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Hope Goss Ventura Real Estate

Have You Checked Out YELP?

When I woke up yesterday, I didn't feeling like jumping right out of bed so I turned on the tv and caught a little news. There was the usual yucky stuff, but one segment caught my attention. It's was about a sight called www.Yelp.com The newscaster mentioned how he travelled 100 days per year and always used Yelp to find the best restaurants, car rentals, etc. Cool. Staying in step with my lazy morning, I grabbed my laptop and checked out the site. Regular people sign in, create a profile, and write reviews of local businesses. You can even load pictures, your website, and more. If you haven't checked it out, you really must! http://hopegoss.yelp.com

Search the MLS for Ventura Real Estate Listings at:

www.VenturaRealEstate.org

Happening in Ventura This Week

Tuesday December 9, 8:30 a.m.
Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting
Ventura County Hall of Administration, 800 S. Victoria Ave.
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors meets at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday. For more information an agenda go to http://www.ventura.org

Tuesday December 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
One-stop workshop on choosing Medicare Part D
Ventura Avenue Adult Center, 550 N. Ventura Ave.
One-stop workshop on choosing Medicare Part D. For more information contact 800-434-0222.

Wednesday December 10, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
One-stop workshop on Choosing Medicare Part D
Ventura County Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, 646 County Square Drive, Suite 100
For more information contact 800-434-0222

Friday December 12, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday December 13, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday December 14, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
15th Annual Dudley House Victoria Holiday Boutique
Loma Vista Road and Ashwood Street, Dudley House
The 15th annual Dudley House Victoria Holiday Boutique will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday Dec. 12-14 at the Dudley House. there will also be a flea market on Sundays during this time. Proceeds will benefit the historic house museum. Admission is free. For more information call (805) 654-8381 or visit on the web http://www.dudleyhouse.org

Saturday December 13, 8 to 10 a.m.
Breakfast with Santa
3760 Telegraph Road
The YMCA is hosting a Breakfast with Santa, serving pancakes, bacon, eggs and juice. Admission is donation of a new and unwrapped toy for a child or gift card, bedding or hygiene product for a teenager. Donation will go to Kids and Families Together, which provides services for individuals and families in foster care, kinship care and adoption. For more information contact Janet Rivard at (805) 642-2131 ext 25.

Saturday December 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Main Street Mini Fair
Mini-park in the 300 block of Main Street
Main Street Mini Fair, volunteer artists and musicians offer live music, arts and crafts and children's activities. For more information contact (805) 648-1902 or online at http://www.mainstreetfair@yahoo.com

Saturday December 13, 4:30 p.m.
Advent Eversong
6300 Telephone Road
The Ventura Seventh-day Adventist Church Chorale presents Advent Evensong. The service will feature a selection of seasonal choral music interspersed with congregational singing. Free. For more information contact Polly Truex at (805) 642-5387

Sunday December 14, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Fifth Annual David Mann Chopper Fest
Seaside Park, 10 Harbor Blvd.
Fifth Annual David Mann Chopper Fest featuring New & Old Skool Motorcycle Show, Ventura Derby Darlins Exhibition, live music, vendors, food, drinks and more. For more information contact (805) 217-2113 or (805) 650-6777. Cost for general admission is $10, military with ID $5 and children younger than 12 free.

Search the MLS for Ventura Real Estate Listings at:

www.VenturaRealEstate.org

Toys for Tots Booth at Ventura Street Fair a Huge Success!

The Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors Affiliate Committee, working with the U.S. Marines hosted a booth at the Ventura's Holiday Street Fair in downtown Ventura on Sunday, December 7, 2008 to huge success. More than $1000 was raised to buy Christmas presents for needy children.

In addition to collecting new toys, raffle tickets were sold for $1 each. The raffle prize was a Wii game console. The lucky winner of the Wii was Stephanie, a young girl from Ventura. She and her brother's and sister's were very anxious to get home and try out their new Wii. Congratulations Stephanie! And, thanks to Stephanie's dad, Mr. Galvan, a few needy children will have Christmas presents on Christmas morning.

Thank you to the proud Marines that staffed the booth on Sunday, Staff Sgt. Hector Flores and Sgt. Juan Robledo!

Many in the Real Estate community here in Ventura County helped to organize and run the booth on Sunday. They include: Judy and Brad Walker of California Oaks Realtors, Pat Kearney with Countrywide Home Loans, Sharon Young with Mobile Notary, Larry Martinez with Amerifund, Terri Thomas and Dallas Coulter with Stewart Title, HopeGoss, Lynn Kenton, and Karen Campbell with Ventura Property Shoppe, Ronda Holden and RJ Cutting with Fidelity Title, Roylin Downs with Real Estate Weekly, and Tressa Golden, Vanessa Rice, and Heather Wharton with Aliso Escrow.

Toys for Tots is a nationwide, non-profit organization that collects brand new toys and cash donations, with the help of the U.S. Marines, and distributes them to needy children in the local community.

Electronic Waste Disposal in Ventura

Time to clean out all that electronic junk in the garage that's been keeping you from parking in there! The Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura will collect electronic waste items such as stereos, TV sets, computers, monitors, laptops, servers, printers, copiers, cellular phones, digital cameras, VCRs, modems, gaming systems and other consumer or office electronics. They ask that you do not bring home and kitchen appliances such as microwaves and blenders.

When: Saturday November 15, 9 a.m. to noon
Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura parking lot 5654 Ralston St. Ventura, CA
For more information call (805) 644-3989

www.VenturaRealEstate.org

Will Housing Improve if the Economy Gets Worse?

It's probably the million dollar question to anyone in the real estate industry, as well as anyone with designs on buying a new home for their family. We've seen sizable increases in the number of sales happening, as well as some price stabilation in areas of Ventura County. Will this good news for housing continue with the economy losing hundreds of thousands of jobs, the stockmarket in freefall, and all this talk of a deep recession?

Cheif economist, Lawrence Yun, with the National Association of Realtors was asked to comment on the housing market and he had this to say:

"We are in a recession," Yun said. "In the next six months, we may lose up to 1 million jobs. But the good news is, historically housing moves independently from the economy. We are seeing a 20 percent improvement in home sales in states like California, Florida, and Virginia. The economy will not improve without a housing recovery."

Mr. Yun is surely smarter than I am when it comes to economics, but it was my experience that the housing market hasn't followed the economy in the recent past. I guess only time will tell, but there does seem to be some significant moves in the right direction happening in housing right now.

Search the MLS for Ventura Real Estate at www.VenturaRealEstate.org