Thanksgiving....

I remember my first Thanksgiving in Long Beach... it was warm which for me was weird and unusual. My history was from growing up in Northern Idaho and then as a young adult moving to the Seattle area and before coming to Long Beach living on Bainbridge Island across the sound from Seattle.

So for me Thanksgiving time meant warm clothes, boots, coat and a hat. In Idaho it meant a probable chance of snow and Seattle... rain.

So I found this warm weather odd and the people in shorts at the beach rather odd. But all that did not take away from the meaning of Thanksgiving and me for me that meant family and friends. We all need to be thankful for what we have in our lives.... even when times are tough as they are for some right now we need to be thankful. Traveling earlier this year to Israel, Jordan and Egypt gave me a real perspective as to what poverty is... and you know what? They looked happy. We are trained from an early age that having possessions will make us happy and that is just not true... I find mine in my family and friends.

This year has been hard on all of us... but looking towards 2009 I see a year of new beginnings. 2008 for me was a good year as my real estate career kept plugging along... and I survived.

I have spent helping people in the Long Beach area who are struggling... there are alternatives out there and finding someone capable of helping is a huge asset. I have aligned myself with a Short Sale company to help facilitate the difficult process of handling a short sale. Please call if this is of interest.

Again... Have a Great Thanksgiving.

Jeff Hall
Long Beach Home Solutions Inc.
Long Beach, CA
562-505-6204

jeff@JeffHallRealtor.com
www.LongBeachHomeSolutions.com

November... Really

As a child growing up in Northern Idaho you could always tell it was November by the cold in the air, lack of leaves on the trees and sometimes the fall of early snow... All I can say about that is... I love Southern California and especiall Long Beach.

I moved to Long Beach a little over five years ago and have not turned back to the rainy days of living in Seattle Washington which I called home for almost twenty years. I will never forget my first Thanksgiving here in the warm sunshine... it was odd at first.

Today we are in the middle of another hot morning and the heat feel so good on our skin.

What does this have to do with real estate? Nothing... just a fond memory.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working hard with clients trying to sell their homes via "Short Sale." Short Sales are where we ask the bank(s) to take less for a home that is owed on it. What this does for the seller is give them a feeling that they did the right thing and not going all the way to foreclosure.

The big reason is a foreclosure stays with the seller and their credit report for a long-time and can be a reason for turn down when purchasing a nother new home. (This is up to the credit authorizating bank and may change at any time.)

What I have found is a way to make this happen and work for all parties envolved. Short Sales are real hard on the buyer as well as you go through periods of no action from the bank. As an agent it makes you feel real helpless.

When considering working with an agent be sure they know how to work with all types of transactions and can help you make a good choice.

Enjoy the warm weather.

Jeff

Jeff Hall
Long Beach Home Solutions
Long Beach, CA
www.jeffhallrealtor.com

jeff@jeffhallrealtor.com