Top 10 Mistakes Home Sellers Make

There are more than 2,200 Short Sale Properties available in the San Fernando Valley Right Now. Some for as little as $60,000. With an experienced agent to guide you through the, sometimes mind numbing, proceedure and a loan broker to help you get the best financing available you could be in your new home before summer.

Click Here and see if any of these properties feel like home. If none of these work or you just dont want to deal with the head-aches that go along with a short sale, contact me, I will help you find that perfect place to call home.

Construction On Coldwater Canyon

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will be constructing the City Trunk Line South Unit 5 Project. The project consists of 6,600 feet (1.25 miles) of 60 inch diameter welded steel water pipe that will improve the water quality and reliability in the San Fernando Valley area, as well as other surrounding communities serve by the City of Los Angeles. The construction of the entire trunk lineas shown on the attached map will be completed by approximately 2015.

LADWP will begin construction on Coldwater Canyon Ave between Dickens St and Van Noord Ave. Construction work in this work zone will start approximately the week of May 23, 2011 and will be completed by the end of December 2011. Construction work will occur Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the possibility of occasional work on Saturdays.

One traffic lane will remain open in each direction north and southbound on Coldwater Canyon Ave. Halkirk Street on the east side of Coldwater Canyon Ave will be closed to thru traffic.

If you need any further information in regards to this project at this time, please contact the Construction Engineer, Mr. John Hinton, at (213) 367-1189. After the start of construction, if you have any construction related issues, please contact the Construction Superintendent, Mr. Robert Smith, at (213) 798-5704.

California Law To Require Carbon Monoxide Detectors

On May 7, 2010, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that requires carbon monoxide detectors in all California dwellings. The bill requires that the presence or absence of these devices must be disclosed when residential real estate is transferred. For more information visit Realty Times.

The bill also creates disclosure requirements about carbon monoxide detectors. Sellers of residential properties in California must provide the buyer with a state-mandated form known as the Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS). The TDS requires the seller to answer Questions as to features of the property. The TDS has now been amended so that, effective January 1, 2011, the seller will have to say whether or not the property contains one or more carbon monoxide detectors. Even if the answer is "no", that will not invalidate the sale or transfer of the property. The question regarding carbon monoxide detectors is similar to a current question regarding automatic garage-door reversing devices. A footnote explains that the lack of such a device may fail to meet current safety standards. Nonetheless, a transfer of the property may still take place.

N.A.R MYTH BUSTER!!!!!

The National Association Of Realtors clears up some lies trying to pass as facts.

Claim: Pending legislation in the Senate would require an energy license or retrofit for home sales.
This email is FALSE: There is no requirement in H.R. 2454, The American Clean Energy & Security Act, that home sellers obtain either a license or energy audit or make energy retrofits before they can sell their home.


Here are the two REAL provisions in the bill: • Section 202 (Building Retrofit Program) would offer matching grants for home improvements. State government would administer the program, which is voluntary and available to all property owners.

Claim: The health care bill contains a 4.0 percent “transfer tax” on homes sales. An opinion piece in the Spokane, Wash., Spokesman-Review last month FALSELY reported that the health care bill contained a provision for a 4.0 percent “sales tax” or “transfer tax” on the sale of a home.

People can now weatherize their homes and be rewarded for their efforts. According to the Internal Revenue Service, homeowners making energy-saving improvements this fall can cut their winter heating bills and lower their 2010 tax bill as well.

Homeowners going green should also check out a second tax credit designed to spur investment in alternative energy equipment. The residential energy efficient property credit equals 30 percent of what a homeowner spends on qualifying property such as solar electric systems, solar hot water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, wind turbines, and fuel cell property. Generally, labor costs are included when figuring this credit. Also, except for fuel cell property, no cap exists on the amount of credit available.

Not all energy-efficient improvements qualify for these tax credits. For that reason, homeowners should check the manufacturer’s tax credit certification statement before purchasing or installing any of these improvements. The certification statement can usually be found on the manufacturer’s website or with the product packaging. Normally, a homeowner can rely on this certification.

The IRS cautions that the manufacturer’s certification is different from the Department of Energy’s Energy Star label, and not all Energy Star labeled products qualify for the tax credits.

Eligible homeowners can claim both of these credits when they file their 2010 federal income tax return. Because these are credits, not deductions, they increase a taxpayer’s refund or reduce the tax owed. An eligible taxpayer can claim these credits, regardless of whether he or she itemizes deductions on Schedule A. Use Form 5695, Residential Energy Credits, to figure and claim these credits.

Pet Odor Can Chase Away Buyers

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  (New!)

  Pet Odor Can Chase Away Buyers

  Don’t let pet odors derail your home sale. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®