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I found this article written by HEATHER ELIAS who is the Director of Social Business Practice at N
Last week, I wrote a post here about the 3.8% tax that is part of the Health Care Reform Act, which passed in 2010. There have been numerous emails circulating that mischaracterized how the tax worked, and here at NAR we wanted to help people understand it better. The post created a flurry of comments, and I thought we would address some of the points raised directly. (I’m taking some of my clarification points directly from The Top 10 Things You Need to Know about the 3.8% Tax.)
Here is a video with NAR’s director of tax policy, Linda Goold, that does a very good job of explaining: And here are some more resources that could help explain: |
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Monthly Archives: October 2012
ational Association of Realtors. As I more than occasionally get questions about the ObamaCare 3.8% Tax on the “sale of 
Are Palos Verdes Homes “out of the woods” yet?
The market for Palos Verdes Homes …… is getting better but are we out of the woods yet? I’ve been studying the South Bay Home trends and Palos Verdes Homes trends for over 20 years now and have been keeping detailed records on the market. This has helped me immensely in guiding my clients, both buyers and sellers so that they are empowered with the best information to make intelligent, deliberate and provident decisions. Based on the data at hand, here are my latest conclusions. If the player does not appear below, please go here: Latest Palos Verdes Real Estate Trends Now that you’ve seen there are some very positive signs in the market, consider owning one of the best Rolling Hills homes just listed this week at 11 Ranchview Road!
Continue here to view more Palos Verdes Real Estate trends (yellow tab below) |
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Palos Verdes Homes – you have one, so what to do around town
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Even if you’ve been around the South Bay a long time like I have (1968 as a 12 year old …. ok, fine … do the math) you realize there’s still a lot to learn about the South Bay. I would like to introduce you to Jackie … she has a wonderful blog that is full of South Bay events. It’s a fun read and I promise you, you will come away from her site saying, “…hmm, I didn’t know that!…”
I received this email from Jackie today and thought I would share it with y’all … why not give her blog a try. I think you will like it. I especially liked her comments on the PVLC… who knows, maybe I will see you out on the trails! Then when you’re done reading her blog, you also might find yourself wishing, “…Hmmm, I wish lived over in the _______ area instead of where I do now…” When THAT thought happens, you know what to do. Follow the link in the yellow tab at the bottom of this article … ENJOY!
So what are you doing this weekend? I’m looking forward to playing in the Hermosa Beach Firefighters Poker Tournament this Saturday night. I was knocked out of the competition by a four-of-a-kind hand at last year’s event and I really need to redeem myself! Wish me luck!
As always, check the calendar links and ‘Things to Do’ page on my website, www.southbaybyjackie.com, for details on these and other events throughout the South Bay. On The South Bay Show this morning, we spoke with local hotel and restaurant impresario Michael Zislis He told us all about Rocktoberfest, his joint venture with Gene Simmons and Wolfgang Puck, which takes place all next week at LA LIVE. Don’t worry – if you missed it, you can listen to it here: http://southbaybyjackie.com/october-11-2012-mike-zislis-the-zislis-group-gene-simmons-kiss/. The South Bay Show presents Preparing for Disaster in the South Bay. This very instructive program airs every Friday morning on Blog Talk Radio at 7:00 a.m. Our guest tomorrow morning is Diana Feinberg, Chair of the Beach Cities Joint CERT Organizations Great ShakeOut Drill which takes place in Palos Verdes this year. It will be an interesting and informative hour so tune in! You can listen to it live or at your leisure here: http://southbaybyjackie.com/october-12-2012-diana-feinberg-chair-bcjcos-great-shakeout-drill/. Have a great South Bay weekend! Jackie |
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| George Fotion, HomeIsPalosVerdes.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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home at the California Science Center. Endeavour will leave LAX on Friday, October 12, for a two day road trip, arriving at the Science Center on Saturday, October 13. If you want to witness this historic and epic passage, you’ll need to figure out when and where to be and how to get there. I’ve listed road closures on my website here: 
through October 21 and can be viewed at two galleries simultaneously. IMAGINE ART will be displayed at 608 North Gallery and IMAGINE NO BOUNDARIES will be shown at Cannery Row Studios. The opening reception will take place at both galleries on Saturday, October 13 from 7 to 10 p.m. The event is open to the public and everyone is invited to stop by, meet the artists and view the works on display. Cannery Row Studios is located at 604 North Francesca and 608 North Gallery is located next door at 608 North Francesca in Redondo Beach. Exhibit hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the websites at 
Casino Night charity event on Saturday, October 13. The fundraiser takes place at American Junkie Restaurant located at 68 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach with the action getting under way at 5:30 p.m. The evening features a silent auction along with hors d’oeuvres, music and a no-host bar. Prizes will be raffled off along with additional prizes for the finalists in the poker tournament. A Casino Night ticket (non-poker player) is $45 per person or two for $85. A seat at the poker table costs $95 and its all tax deductible. For more information and ticket purchase, visit the website at 
yeast. Celebrate Octoberfest at Terrenea Resort on Saturday, October 13 from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday, October 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nelson’s at Terranea celebrates Oktoberfest with a special menu featuring an authentic German spread that includes Munich Sausage Salad, Munich Weiss Wurst, Obazda (a traditional Bavarian cheese spread served with sweet onion rings), Crispy Roasted Pork Shank, Tradition Wiener Schnitzel and Munich-style Sauerbraten. The event will also feature live music on Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. By all means, wear your lederhosen! Terrenea Resort is located at 100 Terranea Way in Rancho 
Attendance is free but if you want to sample the fabulous food, tasting tickets are priced at $1 each. Receive one raffle entry to win a prize when you purchase 10 tickets. Each restaurant will feature a different menu item and non-food retailers will offer special discounts. There will be plenty of live music on the stage at the end of the pier over the water as well as free balloons, face painting and arts & crafts at the new SoCal City Kids Zone. The event benefits the Cancer Support Community and the Redondo Beach Educational Foundation. So take a few hours this weekend to stroll the Pier, savor small bites, listen to some live music and maybe spot a few blue whales. The Redondo Beach Pier is located at 100 Fisherman’s Wharf in Redondo Beach. Tickets are available for purchase at the event. For more information, visit the website at 
people were registered in ShakeOut drills worldwide. The Great California ShakeOut is an annual opportunity to practice how to be safer and better prepared before, during and after big earthquakes. The ShakeOut has been organized to encourage individuals, families, communities, schools, businesses and organizations to review and update emergency preparedness plans and supplies and to secure structures in order to prevent damage and injuries. It’s time to get ready. To register, visit the website at 
5 Ways To Love Your Palos Verdes Home Again
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Five ways to love your home again If you’ve fallen out of love with your home, and you’re committed to staying put for years to come, it is a worthwhile endeavor to rekindle that romance, and re-excite the spark that makes coming home, being home, maintaining home, and even writing out the checks that keep the lights on, the mortgage paid and the taxes current, a blessing. Here’s how: 1. Spend time in someone else’s home. Make more of an effort than you might otherwise to accept your pals’ barbecue and dinner party invites. Go on those home and garden tours that are put on locally. When you travel, consider renting someone else’s home (or part of it) on a site like Airbnb.com or VRBO.com, rather than just getting a hotel room. And pay attention to the homes’ locations, comfort level, amenities, decor and nice touches, or lack thereof. Most likely, one of two things will happen: If you love their space, you’ll leave inspired to make tweaks to yours; if you don’t love it, you’ll be super-grateful for your home, just as it is. 2. Get out of your comfort zone and routine. Following the theme of inspiration and gratitude, seek out experiences entirely outside of your comfort zone. The further outside your comfort zone the better. Take a trip to a destination unlike the places you normally vacation; if you live in the city, go stay on a working farm. And if you don’t have time to take a whole trip, just spend a couple of hours in a part of town that you don’t normally go to, or spend an afternoon doing something you’ve never done before: Take a workshop, go for a hike or take a tour. If you drive, take the bus. If you’re always checking your phone, lock it in the trunk of your car for a whole weekend. If you eat out, cook — and vice versa. When you have experiences that jolt you completely out of your sense of the norm, it resets your brain in a way that allows you to come home and see things that are familiar in a very different light. 3. Inventory and fix any little glitches. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day duties of living and working and raising a family. As time goes on and little things at home break or need repair, many of us fall into the habit of putting them on a list that never gets done. Over time, as the list of doors that creak and handles you have to jiggle grows longer and longer, that can create doldrums and annoyance, as you have to deal with these little glitches on a daily basis and it starts to feel like “broken” is the normal state of affairs at home. Try taking meticulous care to log and have fixed any and everything that isn’t working exactly as it should. It’s a never-ending battle, mind you; if you keep on living in a home, things will continue to wear out or break, so have a handyman on call to constantly tend to the ongoing list. And every time something is fixed, you’ll be reminded of just how much you love your home. 4. Have a Financial Health Day. Many times, financial hemorrhages and simply feeling like your home is disproportionately draining your bank account can create resentment and anxiety that gets in the way of feeling warm and fuzzy about owning it. Now, every mortgage or home-related financial problem might not be within your power to fix, but rather than letting things spiral without doing anything, the next time you take a personal day off from work, set aside some time to do a deep dive into your home-related financials. Set an appointment with your mortgage broker to discuss refinancing, if appropriate. Appeal your home’s property tax assessment, if you believe it’s too high. Check to see if recent increases in your home’s value will qualify you to have the private mortgage insurance removed from your mortgage. Figure out what side business or job you can do to pay down your consumer debt or help get you out of the stresses of paycheck-to-paycheck living.
6. This one is from me … When you own a Palos Verdes home, realize you live in one of the most beautiful places in the world … a place where people come to vacation! The people who built Trump National and Terranea aren’t stupid!
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| originally published here: George Fotion, HomeIsPalosVerdes.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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