One of those stories we hear that is worth looking into.  If true it may save a life and property.

A house burnt down… nothing left but ashes. Owners have good insurance so the house will be replaced and most of the contents.  That is the good news.

 However, they were sick when they found out the cause of the fire. The insurance investigator sifted through the ashes for several hours. He had the cause of the fire traced to the master bathroom. He asked her sister-in-law what she had plugged in the bathroom. She listed the normal things…curling iron, blow dryer.  He kept saying to her, ‘No, this would be something that would disintegrate at high temperatures’. Then her sister-in-law remembered she had a Glade Plug-In, in the bathroom.

The investigator had one of those ‘Aha’ moments. He said that was the cause of the fire. He said he has seen more house fires started with the plug-in type room fresheners than anything else. He said the plastic they are made from is THIN. He also said that in every case there was nothing left to prove that it even existed. When the investigator looked in the wall plug, the two prongs left from the plug-in were still in there.

The sister-in-law had one of the plug-ins that had a small night light built in it. She said she had noticed that the light would dim and then finally go out. She would walk in to the bathroom a few hours later, and the light would be back on again. The investigator said that the unit was getting too hot, and would dim and go out rather than just blow the light bulb. Once it cooled down it would come back on. That is a warning sign

The investigator said he personally wouldn’t have any type of plug in fragrance device anywhere in his house. He has seen too many places that have been burned down due to them.

The National Geographic Society is working with local organizations, businesses and residents to map the best of the Sierra. National Geographic will produce a Geotourism website and print MapGuide to promote travel that celebrates and sustains what is most distinctive about the Range of Light-its scenic landscapes and vibrant local communities; rich biological and cultural diversity, and captivating history.

Montecino & Associates has developed Hope For Owners division out of a very strong need to help homeowners who may be experiencing hardships and may be facing foreclosure.

The Hope For Homeowners division is here to help people in our communities by giving them the information they need to either modify their loan and stay in their home or if that is not an option, to help them understand and proceed with a short sale of their home in order to avoid foreclosure.

The Hope For Homeowners team are CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert) trained and have invested time and money to learn and develop the systems to work with the banks and lenders with the goal of achieving a short sale approval.

Homeowners do have options and we strongly feel it is our responsibility as real estate professionals to help people explore their options and avoid foreclosure.

If you know of anyone who is experiencing hardships and are struggling making their payments please have them call the Hope For Homeowners team at (559) 683-3556.

Stimulus Plan Finalized

Government announcements dominated the financial news this week. Updates on two major programs both were favorable for mortgage markets, and mortgage rates fell modestly during the week.

The most highly anticipated news concerned Tuesday’s speech from Treasury Secretary Geithner on the financial institution assistance plan. This “Financial Stability Plan” involves multiple programs to remove bad assets from banks’ books and to support new lending. It also contains funds to help prevent foreclosures. Investors were sorely disappointed by the lack of details about how the plans would work, however, and they responded to the uncertainty by purchasing relatively safer assets. The stock market plunged, while Treasury and mortgage-backed security markets rallied, pushing rates lower. Geithner suggested that more information about a plan to purchase troubled assets and a comprehensive housing program will be released in the next few weeks.

Later in the week, the House and the Senate agreed on a compromise $789 billion fiscal stimulus plan, which is expected to pass within days. The Obama administration estimates that the plan will create 3.5 million jobs. Both the House and the Senate had passed versions which were larger than the final compromise plan, and the reduction in scope helped mortgage markets. A smaller plan means that the government will have to issue less debt. Unfortunately, one of the spending cuts in the final plan was a provision for a $15,000 homebuyer tax credit, which came with an estimated price tag of $35 billion. Instead, the government will leave in place an existing $7,500 tax credit, applicable to only first time homebuyers. The primary change to the tax credit is that it will no longer need to be repaid. The estimated cost of this $7,500 tax break is less than $3 billion.

From Mortgage News.

I hope

See your marriage through the eyes of God. Focus on Marriage will help you understand the higher purpose of marriage, while providing practical insights to help with everyday issues. 

Focus on The Family presents Focus on Marriage February 28th 2009 at Yosemite Lakes Community Church.

Please view the flyer below for information regarding this wonderful event.

focus_on_marriage_poster2.jpg

At last, I waited at least 20 years to enjoy a white Christmas. Every year I pray for a white Christmas and I believe the last one was the year we moved to Coarsegold in 1988. It is amazing how peaceful a white Christmas can be when it does not keep you stranded in the airport or at a train station.  I think most of us can admit that 2008 was a challenging year but to end it with a white Christmas gave me a very good feeling of hope as to what the New Year will bring.

I read an article today by Joel Osteen about how 2009 will be the year of abundance for those that praise God for the blessings and favor in their lives. It was a great reminder that even through the most difficult times we must remain thankful and count our blessings.

We at Montecino & Associates wish everyone the best New Year with plenty of blessings and prosperity. Lets make 2009 an incredible year and not forget the lessons learned from 2008.

As I was reading my emails today, I came across this: 

OVERCOMING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FEAR

Amid the constant bombardment of market-related information over the past weeks, there’s one important question that isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Why is it that a house that sold in an immediate bidding war for $500,000 two years ago now sits on the market for 12 months when it’s priced at $300,000? Why aren’t potential home buyers becoming more active as homes become more affordable?

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman can explain. Kahneman was awarded a Nobel Prize in economics for the discovery that because of the way we humans are wired, we fear losing far more than we enjoy winning. When something precious is at stake, we fixate on the downside risk. This fear, which probably relates to millennia of survival, is an incredibly powerful emotion that short-circuits reasoning, no matter how highly disciplined the decision-maker is.

On top of this innate fear of loss, the models that financial markets once relied on to assess credit risk have proved to be about as useful as a Magic Eight Ball. So what do investors do? They buy the safest securities they can find: U.S. Treasuries.

Clearly, it’s vital to restore confidence, encourage broader investment, and eliminate the perception that asset prices will keep dropping. These three objectives have been at the heart of initiatives from the Fed, Treasury, and FDIC. But although these programs seem to be having a positive impact, there’s a limit to their effectiveness. After all, fixing credit markets is second nature to the Fed and Treasury. Slowing or stopping falling home prices is another story.

The solution, according to Economics 101, is to decrease supply and/or increase demand. On the supply side, lenders including SunTrust Mortgage are making an enormous effort to keep struggling homeowners in homes and avoid putting more properties on the market. On the demand side, the Treasury is extremely serious about lowering mortgage rates, as shown by its recently announced plan to spend up to $500 billion to support the market for agency mortgage-backed securities.

Unfortunately, the level of fear has reached a point where many home buyers don’t recognize the opportunities they’re missing. But unlike monetary and fiscal policy where most of us are only spectators, we can all play a role in influencing buyer psychology by communicating these facts to them:

1. Mortgages, both agency and non-agency, are readily available.
2. Mortgage rates are currently at some of the lowest levels ever seen.
3. Through a combination of lower rates and lower home prices, housing affordability has returned to levels not seen in many years.
4. While it’s true that there are a lot of houses on the market, they are not all created equal. The good ones will go fast as buying starts again.

History tells us that attitudes can be changed by a single voice that finds a way to be heard. Names like Roosevelt, Churchill, and Mandela come to mind. If these individuals had the power to turn widespread fear into confidence, imagine what an entire industry could achieve! What can you and your colleagues do today to help spread the good word to your customers?

Go Platinum Lending is your local lender that is here to help YOU make the best of todays market. Prices are low and so are interest rates. Call us! 

Go Platinum Lending
Ph 559-683-LOAN (5626)
Fx 559-683-3788
www.goplatinumlending.com

  Will you join us in helping those less fortunate “Celebrate the Season” by bringing in a canned food item for Manna House or an unwrapped Toy for Tots?? We’d also like you to stop by for a cup of hot cider and a Christmas “goodie”.                Then, take a look around the office and vote for the cubicle that’s decorated with the most       holiday cheer !  Just for voting, you’ll  be entered into ourdrawing for a catered dinner for 8. Stop in anytime and enter once a day from Dec. 8th to Dec. 22ndWinner to be announced Dec. 18th, 2007 

Montecino & Associates Real Estate

35285 Hwy 41 Suite CCoarsegold, CA 93614559-683-7268 

The Sierra Nevada Mountains are home to some of the most majestic sites one could ever imagine.  One of the things I love best are the season changes; Fall being my favorite.  It does not matter if you are in Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Bass Lake, or one of the other beautiful surrounding towns you will have the opportunity to experience God’s work.  I have lived in many areas and I have only experienced the beauty of Fall while living in the mountains of Eastern Madera County.  I love the changing colors of the leaves and watching them as they make their way to the ground.  The crisp mornings and cold night air are a refreshing change from the summer heat.  One of my favorites is the howling wind that blows the dark storm clouds across the sky.  Nothing beats the changing of seasons.   There is no better place than the beautiful foothill towns of Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Bass Lake, Fish Camp, or North Fork (and of course the ones I have not mentioned) to experience the beauty of the seasons. 

Coarsegold is a small town on the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada, not far from California’s exact geographic center and Yosemite National Park. The name Coarsegold was derived from nearby Coarsegold Creek, also known as Coarse Gold Gulch, in which gold rush prospectors found large nuggets of gold.

Coarsegold is rarely mentioned as part of the mother lode—but it is, in fact, the southernmost populated settlement in California’s famed mother lode territory. The town was once a stage stop for Yosemite-bound travelers. The Golden Chain Highway (State Route 49) through California’s old gold rush towns and foothill topography begins about seven miles north, in the town of Oakhurst.

Coarsegold consists of scattered ranches, homes on big lots, Indian trust land, and “estate-style” subdivisions. The most populated section is strung along an eight-to 10-mile stretch of State Highway 41 in Eastern Madera County. It’s well worth a trip to visit the town of Coarsegold but better yet to buy and own a piece of history. It’s a great place to live and raise a family. Go see my friends at Montecino and Associates Real Estate.