Glenn's Blog

I have to pass on my thoughts on this impressive bottle of Rhone Rose wine from "Chateau De Nages" in the Rhone valley France. It's not your usual White Zinfandel that is so sweet at 8% alcohol and tastes like candy. This is a blend of the Grenache 70% and Syrah 30% to make a great wine to sip through the summer. Chateau De Nages has several Reserve wines to choose from, some darker and yes more expensive. But for this 2010 Reserve Rose from Total Wine just under $9 a bottle one can enjoy the good value. This classic Rhone Rose has a seductive fushia color announcing an effusively aromatic wine.

The nose is like a basket of ripe berries. At 13.5% alcohol, rich and lush without residual sugar, it will be a perfect fit for those summer nights. Enjoy it with pasta, salads, grilled fish or even cold meat cuts.

For those who prefer White wine because the Red wine is too dry or heavy, give this one a try, you won't be disappointed.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Santa arrives in full glory at Fullerton train station via the special Metro Link Santa train.  This has been an annual event here at Fullerton Station over the years. Toys for tots is the main focus along with the help of the Fullerton Fire Dept and the City of Fullerton. Over 2000 people stood along the platform to see the brightly lite train arrive. 

It slowly came up to the station playing all those favorite tunes that we all know. What a fun night we had. We parked on the opposite side of the platform took a seat and ate Tacos.  It was great watching all the happy families gaze at the lights along with the timed music. There were children pointing at Santa trying to get his attention as snow flakes that were floating down from the train. A colorful night was enjoyed by the all, thanks to the City of Fullerton and all who participated to make it event happen.

I was happy to complete a can food drive for the local Salvation Army to feed a lot of people over the pass week before the holidays. After walking a neighborhood dropping off over 300 grocery bags I was amazed at the response to my efforts. It's good to see the out pour of people helping people in need as we are in strange times. I printed a flier attached to the bag letting the neighbors know when I will be picking the bags up. Surprising enough I was over loaded so much that I had to take 3 trips in my Audi wagon. It feels good that we can rise up to help people in need, not only the homeless but anyone in need.

Rise in Condo Dues:

 Sometimes it's always good to do a little research when investing in any property. I was reading about the amount of foreclosures with properties such as homes, condos and town homes. I think you have to be aware fees could rise if you are looking into buying a condominium, co-op, town home or any property that has HOA dues.  Because of the amount of foreclosures the association still has a responsibility to keep up the maintenance of the complex even though a percentage of the units may be vacant. If the association is falling behind in these funds because of the increased vacancy they could levy a special assessment and raise the HOA dues. Everyone who owns a unit in the complex is a part of that association so in turn everyone will have to pay that higher dues to keep up with expenses of the complex. I would say look over the complex, check out the grounds and see if they are well maintained.

Another guide is to check to see if the complex is at least 50% owner occupied as banks may not approve a loan if it's lower. Most condo's or town homes in default ask for cash only as one cannot get a FHA loan because it's a heavily rented complex. Good news is it's never been a better time to invest in real estate especially now when the interest rates are so low. With my experience with many of the complexes and homes in this area I would love to help you find the right one so you can call it home.

Starting Guide

Whether you are ready to purchase your first home or ready to sell your current home and move to another location, there are several important factors worth considering. First, it's best to establish the reasons why you're looking to buy or move. While there are many benefits to home ownership, it is a major financial commitment and you need to be certain that your decision is an educated one. 

Establish your price range.

Before shopping for your new home, shop for the right mortgage. It's recommended to get pre-approved by a lender rather than just pre-qualified, so you know exactly the price range you can afford. One doesn't just go out and buy a car with knowing the price to start with. 

Know your Neighborhood.

On the weekends cruise by open houses in different neighborhoods throughout town to get a sense of all the homes within your price range. Go again at night time to get a feel of the night noise of the area.  

Cover your bases.When making a purchase offer on a house, be sure to include contingencies for the mortgage financing and appraisal from the lender.  It's also important to include your approval of a professional inspection report on the house, to avoid getting stuck buying what could turn into a money pit.

On April 30th of this year, first time home buyers tax credit's expired.

Many of the buyers went away all at the same time...WHY?  Click on "Tax Credit's, forget it!" 

I will show with this example why by buying now will save you $23,016 in seven years, better than the one time tax credit.

Let's say you are looking to buy a home at $450,000 with 20% down with an Interest at 5.5% for 30 years. That's when the the tax credit of $8,000 was in effect, It was like someone just flipped a switch.

Now with the current interest rates even lower...Buying now will give you some huge savings.

Don't fall for the expensive high Pixel Digital Cameras!! We are in the land of marketing the biggest and the latest, but that's not always the best.  A "14 megapixel" camera is not always going to give you the best result when a "7 megapixel" can do the same job. Without getting too technical, the higher the pixels the more light that comes through the lens to the chip inside the camera. Yes, pixels count but it's the size of the chip plus a good lens is in my opinion what counts. So when you are looking for a nice quality camera, buy a camera that you need for your application or profession, not because of the higher pixel count. The way the chip size is calculated comes from way back when we had camera tubes in the 1950's (before my time) and that archaic method is still used today.  Also don't get caught up on the big zoom cameras, you don't need that either.

Here is a shot taken with my Canon 900IS 7.1 Megapixels ( in the US is't called  (Powershot 800IS) with fill in flash taken at the Sydney Harbor where all types of water transport meet. About 500ft from me one can catch the underground and go anywhere in the City. To the left of me is the Sydney Harbor bridge, so you can see that when shooting travel pictures you can capture all in one with a bit of thought.      

Example: If you are looking for a quality digital camera, one with a "7 megapixel a 1/1.7 chip" is better  that of a "14 megapixel and a 1/2.5 chip" Check out the new Canon S90 features and read the specs for an example of a good Point & Shoot camera.  Log on for more tips from Glenn