2009-02 Dena Land News by Linda Lane

DENA LAND NEWS A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER BY LINDA LANE-WHITE—KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY SERVING MY HOMETOWN OF ALTADENA/PASADENA AND OUTLYING AREAS February 2009

Linda Lane-White “Singing” Realtor ® CA Lic #01091347 Notary Public

What’s in your heart for Heart Month? Happy Heart Month! Did you know that February is not only the month we traditionally celebrate affairs of the heart, it is also the day we remember care of our hearts. February is American Heart Month and it is also Women’s Heart Health Month. (www.americanheart.org) And… of course February holds Valentine’s Day right in the very, well, heart of the month. What’s in your heart this month?

Your sweetheart? Your health? Something else? If a new home is in your heart, I hope you’ll give me a call. I’ll find you the home of your heart’s desire! LINDA LANE-WHITE (626) 786-1231 lindalanewhite@sbcglobal.net Don’t forget to wear red on February 6, 2009.

Condo or house - The decision in one word

ifestyle. That one word sums up the top factors in deciding between a condo or a single family house. And that word is loaded. Typically, condos are the preferred dwelling of couples without children and retirees who don't want obligations. But whether they like their choice, comes down to how they want to live as much as where they want to live. If you love city life - the action, the people, entertainment and the amenities - you might well love a condo in the center of a city. For your money, you'll be able to choose great city views and probably find a hip granite countered wonder with romantic bamboo floors. You'll also enjoy a property that you don't have to spend much time on. You won't have to mow grass, repair your roof, chlorinate the swimming pool, or keep the landscape manicured. You'll save lots of time, but you probably won't save as much money as one would think. Every building has condo association fees that take care of the costs of shared areas. So condo living is not often inexpensive. With a condo, while you own everything within your walls, it is still shared living and one of the

most important questions you can ask yourself is how much privacy and control of your property you need to be happy. It is one thing to say you don't want to mow the lawn. It's another thing to realize you have no say over when the lawn is mowed, or how the landscaping looks. Those moving from a singlefamily home to a condo, might have to adjust to sharing a wall with other people. That doesn't mean there is a lack of privacy in a condo, but it is certainly a different kind of privacy than living in a home separated from the neighbors by a lawn. If you like to garden, tend to the yard, and do small maintenance chores, you might prefer a house. If you are retiring, consider downsizing instead of condo life. You can also look into townhomes instead where there may be just one adjoining wall or no wall at all where you might even have a small yard to call your own. One question many potential condo buyers ask is whether condos are difficult to sell. The answer usually depends on the overall real estate market and condos follow the trends of the market. But, generally, condos may be part of the new trend back toward urbanization. According to research by the Brookings Institution, the new condo buyers are looking for a 'walkable environment' where they can live and walk to their work or even just for shopping.

Dena Land News—Linda Lane-White • Keller Williams Realty (626) 786-1231 • www.lindalanewhite.com

Ask an Expert

Giving The Buyer Reassurance I have a potential Q buyer for my house but the buyer wants some guarantees on the appliances. How can I give him peace of mind without exposing myself to all sorts of claims after the sale of the house?

Sixteenth President Across 1. Mire 4. Buddy 7. Alliance 9. Radio operators 10. History Muse 11. Battery contents 12. Ticked off 14. TV agency 15. Stem the flow of 19. "Ah, me!" 20. Attired 22. Strengthen, with "up" 23. Giving 24. "Yikes!" 25. Rover, for one Down 1. "Monty Python"

airer 2. Earthen pot 3. Enter 4. Rate 5. During 6. "Acid" 8. Befuddle 9. Found in a farmer's field 13. Columbus Day mo. 15. ___ gin fizz 16. Aaron or Williams 17. Gymnast's feat 18. Temple: Arch. 19. Did lunch 21. Banned pesticide

The headline is a clue to the answer in the diagonal.

You need home warranty insur-

ance. Considering what a home warranty plan costs, and the many things it covers, it can be a very good investment for a seller. For the buyer, it offers peace of mind for their purchase. After all, a buyer might be feeling the pinch right after he buys a house and is in no mood to replace the refrigerator or work on the air conditioning system. Buyers can often come back to the seller and ask that the seller make good on his promise that the air conditioning or refrigerator are in working order. A major appliance that suddenly quits after the sale isn't a very happy prospect for the well-meaning

seller or the cash-strapped buyer. That's why buyers can easily (and relatively cheaply) show their sincerity with the purchase of a home warranty. Plans cost between $250 and $400 for the first year, with an option to renew at a higher cost the second year. The policy will carry a deductible that the new homeowner must pay. Typically, that deductible is from $50 to $150 and will apply to a service call. Home warranties usually cover built-in appliances such as stoves, dishwashers and garbage disposals, but may also cover a refrigerator or washer. It will cost more for the home warranty if you want to insure a pool, but will probably be

worth it. Because I have a lot of experience with warranty companies, I usually can give my clients good advice on what company to use and what to cover in the policy. In a real estate sale, the 1st year of the warranty contract is normally paid for by the seller. In turn we get a lot of cooperation from our warranty companies.

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just the first step. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Valentine’s Day, why not make it as a special breakfast in bed for your significant other? Ingredients: 4 slices of bread (crusts trimmed) 3 large eggs 18 oz pkg of shredded sharp cheddar cheese or other favorite cheese (Gouda or Edam make this dish elegantly richer) 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper Optional ingredients can be bacon, peppers, onions, mushrooms, ham, sausage, tomatoes or bacon bits. Directions: Whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper and another optional ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Trim the bread of crusts. Pour the mixture into a large casserole dish. Float the bread on the liquid and cover it with the shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until top of casserole starts to turn brown and mixture begins to firm. Serves 4. The casserole can be prepared ahead and reheated in the microwave. It is great the second or third day, too. (Hey, Colleen, doesn’t this sound a lot like what you make? - But you use more eggs and French bread, right?)

The day before he was executed for his faith, on Feb. 14, 270, a condemned Christian was said to have signed a letter to his jailer's daughter, 'From your Valentine.’ More than 17 centuries later this bittersweet event has emerged a holiday celebrated worldwide by lovers and friends. Kids send Valentines to their classmates, friends send them to each other, and, of course, lovers are sure to send one to each other. Husbands and wives still expect a card and maybe flowers or candy. It's true here and in many other countries. Korea and Japan have a good idea. On February 14, ladies give a gift of candy to the men, and on March 14, White Day, the men give candy to the ladies. In Britain, flowers and candy are given,

but children are part of the event. They sing songs and are given candy, fruit or money. Denmark has something of an allinclusive Valentine's Day. People send snowdrop flowers to friends. Men write a joking or rhyming letter to a girl and sign it with one dot for each letter of their name. Taiwan celebrates both on February 14 and July 7. Roses are a special flower at this time. One rose means "you are the only one," 11 roses mean "you are my favorite." After that, it gets more expensive because 99 roses mean "forever," and 100 roses mean "marry me." Scotland has parties for men and women, who draw names for a partner. Then they have a dance and may hold marriages.

Active Adults Corner

Trust Linda Lane-White as your Seniors Real Estate Specialist® NSAID Cream Works For Knee Pain Researchers have found that rubbing anti-inflammatory (NSAID) cream on your painful knees is as effective as taking a pill and has fewer side effects. Studies reported in the journal Health Technologies Assessment show NSAID creams to have an equal effect. And those who used them had no side effects such as indigestion, increased blood pressure or asthma flare ups. Doctors do say, however, that people with more widespread pain would benefit more from a painrelieving pill.

A study of people age 40 to 75 by the Postgraduate Medical School in Prague, Czech Republic, showed that pain strips containing about 200 mg of ibuprofen were good pain relievers. Old-time medications may still work for your knee pain. Absorbine Jr (remember this?) claims to be America’s top-selling pain reliever since 1892. Sold at drug stores, the bottle has a sponge on top so it can be spread without getting any on your hands. It’s especially handy for relieving pain at night. Absorbine’s active ingredient is menthol. It puts deep heat on the knee to relieve pain.

Happy Valentine’s Day Linda and Chris

Bargain Alert: Internet Eyeglasses If you need glasses in a hurry, but don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for a pair, ordering them over the Internet could be the answer for you. At www.dollarglasses.com, they offer fashion frames, prescription lenses and next-day delivery for $39. At www.zennioptical.com, you will find glasses for $8.99 to $29.99. Adding options brings the price a little higher. Sites such as www.eyeglasses.com and www.framesdirect.com, let you upload your picture and try on frames.

Dena Land News—Linda Lane-White • Keller Williams Realty (626) 786-1231 • www.lindalanewhite.com

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Augusta Financial is a service oriented mortgage company that specializes in residential financing. We have many loan programs to help our clients with all of their mortgage needs.  Peter offers the best pricing with the lowest fees!  Peter will personally address all of your questions and concerns regarding the loan process!  Augusta Financial makes the loan process seem easy!  Augusta is both Broker and Mortgage Banker!  We offer In-house processing and funding!

It’s a GREAT time to Refinance! Recent Area Sales Days on Market

Date Sold

Sale Price

60 12 488 129 292 189 202 25 0 85 333 36 167 75 67 118 4 135 182 723 270

01/09/09 01/22/09 01/16/09 01/06/09 01/07/09 01/06/09 01/02/09 01/05/09 01/14/09 01/12/09 01/15/09 01/15/09 01/23/09 01/14/09 01/28/09 01/22/09 01/19/09 01/07/09 01/06/09 01/27/09 01/23/09

320,000 362,000 392,000 410,000 480,000 630,000 658,200 277,000 695,000 442,500 275,000 680,000 750,000 1,350,000 435,000 630,000 752,000 930,000 510,000 340,000 689,000

Address

2303 Glenrose Ave 2659 McNally Ave 374 W Mariposa St 590 Buena Loma St 3990 Alzada Rd 3061 Via Maderas 912 E Palm St 2660 N Lake Ave #3 2074 Sinaloa Ave 4390 N El Prieto Rd 86 Wapello St 1300 N Crape Myrtle Dr 419 Mesa Lila Rd 822 Wiladonda Dr 2015 Navarro Ave 1700 Whitefield Rd 3790 Canfield Rd 2059 Windover Rd 425 Coronado St 7451 Kyle St 11071 Renaissance Dr

(Derived from PFAR MLS) City

Bed/ Bath

Home S.F.

Lot S.F.

Altadena Altadena Altadena Altadena Altadena Altadena Altadena Altadena Altadena Altadena Altadena Azusa La Crescenta/Glen La Canada Flintridge Pasadena Pasadena Pasadena Pasadena San Dimas Tujunga Tujunga

3/2 2/1 3/3 2/1 3/2 3/2 3/2 2/2 3/3 3/2 2/1 3/3 3/2 3/2 3/2 6/2 3/2 3/3 5/3 3/2 5/3

1382 1429 1952 1209 1720 1858 2010 832 1943 1302 1255 2714 2004 2404 2046 2604 1936 2811 2367 1558 3326

7798 7500 9871 not sttd 20038 13582 8630 N/A 9190 8220 5090 5985 11378 11516 14320 8550 9870 20491 7632 5999 19315

Who do you know right now who’s looking to buy, sell or invest in real estate? Give me a call or send me an E-mail. I’m never too busy for your referrals to friends or family. Disclaimers: All real estate information deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. All properties are subject to prior sale, change, or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) nor this company shall be responsible for typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. If your property is currently listed with another real estate broker, this is not a solicitation of that listing.

Dena Land News—Linda Lane-White • Keller Williams Realty (626) 786-1231 • www.lindalanewhite.com

Homeowners, buyers like solar

New one-time tax break makes sun power attractive

ongress has renewed and increased the tax credit for wind power, solar power, geothermal and other energy saving power plans. Buyers of green homes will benefit, but homeowners who install solar power in their present homes will get a 30 percent one-time investment credit in 2009. If you install a typical $25,000 solar panel system on your roof, you will get $7,500 in income tax credits. That's up from a $2,000 credit under the old arrangement. Home builders are finding that including solar power attracts more buyers. Big builders such as Centex and Pulte are including them more often. Even in a soft housing market, when Standard Pacific Homes put solar systems in a group of new models in a development, they sold out. The builder decided to put solar panels on all 304 homes in the development. Sun power is most attractive in markets where energy costs are the highest, such as California, Connecticut and New Jersey. At OnGrid Solar, an industry research firm, they predict that the pretax rate of return on a typical solar system in these areas will be better than 15 percent each year. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which studies the effects of eco-features on real estate values, says more homeowners now view solar panels as a long-term asset.

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As Black History Month dawns this February, it will mark an historic moment. President Barack Obama has become the first AfricanAmerican to lead the United States of America. President Obama's election melds well with the theme of Black History Month that is "Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas." This theme explores the history of the NAACP. How far the quest has come! Black History Month originated

with the influence of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Dr. Woodson lamented the fact that history books rarely mentioned contributions by black people, except for George Washington Carver. He began writing black history and founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. This is now known as the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. In 1926, Dr. Woodson began Negro History Week. At the time of the bicentennial in 1976, Congress designated the entire month of February as a time to celebrate black history. Black History Month is a remembrance of the people and events that have shaped AfricanAmerican and United States history. February was designated as the month for the celebration because two men influential in the future of African-Americans were born in this month. They were President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Design a pantry for your new home or part of your remodeling project One aspect of your new home plan requires a very personal touch from you. The pantry is a most-important adjunct to your kitchen. Here are some tips from designers. Shallow shelves. Keep your inventory in sight with shelves that are a maximum of 18 inches deep. Allow enough space at the top so you can see everything on the shelves or so you can stack cans or cartons one on top of another. Allow plenty of space on the floor. You'll need it for large packages of paper towels, bottled water and 24-packs of soda. About two feet is enough, unless you buy cartons of toilet paper at a bigbox store. Build a pass-through window to the

kitchen. When you need several items, you won't have to carry them out to the kitchen. The window is also handy for passing groceries from the kitchen to the pantry. Create a place for bulky appliances. Cubby holes for the food processor, blender, toaster and portable oven allow for more counter space. If your pantry is small, pullouts, bins, back-of-the door racks and adjustable shelves can help you use the space more effectively. Drawers and pullout bins work in small pantries and large pantries alike. They are good for storing potatoes and onions or bags of dried beans, rice and peas. Pullout bins are great for anything that doesn't come in a box. Allow a space for wire baskets where you can store fruit and keep it in sight.

Pasadena Market Center 445 S. Fair Oaks Avenue Pasadena, CA 91105 Cell: (626) 786-1231 Home Office: (626) 798-2382 Fax: (626) 296-1979 lindalanewhite@sbcglobal.net

Home Office: 519 Alameda, Altadena Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated

Linda Lane-White “Singing” Realtor® CA Lic #01091347 (since 1990) Notary Public (since 1987)

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In Tune With Your Needs

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Search the MLS on my web site! February Happenings in Dena Land Now through March 1 Stormy Weather—Leslie Uggams plays Lena Horn at the Pasadena Playhouse 39 S. El Molino, Pasadena 626-356-7529 $48—$78. On Feb 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 Conversation with...Leslie Uggams on the patio at the Pasadena Playhouse 6:30 with live jazz and cobbler. 626-356-7529 $10 Feb 1 11am—4pm. Celebrate Chinese New Year (year of the Ox) at the Huntington. 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. 626-405-2100 or www.huntington.org Feb 1 7pm Robert Kyle’s official new CD “Bossalicious” release party takes place at the Pasadena Jazz Institute at Paseo Colorado. 260 E Colorado Blvd #206, Pasadena 626-398-3344 $10 Feb 7 8pm The Kingston Trio performs at Caltech, 332 S Michigan, Pasadena 626-395-3834 $10 to $36 Feb 8 4pm Jamie Farr will be at Lake Ave Church for the San Marino Celebrity Series 626-441-1465 $30 Black History Feb 8 51st Annual Grammy Awards. Staples Center in Los Angeles. Feb 14 12:30pm Valentine’s Day Singles Mixer at Vroman’s Bookstore. Join for wine, cheese and mingling. Celebration 3729 E Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. 626-449-5320 www.vromans.com FREE “Our Hope Endures” Feb 14 7pm Joyce Woodson & the Tumbling Tumbleweeds at the Coffee Gallery in Altadena 398-7917 $20 or $35 per couple. www.coffeegallery.com Sunday, Feb 15, 2009 Feb 16 President’s Day. Banks and Post Offices closed. Feb 18 7pm My Life in Bondage: Frederick Douglass. The Huntington. 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. 6265pm to 6pm 405-2100 or www.huntington.org Free to students with advanced Registration or $7 Soul Food Dinner at Feb 20 9pm Robert Kyle at Red White & Bluezz 70 S Raymond, Pasadena www.redwhitebluezz.com 6:15pm Feb 21&22 9am-12pm Take down of lights begins on Christmas Tree Lane. Was 2008 the last lighting? Altadena Baptist Church Come volunteer and find out. Santa Rosa between Altadena Dr and Woodbury in Altadena. 626-403-1123 791 E Calaveras, Altadena www.christmastreelane.net Feb 21 All Day—2nd Annual Pasadena Dance Festival. Classes, workshops & showcase performances at the 626-797-8970 Pasadena Civic,300 E Green St 818-749-5528 or 626-399-3676 www.lineagedance.org $20 to $40 www.altadenabaptist.com Feb 21 10:30am The Amgen Tour of California (largest cycling event in America). Rose Bowl www.visitpasadena.com FREE Guest Speaker: Feb 21 1pm A Visit with Abraham Lincoln. The Huntington Library lawn 1151 Oxford, San Marino. Program Dr. Ralph C. Watkins is presented with the exhibition “The Last Full Measure of Devotion: Collecting Abraham Lincoln” Feb 22 3pm Pasadena Museum of Calif Art Family Day. PMCA 490 E Union, Pasadena Free with admission 626-568-3665 www.pmcaonline.org Come hear the African Feb 22 81st Annual Academy Awards Presentation. Kodak Theater, Los Angeles Zimbabwe Choir, Billy Mitchell & Guests, Higher Heads Up! Don’t forget to join Team 5 Acres for the March 22, 2009 Kaiser Permanente Pasadena Marathon. Go to http://www.team5acrespasadena.blogspot.com/ for more info or call Susan Learning...and more! Silverman at 626-798-6793 x2279 or ssilverman@5acres.org