Long Beach Freedom: What to do in Long Beach that is Free and Fun

Free is good, right?  Well, what is there to do in Long Beach that's free?  A lot of things!  Here's a short list to start, a sample of some of the fun and free things to do in Long Beach, year 'round.  I'll add to this list in future posts.

PARKS

Recreation Park - 211 acres in the middle of east Long Beach, it has two golf courses (fee), the Billie Jean King Tennis Center and Blair Field, in addition to a lawn bowling green, a dog park, casting pond and playground.  That little stage in the middle was home to many of my make-believe plays when I was a kid.  Great picnic areas, too.

Hill Top Park in Signal Hill - incredible views from Orange County to the Santa Monica mountains, to downtown L.A. to the San Gabriel mountains.  There are picnic areas and bathrooms and it's great for walking and jogging, giving you a good workout with the steep incline.

Gum Grove Park - Los Cerritos Wetlands nature walk.  See owls, herons, egrets, woodpeckers, coyotes, lizards, hawks, frogs, maybe even a gopher snake, and more.

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at Long Beach State - open Tuesday through Friday, 8a-3:30p and Sundays 12-4p.  A peaceful 1.3 acre oasis with a large koi pond where you can purchase koi pellets to feed the fish; sand gardens and bridges.

CULTURE

Long Beach Museum of Art - It's free on Fridays, usually $7 admission.

Rancho Los Alamitos Rancho and Gardens - open Wednesday through Sunday, from 1-5p.  Guided tours are available every 30 minutes from the docents.  The 7.5 acres are a microcosm of the regional story, granted in 1790 by the Spanish Crown, but also home to the original natives of the Los Angeles Basin and a sacred place.

Rancho Los Cerritos - open Wednesday through Sunday, from 1-5p.  Built in 1844, it is an historic site with an adobe home, research library and historic gardens.  The home is furnished to reflect the lifestyle of the occupants from 1860-1880.

HOLIDAYS

Well, you'll have to come back for those tips!  You can subscribe to my blog to make sure you get the latest entry.  They are focused on Long Beach and on real estate, sometimes even in the same entry.  If you'd like to receive my monthly e-newsletter or have any questions about real estate, you may reach me at katielarson@kw.com or by phone/text 562.673.5335. 

I'd love to hear what your favorite FREE things are to do in Long Beach!

First Time Home Buyers - Who knows how to buy a house? (Step 1)

Who knows how to buy a house?  Raise your hands - who knows?

 

Okay, then, it looks like a lot of you know how to buy a house so why am I writing this blog?  Because first time home buyers don't know what they don't know.  It sure looks easy on HGTV - heck, those first time buyers look at three homes and buy one in less than 30 minutes!  Navigating the market and buying a home is a tad more difficult than that, in the world outside of "reality" TV.  In fact, it ranks up there with death and divorce on the stress-o-meter.  You need to start by building your team:  a Realtor and a lender to see you through what is likely the biggest investment you've made in your life so far.

Where do you start?

FINANCES

If you don't know how much it actually costs to buy a house (those things called closing costs and other things like inspections, in addition to the actual home purchase price), you don't know what you can buy.  This comes even before deciding where to buy the house, how many bedrooms you need, and where the TV will go.  It could even come before picking the right Realtor, although the right Realtor will be an excellent resource for the right lender.

The first step in the home buying process is connecting with a great lender.  You want a lender with a variety of loan options, with a high level of customer service, with a local presence.  Some of the big banks and online lenders promise great rates, but are they going to be available to you when you can't get a document you need, when you have questions about the process, when you are in high anxiety about spending your life savings?  A great lender will take the time to explain every step, the reason behind every question.  They will guide you through the loan application process, over the options you have on types of loans to see what works best for you.  They will talk with you about how much down payment you need to avoid PMI (private mortgage insurance) which could add hundreds of dollars to your mortgage payment.  And they will tell you when it makes sense to put down less, pay the PMI and then refinance.

Ideally, you should start this process a month or two before you are ready to buy.   A good lender will also help you get your credit in check (if it needs checking), as well as guide you through how to keep that credit in check during the whole process.  You may not know what slipped into your credit report when you weren't looking and you need the time to get it corrected.

WHAT DO I NEED TO GET A LOAN?

It takes time to gather all the information needed for the loan approval process:  your most recent two years of W-2s, personal Federal Tax Returns, most recent paystubs, the last two months of statements from your assets (checking, saving, investments, etc.), your I.D., your social security card, your 3rd grade social studies project. 

A loan pre-approval letter, along with an underwriting report (known as a "DU") on your finances is usually required just to submit an offer.  Your FICO score is also frequently requested, although usually included in the DU.  In addition to the fact that you can't even make an offer without the finances in order, most Realtors will not show you homes without the pre-approval loan work being done.

Step 1, first time buyers?  Get your finances in order and the loan approval started with the right lender.  By the way, that never changes, no matter how many times you've bought a home.  It always starts with the finances.  So now you know what to start.  If you need to know how to find a great lender, start with your Realtor, who will have excellent lender resources for you, people they've worked with, who they know will be there for you.  The lender is part of your team in getting you the home you want.

I have excellent lender referrals for my buyers.  These are lenders I know are there through every step of the process, are available to help, answer questions, educate and get you the best loan for you at the best rate.  Did you need a referral?  Give me a call or send me an email for lender referrals as well as a "Home Buyers Handbook - What You Need to Know About Buying a Home".

Next up?  Choosing a Realtor. (pick me! pick me! pick me!)

Staging a Vacant Home - What's in it for me?

If you like to fill in the blank, then maybe looking at a vacant house doesn't bother you.  You have a good imagination, a good feel for space.  You like the blank slate.  You think the bones of your house speak for themselves.  Maybe.  But not everyone has your vision and sometimes painting the picture makes all the difference in whether someone can see themselves living in a house or not.  Will that king bed fit in here?  Will that wall fit your 64" TV? 

How quickly do you want your home to sell?

PROS ON NOT STAGING

Staging is expensive.  You (the seller) are paying for furniture to be delivered, set up in a way to show off the house, and then you are renting it for the time it's in the house and then the pick up.  Staging an entire home can run over $5,000, depending on the size of the house and the quality of the furniture.  Typically you start with the consultation for around $75 and an average home staging is about $1,800.  Not staging a home saves you money.

Homes in the lower price range of an area don't benefit as greatly from the cost of staging.  Ask your Realtor what they think of the cost when working in that price range.  Sometimes just a large plant to break up the space will do the trick. Maybe add a couple of chairs for a vignette, but you do not need to invest in a full staging.

PROS ON STAGING

A vacant home can feel cold, uninteresting, even uncared for.  A well staged home can spark buyers' imaginations, can get them talking about "that great house with the cool red sectional in the living room". 

Putting in a queen size bed in the bedroom shows off the size of the room, where a bedroom set up as a sports room gets the buyers thinking about different ways to use the space.  Colorful place settings on the dining table, with open cookbooks on the counter invite the buyer in to picture themselves living in the home.

Staging a vacant home also lets you pick a theme that can continue through the house, whether in color or texture, drawing the buyers into each room.  It can engage their interest through the way the furniture shows off features like fireplaces and the view of the backyard.  There are no personal items to distract when staging a home, either, so the focus is only on showing off the best parts of the house.

BUT WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Selling a home is not for the faint-hearted.  There are lots of opinions on staging, as well as ways to do it yourself, do it less expensively, hiring a consultant, how much you should pay.  HGTV is a great resource for ideas, too, as well as entertainment.  It's not a substitute for a well informed agent or staging consultant, but it can increase your understanding and options to consider.

For my sellers, I pay for an initial staging consultation on homes above a certain price range, to help them see if it's what they want to do.  It's my investment in making them comfortable with the process, in helping them decide which investments they want to make to sell their home for the highest possible price.  Another good step in deciding is sending my sellers to open houses.  I encourage them to go check out the competition.  I can let them know what's vacant, what isn't.  It only takes a couple visits before they can tell whether or not something is staged.  How do they feel when walking in the empty home?  The staged home?  What makes them want to buy?

Another option I can offer is to pay for the full staging up front by adding an additional 1% to the selling office commission.  This means the seller never has to pay for the staging costs out of pocket, but the costs that I paid up front and my reimbursement come out of the closing costs.  This is a good way to get a high quality staging without the seller having to add that cost to any repairs or other costs to get the house ready.

Have more questions?  Need a staging referral?  Give me a call 562.673.5335 or send me an email at katielarson@kw.com. 

Living in Long Beach: Neighborhood connections

How do you connect with your neighbors?  The organization We Love Long Beach has been trying to answer - and promote - that question for several years now.  This year one of the ways was with a Citywide Pumpkin Carving and Chili Party, with hosts in 30 different neighborhoods around the city.

We sponsored the one for our neighborhood, La Marina Estates.  I used both NextDoor.com and the La Marina Estates Facebook page to get the word out.  I supported one of the young neighbors by paying him to distribute 263 flyers to the neighbors.  Phone calls, emails and street conversations ensued, showing lots of interest.  Signs were put up the week of the event, reminding neighbors to come on over.  Pumpkins were donated through We Love Long Beach, as well as others purchased for the event at Pa's Pumpkin Patch.

On the day of the event, October 25th, we had more than 40 neighbors join us for a couple of hours, with children as young as 2 years old and neighbors well into their 80's who attended.  The turkey chili was a hit, with some toppings and cornbread available.  Several neighbors brought desserts to share, many pumpkin themed.  Two representatives from the LBPD East division stopped by to tell us about a recent rash of burglaries in the area and how to stay connected, safe, and informed.

Although pumpkins and carving tools were supplied, neighbors also brought their own, taking advantage of my plug "make the mess at our house".  Neighbors shared tales of when they first moved in the neighborhood, back in 1956, with neighbors who moved in 6 months ago.  We talked about Long Beach real estate, then and now, about former home owner associations and what we can do moving forward with Community Watch.

All the while, pumpkins were being carved, children were playing and connections were being made.  There was even talk about next year's event, and what else can we do to stay connected.  Next up?  A Community Watch meeting, which we'll host at our home.  I love living in Long Beach and being part of a thriving neighborhood.  How do you connect?

All the World's a Stage, Part 2 - Selling a Home Tips

You really love green.  I mean you LOVE the color green.  Your bedroom is painted green, your kitchen is green, your living room furniture is green, your bathrooms are all shades of green:   chartreuse, sage, emerald, kelly, mint, pine, spring, teal, olive, Celadon, neon, sea, light, dark... When Johnny Cash wrote the song "Forty Shades of Green", he was actually thinking about your house.

the colors in a home play into staging a home for sale

Unfortunately, not everyone shares your affinity for green and if you're getting your home ready to sell, it may be something you need to address.

NEUTRALIZING NOT STERALIZING

Staging a home when you're still living in it, as I mentioned in my last post, means making your home a little less personal.  When it comes to personal taste, you sometimes need to neutralize the colors, lighten up a darker room, let the buyer be able to imagine bringing in their furniture, seeing their passion for the color red be able to play out in the home.

If you're living in the house, you don't want to make it so bland that the buyer wonders what kind of neat freaks live here and don't they have any personality?  You do want to tone it down, by packing up your 1,342 piece collection of Star Wars memorabilia, removing personal photos and keeping horizontal surfaces clean and clear of clutter (aka personal stuff).

PAINTING



  

Painting to stage a home

A good paint job is an investment, but a few thousand dollars spent to neutralize that aubergine room into a soft taupe could be what sells the house, and could be what keeps the price up.  A buyer who is worried about the cost of having to paint everything might be putting in a lower offer, if they offer at all.  Many times I've been with buyers who just can't get past the color on the wall or, more, the color of the carpet.  Some understand "it's only paint" and others don't and move on to other homes for sale.

Work with your agent and a staging consultant to see where you really need to paint and where adding in a few accent pieces will be enough to break up the color saturation.

WANT MORE INFORMATION?

 

If you'd like my full report on "Getting Your Home Ready to Sell" as well as monthly newsletters with Long Beach/West Orange County real estate updates, tips on homes and life, please send me an email to katielarson@kw.com and I'll get that report to you right away.  You can also "LIKE" me on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/KatieLongBeachRealtor?ref=hl

All the world's a stage, but your home is what matters

Staging a home creates a welcoming feeling

One of the first questions sellers ask me, after how high can we price this house, is "Do we need to stage the home?"  Many of you watch the HGTV shows that tell you staging is very important, and it is.  You want a potential buyer to walk in, feel good about what they see, be able to imagine their life unfolding in the same space yours has unfolded.  You want them to see themselves as the home's next chapter.

STAGING VERSUS REARRANGING

If you are living in your home, you can't very well move out all your well loved furniture and bring in the fancy new stuff, so I bring in a staging consultant on listings that will have the owners still living in the home, who still need to cook meals, host parties, entertain kids, watch TV comfortably in the old chair.  The staging consultant works with the furniture and furnishings in the house and might bring in some accent pieces.

The consultant will make suggestions to make rooms feel more open, to show off the features, to let in more natural light.  The staging feedback can also be a simple as "declutter and depersonalize", which means clean up the piles, straighten items in drawers and closets and remove personal photos and awards from walls and shelves.

CURB APPEAL

Curb appeal brings them in the door

You want to invite buyers into your home by welcoming them when they first drive up.  Fresh flowers planted, fitting the season, and a nicely trimmed lawn are a start.  The staging consultant can also make suggestions as to whether or not that garden gnome collection is welcoming or scary.

If you'd like my full report on "Getting Your Home Ready to Sell" and my monthly newsletters that include local Southern California information, Long Beach real estate updates, as well as tips on homes and life, please send me an email to katielarson@kw.com and I'll get that report to you right away.

I'm never too busy for your referrals, so if you know anyone looking to buy or sell a home, please let me know and send them my way. 

Lovely Long Beach

Long Beach offers, well, a beach, of course, but also views, bays, parks and lots of trees.  No wonder Long Beach real estate is constantly in demand.

 Queen Mary, July 4, 2014

A sunset, November 2013

 Belmont Pier, May 2014

El Dorado Park, September 21, 2014

 Duffy in Alamitos Bay, 2014

 Sunset over Alamitos Bay from Tantalum, 2013