Actor Bill Real Estate

Watch out for FORECLOSURE SCAMS

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:28:00 +0000

With the recent rise in foreclosures, foreclosure-related scams have exploded onto the real estate scene. These so-called “foreclosure rescue companies” claim they will help save your home, but in reality are out to make a profit -- at your expense.

Red Flags for Foreclosure Rescue Scams

If you are at risk of or in foreclosure, you should be on the lookout for foreclosure scams. Here are some of the red flags to watch out for:

• Asks for money upfront before providing any service
• Instructs you not to contact your lender, lawyer, housing counselor, family, friends, or others
• Asks for mortgage payments to be made directly to his or her company or a bank account set
up by that person, rather than your lender.
• Requires payment only in the form of cash, cashier’s check, or wire transfer
• Promises to stop the foreclosure process, no matter the circumstances
• Advises you to transfer your property deed or title to his or her company
• Offers to fill out paperwork for you
• Asks for something to be done immediately and without delay. This includes pressuring you
into signing paperwork that you have not had the chance to read thoroughly or do not fully
understand
• Encourages you to lease your house and buy it back over time
• Offers to buy your house for a fixed price that is not set by the housing market at the time of
sale
• Asks for you to give a power of attorney
• Asks for signatures on a grant deed or deed of trust
• Asks for signatures on a document that has lines left blank
• Fails to provide copies of signed documents
• Refuses or fails to put an oral promise in writing

Report Fraud
If you have been a victim of a foreclosure-related scam or approached by a scam artist, you may report the incident to the following organizations and government enforcement agencies:

• California Attorney General http://ag.ca.gov
• California Department of Real Estate www.dre.ca.gov
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) www.hud.gov

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) www.ftc.gov
• Your local Better Business Bureau www.bbb.org

Legitimate Resources

If you are at risk of foreclosure or have already received a foreclosure notice, you should contact your lender immediately. Homeowners also may seek the advice of a reputable housing, financial or credit counselor, attorney, or other qualified professional. Homeowners may visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Web site at http://www.hud.gov/ to view its Guide to Avoiding Foreclosure and its list of California HUD-approved housing counseling agencies. In addition, the non-profit Homeownership Preservation Foundation has a 24/7 toll-free Homeowner’s HOPE Hotline at (999) 995-HOPE.

(reprinted with permission from California Association of Realtors)

Should I Pay Down My Mortgage FASTER ???

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:28:00 +0000

Homeowners who find themselves with extra cash may be considering paying down their mortgage. While
this can help some people in certain situations, like seniors close to retirement age or those with adjustablerate
mortgages, it may not be the best choice for all homeowners. Paying down the mortgage more quickly
can save homeowners a significant amount in interest in the long run. However, some financial experts
advise clients, especially those with fixed-rate loans at favorable interest rates, to use extra money to pay
down high-interest debt and build up an emergency fund.

Attitude.... is Cause and Effect

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:25:00 +0000

You've heard the phrase "you are what you eat".... well in our business, you are what you think. What you think permeates to the surface... if you are negative & depressed guess what???? no one will want to deal with you. (and conversely)...
All events and data are neutral.... they become positive or negative by the way we CHOOSE to look at it.... and the way we look at it will become the way we relay it.
Years ago, I had a sales manager tell me to put a mirror in front of myself when I make phone calls... and look at myself as I talked... my goal was to get the smile on my face into my voice, have it travel down the phone line and elicit a smile back from whom ever I was speaking to... (I know, I shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition). That is still my goal
We live in a cause and effect world. With the way things are now, we are the cause that will affect and effect our economy.
So get a mantra and repeat after me....
EVERY THING IS FINE... IN TWENTY OH NINE....
EVERY THING IS FINE... IN TWENTY OH NINE....
EVERY THING IS FINE... IN TWENTY OH NINE....
EVERYTHING IS FINE IN 2009

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:31:00 +0000

Bill Clemente of Security Pacific Real Estate named CCRIM Realtor of the Year

Walnut Creek, California – December 18, 2008

Bill Clemente of Security Pacific Real Estate has been named The Contra Costa Realtors in Motion (CCRIM) 2008 Realtor of the Year. CCRIM is composed of real estate professionals focused on developing the real estate industry as well as giving back to the community. This distinction is given to a Realtor who shows outstanding involvement in both areas.

Security Pacific is honored to have Bill, plus 2007 award winner Rafael Quintero and 2006 winner Fred Weston as associates in their Walnut Creek branch office. Security Pacific is the last large independently owned and operated real estate agency in the East Bay.

Bill can be reached at 925-938-9200 or by e-mail at bclemente@securitypacific.com.

Short Sale Fiasco

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:03:00 +0000

It has been 12 months since I listed this short sale. (November '07) We closed escrow in May I believe. I am proud of the job I did. At that time I had 5 short sale listings and this was the first one that closed. My client owed $488,000 and the offer was for $305,000. I got the bank to forgive the difference ($183,000 in writting) as long as the money was in their office on such and such a date.
Knowing how things can get, I gave my client a date to vacate which was in truth one week early... JIC... (just in case)... I know it's tough facing a divorce, after losing one's job, and home; but there are limits. The funds had to be at the lender on a Friday, the new owner planned on doing their walk thru on the day before. The wife had packed and moved a week before, the sunday before closing I stopped by to give my client an out line of how the house should be left... He told me in no uncertain words that it wasn't his problem any longer and if I wanted it clean I should clean it myself.
After calming down, I pointed out to my client that if the new buyer did not accept the property in the condition it was in that all bets would be off. His retort was "you're making enough money - you pay to clean it." ....
I thought I got over this.... but I can feel my emotions coming to a boil....
In short... Boston Mike's "Haul n Clean" saved the day. This link will take you to a visual tour of the MESS that was left and the finished product after Boston Mike had worked his magic. It took him two days, $2000 that includes the dumpster... if you need a good guy... call me, I'll give you his number.

http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1604990&prt=10003

1055 Chippewa Court

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:30:00 +0000

A Great Opportunity...

Life is always full of surprises. A family acquired this home, and grew up in it. Children were born and raised... jobs and promotions... hobbies and interests... However, time and space changes everything-including the best laid plans. After rooms were remodeled, and everything arranged just so... the family must move on.

One mans ceiling is another mans floor...

One mans sushi is another mans bait...
&
One familys misfortune is another familys opportunity.

This beautiful, exquisite home is now available for a new owner. It offers 5 spacious bedrooms, with 3 full baths totaling a little over 2500 square feet of living space. This gorgous house is set on a 15,000 square foot lot, nestled in the Northgate Community of Walnut Creek.
Tree lined streets in a neighborhood where the people across the street wave hello. A community where people watch out for each other but still respect each others privacy. A perfect neighborhood to be a part of...
The backyard is perfect... perfect for entertaining, or perfect for getting away from it all and just communing with nature.
The schools that are offered are award winning... Walnut Acres Grammer School; Foothill Middle School; and Northgate High School.

If this has captured your immagination, here is a VISUAL TOUR of the property. And if thiscaptures your eye, call me for a personal viewing.

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Sat, 10 May 2008 22:32:00 +0000

Search the MLS:

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:54:00 +0000

REO's (real estate owned) and Short Sales are creating opportunities for HOME BUYER"S.

The Bank does not want to own real estate... Banks make money by loaning money. When a bank owns a forclosure, it ties up their money... and when their money is tied up they can't loan it... and when they can't loan it - they can't make it.

Now is the time and this is the place.

Click here to begin your search for a home.

CONTRA COSTA & ALAMEDA counties

I know what you're thinking... "Can I afford to buy a house??? "

You are asking the wrong question...

the question is "Can you afford not to !!!! "

YOU ARE ALREADY MAKING A HOUSE PAYMENT !

You are either making your house payment...

... or you're making your landlord's house payment.

... if you dare, click here...

and play with a "rent vs. own"

and see what your money can do for you....

Should I Stay or Should I Go ??????

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:06:00 +0000

The staying or going pertains to Homeownership. If you're a first time home owner or you're thinking about becoming a first time home owner... this might be a scary time for you... every other news report deals with either the foreclosure rate going up... or the housing value coming down.

WHAT IS ONE TO DO???

One thought to keep in mind is that you will make a house payment ... you will make either your house payment or you will make your landlord's house payment... but YOU WILL MAKE A HOUSE PAYMENT.

Realizing this, what can I get for what I pay?

To answer this question, the New York Times created a great interactive graph. Just insert the values and viola... Simply enter the amount of rent you pay... then enter the price of the home you are considering... How much down... figure the mortgage rate (%)... the annual property taxes... there is even a place to insert the annual home appreciation and the annual rent increase/decrease... press the calculate button and like I said...VIOLA

To play with the chart click HERE

Kudos to Tom Jackson & Archie Tse for creating the graph.

Floor-Ceiling Sushi-Bait

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:56:00 +0000

One mans ceiling is another mans floor...

One mans sushi is another mans bait...

One mans misfortune is another mans opportunity.

The events that are going on now in the market place... SHORT SALES... FORECLOSURES ... REO's... are truly unfortunate. However, these events are also allowing people to enter the Real Estate market, people who in the past couldn't afford to make the leap from renter to home owner.

Yes, the market is correcting itself... and yes, we must learn from our past mistakes... but right now, if one is gainfully employed and can prove it... and if one has a decent credit score... there are opportunities available today to purchase properties in the central Contra Costa county and surrounding areas.

THINK ABOUT IT... If someone told you 2 or 3 years ago that you could OWN a 2 or 3 bedroom home in Concord or Martinez or the neighboring areas for under 400K - you would have scoffed at them... If they said that it was possible to OWN a home for well under 400K (say 315 to 340) if you didn't mind doing a little cosmetic fix up - they would have been put away. WELL I'm here to say- it is a reality today.

The window of opportunity is open... for how long no one knows, but it is open and it's open now. Seek the advise of a trusted professional.

A few years from now you'll be saying

"I'm glad I did." or "I wish I had."

Are You Upside Down

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:01:00 +0000

I received a call from a client about a possible short sale of his home in Walnut Creek. We discussed his various options specifically the pitfalls of a Deed in Lieu. It's surprising to me how many people are presently in foreclosure, even in central Contra Costa county.

While he is still current, due to the declining values in his area, he thinks he is currently upside down in his mortgage. I plan to meet with him this weekend and determine the best course of action and minimize the negative impact this could have on his financial situation.

What is ... Sense of NEIGHBORHOOD

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:24:00 +0000

While listening to the radio, I heard an advertisement for a security alarm system. It was well done. As the intruder attempted to enter the premises a shrill alarm went off and you could hear the foot steps of the intruder retreating. My next random thought found myself evaluating my abode and its' contents, and the amount of time that I'm away. "Wow", I thought, "maybe I should look into this for myself." I filed the data in my left brain, the analytical part of my brain... (I also know that because I am right-handed I am never in my right mind)
Interesting and unexplainable things happen when I use my mental filing cabinet. (... why is it, that the brainWhile listening is often the last organ of resort?) The sub-conscience always works over time. It pulled up a file on motivation and selling. The file stated that there are just two (2) basic emotions that motivate just about everything we do:

DESIRE of GAIN
FEAR of LOSS

After a careful analysis, I realized the radio commercial had pushed my buttons. It created fear... fear that I could be burglarized, and fear that I could lose the things that I have acquired due to my desire to gain. My initial reaction was unconscious... void of original thought - I need to get an alarm system!
Once I logically understood where this fear was coming from, I asked myself, how did we (as a society) handle this situation before security alarms were invented? The only answer I could come up with was "a sense of Neighborhood"
When one knows the people that live around them, a connection is created. That connection we know as "neighbor". We share a common ground with our neighbors. Sometimes that ground is deep... similar life experiences, common goals, and so forth; and sometimes the common ground is just the same block. Regardless of how the connection is made it ties us together and gives us a common identity we call a neighborhood.
There was a time we knew all our neighbors. We knew that the people across the street both worked so we kept an eye open, not to be nosy, but to be watchful. We would knock on the door of the old man who lived alone if we hadn't seen him for a few days, just to make sure things were alright. And we bandage a childs' boo-boo and dried their tears with a treat from the kitchen. This is what made neighborhood.
Today, for a myriad of reasons, we have lost sight of this connection. We are just to busy doing what we do. So advertisers scare us. And security alarm systems make sense.
I have an idea. Today, smile at a neighbor... (preferable one you don't know) wave hello to the people across the street... say Hi, to someone as you walk past each other. I have found it makes me feel good, and sometimes I get an answer. I'm all for feeling good. And I think those who respond feel good too. Maybe we can start an epidemic.

1931 Gilly Lane, Concord

bclemente@securitypacific.com (actorbill) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:42:00 +0000

Located in a friendly neighborhood, this house has character.

4 bedrooms, with 2 baths... and a bonus room that can be an office, a den, or converted into a 5th bedroom.

The bonus room has an exterior entrance.

There is a beautiful backyard, with a gated Pool and deck area, perfect for entertaining.

This is the house... you can make the perfect HOME, complete with the "white picket fence".

MAP to the "white picket fence"

(Read More)