Author Archive

As tax season has come and gone I am always amazed at the frequency and the amount of 2106 expenses clients show on their income tax returns.  Also known as the infamous unreimbursed employee expenses, the most common deduction being made is for mileage on…

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Despite quickening home sales and rising prices in some parts of California, the state’s housing market won’t begin a full-fledged recovery until next year, economists at UCLA predict.

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Mortgage rates continue to set new record lows, leaving many home buyers and refinancers wondering how low rates can go and how to capture the best rates now. Making sense of the story: Many economists are forecasting that mortgage rates will rise again later this…

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Beginning June 15, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, will require both agencies to give short-sale buyers a final decision within 60 days. Making sense of the story: Under this same guideline, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also must…

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Facebook, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Opower have joined with 16 utilities to launch a social energy app that leverages the Facebook platform to allow people to quickly and easily start benchmarking their home’s energy usage against similar homes, compare energy use with…

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After posting a strong performance in March, California pending home sales slipped in April, but were higher than a year earlier for the twelfth consecutive month, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today.  Additionally, the share of equity sales posted its highest level in…

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From the Orange County Register By JONATHAN LANSNER Placentia or Yorba Linda: Which home market’s in better shape? Every two weeks, Orange County broker Steve Thomas publishes a report on the supply of local homes for sale. Here’s what the latest report — as of…

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From the Orange County Register Orange County broker Steve Thomas publishes every two weeks a report on the supply of local homes for sale and the share of that inventory that’s distressed properties — foreclosures and short sales. His latest report — as of October…

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