Click to view this email in a browser

Dennis Smith’s…

Making a Difference 4u! Insider Tips for Healthy, Wealthy and Happy Living

Inside This Issue… How To Save Money On Gas… Need More Time?  Learn To Read Faster… Fun Facts and Laughs:   Pizza From Around The World,     Where To Sell Homemade Crafts, And More…    Trivia Challenge: Win <<$10 Starbucks Card>> Real Estate Q&A:   What Do I Need To Know About Home     Appraisals And Inspections?    Real Estate Facts & Figures Seminar Wed. eve 5/18 - Buying Real Estate with your IRA or 401K

If you’re not already a subscriber to my free e-newsletter email me to sign-up

Dennis Smith, Realtor® ABR, SRES, e-PRO,CDPE CA DRE #00476662Sunshine Smith, Realtor® SFR,  CA 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 – Carlsbad at http://tinyurl.com/365EncinitasActivities Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sandiegohomes4u Share my Foreclosure Avoidance site, http://HAFAShortSaleConsultant.com/ View all homes for sale at http://sandiegohomes4u.com/ Or call for a custom list.

Check out this great New Listing  Beautifully Remodeled 3 bedroom, 2.5 baths with many upgrades449 Countrywood Lane, in Encinitas, 92024, only $449K to 489Khttp://449countrywood.willsellquick.com  Dear Friend… Would you like to add extra hours to your day? I know, who wouldn’t… we all have too much to read and not enough time to do it. You can add hours to your day by learning to speed read in today’s Service For Life! ® Free consumer newsletter. You’ll also learn how to save money on gas (prices are rising!), plus funny jokes, a trivia challenge, and lots more. To health, success and laughter in your life! Dennis Smith Dennis Smith, REALTOR® RE/MAX BY-THE-SEA PS.  Selling your home soon? You’ll want my Free Consumer Report called “Home Seller’s Guide To Moneymaking Fix-Ups“. This informative guide will help you net the most profit from your home and avoid costly repair rip-offs. To get a copy simply email me at dennis@sandiegohomes4u.com, or call me at: 760-436-0087

Today’s Brain Teaser . . . What animal can take off with more than 30 times a space shuttle’s acceleration and jump 38 times higher than the length of their bodies?   (answer below)

How To Save Money On Gas . . . With the price of gas rising, you need to get the most out of every gallon. If you can’t afford to buy a more fuel-efficient car, use these tips to be more gas savvy. Shop for the best price. You can see current average gas prices in the U.S. and Canada at a site such as www.gasbuddy.com. They even have an iPhone app which I use.  For your local area, type in your address at http://gasprices.mapquest.com. Look for the right station. There’s a price leader in your area. That may be a wholesale club or grocery store that wants to get you in their store to shop for other items. Buy in the morning before competitors have a chance to match each other’s price increases. Avoid gas stations near major freeway exits and stations that have an auto repair shop on site, since they can be more expensive. Modify your driving habits. Don’t drive too slow or too fast (most cars are set to achieve optimal fuel economy around 55 mph) and use cruise control on the highway. Try to combine your driving trips. Don’t carry excess weight in the trunk. Cut down on your air conditioning use but only open the windows under 40 miles per hour. Maintain your car. Fixing a car that’s out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by 4 percent. Replacing a clogged air filter on an older car will improve fuel economy 2-6 percent. Keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure for your car. You can improve your MPG by up to 3.3 percent. Check your owner’s manual. Get smart. Know that these are misconceptions: Using premium gas improves fuel economy. Most cars don’t need it; again, check your owner’s manual. It takes more fuel to start a car than it does to idle. Modern fuel-injected engines start efficiently. Idling can use a quarter to half gallon of fuel per hour. “Gas saving” devices or additives will save you money. The Environmental Protection Agency says they may damage your engine.

Forward this article to a friend

Thinking Of Selling Your Home Soon? Don’t attempt to sell your home without my Free consumer guide, “44 Money-making Tips For Preparing Your Home To Sell.” My exclusive report will give you all the facts for a fast, top dollar sale. To get a copy simply email me by clicking here, or call me at: 760-436-0087

Need More Time?  Learn To Read Faster . . . You can add hours to your day by learning speed reading – and you don’t have to take an expensive course to do it. Follow these steps, and practice, practice, practice. Determine your current reading speed. Time how long it takes you to read a certain number of words on a page. Or do an internet search for a “reading speed test” that also tests your comprehension level. You’ll need it to measure your progress. Before you start reading, scan the material for headings, bullet points and sentences in bold. This will help you select the parts you want to focus on. Change your reading habits. Don’t read “a-word-at-a-time” as you learned in school. Teach yourself to read groups of words and expand the number as you go along. Don’t move your lips as you read or say the words in your head (not easy habits to break). We talk at about 250-350 words/minute whereas an efficient scanner may increase the rate to between 400-500 words/minute. Plus, by not saying the words, you don’t have to think about pronunciation. Draw your hand or a card down the page as you read. Move it consistently and your eyes will follow the motion. Build your vocabulary. You won’t be slowed down by words you don’t understand. Don’t try to read and multitask. Turn off the TV, find a quiet place and focus on learning this new skill. Adjust your reading speed to suit your reading purpose. Speed reading is not suitable if you’re reading a book for the beauty of the words, perusing a legal document or studying specific material for a test.

Forward this article to a friend

Please Welcome New Clients And Good Friends Into My Real Estate Family… I’d like to take a moment to personally introduce and welcome a few of my newest clients and good friends who have supported my business over the years. And special thanks for everyone who thought of me with your referrals! Don Morshead       Joyce Ingrassia   Your referrals are warmly appreciated! Michael Cunningham

Fun Facts and Laughs . . . What’s On Your Pizza? . . . Americans eat 350 slices of pizza a second and the most popular topping is pepperoni. Favorite toppings in India are pickled ginger, minced mutton and paneer cheese. In Japan, Mayo Jaga (a combination of mayonnaise, potato and bacon), eel and squid are the favorites. Green peas are tops in Brazilian pizza shops and Russians love red herring pizza. Are You A Crafter? . . . If you’re looking for a place to sell your items, check out www.etsy.com. You’ll find a community of people to share your talents with. Have A Laugh – Words Of Wisdom . . . If the grass is greener on the other side, you can bet the water bill is higher. The Five Stages of Acquisition: Infatuation, Justification, Appropriation, Obsession & Resale. Books have knowledge, knowledge is power, power corrupts, corruption is a crime, and crime doesn’t pay… so keep reading and you’ll go broke.

DID YOU KNOW… Unlike most real estate agents, I DON’T spend my time pestering people with phone calls or bothersome interruptions to find good clients. Instead, I dedicate 110% of my time and energies to providing such outstanding service, people naturally think of me when a friend or family member needs help buying or selling a home. THANKS for your referrals!

Trivia Challenge for the Month… “Who Else Wants To Win a $10 Starbucks Card?” Guess who won last month’s Trivia Question? I’m pleased to announce the winner of last month’s quiz. And the winner is…drum roll please: David & Janet Hackler of Chula Vista were the first persons to correctly answer my quiz question. Which of these famous films did not win an Oscar for Best Picture? a) West Side Story   b) Citizen Kane    c) Rocky   d) Casablanca The answer is b) Citizen Kane. Considered by many as the greatest film of all time, Citizen Kane lost to “How Green Was My Valley” in 1941. So, let’s move on to this month’s trivia question. What is the largest known animal to exist on Earth? a. African elephant b. Giant squid c. Sauropod Argentinosaurus d. Blue whale EMAIL ME AT: dennis@sandiegohomes4u.com OR Call Me At 760-436-0087 And You Could Be One Of My Next Winners! Your best chane is to register to receive this newsletter via e-mail because it gets e-mailed out sooner than I can post it here.

Brain Teaser Answer: A flea!

Thanks For Thinking of Me! Did you know I can help you or any of your friends or family save time and money when buying or selling a home? Thanks for keeping me in mind with your referrals…and spreading the word about my services. Real Estate & Foreclosure Report… Pending sales, a harbinger of future closed sales, rose 1.8% from March, and were up 2.6% year-over-year. Closed sales were up 3% month-over-month, but down 3.2% year-over-year. This is the tenth month in a row closed sales have been lower than the year before. The median price for single-family, re-sale homes fell 2.8% from March, and was down 1.6% compared to last April. This is the third month in a row the median price has been lower than the year before. One can reasonably expect sales & prices to be higher then since the government was giving buyers incentives to buy, as they were till April 2010. Since some areas went up and some went down, see me for information on your specific area of interest.    30 year interest rates were 4.25% in Nov. 2010, went to 5.25% but recently backed off to around 4.75%.  These low rates will not last because inflation caused by the Obama Recovery Program will cause the rates to rise.  I just don’t know how soon. Home prices have dropped 20% to 70% from 2008 and then, in many areas, have rebounded.  In most SD areas, you can buy a home today for ½ the payment that was on the same house 3 to 7 years ago.   San Diego County has 11,607 active house & condo listings. Mar was 11,466 965 (down from 975 in March) are bank owned (8.5%) and made up 26% of sales in the last month. 2933 (down from 3051 in March) are Short Sales (27%) and made up 24% of sales in the last month. Only 33% of the active listings are distressed, which is about half the percentage of 2009. Now is a good time to buy investment Real Estate as interest rates & prices are still low. Click on the following link to see all 965 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 copy and paste this address into your browser address bar.   Buy Investment Real Estate with Your IRA or 401(k) Tax Free! Sorry, this seminar is over but contact me for more info. Learn how to use your tax free money to buy investment Real Estate…still tax free. Learn how to get off the stock market roller coaster.  Is your 401K looking more like a 201K? Do you know someone who has complained about poor investment performance? Home ownership has declined, but rents are increasing because housing is a necessity.     I have a possible solution…Re-allocate some of your investments into Real Estate, in San Diego County or elsewhere.  RSVP and tell, or bring, a friend.   Guest Speaker is Brian Davis of Entrust Administration. Hosted by Dennis Smith of RE/MAX BY-THE-SEA At our new Carlsbad office, just East of Interstate 5. 1265 Carlsbad Village Dr #100 Carlsbad CA 92008 Google Map is http://tinyurl.com/REMAXByTheSea TIME: 6PM to 7PM with questions during and after. DATE: Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 Sorry, this seminar is over but contact me for more info. Even if you are just interested in investing in the future, this may help. Please call or e-mail with any questions or to register at 760-212-8225 or 760-436-0087.   Join Dennis Smith of RE/MAX and Entrust’s Brian Davis for a special presentation about buying investment real estate with a tax-advantaged plan

Real Estate Q & A . . . Q.  What information do I need to know about home appraisals and home inspections? A.  In general, a home appraiser determines the value of a property and a home inspector determines the condition of a structure. While appraisals are primarily for lenders, they also ensure that buyers don’t overpay for a property. Home inspections are for buyers (but sellers can benefit too). A home appraisal includes details about:  the house, a description of the neighborhood and side-by-side comparisons of similar properties. It also contains an evaluation of the area’s real estate market, notations of major problems with the property that will affect its value and an estimate of the expected time it will take to sell the property. You should have your lender order the appraisal, and you are entitled by law to get a copy of it. A home inspection is an evaluation of:  a home’s condition that may identify improper building practices or the need for major repairs, as well as fire, safety and health hazards. You should always include an inspection contingency in your purchase offer. The information will help you determine how much you’re willing to pay for a home, what repairs will be necessary and whether or not you want to walk away from the deal. If you have any questions, or need capable and trustworthy representation, please email me at dennis@sandiegohomes4u.com.

THANK YOU… for reading my Service For Life!® personal newsletter.  I wanted to produce a newsletter that has great content and is fun and valuable to you.  Help your friends get more out of life by forwarding this email to them…

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.

Click to view this email in a browser

Copyright (c) 2011 by Forte Communications, Inc.

---

---