March 2011 Real Estate Newsletter

• How To Get Smart About Your Heart…
• Small & Helpless Amidst World Chaos…
• Did You Buy A Lemon?…
• Fun Facts and Laughs:   The 4 Most Popular Dog Breeds,
       A Cool Tool To Grasp The Universe, And More…
• Trivia Challenge: Win <<Free Movie Tickets For Two>>
• Real Estate & Foreclosure Report…
• Real Estate Q&A:   What Do I Need To Know About Lead Paint
       In Older Homes?

Dennis Smith, Realtor® ABR, SRES, e-PRO,CDPE DRE #00476662 Sunshine Smith, Realtor® SFR,  DRE #01249837 RE/MAX BY-THE-SEA Phone: 760-436-0087 Email: dennis@sandiegohomes4u.com WWW.SanDiegoHomes4u.com Meet me on Linkedin.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisdsmith  Meet me on Facebook profile at http://www.facebook.com/people/Dennis_Smith/638651626 365 Things to do in Encinitas – Cardiff at http://tinyurl.com/365EncinitasActivities Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sandiegohomes4u Check out my Local & Real Estate Blog at: http://sandiegohomes4u.com/blog Share my Foreclosure Avoidance site, http://HAFAShortSaleConsultant.com/ View all homes for sale at http://sandiegohomes4u.com/ Or call for a custom list.

My Listings and their Virtual Tours

805 Bluffcrest Lane in Encinitas 92024 for $499K to $530K
http://805bluffcrest.willsellquick.com/  (Sold in 5 days)

10103 Lake Meadow Lane in the Hidden Meadows part of Escondido, 92026 for $395,500
http://lakemeadowln.willsellquick.com/

4491 Brisbane Way #1 in Oceanside, 92058, for $199K (condo)
http://4491brisbane1.willsellquick.com/

3525 Lake Park, Fallbrook 92028 for $281K
http://3523lakeparkave.epropertysites.com/

Dear {FIRST_NAME|Friend}…

The American Heart Association says people routinely take their cars in for preventive maintenance but too often they don't pay enough attention to their own cardiovascular health. You can learn about the "Simple 7" things you can do to manage your heart health in today's Making a Difference 4U, Free consumer newsletter.

You'll also learn what to do if you buy a lemon (car, that is) – plus funny jokes, a trivia challenge, and lots more.

To health, success and laughter in your life!

RE/MAX BY-THE-SEA

PS.  If you're in the market to sell your home (or buy a home), pick up a copy of my Free Consumer Report "12 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring Any Real Estate Agent". Simply email me to get this helpful resource for yourself or a friend: dennis@sandiegohomes4u.com, or calling me at: 760-436-0087

People often treat their cars better than they do their bodies. That's what the president of the American Heart Association (AHA) says about the public's awareness of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death around the world.

The key is this: If you do the right things, most heart disease is preventable. While talking with your doctor is important, here's what you can do on your own:

Know where you stand. To get your personal heart score and learn what steps you may need to take to improve your heart health, go to MyLifeCheck.heart.org

Follow the AHA's "Simple 7":

• Get active. 150 minutes/week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes/week of vigorous exercise. Walking is a great way to start.
• Control cholesterol. Make diet and lifestyle changes if your level is 200 mg/dl or higher.
• Eat better. Follow the 2010 guidelines at www.dietaryguidelines.gov. The AHA takes these a step further by saying everyone should limit their daily sodium consumption to 1,500 mg a day.
• Manage blood pressure. Know yours and keep it in a healthy range.
• Lose weight. Understand the relationship between the calories you're consuming versus the calories you're burning off.
• Reduce blood sugar. Diabetes is one of the major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
• Stop smoking. Seek out classes/support groups by contacting such organizations as the American Lung Association or Cancer Society.

Track and manage your heart health by using the interactive tool at www.heart360.org.

Learn the warning signs of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest. Find this information at a doctor's office, library or online sites like WebMD.com. By acting quickly (calling 9-1-1) you may save a life, including your own.

Forward this article to a friend

Small & Helpless Amidst World Chaos…

By Joeann Fossland, a Real Estate Coach, with permissionMy first reaction to watching the horrific media coverage Japan’s earthquake and tsunami is to feel so small and helpless. Watching the pictures of the wars in Afghanistan and unrest in Egypt & Libya….people being blown up…. makes me very grateful to be living in my neighborhood. I intend to help by sending blankets and toiletries and money, but it is easy to feel it will hardly make a difference. Here at home, our economy and past few years in the real estate industry have been trying and difficult, not just for those of us who make a living in real estate but for the huge numbers of people who have lost their houses. Most of us have survived and we are not homeless or being shot at. I’ve been pondering all of this for days. Small and helpless is not a useful feeling. Ignoring the chaos, the craziness and the natural decay isn’t an answer for me either. So what’s the solution?

• Take action on what you CAN do. I often suggest this to my coaching clients and I am taking my own advice, this week, looking at what I CAN do. I know little actions, when taken by many CAN make a huge difference. This was brought home when I raised over $7000 in 2002 for The Liver Foundation, mostly in $10 contributions for the Triathlon I participated in and when the Web Women’s Giving Circle raised over $20K for CARE, also with mostly small donations. Contribute everywhere you can, even if it is a small amount or a small act.

• Do everything YOU can to live in peace. Be kind. Remember long ago, Plato said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Mark Twain reminds us, "Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." I do not think I can stop war, but I do think if enough people become committed to spreading kindness and loving each other, there will be a difference. I see a different way of looking at war when I remember that Mother Teresa said, “If we have failed to have peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

• Take care of yourself! According to author, Eda LeShan “When we truly care for ourselves, it becomes possible to care far more profoundly about other people. The more alert and sensitive we are to our own needs, the more loving and generous we can be toward others.” Times of feeling small and helpless are good times to be especially consistent in spending 15 minutes in reflection, prayer or meditation each day. “When there is too much stress or worry, look within.” suggests the Dalai Lama. And don’t forget to eat well, exercise, and sleep!

• While you can’t choose your circumstances, you can choose your attitude! “You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face, and show the world all the love in your heart." sings Carole King. Maybe it is as simple as Beatrix Potter says, "Believe there is a great power working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest". Hmmm… I’m not always good at behaving!

• You can create miracles! My first coach, Thomas Leonard reminds us: "People who wait for a magic wand fail to see that they ARE the magic wand".

You CAN make a difference. Right where you are. We may be small, but we are far from helpless!

 I am an active member of the Encinitas Lions Club.  Lions International has sent $1.25M to Japan so far and are sending another $5M next week. What I love about the Lions is that $100% of the donation money goes to relief…no overhead is taken out.  We have been rated the #1 NGO (Non-Government Orginization) in the world for the last 2 years. See www.lionsclubs.org 

If you want to help, you can donate online or you can send a check to the Encinitas Lions and we get “Club Credit” for it. Either way is fine.  Make it payable to Encinitas Lions Foundation and you will get a receipt if requested.  We are a 501c3 charity so it is a tax write off. Call or e-mail me for more info on local Lions events & activities.  760-436-0069

Not the fruit, but a new car that is defective beyond repair. Here's what to do if you think you might have one.

Know your rights and responsibilities. Every state has a Lemon Law that outlines eligibility requirements, notice requirements and specific remedies that you may recover in a legal action against the manufacturer if a vehicle cannot be fixed to conform to the warranty after a reasonable number of repair attempts.

If you can't find the information, contact your state consumer protection agency. Know your rights.  Car Buyer's Bill of Rights FFVR 35 from the DMV gives great info for consumers in California.

File a Lemon Law auto warranty complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) AUTO LINE program. If your auto manufacturer participates in the program, the BBB can help you negotiate with them and, if necessary, hold an arbitration hearing to settle the dispute at no cost to you.

Can You Guess The 4 Most Popular Dog Breeds? . . .

The American Kennel Club says these dogs are the most popular:

1. Labrador Retriever
   (most popular dog in America for the 20th year)
2. German Shepherd
3. Yorkshire Terrier
4. Beagle

They also added 3 dogs to their list of registered breeds: the Xoloitzcuintli (or Xolo), the Norwegian Lundehund and the Entlebucher Mountain Dog.

Before you get one of these, you'll have to learn to pronounce its name!

A Cool Tool To Grasp The Universe . . .

If the Earth is the size of a Brussels sprout, how big is the sun? Guess by using "Sizing Up The Universe" at: www.smithsonianeducation.org/students/idealabs/universe.html

Take it a step further by imagining the Brussels sprout-Earth in your backyard. Type in your address to see how far away the moon, sun and solar system would be relative to your house – or your hand!

Have A Laugh – "In A Pickle" . . .

Here's an interesting use of a household item.

When they ran out of money to buy expensive road salt for snow removal, Bergen County, NJ, turned to pickle juice!

Time.com called it a winter "dill-emma."

Guess who won last month's Trivia Question? I'm pleased to announce the the lucky winners of last month's quiz. And the winners are…drum roll please: Mike & Maria Schwartz of Carlsbad were the first people to correctly answer my quiz question.

Which of these countries does not currently have a female president or prime minister?

The answer is d) the Philippines. The president is Benigno S. Aquino III. His mother, Corazon Aquino, was the first woman to hold that office in the Philippines. So, let's move on to this month's trivia question.

Which U.S. state has the smallest resident population according to the 2010 census?

EMAIL ME AT: dennis@sandiegohomes4u.com OR Call Me At 760-436-0087 And You Could Be One Of My Next Winners!

Foreclosure filings significantly decline in California

·           Foreclosure filings in California dropped to levels not seen since late 2008 when governmental intervention temporarily slowed the foreclosure filing process, according to a report from ForeclosureRadar.com. 

·         Notice of Default filings declined 12.8 percent month-over-month and Notice of Trustee Sale filings decreased 12.5 percent from the prior month.  On a year-over-year basis, Notice of Default filings fell 29.6 percent and Notice of Trustee Sale filings declined 17 percent from February 2010.

• See the printable report for County foreclosure statistics.
• Click on the following link to see all 1116 Bank Owned houses, Condos, Townhomes & Twinhomes in San Diego County. http://tinyurl.com/BankHomesInSanDiego

  Go to my web site for the full report, plus a city-by-city breakdown with trend charts.

• http://SanDiegoHomes4u.com , you may have to cut and paste this address into your browser address bar, or, you can just Click here. 

Disclaimer:  The information contained in this email is intended for informational purposes.  It should not substitute as legal, accounting, investment, medical and other professional services advice.  Always seek a competent professional for answers to your specific questions. This email is not intended to solicit real estate properties currently for sale.