Thousand Oaks, CA

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

Last week the Obama administration eased the eligibility rules for its "Home Affordable Refinance" program. They moved the loan-to-value ratio from 105% to 125%. This will hopefully enable more home owners to refinance who owe more than their home is worth.

However, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the recent uptick in mortgage interest rates have put a huge halt on the refinance AND new purchase loan market. Refi applications fell 30% last week to the lowest level since last November. Although interest rates have slowly been edging downward over the past few weeks, it seems that refi activity hasn't rebounded.

What will happen if mortgage rates continue to go up? It could slow the housing market down even more.... and you know what that means... values will drop further and more home owners will be pushed into foreclosure.

In April a 30-year fixed mortgage was at 4.78 percent. We are now sitting at 5.32% and that is with rates dropping a little. So it seems that inflationary pressure is pushing interest rates higher and the housing market is definitely a little slower than it was in April and May. Mortgage applications dropped 19% last week.

When 67% of home sales in the nation are attributed to first-time buyers, a slight shift in the interest rates makes a BIG impact on their ability to qualify, not to mention the affordability factor. However, at 5.32% today, this is still an all-time low interest rate! If you are buying for the long-term you have no worries. This is a great time to pull the trigger and jump in.

Buyers in this market are getting to great value for their money. More square footage, more amenities and larger lot sizes! The Conejo Valley offers the fabulous combination of great weather, terrific school districts, fabulous amentiies and family designed communities. I can't think of a better place to live!

Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Lenders, Business Brokers, Title Reps, and Escrow Agents at Troop Real Estate were given a very special opportunity last Wednesday to taste some delicious food from Fiamme Restaurant. You should have seen the array of pastas, bread and Fiamme's special "fire sauce" for dipping. It tasted just like it came straight from Italy. Fresh, authentic and scrumptious! The special "fire sauce" that serves as a dipping sauce for the fresh bread was a HUGE hit! It was Italian with a KICK!

Fiamme Restaurant is located in the Paseo MarketPlace at 3731 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362. Their menu consists of Italian dishes that are delicious. They have an array of traditional dishes such as meatloaf, barbecued baby back ribs and sirloin steak also. They serve fish, shrimp, chicken breast and panini specials as well.

Fiamme Restaurant & Bar, formerly Alessio's, is owned by Elizabeth Beddow and Jerry White Jr. The restaurant features a quiet, yet elegant environment ideal for personal or business dining. Small rooms off the main dining area provide an intimate setting for parties and club meetings.

Troop Real Estateis a FAN of Fiamme Restaurant! You can become one too! Visit their page on FACEBOOK. Fiamme Restaurant offers live entertainment at Fiamme's "Club Inferno." Check it out on Facebook. For more information or to make reservations, call 805-497-9444.

The Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors attended a Ribbon Cutting today hosted by WellnessMart in Thousand Oaks. WellnessMart is an exciting and very current concept for health coverage. Dr. Richard McCauley, owner, spoke to us in his introduction describing WellnessMart as a community retail store at the center of the change in health care to create a simpler, more efficient local health care system.

WellnessMart serves as an educational station for families in this community who want to take charge of their health care. They can help you find health insurance that makes sense so that you are not paying more than you need. WellnessMart makes routine blood tests easy and affordable with no appointment necessary and transparent pricing.

WellnessMart is a preventive health care superstore bringing a wide range of health-related products & services under one roof such as flu shots, travel medicine, CPR training, Vitamins and Supplements, VitaBots, Allergy Relief, Sun Protection, AED machines and much, much more.

The focus at WellnessMart is to give their customers information so they can make informed decisions about their health

This was a wonderful experience for the Ambassadors and we all were very amazed about this unique concept for health care. WellnessMart is located at 1610 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, Ca. For more information visit: http://www.wellnessmart.com.

Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks, CA