Kathy McGraw, Riverside County CA Real Estate

Saturday morning in Southern California, sun not high in the sky yet, but definitely working it's way to a nice spot. It's early in the morning, and I was just stirring from a great sleep when the phone rang. I didn't know what time it was so I answered.....

"Hello, I am standing at this lot and want to know how much it cost?"

I had to shake my head and find my after I wake up and brush my teeth voice........

"What property are you at, can you tell me the street?"

"I am at 3rd and Williams."

"That lot is $120,000 and it's in a Commercial area."

"That's too much money."

"What are you looking for?"

"I want to put a mobile home on it."

"Oh, well I have several nice Residential lots that are bigger than that one, and they start at $25,000. They would be perfect for a Mobile Home if you would like to see them."

"I will talk to my husband and let you know."

After I hung up, I looked at the clock, it said 7:17 AM. Oh my, I must have turned into a Doctor or something in the middle of the night, because this seemed way too early for people to be calling someone to ask about a piece of land. I just don't understand why someone would think it is OK to call so early just because they are up, doesn't mean everyone else is.

I sell Real Estate, and that piece of land will still be there at 9am. I think 9am is a reasonable time to call someone you don't know. Especailly if you are just "land shopping" and not buying it at this very moment. I don't go to bed with my files, and can't answer many questions with accuracy half asleep.

OK, it is now 8:52 and I am ready for any of your calls, having showered, eaten, and got my Professional self ready for a day of work.......you want land, I have land. You want a House, I have Foreclosures, and nice properties that are turn key. I can help you with most of your Real Estate needs, but please respect that I do not have Doctors hours :)

By: Kathy McGraw- Broker CELLing Realty- Real Estate in Riverside County CA

Real Estate is cyclical....what goes up must come down, and what is down will come up. Be smart in your Real Estate dealings, look at the Big Picture. In these tough economic times people are getting scammed, losing their jobs, not being able to make the mortgage, or trying to figure out how to buy a home for the best deal possible.

Not only is Real Estate cyclical, but it is also local. Every area is different, and listening to news reports, or Marketing by Realtor Sue or Broker Bob in Texas won't help you in California. Nor will the advice of Aunt Sally or your moms best friend Hilda if they don't know the area, and are not available full time to help you with your Real Estate needs, especially if you are trying to buy or sell a Foreclosure or short sale.

This is a sign I was pleased to place in the window of one of my listings. And no matter what type of property it is, look for a good Real Estate Agent to help you.....and believe me not all of us work the same. Figure out what your needs are and be willing to work as a team with the Agent you choose. Teamwork is a win-win for everyone.

I have compiled a list of 10 Quick Facts about Real Estate in California. Below are 5 of them, and the other 5 can be found by clicking here

1) Commercial Properties weren't hit as hard as Residential Real Estate, but are forecast to take a hit this year with Commercial "office vacancy rates climbing as much as 300 to 400 basis points with many markets expected to experience severe negative net absorption." according to Andrew Florance, founder and CEO of CoStar Group Inc., Be prepared that many companies will be closing, but then again many will be opening. Don't just listen to the news....check out the area, and do your homework.

2) Some areas qualify for Government loans that are geared for low to very low income buyers offering 100% financing. The Government has certain rural areas that qualify for these loans, and if you and the area qualify it can be well worth your effort.

3) Appraisals are still important to get a loan. If you are trying to get a loan for a 200,000 house, but it only appraises at 180,000 you more than likely will have to come up with the difference. In CA many people were getting their homes reappraised during this downturn, and many didn't. So it's important to know the current appraised value if you need a loan.

4) The information in many of the MLS's is not totally accurate. Some of the MLS's don't update as fast as they should, and many of the properties on syndicated sites aren't updated. Also did you know that the properties on the largest Real Estate sites are not just their listings but everyone's? They have listings that belong to Joe Blow Realty as well as their own Franchise, they get them from a computer program. So don't assume that only the large Franchises are the best.

5) DOM ( days on Market), is one of the considerations buyers look at when deciding how much to offer. If someone was selling their home for over what the Market would absorb, then that home would end up being on the Market longer.....and buyers would feel the Seller would negotiate more. So it's important to have a local Real Estate Agent, not just Uncle Freddie or Aunt Sally who have a license, but someone that knows the area. And LISTEN to them when they tell you what your home can sell for.

Also beware of Scams where someone wants you to pay them upfront for negotiating with Lenders on your behalf. Check these people out...get a phone number, fax, address, License number. Don't let a bad situation turn worse.

By: Kathy McGraw- Broker of CELLing Realty - Real Estate Consulting in Riverside County, CA

The Riverside County Regional Detention Center Project, also known as the Whitewater Jail, is having a meeting for interested Parties on Thursday Jan. 8th, 2009 from 6-8PM. The meeting will be held at the Cabazon Community Center located at the Corner of Broadway and Carmen Ave.

People that asked questions on the County's website for the jail were sent an email invitation to this meeting called an "Open House." I know I will be there as I have several questions, and hope they will be answered.

For more information on the Jail or to sign the Petition that is circulating to stop the "Prison" go to: http://www.StopthePalmSpringsPrison.com/.

And here is a Video on the Whitewater Jail (some people are calling it a Prison, but this is incorrect, it's a jail). I am putting it on here only as a service, I am not endorsing it.

Here's the Address for the Community Center. Get off at Main St. in Cabazon....go to light which is Broadway, turn left (south) and go down to Carmen. Community Center is on the Corner.

50390 Carmen Ave.

Cabazon, CA 92230

(951) 922-1097

By: Kathy McGraw CELLing Realty ~ Riverside County, CA Real Estate

If I was in charge, and boy are you guys lucky I'm not....but if I was I would give a Group Award to Real Estate Agent Todd Clark of Beaverton, Oregon. Todd joined the e-PRO Group after we resurrected it in August of 07. Since the day he joined the Group, October 27,2007, he has been a consistent supporter. I wish more of the Group was like Todd, but then again no one is like Todd :)

We don't have any awards to give, but to Honor Todd I have put his latest Posts on the e-PRO Dashboard. He is the only one Featured in there right now as our way of saying Thank You for all the laughs, the accountability, and the lessons he's taught. He is an excellent example of a Real Estate Agent/REALTOR/Broker and if you know of anybody that is moving to, or out of Beaverton Oregon contact Todd Clark.

Thank you Todd for everything you have contributed, and for being one of the Honest ones with Integrity. Your work ethics have shown through over and over in your Active Rain Posts. I would send a Real Estate Referral to you any day of the week.

A $300 Million Dollar Jail in Whitewater's Backyard has the 200+ Residents in an uproar. We didn't know about this proposed Jail until the latter part of September. An emergency meeting was called for residents to try to get some of their questions answered, but actually there are more questions than answers. Apparently the County was going to do a "Presentation" to the Residents, but the jail plan was found out before this official "presentation" was given.

"It's right in the middle of the county," Marion Ashley said of the site of the proposed jail in White Water. "It's just an ideal spot because if we didn't choose it, we would have to build a new jail in the western portion of the county and a new one in the eastern portion." That was his response, and what has many Residents writing letters, signing petitions, and driving to the Tuesday Supervisors meetings in Riverside.

Currently Banning has a Jail, The Larry D. Smith Correctional Facilityy (the old Banning Road Camp)., and the County has approved around 600 additional beds to that facility. Banning is just down the road from Whitewater, about 15 minutes west. So all of the 6,000+ beds that are needed in the County will be within 15 minutes of each other. Our Backyard....Whitewater.

Several Whitewater Residents have gone to the weekly Supervisors Meeting in Riverside to voice their concerns. Although all the Supervisors agree that our area is perfect for their jail, they didn't notify current Residents. When asked about why no one was notified the answer was: Whitewater is an unincorporated area, and they don't have to notify anyone unless they live within 500 feet of the proposed jail project. Bottom line Whitewater "jail" already had Architectural Drawings, an EIR (Environmental Impace Report) either completed or in process, and before any Residents even knew about the plans for a jail, the process of approval appeared to be well on its way.

The proposed Whitewater jail site is an appx. 140 acre county owned site right on the main Street, Tamarack, the only ingress and egress for Residents of Friendly Estates.

These Residents and all the School Children would have to pass this jail several times a day. The Residents of this section of Whitewater only have one way in, and one way out....and that is from the Haugen-Lehmann exit off the I-10 Freeway, or the frontage road that runs on the south side of the Freeway.

The jail traffic, resident traffic, school transportation, and construction traffic would be using that one intersection Haugen Lehmann and Tamarack. There are no sidewalks for the kids or pedestrians, and hopefully the County will pay for some of the local neglected infrastructure to help mitigate the effects of this jail on the residents of Whitewater.

We hope that the traffic portion of the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) is seriously looked at, and if the county is dead set on putting their jail in our backyard, let's find some ways to help mitigate the effects of this.

A few of the concerns from residents that have written letters are (in no particular order):

• The Lights from a 24/7 Facility of this size will ruin the Desert Sky Viewing-it's beautiful out here for stargazing, and many of the Nocturnal Desert Animals and fowl would be adversely affected.
• Ingress and Egress- Tamarack is the only way in or out of Whitewater for the families that live off Rushmore. There are 2 distinct areas that would be the most affected by building this jail. Residents wanted to know why the County can't build a new exit off the Freeway at Rushmore. In the past there have been people that tore down the fence to the Morongo Indian Reservation to try to get out in an emergency.
• Property Values- People are concerned that their property will decrease in value even more than it has right now, in this economy.
• Why Doesn't the County build their jail in Eagle Mountain- there are already 1500 homes and a school that are abandoned. Eagle Mountain is about 12 miles N. of Desert Center.
  
• When did the County buy the additional 100 acres - Apparently the County owned 37 acres (not verified) and assembled more land for this jail that supposidly isn't approved?
• Concern over Water Shortage, Sewage, and Fire- Cabazon just built a new Fire Station but that is still a distance away, and this is a desert....we have to conserve water.
• Why didn't Home Purchasers get any type of Disclosure about this plan from Real Estate Agents- We couldn't disclose what we didn't know, and what was never verified. The Rumors I heard was the jail was to be built in Cabazon.
• Dumping Criminals in our Backyard- The Banning Jail has been releasing inmates in the community, and Whitewater Residents are afraid that this new "Hub Jail" will do the same thing. The difference is this Jail is supposed to have a reported 7,000 beds at build-out, which means more releases, not counting anyone that might escape.
  
• A large jail in White Water would affect the Gateway to the Desert- who wants to see a large jail right off the 10 freeway going to Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and the other communities of the Coachella Valley.
• Safety for Children at Bus Stops- children are going to school, and standing at bus stops in the dark ( in the Winter) with no lights, benches, or shelter and unknown people coming in and out of the community.

A Jail in Whitewater........if you ask the residents they will say "Not in my Backyard!"