August 1-3 2008| Chicago to Women’s Council’s leadership Academy for Local and State Chapter Presidents-elect. This unforgettable training and networking experience is designed to prepare for the year ahead. Lots of opportunity to build business with hundreds of Women’s Council leaders from across the U.S.   Many topics were covered:  leadership in the real world,  Member value, Planning for excellence,  and positioning the Chapter as a business resource. Lots other issues were covered  in just 2 short days.  Several of us were able to get downtown for some great food and amazing sites.

 Getting out of  O’Hare International Airport was not as easy as getting in. It was all driven by the  freak weather. Thunder and lightning storms cancelled over 385 flights that day I was leaving. Something to do with the ground workers not being able to work in that type of weather. My morning flight was canceled and then I got bumped twice, and was on three stand-by lists. Finally I got lucky enough to get out on stand by and  arrived in LA  about  midnight. There I was standing at LAX wondering what to do, the flight back to SLO was long gone and not another in sight till the next day. I went to United and  I was able to get a voucher that would cover 50% of the cost of a hotel for the night and a shuttle bus back to LAX in the early morning. 

As I stood waiting to board the shuttle bus a woman and I started trading stories about the experience at O’Hare. We both laughed about how it really was a little crazy. She said she had  been in Chicago at a conference for a womens organization she belonged to, and I said were you at Women’s Council? She said yes. We laughed again. We had not  met at the Meetings for Womens Council in Chicago but were both participants.  Somehow there in  LA at the end of a very long day there we were on a bus together, and  Womens Council was part of the reason. We both agreed we felt a little better and less stressed. Turns out we decided to share a room at the hotel which  really worked out.   

I heard today from my new friend Inge Kessler from Coldwell Banker Del Monte Realty in Carmel. She said she was glad the we were both flexible enough to be roommates for that night and she thought it expressed the sisterhood and professional partnership of WCR at it’s best.  I couldn’t agree more ….. 

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OR REALTORS  HEADQUARTERS

MICHIGAN AVE, CHICAGO ILL

TRUMP INTERNATION HOTEL AND TOWER

CHICAGO

Millennium Park

2 friends Sandy Smith from Bel Air Maryland and Christi Phelps from Englewood FL. We were waiting for the blue line to take us into downtown, the public transportation was easy and a great way to get downtown. It was amazing how fast it was and it  seemed like a couple times we were airborne

Good luck prosperity and longevity are the likely fortunes of San Luis Obispo’s newest public park, spearheaded by Cal Poly’s retired Landscape Architecture professor Alice Loh.

Although the Board of Chinese Gardens of  San Luis Obispo wanted to name the Park after Alice Loh, Alice prefers to dedicate this park in memory of her parents .Their philanthropy and noble thoughts and deeds have inspired many of their children, relatives and friends, and certainly made a profound impact on their daughter. Alice provided both an English name for the park and a Chinese interpretation of the name, as follows :

English Name LC YC Cheng Park (the names of Alice’s father and mother)

Chinese  Xiao Ci Yuan *SR is a place to memorialize and respect one’s loving parents .

Xiao means fidelity to natural obligations, loyalty . (Confucius’s teaching - `man ‘must respect, devote and be loyal to his parents .)

Ci means loving, kind.

Yuan means park or garden, a place for meditation, reflection, passive recreation .

Stop by for some serenity!

Residents in Los Angeles’ Skid Row will soon be growing and harvesting their own fresh produce, thanks to the efforts of the Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium and Horticulture and Crop Science Department at Cal Poly.

Students and faculty have cultivated 4,000 plants as part of a pilot project for Urban Farming Food Chain. The fruit and vegetable plants were grown on 180 vertical panels that will be mounted on walls of commercial buildings in Los Angeles’ inner city. The vertical panels are designed to maximize growing space in congested urban locations.The panels have turned into edible walls that are as much a work of art as they are a practical solution to providing access to fresh, affordable produce. In addition, the project aims to provide skills training and foster a sense of community beyond the garden walls, according to Hunter Francis, Program Associate, Cal Poly’s Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium.

Plants grown this first season include bell peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatillos, strawberries, spinach, parsley, leeks, edible lavender and a variety of herbs. The panels will be installed at four locations around downtown  Los Angeles between July 29th and August 1.

The urban Farming Food Chain hopes to create vertical farming systems that can be replicated in cities across the country and abroad.  A collaborative community effort, the plants have been nurtured from seedlings donated by Greenheart Farms and Green Acres Lavender Farms with support from Farm Supply and transportation services donated by Meyer Trucking. For more information on the Urban Farming Food Chain Project, visit http://urbanfarming.org/foodchain.htm     

First American Exchange has a wealth experience when it come to handling all aspects of an Exchange. Sometimes they have clients who chose not to complete their 1031 Exchange, and want to know when they can get their  money back?”  This is a good question and one that a Qualified Intermediary (QI) hears from clients. The answer depends on the situation and timing of the client’s exchange.  The g6 regulations (from Treasury Regulation §1.1031(k)-1(g)(6)) dictate the circumstances under which a QI can release 1031 funds to the client.  Specifically, the g6 regulations state that funds cannot be released by the QI until:  
 1)  After the 45-day identification period, if no replacement property is identified;
2)  After the receipt of all identified replacement property; or
3)  After the end of the 180-day exchange period.
Why would the QI have concerns about releasing their client’s 1031 funds early, especially if the client is willing to pay taxes on the gain anyway?  If the QI does not follow the g6 regulations, the QI may be deemed an agent of the client, and agents are disqualified from participating as a QI in a 1031 exchange. 

 Further, if the QI releases funds in contradiction to the g6 regulations, the IRS may assert that the g6 rules are meaningless to the QI and then consider the QI an agent of all its clients, thus jeopardizing those exchanges as well.  
It is the QI’s job to help facilitate a smooth 1031 Exchange, not to expose their clients to possible risks.  In selecting a QI, an investor should consider the QI’s integrity and financial strength.  Both are vitally important to ensure the safest and most secure 1031 transaction. 

On the subject of rates….a colleague of mine at Premier Lending Matthew J. Goulart (aka Matt) had this to say, “The last couple of weeks have been a bit volatile… With gas prices soaring and people begining to feel the pain of inflation, mortgage rates have been moving upward as well. Although the Nasdaq and DOW have been moving downward, bonds just haven’t recovered enough to make a major difference. We have to remember however, that the swings we have seen through the entire year, haven’t added up to even a .500% change in rates, which really… isn’t enough to make or break that monthly payment”.

You can reach Matt at www.centralcoastmortgage.org

there is a wet spot in the hallway. OR Anatomy of a leak. True story. As we were poised to close escrow a dreaded call came. (actually I am really grateful to the tenants for calling me ) It was Saturday afternoon and the buyers were due in shortly to conduct  their final walk through on the tenant occupied 3 bedroom 2 bath PUD they were about to purchase. What to do? Call the owner, call a plumber? Can you get a plumber on Saturday?

YES ,YES, YES. 

Thank God for ATASCADERO PLUMBING. They showed up and started the investigation. All water was shut of and the meter was checked and yes water was running. But where? In the pipes in the slab. It would require getting leak detection equipment which is basically an electronic microphone that indicates through sound where the leak is. It was determined the work would begin on Sunday. The buyers

were explained the situation and were in agreement as to how the situation would be handled. The work was going to be completed prior to the closing.

The concrete was  jack hammered in the area of the leak the bad section of cooper piping was removed and replaced with new copper piping. They waited overnight. No new leaking. Then they proceeded to fill the hole with sand and re-concreted the area.  We were back on track.  Thank you Atascadero Plumbing for being there in a pinch!

Continue reading ‘Looking for a New Pad? 10 Tips for First-Time Homebuyers’

 THE COAST AWAITS YOU

The Cloisters can be discovered on California’s Central Coast. It is a residential neighborhood within a scenic open space. Carefully planned to preserve the natural resources and commanding ocean views the Cloisters 120 residential homes are clustered on  84 acres on Morro Strand State Beach.  The site is surrounded by 57 acres of open space, maintained by an assessment district rather than a Home Owners Association. The home are all custom one and two story and various architectural styles,

It’s close proximity between Monterey and Santa Barbara, minutes away from the village of Cambria and the Historic San Luis Obispo, this coastal neighborhood is also close to the wine regions of Paso Robles and the Edna Valley.

Golfers can play-on the scenic fairways of Morro Bay Golf course or travel short distance to play on our areas other championship golf courses , while outdoor enthusiasts explore unlimited recreational activities including kayaking on Morro Bay, hiking in Montana de Oro State park, or water skiing and boating on Lake Nacimiento. There is something for everyone . Currently  prices start at $1,400,000.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $800 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years. I saw were recently A.O. Smith recalls a gas water heater due to carbon monoxcide Hazards.

Name of Product: Natural and Propane Gas Water Heaters

Units: About 1,500

Manufacturer: A.O. Smith Water Products Co., of Ashland City, Tenn.

Hazard: The water heater’s flue gas temperatures can exceed safe limits and produce excessive temperatures in the venting unit, posing a fire hazard. Also, the water heater’s exhaust can leak into the surrounding room, posing a carbon monoxide hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: This recall involves 75 gallon natural and propane gas water heaters. “A.O. Smith” or “State” is printed on the side of the unit. A.O. Smith and State model and serial numbers included in this recall are listed in the chart below. Model and serial numbers are printed on the water heater’s rating plate.

Sold by: Independent contractors and plumbers nationwide from November 2007 through January 2008 for between $1,000 and $2,500.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled water heater and contact A.O. Smith to arrange for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact A.O. Smith toll-free at (866) 880-4661 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT, or visit  A.O.Smith

David Ulrich  a friend of mine and a student at Cal Poly, recently he told me about the Shell Eco-marathon. He said  “We’ve built a car that managed to go 2752 miles on one gallon of gas (more or less, we don’t actually run the car that far, it’s extrapolated in the competition) during the Eco Marathon Americas competition.  To make a vehicle that can do something like this, improving the efficiency of every component is where we focus most of our attention.  Everything from the wheels, bearings, drive train, and (somewhat) the engine are looked at and modified in ways we think will help us out.  The car was designed to have an aerodynamic advantage as well.  Then there’s the weight factor.  Our vehicle body is made entirely from carbon fiber.  The total vehicle weight is 92 lbs, but can carry over 400 lbs.  The engine plays a big factor, but we haven’t really played around and modified ours yet due to time and knowledge constraints.  It’s pretty amazing we could get such a high fuel mileage number and know that we could probably at the very least double it if we started playing with the engine. 
This vehicle let us place second out of 30 teams during the Eco Marathon, although first was within our grasp if it hadn’t been for a little bit of weather-related misfortune.  It’s a pretty cool thing to see student built vehicles push the limits of these high-mileage vehicles every year, and if you think 2752 mpg is high, just wait a few years.”