Happy New Year! If this is 2019 then it must be the year that I step up to the responsibility of being the president of the California Escrow Association. Truthfully, I have been working on familiarizing myself with this position for the last half year but now I guess it is time to ramp it … Read more
It should be time for some good news, being TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY, so here we go HO! HO! HO! PROPERTY APPRECIATION NEWS Hoping that your property will appreciate in the next year? There is a forecast out on the appreciation of residential market values over 358 metropolitan areas. The top 10 and … Read more
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! MAKE A DIFFERENCE! BE HEARD! GRIM TALES FROM THE ESCROW DESK – Yes, fraud happens and close to home! A couple of Fridays ago, right before the Columbus Day long weekend, a Fraudster tried to get their hands on … Read more
OH, THE PERKS OF LIVING HIGH! When you buy high, expect more! Besides the expected bedrooms (10) and accompanying baths (11), when you buy this penthouse you get other “unusual” perks that may make the sale price of $85 million worth the while and much easier to shell out. For instance, a yacht, 2 Rolls … Read more
REAL ESTATE? HOW ABOUT UNREAL ESTATE! I thought I would make this edition all about the sale of land and dirt that can get pretty “unreal.” PRICIEST PIECE OF UNDEVELOPED REAL ESTATE IN LA High up in the mountains above Beverly Hills, in the famed 90210 zip code, lies a 157 acre undeveloped lot that … Read more
Oh, These Dog Days of Summer! Why “dog” days? Why not “cat” days? Even “bear” days seem more appropriate… I googled it… and apparently, the Greeks and Romans looked on these hot summer days as the rising of the star known as Sirius – the Dog star. Well, Sirius, it is about 101° outside our … Read more
Viva Escrow Q & A Segment (Real Questions Left On Our Website) The following question was left on our website not too long ago, and I’d like to share this with our readers because as always, financial planning of assets to defend yourself against any unforeseen events is very important. Q: My sister and I … Read more
IT’S JUNE AND I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES AND YOU CAN’T EVEN DODGE I thought government regulations change at the speed of molasses, but for some independent agencies, it can happen at the speed of light(ning). The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) changed their Geographical Targeting Order (GTO) from one month to the … Read more
VIVA ESCROW Q & A SEGMENT (Real questions left on our website!) Q: “My father, who passed away a week ago, was the only one on the title of his house in Pico Rivera. What process needs to be taken to get it transferred to my mother’s name who is still alive. There was no … Read more
CALIFORNIA PROPERTY TAXES ARE DUE ON APRIL 10! DO YOU HAVE YOUR TAX BILL ON HAND FOR PAYMENT? HACKING OF EMAILS – ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE “WEAK LINK” A few weeks ago one of my staff caught a hacker trying to substitute a Seller’s wire instructions for his own fake instructions. My staff caught it … Read more