Monthly Archives: April 2011

North Valley Bank and Ochoa & Shehan create New Homes.

Buy new homes in redding ca
Here’s a unique program to help people buy New Construction homes in the Redding California area. Local bankers North Valley Bank, and local builders Ochoa & Shehan have teamed up to create a new finance option for people to buy or build new homes.
Here’s the issue they address: A lot of potential buyers have had unusual conditions prevent them from getting traditional financing. NVB has developed ARM loans specific to new construction with Ochoa & Shehan that removes obstacles to good buyers who have maybe bad credit scores, or some other financial obstacle that an ordinary FHA type loan wouldn’t consider. This isn’t Sub Prime lending! While it is Creative Financing, its not the type that crashed the economy. This program is targeted for specific buyers. Those whom a smaller local bank can determine is a good risk, and who may not have any options with a big box lender. NVB is going to “portfolio” these loans, which is to say they won’t sell them in the secondary market. So they will be looking for good candidate buyers, who they expect to pay them back. Perhaps a high earner with a good job, who was foreclosed on, or had some other financial setback in this economy that was unusual. The upshot is that they can buy a high quality local home at a terrific rate. Ochoa and Shehan build excelent high quality Earth Advantage homes, and becasue they use local contractors, it’s a win-win for the local economy. Call us for more info.

(530) 255 4070
real estate in redding ca

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Need to do a Short Sale with Bank of America?

Bank of america people

Rick Perez and Matthew Hennesey from Bank of America

Yesterday, I spent some time at a presentation from Bank of America on how agents can more smoothly complete Short Sales with Bank of America loans. Bank Vice President Matthew Hennesey packed a ton of good information about how best to navigate the process and use their software called Equator to get transactions completed. It was good to see the bank taking proactive steps to try and get more Short Sales done, since their success has been erratic at best, and yet doing a Short Sale can save an investor 15% over the cost of a foreclosure. You can learn more about Bank of America’s Short Sale process at the link.
It was great training and information, so if you think you have need of doing a Short Sale and you have a Bank of America mortgage, call us. (530) 255 4070 Skip Murphy

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Thanks for your trust

I posted this image yesterday at FDotD. I was pretty stoked about placing 4th for March 2011 for sales, among the 80 or so agents in our office, many of whom are powerful and skilled professionals. I received this certificate at the Tuesday morning staff meeting.
Top ten real estate agents in the redding areaAfter posting I looked at it for a while.

First of all, we are a team effort here and as much credit goes to Erin as to me, although only my name appears on the certificate. Thanks Erin.

Then more than anything, thanks go to my clients who trust in us for help with buying or selling what may be the single most expensive thing they own. It’s humbling. Your trust means everything to me.

Then, its back to work. That was last month. Good Realtors are always putting themselves out of work. Sell the inventory, help buyers become homeowners. Done. Next.

I was excited to get the certificate. More than I thought I would be. It looks a bit boastful now, but personal promotion is essential when you continually put yourself out of work. You are also continually applying for a new job. The certificate is part of my resume.

Thanks again for a good month. And for the ability and opportunity to live in a place I love while making a living helping people achieve their real estate related goals.

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Local green builders, Ochoa and Shehan

Ashley WagarOn Wednesday April 13 2011, The Green Committee of the Shasta MLS was pleased to present Ashley Wagar of Ochoa and Shehan Builders at the General Membership meeting. Ashley spoke about the many aspects to building Green in the current housing market.Ashley Wagar of Ochoa and ShehanTitle 24 itemsIt’s a complex subject, but one in which every informed REALTOR should be proficient. The rules are ever changing, and new materials and techniques arrive on the scene all the time. Of interest was the number of trade-offs that must be made, like say between a tight building envelope and good air quality for the interior. What can seem Green practice at first might not be so environmentally responsible when the whole picture is taken into consideration, including materials manufacturing waste, and shipping distance.

Ashley brought a presentation that included several examples of Green building materials and Title 24 (building Code) mandated fixtures. Thanks go to the Green Committee of our local REALTORS for this informative and thought provoking discussion. Skip Murphy.

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Sprawling From Grace

The design and planning of Shasta County and Redding revolves completely around the automobile. Here’s a documentary you can view for free online that examines the implications of this design emphasis for our future in a world where oil will inevitably be increasingly scarce and expensive. Well worth your attention. Are we wasting away our national wealth planning, building, and maintaining, road and city infrastructure for a world that will soon no longer exist?

Watch more free documentaries

Here’s an unnerving observation about the documentary, which was made a while ago apparently. A couple of times they show an image of high gasoline prices to emphasize their point. The supposed “high” prices are under $3 a gallon. Will we ever see $3 gallons again?

The end of oil is predictable, even if the exact timing is unknown. What are the ethical implications of our actions or inaction in planning for that inevitability? Our railroad town of Redding is uniquely positioned for the future. But the planning and resources we continue expend on suburban sprawl seem thoughtless, and ultimately dangerous.

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864 Santa Cruz Redding 96003 Stanford Hills awesome photos

We know how hard it can be to take really lovely marketing images of a home for sale. Of course, it helps if you have a nice home to shoot, and this one is certainly all that. But these images are exceptional, and so we thought we’d bring them to your attention. There are more views of this classic Redding Luxury Home at the link. Kudos to the photographer.
Redding Luxury home in Stanford Hills
Representing the seller is Christopher Michael of Christopher Michael & Company. Available for under $1.3M. Of course, if you’d just like to buy this home, we’d love to help you explore that idea!

Do call (530) 244 7603

 

 

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Cottonwood mansion only $5,900,000 – see the tour video

Cottonwood luxury home for saleThe most expensive home in the Shasta MLS today seems to be this big mansion in Cottonwood. Built in 2004, it’s listed as a 5645 sqft 9/7 on about 717 acres. Nine bedrooms needs seven bathrooms, one supposes. The kitchen looks big. Representing the seller is Kenneth Edward Robison of Re/Max Top Properties. He writes of it:

Exclusive, exotic, private estate. Extreme attention to detail with finishes and quality of construction and operations. Absolute Hunters Dream. Incredible entertaining venue. This home and setting define ”One-of-A-Kind”. Showings are subject to verification of buyers qualifications.

Qualifications? So that leaves us out. How about you? Are you qualified to buy this megahome? Although the listing images seem to be in soft focus, there is this video tour below. Just a heads-up, it has opera music. Adjust your audio accordingly.


 
If you have the qualifications, we’ll somehow find the time to show it. ;-)

Call or Text (530) 255 4070

 

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Video: Questionable Fannie Mae foreclosure eviction makes the news

The real face of the foreclosure crisis is reflected among the hundreds of daily eviction dramas played out on a one to one street level, when the knock at the door comes and you are told to get out. Here’s one drama that made the local news in Rochester:


Here’s the rest of the story. Ultimately 6 people were arrested.

“Lennon has said that though she missed some mortgage payments after her husband died in 2008, she subsequently began making payments again. But because it was her husband’s name, not hers, on the official mortgage documents, Fannie Mae wouldn’t accept her money, and moved her house into foreclosure.”

We’ve heard too many individual stories to repeat here. I suspect the images will come to define the era.

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