Image by respres via Flickr

Mike Zagaris has been talking about it since this market cycle began. The foreclosure crisis has been a bane to some, and a boon to others. However, “We’ve found the bottom,” Zagaris said. “The financial institutions have seen the light and are allowing the market to find its own level.” Banks are moving their inventory of foreclosed upon houses, bringing qualified homeowners into the market with heavily discounted properties and sound lending strategies amidst great interest rates.

At PMZ Real Estate, we’ve seen the bottom in our rear view mirror and we’re riding the wave back to the top. Bloomberg points out in there most recent Exclusive story, California’s Discount Foreclosure Sales Point to Housing Bottom, that there are, indeed, good times coming and that there is opportunity available now in the housing market.

Right now there is EXCELLENT opportunity for homebuyers and investors. Home prices are on an average discount of 30-40% according to Bloomberg. Even with the bidding wars going on with foreclosed properties, people are still walking away with huge discounts on the properties they purchase. And, interest rates are still attractive; no where near the 14% they were in the 80’s.

Interested in learning more? Check out the Bloomberg article for an even more informative look at where the housing market is taking us.

In December of 2005, Sharon Rocha started the Laci & Conner Search and Rescue Fund. The purpose of the fund is to provide financial assistance to law enforcement agencies and non-profit organizations involved in search and rescue. These agencies are encouraged to apply for financial assistance for training, equipment, search and rescue animals or any item that can help improve their search and rescue. The hope is that through providing this additional assistance, these agencies will be better equipped and therefore be more successful in their efforts to safely return missing persons to their loved ones.

To help benefit the fund, the Carol Sund/Carrington Foundation will be presenting a comedy event at the Gallo Center for the Performing Arts called Laughing for Laci, October 11, 2008 at 8pm. Laci was a young and vibrant woman who had a beautiful smile and whose laugh was described as “contagious.” Her family and friends find it only appropriate that we commemorate her memory with comedy. “Come for the cause, Stay for the laughs.”

Laughing for Laci will be a night filled with entertainment. The event will be hosted by Larry King, featuring Colin & Brad and Wendy Liebman. Ticket sales and sponsorships will go towards The Laci & Conner Search and Rescue Fund. There will be a VIP reception held from 6:30pm to 7:30.

If you are interested in sponsoring the event or purchasing tickets, see the attached flier for more information.

Laughing for Laci Flyer

Thanks to Stacey Boyers for the news tip.

PMZ Real Estate is proud to announce that Pam Harmon was voted in as LAR Director by the members of the Lodi Association of Realtors.

The Lodi Association of Realtors® is in its 86th year of operation. It serves a membership of more than 1,600 as a service and support organization to help individual Realtors® and Affiliates. LAR is a member of the California Association of Realtors® (CAR) and the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). LAR currently has four Directors that serve on the state association. It also is an Administrative Office for the Metrolist Multiple Listing service and currently has three directors that serve on its board. LAR operates a full supply real estate store which carries forms, all the necessary tools industry professionals require, and continuing education options for area licensees.

Congrats Pam!

We Americans are living longer than ever before. Someone aged 65 today is expected to live to an average of 83.7 years of age.

And, “The longer people live, the greater the chances are that chronic conditions may develop, resulting in an increased need for assistance with everyday activities. (from National Alliance for Caregiving)

That means you – or your parents – could maintain good health and independence for many years. However, at some point, you may experience an injury or illness that leads to a need for long term care. An estimated 70% of people who reach age 65 will need some form of long term care before they die.

What if you had to care for an aging parent? How would it affect your practice?

Here’s the typical profile of family caregivers:
• Two-thirds of caregivers are women.
• Caregivers are twice as likely as non-caregivers to have health problems of their own.
• Working caregivers are more likely than non-caregivers to miss work.
• Women ages 50 to 64 are most likely to be caring for sick or disabled family members.
from (“A Look at Working-Age Caregivers’ Roles, Health Concerns, and Need to Support.” The Commonwealth Fund. Issue Brief. 08/05)

What if you needed long term care? What does long term care cost?
Long term care services can be very expensive. The national average to have a home health aide for 8 hours a day is $4,623 a month or $55,480 a year. With home care, you also have ordinary home and living expenses. The national average daily cost for a private nursing home room is $213, or $77,745 a year. And those numbers can be almost double in some areas of the country.

Long term care insurance can help you plan for the high cost of future care. You probably have health, homeowners, and auto insurance to help protect you from everyday risks. Now is the time to consider long term care insurance to help protect you and your family from the high cost of long term care.

Long term care insurance can help you:
• Protect your assets, investments, retirement funds and your estate – including your home
• Maintain your spouse’s standard of living, financial security, and peace of mind
• Relieve family and friends from the emotional burden of providing for your care
• Preserve your independence, allowing you to live where you wish
• Give you more choices and control over your future care
There’s a clear advantage to buying long term care insurance at a younger age. Premiums are typically lower than if you wait. You’re more apt to be healthy and qualify for coverage.

Discounts on long term care insurance are available to PMZ agents and staff.

LAST DAY TO VOTE!

PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO VOTE FOR LAR 2009 OFFICERS & DIRECTORS.

The internet link and your personal numbers for voting are being sent to you again. You have until 5:00 PM, today, to cast your ballot.

Special “Thank You” to those members that have voted.

Click here to login to vote!

The Nehemiah down payment assistance program is a non-profit organization that has helped thousands of families, without the upfront cash to buy a home, make their home ownership dreams come true by gifting down payment and closing costs.

According to Nehemia’s website, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said that such down-payment systems will no longer be allowed after October 1st, 2008.

You can help keep this program alive for yourself and others by clicking this link. You’ll find a simple form where you can share your story on how Nehemiah has helped you (or would help others). The letter is then delivered to key members of the legislature and to the housing department.

I was at a meeting over in Riverbank earlier today and Richard Hundley came up to me and said, “Hey Roy, I bet you’ve never seen an office with them before.” I turn around to see where he is pointing and there stands a peacock, right outside the front doors of PMZ Real Estate.

Apparently there are 3 or 4 of them that live near by. They hop the fence during business hours to check out the people and for any extra food scraps people leave behind. “They really like white bread,” Richard said.

The birds are so docile that when called with food, they come right on over. Sometimes, they even sit right in front of the door, admiring their reflection in the glass.

Weird eh?

(via The Riverbank News)

Would you insure your smile for $1,000,000? How about your voice? Or your legs? What if your income depended on them? Protecting one’s livelihood with insurance has a long and interesting history, thanks to Lloyds of London.

Consider celebrity leg insurance. It started in 1940 with Betty Grable, an actress, singer and dancer. She insured her legs for a cool million. That’s nearly $15 million in today’s dollars. And soccer star David Beckham has insured his legs for an astounding $70 million. Quite a hefty sum! But considering that his total salary for 2007 is estimated at $37.4 million, he is insured for only about two years of income. Would two years of coverage be enough for you?

Your ability to earn an income is probably your greatest asset. For instance, if you earned $75,000 for the next 20 years, you would take home a total of $1.5 million. But what if you got sick or injured and couldn’t work?

We are three times more likely to suffer long-term disability than to die. As of 2005, disability was the leading cause of personal bankruptcies and caused 46% of all mortgage foreclosures. So if you think life insurance is a good idea, you may also want to consider disability coverage, too.

Long-Term Disability Insurance benefits include:

• Disability due to injury or illness, physical or mental.
• “Own occupation” coverage.
• Covers earnings and bonuses.
• Waiting period as short as 90 days.
• Benefit period up to age 65.
• Portable, you own it.
• Discounted up to 40%.
• Guaranteed renewable.
• Non-cancelable.

Though it is probably only a rumor that Jennifer Lopez has insured her body for $1 billion, considering her lifetime earning potential, maybe she should.

Moving to a place down the block, to another city or another state can be stressful. In many ways, your pets can react to moving in the same way humans do. It is a stressful time for them too. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind while moving yourself and your pet.

• Make sure your pet has a check-up with your vet and ask the veterinarian if they know of any diseases that your pet might be at risk for in the area you are moving to.
• Pack your pet’s medical history.
• Pack your pet’s toys, food dishes, blankets, etc in the same box for quick access.
• If you have a smaller animal that lives in a cage (like a snake, hamster or bird), keep it in there during the move, take out anything that might tumble around and injure your pet, and cover it with a blanket so they don’t become overstimulated with new scenery.
• If you’re traveling, never leave your pets alone in the car with your windows up.
• Don’t wash your pets favorite blanket or pillow during a move. This allows them to have a familiar scent in their new home.
• Let your pet stretch and relax as soon as you can, and walk them around the property so they are familiar with their boundaries.

It seems these days that our home phone lines have gone the way of the dodo. Nearly everyone I know has a cell phone and most of them have used theirs to browse the Internet, watch some videos or download a ring tone or two.

The future of the Internet is undoubtedly mobile. According to the PEW Research Center, 62% of Americans have accessed the Internet away from home or work, 42% of those Americans specifically used their mobile phone. “People’s growing reliance on their cell phones, together with wireless internet access from laptops, suggests a shift in expectations about cyberspace,” said John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of the Pew Internet Project and author of the report. “For many people, access to digital information and resources is an ‘always present’ utility for answering questions and documenting what is going on around them through photos or video recording.”

This means convenient access to information whenever you want it wherever you are. With nearly every cell phone offered through any carrier being Internet capable, and with access to mobile friendly search engines like Yahoo and Google, it’s almost silly these days to claim, “I don’t know” anymore. Using your cell phone you can look up facts, movie showtimes, song lyrics, maps, books, and a plethora of other information.

The Internet Pioneer
A leader in online real estate and the first to give the general public free access to all the listings in the MLS, PMZ Real Estate is proud to announce our new online platform for mobile devices called PMZ Mobile.
PMZ Mobile is a simple suite of real estate tools that allows the on the go home-hunter or Realtor® to access information and photos on any home that is in the MLS right from their mobile device. It’s easy to get to and even easier to use.
Just visit m.pmz.com from any internet capable mobile device and you can immediately search by address or MLS number for any home for sale on the MLS.

Try it out anywhere!
Say you are out picking up the groceries or the kids from soccer practice and you see a home for sale, but there isn’t a flyer and you want to know more about it. Now you can visit m.pmz.com on your cell phone, type in the street name, choose the property you are searching for and immediately view a picture slide show, pricing information, square feet, beds, baths and even more details! You can contact the agent directly from there or even email the listing to a friend.