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Seven Gables Real Estate Earns Website Quality Certification

1 Comment By Gina Santanello on March 2nd, 2011
Tags: , , , , ,      Categories: Uncategorized

When you work behind the scenes of a company like Seven Gables Real Estate and realize how much time, forethought, creativity and ingenuity goes into the creation and execution of a highly effective web site, you appreciate it even more when organizations of national acclaim recognize what you have done and appreciate what you have accomplished. Better yet is when that recognition is one that distinguishes you with honors. Such is the case with the Website Quality Certification (WQC) Seven Gables recently earned, which is presented by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® to member companies that have demonstrated excellence in website design, functionality and execution.

Every aspect of sevengables.com according to Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, was reviewed to ensure exacting standards were met in six key areas, ranging from design and content to human interactivity to search engine optimization. The WQC was introduced in 2009 to recognize and encourage superior websites among Leading Real Estate Companies of the World’s 600 member firms and Seven Gables Real Estate is one of 111 applicants to earn the 2010 WQC designation.

“With over 90% of people using the Internet in their home search, it is essential for any successful real estate firm to have an engaging, informative and easy-to-use website,” notes Pam O’Connor, president/CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®.  “By earning the Website Quality Certification, Seven Gables Real Estate has demonstrated that it provides vital online resources to home buyers and sellers.”   

Aspiring to become a standard-bearer of the business from the moment its doors opened in 1976, Seven Gables Real Estate remains one of the last independently owned real estate companies in Orange County. Adding this honor to its list of other nationally recognized accolades, Seven Gables remains steadfast in its desire to create excellence at every opportunity.

And with two offices serving Central and North Orange County and on site resources including Lending, Escrow, Concierge and Insurance Services, Seven Gables continually strives to discover and develop new business strategies in order to improve the real estate experience for the benefit of those they represent time and time again.

To find out more about the many properties we represent, the career opportunities we uniquely provide or to speak to a qualified sales associate, please call: 800.955.7356 or visit our website at: www.sevengables.com.

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‘Tis the Season to Give at Orangewood

0 Comments By Gina Santanello on November 17th, 2010
Tags: , , , , ,      Categories: Communitiy, Uncategorized

The holidays are a sentimental time for so many of us. They prompt us to reflect on life (and the speed at which it passes us by), as well as the time-honored family traditions that bring us great joy. They make us contemplate that for which we are hopeful and inspire us to count our many blessings. Most of all, I think they bring out a wonderful spirit of generosity, which could not have been more evident than today at Orangewood Children’s Foundation.

A Thanksgiving feast, which included turkey, ham and all the trimmings, was prepared for the teens in transition at OCF. Warm weather items such as coats, blankets and sweaters were delivered and hung with care by the countless individuals who volunteered to lend a hand.

As always, the usual suspects were there (inclusive of the management team, some agents and members of our administrative team)…cooking in the kitchen, organizing the food and storage cabinets and setting up the food buffet. Today though (and last month too), we witnessed a surge in our community spirit. Fresh faces, walking in with trays of food and bags of donations, rolling up their sleeves to help and experience for themselves the wonderful sense of purpose that so many others do each month. The outpouring really says so much about our culture – what we value and what matters most.

Some of the youth who benefit from the Foundation’s support showed up today to thank Seven Gables personally for all they have done and continue to do for them. Chris Simonsen, the CFO of OCF also stopped by to express his gratitude for our efforts. Two hours, one day a month, twelve times a year. When you think about it, that’s such a small sacrifice of time in the grand scheme of life.

And in the grand scheme, Seven Gables is making an impact and  difference in the lives of others … one day at a time. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who continue to support this worthwhile cause on behalf of the Seven Gables organization.

View photos from this month’s event here.

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Is Waiting Really Better Than Buying a Home Right Now?

1 Comment By Amanda Wernick on October 26th, 2010
Tags: , , , , , , , ,      Categories: Real Estate, Uncategorized

Every day I scour the internet looking for trends and real estate news.  Most of the time, I come across some really great articles. But more often than not, I find articles like this from CreditLoan.com. It seems as if bad news sells and the more “down” the story, the more readers flock to its sites and then make the assumption that the end is near.

The Wall Street Journal recently gave 10 good reasons why NOW is a great time to buy a home. I found them interesting and agree with them.  I don’t play the stock market and I’m not a financial analyst, but let me tell you why I think today is a great time to buy a home in laymen’s terms:

  1. Interest rates are at all time historical lows. This means that you can afford to buy more of a house than you could back in the late 80’s where interest rates were as high as 13%.
  2. You invest in your community. In this time of connectedness (thanks to the internet), establishing roots seems to have made a comeback.  Even local Realtors realize that being HYPER-LOCAL offers advantages to community growth.
  3. You will be buying a piece of the American dream. Homeownership used to be something to aspire to.  It told the world that you had made it.  Yet in times of subprime loans and the monetary fiasco we currently face, many people lost sight of that and started treating their homeownership like a crazy weekend in Vegas!
  4. Speaking of the crazy monetary market, if you had invested in Real Estate (assuming you didn’t refinance the heck out of it) your “investment” would have grown 43.4% in the last 10 years over bond and stock purchases according to MSN.com & Case Shiller.
  5. Sense of pride. Ask your parents why they bought their homes; for that matter ask someone that is over 55 and they will tell you the stories of how they scrimped and saved to buy a home so that they could have something that was THEIRS. Something that they could pass on to future generations.
  6. Building memories. Do you recall Thanksgivings at Aunt Bertie’s house or Christmas at Uncle Earl’s?  Do you remember the feeling of family, closeness and togetherness?  You can’t buy those, or pay for them.  There is something special created in a home.
  7. Tax advantages. Obviously you want to speak to your tax person, but here are just a few ways that you can benefit from owning your own home from HouseLogic.com.

What are your thoughts?  Do you believe all the hype or are you going to jump on the opportunity that is happening now? Whether you agree or disagree, I welcome your feedback!

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Seven Gables’ Community Spirit Out in Full Force at Orangewood Children’s Foundation

0 Comments By Gina Santanello on September 30th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized

As most of you are aware, earlier this year we as a company made a commitment to do more for the community and adopted Orangewood Children’s Foundation as part of that effort. On the last Wednesday of each month, volunteers from our Seven Gables community donate towards the specific drive of the month – be it food, clothing or back to school supplies &/or prepare and provide food for the benefit of the young adults OCF supports. While we, and of course the Orangewood folks are always appreciative of your help, today’s show of support was truly beyond expectation.

There were 23 (visible) volunteers and countless others, who gave generously of their time and talents to prepare food for the Potato Bar &/or provide us with an abundance of non-perishable food items in order to restock the OCF kitchen pantry shelves (which by the way, were nearly bare when we arrived).

Sally Picciuto and Melida Canfield were at the Tustin office to deliver piping hot baked potatoes.  Barb Salisbury, Sally, Pat Lane (who brought a pumpkin pie), Kathy Boozell and Melida, then helped Lisa load her car full of canned goods, supplies and other items for the lunch. She is so grateful ladies, for your assistance.

When I arrived, the kitchen was absolutely abuzz with everyone working busily to set up the food and stocking the cabinets with a variety of grocery items. Others helped organize the school supply shelves and clothing closets, so that the many younger children visiting today could  easily pick and choose their necessities.

There are a few “stand out” individuals who have willingly given up their time one morning a month for the past six months (namely Lisa, Pam, Amanda, Marlo and Kash – though there are others). So on behalf of us all, please accept our heartfelt thanks.

Seven Gables team surrounds President & CEO of Orangewood Children's Foundation, Cal Winslow.

For everyone else who helped out today, in particular: Debbie Johnston, Melida Canfield, Sally Picciuto, Pat & Alison Lane, DeeDee Heath, Kathy Boozell, Teri Rosas, Laura Thorne, Lane Moore, Rose Chu-Fruehauf, Sandy Chang, Kristen Mitchell, Tommy Martinez, Laura Till, Vera Balderrama and Sandra Zimpelmann (& of course Brett Hickman, who was there for all the photo ops) . . . this is what Contributing to Our Communities is all about.

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Chaparosa Grill holds a Fundraiser for Haiti

0 Comments By Amanda Wernick on February 4th, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized

I had the opportunity today to interview a man that has left a deep impression on me…let me tell you why. I’m fairly active on different online sites. This doesn’t surprise anyone that knows me. I was on my Facebook page a few weeks back and got an update that Chaparosa Grill was having a Fundraising event to help Haiti. This touched my heart!

I’ve always been passionate about giving back to the community and I support as many charities as I can. This is one of the reasons I joined Seven Gables Real Estate.  I knew that they had deep Community Roots…
like leads to like….

So I called Tony and set the appointment. I was nervous and excited and couldn’t wait for Thursday to come…so much so that it was difficult for me to sleep Wednesday night!

This is Tony :

Tony

Q. Who is Tony?
A. The owner of Chaparosa Grill

Q. How long have you been in this line of work?
A. Been in this type of business all my life. I also have a second Chaparosa Grill in Laguna. It’s the third Restaurant I’ve owned.

Q. Where did the name come from?
A. In the original location in Laguna, our location was next to Chaparosa Park-We wanted a local name.

Q. Who chose the menu?
A. I did. Its California cuisine with a Caribbean twist…

And when I asked about that…here’s what I found out…

Tony: My wife and I have traveled the world a bit and go down to the Caribbean. That’s why we were inspired to help. It was just a Natural thing to want to help…

Q. How many People attended your fundraiser?
A. We had 2 events, one at each location so between the two locations, we got close to 200 people with about 64 people who actually dined. Others relaxed and enjoyed some drinks.

Q: How much money were you able to raise at the events?
A: We were able to raise $1,767.00.

Q: Have you had people come back to your restaurant because of your charity work.
A: Most were regular customers, we have a really good support system and a core of people who visit us.

Q: What did you get of helping?
A: I got satisfaction in trying to make a difference. I’m very active in Community events and Charities.

Q: Charities such as what?
A: Well the weekend before the Haiti event, we had an event for Leukemia/Lymphoma, as well as for Cystic fibrosis, March of Dimes and local schools…any major disasters: Katrina or Tsunami’s we find ourselves helping out wherever we can.

Needless to say, I was impressed with his attitude. He went on:
“It doesn’t matter what it is you do, it’s really just about doing something…It’s the way I was raised. I’m from England and when we were young we would have yard sales to raise money to repair the church roof for example…we weren’t rich, so we would ask others if they would like to contribute and we’d sell what they gave us”.
Something that struck me was his humility…that he would do this anyway, without looking for any recognition.

He also holds Culinary Demonstrations! Monday February 22nd at 7 p.m. he’ll be demonstrating how to cook:

Spinach & Ricotta Crepe
Indian Spiced Lamb Shank
Butterscotch Pudding

Cost includes 2 glasses of wine, coffee, tax and gratuity!

So, I am now a bigger fan of Tony and his restaurant Chaparosa Grill:

Chaparosa Grill

Find Chaparosa Grill on Facebook and become a fan!
Locations:
Marina Hills Laguna Niguel
30271 Golden Lantern Ste D
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677-5983
Golden Lantern and Marina Hills
Telephone: 949-363-9888
Fax: 949-363-0536

The District
2449 Park Avenue (in front AMC Movie Theater)
Tustin, CA 92782
Telephone: 714-259-9888

Favorite Music:
Caribbean, Reggae, Calypso

If you want to schedule a “Tweet-Up” or other event, contact Toni at his business number or email…
Email:chaparosagrill@cox.net
Website:http://www.chaparosagrill.com

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Team USA

1 Comment By Amanda Wernick on January 29th, 2010
Categories: Real Estate, Uncategorized

The Winter Olympics will soon be under way and personally, I CAN’T WAIT!  I love to see it from the very beginning…Getting to know each of the athletes as they work to make their dream a reality.  Watching them compete on a level that so few of us (aside from die-hard athletes pro or not) will ever experience.

 They train for years, whether they feel good or not.  Injuries, mental struggles, physical limitations mean nothing to them.  Some sports are “one man” such as skating, snowboarding or skiing.  Other sports such as couples figure skating or the Luge rely on timing, coordination, a meeting of the minds that is so close, a split second makes the difference between winning the Gold, or going home with nothing to show for it but a bruised body, and for some, bruised egos. 

 In the end they all compete as TEAM USA…looking to win as many Gold medals for themselves, for our country.

 How does this relate to Real Estate you might ask?  I’ll tell you how I see it.

 In real estate, it is so important for you as a buyer or seller to have a team of professionals help you on your journey.  Your team may not include world famous coaches, or dieticians, or even medical staff, but a team, nevertheless.

 Your Realtor is your frontrunner.  If this were the Luge, your Realtor would be front and center…finding out what your needs are and how they can best help you achieve your goal.  They would give you advice on which direction to take and how to get there.
 

Photobucket
 

 Next would be your Loan Officer.  They would be right behind your Realtor, looking at interest rates, tax benefits (remember the first time homebuyers tax credit) and ensuring that all documentation is in place, speaking to the bank on your behalf and working to make sure your loan funds and records like originally planned.

 Next is your Escrow officer.  They are the third man in.  They make sure that title orders are placed; Home Owner Associations paperwork is ready, pay out in a timely fashion any monies owed and ensuring that they work with your Realtor and Lender to have your transaction close smoothly.

 Lastly is the “anchor”: The brokerage.  A company with its pulse on the market and community, ensuring that all of the agents that work there are knowledgeable and have continued access to management should the need arise and a staff on hand to answer any questions you may have, from finding a Home Stager to a roofing specialist.

 There are others in your team…members that work behind the scene to assist you in buying and selling your home.  The Marketing Department, the Title Company, the Home Inspector, the Transaction Coordinator: all working hard for you from day one. 

 We at Seven Gables work with you, whether you are a first time Home Buyer or an experienced Seller and strive to have a great team working for you.  From our Concierge Services to the Marketing Department.  We’re here to work for YOU…Doesn’t that feel good? 

 One last note: take a moment to see who will be competing to be a part of TEAM USA WINTER OLYMPICS! http://www.teamusa.org/making_teamusa

Banks…They are really just like us!

0 Comments By Mike Hickman on November 12th, 2009
Categories: Newsletter, Uncategorized

 

Do you stay awake at night trying to figure out why Banks have been given billions of government bailout bucks but seem unable to lend that money out again? Do you ever wonder why Banks take so long to approve short sales? The answer is simple…they are just like us!

Faced with the worst Recession since the 1929 stock market collapse, consumers have completely changed their spending habits. Instead of spending they are actually saving. In fact, Americans have gone from a “0”savings rate during the run up in home prices to one approaching 7% today. This is the highest rate since 1993! The reason for this phenomenon is simple; we are uncertain about the future so we want to have cash as a “cushion” for tough times. Banks want the same cushion but they have fancier name for it…”capital preservation” or “liquidity”. If the Federal Government gave you $20,000 right now would you buy something or put it in your savings account?

As for “short sales” (the sale of a property for less than what is owed on the mortgage), consider what a hard decision has to be made by the Bank’s Directors. Do we agree to a specified loss now or wait to hope for a better return? If the asset is performing now (mortgage payments are current), why move it to a non-performing asset and take a loss? Would taking the property back in foreclosure give us a better return? If you are “upside-down” in your home mortgage, you are probably agonizing over the same decisions Banks have to make. The difference is that they have thousands of them to make, shareholders to satisfy and regulators to report to!

The bottom line is that you can expect the mortgage money to start flowing again as soon as Bank Balance Sheets improve along with their outlook forth future. This should happen around the same time we feel confident enough to spend some of our savings!

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A thought about the meaning of the word team

0 Comments By Mike Hickman on November 11th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized

There is no “I” in team

 

Coach Gary Adams was my mentor back in the day when I played baseball at UC Irvine. Through him I learned the true meaning of the word team.

 His sage advice and understanding of what it means to be a team player is in constant playback in my mind as I manage the day to day rigors of running a luxury real estate brand. Today, his words served as the alarm clock as I woke from a strained sleep onboard this trans Atlantic flight from the UK to Toronto where I am returning from a two-week holiday with my son.

 We departed on this journey in the beginning of October – my last chance in a foreseeable future to spend two weeks as father and son seeing the world together.

 For most company Presidents, there is no perfect time to leave. This was no exception. Looming over this trip was the impending launch of our company website and the dozens of components that still needed to be created and decisions that needed to be made. I could have entertained postponing my trip. But I didn’t. There was no reason to. Not with the team I had assembled and the sensibilities taught to me by Coach Adams so many years ago about trusting the collective. 

 As I awoke and attempted to stretch my limbs across the constricted spaces of the plane’s interior, I thought about how lucky I was to have this experience; indeed a trip of a lifetime.  The theater in London. Westminster Abbey. The pictures with the Beefeaters. The Louvre. Gustav’s Tower in Paris. Laughs that were never-ending.  The food in Rome along with the Segway Tours and the miles of walking and the countless people that touched our lives and we theirs while all along, my faith in my staff who were attending to the most important agenda items for us this year and next was at an equal all time high.   

 I am back now. And blown away by what has been accomplished in my absence. To turn an operation the size of Seven Gables Real Estate over to a team where each member did their part without hesitation, flawlessly and all the while telling me to not call or contact them, but to rather enjoy each minute of my time away, reminded me of what Coach Adams accomplished when he hand picked those remarkable championship teams and what can be accomplished when a leader has the right team in place. 

 As we begin to roll out a host of new features aimed at providing our customers the very best online experience and information about our great marketplace, I am reminded of what Coach Adams and Coach Wooden taught me many years prior:  There is no “I” in team. He was so right.

 I am eternally grateful to GM, Lisa Greubel, CTO, Eric Duncan, personal assistant Karen Doss, Marketing Director, Gina Santanello and her amazing team, Kelli and Shelly and Audrey in accounting and each of the office administrators and transaction coordinators overseeing our offices. They are the best team any coach/President could ever ask for.

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