Refinancing Information

Real estate refinancing is essential to understand before you proceed in the home buying or selling process. Most people refinance their home to lower their rate, switch from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed mortgage, or to pull out money for important ancillary reasons.

Working with a real estate mortgage professional is crucial when making the best home financing decision. Timing is everything when refinancing a home.

Yahoo! Real Estate provides a good overview of some home refinancing basics. Click here for more information.

What to consider when buying your next home

What to consider when buying your next home-

There are many factors in choosing your next home. Selecting a home can involve many elements that you may not have considered. The following is a home selection checklist to help you clarify your thoughts:

• In what area do you want your home to be?
• What type of home are you looking for?
• How much space do you need in your home?
• Why are you buying a new home?
• What are the schools like?
• How is the recreation in the area?
• What are the longer term trends in the area?

Real Estate Mortgage Glossary

Below you'll find a mortgage glossary for Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Redondo Beach, Torrance and Los Angeles County, CA areas. Understanding real estate terminology can be helpful when buying or selling a home, commercial property, or investment property. We have prepared a list of real estate terms to help you with your real estate transaction. Thanks again and contact us for any of your real estate needs for Palos Verdes, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Redondo Beach, Torrance here in Los Angeles County, CA.

Terms:

Interest Rate
The monthly effective rate paid (or received if you are a creditor) on borrowed money. Expressed as a percentage of the sum borrowed.

MLS- IDX
IDX, or broker reciprocity, is a listing sharing arrangement between brokers within a Mulitple Listing Service.

Market Value
An asset's market value is the price it would fetch in the market, if it were sold in the current marketplace.

Title Insurance
A type of insurance which guarantees the ownership and quality of title to land.

Appraisal
An educated estimate of the value of a property on a certain date given by a person, usually after an inspection of the property.

As is
Implied in most Agreements of Purchase and Sale, suggests the buyer is accepting the property in it present state and relinquishes and responsibility from the buyer.

Bankruptcy
a) A person who has done any of the acts that by law entitle his creditors to have his estate administered for their benefit; b) a person judicially declared subject to having his estate administered under the bankrupt laws for the benefit of his creditors; c) a person who becomes insolvent.

Bid
To offer (a price) whether for payment or acceptance.

Property Tax
A tax levied on real or personal property

Interest Rate
The percentage usually on an annual basis that is paid for the use of money borrowed from another

Home Loan
a) Money lent at interest; b) something lent usually for the borrower's temporary use.

Credit Risk
An estimate of the amount of credit that can be extended to a company or person without undue risk.

Credit Union
A cooperative organization that makes loans to its members at low interest rates.

Prime Rate
The lowest rate of interest on bank loans at a given time and place, offered to preferred borrowers.

ARM
A mortgage whose interest rate is raised or lowered at periodic intervals according to the prevailing interest rates in the market.

Home Equity Loan
A loan or credit line that is secured by the equity the borrower has in a home.

Mortgage
A temporary, conditional pledge of property to a creditor as security for performance of an obligation or repayment of a debt.

Palos Verdes Schools: Miraleste Intermediate School (MIS)

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Miraleste Intermediate School (MIS)

MIS is one of the three public middle schools in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School  District. Located on a 20-acre campus in Rancho Palos Verdes, this school overlooks the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors and serves three of the cities on the Peninsula- Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, and Rolling HIlls Estates.
After originally opening as a high school in 1986, MIS became an intermediate school in 1991.

29323 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Palos Verdes Intermediate School (PVIS)

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Palos Verdes Intermediate School (PVIS)

PVIS is one of the three public middle schools in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. Located on Margate Intermediate School's former campus, the school is nestled in the hills of Palos Verdes giving students a beautiful view of Lunada Bay and the Pacific Ocean. PVIS was formerly located at Palos Verdes High School's campus before it reopened in 2002.
The Mission of PVIS: "To provoke our youth with an educational environment that challenges all students to develop their social, emotional, and academic potentials. That our students respect one another, the diversity of our surrounding community and will come to desire life-long learning through modern strategies and resources together with enthusiastic staff members, involves parents and a supportive community."

2161 Via Olivera, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Rancho Del Mar High School

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Rancho Del Mar High School

Rancho Del Mar is located in Rolling Hills on Crest Road and is one of the three public schools in the PVPUSD. The school possess a small enrollment, focusing on students who experience difficulty with regular high school curriculum and environment. The school offers a more personalized environment.

38 Crest Road West
Rolling Hills CA 90274-5058

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Rolling Hills Preparatory School (RHP)

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Rolling Hills Preparatory School (RHP)
RHP is a private coeducational school located in San Pedro, CA. The school has approximately 240 students enrolled in grades 6-12. The school opened in 1981 as a division of Rolling Hills Country Day School. After transitioning from different campuses it received its permanent residence in 2007.
RHP works in partnership with parents to develop their college-bound students with disciplined minds, sound character, and creative spirits.

One Rolling Hills Way, San Pedro CA 90732

PVE Tops List in Quality of Life Study

By Meredith Skrzypczak Via Palos Verdes Patch
Palos Verdes Estates ranks No. 6 in quality of life among communities in America's western region. Rancho Palos Verdes comes in at No. 71.

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Palos Verdes communities have been getting a pretty posh reputation lately.
Palos Verdes Estates ranked sixth in a new studythat measured quality of life in cities throughout America's western region. This just after the Peninsula was named among the country's 50 richest zip codes last week.
The recent study, put together by On Numbers, analyzed 889 communities in the Western portion of the country—and 3,764 communities nationwide—that had populations of 10,000 or more as of 2009. A 20-part formula was used to rate each community's quality of life, including factors such as poverty rates, commute time, ages of residents and median household income.
"The top-rated communities have strong economic bases, impressive housing stocks and effective educational systems," The Business Journals reported last week.
In the West, Hillsborough ranked No. 1, San Marino came in No. 3, Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara (east of Oakland) No. 4 and Coto de Caza No. 5.
Rancho Palos Verdes came in at No. 71.
West University Place in Texas ranked the highest in quality of life across the entire nation.
Here is a synopsis of Palos Verdes Estates' standing in the Western region:

Place	Palos Verdes Estates
Type	city
State	California
West Quality-of-Life rank	6
West Quality-of-Life percentile	99.44%
Population (2009 estimate)	13,520
In 25-44 age group	16.70%
Living in same house for more than 1 year	92.17%
Moved in from other state or abroad in past year	1.16%
Workers who walk to work or work at home	9.33%
Commuting time of 29 minutes or less	47.03%
Median household income	$170,068
Poverty rate for families	0.62%
Workers with management and professional jobs	65.44%
Workers who are self-employed	34.96%
Unemployment rate for 25-64 age group	1.93%
Houses built since 1990	10.05%
Houses with 9 or more rooms	29.72%
Housing vacancy rate	2.82%
Homeowner rate	91.18%
Median house value	$1,000,001
Mortgage affordability (house value per $1,000 of household income)	$5,880
Rent affordability (annual median rent per $1,000 of household income)	$132
Adults (25 or older) with high school diplomas	97.06%
Adults (25 or older) with bachelor's degrees	72.18%
Adults (25 or older) with advanced degrees	33.01%

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Ridgecrest Middle School

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Ridgecrest Middle School

When considering what home to buy, the community can be as important a consideration as the real estate itself.

Ridgecrest is one of the three public middle schools in the PVPUSD. The school opened in 1965 but closed in 1991 due to declining enrollment. The school reopened in 2000 after enrollment increased. The school offers a live broadcast journalism program known as the "Ridgecrest News Network." The students also produce a monthly newspaper.

28915 Northbay Road, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Rolling Hills Country Day

Palos Verdes School Spotlight: Rolling Hills Country Day
When considering what home to buy, the community can be as important a consideration as the real estate itself.
Founded in 1962, Country Day offers an educational environment for students in Kindergarten through Grade 8. The private school is located in Rolling Hills and serves about 400 students.
The school is recognized as an outstanding institution in Southern California. Teachers and faculty "seek to provide students with the best educational experience for building lifelong success."



26444 Crenshaw Blvd, Rolling Hills Estates, Ca 90274

Home for Sale in Rancho Palos Verdes- $1,198,000

25 Crestwind Dr, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

$1,198,000

SaleType: Short Pay / Subject To Lender

Secluded single level Tudor style home nestled on a private 19,850 square foot lot at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. Ideal floor plan offering 4 spacious bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and an office with custom built-ins. Cooks kitchen with large center island, separate breakfast bar, recessed lighting and adjacent to a huge family room. The family room has a beautiful open beam ceiling, hardwood floors and overlooks a private patio and grassy back yard. Warm and inviting living room with vaulted open beam ceiling, crackling brick fireplace, hardwood floors and top of the line remote ceiling fans. Other amenities include a formal dining room, free flowing open and airy floor plan, hardwood flooring, central a/c, recessed lighting, separate laundry room with Dutch door, newer double paned windows and sliding doors, enormous 3 car garage plus an additional storage room. Tranquil Ocean/ Catalina views from the front and green belt, mountain and shimmering city light views from the back. Close proximity to biking/hiking trails and Del Cerro Park.

Rancho Palos Verdes Home For Sale- Listed at $839,000

5213 Sunny Point Pl, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

$839,000

Charming single level home ideally situated on a private cul-de-sac in close proximity to shopping and award winning Palos Verdes Schools. Open and airy floor plan with hardwood flooring and tons of natural light. Spacious living room with vaulted ceilings and natural stone fireplace. Large formal dining room overlooking the private back yard. Master bedroom with vaulted ceiling and beautifully updated master bath. In addition to 3 bedrooms this home has a private office with tons of built-ins and 3 spacious work stations. Well appointed eat in kitchen with tile counters and 5 burner Wolf cook top. Other amenities include beautiful contemporary lighting fixtures through-out, central A/C, freshly painted interior, newer aluminum windows(excludes sliding doors), private back yard with concrete and brick patios, peek-a-boo mountain and city light view, oversized interlocking paver driveway and 2 car garage.

Palos Verdes School Spotlight:Chadwick School

When considering what home to buy, the community can be as important a consideration as the real estate itself.
Chadwick is an independent K-12 private school located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County. The school is divided into four different schools by grade level- Village School (K-6), Middle School (7-8), Upper School (9-12), and International School (K-8).
Through a Round Square Program, Chadwick offers students the opportunity to exchange with other schools whom participate in this program.
Community service plays a strong role in the students' development. Students are required to participate in one of a selection of community service projects four times a month.26800 Academy Drive, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274 

Palos Verdes Unified School District: Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

Palos Verdes Unified School District: Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

When considering what home to buy, the community can be as important a consideration as the real estate itself. 

PVPHS is one of the three public high schools on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The campus is located on the corner of Hawthorne Blvd and Silver Spur Road on the top of the hill overlooking Los Angeles County. It serves the communities of Rolling Hills Estates, Rolling Hills, Rancho Palos Verdes, and Palos Verdes Estates. 

PVPHS ranked 15th in the nation by Newsweek and 89th by U.S. News and World Report. The school offers a variety of courses for students including Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, International Relations, Women's Studies, Forensics, Graphic Design, etc. For the class of 2011, approximately 40 students have a 4.75-5.00 GPA and 65 have a 4.5-4.74 GPA. 

PVPHS athletics has more than 40 CIF titles, 8 state titles, and 4 national titles. 

27118 Silver Spur Road
Rolling Hills Estates CA 90274-2300

Palos Verdes Unified School District: Palos Verdes High School

Palos Verdes Unified School District: Palos Verdes High School

When considering what home to buy, the community can be as important a consideration as the real estate itself. 

One of the three public high schools on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Palos Verdes High School, is located across the street from the Pacific Ocean in Palos Verdes Estates and is part of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. 

After closing in 1991, the high school closed and hosted Palos Verdes Intermediate School for ten years before reopening in 2002 due to climbing enrollments and overcrowding at Peninsula High School. 

Known as the Sea Kings, Palos Verdes High School is known for its participation in the award-winning drama program which represented the Edinburgh Theatre Festival, Live from 205, DARPA Grand Challenge, and the Cal-Nev-Ha KIWIN's organization. 

Over the last nine years, PVHS athletics have developed strong teams to compete against other sports-dominated schools. The school has claimed CIF titles in baseball, boys lacrosse, and boys soccer.

600 Cloyden Road, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274