Plan Before You Buy A Home

Plan before you buy a home.

When purchasing a home plan for the next ten years. Most homeowners only stay seven years, but the older you are the longer you will stay statistics show. 

Two people close to me: my mother and prior business partner Bill Broza both suffered from strokes in the past years. They have similar dilemmas. My mother owns a two story house in  Laguna Niguel with no downstairs bedroom and only a powder room on the first floor. Bill also lives in Laguna Niguel in a Spanish style two story with only a tiny powder room on the first floor.

A house can be adapted. We reviewed adding a stair lift or elevator but both are costly and unsightly. A stair lift is a motorized rail and chair that attaches to existing stairways. I was concerned that my Mom could easily fall off the lift and be stranded on the stairs perhaps for hours. I looked into adapting each house by adding a elevator. Cost to construct this was about thirty thousand dollars, and because it would change the functionality of the homes and elevator might bring the value down.

Other possible remodeling such as enlarging the downstairs bathroom to add a stand up tub can cost between ten and thirty thousand dollars. Adding a funky bath is not going to help her when she does choose to sell her home.

My mom is set on staying in her home. The cost of care layered with remodeling is prohibitive. Temporarily last year she lived with me.

My point is: for example you are a young couple who may have children in the coming years. Look to what future the subject property may need to be changed to fit the lifestyle.

When the downturn occurred many homeowners could not easily sell their home and make changes. They owed on mortgage loans larger than the value of the home. Life always holds surprises ahead. Planning for them makes it easy when they occur.

፠‡§

Cute bath just outdated

Laguna Niguel Single Family For Sale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$599,000.00

29692 Jarrett Circle

Laguna Niguel, CA

92677

3-BEDROOM HOME

WITH PANORAMIC VIEWS!

For Sale! This won't last.

Day one on the market

Private front entry gate leading to a large,

lush, front patio with slate walls

and fountain greets you before entering the house.

Warm wood flooring, including bamboo in the bedrooms,

and tile in the kitchen and bathrooms.

High ceilings in the living and dining area gives this

 home a large and open  feel.

Gourmet new  kitchen boasts upgraded countertops and cabinets,

high end stainless steel appliances,

with undermount sink and views of the backyard.

Numerous skylights, ceiling fans, updated fixtures, 

Master bedroom extra closet space,

a vanity area, and remodeled bathroom.

Third bedroom is currently used as an office

with french doors that open out to the front patio.

Large, wrap around backyard with panoramic views.

 2-car garage with full driveway.

Quiet single loaded cul de sac location.

HOA amenities include pools, parks,

Tot Lot, sport court-Basketball , BBQ'S, Volleyball, & Clubhouse.…

Under six hundred thousand dollars in Laguna Niguel!

• 3 beds
• Bathrooms:2 baths
• Single Family:1,350 sq ft
• Lot:9,104 sqft

 

Listing Agent to contact is:

Donna Finney 

Century 21 OMA

229 Avenida Del MAr

San Clemente cA 92672 

cdonna4re@aol.com

Donna Finney

LAGUNA NIGUEL OPEN HOUSE

 

30061 Monteras Laguna Niguel Calfornia 92677

Open House March 8th   2014

12:00- 5:00

$589900 sales price

1300 square fee

3219 sqaure foot lot size

3 bedrooms 2.5 baths

 

Loan amount $ 560405.00 95% loan to value

4.5% 30 year Fixed Rate 4.611 APR

principle and interest payment $2839.49

HOA fees $144 and $48

 

C G phone (949) 637-8190

NMLS 324982

 

 

Condos Laguna Niguel

Laguna Niguel Map of Most Condominium Complexes

Map of condos in Laguna Niguel is missing a few complexes but pretty complete


http://www.botid.org" title="Botid.org Internet Directory Listing">Botid.org Internet Directory Listing
       You can add your url to botid.org the best of the internet directory. Our is added under Real Estate Directory

West Nine Condominiums

Sunflower birdhouse

 

The West Nine condo complex was built  by AVCO in 1971 before Laguna Niguel was an incorporated city. Laguna Niguel became a city in 1989, back then Crown Valley Parkway was the only freeway off ramp and most of the hillsides were grasslands overlooking beaches. Located on Crown Valley Parkway between Clubhouse Drive and Camino Del Avion The West Nine is a safe complex to relax and call home. The City of Laguna Niguel has just over sixty thousand residents.

This well maintained complex has large detached garages placed on the Crown Valley side many units have lovely golf course views. The garages on the street side buffer road noise. Trash facilities are also in enclosed buildings street side. El Niguel golf course below has several ponds and fountains where home owners can watch migrating snow geese, ducks and local song birds. The There are two rows of two story condominiums. The buildings are in rows of six, or eight, allowing sets of twelve or sixteen units. The builder was careful to angle the rows as to allow the back sets to be five feet above the front row and breaks in between the structures allow peek a boo views. There are a few single story units in the front.

There are no pool or tennis facilities owned by West nine, as newer condominium complexes added these amenities. El Niguel Racquet Club has great tennis courts, an Olympic sized lap pool and extensive weight rooms that a homeowner could join (and pay for) adjacent to the property. Owners are also able to join El Niguel Country Club and Golf Course, nestled between Laguna Beach and Dana Point, on the border of Monarch Beach and Laguna Niguel

 Home Owners Association fees $ 380. Monthly

This home is also located close to the St. Regis Hotel and the Ritz Carlton and within one mile of beautiful beaches Salt Creek Beach, fine dining and dancing at Brio,  a close by Trader Joe’s on Golden Lantern,  luxury Cinepolis theater on nearby Camino Del  Avion cross street.

Blue diamond schools with active PTA and small classroom size.

Nearby Hiking: Woods Canyon,  Aliso Canyon, Top of the World Park, and Badlands Canyon to name a few.

 Current listings:

31496 West Nine Drive #161 Square Ft: 1700 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2 Price: $529,000 Zip 92677

31687 West Nine Drive Square Ft: 1044 Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2 Price: $435,000 Zip 92677

31422 West Nine Drive Square Ft: 1044 Lot Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2.00 Price: LEASE / rents monthly $2,100 Zip 92677

31705 West NINE Drive  Bank owned was listed for $ 398000 is pending sale

UPSIDES OF this complex:

Purchase with FHA loan and up to $ 20000 gift is available to owner occupied buyers.

Prices range from $  390000- $490000

Quiet, the units are solidly built you can’t hear neighbors, many have replaced and added dual pane windows

Easy access to freeway – Laguna Beach- Dana Point

Plenty of parking

 

Downsides of this complex:

$380 is pretty high HOA

Management Company has not updated FHA paperwork

No crosswalks on Crown Valley towards the beach

 

Chloramine Poison Water?

Poison in Our Orange County Tap Water?

Ocean View South Laguna We all Expect Clean Blue Water

In the past two years I have purchased two new water heaters, two washing machines, changed out my toilet flappers every four months, installed new toilets, notice yellowing in plants, dinghy white laundry and blue and white scale on my pool. The cause is Moulton Niguel Water District’s switch to chloramine. Chloramine makes water highly corrosive.  I can’t find any studies completed to demonstrate if it is safe.

my toes in the bathtub 

Plumbing trucks are now common neighbors working on replacing leaks, toilets, water heaters in Laguna Niguel. Changes in water chemistry have caused the water to become aggressive towards the piping. Copper, galvanized, plastic and fiberglass used in pool pumps are all effected with fissures, cracks and pin holes at the start.

Moulton Niguel Water Company started using chloramines recently. This cocktail of chlorine and ammonia is employed in the water treatment process to kill bacteria in our drinking water. NH₂Cl is used as a disinfectant in as an alternative to chlorination.  

desert plant

Why did they switch? Moulton Niguel Water saves money by cutting chlorine costs with chloramines.

Lennar Homes and others have filed lawsuits against Moulton Niguel Water ( MNWD). The complaint alleges leaks in copper "are the direct and/or proximate result of corrosive, aggressive, and/or improperly treated water" supplied by MNWD. Lennar sued MNWD for construction leaks and for any costs, damages or settlements incurred by the home builder as a result of the leaks.

A few facts:

Chloramine releases mercury from dental amalgams (you know the old silver colored fillings in the back of your mouth).

It shakes loose lead solder in older pipes.

It quickly kills frogs and other amphibians, reptiles, turtles, fish and other aquatic and marine life, to the extent that you cannot use chloramine-treated water to fill up a fish tank or backyard fish pond.

I didn’t know it was toxic to turtles until recently after my pet of 29 years died in my yard this spring.

Chloramine corrodes rubber toilet flappers and gaskets, rubber hoses, and rubber fittings in dishwashers and water heaters.

Chloramine de-elasticizes PVC pipes. The pipes become brittle plastic. Particulate of the plastic and oil by products leach carcinogens from the plastic pipe and joint compounds into drinking water.

Chloramine doesn’t evaporate by letting it sit out in an open container. A carbon filter can remove the chemical from your drinking water.

Taking a long relaxing shower might be toxic. Heat converts chemicals to a toxic gas.

murky water

Some Suggestions:

Adding fruit, such as slices of peeled orange, to a 1-gallon water pitcher, which will softens but not totally neutralize chloramine in about 30 minutes by adding degradable food substance and raising the PH.

Boiling 26 hours or 8 hours of Ultraviolet light Dissolving a 1,000-mg vitamin C tablet into your bath water, which will neutralize the chloramine in an average-size bathtub. Ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate neutralizes both chlorine and chloramines but degrades in a day or two which only make it usable for short-term applications. SFPUC determined that 1000 mg of Vitamin C (tablets purchased in a grocery store, crushed and mixed in with the bath water) remove chloramine completely in a medium size bathtub.

Adding water softener salt to your toilet tanks and wash loads helps a bit with the rapid breakdown of rubber and plastic parts.

I am researching water filtration systems that we might install at the water head. Even my shut off valve to the main is so badly corroded; it is difficult to turn the water off in an emergency.

There are other disinfection techniques available to City Water Districts , such as ultraviolet light and micro-filtration, which would be safer. I hope other local residents will investigate and find solutions. Meanwhile MNWD increased the cost of water…

                         

Curb Appeal

The ten ways to make your home more desirable to buyers.  Curbside Appeal will draw them in.

Front door decorated with simple Fall Leaves- curbside appeal

Fresh Coat of Paint and a Little Handmade whimsy. This Fall decoration on an ordinary Tract Door in an Orange County Condominium complex says "welcome." The owners collected leaves, tied with twine and hung above.

urns at garden entrance

Art is in the eye of the beholder but what you are looking for as a homeowner is - How will a buyer see my entrance from the curb? Symmetry works with these urns in Laguna Beach. The balance and repetition works nicely with the glossy painted black gate. You don't need to be a professional landscape architect or designer to use repetition to appear well put together.

fun crates recycled

I'm fond of home made and funky. I love this arrangement of birdhouses, wine crates and old windows from Laguna Niguel. The owner took out the broken window panes and attached the chipped wooden frame to mirrors to reflect the yard landscaping.  All the items in the photograph were found for free. The ladder above is hung with heavy twine. Even though all the artifacts are older, the balance again of using two windows framing both sides works well. Also you will notice everything is painted in muted browns and a darker barn red, thus pulling everything together while still saying: unique, homey, and loved

picket fence

House in Ladera Ranch with a gorgeous use of white wisteria and white picket fence. Notice the white bird houses on the fence that lead you to the door.

contrasting colors for curb appeal

Here is another style of picket fence. Isn't this Laguna Beach home just charming? The terra cotta pots with golden flowers lead your eye to want to bring them the newspaper in the mailbox on the left. Owners used broken pieces of concrete and dug a trench about five inches deep, filled with sand and seeded the grass right over the stepping stones. Simple, Cheap and charming front entrance.

roses blooming at the curb

Flowers add excitement if you take care of them. This climbing rose around the mailbox and picket fence are multiple shades of corals and yellow. Roses require trimming after booming and like some fertilizer to keep blooming. Choose a cultivar that blooms more than once a year for the front and that is suitable for your climate.

This trellis entrance is very beautiful.

lush tropicals at the curb

This Laguna Beach home has the most fabulous arrangement of bromeliads, orchids, ferns and exotic plants right at the curb. They have used recycled concrete pieces, found local stone and gravel back filling the walls that act as planters. The loose construction feels relaxed and is barely noticeable among the lush green variety. Don't you want to enter this gate and see the secret garden and tree house?

white gate

At the top of Laguna Beach a homeowner added a gate with a Dutch door. The light sconces are especially well done in this arrangement. For my taste it is a little too cold, needs annuals with reds in pots on both sides.

The cheapest ways to improve the curbside appeal of your home:

1. New Paint

2. Annual Color in pots

3. Scrub and clean hardware, clean windows

4. Trim plants not in balls but in natural lacy shapes to see the house

5. Clean up weeds and much beds to look neat

6. Add some personal touches

7. Use balance and color to create a theme

Being on a budget doesn't mean ugly. Go take pictures of other homes with similar bones to yours. If you have brick façade- find houses that feel good and inviting from the curb with the same brick. If you have clapboards hunt around your neighborhood -Laguna Niguel  and Newport Beach are pretty restrictive about paint palettes, so look to Laguna Beach for more whimsy. You won't need to get a new mortgage to finance these suggestions.

Laguna Niguel Home For Sale

BEACON HILL SINGLE FAMILY LAGUNA NIGUEL FOR SALE see slide show here link : http://www.flickr.com/photos/40719545@N02/sets/72157633468846230/show/  37 Haverhill, Laguna Niguel, Ca. 92677    New ocean view listing Home For Sale  $850,000 - $899,000 Model perfect 3 bedroom, 2.5 Bath 2000 Square feet,  lot is 5880 square feet. A quiet location at the end of a cul-de-sac . Two community pools, tennis courts, and Malcolm Elementary School a highly desired elementary school in walking distance. A happy house in Orange County!    Everything in this home is remodeled.  Lovely ocean views off the master deck, 5/8" Birch hardwood floors downstairs and new Berber with quality padding upstairs. The kitchen has granite counters with Oggi bullnose finish and Valspar Lacquer Cabinets, 16 gauge commercial quality stainless steel sink and Hans Grohe faucets.   The upstairs bath has new 18" travertine floors and tub surround. Relax in a big Kohler drop tub 62" and new Moen brushed nickel hardware. The Master bath has a new full size tiled area with a seat, new Martin shower enclosure with 1/2" thick glass, a new Kohler toilet, a Crema Marfil counter top with double Kohler sinks and a Moen fixture set in the shower and sinks. The exterior is recently painted with Dunn Edwards Everlast Hickory with DE Swiss Coffee Trim. The entire yard is re-landscaped with flowers and sod.   $880,000 sales price 20% down = $176,000   MORTGAGE TERMS   $704,000 Jumbo 5 year interest only first 3.25% APR 3.31% (rate as of today and rates change several times  a day)   $1906.67 interest only     916.00  property taxes     100.00 fire hazard      136.00  Home Owner Association Fees Subject to qualifying, this is not a rate or loan commitment   30 year Fixed payment   $ 3299. principle and interest         Contact:   Tony English English Realty(800) 723-8676 (949) 203-8721

 

English Realty | Tony English, Broker #01363194  | Laguna Niguel California   | 92677

 

Photoelectric Smoke Alarms

$12.99 Can save your life Buy Smoke Alarm here today

I had a devastating fire in my home in the West Nine Laguna Niguel, California in 2003. I returned home after work to find the yellow police tape lines around my front door and piles of charred wreckage. This incident has left me with a fear of fire during the night. Every month I test our smoke detectors and annually change the batteries before I put up the Christmas tree.

At Laguna Niguel preview today I learned valuable information from Bill Parker, of  Home Inspection Services that my older ionization alarms might not be good enough or fast enough to warn us to wake up and get out in a fire.

I purchased four photoelectric alarms today because they detect smoldering fire, and smoke much faster than the ionization type. They cost two dollars more. I’m suggesting you don’t throw away your older battery powered smoke alarms in each bedroom and each floor level, but add the photoelectric ones in every bedroom. California law requires sellers of homes to add carbon monoxide detectors. These can be mounted behind doors that are usual left open during the daytime to not have quite so many additional white plastic Frisbees in your bedrooms.  

You may have the type that is hard wired into the home’s electrical system. Smoke alarms are powered by battery or they are hardwired. If the smoke alarm is powered by battery, it runs on either a disposable 9-volt battery or a non-replaceable 10-year lithium (“long-life”) battery. A backup battery is usually present on hardwired alarms and may need to be replaced. You might need assistance in installing the newer hard wired alarms, but I’m pretty handy and there are videos on utube to do everything from install a new toilet to making rocket fuel. I am not suggesting you are a licensed contractor or have the skill set to take this on yourself, but it isn’t difficult.

These batteries must be tested on a regular basis and, in most cases, should be replaced at least once each year (except for lithium batteries).

A few tips on housekeeping:

Test the alarms monthly, Replace the batteries at least once per year. The entire smoke alarm unit should be replaced every 8 years.

The ionization alarms are sensitive to shower steam or cooking smoke where the photoelectric ones are not. Statistics on deaths in fires show that even though an alarm was present, often the unit did not sound off because of dead battery or disconnected alarm because of the constant screaming sound when they fry food, or their teen takes a thirty minute shower.

( In a smoldering fire, a photoelectric smoke alarm outperforms the ionization type by sounding much quicker.. The other reason is that ionization smoke alarms will outperform photoelectric alarms in the event of a fast moving fire. The faster reaction time can be measured in tens of seconds, but in the event of a fast moving fire, these are precious seconds. )

Smoke alarms are an inexpensive investment and can save your family’s life.

 

 

 

Sunshine on Orange County's Shoulder?

photograph image Salt Creek Beach, Dana Point, Orange County, California sunset with palm trees by Caroline Gerardo

With inventory of new homes being listed at a record low for Orange County California and Data Quick reporting big percentage gains for Laguna Niguel (up 31%) Newport Beach (up 40%) and Newport Coast (up 41%) residential real estate in South County is looking rosy. Sellers appear reluctant to list their homes and Realtors are reporting sellers taking houses off the market to wait for more gains in the spring.

Are we really out of the woods? I believe the trough, big dip decline is behind us but my crystal ball predicts a rocky Sisyphus climb ahead. Employment is our biggest problem in Southern California. The Bay area is seeing recovery in San Francisco proper as a boom because of tech jobs heating up. Multiple offers and offers bidding up prices are the talk of the town.

Mortgage rates are at all-time lows, approaching what happened in Japan with near two percent interest rates. It seems that Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, will do anything to keep those rates down. In a recent news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in Washington, D.C. he encouraged Americans to buy a home and live the American dream.

This leaves me with questions about our future. Is it really a great idea to buy a home when it no longer seems to be an investment and home buyer tax deductions look to be on the chopping block? Without job growth will we sustain these short term residential real estate value gains? Or does everyone hurry to buy before the spring deluge?

I hope it will be "Sunshine On My Shoulder," don't you?

 

My mortgage website: http://www.mywjb.com/caroline-gerardo/

 

reference:

http://www.dqnews.com/Charts/Monthly-Charts/OC-Register-Charts/ZIPOCR.aspx