ELECTION MANIA, BREXIT AND TRAVEL UPDATES!

The upcoming election is certainly overwhelming our media! But recently Brexit has taken front stage. Currently interest rates are trending down, following the Fed decision to hold on any further rate increases for now, slowing employment and economic indicators, and the flight to security of US bonds, with Britain’s vote to exit the EU.

Home prices are reaching and in some cases exceeding the levels of the last decade, so this makes for a great time to refinance, especially for many who were unable to do so a few years ago. I’m seeing lots of debt consolidation refinances as well as refinances to drop rates. Yes, there are still plenty of people out there with rates in the 5’s and higher, who could benefit from a refinance. Anyone with a rate over 4.5% can likely benefit from current rates.

TRAVELS

Steve and I returned to Cocoview for the fourth time in February. We don’t like it there much! This is a dive resort on the island of Roatan in Honduras, in the western Caribbean. www.cocoviewresort.com. We stay in a private home down the beach from the main buildings for more privacy and quiet. Here is sunset from our home.

As usual the diving was great, and the sand fleas were biting (Steve). We met some fun, interesting people including a family of four from Houston, and a couple from Seattle. Dive boats leave the dock twice a day for four boat dives daily, and shore diving is unlimited. We were disappointed my daughter and her husband were unable to join us due to the Zika threat. For good reason, she is expecting in September! Yahoo, exciting!

MUSEUM TOWER

We flew in and out of Dallas, with a few days spent in Dallas each way, making the travel to Roatan much easier. The Tower continues to perform very well with the building over 60% sold. Dallas is always fun! And, the Tower has a great pool!

We stayed another weekend in Dallas in April for a wedding, and rented bikes one day for a ride around White Rock Lake, home to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. The lake is filled with sailboats and surrounded by beautiful homes. There are hiking and biking trails all the way around it, and some leading away and into other park areas. You could literally ride for hours.
We usually try to fit in a walk on the Katy Trail when we are in town, including a stop at the Ice House, a lively open air bar/restaurant. www.katyicehouse.com Great beer and burgers!

GRADUATION AND MORE WEDDINGS

May brought the graduation of David, Steve’s youngest son, from San Jose State with a B.S. in International Business.

WOW! We stayed in an Airbnb in Sunnyvale in a very cool new downtown environment in the Heritage District just off Murphy Avenue. We dined our first evening at the Steakhouse in the Fairmont, which was a real treat with grandparents, parents and kids in attendance. Friday evening we had a quiet dinner at Roberto’s Cantina on Murphy. Highly recommended! www.robertoscantina.net

After the grad festivities we flew to LA for a wedding at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. Quite an event from beginning to end! Champagne upon arrival, fabulous food, dancing and fun. And, brunch the next morning. We were completely spoiled.

IN MEMORIAL

We celebrated Susan Green in mid-March for her birthday, and watched her ashes spread over the mountains above Palm Springs. It was a lovely, moving event. Then, last week we celebrated the life of Christy Christian Motter, the daughter of very dear friends and lost to us far too early.

Steve and I continue to enjoy Dana Point and all it has to offer: beaches, the harbor, our Yacht Club, hiking and biking paths nearby, wine tasting events, etc. Next we are off to Lake Tahoe for the 4th!

Hoping you are all happy, healthy and have a safe 4th of July!

Milestones, Spring and Wedding Season!

There is so much to report, I don’t know where to begin! Let’s get business out of the way first:

MARKET UPDATE

Rates have been slowly creeping up, but still in an erratic fashion. International events, such as the recent actions of Russia in Ukraine, have had a positive effect on mortgage rates.

For now the overall outlook is positive in terms of Real Estate sales volume, steadily rising values, and mortgage rates still in the mid-4’s for most loans. Of course there are many variables that affect your rate! Some programs have loosened guidelines, and I have even seen hints of bank statements-only programs….but overall we are still working in a very conservative underwriting environment.

MILESTONES

Both Steve and I celebrated BIG birthdays (!) in grand style earlier this year. We had a lovely dinner party at our home for him in January, and hosted family and close friends.

In mid-February we took our entire family (14 in all, including my baby grandson and spouses/partners) to CocoView on Roatan in the Caribbean. www.cocoviewresort.com We had an absolutely marvelous and unforgettable time scuba diving, playing games, snorkeling and just generally relaxing. Our family flew in from Vermont (Ken) Michigan (Katie and Paul) Illinois (Courtney) Sacramento (Moselle) San Jose (David) and the rest of us all from LAX via Houston or Dallas.

You can imagine it was a logistical nightmare---but we all arrived eventually-- and we stayed in three rental homes right on the beach.

We held a ceremony one afternoon to celebrate my late mother Patricia’s life. I can honestly say this trip was the best vacation of my life. It doesn’t get any better!

DALLAS

My birthday was in March, and I had a quick trip to Dallas the week before which was filled with evenings out. I really enjoy the restaurants in Dallas! We had a birthday dinner at Al Biernat’s, an institution in Dallas. www.albiernats.com Our last evening we went to Nick and Sam’s where we were served with complimentary champagne and caviar, for my birthday. Wow! www.nick-sams.com I can’t wait to return in May…it will be nice and warm. The pool at Museum Tower is the absolute most beautiful pool in Downtown with views of the skyline.

FAMILY WEDDING!

My daughter Katie was married April 26th in Palm Springs. All in all, it was a lovely week from beginning to end, and involved non-stop parties and never-ending things to do. Her new husband Paul is from Wisconsin, so there was a large contingent of friends from Wisconsin and Michigan, where they live now, and plenty of locals from SoCal and NorCal. Katie’s bridal party were all athletes from Cal, Michigan and UCLA. Notable guests included Katie’s high school swim coach, her childhood babysitters from our old neighborhood, and lots of new and old friends and relatives who traveled a long distance to witness the event. www.vrbo.com/89766 The reception was held outdoors at the Historic Cree Estate which boasts the largest private pool in the desert (it actually has two pools and a Jacuzzi on-site).

The estate was occupied by most of the wedding party from Friday through Monday. A fun-filled time was had by all! I rented another home, the Sonny and Cher estate, with my sister and stayed there with her kids and Steve’s…we hosted a family event before the wedding. Nice digs! I love VRBO- www.vrbo.com

MUSIC

I attended a fabulous concert in Denver – Justin Timberlake or “JT”, for those of you in the know. I met my sister and daughter in Denver, where we were joined by my niece --who attends the University of Colorado, Boulder. We stayed at a “Hip” hotel walking distance to the concert. www.thecurtis.com Unfortunately when we left the venue after the concert, it was near blizzard conditions, so we couldn’t walk back, and had to fight over a car to get back. However my sister is very persistent, and convinced a cabbie he HAD to take us! We all lived to tell the tale!

I hadn’t been in Denver for years and the downtown is experiencing a resurgence of new restaurants, wine bars, galleries, etc. All in all, the 20/20 Experience concert was the best I can remember ever, and I love concerts! Do see it if you have the chance. The sheer variety of genres JT can handle is amazing, and his dancing had me trying the same moves on the way home (not a good idea in the snow!!!)

Life is great and I feel very lucky! Here I am with my two handsome sons. Next up: Cozumel in June...
Take Care!