By: Roger Ewing

Our three Ewing & Associates offices have again placed Toys for Tots collection boxes in Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Sherman Oaks.  The collection boxes will remain in place through December 22, 2011. Toys of all monetary value will be distributed to needy children. Often, there are few gifts for children over the age of 10 so a special consideration for these children is always appreciated.

To find our offices, visit the links below:

Agoura Hills Office
Calabasas Office
Sherman Oaks Office

Sherman Oaks is littered with cars

By: Tim McLaughlin

The last two days have been lousy with traffic. I mean, really bad. If I were to theorize why the roads have been so packed I would assume it has something to do with the holiday season. It seems like every year around this time the city starts to grow to an extreme bustle and by Thanksgiving day, the traffic is close to nil. However, my theory could be far from the truth so don’t go off my word.

In the midst of all the activity I stumbled upon a free app called Inrix Traffic which provides real-time traffic maps, traffic forecast, accident and incident reports for every interstate, highway and major arterial and city street. It’s much better than the standard traffic report on the latest iOS so give it a try. It might save you from another headache this season.

By: Tim McLaughlin

By: Tim McLaughlin

Dracula Drool: This vile vial gets bonus gross-out points for its graphic name. It’s not just blood, it’s hemoglobin-stained saliva that dripped off the Count’s slobbering fangs.

Vampire Hair: Candy hair would have made this list on its own; so would candy vampires. The combination in a flossy candy that explodes on your tongue puts it at No. 2. Also noteworthy is the revelation that Marge Simpson is indeed a vampire.

Toxic Waste: There’s a classic trope of hazardous waste turning people into heinous mutants. This version turns kids into people who enjoy sucking on unpleasant, intensely sour candy. According to the barrel’s chart, keeping one of these in your mouth for a minute makes you a full toxie head. If you last only 45 seconds you’re just a toxie wannabe.

Blood Energy Potion: This sugary maroon liquid claims to have “similar nutritional content to natural blood.” A serving does provide 55% of recommended daily iron value and 880mg of amino acids. It even tastes like blood, but only Franken Berry’s blood. An impressive Web tie-in poses it as a synthetic blood substitute for vampires, an alternative to feasting on humans. With its microwave instructions to heat to 98.6°F and transfusion bag packaging, we give this an A(Rh)+ for commitment.

Body Parts Sushi: There’s something about eyeballs, fingers, and ears topping seaweed-wrapped rice that gives us an extra kick of queasiness. Associating hacked body parts with customary fare legitimizes cannibalism in a way that puts us ill at ease. Also, the list of ingredients includes the word “pork.” Wretch. Comes with chopsticks.

4 changes to upcoming FHA loans

By: Charise Mitchell

Tips taken from CAR

As you may know, unless Congress extends the expiration deadline, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan limits set in 2008 will drop significantly beginning October 1. Congress raised the loan limit amount in response to the housing crisis to help spur the homebuying market. FHA loans offer borrowers very competitive rates and terms, and they only require a 3.5% down payment. Allowable debt ratios are higher than the typical debt-ratio limits imposed for conventional loans, and there are no income limit qualifications, so more people can qualify for them.

If the loan limit drops on October 1, many California homebuyers will face higher down payments, higher mortgage rates and stricter loan qualification requirements. Borrowers seeking larger mortgages will have to apply for conventional loans or jumbo loans, which may be subject to higher interest rates and down payments. Here are four things you should know to help your clients now.

1. LOWER LOAN LIMITS. The conforming loan limit determines the maximum mortgage amount that FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy or guarantee. If your client wants to stay under the current loan limits, then encourage them to purchase now and close by September 30th.

2. DROPS BY COUNTY. Under the new FHA loan limits, some counties will see significant drops in their loan limits. San Diego County will experience a $151,250 drop, Sonoma County a $141,550 reduction, while Orange and Los Angeles Counties will drop by $104,250. To see a full, county-by-county list of changes, click here.

3. JUMBO LOANS. The current FHA loan limit is $729,750. After October 1, that limit may drop to $625,500. Mortgage loans higher than that amount will be considered non-conforming jumbo loans, which typically have rates that are 0.875% to 1.5% higher than conforming rates, depending on the loan product, and require higher down payments.

4. MORE STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS. FHA loan requirements may allow for lower credit scores. So an applicant with a lower FICO score can still qualify for an FHA loan, even if they can’t for a conventional loan. Your clients may be able to obtain an FHA loan three years after defaulting or having a loan foreclosed.

Tina Stern’s Hollister Ranch Property Featured as LA Times Home of the Week

By: Tina Stern

My listing of 114 Hollister Ranch, Gaviota, California was featured in the Business Section of the Sunday Los Angeles Times on 9.4.2011 as their choice for “Home of the Week” (view here). This 108 acre property with 5 structures is nothing short of magnificent. To view the property, see the YouTube video below or view the property website at www.114hollister.com

The legendary Hollister Ranch. Full parcel Listing. Inaccessible to the public, guard gated 24 hours a day. The 14,400 acre Ranch has 8 ½ miles of private pristine beach frontage for the exclusive use of homeowners. Property includes 2 complete houses, 1 guest house, 1 barn-game room and 1 secluded hilltop hideaway. Located approx. 30 minutes up the coast from Southern California’s most charming city, Santa Barbara. Ranch consists of 136 one hundred acre, or larger parcels. Parcel 114 is nestled in its own private valley. Its approx. 108 acres lie on a private road winding through 100 year old oaks, spring-fed creeks & vistas from rolling hills to pastures & the Pacific Ocean. It offers privacy, security & beauty only minutes to the beach. Whether seeking solitude or staging a grand getaway for family & friends, this is a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a virtually unspoiled piece of the California dream right on the most protected coastline in Southern California

New Cafe in town

By: Ron Viola

In the heart of Sherman Oaks on Ventura Blv, Sweet Butter Kitchen is open for a light lunch, quick dinner or morning cappuccino. Last week I stopped in for brunch and had a wonderful meal outside under their heated patio with a cup of Intelligentsia coffee.

Sweet Butter is a great new place for the neighborhood headed up by Leslie Danelian and husband Rick Berge. Leslie began her culinary career as a food stylist and recipe writer. Sweet butter offers tons of creative food options for all types of eaters.

Click here to view map.

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

Help clean up the San Fernando Valley

By: Ron Viola

Living in our consumer society can be a bit tiresome. Constantly being bombarded with sales pitches and hooky advertisements. When you used to be able to take a peaceful walk down the boulevard to escape the blaring television and radio, now we are being sold to in another capacity – people are unhitching trailers and leaving them around the San Fernando Valley.

They’re unsightly, unwanted and occasionally sleazy. There’s bill out trying to stop this.

For more information, please call the Assembly District Office at: (818) 904-3840

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

Help fundraise, drink wine

By: Ron Viola

As a wine, food and concert lover, I wanted to make a point to share this wine festival with my readers. The City of Los Angeles with the help of the Rotary Club will feature over 30  California wines and culinary expressions from Patina Restaurant Group’s, Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse, Kendall’s Brasserie, Cafй Pinot, Zucca Ristorante and ‘tina Tacos.

Be prepared for entertainment and a silent auction as this charity event raises money for the renovation of the newly-named Volunteers of America Rotary House. The Volunteers of America‘s homeless program downtown is a place of shelter and hope for those on skid road. It’s a great chance to help the impoverished in our own country.

The venue is the Music Center of Los Angeles (view the google map here). You can purchase tickets here for $5.

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

The most common threat to our home is burglary

By: Ron Viola

According to the FBI, a burglary occurs somewhere in the United States every 15.4 seconds. By definition, the crime of burglary is a non-confrontational property crime that occurs when we are not at home. However, becoming a burglary victim can leave a family feeling vulnerable and violated. To avoid becoming a burglary victim, it is important to first gain an understanding of who commits them and why.

Here are some tips to follow to protect yourself from burglary.

Be a good neighbor

• Get to know all your adjacent neighbors
• Invite them into your home and establish trust
• Agree to watch out for each other’s home
• While on vacation – pick up newspapers, and flyers
• Offer to occasionally park your car in their driveway

Lighting

• Use interior light timers to establish a pattern of occupancy
• Exterior lighting should allow 100- feet of visibility
• Use good lighting along the pathway and at your door
• Use light timers or photo-cells to turn on/off lights automatically
• Use infra-red motion sensor lights on the rear of single family homes

Items left in vehicles:

• Make sure you have not left anything of value in your vehicle that would make it a target. Do not leave iPods, cell phones, GPS devices, etc in plain sight.

Outdoor lighting:

• Most of the houses are equipped with lights that turn on automatically when it gets dark. A number of residents have not replaced burned out bulbs thus creating dark areas on their property. If you are concerned about energy usage, purchase the coiled fluorescent bulbs which use less energy and last a long time. Keeping the lights on should help deter criminal activity.

For more prevention information go here

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.