Where Are The Best Wings in Huntington Beach?
Published 10-27-11 by Tony HunthausenHuntington Beach, CA: Had planned to join my son Drew last night for some wings and things and watch the world series. Unfortunately the game was postponed due to rain, but Drew and I headed over to the Orange Dog Bar and Grill anyway since we were hungry and thirsty.
The Orange Dog was also having a special event. Kevin Klauss and his partner participate in a wonderful homeless dog resue effort (Freedom Flight). Money is raised and the dogs are flown to Canada where they are guaranteed to be adopted. The establishment was packed last night with supporters who enjoyed some awesome live music and great food.
My son votes for the Orange Dog as having the best wings in Huntington Beach and maybe all of Orange County ( Drew likes the Tai Peanut and Wasabi honey flavors) . Where is your favorite place for wings? Have you tried the Orange Dog yet?
Tony Hunthausen
Remax Select One
714-334-7808
Counting On The Equity In Your Home For Retirement?
Published 10-18-11 by Tony HunthausenHuntington Beach, CA: Are You Counting On The Equity In Your Home For Retirement?
If So You Definitely Need To Read On…
While cooling off recently after an unusually tough hot yoga session I was chatting with Steve, one of the other “older” class participants. My 26 y.o. lifeguard son took me to my first class a couple months ago, and before any of you “real men” joke about this sissy stretching activity you need to give it a try. You will find there is definitely nothing sissy about it.
Anyway, we started out talking about how the yoga had improved our fitness in ways we hadn’t thought about. For me it is a better score and less back pain on the golf course, and for my classmate it meant a stronger back and the ability to keep up with the younger guys on a recent surfing trip.
The conversation moved into a discussion about the economy and housing market once he found out I was a real estate broker. As it turns out Steve is 66 yrs old and still working. He wants to retire but was hit real hard in his retirement accounts by the 2001 and 2008 stock market down turns.
He knows that he has not put away enough to see he and his wife comfortably through their retirement years and so has continued to work a little longer than they had hoped. Fortunately he says he has about $600,000 of equity in his home.
If he works another 3 or 4 yrs he figures he will be in a position to retire when he adds his home equity into the mix. That statement took us off into an important discussion about where many economists believe the real estate market may be going…
At the end of this discussion I will give you some resources to check out that support the recommendations/suggestions about what it is you should consider doing if you have significant home equity and are counting on it to help fund your golden years.
Be looking for my next post or call me if you want to discuss.
Short Sales Can Be Very Stressful Without the Right Help
Published 12-02-10 by Tony HunthausenHuntington Beach, CA – I have had two difficult conversations just this week with folks who were referred to me for short sale advice and help after attempting to short sale their homes with other realtors for several months.
The first case involved a couple who hired a company from a letter they received. This company assured them they were experts with short sales and told the homeowners they would take care of everything. After several months the homeowners were advised to put their home in a revocable trust with a representative of their real estate company as the executor. They said this was to protect their house from the bank. That’s when they called me and I advised them to hold off on signing anything and seek legal counsel. We also found out that low ball fake offers had been submitted to the lender with forged signatures. This so called “expert short sale company” was a total scam.
In the second case the homeowner has been utilizing inexperienced agents for over a year and getting a continued run around from thier lender. A complete short sale package was never submitted and the homeowner didn’t really know if a notice of default had been recieved, or if their was a sale date on the property (that’s when the home is put up for auctioned on the court house steps). At the time I was called, the lender had turned the file over to another company who now says they will make any decision on a short sale. The new company has different forms and everything is starting over. The homeowner is a retired individual who’s income dropped significantly about 2 yrs ago and he is very stressed and frustrated.
When a complete short sale package is submitted properly and followed up on effectively, we are getting our short sales approved and closed in as little as 75 days. The time frame can still vary depending on the lender, but it has certainly shortened up significantly from a year ago.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Tony Hunthausen is a Certified Distressed Property Expert with offices in Huntington Beach who also covers all of the surrounding communities. We have recently closed, or currently have listed/pending, short sales in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Yorba Linda, and Santa Ana. Our help and consultation is free. We offer a no cost “FREE” short sale to qualified homeowners.
Tony Hunthausen
714-334-7808
Huntington Beach and Orange County Short Sale Notes
Published 09-04-10 by Tony HunthausenWe visited with several home owners this past week who owe more on their homes than they are worth. The #1 question for all of them has been “what are my options”?
To effectively evaluate this question there are many variables that must be identified and discussed. Whether or not you actually want to stay in your home is a very important question. Some families have out grown their current home and always thought they would be able to sell it and move up when the time came. Trying to save it now may seem counter productive to their long term hopes and dreams. If they truly are experiencing financial hardship that is affecting their ability to pay their mortgage, a short sale is a way out.
Others desperately want to keep their homes and there are several possible options to help in this case as well. These include things like forbearance and loan modification, with the most hoped for option being loan modification. We can help you determine what your chances are to accomplish this and give you some direction to proceed. Unfortunately for many, their financial hardship and the degree of modification they would require, does not bode well for this being a viable option.
There is no magic formula or one size fits all solution when it comes to evaluating the many options for distressed homeowners. If you are a distressed homeowner in Huntington Beach or any of the surrounding southland communities, we are here to help you determine what the best option is for you. We also encourage you to check out some of our other blogs and videos on this subject.
