Well they did it! Not only did Philip Sneyd of the Veytia Group and Dusty Boyd make it from the north side of the rim down and back up the south side, they made it across in 8.5 hours on Wednesday August 20th.

But wait they had to get back to the north rim somehow right? Astonishingly the next day they started right where they finished the day before and ran back down where they did it again -in an astonishing 6 hours and 40 minutes!

The purpose of this run was to raise awareness and contributions for C.A.F. Challenged Athletes Foundation, a foundation which enables people who have lost limbs to achieve the active lifestyles they desire by providing prosthetic limbs.

Please check out their website for more information regarding events and fundraising. www.challengedathletes.org

 
Please show your support by mailing a contribution made out to:

Challenged Athletes Foundation

Sent Care of: Philip at Veytia Group

32351 Coast Highway-Laguna Beach, Ca 92651

Please e-mail Philip with any questions you may have.

philip@veytiagroup.com

1. MINIMIZES OFFERS
An overpriced house discourages prospective buyers form making offers since the difference between the asking price and market price becomes substantial.

2. AGENT ENTHUSIASM AND RESPONSE
Agents lose interest in property that is overpriced. They do not spend as much time in moving the house as they would if it were priced right.

3. QUALIFIED BUYER EXPOSURE
Overpriced houses fail to attract qualified buyers, or attract "wrong" buyers.

4. DECLINE IN SHOWINGS
Agents avoid showing overpriced houses in order not to lose credibility with buyers.

5. LOOSES PROSPECTS INTEREST FROM SIGNS
Prospects who learn about the house from the sign get turned off if it is overpriced. They do not pursue the matter to see the house.

6. LIMITS FINANCING
Financial institutions and mortgage companies finance only a percentage of the real value of the house. If the house is overpriced, they usually will finance a lower percentage, thus reducing the available financing.

7. WASTE OF ADVERTISING DOLLARS
A house that is unrealistically priced fails to get normal advertising response. This reduces the effectiveness of advertising and results in the loss of advertising dollars.

8. LESS FOR SELLER
Eventually market interest in the overpriced property completely declines. As this stage is reached, the seller becomes desperate and he begins to feel he would sell at any price. In the meantime, he or she must bear maintenance and holding costs. The net result is that the seller gets much less than he could have if the house was correctly priced in the first place.

Michael Learmonth
July 25, 2008 7:29 AM

American newspapers are getting hammered by evaporating classified ads, but Craigslist isn't (SAI 25 No. 3). CEO Jim Buckmaster shared some June numbers that will make a newspaper publisher weep: housing ads are up 85% y/y, with rental ads up 120% and real estate up 70%.

Still, even as Craigslist takes market share, it is not immune to market conditions. Employment ads are flat in the first six months of 2008, reflecting a slowdown in Craigslist' biggest and most mature markets -- San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston and DC.

But employment ads are growing elsewhere: in fact, Craigslist is considering adding listing fees in eight additional markets -- Atlanta, Austin, Denver, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia and Phoenix -- due to higher demand. Craigslist currently charges for employment ads in 10 cities and for real estate ads in New York City.

Buckmaster stopped by SAI world headquarters for a chat; Henry Blodget is on the record putting a $5 billion valuation on Craigslist, provided they took the bold step of charging for all employment ads instead of just in 10 markets. But that's not happening anytime soon. "We love providing a service people love; that's more important to us than financial gain," Buckmaster said. "We evolve the site in ways users are asking us for, and users don't ask us to run text ads or banner ads." Indeed, Craigslist charges for employment classifieds not because it needs the money, but to discourage spammers.

So, what else is happening with the world's most popular classified service?

• Growth is, in fact, slowing slightly. This may be the first year since the beginning (1995) that pages views haven't grown 100% y/y
• Growth is slowing in mature markets (SF, NY, DC, LA, etc) but accelerating in Midwest and southern cities, in some cases 1000% y/y
• Craigslist is getting 50 million unique visitors and 12 billion page views a month
• Craigslist launched 120 new cities in April; most outside the US. The fastest-growing international cities are London, Paris, Manila and, after years of relative dormancy, China
• Future sites will largely be outside the US and Canada
• The company has implemented technologies to cut down spam and inappropriate content, but Buckmaster says the Craigslist community is still the most important factor in policing the 35 million classified ads posted each month
• In 2000, Craigslist was run on one PC running Linux and handled 6 million page views a month. Today, it has two co-location facilities and 300 servers

On advice from his lawyers Buckmaster offered no update on the legal dispute with eBay. Recall, eBay sued Craigslist for allegedly diluting the value of its 28% stake. Craigslist countersued, claiming eBay used its position on the board to gather intelligence to launch its own Craigslist killer, Kijiji.

On Thursday August 21st, while most of you are warm and snug in your beds, Philip Sneyd, a member of the Veytia Group with Keller Williams, is going to attempt to RACE the rigorous and dangerous Grand Canyon "Rim-to-Rim" trail. He will cover a distance of 24 miles - over 11,000 feet in elevation changes, and face 115 degree temperatures. Most who attempt this brutal crossing, take an average of 3 Days. The Goal - To complete this Challenge in 8 hours or less!!!

The purpose of this run is to raise funds for C.A.F. (Challenged Athletes Foundation). A tragic auto accident in 2001 changed Philip's family when his father lost the use of his leg and will need a prosthetic limb in the future.

“It is the mission of the Challenged Athletes Foundation to provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. The Challenged Athletes Foundation believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem encourages independence and enhances quality of life.”

Please check out their website for more information regarding events and fundraising. www.challengedathletes.org. 

Please show your support by mailing a contribution made out to:

Challenged Athletes Foundation
Sent Care Of: Philip at Veytia Group
32351 Coast Highway Laguna Beach Ca, 92651

Please e-mail Philip with any questions you may have.
philip@veytiagroup.com

Home sales increased 2.5 percent in April in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home fell 32 percent, the California Association of Realtors® (C.A.R.) reported today.

“Home sales registered a 2.5 percent year-to-year gain compared with April 2007, ending a 30-month string of year-to-year percentage decreases that began in October 2005,” said C.A.R. President William E. Brown. “This is not to say that the credit crunch that has contributed to the sales decline has disappeared. Both tighter underwriting standards and the ongoing effects of the credit/liquidity crunch continue to constrain sales.”

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled 366,720 in April at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local Realtor® associations statewide. Statewide home resale activity increased 2.5 percent from the revised 357,640 sales pace recorded in April 2007.

The statewide sales figure represents what the total number of homes sold during 2008 would be if sales maintained the April pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

The median price of an existing, single-family detached home in California during April 2008 was $403,870, a 32 percent decrease from the revised $594,110 median for April 2007, C.A.R. reported. The April 2008 median price fell 2.6 percent compared with March’s revised $414,640 median price.

“Significant price declines are spurring home sales to bargain hunters and first-time buyers at the middle- and low-end of the market, especially in areas with a concentration of distressed properties,” said C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young.

C.A.R.’s Unsold Inventory Index for existing, single-family detached homes in April 2008 was 9.2 months, compared with 11.3 months for the same period a year ago. The index indicates the number of months needed to deplete the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate.

Thirty-year fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 5.92 percent during April 2008, compared with 6.18 percent in April 2007, according to Freddie Mac. Adjustable-mortgage interest rates averaged 5.19 percent in April 2008, compared with 5.45 percent in April 2007.

The median number of days it took to sell a single-family home was 52.1 days in April 2008, compared with 53.1 for the same period a year ago.

What does this mean to us here in Dana Point? We have low interest rates and a good amount of inventory to be able to choose the right home. Move up buyers have a wonderful opportunity to move up to a new home with low interest rates and because of lower prices they will have lower taxes.

Call us for more information at 949 415 011

The following is an article by Stephanie Singer we thought we would share with our friends.

NAR Campagin Relates Real Facts About Real Esate
The National Association of Realtors® is reaching out to consumers with facts about homeownership and the value of real estate as a long term investment. Would-be homeowners who are uncertain about their home buying plans can learn more about the options available to them and the long term benefits of owning a home through a new advertising campaign that will provide current, relevant housing data to help make informed decisions about buying a home.

Over the past 30 years, the median price of existing homes has increased an average of more than 6 percent every year, and home values nearly double every 10 years, according to historical data from NAR’s existing home sales series. A federal reserve study has shown that the average homeowner’s net worth is 46 times the net worth of the average renter. Despite this and other research, some potential homebuyers are being kept on the sidelines as they react to the national media reports about the housing market.

“Nobody buys a home in the national real estate market,” said NAR President Dick Gaylord, a broker with RE/MAX Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, Calif. “All real estate markets are local, and buyers and sellers who are thinking about making a move should consult with Realtor® in their local market to learn about conditions in a specific area. It’s also advisable to look beyond the immediate horizon- real estate has proven itself to be a good long-term investment and a safe, secure way to build long-term wealth.”

According to NAR’s most recent forecast, existing-home sales are likely to total 5.66 million in 2007, the fifth highest on record, rising to 5.70 million in 2008 and 5.91 million in 2009. Existing-home prices are likely to be down 1.9 percent to a median of $217,600 for all of 2007 which is good news for buyers; prices are expected to hold steady in 2008, and then rise 3.1 percent in 2009 to $224,400.

The campaign includes a new Web site, www.HousingMarketFacts.com, which provides more information about the benefits and value of owning a home, identifies current public policy issues of importance to consumers in the real estate transaction and allows visitors to link directly to www.RALTOR.com to find a Realtor®.

The ads are part of NAR’s Public Awareness Campaign. For more than a decade, the Public Awareness Campaign has helped millions of consumers realize the value of using a Realtor to help them buy or sell real estate, and is now educating consumers about the value of housing as a long-term investment. In 2008, campaign ads will be broadcast nationwide from January through November and will air more than 10,000 times on national TV and radio outlets. Local and state Realtor® associations are encouraged to coordinate with the campaign in their markets with local radio, TV and print buys. To learn more about the Public Awareness Campaign, visit www.realtor.org/awarenesscampaign.com.

John Veytia
Keller Williams® Realty
32351 Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Phone: (949) 415-0111
Toll Free: (800) 564-6112
Email: john@veytiagroup.com

Let me introduce myself. My name is Philip Sneyd. Just as many of my ancestors before me have migrated, I seized the opportunity to begin a new life for myself here in beautiful sunny Southern California in early 2005. I have not looked back since!

Moving from Ireland to Orange County has created so many wonderful opportunities and adjustments. The real estate market in Ireland is so different. It is still an auction atmosphere. You locate the home you would like to purchase and then you wait until it comes to Auction, in which you will bid on the home. Also, the paper work involved is no where as elaborate as California’s is.

Although, back in the home land my parents bought their land from a farmer in 1997 (3/4 of an acre for $10,000 with open land behind them and the Grand Canal in front) offered an acre parcel to me for $40,000 in 2002. It was the most beautiful area and today I kick myself for not taking that opportunity to own a little piece of home!

It amazes me how owning a little piece of home is so important, or indeed somewhere to call home. I have spent 3 years here, living in an area that the rest of the world is jealous of. Laguna Beach has the best of all worlds, you want the Village, you got it. You want the Canyon privacy, you got it. You want the ocean view and the beach feel, you got it. There are very few places in this world I would have moved to and many people that are in the same shoes as I was would agree, why go anywhere else?

Calling Laguna Beach home is a wonderful experience and with homes currently “On Sale” in our area, it’s a great time to make Laguna Beach your reality instead of a dream, someone else is living like me!

So pick up your sandals and swimsuit. Join me, Philip Sneyd at the Veytia Group, your resident Irish Bloke, on the beach. Let me know when you to want to call Laguna Beach, HOME!

If you are looking for a taste of refreshment in a changing market, let Philip your Irish Bloke provide you with the honest answers you deserve!

For all of your Real Estate needs,
Contact Philip at the Veytia Group:
Philip S. Sneyd (The Irish Bloke)
949.235.8481 (mobile)
949.715.0550 (office)
Philip@veytiagroup.com
www.veytiagroup.com