Thousand Oaks, CA

The Conejo Recreation & Park District presents the 2009 Summer Concerts in the Park series at

Conejo Community Park, 1175 Hendrix Avenue, Thousand Oaks.

Concerts are FREE!

Monday, September 7th (Labor Day):

Bring your blankets and picnic baskets. All concerts begin at 5 p.m. Call 805.381.1247 for more information.

This is one our favorite local events of the year! Beautiful park setting and great music. The park is large with a brand new kids' playground.

A Tribute to Elvis - Raymond Michael has entertained millions worldwide with his extraordinary and authentic tribute to the King of Rock n' Roll. Get there early as these concerts are quite popular! There is usually a snack stand with hot dogs, popcorn, drinks and other snacks/goodies.

Pottery Barn & PHS, Inc. have joined forces!

Platinum Home Staging, Inc. is now the exclusive Interior Design Company for Pottery Barn, a Williams & Sanoma Company.

Serving the Los Angeles and Ventura County areas

Platinum Home Staging, Inc. will now assist all Pottery Barn clients and customers with all of their Interior Decor needs and dilemmas.

Not sure what paint color to choose?

Unsure if the couch you want will fit in your space?

What about bedding and towels or placement of accessories and artwork?

To find out more click here!

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Real Estate Activity for Thousand Oaks/Newbury Park

As of 7/13/09

Breakdown of Active Listings:

*does not include properties accepting back-up offers or in escrow

51 attached (condos, townhomes, duplexes)

237 detached

Statistical information used to create this report was obtained from VCRDS. Information Deemed Reliable but not Guaranteed.

Some aspects of buying a bank owned(REO) property are very different from a normal sale, and then, some aspects are very similar.

1) You must be pre-approved!(bank owned properties move fast and you don't have time to get pre-approved after you have found a property you want to make an offer on. Get this step done before you start looking and you will be ready to submit your offer on the spot. The banks will not look at an offer without a pre-approval letter and many times they want the proof of funds up-front with the offer as well.

2) There is little room for negotiation! Where a normal seller usually prices their home expecting to come down in price, bank owned properties are priced competitively so they will move quickly. Always look at the recent comps to determine value.

3) You are buying the house AS-IS! What you see is what you get. You may still perform an inspection at your own expense, however, the buyer is expected to pay for repairs.

4) You will not receive disclosure! In a normal sale the seller is required to disclose all problems they know about the house. You will not get this from the bank. As they are only holding the on their books they have no knowledge of the history of the house.

5) Work with a Realtor who works directly with the bank! Receiving first-hand information on properties from an agent who works directly with the bank gives you an edge. It is possible to find out what will be coming up even before the properties hit the MLS database.

6) Contingency periods are very short! Often the contingency period the bank will allow is only seven days for the physical inspection. In a normal sale it is usually 17 days in California. This means you must move quickly to get your inspections done.

In truth, buying a foreclosed home can be challenging. However, if you are patient and work closely with your agent, you can often find a good bargain.

On the other hand, if you are cash-poor coming in with minimum down payment and very little left in the bank after the transaction, this might not be the best avenue for you. Foreclosed homes usually have deferred maintenance issues and need some TLC to get them back in shape. Discuss this with your real estate agent to determine the best type of home you should buy.

Search for homes in the Conejo Valley

The Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village Chamber Ambassadors attended a ribbon cutting yesterday hosted by Consumer's Title Company in Thousand Oaks. The new office location is conveniently located at 195 E. Hillcrest Drive, Suite 95, right behind Office Depot.

Walking into their office was like walking into a beautifully decorated designer showroom. The atmosphere is friendly and the energy is bright. The name "Consumer's" Title represents the focus of their marketing. They are marketing to the consumer to bring awareness to the fact that consumers have a choice when it comes to choosing your title company. Consumer's Title has the lowest rates in Ventura County. They pride themselves in being an intimate, "boutique" title company that puts the consumer first.

President, Joe Beckerle stated that the company is already turning a profit and business is booming. Senior Account Manager, Scott Mazza gave a short description of the company and one interesting point he made was that Consumer's Title has an extensive educational format for Real Estate agents as well as the consumer. Classes are scheduled regularly at Real Estate offices in the Conejo Valley and surrounding areas to provide education about title reports.

One of the highlights of the event for me was meeting people face to face with whom I always talk with on the phone who give me superior service. I had the pleasure of meeting Paul Clayton, Customer Service Manager (tremendously friendly and helpful) and Roxanne Danielsen, Title Operations Manager (warm, friendly and sharp!). I also spoke with the lovely Pamela Baldwin-Flores, Escrow Operations Manager who is going to be heading up their escrow division.

This was a terrific event with many Ambassadors as well as Consumer's Title staff in attendance. We learned much about Consumer's Title Company and we also cut a ribbon, took a picture and toasted to their success. For more information about Consumer's Title Company call 805-495-7200 or visit their website at: http://www.ctcsocal.com/index.shtml