California Coastal Real Estate: November 2008

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Bonny Doon Vineyard’s New Tasting Room Opens

Bonny Doon Vineyard’s new Tasting Room at 328 Ingalls Street in Santa Cruz opens this Saturday, November 15th. Hours are 11:30 am to 5:30 pm daily except for Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, Easter and July 4th.

The former tasting room at 10 Pine Flat Road is now the Beauregard Vineyards tasting room and winery. http://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com

For More Information

Please contact me if you'd like more information about our community or real estate market:

Walter Stauss, Lifestyles Real Estate
500 Seabright Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95062
Cell: 831.246.4663, Email: walter@831.com, Web: http://www.831.com

Catalog Season is here!

Around this time my mailbox starts getting filled with mail-order catalogs. I just discovered an easy way to get my name taken off of mailing lists.

Catalogchoice.com is a free service that helps you manage your mailbox. Not all merchants participate, but many do, so you can probably starting seeing fewer catalogs soon. If you can get to the web to sign up, you might as well do your shopping on the web too!

Fourteen million trees are used annually to make mail order catalogs.

For More Information

Please contact me if you'd like more information about our community or real estate market:

Walter Stauss, Lifestyles Real Estate
500 Seabright Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95062
Cell: 831.246.4663, Email: walter@831.com, Web: http://www.831.com

HUD Issues New Mortgage Rules to Help Consumers Shop for Lower Cost Home Loans

New ‘Good Faith Estimate’ will help borrowers save nearly $700

On November 12th, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued mortgage reforms that will help consumers shop for the lowest cost mortgage and avoid costly and potentially harmful loan offers. HUD will require that lenders and mortgage brokers provide consumers with a standard Good Faith Estimate (GFE) that clearly discloses key loan terms and closing costs. HUD estimates its new regulation will save consumers nearly $700 at the closing table.

For More Information

Please contact me if you'd like more information about our community or real estate market:

Walter Stauss, Lifestyles Real Estate
500 Seabright Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95062
Cell: 831.246.4663, Email: walter@831.com, Web: http://www.831.com

Easy Ways to Save Energy

Cleaning the back of your refrigerator’s coils and electric circuitry increases energy efficiency. A refrigerator with dirty coils works harder, and that can mean an 25 percent more energy use and extra CO2 emissions as compared with a fridge with clean coils.

In the market for a new washing machine? Choose an ENERGY STAR model, of course, but also consider a front-loading washing machine, which will use far less water and 60 percent less energy than a top-loader.

For More Information

Please contact me if you'd like more information about our community or real estate market:

Walter Stauss, Lifestyles Real Estate
500 Seabright Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95062
Cell: 831.246.4663, Email: walter@831.com, Web: http://www.831.com

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Change to IRS Code Might Affect You

Are you selling a principal residence formerly used for investment purposes?

The Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008 has amended IRC Section 121. This change may reduce the $250,000/$500,000 exclusion. Effective January 1, 2009, if you're selling a principal residence ("qualified use"), that you formerly used for investment ("non-qualified use"), you may not be entitled to the full Section 121 exclusion because the prior investment use is considered "non-qualified" use and any gain allocated to the period of non-qualified use may not be excluded under Section 121.

For More Information

Please contact me if you'd like more information about our community or real estate market:

Walter Stauss, Lifestyles Real Estate
500 Seabright Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95062
Cell: 831.246.4663, Email: walter@831.com, Web: http://www.831.com

Monday, November 17, 2008

Inexpensive Kitchen Remodeling

Don't move the plumbing. Plumbers are expensive; if you keep the sink, refrigerator and stove in the same locations you can save up to $2000.

Make your kitchen feel bigger by removing a wall. Letting in light (and visual space) might give you the extra room without adding a room.

Buy ready-to-build cabinets. You have to measure correctly and build them yourself, but custom cabinets cost a lot more.

Use special hardware to create more workspace. Inexpensive appliance lifts can free up counterspace (see the products from Rev-a-Shelf).
Think about saving on the countertops. 3/4" granite slabs are less expensive than 1 1/4" slabs. Granite-look laminates are even cheaper.

For More Information

Please contact me if you'd like more information about our community or real estate market:

Walter Stauss, Lifestyles Real Estate
500 Seabright Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95062
Cell: 831.246.4663, Email: walter@831.com, Web: http://www.831.com