Property Tax Relief for Long Beach and Los Angeles County Homeowners? Not Without An AppraisalProperty Tax Relief for Los Angeles County Homeowners? Not Without An Appraisal - The Los Angeles County assessor's office on Monday announced completion of their automaticProperty Tax Relief for Long Beach and Los Angeles County Homeowners?Not Without An Appraisal
The Los Angeles County assessor's office on Monday announced completion of their automatic "decline-in-value" reassessments that reviewed 473,000 homes purchased between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2008. This review resulted in 330,000 county residences qualifying for automatic reductions in their October 2009 tax bill. Homeowners with qualifying properties will be notified of the results in writing by June 30. Those who were not reviewed can file for free with the Assessor's Office until December 31. According to the assessor, the average reduction in assessed values for single-family residences was $126,000, for an average tax savings of $1,400 per year. Condos saw averaged reductions of $96,000, for savings of about $1,100 per year. Just how generous the savings will be on an individual basis is hard to say. Presumably, homeowners that purchased between 2005 - 2007 will see the bulk of the savings, while others may not see as large a reduction. But with budgets on the brink throughout the State, should anyone should expect assessor largesse? Not without your own appraisal. Two reasons:
If you've been watching the news, you know prices continued sliding into this year. So homeowners accepting their auto-assessment might not be maximizing the savings they otherwise could see. In two recent tax-reduction cases, the homeowners handed me their reduced-assessment notices sent to them by the assessor. Both assessments were --- get this --- high by about $150,000. (Which explains why they called me to begin with.) If either case reflects at all the data the assessor's using to calculate 2009 taxes, you want to get a second opinion. To know if you property was reviewed, click here. If your property was not reviewed, or you didn't qualify even though you bought your home between June 30, 2003 and July 1, 2008, download a copy of the Decline-in-Value Reassessment Application then call for us a consultation-it's free. PS. You want to get your options out of the way quickly, the deadline to file an appeal with the Assessment Appeals Board is November 30. Los Angeles County Tax Assessors Office500 West Temple Street Room 286Los Angeles, CA 90012Rick Auerbach, Assessor213-974-3211assessor.lacounty.gov
Also see: LA Times: Property tax relief coming for more than 330,000 L.A. County homeowners
Read Also: Property Tax Reassessments in Long Beach & Southern California
http://www.longbeachrealestatehome.com/009824 Posted on June 05, 2009 16:24:38 by Laurie Manny
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Newspapers are DEAD! Long live the WEB! Long Beach Real Estate NewsNewspapers are DEAD! Long live the WEB! Long Beach homeowners thinking about selling need to know why marketing their homes on the internet is critical to the sale of their home, learn more here...Long Beach Real Estate News
Newspapers are DEAD! Long live the WEB!
Back in February of 2007 Arthur Sulzberger, owner, chairman and publisher of the NY Times was asked in this article: Given the constant erosion of the printed press, do you see the New York Times still being printed in five years?
His response:
"I really don't know whether we'll be printing the Times in five years, and you know what? I don't care either," he says.
When asked if it would be free Sulzberger commented:
No, Sulzberger says. If you want to read the New York Times online, you will have to pay. Fast forward to September of 2007, just a few months later, and the Times announces that it will no longer charge for its online version siting for the reason: The move is an acknowledgment by The Times that making Web site visitors pay for content would not bring in as much money as making it available for free and supporting it with advertising. "We now believe by opening up all our content and unleashing what will be millions and millions of new documents, combined with phenomenal growth, that that will create a revenue stream that will more than exceed the subscription revenue," Schiller said. If the New York Times realized that a pay to read model wasn't going to work, the Long Beach Press Telegram doesn't stand a chance! In response to the February article I wrote an article and posted it on a large social networking site, open for comments, The article received 72 comments - some hilarious, all with very interesting viewpoints on pay for online news and the future of print news and advertising.
Do you really think it is not possible to find reliable news for free? I cannot imagine anybody paying for news service or feeds five years from now, we can already access this information through feeds for free. I can only imagine the innovations in the tech world in the next five years.
The news industry has a long history with the real estate industry nationwide. A huge chunk of their income has traditionally been earned from real estate and related companies and Realtors® placing ads for services and advertising clients properties. This is occurring on a vastly smaller scale currently and continuing to shrink. One would immediately think that the reason real estate advertising and marketing revenues have dropped is because of the current state of the economy and the real estate industry. While this would be partially correct, the real estate industry began to gravitate away from print marketing and advertising long before the current state of the economy and the industry. The advent of the Internet and the reception and adoption by the general public/consumers is staggering.
In 2006 Time Magazine's Person of the year was "YOU"! An interesting observation from the article:
It's about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes.
As the real estate industry began to crumble the news industry, having problems of its own, made matters worse by sensationalizing the troubles of the industry and reporting their misguided opinions as facts adding further fuel to the fire. The real estate industry, feeling scathed by the media found themselves no longer wanting to pay to advertise in their rags and began to turn to the Internet. So did the consumer.
While it is entertaining, sensationalized news is not informative and skews real facts. A great example of this can be found in this fantastic article involving Stephen Gandel a senior writer for Money Magazine, where he completely misguided real estate buyers into "going it alone", infuriating the real estate industry nationwide, and sending the market into an absurd tizzy for weeks. Be sure to read the comments, they are very enlightening. The discussion regarding Mr. Gandel's faux pas continues in this article from the blog site of one of the agents he interviewed for the aforementioned article (one of Spencer's top read posts). It's a really good read if you are interested.
Dennis Miller joked about this as well. From The O'reilly Factor :
Used to be "All the News That's Fit to Print."
"Now it's "All the News That Fits," We Print!"
Maybe better stated as "All the news that's fit to twist"!
As a result of all of this turmoil surrounding the news industry, the real estate industry moved online as did the real estate consumer, further drying out the revenues of the news industry. Today it is said that over 80% of all buyers are searching the web for both homes and Realtors®. The heavy traffic received on our consumer sites is a testament to this.
If you are considering selling your Long Beach Home or Condo, it is imperative that your property is found on the Internet. You will need to hire a tech savvy Long Beach Realtor® to promote, market and advertise your property. Internet marketing is what drives traffic to your listing. Traffic is what you need to drive offers in.
We at the Laurie Manny Professional Group enjoy organic positioning at the top of the engines driving massive buyer traffic to your Long Beach and Southern California listings. If your Long Beach home or condo is properly priced and presented, professionally marketed on the Internet and you are represented by a seasoned and well versed Long Beach Realtor®, you have best positioned yourself to sell your Long Beach home. If you are considering selling your Long Beach home or condo contact us today to learn what we can do for you which is above and beyond what all others can and why. Or just call to find out what is going on in the Long Beach Real Estate Market, we would be happy to chat with you.
Laurie Manny Professional Group 244 Redondo Avenue (562) 212-5420
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http://www.longbeachrealestatehome.com/009813 Posted on June 03, 2009 20:33:29 by Laurie Manny
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Newspaper readership has been dying on the vine for several years now as more readers abandon print versions for news on the web. Recent 
Before the economy and the real estate industry began its decline it was becoming painfully obvious that paper advertising and marketing were no longer having the impact or garnering the reception they had in the past, the effectiveness was waning at an incredible rate. Business was dropping off rapidly making it an expensive and undesirable form of promoting both businesses and client listings. Consumer contact from print media had dropped to a dribble making this an ineffective business tool and expense. Many in the real estate industry realized that major change was in the wind, the way we marketed and advertised our business and client properties was about to undergo a major overhaul. It was time to start investigating other options and avenues. 
Best Real Estate Blogs in Los Angeles
Relocation.com is roaming around the country revealing the best real estate blogs in each city. The Long Beach Real Estate Home Blog is very pleased they have included us in this prestigious group of excellent blogs.
Best Los Angeles Real Estate Blogs per Relocation.com are:
If you are thinking about Relocating to Long Beach California we have put together an exhaustive resource guide that will come in handy.
http://www.longbeachrealestatehome.com/00972A Posted on May 07, 2009 17:00:09 by Laurie Manny
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Long Beach Home Staging - What is Home Staging? The Interview.Long Beach Home Staging - What is Home Staging? Interview With Award Winning Long Beach Home Stager Michelle Minch of Moving Mountains Design.
Interview With Award Winning Long Beach Home StagerMichelle Minch of Moving Mountains Design
We are so excited to announce a new member to our Long Beach Real Estate Home blogging team: Michelle Minch of Moving Mountains Design. Michelle is an award winning professional home stager and interior designer in Long Beach and Los Angeles. She'll be sharing her extensive knowledge about home staging for Long Beach homes, preparing Long Beach homes for sale, upgrading your home before selling, as well as interior design and redesign. Michelle is happy to answer any questions you might have about home staging, design & redesign, especially as it pertains to Long Beach real estate. I interviewed Michelle earlier this week regarding home staging and how and why it works to help sell Long Beach homes faster and at a better price. Home staging is all over the news and on television. What exactly is home staging?The simplest definition of home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale. The end goal of home staging being that the home has a greater perceived value and is appealing to the largest number of potential buyers. How does staging work? Do home stagers use the sellers' furniture, bring in their own or rent furniture and accessories?Yes, all of the above! A full service home staging company (such as Moving Mountains Design) can use the sellers' furniture & accessories solely, supplement the sellers' furniture with additional rented furniture and accessories, or fully furnish a home, or the key rooms, with appropriate rented furniture, rugs, artwork & accessories. When working with a homeowners' furniture some factors we consider are budget, condition of the furniture, whether there is enough furniture & appropriateness of the furniture in regard to the architectural style of the home. The goal is to make your Long Beach home look like a model home in the most cost effective manner possible. We have a 1,500 sq.ft. warehouse stocked floor to ceiling with artwork, silk plants, all manner of accessories, books, throw pillows, bedding, towels and Persian rugs. We have furniture and accessories for every style and price home. We have a large selection of artwork and accessories which is particularly suited to the Long Beach real estate market.
What other services does a typical home stager provide?There is no one size fits all description of services stagers offer. Much depends upon the stager's training and experience. Since Moving Mountains Design is also an interior design firm, besides home staging, we offer services such as paint color selection, staging to live, bathroom and kitchen upgrades or cost effective redesign for sale, curb appeal and landscape design, Feng Shui, window treatments, and carpet replacement. We are also one of the few staging companies in Long Beach and elsewhere that offer professional quality photographs of the homes we stage for use on the MLS, in internet marketing and in printed advertisements as part of our staging package.
How does staging help to sell a home or a condo?When you put your home on the market, you're entering it in a beauty contest. The best looking homes sell faster and often for a higher price. Home stage prepares your Long Beach home to have the greatest appeal to home buyers when compared to other similar homes on the market. Staged homes photograph better and therefore are more attractive in MLS listings and on sites like Zillow and Trulia. If your home doesn't look good on the internet, it will be dismissed with a click of the mouse. What percentage of staged homes actually sell?Statistics vary from city to city and from stager to stager. In 2008, almost 80% of the homes Moving Mountains Designs staged sold in less than 60 days; half in less than 30 days, and several were in escrow within 7 days. Many factors come into play in a home sale - condition (in part addressed by home staging) appropriate pricing, effective marketing by the real estate agent, location, availability of financing, and market conditions. Home staging is one very important piece of the puzzle. Do staged homes command higher prices than vacant homes in Long Beach?If a home is staged properly, it has a higher perceived value whether it is occupied or vacant. Staged homes appear to be in better condition and exude a sense of comfort and well being. Homes that are staged appear to be well cared for. As part of our home staging consultation, we address any visible condition issues, such as leaky faucets, peeling paint, missing or mildewed grout, etc. In doing so, we identify issues that might make a home feel like less of a good value. We encourage the home owner to make all repairs before putting the home on the market so that there are fewer impediments to a sale. Regardless of whether your home is in Long Beach, Manhattan Beach or Miami Beach, buyers want a home that is move in ready. Home staging helps put your home's best face forward.
Is it advisable to stage an entire home?In order to be as cost effective as possible, I normally suggest the following key rooms be staged: Entry, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, & Master Bedroom and bath. If the home has an open floor plan, we also suggest staging any additional "public" rooms, such as the great room or den, and home office. When we are staging in a market where the typical buyer might value a downstairs Master Bedroom (for extended family) we often suggest staging that room as well. Occasionally, we will stage every room, but those are either model homes or have other special circumstances. Every home is different and requires either an on site visit or extensive photographs in order to determine the best course for effective staging. Of course, we always take the budget into consideration. I would rather see fewer rooms staged well, than many rooms staged poorly.
I communicate with the listing agent to discuss any areas they feel would benefit from staging and to discuss our findings so we are all on the same page. What is the cost of staging an average Southern California home or condo?
Under what conditions would a stager turn a job down?I can only speak for myself.
Does home staging guarantee my home will sell?Home staging is not a guarantee that your Long Beach home will sell. Too many factors influence the sale of a home. If you are working with a knowledgeable real estate agent, if your home is properly priced for the current market, is professionally staged and is properly marketed you stand a much greater chance of selling your home quickly and for the best price.
For more information about staging your Long Beach home or condo, contact Michelle Minch at (626)441-8975 or via email Michelle@MovingMountainsDesign.com . You can also visit her Los Angeles home staging web site or view a portfolio of before and after home staging photos.
When you are ready to sell your Long Beach home contact:
Laurie Manny Professional Group 244 Redondo Avenue (562) 212-5420
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http://www.longbeachrealestatehome.com/0096A7 Posted on April 25, 2009 22:11:06 by Laurie Manny
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Long Beach City Council Attempts to Raise Real Estate Transaction Related FeesLong Beach City Council Attempts to Raise Long Beach Real Estate Transaction Related Fees - City Council proposes an OUTRAGEOUS 800% increase in fees on sellers of Long Beach homes.
City Council proposes an OUTRAGEOUS 800% increase in fees.....................
The city is also considering increasing fees from $25 to over $200 for a parking exemption. The parking exemption is required when an actual garage is not present and no garage inspection is called for, as in the case of a condominium complex with underground parking or a home or income property with outdoor parking, but no actual garage. Beat that, they want the same amount of money without doing anything but issuing a certificate. Now that's a racket. These proposed increases reflect a proposed 800% increase in fees. How's that for chutzpah in this economy?!? 800% 800% 800% I think if I say it enough times that number may sink in..............800% !
While I understand that a moderate increase in fees was probably inevitable I wonder if the City of Long Beach has noticed that people are losing their jobs and their homes in record numbers? The economy is in shambles, businesses are folding, restaurants are closing thier doors and there just doesn't seem to be enough money to go around these days.
800% 800% 800% feel that number, let it get under your skin. Have you ever received an 800% increase? No, well neither has hardly anybody else. 800% 800% 800%
How about we all haul our behinds down to that City Council meeting and tell them how outrageous it is to initiate an 800% increase and remind them who they are working for.
The Long Beach City Council will meet on Tuesday, April 21st to consider this outrageous proposal. You should be there too to make them accountable, this is ridiculous.
Show up ! Say NO ! Tell them that 800% is absurd !
Related posts: Long Beach Own Your Own-OYO-Owners Are Organizing for Condo Conversion Downtown Long Beach - Belmont Shore - Vertical Parking Solutions
Laurie Manny Professional Group 244 Redondo Avenue (562) 212-5420
http://www.longbeachrealestatehome.com/00967B Posted on April 20, 2009 23:43:57 by Laurie Manny
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Long Beach home sellers are hit with many fees when selling their Long Beach Homes. One of those fees is for a mandatory Garage Inspection by the City of Long Beach. These inspections currently cost $85.00, the city is considering increasing this fee to over $200. Basically a city employee visits the garage makes sure it is not being used as living space or storage, can be used to park a car and is structurally sound. They go back to their office and issue a certificate. Job is worth about what it costs right now. 
To begin your search for the perfect home or to sell your home in the Long Beach area, begin your journey by calling Laurie Manny at (562) 212-5420.
