with very pricey fleece

When:

This weekend, Sept 26 and 27, 2009

Where:

B. Lilly of the Valley Alpacas 2912 Church St, Modesto 209-577-3638 | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days

C. Macedo's Mini Acre 17405 Letteau Ave, Delhi 209-648-2384 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

D. Big Country Alpacas 18835 Cherokee Road, Tuolumne 209-928-3294 | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What:

Alpacas are part of the camelidae family

Long long time ago, Incan people reserved the fleece for royalty

Before the early 1980, they are found mainly in zoos. It is not until that time people started raising them in ranches

If you want to buy one today, each might cost as much as $9,500 to $18,000. If that's too expensive, buy the fleece instead. It's about $30 a pound. After getting the raw material, you can spin yarn and make fleece jackets. Since I don't know how to do that, I would just roll it up in a hair ball and throw it to my cat and let her play catch all day long...

Read more about fun facts on alpacas in the Modesto Bee article by staff writer John Holland

How (to get there):

See Map (please verify addresses before you go)

View Alpaca Ranches - California Day Trip in a larger map

Personal Training Modesto CA

2009-09-23T10:27:00.001-07:00

This is my first day back at group personal training with ProFit's Lori Avila in Modesto, CA. I started personal training / boot camp in 2008 and stopped after an ankle injury last summer (the injury was unrelated to my training).

I first met Lori at Gold's Gym when she was the trainer for boot camp. I followed her when she started her own training program and used the gymnasium at Calvary Temple on 1601 Coffee Road (the corner of Briggsmore and Coffee).

Each group personal training session is an hour long, consisting of cardio exercises, strength training, balance training, endurance, etc. She uses bosu balls, free weights, steps, jumping ropes, hurdles, even tires, just to name a few. There are numerous exercise routines and Lori rotates thru' the routines. I found it amazing how she can come up with so many different types of exercises. The groups are usually anywhere from 4 - 6 people. Today there are seven.

Her training schedule: Mon/Wed/Fri 5:30 a.m. , 9:00 a.m. Mon/Tue/Thur 5:45 p.m., 7:00 p.m.

Fees: Very very reasonable. She also offers corporate discounts.

Her phone number (for my future reference) 277-1124. I actually lost her number and today I just stopped by the gym and see if she is around. She was surprised to see me after my whole year's absence.

Retirement Benefits Websites

2009-09-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

Some info on retirement benefits:

IRS Retirement plan navigators link:

Plan comparison table:

http://www.retirementplans.irs.gov/plan-comparison-table/

To summarize:

For IRAs 401(k) and Profit-Sharing Plans, the contribution limits of 2009 is up to $49,000.

Catch-up contributions - employees can contribute to their own retirement. Employees at age 50 or older may make additional (catch-up) contributions to plans. The amount depends on the type of the plan.

Loan and hardship withdrawals allowed for 401(k) and Profit-Sharing Plans.

Defined Benefit Plans allow higher retirement benefits of up to $195,000 a year.

Tax-Exempt Plans.

Loan Modifications Video from Freddie Mac - C.A.R. Newsline 7-22-09

2009-07-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

Video helps homeowners gather paperwork for faster mortgage help
Freddie Mac has produced a video that shows late-paying borrowers how gathering a few financial documents before calling a mortgage servicer can cut the time needed to determine their eligibility and process their application for a loan modification under the Making Home Affordable program or Freddie Mac's other workout initiatives.

Available in English and Spanish versions, the new Freddie Mac video, “Stop Foreclosure: Documents Your Lender Needs to Help You,” can be seen at Freddie Mac’s channel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/FreddieMacWeb. The two-minute video shows step-by-step which documents borrowers should have on hand when they call their servicer to discuss loan modifications. These documents can cut the time a servicer will need to understand the borrower's situation, determine his or her eligibility for a workout, and process the application.

The above info is from the California Association of Realtor's Newsline dated 7-22-09

Easy Access to Free Pre-foreclose, Bank Owned, Aution Homes

2009-04-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

As of March 2009, MetroList provides free information to Realtors on Foreclose Homes / Bank Owned Homes / Aution Homes.

In the Realist section, realtors can now search preforclose, bank owned, and aution homes.

Information provided include home address, subdivision, notice of default date / date of trustee's sale, other property details, and many other real estate loan information.

Based on my search on 4/2/09, the number of preforeclosures in Modesto is listed at 1000 (limit of each search reached). In reality, there are more than 1000 homes in this category.

Real estate search results (Preforecluse Homes) in various Modesto CA zip codes:

95358 - 205 Modesto CA homes in preforeclosure
95357 - 73 Modesto real estate in preforeclosure
95356 - 183 Modesto properties in preforeclosure
95355 - 363 Modesto preforeclose real estate
95354 - 180 real estate homes in preforeclose
95352 - 2 preforeclose Modesto CA homes
95350 - 293 homes in preforeclosure

Search results (Bank Owned Homes) in various Modesto CA zip codes. The search results list the REO sale date.

95358 - 291 are bank owned Modesto homes
95357 - 74 homes are bank owned real estate
95356 - 177 homes are bank owned properties
95355 - 343 Modesto CA bank owned homes
95354 - 219 Modesto homes are bank owned
95351 - 400 bank owned real estate in Modesto
95350 - 294 Modesto CA bank owned properties

Search results (Auction Homes) in Modesto. The search listed date of Notice of Trustee's sale and other property information.

856 Auction homes in Modesto

Searches are available for other counties (about 51 of them) and other zip codes in Northern CA.

Disclaimer: information are from Metrolist MLS search. It has not been verified. Please rely on your research if there are discrepancies.

New Phone DARE | Love the Navigator

2009-03-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

I got a new phone yesteray, the Verizon's LG Dare. I had been waiting to get an iPhone once my Verizon plan expires. My family and I were shopping at Stanford Shopping Center and after stopping at the Verizon booth and talked with the sales person, we ended up with the new DARE media phone.

The new feature on the phone, the Navigator, is really fun. It uses GPS navigation. I can find my current location using 'Maps & Traffic' / 'Where Am I?' options on the phone. At the time, the Verizon booth was near Starbucks Coffee in the Stanford Shopping Center and the phone displayed the address.

I tried the phone's different options which include: 'Send Place MSG' / 'Add to Favorites...'. I can have the Navigator send my location to a recipient and in turn guide the recipient to my location.

I also tried a few options like 'Traffic', 'Weather' and played with the navigator to set the destination to my home address on the way back home. I was impressed by the GPS guidance system.

My first 'Favorites' locations added to the new phone:

Stanford Shopping Center
Just Koi Chinese Restaurant 4264 Dublin Blvd., Dublin CA 94568
Home - Sweet Home

I was looking at other options on the phone and I believe users can choose 'Spanish' in addition to 'English' for the voice guidance and can also select a different 'Voice Type' such as 'Michelle', 'David', 'Emily', 'Jennifer', 'Andew' in the 'Navigation Preferences' settings.

I haven't tried other features on the phone such as voice recognition, the 3.2-megapixel camera, or the video yet but I know I am keeping the VZ Navigator feature.

One other thing to mention: the sales people (2 brothers) were really helpful. They transfered all the info from my old phone to the new phone and also added a memory card to the new phones.

The only thing missing, the capability to use the phone as a realtor lockbox key, which some other phones can provide. I am waiting for Verizon to support that feature.

For more information on the phone, see the article 'iPhone, Instinct, Meet Verizon's Dare'.

MetroList Expanded Access

2009-03-09T22:56:00.000-07:00

As of Feb 2009, MetroList subscribers can access, search, and enter listings into MLSListings which covers San Mateo real estate, Santa Clara real estate, Santa Cruz real estate, Monterey real estate, and San Benito. MetroList is a participant in the California MLSAlliance.

In addition, searches now include Preforeclose homes, Auction homes, and Bank Owned homes in 51 Northern California counties.

Internet Absence - Explained | Modesto Realtor Obligations

2009-02-24T22:44:00.001-08:00

Spent the last 5 months catching up on billing insurances for my husband's Pain Management practice after terminating the outside billing company's contract.

Just caught up on insurance aging for Jan-Sept 2008 and even call on bills in 2007 that had not been paid! The outside billing company sent out first billings, which is the easy part of the job. There were no balance billing, nor rebilling unpaid office visits and medical procedures! Even ended up with a lot of data corruption in Lytec.

Also researched Electronic Medical Records/EMR, EHR tools:

- AI Med from Acrendo: www.acrendo.com
- eClinicalWorks: www.eclinicalworks.com
- LeonardoMD: www.leonardomd.com (web-based)
- AdvancedMD: www.advancedmd.com (web-based)
- iMedica: www.imedica.com
- Lytec: www.lytec.com

Too many hours spent looking at demos. Priced out of eClinicalWorks and iMedica. I had a hard time navigating thru' the task scenarios using the EMRs, found them confusing...

Got an email last week from National Association of Realtors, requesting me to stop using the domain name www.modesto-realtor.com for my real estate website due to trademark issues. Thus, I have to change focus... back to real estate... internet presence once again...

New to-do list:
- Have my brother add the new domain name. He is my website administrator and he does that for me for free. I have a cheap website (cost me nothing to write it myself).
- Use Google Webmaster Tools to add new domain name, verify site, generate site map, track crawl stats, etc.
- Research real estate SEO Modesto keywords using Google Adwords.
- Use Google Analytics to track results.

My hobby and passion: real estate investments, website development, the SEO Modesto game.

My obligation: medical practice management, billing insurances.

My goal: To delegate insurance billing tasks and set the medical practice on auto-pilot (a dream that had not yet come true and may never be, sigh!)

Announcement: Medical Insurance Billing Job Opening in Pain Management Clinic Modesto. email resume to HiredModesto@comcast.net.

Practice Pointers: Outsource billing? Here's how - - Modern

2008-09-27T18:15:00.001-07:00

Article on medical billing outsourcing and what to look out for when selecting / monitoring an outside medical billing service.

read more | digg story

California Day Trip - Mission Santa Clara de Asis

2008-07-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

Mission Santa Clara de Asis is the eighth mission of the original 21 California missions. It was established by Father Junipero Serra in 1777. The only mission named after a woman, Clare of Assisi, the historic California mission is now located in Santa Clara University at:

500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95050

Total travel distance from Modesto CA to the mission is about 82 miles and takes about 1.5 hours.

More pictures from the day trip is on the Modesto real estate agent's California day trips webpage. The visit to the mission and the pictures were taken in April 2008 as part of my child's fourth grade California Missions project for the Social Studies course.

To find out more about the mission (or to be as smart as a fourth grader in California mission history), please also visit: wikipedia,
Santa Clara University Mission Church History.

Modesto real estate agent is now ready for fifth grade projects, ready to travel and make more day trips / field trips to be smarter than a fifth grader...

Selling Modesto CA Real Estate - St. Joseph Statue Article

2008-07-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

I just received a newsletter from my local association of realtors. There is an interesting article about St. Joseph statues:

"According to a new National opinion poll, nearly one-third of American adults (63.2 million people) would consider asking their real estate agent to bury a four-inch statue of St. Joseph in the front yard to help sell their home in today’s sluggish economy.
Of those 63.2 million people, 23.5 million would “absolutely want their agent” to use the symbolic figure to increase the likelihood of selling their property. The kits include a free home listing at www.StJosephStatue.com, where St. Joseph believers have listed for sale more that $2.4 billion in real estate.
The tradition of buying St. Joseph in the earth began hundreds of years ago in Spain, when Sister Teresa of needed land to build convents. She prayed to St. Joseph (the patron saint of the family and household needs) and buried a St. Joseph medal in the ground. The medals evolved into statues, which thousands of home sellers and real estate agents across the country now use as they seek a little “divine intervention” when selling residential real estate."

The article is from the Lodi Association of Realtors.

I would be more than happy to assist my sellers in any way that helps. I believe different cultures have different traditions, and in Chinese culture, there is feng shui...

Modesto Real Estate Website - Added Functionality, Chateau Provence Modesto, Del Rio Golf Course Homes Modesto

2008-06-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

Modesto Real Estate website http://www.modesto-real-estate-now.com now has the following functionality:

Added Chateau Provence Modesto gated community information.
Added Del Rio Golf Course homes information.
Find homes for sale within certain target price ranges similar to the two neighborhoods above. The results are listed in a Spry Collapsible panel, implemented using Adobe Dreamweaver. The search result include custom homes and luxury homes in Modesto.
Find homes for sale in Modesto CA and homes for sale in Turlock CA. The search results include homes in all price ranges and the results are presented in Spry accordion list (just for the fun of it).
Link to Modesto neighborhood area map showing the two featured neighborhoods, Chateau Provence in Modesto and Del Rio Golf and Country Club Modesto using Google Maps.
Downloadable home valuation / CMA comparable market analysis report (sample) in pdf file format.
Downloadable MLS listing sample in pdf format.
Local real estate trends line chart showing Modesto CA Real Estate and Turlock CA real estate homes sales listing price and listing inventory. The line chart is generated by Trulia web tools.

More Modesto neighborhood information is pending. Modesto real estate now website link.

Quick preview of Del Rio Country Club and Chateau Provence Gated Community Modesto locations on Google Maps

Modesto Real Estate - Bank Owned REO Home $86/sq. foot , Bank Owned and Short Sale Real Estate Statistics

2008-06-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

I've set up auto-prospecting in MetroList MLS and I am getting daily email notifications on REO homes in my north Modesto neighborhood. The following two MLS listings are amongst the lowest, very affordable REO Modesto CA home price (per square footage) I've seen in this area (MLS map Area 20101 - Modesto North of Briggsmore, West of McHenry):

Kensington Park Modesto home in California 95356:
$87.22 per square foot Listing Detail #80059512 - Residential

Rose Hollow Modesto home in California 95356:
$86.73 per square foot Listing Detail #80059583 - Residential

As of 6/14/08, active short sale and active short sale contingent Modesto CA real estate statistics:

Total: 691 Modesto short sale homes (single family)

Average size: 1549 sq. ft. Average price $199K - $129 per square foot
Average Days on Market 93

Median size: 1395 sq. ft. Median price $180K - $129 per square foot
Median Days on Market 79

REO Bank Owned Modesto CA Real Estate statistics:

Total: 559 Modesto REO homes (single family)

Average size: 1445 sq. ft. Average price $160K - $111 per square foot
Average Days on Market 58

Median size: 1297 sq. ft. Median price $140K - $111 per square foot
Median Days on Market 40

Irene Chan, MS, REALTOR®
website: http://www.modesto-real-estate-now.com
http://www.modesto-realtor.com

Disclaimer: this information is obtained from MetroList MLS, verified but not guaranteed. Please rely on your own research if there is any discrepancy. This information is not to be viewed as investment advice or advice of any sort.

Real Estate Modesto - fleur de Ville Gated Community Amenities

2008-06-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

Photos taken in the Fleur de Ville gated community in Modesto California. The neighborhood has a nice playground, lots of trees, private tennis courts, basket ball court, etc.

These pictures were taken in the process of conducting a fourth grade science project (for my fourth grader) which involved playing baseball...

It was a nice day in Fall 2007. With a nice neighborhood park, we can run freely on the playground, play baseball, tennis ball, basket ball, bicycling, roller blading, or ride the scooter.

For more information, follow this link http://www.modesto-realtor.com
My ongoing project: http://www.modesto-real-estate-now.com
More photos will be added to the above website. This is a trial version of real estate Modesto neighborhood photos.

Habitat for Humanity Project - Modesto Real Estate

2008-06-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit agency, is starting a new project to provide affordable real estate in Modesto, CA. Families will help build their own homes in Modesto's new Hope Village.

About the Modesto homes:

three to four bedrooms
each of these home in the new Modesto subdivision will have solar panels and energy-efficient features
private yards in these homes
some have features to accommodate people with physical disabilities
for low-income families who will work 500 hours on the project
these Modesto home prices are about $150,000 but families pay about 67% to 83% of the price
residents sought are the ones who live and work in Stanislaus County, legal U.S. residents who had never been convicted of felony crimes, have decent credit history, work records, etc.

The Habitat for Humanity project is also seeking volunteers 16 years and older to help.

Important phone numbers:
Volunteers: 575-4585 ext. 107
Volunteers (other construction projects) 575-4585 ext. 109
Homeowners interested in the Habitat affordable Modesto homes 575-4585 ext. 111
To donate money: 575-4585 ext. 115 or 105

To set the location of this Modesto real estate project, follow this link.

View Larger Map

To find out more about these Modesto homes that is part of the Habitat for Humanity project, please follow this reference: Modesto Bee article by J.N. Sbranti

Posted by: Modesto Real Estate Agent Irene Chan, MS, REALTOR

NAR Article on Commercial Real Estate Condition

2008-05-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Summary of National Association of Realtors® article on commercial real estate: "Conditions Mixed in Commercial Real Estate but Fundamentals Good", May 15, 2008, by Walter Molony:

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said performance in the commercial section is greatly mixed across the county. It is important to understand local market variations.
To expect broadly slower net absorption for office and industrial space.
Project softer rent growth in commercial real estate.
Areas with strong job growth are doing fairly well.
The article also listed the states with the strongest job growth and states with greatest job losses.
Even with a lot of concerns about the economy, corporate profits are high.
Analysis of quarterly data for major commercial sectors including office, industrial, retail market, and multifamily markets. Statistics include: net absorption of spaces, vacancy rates, annual rent growth percentage for the four market sectors.

As a real estate agent in Modesto, CA, I subscribe to the NAR news and automatically receive weekly email notifications on the subjects that interest me. This is a good way of keeping up to date on real estate market conditions and news.

Second Home in Silicon Valley - Summer Escape, Kids' Activities

2008-05-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

To keep kids busy during Summer vacation, I started looking into summer programs each year in March and by the end of May, the schedule is pretty much finalized. Having a second home close to our Modesto Home, Central Valley of California, in Silicon Valley has provided a whole lot more options for the kids to learn, explore, and have fun during Summer...

This year, the same as the past two years, I have signed up the kids at the Extended Year Summer Enrichment Programs offered by DeAnza College in Cupertino, California. Each elementary, middle, or high school participant ranging from grades 1 to 10 choose four courses and the program lasts for 4 weeks, 4 hours each day. I tried to choose activities that cover different areas:

For art & cultural enrichment: Drawing and painting, Japanese language, Beginning Spanish

For academic improvement: Essay writing

For communications: Public speaking

For fun, "intellectual" enrichment: Science Exploration, computer application and internet research

Physical activities: Tennis at Cupertino Sports Center.

Other courses from the same summer enrichment program include:

Middle/High shool level: Lego robotics (usually fills up very fast), debate, drumming techniques, creating comic books, basketball, PSAT preparation, pre-algebra, algebra.
Elementary school level: Cartooning and comic art, poetry hot pot, sculpture and clay, earth science /geology, math and art, reader's workshop.

The program starts June 23 and ends on July 18, 2008. After the four week program, we like to have family travel time and visit different places, either in the U.S. or other countries.

Modesto real estate agent's summer escape - looking forward to it...

California Real Estate Broker License Required Courses

2008-05-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

As a Modesto real estate agent, getting a California Real Estate Broker license is on my to-do list. There are five required courses and three electives in order to apply to take the broker exam in California. These are the courses I've taken so far and the dates I passed the course exams:

Real Estate Principles 12/12/2006
Real Estate Practice 9/27/2007
Legal Aspects of Real Estate 10/24/2007
Real Estate Economics 12/03/2007
Residential Real Estate Appraisal 1/15/2008
Property Management 2/19/2008
Real Estate Office Administration 4/29/2008
Real Estate Finance - targeting end of May 2008

Except for the first three classes where there are live classes (a person teaching the course in a classroom setting), all others are self study courses. I wasn't able to locate a real estate broker class that is not self-study (at least not in Central Valley or Silicon Valley, California).

There will be a five hour broker exam and 75% passing score to qualify for a license (in addition to either a college transcript from an accredited college or two year real estate salesperson experience). The broker exam preparation will keep me busy in June, just when my elementary school age kids are out of school. To keep them busy as well, there are a few strategies that I use...

Real Estate Auction for Lender Foreclosed Homes - Modesto California REDC Auction

2008-05-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

On April 29, 2008, I attended the REDC real estate auction of lender foreclosed homes in the Modesto California area. Prior to that, I called and received a catalog totaling 305 pages listing about 1500 homes that are to be auctioned in the Northern California area. There are nine auction days in the following cities: Sacramento (2 separate days), San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, Modesto, Merced, Stockton, Oakland. There were four separate days where open houses were held for these foreclosed homes.

To buy at the auction, there are some steps to follow:

Register for the auction. This can be done online.
Pre-qualify for financing (unless it is a cash deal).
Visit and inspect the property / properties during the open house dates (all properties are sold "as-is").
Have a cashier check of $5000, made payable to yourself, and bring that to the auction. (A $10,000 cashier's check is needed to purchase each additional property.)
Bring a photo id to the auction.
Have a personal check to cover the balance of 5% earnest money deposit. So the $5000 cashier's check combined with the amount from the personal check have to equal the 5% of the Total Purchase Price.

There is a 5% "Buyer's Premium" added to the winning bid amounts for the Total Purchase Prices. All properties have clear title. There is no "Cooling-Off Period" or "Right to Rescind" once a bidder wins the bid. A real estate agent or broker representing the bidder are entitled to a 1% commission unless the Broker/Agent is also acting as a principal in the transaction. Some of the auction homes are "Cash Only", i.e. no financing is allowed. I believe in these cases the winning bidders have 30 days to pay the remaining balances. Some homes that have monthly HOA dues are listed as such in the catalog or in the "Auction Day Notes" flyer.

I stayed for about an hour at the Modesto real estate auction, and the auctioneer auctioned off about 26 properties. The auction was fast faced. No photography or video taping is allowed inside the auction area. There was a note outside the auction area saying that auction prices are not disclosed and people can check the properties' sale prices after close of escrow.

For the auction homes in Modesto and the surrounding areas (Ceres, Keyes, Patterson, Ripon, Riverbank, Salida), the starting bids ranges from $1,000 to around 200K. The homes "Previously Valued" (as listed in the auction catalog) from 130K to 600K. For the 26 properties that were auctioned off during my attendance, the final bidding prices ranges from 30% to almost 70% of the "Previously Valued" prices.

More information can be obtained from the Real Estate Disposition Corporation wesite.

Disclaimer: All information is verified but not guaranteed. Please check with the appropriate sources if there is any discrepancy. This is not to be used as investment advice. This detailed an auction event attended by a Modesto real estate agent Irene Chan, MS, REALTOR ® in Modesto California on 4/29/2008.

Google's Jon Diorio Talk about Website Optimizer

2008-04-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

I, a Modesto real estate agent from Central Valley, like to make the trip to Silicon Valley and find out more about SEO, website optimization and marketing, and on occasion, look at some Silicon Valley properties. Here is my notes on the talk, Website Optimization (Google's Website Optimizer), given by Google's product manager, Jon Diorio:

Statistics: landing page (0-20 s. 100% of pixels, demonstrated commitment), closing pages (2-3 mins. 100% pixel, significant commitment)
Page elements: benefit statements vs. product features, call to action buttons vs. links, graphics vs. no graphics
Different combo pages
Identify impactful pages sections / elements
Develop simple hypotheses for each element
Test a few variations (2-4)
Repeat as necessary
Multivariates and AB tests : different html versions or Javascript if small portion of screen changes
html, php, jsp uses for implementation
How Picasa's change in page design increased conversion rate significantly
Website Optimizer: setup screen (3 steps, change variations); Outcome page

It would have been nice to have some time to squeeze in a demo of Website Optimizer. Overall, it was nice experience and I learned something new and got to meet some people from the Business Marketing Association of Northern California.

Modesto Home and Garden - Spring Flowers

2008-04-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

This time of the year, the lavender in my backyard is dreamily beautiful. I have a variety of lavenders: Spanish, English, and French. In a month's time, they will all fade away. Regardless, the special Spring moment will always be in my heart. I will be missing - that - last - word...

California Association of Realtors Opposes Point-of-Sale Mandate AB2678

2008-04-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

The Point-of-Sale Mandate excerpt (concern related to energy efficiency audit / investments for homes at purchasing time):

"C.A.R. is OPPOSING AB 2678 (Núñez) which among other things, requires that ALL homes and commercial property in California have an energy audit at point-of-sale and that mandatory energy efficiency investments be made. While C.A.R. appreciates the goal of AB 2678 C.A.R. strongly opposes the point-of-sale requirements in AB 2678 because they fail to achieve the bill’s objectives and, such mandates will further weaken the housing market. If enacted, AB 2678 could add thousands of dollars to the cost of purchasing a home, including up to $400 just to have a home audited."

I received a postcard as well as an email alert on the subject matter and here is the link to get more information. Please feel free to use the Poll in this blog to cast your vote.

BMA April 23, 2008 Meeting in Santa Clara

2008-04-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Website Optimization - Going Beyond the Click - Google's Product Manager Jon Diorio.

More information.

Real Estate Tax Deduction for Different Types of Real Estate Properties - Modesto Real Estate Agent Notes

2008-04-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

Real Estate Tax Deduction for Different Types of Real Estate Properties:

Personal Use Property : Mortgage interest and property tax are deductible.
To check if mortgage interest is fully deductible, follow this Internal Revenue Services link.

Second Home / Vacation Home : Mortgage interest and property tax are deductible.
If a vacation home is financed, the interest expenses are deductible, if itemized deductions are filed.

Home owners cannot deduct any other expenses associated with operating and maintaining the properties for personal use / second home / vacation home.

Rental Investment Property : Mortgage interest, property tax are deductible, expenses attributed to the rental period are deductible, including property insurance (Insurance is not deductible for primary and second homes).

For investment properties, depreciation may be considered by some as the best real estate tax deduction of all. The method used for real estate is straight-line depreciation of the building. Depreciation can only be applied to the building and not land since land does not wear out over time.

For residential property, the depreciation period is 27.5 years.
For commercial property, the depreciation period is 39 years.
To see an example of how depreciation is calculated, visit About.com.

A property is considered a rental if it is rented for more than 14 days of the year. However, if a house is rented for less than 15 days each year, the rental income does not have to be reported.

For all three types of properties, mortgage insurance premium may be qualified as deductible mortgage interest. To find out more about mortgage insurance deduction, see IRS publication.

For more real estate information, definition of terms, visit Real Estate Encyclopedia, the Real Estate Wiki.

The California Real Estate Proposition 13 (1978) set the property tax to 1% of the full cash value of the property, plus any local bond assessments.

Disclaimer: the above information is not to be used as real estate investment advice or tax advice. Please consult your investment advisor or accountant if there is any discrepancy. It is my notes to clarify some of the taxes deduction rules - my notes on real estate tax deduction for a Modesto real estate agent.

12 Tips to Improve the Quality of Your Free Time

2008-04-15T21:47:00.001-07:00

Are you happier at your job, or during your free time? Unless you’ve followed the research of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi you would probably be surprised at the actual answer. He conducted studies which recorded peoples current levels of happiness at random points both during work and off-hours.

read more | digg story

Modesto Bee Article on Modesto and Neighboring Cities' Schools - Distinguished Schools

2008-04-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

Modesto Bee 4/12/2008 news article on:

Ten local schools doing very well with limited funds - chosen as 2008 Distinguished Schools including schools in Modesto, Ceres, Hughson, Oakdale, Atwater, Sonora.

Click this Modesto Bee link to find out more.

The follwing are a list of school districts and the links to get more information for each of the ten schools:

Stanislaus County:
Modesto City School District : Rose Avenue, Martone
Empire Union School District : Capistrano, Sipherd
Ceres Whitmore Charter School of Technology
Hughson Unified School District : Fox Road Elementary School
Oakdale Joint Unified School District : Sierra View Elementary
Sylvan Union School District : Sherwood Elementary

Merced County:
Atwater Elementary School District : Elmer Wood Elementary

Tuolumne County:
Sonora School District : Sullivan Creek Elementary

To find out the schools' Academic Performance Index (API), please visit the California Department of Education website.

This is also a good website, Education Bug, which has a national directory of schools including public, private, school districts, colleges, and libraries.

Pain Management Doctor in Modesto California Jackie Chan MD Website

2008-04-12T00:22:00.001-07:00

Pain Management doctor in Modesto California, Jackie Chan MD, has a new website that I am working on. Please check it out at Pain Management Modesto.

Real Estate Sale Statistics in Bar Graph Format - Modesto California

2008-04-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Real Estate Sales statistics for Modesto California now includes updated numbers for March 08. It contains:

Number of Modesto homes sold for single family homes in bar chart format and,
Modesto real estate average home sale prices and median home sale prices in bar chart format.

Please follow this real estate sales link. It will be updated monthly.

I also plan on including neighborhood cities in Stanislaus County such as Salida real estate sales statistics, Oakdale real estate sales statistics, etc.

10 Innovative Green Homes

2008-04-07T15:44:00.001-07:00

Homeowners are taking sustainability - and their homes - to the next level. These ten innovative designs move the owner off the grid, into the trees, and toward a more environmentally-sound future.

read more | digg story

New Website URL

2008-04-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

I have moved my website to http://www.modesto-realtor.com on a new server.
The old website http://ilaichan.home.comcast.net will not be active. I've added a robot.txt to not have the site crawled. I also disabled the website from my Comcast account.

Vein Clinic Modesto Website and SEO Modesto Strategy

2008-04-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

I have a contact, Calvin Lee MD, in Modesto that likes writing webpages when he's not performing vein procedures. Check out his website: Vein Clinic Modesto.

Many of the websites he wrote SEO well, particularly Vein Clinic Modesto. We share SEO tips and techniques.

Short Sales Statistics and Foreclosure Prevention Workshops

2008-04-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

As of 4/4/08, the short sale statistics in Modesto California is:

Active short sale single family homes : 714 on the market

Avg. size: 1574 sq. ft. Avg listing price: $225K Avg Days on Market: 89
Median size: 1428 sq. ft. Median listing price: $200K Median days on market: 72

I've looked at a few short sale properties in the 95356 zip code in Modesto California. One home that is 3181 sq. ft. priced at $102.14 per square feet was pending after 6 days on the market. Another property that is 1987 square feet priced at $140.87 per square feet was pending after 4 days on the market. Both properties were built in 2001.

Price right to have a quick sale to avoid foreclosure.

According to the Modesto Bee news article today (4/4/08). There will be more free events scheduled to help at-risk homeowners.

Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani has scheduled several workshops where lenders were invited.
California state agencies coordinated some foreclosure prevention workshops. Free credit counseling is available.
No Homeowners Left Behind-Stanislaus is planning monthly workshops in Modesto to provide free counseling. Lenders have been invited.

Please click on the Modesto Bee news article link above to get more details on the time and locations of the workshops.

Informative Stop Foreclosure Website by State of California

2008-04-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

The State of California website Consumer Home Mortgage Information offers:

A guide to mortgage resources in California
List of upcoming events hosted by Governor Schwarzenegger's task force on non-traditional mortgages
Mortgage help
90 days of hope (fact sheets, flyers, media announcements)
Tips for avoiding foreclosure

Sellers who want to sell their home have an option to do a MLS-only listing (a For Sale By Owner flat fee MLS service).

CSS Galleries: Free Web Designs for Download

2008-03-30T21:38:00.001-07:00

A list of free CSS HTML Web design download resources including brief descriptions and screenshots of the repective sites. Includes generic and special resources for content management, forum, and blogging systems like e107, Drupal, Joomla, Mambo, PHP-Fusion, phpBB, PHPNuke, vBulletin, Wordpress, and Xoops.

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YouTube: Video Creators Know When and Where Clips Watched

2008-03-28T14:28:00.001-07:00

In a move to provide better data to its users, YouTube formally announced late Wednesday that it had added a free feature that will show video creators when and where viewers are watching their videos.

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REO Listing for Investors and First Time Home Buyers

2008-03-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to look at a REO (Real Estate Owned) property in Modesto California in Stanislaus County, Central Valley on Sunday 3/16/08. It is the second day on the market and when I called the listing agent, there are offers already. Today, the property is pending.

The property is located in zip code area 95356. around $128 per sq. ft. and listing at $309K. It is in good condition. I have been tracking REO properties using daily auto-prospecting tool for potential clients and also gathered some statistics:

As of 3/16/08:

REO listings in Modesto California for Single Family Homes:

Active: 514 Avg List Price: $190K Avg size: 1503 sq. ft. Avg DOM: 59

Median List Price: $175K Median size: 1341 sq. ft. Median DOM: 45

Pending: 300 Avg List Price: $199K Avg size: 1634 Avg DOM: 50

Median List Price: $180K Median size: 1434 sq. ft. Median DOM: 28

Sold in Feb: 80 Avg List Price: $210K Avg Sale Price: $201K Avg size: 1527 sq. ft. Avg DOM: 48

Median List Price: $199K Median Sale Price: $196K Median size: 1397 sq ft. Median DOM: 21

Please check back next month for an update.

Irene Lai-Chan, M.S., REALTOR

web: http://www.modesto-realtor.com

Web-based Real Estate Software - Metrolist Prospector, Modesto California

2008-03-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

I just finished attending the MetroList Prospector training in Modesto, California. I am absolutely fascinated by the features and mapping support, auto-prospecting, client portal, reverse prospecting, and seamless integration with eNeighborhood power tools.

The mapping feature uses Microsoft Virtual Earth that allows the user to view in map or satellite view. After searching for properties, one can set the route of visit, rearrange the order of properties on the route, and print out the route information. Another feature, auto-prospecting, saves agents a lot of time. Once the search criteria is set up, properties that meet the criteria are automatically added to the "Newly Matched" listings cart. An email can then be sent to invite the client to either Save, Reject, or leave the property information on one of the three lists. The agent and client can both email each other regarding any of the properties on the list.

With the integration to eNeighborhood, agents don't even need any contact management software. Creating CMA and flyers are two other feature I can't wait to use.

The only drawback is that there should be a cross population of contacts between Prospector and eNeighborhood. Maybe one exists that I don't know of yet, such as exporting contacts to an excel file and then importing that to eNeighborhood. It would also be great if a client can specify the frequency of auto-prospecting email (like once every few days instead of every day). Sorting of property list may also be a convenient feature for the client when they are using the client portal.

Also, I would like to see export to HTML from eNeighborhood in addition to exporting to PDF file. (Can a web developer take advantage of the HTML and also promote eNeighborhood at the same time?)

My previous job as a medical office administrator for a small office, solo practitioners have to do research on their own to get medical management, scheduling, billing software. Each office procure their own tools and in comparison, real estate professionals are so spoiled.

California cows start passing gas to the grid

2008-03-07T18:51:00.001-08:00

(Reuters) - Imagine a vat of liquid cow manure covering the area of five football fields and 33 feet deep. Meet California's most alternative new energy. On a dairy farm in the Golden State's agricultural heartland, utility PG&E Corp began on Tuesday producing natural gas derived from manure...

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Modesto Real Estate Blog - Initial Entry

2008-03-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

I am putting some local properties from Modesto, California on my watch list. The list price vs sales price, days on market, total inventory list can be served as indicators of the current market conditions. Other topics include: 'Days in the Life of a Modesto Realtor from Central Valley California During the 2008 Housing Market Downturn'.