Monday, March 19, 2012

9:00 a.m. Pacific

Orange County Real Estate Agent John Alesi Awarded

Internet Marketing Specialist Designation

Advanced Marketing Designation Recognizes Deep Understanding of Internet Marketing Strategies for Helping Customers Buy & Sell Homes

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (March 19, 2012) –John Alesi, a leading real estate professional with CENTURY 21 Award in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, has been awarded the Internet Marketing Specialist designation for his proficiency in using Internet marketing strategies to help his customers market their properties throughout the Web.

John Alesi is now completely trained in marketing real estate across the Internet, including on all the major search engines, social media channels, CraigsList and more – with proven strategies that drive the maximum traffic and inquiry volume to help homes get sold fast and for the highest price possible.

“The most important attribute in choosing a real estate agent today is mastery of the Web as a marketing tool for your home or property,” said Ben Kinney, founder of the Internet Marketing Specialist Designation.  “John has mastered the Web marketing best practices I actively use in my practice, and has differentiated himself among other real estate professionals in the market with these skills.”

For more information about John Alesi and CENTURY 21 Award, please visit www.OCHomeAndCondoSearch.com.

Press Contact:

JOHN ALESI

CENTURY 21 AWARD

949-510-2154

John@YourOCHome.com

Do we really say this stuff?  Gawd....I hope not!

Seven Top Reasons To Buy A Home In Today's Market

Property Tax Due for Orange County CA Residents on December 12th

Don't forget to pay the first portion of your 2011 property taxes before the deadline of December 12, 2011. There is a 10% penalty if you miss the date so now is the time to take care of it.

You can pay by mail or online with a credit/debit card or e-check.  The best way to go is with the e-check which is free. You need to know your bank account number and routing number from the bottom of your printed check.  Credit/debit cards pay a hefty 2.5% fee and mailing you check is dubious at best with the current state of the post office.

The process to get your taxes paid is easy:

1. Just jump online at OC Tax Collector website
2. Search for your property by street address
3. Click on the Parcel Number
4. Click on the Parcel Number (Yes...this is the second time!)
5. Click on Pay Online
6. Select Pay by eCheck or Pay by Credit Card
7. Fill in the required information and click Continue.
8. Copy your confirmation number. You will also receive a confirming email.

DONE till April 10, 2012.

Do you use the generics like Trulia or Zillow? How about broker apps from Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Keller-Williams or Redfin?
What features do you like about them?
What features would you like added?

Please leave a comment with your thoughts.  Thanks

"You are not a victim, you are an adult and you are in charge of your own life. You are doing what you have freely chosen to do." Brian Tracy

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5 Free Smart Phone Apps to Save You Money This Holiday Season

SnapTell – Search for product information using an image of the product

ShopSavvy – Share product prices with friends on FB and Twitter

RedLaser – Compares prices using Google and other searches but also will locate books in local libraries

Anazon Mobile – Access all the products on Amazon.com and keeps your account settings.

Most of these work on iPhone and Android; some will also work in iPad, Windows and BlackBerry.  Check you application service for availability.

Your Home Is Not Your Biggest Investment

Let’s face it…when we purchase a new home (or first home/move up home/etc) we always look at the future value and convince ourselves that this is “a really good investment” because it be worth so much more in the future than its present value.  In traditional real estate markets, this usually works out over a ten or twenty year period.

But are you buying an investment or are you buying a home? Certainly, a home can be an investment but should your investment be your home?

I think of an investment as an asset with a changing value.  It’s increased 15% over X months or it’s lost 5% of its value this past year are typical comments about an investment.  If this asset were a stock traded on an exchange I’d have some buy or sell arrangements in place to “play the market” and increase my net worth.

But let’s talk about buying a home. This is the place you will live with your family, raise your children, establish traditions or perhaps grow old in. If you think of your home as an investment (in the traditional sense) then you better be ready to cancel Thanksgiving dinner because home prices just dropped and you’ve got to get this place on the market. I don’t think you want to live your home life on the edge based on fluctuations in the housing market.

Instead, you want to build your nest, have the best looking front lawn in the neighborhood, paint your front door your favorite color, decorate your kitchen to suit your taste, build a back yard bar-b-que to enjoy the summer with friends or watch your kids play on the swing set. Of course, you are taking good care of your home to protect its investment value but you are also making sure it retains it “nest” value.

Can a house be an investment? Of course! Part of your long term goals (if you are so driven) should be to own investment real estate. Perhaps a local condo that you rent to students or a resort area home that can be part vacation home and part rental income. I tell my clients to be more concerned with finding the right house than to “time the purchase” according to the market.  They might end up with a good deal (financially) but a bad home for their family.