Saratoga, CA

Have you been blogging regularly, but not getting good reader response? Here are a few Rules of Engagement (from Virtual REBarCamp yesterday) that all of us real estate bloggers could follow for greater success:

• Ask yourself: Are you answering questions your readers have?
• Write your blog like you are talking personally with your reader
• Say you more than I
• Use bullets or lists to make it easy for your reader
• Limit blog posts to 300-500 words
• Use keywords three times (in the title, first paragraph and somewhere else)*
• Do your links go to a new window so you don't loose your reader?
• Do you link to other pages on your blog to carry a thread?
• Do you include a clear call to action?

Please leave your comments here at this blog post after your check out my other blog: www.SaratogaVoice.com. I learned a lot yesterday and still need to make some improvements, with your help. Thanks!

Rick Bonetti, Alain Pinel Realtors - Saratoga, CA 408-857-8800

*Note: We know that Google SEO is more focused on content than keywords, but keywords give you, the writer, focus to engage the reader in your conversation.

It's Raining Blogs...I Mean Meteors...Tips for Watching God's Show tonight at 1:00 am!

by Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

Tonight and tomorrow night, God and nature are putting on a free show, the Leonid meteor shower. Like me, try to take a nap during the day so you can stay up to see the fun.

Created by Comet Tempel-Tuttle, the Leonids are an annual event, usually seen in late fall. (Note: Some earlier Internet postings incorrectly attributed it to the Comet Swift-Tuttle.) Each time the Leonid meteor shower passes through the inner solar system it sprinkles debris, (mostly ice and rock), varying in size from as large as a standard marble to as small as a grain of sand.

"We're predicting 20 to 30 meteors per hour over the Americas, and as many as 200 to 300 per hour over Asia," said Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.

According to experts like Cooke, the best time to watch will be from 1:00 am PST through dawn each day. The good news is this year it occurs close to the New Moon phase, enhancing visibility.

Meteor showers are named by the constellation from which meteors appear to fall, a spot in the sky astronomers call the radiant; for example, the Perseid meteor shower's origin appears to be located near the Perseus constellation, the Leonid's near Leo (aka the Lion).

This year's Leonids are reputed to be especially interesting due to its various colored hues, ranging from the usual white or silver to aquamarine or blue.

Tips for viewing:

•1) Take at least a 1 hour nap during the day.

•2) Go to the bathroom before you leave for your stargazing destination.

•3) Find a safe, dark place to watch, one not subject to an onslaught of headlights.

•4) Dress warmly with several layers, as well as gloves, hat and overcoat.

•5) Bring a bottle of water, and a thermos of hot chocolate, coffee, tea or soup, plus a small snack.

•6) Bring a blanket (preferably with a waterproof layer on one side to put on the ground) or a comfy reclining camp chair, PLUS a blanket to snuggle under.

•7) Sit or lay back and relax your eyes to maximize your peripheral vision.

•8) ENJOY!

For maximum enjoyment, allow at least one hours for viewing; the first 15 minutes will be spent acclimating your eyes to the darkness, then give yourself at least 30 minutes to view. If meteors are falling at 20 per hour, that's about 1 every 3 minutes; at 30 per hour, that's 1 every 2 minutes. Assuming you may miss about 20 percent due to looking in the wrong direction or closing your eyes, that means you may see as few as 8 or as many as 15 in 30 minutes.

Synchronicity...BioRhythms...Led by the Holy Spirit...in the Flow

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

Whether you call it Synchronicity, BioRhythms, being Led (or Filled) by the Holy Spirit, or just "in the Flow," each of us has occasionally had those "God Works in Mysterious Ways" moments.

Earlier this week I retrieved my Cadillac after undergoing some long-overdue repairs. When I looked at the main odometer, it read "88068.0" and the trip odometer read "1.1."

As I work in Silicon Valley, the multicultural hub of the universe, my brain immediately began interpreting this series of numbers in a variety of ways. Many of my Indian clients believe 1 is an auspicious number, symbolizing a special spiritual significance resonating with good fortune, and will go so far as to put the number 1 somewhere within the offer price of the Cupertino home they are buying, as is $2,001,000.

Many of my Chinese clients have shared the meanings of different numbers, both good and bad. So 8 symbolizes continued, unending good fortune, 6 represents perfect happiness, 0 is continuation of what's gone before (rather like an "Amen"), and 1 means it's guaranteed. These clients also like to put 8's somewhere in either the asking price or offer price of the San Jose and Saratoga homes they're involved in.

So my newly-repaired car was telling me, I would have doubled good fortune continuing happiness to be continued with a double guarantee!

I'm still awaiting some (actually most) of this (and it looks like I need to have them check the car again). However, this evening my husband delayed me so he could walk me out to my car like a gentleman. It took just a few extra minutes for that loving gesture (the longest part was waiting for him to disengage from his oh-so-comfortable La-Z-Boy recliner).

Less than a mile from home in Santa Clara, the 7 lanes of Stevens Creek Boulevard were filled with more than a half-dozen police cars, a fire truck and ambulance, plus at least two stretchers. I'd just missed an obviously dramatic accident.

Whether or not those lucky signs on my odometer bring me wealth tomorrow, I thank God I listened to the Holy Spirit and waited to share a few more minutes with my loving husband. Avoiding an accident like that is certainly doubled good fortune continuing happiness to be continued with a double guarantee!

Saratoga Cupertino Schools Lynbrook & Monta Vista High Homes MidWeek Update 11.12.09

Hello & Happy Harvest Season! This is Michelle Carr Crowe with your Saratoga Cupertino Schools Lynbrook & Monta Vista High Homes MidWeek Update for 11.12.09.

The housing market in Saratoga with Lynbrook & Monta Vista High continues to be stable. Currently there are only 7 single family homes for sale and just 1 Townhome for sale. There are no multi-family units available right now.

I have *2* different pre-approved buyers who want to buy in the in the next 30 days and close before the Christmas holidays -but the homes they want and need aren't on the market right now. Who do you know who's thinking of selling that could use my help?

Tax Credit and Unemployment Benefits Officially Extended & Expanded

The existing tax credit for first-time buyers, originally set to expire at the end of the month, has been extended, expanded and approved by the House, Senate and President Barack Obama. The new measure allows both first-timers and existing homeowners to take advantage of thousands in the form of a tax credit. All properties must close by the end of April.

The measure would continue giving an $8,000 tax credit to first-time buyers.

In addition, it provides a $6,500 tax break to qualified homeowners looking to move up OR MOVE DOWN to middle-market homes that cost no more than $800,000. This can be an important bonus for seniors.

The legislation also significantly raises the qualifying income levels to $125,000 for individual income tax filers and to $225,000 for joint filers.

Finally, the bill would extend unemployment benefits 14 more weeks nationwide and 20 more weeks in California and other hard-hit states. That would give the long-term unemployed nearly two years' worth of benefits.

Reprinted with permission from the National Association of REALTORS®.

SELLERS: Click HERE to Find Out Home Values BEFORE You Sell

BUYERS: This week we have *3* separate 3 Br TownHome Opportunities in Monta Vista! All 3 are at least 3 Br and 2 Bath! All are in low-traffic locations, and feature 2-car garages, too. Please call 408.252.8900 to request a showing time. We must have your most current pre-approval letter on file prior to showing- you can email it to info@michellejudycarr.com or fax it to 408.378.9056.

VIP INVESTOR BUYERS ONLY: Call me regarding a potential teardown/remodel opportunity on a standard size (~6000sf) lot. Seller only wants to sell As-Is with no contingencies (getting reports is OK), preferably to cash buyer, reasonably priced.

BUYERS: Click HERE to Find Out Home Prices BEFORE You Buy

Get RE$ult$ Team Open House

Open Saturday 1:30-4:30! Grandma's Cottage Charmer in Willow Glen! 2180 Cheryl, San Jose 95125 REDUCED $$!

Asking $612K OR BEST WRITTEN OFFER !! Try FHA Loan - $21,525 Down Possible!*

For Sale Single Family Homes: 7

For Sale Condos/TownHomes: 1

For Sale Multi-Family: 0

Thanks for reading, Aloha & God bless you!

Saratoga Senior Salvation-A Tax Credit for Move-DOWN Saratoga Buyers

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

Lost in the hoopla about extending and expanding the "up to" $8,000 credit for new homebuyers is the credit for existing homeowners. In my opinion, this can be "Senior Salvation" - a tax credit for move-DOWN Saratoga buyers.

I called my broker, my local real estate board, the California Association of REALTORS®, and even the IRS to ask my question: does this credit apply for move-down buyers?

So far the answer is, "As long as they qualify and have a tax to apply the credit to, it looks like YES."

To summarize:

•1. A first time homebuyer is one that has not owned a home for at least three years.

•2. A repeat homebuyer must have owned their current home for at least five consecutive years out of the last eight years.

•3. The maximum purchase price for the new home is $800,000.

•4. If single, your earning maximum to qualify is $125,000; if married, it's up to $250,000.

•5. There's no gap between the prior deadline (November 30th) and the new credit period, which ends April 30th.

•6. While you must be in a contract to purchase your new home on or before April 30^th, you have until June 30th to close the transaction.

•7. To prove you qualify, you'll need to attach proof of purchase to your tax return (most likely a HUD-1 or final closing statement).

Caveat: please, please check with your tax professional and attorney before making any real estate commitments.

However, this may finally be a tax credit that helps seniors who've lived in their homes for more than five consecutive years of the past eight.

For example, a senior couple selling a 1.5 million dollar single family home in Saratoga Lynbrook they've owned for the past 10 years, then buying a single-level 3 bedroom condo in San Jose for $650,000 not only get to keep their $500,000 tax-free capital gains benefit and transfer their tax basis, they can also now use up to $6,500 as a tax credit.