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Located in Sullivan Canyon, this magnificent Cliff May property sits amongst several other Cliff May homes, including the personal residence of Cliff May himself (until his death in 1989).

After moving from New York City to Los Angeles in 1972, actress Bea Arthur of Maude and Golden Girls fame, began living in the home in 1975.

The Los Angeles Real Estate blog, Curbed LA, has quoted Arthur as saying, “This is country out here… I can walk around without anything on and nobody cares, and it’s just lovely.”

From 2005 through 2007 a renovation of the home and property grounds was completed by designer Matt Saks. According to the listing, Saks, “retained the charm… and modified the aesthetics to complete an incredible Spanish Courtyard Estate.”

With a current square footage of approximately 6,000 feet, this beautiful home has 5 bedrooms, including a master suite, and walk-in closets galore. There are also two offices, a media room, a great room, and travertine flooring within the home.

Surrounded by four acres of California oaks, living sycamores, waterfalls, gardens, and hiking trails, the property also includes a resort-sized pool and spa, and a tennis court.

Feel like throwing a party? No problem! There is enough parking for twelve cars in the gated motorcourt.

2000 Old Ranch Road is listed by Richard Stearns at Partners Trust; Photos by Jeff Ong, courtesy of Richard Stearns.

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Bed Bugs, Property Management, & Landlord Liability

Most of us heard the nursery rhyme warning ‚ Don’t let the bed bugs bite, but grew up without even knowing what this mythical bed bug was. Unfortunately, bed bugs have made a rampant return, and are proving to be a major nuisance in many urban areas.

Bed bugs are reddish brown in color, have an oval shape, and are about a quarter inch long. They like to live within five feet of their host, which means mattresses and clutter around the bed are the most likely place for them to gather and breed. While they do not breed nearly as fast as some other parasites, they are extremely resilient, resisting both chemical treatments and starvation (they can live up to eighteen months without feeding).

One of the few consolations is that bed bugs do not carry any known pathogens or diseases. That said, they can cost landlords and property management firms in lost rent, battered reputations, and lawsuits, despite the fact that it is usually the tenants who bring the bed bugs into apartments and rental homes.

As a landlord or property management firm, you will need a comprehensive bed bug policy to prevent infestations, eradicate colonies if they arise, and prevent lawsuits and other risks caused by bed bugs.

Step 1: Before Signing a Lease Agreement with New Tenants

When your rental unit is vacant, have it inspected and certified bed bug-free by a licensed pest control company. Train your staff to recognize bed bugs and signs of their infestation, so that you are better equipped to catch an infestation early on, when it is still relatively easy to treat.

Step 2: The Lease Agreement Itself

Where legal, your lease agreement should contain language that makes it clear that the tenant is responsible for paying all pest control services necessary, including bed bugs treatment. It should also require tenants to report all pest sightings ‚ including bed bugs ‚ to the landlord or property management company immediately. It is recommended that the lease agreement require synthetic encasements around the tenants‚ mattress and box spring, to prevent bed bugs from creating a home there, and be sure to prohibit tenants from obtaining furniture from dumpsters or other unknown sources. There are some states where the landlord or property management company are automatically responsible for bed bug treatment and damages, such as New Jersey, Maine, and Massachusetts, so be sure your lease agreement is state-specific and complies with all state laws regarding bed bugs and pest control.

Step 3: Include a Bed Bug Lease Addendum

Tenants should be given, upon signing the lease agreement, a copy of the bed bug certification, and should sign an addendum acknowledging both receipt of the certification and that the rental unit was bed bug-free upon move-in. Specify that the tenant is contractually obligated to allow entry to pest control exterminators to treat a bed bug infestation if it arises, and to cooperate fully in eradicating any bed bug infestations. Additionally, indicate that failure to report bed bugs or to cooperate in their treatment is a breach of the lease agreement, and is cause for lease termination.

Step 4: Include Bed Bug Information Along with your Lease Agreement

Educate tenants about what bed bugs look like, how to identify signs of their presence, where they like to live, how to prevent their entry to the rental unit, and that reducing clutter in the apartment reduces the number of places they can live. It’s also worth mentioning that often tenant furniture must be burned or otherwise destroyed once an infestation occurs, an outcome that most tenants will go to lengths to avoid.

Step 5: Bed Bug Treatment

First of all, the earlier you treat a bed bug infestation, the easier it is to contain and eradicate. Contact your pest control company immediately upon evidence of an infestation. Second, inform tenants not to move any of their furniture or belongings before the pest control exterminators arrive, moving belongings can spread the infestation.

The items that can be washed, such as linens, blankets, sofa covers, and clothes, should be washed in the hottest possible water, with detergent, and dried with high heat. Furniture may need to be destroyed, depending on the recommendation of the pest control company.

The pest control company has a variety of treatments available at their disposal, including the use of steam, extreme heat or cold, chemical carpet treatments, and fumigation. These treatments should only be performed by a licensed professional.

Liability

The legal liability for bed bugs is primarily legislated on the state and local levels, so it is important to check the laws in your area. That said, landlords and property management companies can minimize the risk of bed bugs, and their legal liability, by following the directions above, and therefore creating a paper trail of their diligence. A proper lease agreement that outlines the tenant’s responsibilities is incredibly valuable, and can prevent many disputes before they devolve into litigation. By adhering to the guidelines above, you can document your diligence, and can both prevent bed bug infestations before they happen, and catch infestations early before they become an expensive problem.

The most important thing that you, as a landlord or property manager, can do is to be proactive in preventing bed bug infestations and litigation. Establish a relationship with a local pest control company, have your vacant rental units certified, establish a bed bug policy that includes your lease agreement and addendums and/or disclosures, and act as quickly as possible when treating bed bugs, and you will avoid the worst of the bed bug-related headaches.

Stirling Gardner consults for EZ Landlord Forms – your best online resource for a state specific free rental applications, residential lease, including rental forms.

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Having trouble renting out a vacant property? The inside is spic and span, yet no one seems to want it? Maybe you need to look to the outside for a remedy to your problem.

Sometimes it’s the outside of the house that matters.

Front Pathway: Would stepping-stones or pavers look better? Perhaps adding small trees or bushes would help with the home’s curb appeal.

Front Door: Fresh paint and eye-catching light fixtures are a great way to add symmetry and dimension, as well as encourage safety.

Entryway: The entryway of the home should be a comfortable entrance to the home, reflecting the heart of the home’s interior. This can be accomplished in many ways, including a bold door knocker, a classy doormat, or even a non-seasonal door wreath.

Outdoor Trim: Often overlooked, the cleanliness of the home exterior trim is essential to making the home stand out. Take it a step further and cover the trim with fresh paint.

Plants: Never underestimate the power of plants; a container garden on the front porch or colorful flowers along the entryway adds greatly to the curb appeal of the property.

When it comes to freshening up the inside of the home, be sure everything works properly, the walls look good, and the floors are clean. As you walk through the property before a new tenant moves in, ask yourself the following questions:

Do all the fixtures work?
Are the carpets clean?
Are the cabinets, closets, and storage areas completely clean?
Are there any chips, marks, and/or holes on the walls that need to be repaired?
Do all the appliances work?
Do all the windows and doors open and close properly?

For details on what exactly to look for, read How to Prepare Your Rental Property for Occupancy on AllBusiness.com

Owning and renting out property is a good way to earn extra income, but if you want to be a landlord it’s extremely important to know about protecting yourself. In this article we discuss some straightforward things you can do to make your landlord experience safer and more rewarding.

Know the Discrimination Laws

Federal law, and in many jurisdictions uniquely specific state law, protects potential real estate tenants from discrimination on such factors as source of income, marital status, ethnicity, religious belief or affiliation, gender, age, sexual orientation, and more. As a landlord it is your responsibility to know the laws regarding discrimination and be careful not to violate them.

Take Care of Problems Quickly

When difficulties or violations of the lease terms arise you have to get on them early, especially problems like the tenant getting behind in his or her rent or violating even a minor provision of the lease. Just think of it as knowing that some people need a help to form good habits. If the tenants violate some of the terms of the lease, notify them about whatever it is as soon as you see it and stay on them until it is corrected. Your ultimate recourse, which is exactly the situation you won’t want, is an eviction notice.

Make Your Lease Comprehensive

You can find quite a few standard form leases available free or for a nominal charge online. These forms may be a good place starting point, but it’s important to personalize the lease to your particular own tenant situation. Cover matters such as who has permission to occupy the property (ideally only individuals specifically listed on the lease); whether or not the tenant can have pets, and if so what kinds, how many, and possibly a weight or size limitation; what changes the tenant can make; whether or not subletting is allowed, and if so under what conditions or with what written approvals; who is responsible for maintaining the property (you, unless the lease specifies differently); and any other conditions.

Get a Written Agreement

Most real estate experts agree that contracts that are not in written form are, at the very best, useless. People forget parts of a conversation, or hear one thing when you in fact meant to convey another. If relationships turn sour and you end up in court, an agreement that is not written and signed can be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce.

Don’t Fail to Do Background Checks on Your Potential Tenants

Do you like the idea of renting to a habitual criminal who is deeply in debt and has been thrown out of his last two or three apartments? Probably not. An inexpensive background and credit check can save you a lot of loss.

Working with rental properties is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes patience, strength, and a good measure of luck. These tips will help you avoid some of the common perils that many landlords can run into.

To learn about Longmont CO homes for sale , go to Automated Homefinder.

Paying rent on a house or apartment that someone else owns is generally something they intend to do for a short while and then they find that years have gone by and nothing has changed. In that situation, people could be described as permanent or perpetual renters. We should recognize that some choose to rent throughout their lifetimes with a particular purpose. Other people simply find that the time gets away from them.

Reasons for Staying in a Rental

Sometimes people choose to always be renters because they don’t want to deal with the expense and hassle of maintaining a home. Other people can’t (or think they can’t) afford to buy their own home. People who do not have enough money put aside for a down payment sometimes think it would be a waste of their time to check into buying a home. This is not always the case.

Breaking Out of a Rut

There are lots of solid reasons to choose to invest in buying a home and there are lots of ways for permanent tenants to break out of their rut and start to actually become homeowners. For most people, purchasing a home is better than renting when you (1) can afford to buy and (2) are planning to stay in the same area for a significant length of time.

Experts believe that buying a home is the wisest choice for your housing situation. If purchasing a home is right for you and your situation, you can make it a priority to start investigating how you can break the cycle of always paying rent. It may seem too difficult at first, but you are not alone. Although he first steps are things you have to do yourself, there will be help along the way. There are lots of people around you who want you to succeed: people who are willing to invest in your future because your economic success is part of a successful economy.

The first thing that you should do, if you haven’t already done it, is create a budget and stick to it. By having a budget, it will be easier to decide how much house you can afford and what size of down payment you can save. Once you have the financial situation figured out, you can get a better perspective on whether or not to get a start on the road to becoming a homeowner. It doesn’t just happen by itself.

Save up for a Down Payment

The next thing to do, and this is where many of the best intentions start to fade, is to start saving for a down payment. Traditionally, this means having at least 20% of the purchase price of the real estate on hand. For many first time homebuyers, it will take patience and time to save that amount of money.

Many financial institutions have special programs for new or inexperienced homebuyers that do not demand such a significant starting investment. Check with a lender to look into your down payment options. There are solid programs that are funded by local government agencies The paperwork process may seem daunting. A good mortgage lender, though, will work with you to get through all of it.

Over and above the down payment, you will also have to cover the price of the closing costs, the costs of moving, and money for decorating and furnishing the new home. For these expenses, you can figure on spending another 10% over the purchase price of the home, though with good planning and budgeting (which should be familiar by now), you may be able to get it done for less.

Once you have been living on a budget for a while and some money saved up, you can begin shopping for homes in your area or begin the process by finding a real estate agent to find that perfect place for you. Home ownership is a serious responsibility and it involves a serious investment. With that in mind, though, it is a lifestyle change that can be very rewarding, both in terms of your quality of life and your financial stability.

When you are ready to look into homes in Longmont CO, use the premier Colorado specialists, Automated Homefinder for all you need to know about Longmont homes for sale.

Author: AdamCiboch2010

Lots of changes have occurred with the creation of the world-wide-web. This really isn’t that surprising to most people anymore. The way we interact with others, how we conduct business, and even how we watch TV and movies has been altered. Did you know that the real estate industry has changed as a consequence of the world-wide-web as well?

You might already know that you can do a lot of your housing search on the internet now. Also, you can actually hire a real estate agent that way and deal with them primarily by means of internet communication, something most people were not aware of. Get to know the concept of e-PRO Realtors.

A training course endorsed by the National Association of Realtors is what all e-PRO-certified Realtors must have successfully finished. This program teaches Realtors the right ways to help their clients with their real estate search, solely through online methods. This means learning how to use websites, email and other internet tools. Your e-PRO Realtor can guide you through online tours of houses in which you’re interested also.

Cost is one of the best things in hiring an e-PRO Realtor since they are not as costly as conventional real estate agents. There is also the additional benefit of security and privacy. When considering their new home options, Realtors with e-PRO certification understand that their clients want the maximum amount of privacy. While returning a client’s email quickly is an e-PRO Realtor’s goal, they will never send spam mail or bother a client unnecessarily.

How can you know whether a Realtor has this certification? Every one of these Realtors will have an “e-PRO” logo or certification title following their name in all online listings. You will likely find this bit of information helpful during your search for a good real estate broker online. Since e-PRO Realtors are more likely to have access to the online tools you want, as well, you really can’t go wrong in choosing one to be your real estate broker and help you on your next housing search.

If you are seeking real estate in Winter Park or Sedalia, our network of sites will help. real estate in Sedalia or real estate in Winter Park is readily searchable on our websites and just a couple examples of the cities that we permit you to search for real estate listed for sale.

Source: ARTICLE ALLEY

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Unfortunately, there are people in the world who see nothing wrong with treating people badly and enjoy taking advantage of them.

We’ve all heard horror stories about slumlord landlords, and although we hope never rent a place from one, it can’t be guaranteed, so it’s a good idea to know our rights as a renter and how you can fight back.

Below is a partial list of some shady things landlords may do, and what you as a renter can do to protect yourself.

“Shady landlord schemes and how to fight back”
By Christopher Steiner and Maureen Farrell of Forbes Magazine

The duct-taper
Scheme: Making shoddy repairs in order to dodge the costs of fixing things right is the oldest scheme in the book. Worse, some landlords try to charge for fixing that leaky sink or recalcitrant space heater. It’s a crock: Under most state laws, renters are entitled to reside in a safe, habitable dwelling on the landlord’s dime.

Prevention: For starters, look the whole property over before signing a lease — it can be very apparent what kind of care an owner affords his tenants. Also, put all repair requests in writing, and refuse to pay next month’s rent until the problem is fixed.

The drop-in
Scheme: Some landlords are excessively obsessive about their properties. They want to know what’s happening at all times within the walls they own. Hence the hundreds of tenant horror stories chronicling landlords who drop in unannounced.

Prevention: Unless it’s a true emergency (fire, flood, earthquake), a landlord is not entitled to enter rented apartments unannounced. The laws differ by state — in California, for instance, landlords must request and enter during normal business hours — but tenants are almost universally protected from curious and prying landlords. Once the lease is signed, the property becomes the sole province of the tenant unless permission is explicitly asked.

Dented security deposits
Scheme: Your apartment may not have taken a beating, but your security deposit might. Call them “creative deductions” — $100 for chipped paint, $200 for ripped carpeting and so on. The big problem: By the time you get your dented deposit back, you’ve already moved out, so what can you prove?

Prevention: Before you move in, do a walk-through with your landlord, checking off any imperfections and taking pictures. Put the findings in writing and make your landlord sign the document. A week before you move out, do the same thing again. If you end up in small-claims court, you’ll be well-armed.

Dodgy lease-to-own options
Scheme: These often opaque agreements allow renters to pay a down payment and monthly premiums in exchange for the right to buy a home outright at a specific price at a set time in the future. Pay late or choose not to purchase, though, and the option goes up in smoke, along with those monthly payments; same thing if housing values plummet.

Prevention: For a little extra dough, structure the option to let you pay fair market value for the home when the time comes. Vet all intermediaries by checking with your state’s Department of Consumer Affairs or the Office of the Attorney General.

Threat of eviction
Scheme: Landlords can find plenty of excuses to evict you, from lease technicalities to the occasional late payment.

Prevention: This one has a nasty ring to it, but in many cases, no teeth. If your landlord does file an eviction notice, hire a lawyer immediately. And don’t worry about being suddenly stuck out in the cold: You can’t get evicted until a court has heard your case.

FOR THE FULL LIST, VISIT FORBES on MSNBC.COM

It all started four years ago when Fred Mezenski decided to take his outdoor Christmas decorating to the next level. After watching a clip of a home holiday light show online, Fred called on childhood experiences of his grandfather, Edward Mezenski, entering and winning several home decorating contests, and felt truly inspired.

“Anybody can throw up lights. Making it your own is hard,” Fred said. “You want yours not to be like everyone else’s.”

Fred and his wife Heidi made their display so much their own this year, that they won first place in the Tracy Rotary Club Holiday Decorating Contest for best home and grounds.

This year’s show features 21 holiday songs that be heard over a car radio to 92.3 FM as visitors drive past the Mezenski home.

“It’s more of a story about a winter wonderland, what the North Pole would look like at Christmas time,” Heidi said.

The couple divides the holiday decorating duties in half, Fred handling the exterior and grounds while Heidi trims the rooms inside, including the Christmas tree. Her front-window display was named the best lighted indoor tree in the Rotary contest for a second straight year this month.

Planning for the light show is a year long process, with the couple starting the set up of their Christmas lights display right after Halloween. By early November the lights and yard decorations have been put up, with finishing touches completed by the day after Thanksgiving.

…decked out with Christmas trees, candy canes, polar bears, three 6-foot-by-30-foot rolls of buffalo snow for the ground and strings of Christmas lights — more than 20,000 of them — that make up the holiday scene. The Mezenskis use low-electricity LED lights, including floodlights, which helps cut down on the cost of the holiday show, but they still see their utility bill rise an extra $500 during the season, approaching $1,200 for the month and a half of the show.

The light show runs Monday through Thursday, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekends through December 31st.

FULL ARTICLE – Tracy couple lights up nights with musical holiday display

There’s nothing more frustrating than living in a great rental and not being allowed to paint your home the way you want it. But fear not! There are several simple remedies for this dilemma.

Below are 5 simple wall decorating ideas to help you personalize your living space without painting it.

Display Shelves
A great way to display photos and nick-knacks, shelves draw the eye away from the wall. As you arrange your shelves, put careful thought into where you’ll place each item for display; use a variety of heights and spaces on each shelf, thinking of the eye flowing over the shelf in an “S” pattern.

Fabric and Starch Wallpaper
Easy to put up and easy to take down, fabric and removable wallpaper are both excellent ways to add lots of color to your rooms and cover those boring walls. For tips on how to use this technique, read Quick Fix Fabric On Walls.

Folding Screens
Do you like your walls but still want to add some oomph to the room? Try adding texture with decorative folding screens. You can find them in a variety of sizes and styles. Folding screens are also a great way to create partitions in large rooms or studio apartments.

Framed Pictures, Posters and Art
Don’t clutter up your horizontal surfaces with your beloved family photos – hang them on the wall; when displayed properly, framed photographs add great warmth to the room. You may think posters are for kids, but in a nice frame, posters can be works of art; don’t be afraid of them.

Removable Wall Hooks
Wall hooks that are easy to remove from the wall, and don’t leave behind a residue stain used to be hard to come by. Companies such as 3M make a variety removable wall hooks and other hanging products; you can literally find whatever type of hook you need.

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When people tell you they are preparing to sell their home, they normally leave a certain unspoken part out of the communication. The part that they don’t mention, but which is essential to what they want to achieve, is that they want to sell their home for the highest dollar gain they can receive. It’s not always easy to achieve that outcome. That is the reason why it is necessary to take the proper steps to ensure the sale of your home receives top dollar offers. While it is not easy, it is not necessarily an unrealistic goal. Here are five simple tips for getting the best result out of the sale.

Arrange for a professional appraisal to be performed on the home. You can get the most on the sale only by knowing what it is worth. You might put together your own analysis using sales of homes similar to yours. However, you will be limited somewhat in your evaluation without having a methodical basis for identifying what aspects of your home make it worth a certain dollar amount. By having an appraisal done you will be able to evaluate and correct any shortcomings that may be a drag on the value of your home.

When there are problems that are detracting from the value, you will have to do what is possible to minimize them. Correcting structural defects in the home will certainly improve the value of the home if they are bringing down the value of the home. Some may wonder if what you will have to pay for repairs will offset whatever gain that might be realized. The actual answer will vary depending upon what has to be done. It is not without precedent, though, that even small repairs can return the investment many times over.

Potential buyers can only buy your home if they know it is available. That means you will have to expand your home’s visibility in real estate advertising media. One of the best ways to do this is to place an advertisement in MLS (Multiple Listing Service) directories. MLS databases are easy to peruse and draw the attention of good numbers of serious real estate buyers. When your home is placed in this kind of database, the odds of gaining exposure to good quality home buyers will increase significantly.

Being aware of your limitations is something you have to recognize on the matter of getting top dollar on a home sale. Consider that if you are limited in being able to handle a real estate deal, it would probably be a good move to hire a qualified real estate agent. An experienced professional can add knowledge and experience to the scenario, in your favor when it comes to your getting the best price for your home.

And, finally, it pays to be realistic. You won’t be able to sell a home for a higher price than what it is worth. In fact, setting too high a price is actually counterproductive in this regard. This will just result in the house sitting on the market for too long, with the worst case being that the price slides to well lower than what you might have gotten if you had started out more reasonably priced.

Selling your home requires good amount of your attention and it is understandable that you will want to get as much from the sale as you can. You can get through it and come out on top by using a little careful planning and a few good choices.

This article was furnished by Automated Homefinder, the easiest way to get information on Lafayette CO homes.