14 Albert Lane
21 Hilarita Ave
25 Presido Ave
34 Cornelia Ave
544 Ethel Ave
550 Ethel Ave
328 Montford Ave

My absolute favorite was 34 Cornelia Ave (see pics below). What an outstanding home. Built in 2003 and 2455 sq ft. All of 3-5 minutes walk to the Depot (town center). The loction was perfect. Meticulously maintained. The detailing throughout the home was simply fantastic. Open floor plan with cathedral ceilings, warp around porch, sauna, office, open living room - dining room - kitchen floor plan, hand crafted cherry hardwood floors. Beautiful and serene. History on this property: listed in 2007 for $2.395M, then $2.295M.  Currently listed for $2.095M.  I’d buy this home in a hot minute.

Next on the list ws 21 Hilarita Ave. What a darling house in the middle of Sycamore/Tamalpais Park border. Charming in fact. Its 2bd/1ba and has a sunroom in the entry. There’s an open living room - dining room. floor plan. Updated and managable kitchen. The bonus to this home is the lovely 1bd/1ba cottage in the back as well as a resident black and white chicken that roams the backyard. Perfect location, close to schools, parks and shops. Listed at $995K.

The over priced pick of the week was 544 Ethel Ave. The lot is great at 9,500 sq ft, all level and with fruit trees but the home would either need to be gutted or torn down. Old, outdated and needs a complete overhaul. Location is nice (a few blocks from the Whole Foods on Miller Ave) but priced at $849K this is not a great buy unless you are prepared to throw in a lot of money into the home or you can talk you way to a steal of a deal.

18. County: Marin County, Calif.

To find out additional demographic information about Marin County you should visit the following,

A Survey of Economic, Social Equity, and Environmental Indicators 

Marin County, California: U.S. Census Bureau State & County QuickFacts

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06041/html

Marin County School Web Sites

Marin County Office of Education

Marin Pre Schools
Popular school web sites are:
www.Greatschools.net
and
www.Schoolmatters.com

College of Marin Web Site: http://www.marin.cc.ca.us/

Online school for the North Bay: http://insightca.net/northbay/index.asp

To see the full report click on the following link U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: NEW RESIDENTIAL SALES IN JANUARY 2010

1. Not planning up ahead. Instead of buying a house and thinking you can plan after your purchase, investors should concentrate on the numbers and try to make offers on multiple properties. This will ensure a good property that not only matches their investment model but also works out well with the numbers they had planned for.
2.  Believing you can make money quickly. The second major mistake that real estate investors make is to think it is very easy to get rich in real estate. The reality is that investing in real estate is a long term project.
3. Doing it by yourself. To be a successful real estate investor you need to build a team of professionals. This would ideally include a real estate agent, an appraiser, a home inspector, a real estate attorney, mortgage broker or banker, lender.
4. Making excess payments. Paying too much for the properties you buy. Paying too much and locking up all the funds in property deal will leave you with no money to redeem yourself.
5. Not doing your homework. Learn the fundamentals and then venture into investing in properties.
6. Throwing caution to the winds. Investors need to be cautious when making a new deal. New investors often fail in this regard and sign a deal without doing adequate research on the property.
7. Miscalculating money flow. Know your numbers and make sure your team and/or partners do as well.  One of the biggest mistakes investors make is not accounting for all costs and expenses.
8. Lowering the volume. A larger volume of deals or transactions helps in increasing the profits by reducing the impacts of marginal deals.
9. Getting trapped in your own deal. Good investors have several strategies at hand for properties they buy. Understanding what tactics and strategies to use helpsn investor prepare for fluctuations in the real estate market, cuts down on loss and allows you to restrategize when you encounter unexpected situations.
10. Making incorrect estimates. Being able to estimate the cost of an investment property whether holding or flipping is crucial to your success.  You want to make sure you make money not lose it!

“This week I have had 3 different new clients receive letters from a company telling them they qualify for an “Obama Loan Program” which would lower their rate to 2-4% interest. The letters looked very official, although in the fine print, it said they were not connected to the borrower’s lender.
One offered a loan modification, two others offered “forensic loan audits.” These were sent to people who were either upside down in the mortgages, or were struggling, although current. All three letters came from the same company! And all three were scams!

In the first case, I told my new client it was a scam, that the company is easy to find on Google, and had very bad reviews. She then called her existing lender, who confirmed what I told her, and also told her she would not qualify for a modification because there was no financial hardship. (True)
In the other two cases, they were presented with ‘forensic loan audits” where the company will try to find any mistakes or fraud on the existing loan, in order to try to force the lender to reduce the rate or terms of the loan.

They paid $500 up front, and were asked for another $3500!!! Luckily, friends intervened, and they cancelled the charges on the credit cards.

It is illegal in California for anyone to charge you upfront to do a loan modification. Instead, do it yourself, or get the help from HUD, with free counseling at 1-8900-569-4287. In the case of the forensic audit, they are usually using lawyers, and they can charge up front. But they probably won’t help you. BEWARE!

The California Attorney General, Edmund G. Brown, in a press release, joining the California Dept of Real Estate and the State Bar of California in warning Californians to avoid forensic loan audits, the loan-modification industry’s latest “phony foreclosure-relief service,” in which homeowners pay up-front fees for a forensic review of their lender’s practices, but are provided no actual relief.
With more than 2000 complaints in 2009, the DRE has issued Desist and Refrain Orders to stop illegal activity to more than 350 companies.

There are options: you may be able to refinance under the Obama Plan, which allows 100% or more of appraised value. You may qualify for a loan modification, which are usually temporary. You may be able to use other property to buy your loan down to a workable amount.

Just don’t give those callers/emailers/letter writers any of your hard earned money! Be aware and BEWARE!

If you’d like to reach Karen Mountain with Priority Financial you can contact her via email or at her website. Let her know that Women Building Wealth sent you so you can receive your FREE mortgage planning session.

Joanne has been featured on a financial radio show and a national financial online magazine. As president and founder of Tax Lien Consulting LLC, she has helped hundreds of people to invest in tax lien certificates and tax deeds from around the country. She interviews experts from around the country on all aspects of tax lien and tax deed investing and is a sought after speaker for real estate and tax lien investing groups. Her brutally honest, no-nonsense style sets her apart and has earned her the title of the Tax Lien Lady.

Joanne’s web sites include:

taxlienlady.com

yourtaxlieninvestingcoach.com

taxlienconsulting.com

buildyourprofitableportfolio.com

taxlieninvestingsecrets.com