Hi this is Gray!!
Ok I look like I am resting. I am trying to look disinterested because Kele is on the phone. She just found out lots of information about listing Bank Owned homes. Guess what it is very expensive. Why? Well you have to pay to get the key from the home owner (sometime $500- really this means is they move out with there stuff and hand you a key), you need to pay for utilities, you need to pay for repairs , safety issues for sure, you need to pay to get cleaned up-paint-trash-yard-fix stuff!! And signs, lock boxes, open house food, flyers, lock boxes and sometimes to have people sit out your open house while you take buyers out. Ok, all of this money is put out front. If and only if you find a buyer and sell house do you get this money back in commission. And many of these home are little guys where you can put out more money than you make. Risky.
We are buyers agents for Bank Owned homes. We prefer to spend money on gas to show you great homes, technology to obtain information, so we can pass it on to you,quickly , advertising for our listings and play to balance our hard work.
So I (Gray) am laying here pretending not to listen to her on the phone. But this stuff is interesting and I never thought about it before. Makes gathering acorns and waiting for her to give me peanuts seem easy. Of course you don't have to complete with blue jays for peanuts but that makes life interesting!!Have a good day. your buddy Gray
Your thinking what does a squirrel know about real estate. Well, I know plenty. For one thing I live in a tree behind a real estate agent. Her name is Kele. Every day she comes outside and gives me peanuts. She lines them up on the rail on her deck and I spend social time eating. I also stare back at her.
I asked her in squirrel talk --why do you give me peanuts? She said in e talk--I like you and it mellows me out after I spend my day doing real estate. Hey lady, other people drink a glass of wine!! Now I am not complaining because I like you. And I like those peanuts. She feeds those darn blue jays also but they make her smile so what the heck I will let her feed them.
Well, back to real estate. I was up at the window trying to get her attention. She was on the computer and the mls said that today there are 54 bank owned properties in the villages of lake arrowhead. Of these 24 are under 200,000. Plus of those 10 of them are 3 bedroom cabins or homes. So that is really something. Last year when I looked in her window there were no bank owned!The cheapest one is 40,000. You don't have to save many acorns to get that one.
Speaking of acorns, it is getting cooler. Cool nights and mornings. I am gathering and stockpiling for when it is really cold. Well sellers here in the mountains are getting worried about this change in the weather. Sure we get lots of holiday visitors. I sit in that tree and watch the cars going up to Lake Arrowhead village! But sellers know less people will go out exploring homes in the cold weather. What does that mean for someone who wants to buy a house?
It means they are willing to take lower offers than in the summer, they are slashing prices, they are making better deals, giving money towards closing costs, buying new roofs, giving cash back at escrow for remodeling or repairs. So this means if you see a house that is not quite perfect you can get the seller to help you make it the way you want it to be. What a concept.
Be right back---sorry some blue jay was annoying me heading for my last peanut. Don't let someone else get your little cabin. It is waiting there for you.
See our wwebsite for information http://arrowheadcabinsales.com
today was the antique wood boat show in Lake Arrowhead
Also the woodie car show
here is one all set for enjoying Lake Arrowhead
and another ready for a picnic at the lake with the wooden boats behind it.
Each weekend at Lake Arrowhead events like this attract visitors and show our unique area.
please see my site http://arrowheadcabinsales.com for our specific mountain mls to do an mls search
That is how I feel about Lake Arrowhead.
This is really a great time to be in Lake Arrowhead.
It is just so perfect here. Hard to put in words . You just have to see, feel, be here.
My customers chose to begin their search on line. We begin by selecting a price range and size. After the family views homes on line we plan a visit to Learn/snoop/explore/snoop / lots ?answered/ fun
My photo above is not the usual make up real estate photo you will see in magazines for real estate. That is how I look. Hate make up and my hair does not co-operate most of the time. I have 6 kids and 12 grandkids with 3 more on the way. That is one of my grand daughters above.
I was in retail management for many years, stayed home to raise kids, had 60 foster kids includintg 22 newborn drug babies over many years. Started with an A.A.S. and obtained my B.S. from Univerity of La Verne in Business in 1993.
I began an estate sale business and found the agents selling the homes were making lots more than I was just selling the contents. So I began selling real estate. I can sell anything and I am fun. I am smart and learn fast. I had lived on the mountains a long time but it took a while to learn all the real estate lingo. The mountain is a very special place. It has its own real estate rules and customs. It is important you find out everything about the home you are considering. Each area of the mountain is very unique. After a year of fooling around in real estate I made so much money my tax bill was more than I ever made in my whole life. And what was even funnier I just had a blast.
Where else can you ride around, snoop in houses, stop and have lunch, laugh with some new friends and after a few times doing this make like $6000. Wow!!! I wish I had figured this out sooner.
Well you know that real estate has slowed a bit. But the mountains are unique. We are mostly 2nd and 3rd homes. We often sell the same house every couple of years as peoples lives change. We have many multi-million dollar houses and really some shacks.
I can promise you a morning of learning about our area and learning the type of house you want or don't want.
My game plan is to help someone explore the area. Invite you to visit, let you rest, eat, sleep and take you on a mini tour.Snoop in a few homes and let you tell me what you like, hate, want and don't want. I am high energy . We can look at stuff all day or see a few places. You are the boss. I am just here to help.
I open the doors and help you find the streets, villages, neighborhoods.You pick what makes you happy and what does not. I cannot promise to find the perfect home for you right away.But often I cannot get you out of a house, I see that special smile go between you- the look only you two guys understand- I see an excitement and here a new type of question , and sometimes that means you have found the house!! I cannot promise to make you happy that first day out with your dream home. But I can promise a relaxing mountain adventure and lots of new ideas, thoughts and dreams for all clients ---especially baby boomers.Most of us are still as adventurous as we were before. We have lots more time to enjoy life, we have many more choices then we even had when we were "young" or younger ,we have more time and thank goodness money to explore options, we may sometimes have less energy but we can enjoy moments more, value the Little things we may not have had time to appreciate before and understand what really makes us happy. 
Why in the mountains of lake arrowhead?
Why now at this time of your life? Why wait until you retire to make some decisions? Why are prices still so good here? Why is living still so good here?
Maybe a rental cabin to use as a tax deduction would be something to think about and talk about with your accountant.
Let me share my experiencea client who bought a rental cabin that he now lives in full time. He bought a small cabin with a great view that backs to the forest. It was very 60's.---- He have every type of home up here. From the 20's,30's, 60's,70's,80's to the brand new.
Yes, you can still find fixers with long shag carpet!! ----The cabin was dated. He used it as a rental to offset income.He fixed up the interior, exterior, parking, baths, kitchen, decks, furniture, appliances, heating, insulation and roof. This was done slowly over the years. The kids were almost grown and now they have their own families. Over the years he acquired the furniture and dust collectors he need to make it feel like home. Most homes don't need as extensive renovations.
The homes I love to show baby boomers are small 2-3 bed cabins with 1-2 baths that need paint, new flooring and maybe updating of kitchens. There are still great buys in these homes. But if you want to see a lake front mansion ,a new construction home, or something moderate there is a great selection. It would be my pleasure to email you photos of any type of homes. Remember the price of tall trees, great views and clear air is very low.
How do you rent? He rented out casually to friends and family. He put a lock on a closet and kept his personal things there. Renters paid a discounted but fair rent, brought their own paper goods, bed linens, towels, food, firewood and optional items. He kept basics in the refig like sugar, jelly and some emergency supplies. Renters took their trash with them and left the cabin usually nicer than they found it when they arrived at the rental. Lots of times they left him cute baskets or other cabin gifts. They told friends about the cabin and it got rented even more. He kept track of rentals on a calender for taxes and to avoid duplicate rental dates. There are also professional management businesses that handle everything for you and take a %.
You should discuss with your tax person the items that can be written off. It really helped offset income. I know we were able to write off visits to the cabin to work on improvements. The cabin is now worth triple what he paid. When he decided to move here full time it was almost the way he wanted. Only minor changes were needed to make it perfect for only his use.
Lake Arrowhead and the villages that surround it our probably only 45 min to 1 1/2 hours from your primary residence. Wouldn't it be great to enjoy a mountain retreat weekends, holidays, when you downsize working or when you retire. Think how easy it would be to go back and forth. You still could be close to family that may have settled near primary residence.
But our mountains are a different world. The air is so clean, it is safe here, no traffic lights(not even one), free pharmacy, restaurant, pizza delivery. Very low cost upscale grocery delivery. Nice neighbors, homes not right on top of each other, views to love, a variety of styles from cottage, Victorian, cabin, house to mansion. It takes a day to feel the way you should feel here. When you visit plan on spending a night or two. I can arrange discounted accommodations.
Let me share a story one of my baby boomer clients told me. He drove up with his wife Friday night. They were tired and stressed. Freeway driving, crowded living, lines and jobs. Saturday morning they strolled the village, had a coffee, hit some of the factory outlet and specialty shops and then a late breakfast. By noon we were out exploring villages. Learning what each area was like. Stopping tovisit some of the many reasons to love the mountains. We bopped in to a few homes checked them out. They hated some stuff and loved other things about the homes.
After a special dinner they slept and relaxed. Sunday after brunch we went out and explored more homes and villages. From getting to know them and their reactions to homes we got closer to meeting their needs. I am not a show 5 homes and stop agent. I can go all day and will show you as many as you want to see. What my client told me that made me laugh was he could not believe that the same tv stations were here and in L.A.. He said it felt like a different world. He was not eager to go back down the mountain and hoped he could come up again soon to find his dream cabin. He wanted a little home in the woods that was a fixer , his biggest need was to smell clean pine trees. After they left I emailed homes to them. After a trip or two they were able to find their cabin in the woods. He prefers to read ,relax and does not watch L.A. tv in his cabin. He told me that "this cabin will be the bridge he needs to finish his career in the city."
Monday mornings were easier when he knew he could get in a long weekend at the cabin. He felt more refreshed and energized. She said she had more creative ideas sitting on her deck looking at the trees . She said she enjoyed resting instead of doing another job at home on weekends. She said things still got done but she was not undone! One comment she made I understood was that going to the cabin was a way of getting away from growing up or grown up kids or even grandkids. Now she babysits at the cabin (but only when they don't have so many things to do at the cabin it would not be a good weekend---things to do like read, hike, rest, eat out!!). It is an adventure to visit grandma's house. This will add to your popularity in the family.
Do some of these thoughts and feelings hit home with you? Could this be a choice you could explore? Would an ideal retirement be a city house, a mountain cabin and a desert retreat? Could you have all of it? Could you afford a small cabin under 250,000? Or do you want that special home that meets every need -not a settling house--a house that meets your needs.
Do you want a multi-generational house? Bedrooms on the main floor for parents or us--rec rooms for grandkids, kids, friends, decks for dreaming and entertaining, views to help us let go of all those energy grabbers.
What is my style of real estate? Casual-no phone calls (except to return yours)-jeans and tee shirts.That is my style. I do most communication by email. I can email you photos,(you can block my emails anytime).
I can answer questions do requests (Daisy please check out this house, is there room to store my boat?, my rv, is there room to bake holiday pies and have everyone there, is there a yard with no grass I can pay someone to clean twice a year, is there a view that no one can ever take away, can I be with the people I want to be close to in this house and is there room for us to be alone when we need to be, is there room for that big tv, is there a yard for dog and grandkids, is there total silence, does it smell like pine trees, is there a stream, can I see the lake (there are 4 here), can I walk to the lake, can I walk to a cafe or shop, can I get to ski slopes, snowboard area, cross country ski area, ice skating , movie, bowling, hiking ,concerts, is there a porch or deck for bbq's or doing nothing, can I breathe ,rest or run and walk for miles?) these are some of the many requests I get in the form of emails.
My game planis to help someone explore the area. Invite you to visit, let you rest, eat, sleep and take you on a mini tour.Snoop in a few homes and let you tell me what you like, hate, want and don't want. I am high energy . We can look at stuff all day or see a few places. You are the boss. I am just here to help.
I open the doors and help you find the streets, villages, neighborhoods.You pick what makes you happy and what does not. I cannot promise to find the perfect home for you right away.But often I cannot get you out of a house, I see that special smile go between you- the look only you two guys understand- I see an excitement and here a new type of question , and sometimes that means you have found the house!! I cannot promise to make you happy that first day out with your dream home. But I can promise a relaxing mountain adventure and lots of new ideas, thoughts and dreams for all clients ---especially baby boomers.
Where you are in your life, I am also in the same baby boomer neighborhood. We baby boomers can be so different from each other and at times also alike. There is a special place here I would like for you to experience....life in the middle of a national forest. Daisy
Please contact me directly thru my website http://arrowheadcabinsales.com
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