Rita Norman, Your Agent in Walnut Creek CA

And So The Magic Of Christmas Continues

One more day to finish off my To-Do list. Tomorrow, the Magic of Christmas Continues.

When my daughter was very young we visited a friend at Christmas time and when we stepped into her home, we stepped into a magical place. She had transformed her home into a magical Christmas wonderland that so awed us that I was inspired to learn from her example. From then on each Christmas, I made it a project to turn the Christmas Season into a Special Time and our home into a Special Place. The day after Thanksgiving we began the Christmas Season by hunting for our Christmas tree out at Half Moon Bay, with pumpkin muffins and hot chocolate in tow. We decorated the house, inside and out. We baked while we listened to old Radio recordings of The Cinnamon Bear. We would pack up the kids and our baked cookies and Gingerbread and go caroling to the Seniors and Shut-ins. When the kids were too young to read, I'd read them Christmas books adding a new one to the collection each year. As each child got to where they could read, they would take turns reading the books to each other. They each had a Christmas Bear that only visited them at Christmas time. We went to the Living Christmas Tree performance at Church in San Mateo and then watched as our own kids performed the Nativity story and sing like little angles in the Children's choir. The Story of Christmas and baby Jesus was acted out at home with their own nativity scene over and over again. I hid their own special little ornament somewhere around the house while they were at school for them to find when they came home. I’d load the kids into the van and go driving around neighborhoods at night looking for the homes with the most beautiful Christmas lights. San Jose had Christmas in the Park that was always fun to share with friends. Home made Christmas presents were given to grandparents, who still cherish them to this day.

The kids are grown up now and a few years ago I made the mistake of thinking they had outgrown the Christmas thing. They were shocked. It seems that even though they have significant others in their lives right now, Christmas is not the same everywhere and they still hold on to the Magic of Christmas as they remember it. All our lives are so busy now, and these are difficult times for all of us, but they still want to hold onto a part of it, at least for now until they have children of their own. So this year (and every other year for a while at least) we hunted for a Christmas Tree out at Half Moon Bay for each of us. The kids helped decorate our home inside and out. With each ornament they put on the tree there was a story, a laugh or a tear. I gave them ornaments from their childhood to take home and put on their own trees. They found their Christmas Bears, the Christmas book collection and the songbooks. They set up Secret Santa for all the Christmas stockings and filled the day with so much it brought tears to my eyes. It made for a very long day full of stories of Christmases past. I think back on that day when I visited my friend and how much it affected our lives. Family traditions are so important that you don't even know you are making one until it's almost lost.

Tomorrow morning, Christmas Eve, the kids are all coming over to bake cookies and breads and spend the day reading Christmas Stories out loud to us all. They have been practicing their singing with their significant others in preparation for singing carols around the piano. They are all spending the night so we can all wake up together on Christmas morning. Christmas is still such a Magical Time.

Christmas Eve is almost here. I had better go find The Cinnamon Bear.

Now before you start formulating your comment expressing your opinion on this volatile subject, let me tell you why I titled my blog Julian Assange - WikiLeaks. A new flag has been planted on the Time Line of human events and it is labled Julian Assange - WikiLeaks.

I am not writing this blog to discuss the pros and cons of Julian Assange's actions, although I am sure some of you will make comments that will clearly indicate that you have not read my blog in it's entirety.

The impact of Julian Assange's actions would not have been as far reaching and as instantaneous had it not been for today's technology and the Internet. Timing is everything...the coming together of key pieces to this event are crucial; the onset of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter allows information to travel faster than ever before. More of the population (hackers) are skilled in techno-sabotage, getting past barriers within seconds. Populations shifting around from one continent to another create an even greater melting pot and a voice that wants to be heard. The debates, discussions and battles of the future will no longer be confined to the commentaries, the podium, the boardroom or the battle fields. The economic, political and social unrest of these times, throughout the world, only adds fuel to the situation.

We are witnessing a global event that future generations will discuss around the dinner table, teach in schools, and write documentaries about. We are in the midst of a new age, a cyber-techno age where global communication and global information are no longer restricted. There are no boundaries in Cyber-world...just people. It's not so much what he did that's significant, but what form the reaction has taken. Assange has fired the first shot and people world wide have taken the battle to Cyber-world.

December 16:

I've been spending a lot of time understanding this AR tool and I've learned a lot and made some great new contacts. It's time to get back to blogging about THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS... at least for a while.

Although we have our fair share of cash buyers and regular sales, much of our business lately, involves Short Sales. The timeframe on these is the most difficult for our clients to deal with. Here is something we share with our clients so they have a better understanding of why it takes so long.

The Short Sale Timeframe

• A typical short sale decision can take 45-90 days from the date the offer is received. Several factors contribute to this timeframe:
• Day 1: Receive a legitimate offer (this includes the listing agreement, copy of MLS, preliminary HUD-1, hardship letter and a signed purchase contract)
• Day 2-15: Order appraisal (timeframe to obtain the appraisal is approximately 10 days)
• Day 15-25: Analyze: (obtain necessary financial documentation from the borrower to determine hardship and ability to contribute to the loss, dependent upon input from the borrower)
• Day 25 - 40: Negotiate delegated decisions. Be advised that non-delegated decisions will take an additional 30-60 days. Many investors (i.e. Fannie, Freddie) and insurers (FHA, VA, MI companies) do not delegate the short sale decision and require their explicit approval. If there are any subordinate liens then there must be a negotiation with them to accept a reduced payoff amount to release their lien.
• Day 40 - 75: Approve or Decline (Non delegated files could take up to 35 days for a approve/ decline decision)
• Day 75 – 90: Final Decision Communication

This may not be the timeframe for all Short Sales but I believe it's close. Each case is unique and has additional issues that need to be resolved, like HOA's qualifying or delinquent HOA dues need to be negotiated etc, but it's a start.