Great San Luis Obispo Title Sales Manager - Stacy Gregory!

Great San Luis Obispo Title Sales Manager -  Stacy Gregory!

Stacy Gregory is a County Sales Manager for First American Title Company in San Luis Obispo. Stacy has a positive attitude and is always ready to help with anything. Stacy has been a helpful part of my Real Estate team. She has helped me with no hesitation on getting information and helping me close deals with ease.

Stacy is approachable, eager to help and always open to new ideas to help agents be more efficient and help us get our job done faster. Thank you Stacy for all that you do and your commitment to being the best at what you do. I am grateful for it!

Contact Stacy today to help you get a great Title Officer on your side for you next Central Coast escrow.

First American Title Company
899 Pacific Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 543-8900
(805) 471-6625 direct

If you ware looking to sell or buy a home in SLO County, give Traci a call.

"A Realtor that knows homes." Traci Ferguson 805-235-6396 traci@traciferguson.com http://www.traciferguson.com License #01875751, ecoBroker #16082

Cost vs. Price - What higher interest Rates can do to your purchasne power

Cost vs. Price in San Luis Obispo - What higher Interest Rates can do to your purchase power.

A good rule of thumb is for every 1% increase of interest rate there is a 10% decrease in purchase power. It's surprising to most buyers. This new year is going to bring many new opportunities to find a home. If you are still possibly considering a purchase you may want to know this very important particular bit of information.

The higher interest rates go, the less home you and your family will be able to afford, finance or purchase. If you were looking at property in the $500,000 range and interest rates were at 4.23% now they will eventually steadily be going up to 5.23%, meaning that if you wanted to keep your mortgage payment the same you would only be able to purchase a $450,000 home. Even with a 1/2% change in interest rate it can effect your purchase power greatly. I recommend getting back into finding a house as soon as possible to get the most house for your dollar, before interest rates go up and property prices stay the same.

Please see this example to show your buying power depending on what interest rate you lock your loan in at.

As a buyer it's vital to know your market and what options you have. I'm here to guide you through the process. If you have any questions about this I would be happy to explain it further.

If you are interested in looking for a home in the San Luis Obispo County area, please call me or email me I'd be happy to help.
 Traci

"A Realtor that knows homes." Traci Ferguson 805-235-6396 traci@traciferguson.com http://www.traciferguson.com License #01875751, ecoBroker #16082

San Luis Obispo is the Top Four Happiest Place in the World to live!

San Luis Obispo is the Top Four Happiest Place in the World to live!

Our little town of San Luis Obispo is going to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show. It has been my home for over 13 years and I wouldn't trade my city in for anything.

Author Dan Buettner who wrote Thrive, by measuring and experiencing happiness day-to-day he found you could define happiness and pin point locations that had the most overall happiness qualities. He traveled all over the world to find the best places to live in the world and San Luis Obispo made the top four. We were the only US city to make the list. Happiest place in Europe was Denmark, Asia - Singapore and Nuevo Leon - Mexico.

Congrats! San Luis Obispo... see more about San Luis On Oprah!

Interested in moving or purchasing a home in our glorious City of San Luis Obispo? click here to see available homes. Or email me with any questions you have, I'm a great tour guide.

Click here to get a customized Free Home Search, just for you.
To view my other listings Click here.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for listings on the Central Coast.

"A Realtor that knows homes." Traci Ferguson 805-235-6396 traci@traciferguson.com http://www.traciferguson.com License #01875751, ecoBroker #16082

Your San Luis Obispo Business can help the planet!

Your San Luis Obispo Business can help the planet!

If you are within the PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) jurisdiction your small business should be a member of ClimateSmart! I challenge all businesses, ecoBroker's, Green or Sustainable Business and Realtors to get on board.

What is ClimateSmart?
It's a simple voluntary and charitable program that gives your business the opportunity to take action against climate change by making your energy use "climate neutral". Many people feel that doing what you can as a business or home owner to reduce your carbon foot print is a priority. This is a small way that you can do it for just pennies.

What does it cost?
Typically the monthly cost for participation in the program is $0.00254 per kilowatt–hour for your electricity useage & $0.06528 per therm for gas usage, or about $5 a month for the typical Northern California home.

Is it deductible as a business expense?
The ClimateSmart Program is aslo tax deductible through the formation of the Climate Smart Charity. At the end of the year your recive a report of your total contributions which may be used for tax purposes. Register Online by going directly to the PG&E website or call Molly Hoyt 415-973-2847 for more information on how to participate

This is a valuable opportunity to communicate your commitment to environmentally responsible business practices and a commitment toward a cleaner planet.

"A Realtor that knows homes." Traci Ferguson 805-235-6396 traci@traciferguson.com http://www.traciferguson.com License #01875751, ecoBroker #16082

Local Business - Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream, Make your own flavor!

Local Business - Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream, Make your own flavor!

Doc's Ice Cream Lab is a great local business to explore your inner child, or bring your child.:)  Every Week at Doc's the Ice Cream Lab technicians put on a show and make ice cream with your help.

The audience helps invent a new ice cream flavor during a 30-min skit. After the flavors have been put together you get to try it afterwards!! So fun.

The latest flavor creation was Crème Bru-licious  a Creme Brulee Ice Cream, w/ Marshmallows, Chocolate Chips & Brownie Pieces. Created on January 19, 2011. Go to Doc Burnstein's website and print your free ticket to attend the next Show. 

Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream
114 W. Branch, Arroyo Grande CA
Weekly on Wednesday from 7 - 7:30 PM
805-474-4068 No Cover

If you need a sweet Realtor to buy or to sell your home, shoot me an email or give me a call, you can pay me in pints of Ice Cream.:)

"A Realtor that knows homes." Traci Ferguson 805-235-6396 traci@traciferguson.com http://www.traciferguson.com License #01875751, ecoBroker #16082

Reduce Your San Luis Obispo Property Tax Bill!

Reduce Your San Luis Obispo Property Tax Bill!

Do you own a home in San Luis Obispo that has declined in property value? In California we live in a high property tax area and you can save a bundle by fighting your assessment. The County has been reassessing properties all over, but they haven't yet gotten to everyone. You can do something today to get your home reevaluated. Doing it yourself can seem like a daunting task, but there are easy steps to reduce your bill to a much more realistic value of your home, lot or condo.

Example 
I love examples so here's one to give you a clear scenario:
Let's say you live in San Luis Obispo and the value of your home has reduced from $600,000 to $450,000. A huge drop! A reassessment of your bill could lower your annual bill from approximately $7,500 to $5,625, an annual savings of $1,875. That's two round trip tickets to Italy!

So now what?
SLO County has a website that walks you through the process. The "Decline in Property Value" Application is available to download and fill out. There is even a Decline in Value Estimator that can tell you if you are eligible for a reduction. You will need your 9-digit Assessment Parcel Number (APN) to do it. The Parcel number is on your annual property tax bill. You will also need to put in a fair market value of your home based on homes that have sold in your area recently. A Realtor can get you this number, email me if you need a more accurate number. Then it spits out your revised Assessed Value. Then fill out the "Decline in Property Value"form and get the county moving on your reassessment. Do wait till they do it, it could take years.

Options
If you aren't up for the task you can outsource the work to a local real estate lawyer or a property tax appeal expert. They will handle everything and charge 25%-50% of your first years tax savings. I recommend doing it your self, SLO County makes it simple to do.


I hope this is helpful and if you live in another California County or another State you can do this too. Many forms and resources online can assist you in being proactive with reassessments. I encourage you to do this as part of your new year resolution. Take the extra money and go an amazing vacation and send me a postcard.:)


Are you in the market to buy or to sell your home? Give me a call today!

"A Realtor that knows homes." Traci Ferguson 805-235-6396 traci@traciferguson.com http://www.traciferguson.com License #01875751, ecoBroker #16082

A Great SLO County Loan Officer - Michael Hunstad!

A Great SLO County Loan Officer - Michael Hunstad! 

Today I would like to tell the world about Michael Hunstad. He's a Senior Mortgage Loan Officer in Santa Maria, CA for Guild Mortgage. I recently did a deal with Michael and his time and attention to finalizing our deal was amazing. His incredible staff returned calls and got answers to questions promptly.  He was a great asset to the closing of my deal. As a Realtor it's a privilege to work with professionals that never get in the way of a deal and Michael and his staff did just that.
Thank you Michael.:)

If you are looking for a loan or would like to talk to a reputable loan officer give Michael a call 805-448-0348 or email him directly.

Guild Mortgage
2236 S. Broadway Suite B,
Santa Maria, CA 93455
805-448-0348

If you ware looking to sell or buy a home in SLO County, give Traci a call.

"A Realtor that knows homes." Traci Ferguson 805-235-6396 traci@traciferguson.com http://www.traciferguson.com License #01875751, ecoBroker #16082