1. What do you consider the best long term investment? a) Stocks/Mutual Funds; b) Bonds; c) Real Estate; d) Savings Accounts
2. Do you think property values will rise over the next 2 years? a) Definitely; b) Possibly; c) Not Likely; d) Definitely Not
3. Next 5 years? a) Definitely; b) Possibly; c) Not Likely; d) Definitely Not
4. Next 10 years? a) Definitely; b) Possibly; c) Not Likely; d) Definitely Not
5. Have you ever considered investing in real estate as a way to secure retirement? a) Yes; b) No
6. Have you ever invested in real estate: a) Yes; b) No
7. If no, what held you back?
8. If yes, did you make money?

Overwhelmingly those who completed the survey felt that real estate is the best long term investment. As to property values rising in the next 2 years, most chose b) Possibly, and over the next 5 or 10 years, nearly all chose a) Definitely. A number of people have considered investing in real estate as a method to secure retirement but only a few of the respondents have done so already. Those that did have made money.

If you are interested in buying real estate as an investment to secure your retirement or to pay for college expenses for your children or as a means to make your money grow, but need more information before getting started, we have a free 4-hour investment course taught by Greg Rand of OwnAmerica. Just click on the button to the right “Take our Free Investor Course” and get started. You’ll learn so much and you can use our online investment tools as well.

If you’re wanting to buy a home today, we’d love to sit down with you to get a good understanding of what you are wanting and to share with you the charts and statistics of exactly what is going on in our market in the area you like and in your price range. Whether you’re looking for a home in the Five Cities area of Pismo Beach, Shell Beach, Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach or Oceano, or further south in Nipomo or Santa Maria, or further north in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Atascadero, Morro Bay, Cayucos or Cambria, we can assist you in finding your dream home. Call us today!

Spencer Morris of Ocean Breeze Real Estate earned the OwnAmerica Investment Certification and joined the OwnAmerica Network, a national affiliation of real estate investment specialists. This move allows Spencer Morris to offer analysis tools, tutorials and a video training series to clients during one of the biggest real estate investment booms in history.

Using the Investor Center on www.PismoBeachRealEstateGuide.com,  real estate investors in the Pismo Beach,  Central Coast and Santa Maria areas can learn how to best capitalize on the struggling housing market by researching and acquiring quality real estate assets as a long term wealth creation strategy. The Investor Center guides new real estate investors down the right path and streamlines the process for more seasoned investors.

The market is great for investors, but investing in real estate is quite different than traditional home buying and selling.  It’s a more complex process requiring additional levels of expertise. The Investor Center provides the resources to make investing in real estate simple, profitable and even fun.

OwnAmerica and the Investor Center were created by Greg Rand, a twenty-year real estate industry veteran and author of the book Crash Boom! It includes a 4 hour video based investment training course, news and information, and the Case Study Calculator, a tool for analyzing the potential of investment real estate.

“We’ve seen too many people giving bad advice about ‘getting rich quick’ in real estate. It truth, real estate is a long term wealth building asset. It works when you do it right. We want to show our clients how to do it right,” says Rand, CEO of OwnAmerica and host of WABC’s Rand on Real Estate.

To learn more about the Investor Center, contact Spencer Morris at team@morristeamrealtors.com.

He said it was as attractive of an investment one can make today. In his words, “It’s a leveraged way of owning a very cheap asset.”

If you are thinking about buying a home here at the Central Coast, or wanting to invest in rental property, contact us today at either 805-709-7646 or 805-709-8535 or email us at team@morristeamrealtors.com.

If you are thinking about buying a home and getting an FHA-insured loan that will allow you to buy with as little as 3.5% down, it may behoove you to take the plunge before the costs go up!

For a streamlined refinance of an FHA loan that was obtained prior to May 31, 2009, Mortgage Insurance Premiums are going down, which was just announced today. See our blog FHA Streamline Refinance Price Cuts.

Hidden Pines Estates Home

Santa Maria, CA – Rent no more! Become a homeowner with this easy care, comfortable home for sale in the gated community of Hidden Pines Estates. Priced at just $185,000 this 1473 sq ft 3 bedroom/2 bathroom Santa Maria home for sale features both a living room and an additional dual-purpose room that can be a family room or a formal dining room. Tons of storage throughout! The master bedroom features a walk-in closet and a private patio for your morning coffee. The home has inside laundry and a security system. There is a nice park within the subdivision and it is located just a couple blocks to Preisker Park. Great location with easy access to the freeway and shopping. The address is 410 Hawthorn, Santa Maria, CA 93458.

For more information and pictures of this home, click here.

For your personal viewing of this Santa Maria home for sale call Spencer (805-709-7646) or Margaret (805-709-8535)  to set up an appointment. With an FHA loan and 3.5% down, the monthly payment including taxes and insurance with the current low, fixed interest rates should be under $1300 including the HOA fee of $72/month.

What does a Pismo Beach/Five Cities and Santa Maria homeowner need to do? You must contact your servicer (the lender to whom you make payments). If you have been unemployed for up to 6 months, your servicer can make the decision to have you participate in the program. If it’s been over 6 months and up to 12 months, Freddie Mac also has to approve it. A person must be unemployed and must apply–it’s not automatic.

When the homeowner is re-employed, those missed payments will either need to be caught up or the lender may tack the missed payments to the back end of the loan. In any case, it isn’t a “free” period. If a homeowner with a Freddie Mac loan is unemployed for a longer term, the foreclosure process picks up again, so it is not an answer for everyone. But for the homeowner who is unemployed for a short term, it could make the way for him/her to be able to keep the house.

For more information about foreclosure alternatives you may qualify for, call us today. We can help you alleviate the burden that the threat of foreclosure brings, and we can develop a strategy to help you breathe a little easier. When we talk, we will explain how the process works in detail and answer any questions you may have.

Spencer & Margaret are Realtors and owners of Ocean Breeze Real Estate and are a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) team.

Phone: 805-709-7646 & 805-709-8535. Email: team@morristeamrealtors.com.

This is not intended as legal, technical, or tax advice. Please speak with a licensed professional before making any decision. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed as of the date of writing.

Spencer & Margaret Morris specialize in short sales in Pismo Beach California and all of Five Cities, Santa Maria and the Central Coast California.

This past weekend we visited the Avila Barn which has become a weekly occurance with our 3 year old grandson who loves it there. They have their Christmas trees in and they are absolutely gorgeous!

 They are all Noble Firs and are really well proportioned and they smell heavenly! Prices are $29.95 for 4 – 5 ft, $49.95 for 6 – 7 ft, $64.95 for 7 – 8 ft and $79.95 for 8 – 9 ft. It’s enjoyable to go to the Avila Barn and just browse the aisles of trees, fresh fruit and vegetables and the gift store and candy shop. The kids love to feed the animals and you can buy a bag of food for the animals for 25¢. They also sell deli sandwiches in the candy shop and there are adirondack chairs in many places to sit and visit and enjoy the scenery. They even have some chairs set amongst the trees where you can take a family Christmas picture!