News on the Esperanza Fire

Well if you haven't about today's Esperanza Fire that was started by an arsonist in Cabazon, here are plenty of recent articles about it. My sincerest heart goes out to the friends and families of the fallen firefighters.

Esperanza Fire Evacuation, Donation Information.
Riverside County Red Cross:
American Red Cross Riverside County Processing Center, P.O. Box 55040, Riverside, CA 92517. 1-888-831-0031. http://www.riversidecounty.redcross.org/
Source.





San Diego County sends 200 to fight Esperanza fire. Nearly 200 San Diego County firefighters were sent to help battle the raging Esperanza brush fire in Riverside County Thursday, officials said. Source.

Area Hospitals Brace For Smoke Victims. ER doctors in northern San Diego County are bracing Thursday for an influx of patients suffering from breathing problems as a result of the Esperanza fire. So far, the Esperanza fire near Cabazon has blackened 10,000 acres, driven hundreds of people from their homes, and left hundreds more stranded in an RV park. Three firefighters died at the scene and two were hospitalized in critical condition. One of those two died several hours later. Source.

Pechanga Contributes $50,000 to Support Families of Fallen Firefighters of the Esperanza Fire. The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians today announced a contribution of $50,000 to aid the families of the four fighters who lost their lives in the Esperanza wildfire. "We at Pechanga are saddened to hear that four firefighters lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the firefighters," said Pechanga Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro. "Pechanga's families pray for the safety of the firefighters responding to this wildfire. Pechanga will do what it can to help," said Chairman Macarro. Since this morning, an engine from the Pechanga Fire Department was on the incident as part of a structure protection strike team. Source.

Evacuees recall fleeing fast moving flames near Palm Springs. Source.

Longtime Idyllwild resident always gave to community. That’s how Charlie Clayton described the feeling in Idyllwild over the tragic death of friend and neighbor, U.S. Forest Service fire Capt. Mark Loutzenhiser, in Esperanza fire Thursday. It wasn’t until 6 p.m. Thursday that Clayton learned that flames had overwhelmed his longtime friend and four other Forest Service firefighters near Poppet Flats. Three of those men were killed immediately. Loutzenhiser and the still unidentified fifth firefighter were airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, where he was pronounced dead two hours later. Source.

Eyewitness account from The Desert Sun reporter: 'We were surrounded by fire.' "We counted a half-dozen homes in flames off Gorgonio View Road going into the Twin Pines area. There were some homes that had fire coming up close to the property lines, and other homes engulfed in flames... Power lines were down the road. There were dead rabbits on the road that had been burned. There are these really pretty white plastic picket fences melting on the ground... The fire came down into a lower ridge area. There were trucks there from San Diego, Riverside, Hemet. They were battling flames 50 to 60 feet high..." Source.

~Tina Jan~
Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters
1655 E. Sixth St.
Beaumont, CA 92223
Work: 951-845-5520 Ext. 105
Fax: 951-845-4916
Cell: 909-446-2666
Toll-Free: 1-877-TINAJAN
tina.jan@coldwellbanker.com
www.tinajan.com

Real Estate News for Wednesday, October 25th, 2006

Selling a Slice of Luxury. It is almost too easy to be charmed by the latest trend in time shares, what is called fractional real estate. A high-end spin on the traditional time share, fractionals typically entitle users to multiple weeks’ stay, and the developments themselves have decidedly luxury touches, with upmarket appliances, finishes and linens, as well as amenities like spas. In short, developers say, it is a way to get access to a million dollar-plus property for much less than the full price of ownership. With all the variety on the market today, buying would appear to be a snap. But how these units stand up in the resale market remains to be seen. Source.

Experts call current real estate trends normal. Urge calm as home sales and price appreciation fall. The valley’s recent real estate boom — and the current correction in sales counts and appreciation rates — have not only altered buyers’ and sellers' expectations. They've also got the experts wondering what "normal" should be these days. "It's been so long since we’ve seen a normal market, we've forgotten what it looks like," said Pat Veling, real estate analyst and president of the Brea-based consulting firm Real Data Strategies. Annual home price appreciation is expected to dip to single digits this year, considerably down from as high as 37 percent in 2004. Source.

How to find a real estate bargain. Buyers now have luxury of choice. Everybody wants a bargain. Last year, good real estate deals were few and far between. This was due to the fact that inventories of homes for sale were at record low levels. And, there was an abundance of buyers, all looking for the same thing. Today in most areas, buyers have the luxury of choice. So, there's less of a chance you'll overpay because you have to outbid another buyer. However, even though there is a lot to choose from, this doesn't mean that it will be easier to buy a property at a bargain price. One reason is that most sellers aren't desperate to sell. Just because the market has changed doesn't mean that sellers are slashing their prices dramatically. Many listings that have price reductions were overpriced to begin with.
Another factor is that there is usually little consistency in pricing. Some listings are well-priced, others are overpriced, and then there is the occasional listing that is actually priced below market value. Another complicating factor is variability. Unless you're looking at listings in a single tract development, where each house is a cookie cutter of the others, you'll find disparities in age, condition, size and amenities. Each of these variables has an affect on market value. Source.

~Tina Jan~
Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters
1655 E. Sixth St.
Beaumont, CA 92223
Work: 951-845-5520 Ext. 105
Fax: 951-845-4916
Cell: 909-446-2666
Toll-Free: 1-877-TINAJAN
tina.jan@coldwellbanker.com
www.tinajan.com

Real Estate News for Tuesday, October 24th, 2006

If you do anticipate selling in the short term then listen up. The current market situation may not be impacting your situation at all or it may even have some positive ramifications. Re-evaluate your time table. Be realistic about your profit. Price well from the get-go and if you must adjust your price, bite the bullet. Forget lavish inducements. Know your local market. Consult with a knowledgeable real estate agent about current activity and follow their advice about pricing and positioning your property and any hints they have to offer about making the house more attractive. Source.

High-end real estate listings crowd California market. Sales of homes priced above $2.5 million in a seven-county region in Northern California increased from 210 homes in third-quarter 2005 to 214 homes in third-quarter 2006. Source.

~Tina Jan~
Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters
1655 E. Sixth St.
Beaumont, CA 92223
Work: 951-845-5520 Ext. 105
Fax: 951-845-4916
Cell: 909-446-2666
Toll-Free: 1-877-TINAJAN
tina.jan@coldwellbanker.com
www.tinajan.com

Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters Pays Your December House Payment!

Win Your December House Payment!

Let Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters make your Holidays! Win your December house payment! (Up to $4,000.00). Stop by and Register at any of our FIVE offices! If you have any questions, ask me! Come into my office, fill out a registration slip, and tell all your friends!

Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters Offices:

Yucaipa: 32839 Yucaipa Blvd. Suite A, Yucaipa, CA 92399
Beaumont: 1655 E. 6th St., Beaumont, CA 92223
Highland: 3505 E. Highland Ave. Suite F, Highland, CA 92346
Hemet: 610 E. Florida, Suite A, Hemet, CA 92343
Rancho Cucamonga: 11398 Kenyon Way, Suite G, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701

Drawing to be held on Wednesday, November 22nd, at 1:00pm. Winner is not required to be present. Sponsored by Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters Associates. No obligation. Certain restrictions and rules apply.

Contest Rules for: Win Your December 2006 House Payment

One entry per household. Must be at least 21 years old. Maximum reward is actual house payment or $4,000.00, whichever the lesser amount is. Payment must be for the address shown on the entry form. Winner must occupy the property. Payment to be made upon presentation of payment coupon or proof of payment amount. Employees/agents and immediate family members of Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters, Valley View Mortgage, K-T Services, and Yucaipa Express Lube and Car Wash are not eligible to participate. All entries must be made in person at any Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters office during normal business hours. No obligation to enter. Drawing for the winning ticket will be held at the Yucaipa office at 1:00pm on November 22nd, 2006. Winner need not be present to win.


~Tina Jan~
Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters
1655 E. Sixth St.
Beaumont, CA 92223
Work: 951-845-5520 Ext. 105
Fax: 951-845-4916
Cell: 909-446-2666
Toll-Free: 1-877-TINAJAN
tina.jan@coldwellbanker.com
www.tinajan.com

Real Estate News for Thursday, October 12th, 2006

San Diego County sees declines unseen since early '90s. Perhaps the biggest surprise came in the resale-house category, which makes up about half of the home-selling market. The September median stood at $545,000, down $5,000 from a year ago, marking the first year-over-year drop since July 1996. Resale houses had risen to a record median of $569,500 in May before dropping to the present level. "That tends to be the center of gravity for statistics," said DataQuick analyst John Karevoll, explaining that trends for resale condos and new homes typically fall in behind resale houses. David Lereah, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, issued a statement yesterday declaring that the sales decline in many markets appears to be "bottoming out" as lower prices entice potential buyers. Freddie Mac also reported “early signs” of a turnaround, based on falling energy prices, lower mortgage rates, rebounding mortgage refinancings and rising stock prices that bolster household net worth. "There will undoubtedly be more bumps on the way, though, and the ride could be rocky in some markets," the October economic outlook report said, "but the economic fundamentals should help avert a crash landing." Source.

~Tina Jan~
Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters
1655 E. Sixth St.
Beaumont, CA 92223
Work: 951-845-5520 Ext. 105
Fax: 951-845-4916
Cell: 909-446-2666
Toll-Free: 1-877-TINAJAN
tina.jan@coldwellbanker.com
www.tinajan.com