I Have Burger News Ta Tell You

OK, I have to admit something I never thought I would. I've found a burger BETTER than In-N-Out. Yes, it's true. I've been a staunch In-N-Out Burger guy since high school. But there's a hot, juicy new burger that's taken my carnivorous heart. It is the Single Cheese Burger at 5 Guys Burgers . What is 5 Guys, you might ask? It's an East Coast chain that is just coming out here. I had seen them many times in Florida, but never stopped by. What a dummy I am!

7945 Haven, Rancho Cucamonga,CA 91730

(909)941-9055

Here's where 5 Guys makes my beloved In-N-Out second best. First of all, when you walk in, you are greeted by giant boxes of peanuts. Because the line for burgers in literally out the door, you'll have plenty of time to eat a handful.And in the wonderful Haitian tradition, you are expected to toss your shells on the floor. Any place that lets you toss peanut shells on the floor is my kinda' joint.

But back to the burgers. Not only are they fresh ground and cooked, but the topping list is insane.You can get the regular lettuce/tomato/onion/pickle combo, BUT WAIT..THERE'S MORE! You can get sautéed mushrooms, jalapeños, A-1 Steak Sauce, green peppers and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fresh cut Cajun fries as well. I had it on good authority to be sure to try them. Let me just tell you that the velocity with which those fries were inhaled makes me appreciate the body of work my source put into their research.

So if you want to fall in love all over again, you might venture to the N/E corner of Foothill & Haven, in the Terra Vista Towne Center. The restaurant faces out onto Haven. The place will be easy to find. It will have a line out the door,and peanut shells everywhere.

ENJOY!

Cozy Up To The Bar

I know there's a bar graph involved, but it's really good news!!

If you have a living fear of statistical analytics, or if you're like me and hate all the "Smart Maps" that CNN pulls up and plays with for every conceivable thing they can label in red or blue, fear not! The graph above is good news, and so is the link below:

I swear it's good news and requires no critical thinking.

Pat Palmer-Realtor/Broker

Real Estate The Right Way

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Your FICO Score After A Short Sale

Research looks at how mortgage delinquencies affect scores How much impact does a short sale have on FICO® Scores? How about a foreclosure? Since I frequently hear these questions from clients and others, I thought I’d share new FICO research that sheds light on this very subject.

The FICO study simulated various types of mortgage delinquencies on three representative credit bureau profiles of consumers scoring 680, 720 and 780, respectively. I say “representative profiles” because we focused on consumers whose credit characteristics (e.g., utilization, delinquency history, age of file) were typical of the three score points considered. All consumers had an active currently-paid-as-agreed mortgage on file.

Results are shown below. The first chart shows the impact on the score for each stage of delinquency, and the second shows how long it takes the score to fully “recover” after the fact.

All in all, we saw: The magnitude of FICO® Score impact is highly dependent on the starting score. There's no significant difference in score impact between short sale/deed-in-lieu/settlement and foreclosure. While a score may begin to improve sooner, it could take up to 7-10 years to fully recover, assuming all other obligations are paid as agreed.

In general, the higher starting score, the longer it takes for the score to fully recover. Even if there’s minimal difference in score impact between moderate and severe delinquencies, there may be significant difference in time required for the score to fully recover. This study provides good benchmarks of score impact from mortgage delinquencies. However, it is important to note that research was done only on select consumer credit profiles. Given the wide range of credit profiles that exist, results may vary beyond what's in the charts above.

Originally posted by Joanne Gaskin

Pat Palmer-Realtor/Broker Real Estate The Right Way Visit Our Website Here Looking For A Change? Click On Our Career Page Here

WARM COCKLES

OK, I admit it. There's nothing that warms the cockles of my heart more, or makes my morning coffee taste that much better than reading about a real estate broker, agent or attorney getting convicted of real estate fraud. So if your cockels are cold, or you want to join me in a great tasting cup of coffee, feel free to do so. Luckily not everyone is free to do so this morning: For cockle warming, CLICK HERE . If you want to know what your cockles actually are,CLICK HERE .

Pat Palmer-Realtor/Broker

Real Estate The Right Way

Visit Our Website Here

Looking For A Change? Click On Our Career Page Here

What Do You Do When THIS Is In Your Back Yard??

The answer to the question" What do you do when The Sweet 16 is in your back yard?" The answer is actually pretty simple. You go to your back yard and watch part of the best sporting event in America, March Madness. This year, one on the arenas hosting The Sweet 16 was the Honda Center, in Anaheim. The teams were San Diego State/U Conn, and Duke/Arizona. For any of you that did your office bracket, the excitement is 100 times greater with 17,000 people cheering their teams with abandon. By the way..for those of you with brackets, VCU just killed you,huh? And don't lie, unless you're from Richmond,VA, you know you didn't have VCU in that one pool that "counts".

Before I wrap this up, if you are ever going to go to the Honda Center and don't want to pay the $7,455 they want for parking, give me a call or email. We found free street parking withing a quarter mile.

Pat Palmer-Realtor/Broker Real Estate The Right Way Visit Our Website Here Looking For A Change? Click On Our Career Page Here

In An Unexpected Move, Bank of America Replaces God With Itself

This just in. All references to a Higher Power in the Bible,Torah and Quorum have hereby been replaced by Bank of America. In a newly released excerpt from the Los Angeles Times, BofA has hereby designated itself God to the entire world. Verses of your favorite Good Book will now be replaced by credit card service fees. What? You don't believe me?? I'm aghast. Have a little look see at the link below. From what I can read, BofA spokesperson,Betty Riess,will be replacing St. Peter at the Pearly Gates:
Betty Riess Replaces St. Peter At The Pearly Gates

Then again, I'm sure Ole' Bet is doing him a favor. He's been standing there a long time. He probably needs a break. Thank BofA that she's here.

Now if that's not reason enough to move Christmas to whatever day BofA was born, have a look at the video link below. It starts out a bit "industry-centric", but it moves right into the part that should interest you real quick. ..why your loan will cost more with the re-vamped Deity and Their Apostles. Not only that, but comparing Barney Frank to The Scarecrow is funny as hell:

The Apostles According To Bank of America

So next time you're at BofA, please remember to remove your hat and bow your head in thankfulness. No need to give that huge offering when they pass the basket. BofA will just charge your credit card.....Amen.

Pat Palmer-Realtor/Broker
Real Estate The Right Way
Visit Our Website Here
Looking For A Change? Click On Our Career Page Here

1 Minute Housing Market

Please click here to view the MARCH-2011 Newsletter Housing Trends Newsletter.

Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter. This eNewsletter is specially designed for our Forefront Real Estate clientele, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you’re in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general. The Housing Trends eNewsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS®, the U.S. Census Bureau and Realtor.org reports, videos, key market indicators and real estate sales statistics, a video message by a nationally recognized economist, maps, mortgage rates and calculators, consumer articles, plus local neighborhood information and more.

If you are interested in determining the value of your home, click here for a free evaluation report.

Are you a real estate professional looking for a change, visit our Career Page here.

Pat Palmer-Realtor/Broker

Real Estate The Right Way

Visit Our Website Here

Looking For A Change? Click On Our Career Page Here

NUN FRAUD...GO FIGURE

A long time ago, I quite thinking that I'd seen it all in this industry. Have a look at the link below. I've never heard of Nun Fraud before...much less nuns having half a million dollars to be defrauded out of. Read About Nun Fraud Here






Are you a real estate professional looking for a change, visit our Career Page here

GOOD FOOD, GREAT PRICE-WaBa TERIYAKI

Every now and again, you stumble across a good place to eat. At lunch today, our office manager, Tony Sevilla ,and I did some stumbling in Rancho Cucamonga. We thought we were walking into a new sushi place, but found had we read all the way to the bottom of the sign, we would have found WaBa Teriyaki. Nowhere in that is sushi mentioned. When we stopped to think about it, that made sense because they don't serve sushi. Luckily, they do serve some mean teriyaki.




9670 Haven #104
Rancho Cucamonga,CA
909-945-3241

The restaurant was very clean, open with a lot of light, and both indoor/outdoor seating. Because it's located in the middle of a good sized professional center, people watching goes well with either a teriyaki bowl or plate.That's a good thing, because that's all they serve. No need for anything else either. It's THAT kind of good. Going with the adage"No one likes to eat in an empty restaurant", there were a LOT of happy people. The food is served quickly, it's low in fat, and more food that $5-$7 should ever allow.

The only drawback is if you aren't stumbling,and actually want to find the place. You won't see it off of either 4th Street or Haven. It's tucked around the back of the N.W. corner of that intersection.

THE BUSINESS END OF A GOOSE

If it's too good to be true...IT'S A REAL ESTATE SCAM!!! Here's a tip from Ole' Pat... There's no Golden Real Estate Goose laying Golden Real Estate Eggs. What comes out is something much more common in geese.

To see what really comes out of that goose, click on the following link:
Man Indicted On Huge Real Estate Ponzi Scheme

Sunday morning..a hot cup of coffee..just my dogs and I on a walk. Now both my dogs and I are in pretty decent shape so running out of breath doesn't normally happen. Well, it does to my Springer, Sleepy. But that's after I toss him the Frisbee. Personally ,I'm not about to chase a Frisbee.But, as I round the corner from my house, THIS is what took my breath away:




Upland,CA is still one of the most beautiful, established cities in the area. If you are thinking of buying a home, this is a place you should consider. To make your fact finding a bit easier, Click Here to see Upland Demographics.



Pat Palmer-Realtor/Broker
Real Estate The Right Way
Visit Our Website Here
Looking For A Change? Click On Our Career Page Here

PHO HA IN RANCHO CUCAMONGA-Not Your Grandmother's Soup

OK, you're at the Foothill Village Shopping Center,on the Southeast corner of Foothill/Hellman, in Rancho Cucamonga. Oh, and you're hungry.



Do you...?



A) Go to Chuck E. Cheese and pay wayyyy too much for really bad food, or...



B) Look over your shoulder and find this ?

Pho Ha-Rancho Cucamonga
9319 Foothill Blvd. #C
Rancho Cucamonga,CA
909-980-7703
Read Yelp Review Here

Trust me when I tell you to leave all the petulant children, inattentive parents and annoying oversized rat, and run as fast as you can to the restaurant with the funny looking squiggly line over the "O" in Pho Ha(prounounce Fa Ha, or Fu Ha..I'm still not totally sure).

So now that I've saved you from the drudgery of The Cheese, let me tell you what Pho Ha is.
What it is NOT is not your grandmother's soup restaurant, unless your grandmother is Vietnamese. In which case, I'd like to be invited the next time she makes soup. What it is, is a very healthy beef or pork based soup. It is served piping hot with various thinly sliced pieces of meat. and noodles already in the soup. With it comes a plate of bean sprouts, lemon wedges and fresh mint sprigs. To it, you can add various sauces that are already bottled on your table.

In addition to the soups, there are a wide variety of other very tasty Vietnamese salads, spring rolls, sea foods, and Asian drinks you may not have tired, but should. All of them are very reasonably priced.

'A couple of warning for you. If you go on a weekend, plan on waiting. The place is generally packed and loud. It's not a place to take your prom date. But if you like very good, reasonably priced, ethnic food, by all means,go.

SERIOUSLY???...REALLY???...WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR SSN TO THESE GOOD FOLKS???

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO, ummmmmmmmmmm.....Never mind!!!

Well, on second thought, they do offer a money back guarantee.

Are you a real estate professional looking for a change, visit our Career Page here.

1 MINUTE HOUSING MARKET

Please click here to view the FEBRUARY-2011 Newsletter Housing Trends Newsletter.

Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter. This eNewsletter is specially designed for our Forefront Real Estate clientele, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you’re in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general.

The Housing Trends eNewsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS®, the U.S. Census Bureau and Realtor.org reports, videos, key market indicators and real estate sales statistics, a video message by a nationally recognized economist, maps, mortgage rates and calculators, consumer articles, plus local neighborhood information and more.

If you are interested in determining the value of your home, click here for a free evaluation report.

Are you a real estate professional looking for a change, visit our Career Page here.

I'LL BE A MONKEY'S UNCLE

TO READ THE SHOCKING STORY OF THE 79.9% CREDIT CARD BILL & HOW IT EFFECTS THE AGING PROCESS.... Click Here

As part of the new Consumer "Protection" Laws enacted at the beginning of the year, you too can have a credit card with an interest rate of 79.9%. That's not a typo, and it's not a spell check error, and the decimal is actually in the right place. As part of the Credit Card Reform Act ,some card issuers are charging a wheezing breath below 80% interest. It kind of makes you wonder if those in charge of "reform" actually read the legislation they are enacting.The person shown below is an actual credit card customer who has just received their monthly statement. The saddest part of all is they are only 34 years old.

KEYS TO YOUR FICO SCORES

While I don't rely on Yahoo for much in the way of financial information, the article below is spot on.

FICO Questions Answered: Fair, Isaac CEO Reveals 3 Keys to Improve Your Score
Posted Jan 11, 2011 03:59pm EST by Daniel Gross Updated from 3:59 p.m. EST

Many people have questions about the credit scores generated by Fair, Isaac & Co. Today on Tech Ticker, Aaron Task and I figured we'd take our questions straight to the source: Mark Greene, chief executive of Fair, Isaac & Co., creator and proprietor of the FICO score.

"The FICO score is a measure of a consumer's financial health and creditworthiness," Greene says. It's simply a number, ranging from 300 to 850 -- the higher the better. The average FICO score in the U.S. is about 700, and pretty much every bank in the country uses a FICO score when making lending decisions. But while the scores are important, they're not the be all and end all.

"Scores are meant to be one of several things bankers use in doing what we call sound underwriting," Greene says. Lenders should also be taking into account borrowers' background references, their capacity to repay loans, and collateral.

FICO creates the score simply by feeding numbers into its formula: "It's based on pure, statistical evidence, with no judgment or evaluation or emotion." The main factors Fair, Isaac takes into consideration are:

• How much total indebtedness a consumer has
• How long they've had the debt. "Newer relationships are riskier than things you've been paying over a long period of time," Greene says.

• How much available credit is being used: "If you're close to the edge on your credit cards, that's a danger signal."

• The mix of an applicant's credit portfolio -- is it all credit cards (bad) or a mixture of credit cards, a mortgage, and a car loan (better)?

Greene outlines three key ways through which people can improve their scores. First, pay your bills on time. Second, don't get close to the edge: "Don't use more credit than you really need." And third, don't apply for new credit unless you absolutely have to.

It may sound obvious, but the easiest way to avoid a sharp downgrade in your FICO score is to stay current on your mortgage and stay solvent. "One thing people should know is that a foreclosed home or personal bankruptcy is the most severe harm that you can do to your credit score," Greene says. FICO scores can fall by as much as 150 points when borrowers walk away from mortgages or declare bankruptcy; it can take up to seven years to rehabilitate the rating.

Greene helps clear up what may be some misconceptions about the way credit scores are calculated. For example, is it true that every time you apply for a loan it hurts your score?

"It depends on the kind of product you're shopping for," says Greene. With car loans, for example, Fair, Isaac understands that people shop for rates. "If you apply for five different car loans within a couple of days, we understand that you're looking to buy one car at the best rate. And there's no adverse impact on your credit score."

On the other hand, when people apply for five different credit cards in the space of a week, they're usually seeking to open multiple accounts simultaneously. "In those situations we will take a few points off someone's FICO score because we're worried they're sending a signal that they need too much credit."

Is it true that people who have little or no debt may find themselves with lower credit scores? That can be the case. "Warren Buffett used to say that he didn't have a particularly high credit score," says Greene.

Greene also points to a just-launched website, scoreinfo.org, that helps people understand how credit scores factor in this new era of financial regulation. As of January 2011, you have the right to receive your score any time a lender makes certain kinds of decisions -- e.g., if you're denied credit or given credit on less than the most favorable terms a lender offers

In the U.S. economy today, people may frequently find that a credit score is being used by companies to make decisions that have nothing to do with credit. Credit scores have become part of the application process for jobs, car insurance, and health insurance. Greene notes that the credit score can be useful in non-lending contexts: "People who are good with their finances frequently turn out to be good drivers." But he reiterates that they were designed for a purely financial use.

Daniel Gross is economics editor and columnist at Yahoo! Finance

Pat Palmer-Realtor/Broker
Real Estate The Right Way
Visit Our Website Here

IT'S NOT GOOD BBQ IF YOUR FINGERS DON'T STINK

Yesterday, while in Rancho Cucamonga, I broke two of my own Cardinal Rules (do Cardinals..or cardinals..actually eat BBQ) when it come to BBQ.

Rule #1: Always eat at a Mom & Pop Establishment that has years of actual smoke build up inside and out.
Rule #2: Said establishment should have one of the following in its name...Mama's, Auntie or Tiny's. A sub-rule is that Mama, Aunite or Tiny should actually be in the kitchen.

In a moment of temporary Memphis weakness, Tony (Forefront Real Estate's office manager) and I found ourselves at Dickey's BBQ yesterday.It's important to note that Dickey's is a chain joint, and Dickey was no where to be found.While the service was very good, the prices and the food weren't.

I had the chopped beef,Big BBQ Sandwich. Apparently the term "Big" has different meanings in different parts of the country. Typically, if the entire inside of the bun can be covered by two pickle slices, "Big" isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Luckily, the meat was dry and pretty close to tasteless. The added bonus was that the BBQ sauce was basically colored vinegar. How do I know, you ask? Because it kept coming back all afternoon. 'Sorry you asked, huh?

Tony had a beef plate combination. His comment when he was done was ' For $9, I should be more full". The entire bill was about $23 bucks. When we were done eating, we both noted the absence of need for two very crucial parts of any good BBQ...toothpicks or extra napkins. In fact,the only think I needed was some trail mix to satisfy my remaining hunger.

I'm off to find Mama or Tiny.

OUR NEW OFFICE

We are VERY proud to announce that Forefront Real Estate has a new home. We are now located in the:

Executive Law Offices Building

3175-E Sedona Court Ontario, CA 91764

While others may be closing up shop, the pride we take in providing honest, attentive service is allowing us to grow. We would like to thank all of our clients for their trust in us. Please feel welcome to stop by and see our new digs.

THE NON-REAL ESTATE POST

Every now and again, a post has nothing whatsoever to do with real estate. This is one of them.

After a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, I've confirmed a long held belief.College football is the the greatest sport in America, and here's why:
Games are played at The Big House and at The Horseshoe. They are played on The Farm, in The Swap and in The Bayou After Dark. They gather at Happy Valley, Death Valley and Between The Hedges. One stadium has a BLUE field.

Some rivalries are from the late '80's....the 1880's. They were/are coached by guys named Bear & Bo, The Ole' Ball Coach & The Mad Hatter..Joe Pa' and Woody. Some of them have coached at the same school for generations.

While the players don't play for money(save the snickering), they play their hearts out for things like The Oaken Bucket, The Apple Cup, Paul Bunion's Axe, The Iron Bowl, The Fremont Cannon,The Milk Can and The Bedlam Bell.Some of the biggest college football cities are Ann Arbor, Tuscaloosa, Boise, Baton Rouge and Knoxville.There's Austin, Lincoln and Auburn. I don't know about you, but I couldn't find most of them without a football map.

And then there are the mascots..You have a Nittany Lion and a Georgia Bulldog, there's the LSU Tiger ,Traveler the white Trojan horse and Bevo The Bull. Mind you ,those are all REAL animals. Toss in a push up crazy Duck, an ugly Stanford Tree that has no real meaning, and an Orange Syracuse looking tennis ball thingy and you have mascot craziness.So there you have it. All the reasons college football is the greatest sport in America...well, right up to March. Because that's when March Madness kicks in. But right now, I think I'll make a turkey sandwich.

I DON'T THINK I WANT THIS LISTING

Do you think this listing agent may have a disclosure issue?

So in today's California real estate market, the listing agent has some 20+ pages worth of disclosure related forms to go over with their seller. There are questions relating to "release of illegal substances (meth labs)" to " pets on the property", to...and I swear this is real..."the likelihood of being hit by a golf ball".But, how does a listing agent disclose to the other agent & buyer that their dream home is actually...A BOMB MAKING FACILITY!!!

Have a look at this link:
How To Fall Out Of Escrow In One Easy Lesson

I don't know about you, but I think the seller should have at touched up the white picket fence just a bit.