Category: Uncategorized

7th Annual Snowshoe Mud Run the Bear – I’ll be attending!
SoCal’s most popular snowshoe mudrun event. A fully marked 5k or 10k course starting in The Village and onto National Forest Trails. The majority of participants are first time snowshoers runners. You can choose
to snowshoe, jog, or just walk. It’s all about enjoying the sun, friends, trees and completing the course at your own pace.
FEBRUARY 22
Athlete Check in: 7 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Start Times: 10K – 10 a.m., 5K – 10:15
a.m., 12 noon – Kids
Raffle & Awards 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Entry Fee: 10K $45 online or $55 on-site;
5K $25 online or $35 on-site
Big Bear Village
Pine Knot & Village Dr.
909-224-9315

Analog Go Huck Yourself At Snow Summit

Analog Clothing sponsors this night time event that brings together snowboarders and skiers alike to win prizes in 4 divisions. 1st – 3rd place will be awarded in each division that includes snowboarders
15 and under, 16 and older, women’s division and skiers open division. Join the party with DJ and prizes!
FEBRUARY 22
Time: Registration 4 p.m.;
Start 6 p.m.
Admission: Free with lift
ticket or pass, skiers okay
Snow Summit
880 Summit Blvd.
909-866-5766

USASA Boarder Cross Competition
Snowboarders and skiers will compete in USASA point-rated events that can lead to a direct seed into the USASA National Championships set for Copper Mountain, Colorado! Competitors that win their age
division will be invited to Colorado!
FEBRUARY 23
Time: 8 a.m. registration,
10 a.m. start
Admission: $25 entry fee;
FREE to spectators
with lift ticket or pass.
Bear Mountain
43101 Goldmine Dr.
909-866-5766

Live Concerts At The Cave!
FEBRUARY 21
Skeleton Key &
60 Grit Blues Band
Rockin’ Locals
Tickets: $10
FEBRUARY 22
Peace Frog
Tribute to the Doors
Tickets: $10, $20, $40
 Doors Open: 6 p.m.
Show Time: 8 p.m.
The Cave
40789 Village Dr.
909-878-0500

Dos Equis Air Bag At Bear Mountain
Join the fun at Bear Mountain this weekend with the Dos Equis Air Bag. Beginners to professional skiers and snowboarders can learn how it feels to fly as they get huge air and a soft landing on the air bag.
FEBRUARY 22-23
Time: All Day
Fee: FREE entry,
must be 21 to jump
Bear Mountain
43101 Goldmine Dr.
909-866-5766

More Events:
FEBRUARY 20-23: Live Music at The Wine Room at Wolf Creek – Thu 6:30 p.m., Art
Harriman, February Birthday Celebration; Fri 6:30 p.m., Duke Michaels, Dueling Rock Country;
Sat 7:30 p.m., Tomes, Rock’n Jazz Trio; Sun 4 p.m., Leather & Lace. FREE.
41421 Big Bear Blvd. 909-866-2644
FEBRUARY: Animal Presentations at Big Bear Alpine Zoo – Enjoy an informative talk
about the featured animals. Everyday,12 noon – 1 p.m. (weather permitting). FREE with park
admission. Park Admission: Adults $9, Children (3-10) $6, Seniors (60 & up) $6, children
(under 3) FREE. 43285 Goldmine Dr. 909-584-1299
FEBRUARY 22: Big Bear Idol at the Big Bear Lake Performing Arts Center (PAC) – The
Rotary Club of Big Bear Lake presents “Big Bear Idol.” Students from the area compete in
various categories with the top three in each category honored. First place finishers qualify for
regional competitions. FREE. 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. 39707 Big Bear Blvd., 909-866-4970
FEBRUARY 22- 23: Nature Walks at Big Bear Discovery Center – Join a Naturalist for a 30
-minute walk around the forested grounds. FREE. Sat 1 p.m. & 2 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. & 12 p.m.
40971 North Shore Dr. (Hwy. 38). 909-866-3437

After nearly a month off as the title
of this blog states I’m back up and running.  Literally running but also
running with Real Estate again….and it feels great!

Fun, Fun- Tax Season!  Here is a reminder of all the dates and information you may need for filing taxes.

January 1

Calendar year begins.


February 1

2nd Installment Due- Your second installment is January 1 to June 30.

April 10

2nd
installment becomes delinquent at 5pm.  10% penalty plus $10
administrative charge attaches.  If April 10th falls on a weekend or
holiday, taxes are not
delinquent until 5 pm the next business day.

June 30

Property
tax may become defaulted.  If you fail to pay either or both
installments by 5pm property tax becomes defaulted and additional costs
and penalties accrue.  If June 30th falls on a weekend or holiday, taxes
must be paid by 5pm of the preceding business day.


March 1

Assessment Date.  Your Taxes will become a lien at 12:01am.  Not yet due and payable for the Fiscal Tax Year starting July 1.  Thereafter title evidence must show taxes as a lien for the coming Fiscal Tax Year.


April 15

Last day to file for 100% Veterans or Homeowner’s exemption.  To be eligible you must own and occupy property on March 1.

July 1

Current fiscal tax year begins.


November 1

1st Installment Due- Your first installment is July 1 to December 31.

December 1

Last day to file for 80% Veteran’s or Homeowners exemption.

December 10 

1st installment becomes delinquent at 5pm.  10% penalty added to taxes due.  If December 10th falls on a weekend or holiday, taxes are not delinquent until 5 pm the next business day.

Reminder

Property may be sold at public auction after 5 years of delinquency.

How Your Property Taxes are Determined

Proeprty taxes are governed by California State law and collected by the county.  The County Assessor must first assess the value of your property to determine the amount of property tax.

Generally, the assessed value is the cash or market value at the time of purchase.  This value increases not more than 2% per year until the property is sold or new construction is completed.

The Auditor-Controller applies the appropriate tax rates, which include the general tax levy, locally voted special taxes, and any city or district direct assessments.  The Tax Collector prepares property tax bills based on the Auditor-Controller’s calculations, distributes the bills, and then collects the taxes. 

The goal for many in 2013?  BUY A HOUSE

Due to the housing prices beginning their rebound and interest rates still at a very low percent how can you question yourself having this goal? This argument of Rent Vs. Buy has been around for decades and will stay around for decades.

Realistically, you should.  It is a right choice for some in their finances and possibly wrong for others.
Most times it is going to depend on where you live, how much you have saved and what your plans are for the future.

After much debate here is what I recommend considering when you are determining which will have the bigger benefit for you, renting vs. buying. 

1.  Market Trends

Have you ever heard the saying “location, location, location”? This saying will hold true now and forever but to that we could add: “timing, timing,
timing.”

Anyone whom may have watched the rise and fall of the housing market in the past 10 years can be a spokesperson for this addition of “timing” and how it has a lot to do with deciding whether purchasing ends as a good investment or dead weight in your finance portfolio.

This year alone I have seen many houses sell at half the price they were in years past, which just goes to show you that home values can, and do increase and decrease in value.  Basically the only thing you want to take away from this paragraph is to AVOID purchasing a home at the peak of the market.  Duh, you already knew that.

The harder thing to think about is how to avoid not buying at the peak of the market.  To help easily answer this question I have found this great chart that gives you the answers.  Simply follow the link and enter the data you are looking at in renting vs. owning.  The graph will spell out what years renting would be best and which buying would be best.  It will also point out your savings over time. 

Buy Vs. Rent Calculator

2.  Your Financial Picture

One of the major considerations you have to make is this: does your
current financial picture put you in a strong position to own a home? If not, then buying a house will not be the answer no matter what the market trends in section 1 favored.

If you have not started the process of evaluating your finances to see if you are prepared to purchase a home you should sit down and take a serious look at your bank accounts as well as your income and potential future earnings.  Also, job security. 

Decide how much debt you are carrying and how long you are looking at paying it off. It may hurt at first, however without taking a serious hard look at it, it won’t clean itself up without a plan.  If you are carrying a lot of debt and if
you’re struggling to make your payments, this may not be the time for you to buy. Home ownership is a very large commitment and no one wants to see you end up on the hook for a large loan you cannot afford.   In addition, you may not be able to secure a good interest rate if your debt to income ratio is higher than normal.

Another major factor is your job security and history.  Some things to avoid are ending up in a location that doesn’t have great job potential.  Things you want to think about and avoid are will you end up burning thru your savings if you lose your job?  Also what is the possibility of losing your home and the equity you have built?  Think carefully about any potential threats to your job and career
before making the decision to purchase a home.

What are your savings?

If you aren’t scared off from home ownership yet the next factor you are looking at is how much savings you have. Most home purchases require 10 percent or 20 percent as a down payment
on your mortgage.  Check with your lender to see if you qualify for any first time home buyer loans or other ways you may be able to lower your down payment to possibly 5 percent (or even 3 percent in some cases).  Keep in mind that while this sounds good now it will increase your
monthly payment because it will mean your total loan amount will be
larger- choosing your battles.

Your right down payment and home loan amounts will depend
on the factors we have covered above. In general it’s better to have a lot
saved up before applying for your mortgage. If you have cash for 20 percent down,
you will feel more confident because you’re more likely to be
approved for the loan and your monthly mortgage payments will be
lower and more manageable.

Future Plans?

One thing you hear people talk about is that it doesn’t
make sense to buy a house if you plan to move in the next five years — which is absolutely great advice since its TRUE. Buying a house requires lots
of fees and transactional costs (escrow, title, insurances etc) — these costs are unavoidable and can
total up to 5 percent of the cost of the house or more.

What this means is that if you buy a house and then quickly sell it again you will have to pay both the buying and selling costs of the home purchase, and, in a short time period. In most cases you won’t live in the house
long enough to enjoy the financial benefits of home ownership as the market is most likely not to shift that dramatically in
appreciating in your home’s value.

All in all it still depends on your individual situation. A general
rule of thumb is to avoid buying if you expect you’ll need or want to move
anytime soon.

Just a quick recap to add August 2013 to our Market Analysis in our year to date tracking.  We are heading even more into a sellers market going down from 5.16 months of inventory to 4.93 months of inventory.

Another great thing for sellers is that they are selling their homes 22% faster than they were in 2012 and getting $11.20 more per square footage with both average and median sales price going up 5% and 12% respectively.

More listings, more closings.

See my website for more information on purchasing a home in Big Bear and surrounding areas.


www.buyinbigbearlake.com