John Alesi (Orange County California Real Estate)

Mission Viejo Homes and Condos Market Update November and December 2011

This is the market update for homes sold from January1st through January 31st, 2012, in Mission Viejo, CA 92691, 92692 and includes single family residence (SFR) and condos:

Information provided through the CRMLS

The City of Mission Viejo is located in so-called "South Orange County" and has a population of approximately 94,000 people. It is a small community of only about 18 square miles with a topography that consists of flat land, rolling hills and the wonderful, man-made Lake Mission Viejo.

A mixture of housing, light industrial, commercial and retail bring a variety of choices to the residents. Shopping, entertainment, restaurants, recreation and schools dot the landscape. The city is served by the Capistrano Unified School District and the Saddleback Unified School District which provides education services to families living in this area.

Being one of the first planned communities in the USA, there is a diverse mixture of housing choices from apartments and condos to town homes, single family homes and even some luxury neighborhoods including water front homes on the lake. The roads are wide and smooth and the traffic flows easily through the community. Public transportation is available with buses and access to commuter rail lines. The Interstate highway, along the western border of the city provides access to all that Southern California has to offer. It's just minutes to professional baseball (Angels), hockey (Ducks) and the happiest place on earth, Disneyland.

Senator Mimi Walters congratulates RSM Eagles football team for state championship

Serving the 33rd District of California, Senator Mimi Walters enjoys getting out into the community to meet the people. This is an article from her recent newsletter highlighting her visit to Rancho Santa Margarita. The Senator's district includes South Orange County cities of Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto De Caza, LAguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel. Also included are several Central Orange County cities. See this MAP for boundaries. Click to visit Senator Walters' website. (Article and photo are credited to her newsletter)

"Standing before a gym filled with over 1600 students, faculty, and other dignitaries, Senator Walters offered congratulations to the football team and coaches of Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic High School for winning the CIF State Division 1 Bowl Championship last December. She presented Coach Harry Welch and his team with a Senate Resolution of Congratulations at a special ceremony on January 12th at the high school.

The 42-37 championship victory against Bellarmine College Prep of San Jose was played December 16th at the Home Depot Center in Carson. The game-winning score came on a fourth down, one-yard run with only 16 seconds left on the clock.

“What an exciting ending to a fabulous season,” said Senator Walters, who watched the Eagles’ last two games on cable. “The players, the coaches, and the parents should be very proud of this accomplishment.”

The state championship was a first for the school’s football team, but the third time for Welch, who won state football championships as the head coach for two other Southern California schools, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano and Canyon Country High School in Santa Clarita."

What's The Interest In Pinterest?

If you've been anywhere near the internet in the last 30 days, you've probably heard about Pinterest. So here we go...another social media site tugging at our already overloaded attention span.

Just for a bit of perspective, Pinterest has recently drawn more traffic than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn...COMBINED. I think it's time to check out this site and see what is causing this phenomenon.

Behind all the pretty pictures that people "pin" on their boards, is the Interest Graph of the person who creates the page. We are now able to share not only our daily thoughts and conversations as we do on Facebook, we are now able to present a photo collage of the things that represent our favorite interests. As you tool around the various boards, you will see "Favorite Places", "Products I Love", "My Vision Board", "Favorite Foods", "My Style", etc., with each board being a collection of the things that matter most to that person. What a great way to learn more about our friends and clients. ATTENTION REAL ESTATE AGENTS...this is not the place to post your listings!

Take a moment to view the following video from my buddy, Gary Vanerchuk. As usual, he's got his finger on the pulse of what is up and coming in the digital world.

If you'd like, visit my Pinterest page and follow me at pinterest.com/jalesi

How's The Market...In Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo, Coto De Caza, Ladera Ranch?

As a REALTORS® I am frequently (OK...all the time...) asked, "How's the market?" So what is my answer to this question in the beginning of 2012?

I tell people, "the market is great! In fact, real estate is ON SALE! We are in a market with historic low interest rates and the banks are getting smarter about settling short sales. Additionally, investors are bringing their cash to the market in droves."

It has been said that when the investors start spending their cash, the market has reached the bottom and they feel confident that the timing is right to put their resources to work. That is exactly what is happening with both foreign and domestic investors.

How good it this market you ask? It's like buying Apple stock at $100 per share. (BTW...that stock is at $459 per share as I write this.) Who doesn't see the value in this current real estate market?

Now is the time to jump in the water before prices start to rise and all of the good properties are gone. In the South Orange County, CA market it is very easy for first time buyers to purchase a home and pay less per month than their current rent. FHA has great programs to get buyers into their home with 3% down. An even better deal are Fannie Mae homes with 3% down, no mortgage insurance and no appraisal fee. What are you waiting for?

If you are thinking about purchasing your first home, moving up or investing in a rental unit or commercial property, now is the time to get busy.

Feel free to contact me about the opportunities that abound right now.

Restaurant Review: BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse, Rancho Santa Margarita

The newest addition to the restaurant scene in Rancho Santa Margarita is BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse located in the Plaza El Paseo town center at the corner of Santa Margarita Pkwy and El Paseo. A new building was constructed specifically for BJ's on the site of the former TGI Fridays, which was razed for the new building.

Although new to RSM, BJ's has been around since the late 70's when they opened their first store in Santa Ana, CA just a few blocks from my first Orange County house. I loved the thick crust, Chicago style (not deep dish) pizza then and it still remains my favorite. In fact, it is about as close as it gets to my favorite childhood pizza joint, Armand's, from Elmwood Park, IL.

Since those early days, BJ's has remained true to their roots of great pizza while expanding the menus to include gourmet burgers, salads, entrees, pastas, sandwiches and a full complement of appetizers. The bar serves the usual array of cocktails, wines and beers plus their very own "home brewed" selection of handcrafted beers.

BJ's is a great place for a business lunch, family dinner or take out service (which includes their full food menu as well as their beers). Family friendly with a great service staff, you will be pleased with your experience at BJ's. In addition to this location, there are other close by stores at Laguna Hills Mall and Laguna Beach. You can also order online for curbside pickup and most items are available for catered events. If you are traveling, they have restaurants in 13 states!

Welcome to RSM!