Lake Arrowhead Lifestyles Blog: January 2010

   
   
   
   
   
   
   We actually received a call last week from the 809 area code. The woman said 'Hey,
this is Karen . Sorry I missed you--get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you.' Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809 We didn't respond.

 Then this week, we received the following e-mail:

Do Not DIAL AREA CODE
809,
284, AND
876

 THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION
PROVIDED TO US BY AT&T. DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809
 
 This one is being distributed all over the  US .. This is
pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get
you to call.

 Be sure you read this and pass it on.

They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc.

 In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away.. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these
calls.

 If you call from the U.S. , you will apparently be charged $2425 per-minute..

 Or, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges.

 WHY IT WORKS:
 
 The 809 area code is located in the Dominican Republic .

 The charges afterward can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved
and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

 Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam.
 
 AT&T VERIFIES IT'S TRUE :
 
 http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=6045

 SNOPES VERIFIES IT'S TRUE:
http://www..snopescom/fraud/telephone/809.asp  

The Lake Arrowhead Film Festival will be kicking it off again this year at the Lake Arrowhead Resort.  This is an awesome opprotunity to feel apart of Hollywood and the glitz of it all.

April 22-25 2010

Tickets are:

$160 for a platinum pass which includes, Includes everything except the Friday night Gala. (All film screenings and seminars, the Thursday Filmmaker Meet and Greet and the Sunday Award Luncheon).

$125 for the Friday Night Gala

$75 for the movie pass which includes the opening night film

$60 Sunday Award Luncheon

$50 Thursday Night meet and greet film makeres

$15 Opening Night Film

If you want to jump in and be a part of history and see the stars come out this is the place to be.

First Night ~Join for this rare opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the industry's most talented filmmakers and aficionados. Hosted by legendary TV and film star June Lockhart, this special Opening Night event will be held in the spectacular lobby of the Lake Arrowhead Resort.  The price of admission includes the party, drinks, delectable hor-doeuvres and the Opening Night film!  Attire is "dressy casual."

There will be an awards Gala Dinner and Award Luncheon ~  For more information please check out the film festivals website at http://lakearrowheadfilmfestival.com or call 909-337-7587

The market is off to a good start on this very busy Wednesday morning. The only data released this

morning was New Home Sales which missed expectations much the same way that existing home sales did.

The median home price did rise, but so did inventory. The largest declines in sales were seen in the South

and the Mid-West. The Northeast and West saw increases.

The real action, however, gets started later this morning. The two big events of the day are the FOMC

announcement and the Treasury's auction of 5yr notes. Yesterday's 2yr auction went well and the

expectation is that the 5yr will, too. At 11:15 the FOMC will issue their policy statement. Once again, rates

are not expected to change. The attention will be on the policy statement.

The first 27 days of the year are moving right along in the Crestline market.  There were 12 closed escrows in the Lake Gregory/Crestline area.  There are still some bank owned properties that people have taken great advantage on the affordable pricing.  Below are all solds since the first of the year.  For a list of available homes in Crestline please give us a call or shoot us over an email.

Living in Lake Arrowhead is a way of life, the Lake Arrowhead Lifestyle.  A short drive from the Los Angeles county, Orange County and San Diego County and you are miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life.  Now is the time to purchase that second home you have been putting off.  Our prices are all over the map and there are some fine buys to be had. 

There are 41 homes in lake rights under $300,000, ranging in year built from a 1936 charmer to a brand new construction built in 2009. 

You may ask, "what are lake rights, why do I want them?"  Well that is a simple question to answer.  The fact that Lake Arrowhead is a private lake and is for the private use of Arrowhead Woods property owners.  This is the perfect environment to have fun boating in a small community where you can relax with your neighbors, build strong memories with the kids and feel that you have stepped back in time to enjoy life's simple pleasures.

Whether you are looking to escape to seclusion, hike in nature, ski the lake, sail the lake or golf in paradise this is the destination the whole family will enjoy.  World class accomodations, shopping and dining are at your finger tips in Lake Arrowhead.  This is resort living at it's finest, jump in and be a part of it.

If you would like to start living the Lake Arrowhead Lifestyle, give us a call for all your real estate needs.  We are your Lake Arrowhead Realtor.

Last week brought big improvements in mortgage interest rates despite a plethora of bad news. The final piece of unsettling news came Friday afternoon when Barney Frank said his team which oversees Fannie and Freddie would recommend the end of times for the two age old mortgage companies. Mortgage-backed securities continued their rise last week sending mortgage rates which move the opposite down. The benchmark 10 year treasury yield, used to forecast mortgage interest rates dropped significantly last week and today is at 3.62, up 0.23 (+6.78%) on the day. The benchmark yield was below 3.2 when mortgage interest rates dipped to all time record lows. It was announced today existing home sales made the biggest month over month plunge down over 16% in December following the extension of the home buyer tax credit.

It's getting close to that time of year again for the 2nd Annual Jump in the Lake...

Lake Arrowhead Rotary Club last year thought up a way to raise money and have a little fun at it.  Last year 40 volunteers raised $10,000 for community good works, by simply jumping in our freezing water on Valentines Day last year.

Well this year is planned again.  Dr. Patrick Rains is signing people up again to do the PolaRotary Bear Plunge.  This year it will be held on February 6th at 10AM.  The suggested minimum pledge is $500 with the money being used to promote literacy and youth programs and support selected charities on the mountain.

Here is a shot of our Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty Broker/Owner Steve Keefe after taking the plunge in the freezing water... remember we just had a huge storm blow through, and there are spots of ice on the lake, should be interesting.

For more information please call 909-337-4541 or email arhdvet@hotmail.com

Get ready to come out and watch on Feb 6, 2010 at 10AM at the Lake Arrowhead Resort Beach.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 7:10 AM

Price Trend: Positive

_________________________________________________________________

Current Conditions:

FNMA 4.5 100-30 (+4)

GNMA 4.5 101-08 (+5)

10yr Yield 3.609

Today's Economic Data

Case-Shiller Home Prices 5:00

Consumer Confidence 7:00

_________________________________________________________________

Commentary:

Bonds are off to a good start this morning after a lackluster performance yesterday. The Case-Shiller Home

Price Index showed that prices fell 5.3% in November from one year earlier. On a monthly basis they fell

0.2%. This was a little worse than anticipated. There were some markets that showed monthly appreciation

including San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The full table is listed below.

Consumer Confidence was also released this morning and showed some improvement and posted some its

highest readings in 2 years. There was not a lot of market reaction to this, though.

The FOMC meeting gets underway today with their policy announcement due out tomorrow. Treasury will

also be auctioning 2 yr notes today.