China's Terra Cotta Warriors are on display in Orange County, CA. That's right, it's an amazing exhibit at 
the spectacular Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, CA. The Bowers Museum in is only one of two or three museums in the U.S. to exhibit these amazing finds. It's hard to believe but these artifacts were buried for almost 2,000 years! They were found by accident as recently as the 1974 by Chinese farmers who discovered heads while digging a well. For me personally it was/is a once-in-a-lifetime experience seeing something like this. A truly spectacular experience.
Commissioned by the first Chinese Emperor, over 7,000 life-size warriors were created to guard the emperor into eternity.
The photo on the left if only a replica stationed outside the exhibit. Photograph was not permitted inside, so click on this line to get a better view for yourself.
If you're near Orange County, you only have a few more weeks to experience this event. Click here for ticket info. I've traveled to China twice in the past few years (the Great Wall was on my lifetime-list) yet this was a first for me. I'd heard about them yet didn't see them while there. I hope to see others on a return visit to Asia some day. Or if you're lucky enough to be in Texas I'm told that's the next stop, then on to a destination in Canada. After that it's back to China for these extraordinary artifacts.
Brea, CA Residential Real Estate Sales Report ~ Home Sales for August 2008 ~ Single Family Home 
Sales Up. August brought about the highest number of closings for single family homes in eleven months, and condo/town homes pending sales were the highest in months continuing the pattern.
Brea is a City is well known for excellence in education. The schools have been a strong attraction for residents in our community.
Like to shop? We've got it here, the Brea Mall is the second highest grossing mall in Orange County. It's often said Brea enjoys some of the bigger city benefits, yet maintains a small town atmosphere. Many of us who live here feel it's the best of both worlds.
Single family sales activity for August 2008, prices range from $280,000 to $2,300,000 athough 90% of the homes in the city are priced under $1,000,000.
Condominium sales activity for August ~ Condos/town-homes range from $275,000 to $530,000.
*It's important to note of the pending sales for the month of August almost 60% of the current sales in our City of Brea (single family homes and condos combined) are identified as either a short-sale property (a homeowner who owes more than the selling/offered price) or are foreclosed properties now owned by the lender. This is the highest I've ever seen in 30+ in real estate in SoCal. Bottom line the number of sales are up, while prices are down.
The homes pictured on the left is an example of a recent Brea closing in northwest Brea near the North Hills community.
This 4 bedroom 3/bath home, (2,200+ square feet) sold in the mid $560,000 range. The lot size was almost 10,000. Time on the market? Less than two weeks.
The photo below (right) is a Brea Bank Repo in the upscale Sommerset development. Four bedrooms, 3 baths, 3 car garage, total square footage is 2,100 square feet (not including the garage. Listed price is $561,750.
If you lived in beautiful Brea, California you would be approximately:
To learn more about Brea take a tour around our city at All About Brea~ Brea, CA 92821 & 92823 and view Sunset Magazine, Brea The Best of The West and you will see why Brea's the Place to Be. Looking for family entertainment in the City of Brea? Check out Family Fun in Good Old Brea, or visit our City Hall Park, it's like a step back in time. Brea is also known for a strong business and financial community, learn more here, view Brea Means Business.
Planning on spending a day or two here? Check out, Brea ~ CA as Featured in Westways Magazine for day tripping around town. If you're want more on Brea real estate contract me, Lynda Eisenmann at Preferred Home Brokers for Real Estate Help, we're one of longest established real estate companies in Orange County under the same ownership.
It's that time of year again, it's the SixththAnnual Brea Jazz Festival 2008 ~
It's the 2008 FREE Concert Series courtesy of the Downtown Business Owner's Association beginning Friday September 5th through Saturday September 27. Hours are 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm each night.
The concerts take place Friday and Saturday nights in downtown Brea on Birch Street just West of Brea Blvd. You will want to arrive early for seats, they're limited. FREE parking is nearby in the multi-level parking garages in down town. Or, reserved tickets are also available here online. 
This year there is an added event, an Arts and Crafts event on Saturdays beginning at 4:00 pm to 10:30 pm. See the event line up and more here.
And for libation, those over the age of 21 can stroll on over to the beer and wine garden . Local service clubs play host for this event serving the libation.
If you've spent any time in down town Brea you know there's a variety of great eateries. Check out Carvao Grill (formerly Gaucho Grill) is one of my favorites. Another is the Fitness Grill, then there's Jo Jo's Pizza Kitchen, see why they're a Brea Business with a Heart!
If you want to learn more about downtown Brea visit Living In Down Town Brea to start! Looking for information on Brea Real Estate, contact me Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com home buyers and sellers for more than 30 years in Orange County. Real Estate License #00402040.
Placentia, California is quiet residential community very well located in Northern Orange County.
The City of Placentia like many others in SoCal is not immune to the housing dole-drums experienced in the Southland. Placentia's current inventory of existing listings is similar to many other surrounding communities when it comes to distressed sales.
Placentia's current re-sale inventory vs. foreclosures/short sales and "traditional sales":
204 total properties for sale ~ of which only 24 are identified as Bank Repos, slightly fewer than 12% of the total inventory. However, when you factor in current short sale properties that total swells to about 35% of the current inventory. That's right another48 homes (condos and single family homes) are identified as short sales in the Multiple Listing Service. (It's most likely a few others which may not be properly identified in the multiple listing service are also short sales at this point).
If you further break down the numbers between single family homes vs. condos, you will clearly see that almost 50% of the condos currently for sale in the City of Placentia are distressed sales, either short sales and/or are in the process of a foreclosure.
This condo on the left is just one example of the currently Placentia bank/lender repos. It's 328 Molokai in the gated community of Placentia Lakes.
Last sale on this property was in August 2006, sales price $395,000. Today's currently asking price for this 2 bedrooms 2 1/2 bath town home is $269,000.
My company Preferred Home Brokers represents a variety of lenders from across the county in bank repos in Orange County and surrounding communities.
If you're looking to buy a bank repo or a distressed sale contract me, Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, CA Department of Real Estate License Number 00402040. We've served home buyer and sellers for more than thirty years under the same family ownership.
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So if you're interested in buying a bank reposession/foreclosure property it's important you understand the Common Traits In Purchasing a Bank Repo:
The vast majority of bank repos are sold in "as is" or "present physical" condition depending on your contract. Most likely the existing condition on the date of purchase, with very few exceptions if any. Probably (yet not always) a pest control clearance may be provided by the lender/seller.
You also need to be prepared for an avalanche of seller (lender) generated addendum's mostly holding them harmless for almost anything. Many states exclude banks from traditional property disclosures. The logic being, since most lenders have never viewed/occupied a property they're usually not required to provide normal seller disclosures on property condition. And if you're not in agreement to the terms, their attitude is usually, next. Be sure to check the laws of your state and understand your contract!
So what's in it for you as a home buyer? Hopefully a home at a great price! Lenders are not in the business of owning real estate, they make loans on real estate. Yet depending on your market I've seen some buyers pay more than they should have, especially at some of the live auctions!
As For Short Sales we hope you find this helpful:
Short Sale ~ A term used when a property is offered for and/or sells for less than the current amount owed on a loan. For example, (a)the case where a home buyer purchased a property for one amount, the value declined and the owner could not sell for the amount owed on the loan. On the other hand,(b) other short sales may result from a property being re-financed at any period of time and the value declined (c) where an owner has tapped the equity in the form of a home equity line of credit, aka HELOC and again there has been a decline in values. Again where the sales price would be less than the amount owed to the lender.
It's important to understand that on a short sale, each lender must approve the terms of a sale. Just because something is listed for sale at a reduced price, does not mean it will actually sell for this amount. A fairly recent tactic has been to offer a property and an unbelievable price in hopes of creating buyer interest and therefore an acceptable offer to the seller and his/her lender.
Oh, one more wrench in the works, you may be negotiating with more than one lender making a decision if there's more than one loan on the property.
It takes real stamina to hang in there for a short sale. I've watched repo sales for over twenty-five years and I urge you to work with someone who understands your local market. Do your homework ahead of time!
LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA 90631 ~ Home Sale Report ~ Market Update for July 2008 activity of single family homes in the city.
The City of La Habra Heights, (not to be confused with La Habra) CA 90631 located in suburban Eastern Los Angeles County, with nearby Orange County bordering on the east side of the city. If you lived in the estate community of La Heights you would be one of 
approximately only 6,000 residents.
All re-sale activity for July: Homes were priced from $469,0000 for a one-bedroom, one-bath, 594 square feet built in 1946 on more than 2 acres. Then compare that to a custom view estate of 5,850 square feet also 2+ acres for $3,950,000.
CURRENT PRICING: Per Square Foot in La Habra Heights for the month of July:
***The City of La Habra Heights has a 16.3 months supply of homes for sale, one of the highest around. That's the length of time it would take to sell the existing inventory of homes for sale, provided sales continue at the same pace this year as in 2007, and providing no new listings enter the market place.
If you lived in lovely La Habra Heights, CA 90631 you would be approximately:
Preferred Home Brokers, successfully serving home buyers and sellers for more than thirty years. ~ CA DRE License #00402040.
Lynda, Broker-Owner, serving the So-Cal area in real estate. Her focus is about serving her clients, vs. doing deals. Lynda's built a strong following of personal referrals from happy clients.
It's mid-summer 2008, Olympic Time ~ Go Team USA!
Lynda Eisenmann has been a Broker and business owner for over 30 years in Northern Orange County and Eastern Los Angeles county, serving clients in both areas of Southern California.
If you're new to So-Cal you may be surprised to find how our cities at times seem to run together, one to another. It's difficult to tell where one begins and other stops. Therefore Lynda's area of real estate expertise extends to many different communities in the Southland.
Some of her areas of service include: Brea | Chino Hills |Diamond Bar | Fullerton | La Mirada | La Habra ] La Habra Heights ] Orange | Placentia | Whittier and Yorba Linda to name just a few.
Her professional real estate credentials and experience include:
GRI - Graduate of the Realtor's® Institute. The "GRI" is the symbol of the real estate professional who had made a committment to provide a hight level of professionalism by securing a strong educational foundation.
CRS - Certified Residential Specialist as designated by the National Association of Realtors® Fewer than 5% of the Realtors nationwide have earned the CRS designation, yet they participate in 25% of all the transactions in the U.S. You can count on the experties and experience when it comes to a CRS.
CRB - Certified Residential Brokerage Manager, by the National Association of REALTORS®. The most respected and relevant training for Broker-Managers in the field of real estate, 7,000 members worldwide.
SRES |Senior Real Estate Specialist |Adressing the real estate needs of those 55+ in age, both home buyers and sellers. View Lynda's senior real estate website, CaliforniaSeniorRealEstate.com, created specifically for seniors. If you're a senior or know of a senior needing real estate assistance, look for a Senior Real Estate Specialist, CRS.
e-PRO | The designation of Technology from National Association of REALTORS® which includes online marketing training crucial in todays complex marketing requirements in real estate. We know more than 87% of home buyers begin their search online, why not use an e-PRO when it comes to marketing real estate?
Mediator and Arbitrator ~ Pepperdine College, as a trained Arbitrator and Mediator you get the benenfit of her negotiating skills. Lynda serves as an Arbitrator for the State of CA Association of Realtors. Pur Lynda's negotiating skills to work for you when it comes to real estate.
The vast majority of Lynda's business is from years of dedication to her clients, her repeat/referral business is at 97% return rate. She has also been recognized as a leader in her profession and her community.
She serves as a Professional Standards Arbitrator for her local and state real estate associations. Lynda also currently serves as a Mediator in real estate issues. She currently serves as a New Member Instructor for her local Association of Realtors.
She has a long list of happy clients available to you as professional and personal references. A large portion of her business is also directed by other real estate professionals throughout the U.S.
Remember when it counts...there is no substitute for experience.
Lynda Eisenmann maintains an active residental re-sale brokerage in Brea, CA, located in Orange County, about 20 minutes north of Disneyland.
Her focus is building a strong referral based business with wonderful clients. It's been her been a riority from the beginning. In 2006 her company, Preferred Home Brokers celebrated 30 years of service to home buyers and sellers. Remember, experience isn't expensive, it's priceless!
She's active in her professional life with fellow Realtors® in the Pacific West Association of Realtors®. Lynda's also created a series of systems within her company, therefore providing clients with timely information and communications throughout the real estate transaction.
The foundation for her longevity in the business has always been doing what's right for her consumer.
Lynda's fu
ndamental practice is based on one simple question: "What's in the best long-term interest for my client?" That's it, pretty simple isn't it? When your values are clear, the decisions are easy.
The Preferred Realtors® of PreferredHomeBrokers.com are here to serve you and your personal referrals.
Lynda is active in real estate leadership and her community. She was recently named "A Woman of Distinction" in Orange County business. Lynda has served on housing panels within her city.
Just for FUN, when not working in real estate : Lynda spends time biking along the beach trail in Huntington Beach. Every now and then she runs a 26.2 marathon. She also "performed" with her fire baton in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, New Year's Day 2007.
Grant and Debbie Younglove of Costa Mesa, CA are Preferred clients...and they had a problem. They outgrew their town home and needed to find a larger place. Their issue... "Do we sell our town home first and then find a place? Or do we find a place and then try to sell our town home?" With the help of the Preferred Realtors they were able to find a beautiful new home nearby. Lynda negotiated on their behalf to obtain the new home and still provide the Youngloves enough time to sell their townhome. Their seller was happy, he was able to move on to a new chapter in his life on his boat...their townhome buyer was happy to move into such a nice place... Grant and Debbie were happy to move into their beautiful new home in plenty of time to enjoy the pool all summer long...also happy...their Preferred Broker, Lynda Eisenmann.
Dear Lynda, "We are so appreciative of everything that you have done for us! You really did all you could to make us feel comfortable and happy with the services you provided to us. Moving with a young child was hard and you went out of your way at times to make sure we weren't bothered as much as possible. Also providing us lunch for the day we moved was also a special treat. We would be glad to refer you to anyone we know. Thank you soooo very much for everything you have done for us!" Efrem, Camish & Seth Urie, Sellers, Buyers, Sellers
Dear Lynda, "Once again it was a pleasure working with you on my home on Deer Springs Lane. I sincerely appreciate your professionalism, judgment and knowledge in the real estate market. I look forward to working with you in the future." Patricia A. Morrison, Homeowner
Dear Lynda, "I wanted to write and tell you how much I've appreciated your help and the fact that you've kept in touch. Thank you for everything." Sharon Phillips, Seller-La Habra, CA
Dearest Lynda, "Thank you for everything. We both want you to know how much we appreciat
e everything you have done for us." Marta & Larry Dietz, Buyers-Buyers-Sellers-Buyers, Yorba Linda, CA
Hi Lynda, "Thank you again for all your help. We wouldn't have this home without you." Kathy Rucker, Home Buyer Yorba Linda, CA
What other REALTORS say about Lynda:
"When I referred Lynda to clients, they were so happy with her, they sent me flowers". Maxine Golden, Realtor, Re/Max Newport Beach, CA. www.GoldenHome.com
Lynda's a very long list of of personal referrals. Additional names, numbers, email addresses are available available on request.
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