Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

I’m inspired by the following story to not only be kind to others, but also to be kinder to myself. What do you think? Here’s the story: On the way back from work every evening, more often than not, there would be a homeless man standing at the exit ramp of the freeway. He waved at every car. He was always happy and smiling and sometimes almost dancing. Every day after work I would gather my spare change, and put it aside to give to him if I saw him. A feeling of joy would come over me whenever he was there as I came off the ramp.   He had that effect. His joy was infectious. Occasionally the red light would be on for a minute and we would ask each other about our day. His answer would always be the same, “I’m blessed!”   Then one day I was called into my boss’s office and told that I was being let go due to some mistakes I had made on a recent project. Needless to say that on my way home that day I was upset. I started calling myself names and reviewing everything

You've packed up your dorm room, thrown your Frisbee into storage, and have bid adieu to those cumbersome textbooks. College has culminated, so what now? This exciting time in a young person's life is ruled by one question: what's next? For many, that answer takes quite a while to define. Many millennials are open to moving back to their parents' houses after college. But for some, moving home may not be a viable option or, at the very least, seems an undesirable path post-college. This is leading recent college grads to a fork in the road: should I rent or buy? With renting costs continuing to rise, many recent graduates are deciding on the latter.  So, as a recent college graduate, what do you need to know when buying your first home? What does the future hold? It can be very daunting to map out the next ten years of your life just as your tassel has been moved to the left. Impulsive decisions should be left in the dorm room and recent grads need to plan where

The key to generating less waste is to reduce the amount we buy or consume and reuse the products we purchase. Making the choice to consume less provides more social and environmental benefits than recycling and composting alone. Our small daily choices and habits add up. And don't forget...BUY RECYCLED! We need to close the recycling loop by buying products made from recycled materials. Look for recycled content information on the products you purchase. Successful recycling depends on every one of us. Waste reduction depends on every one of us. Waste reduction and recycling every day, at home, work and play is an easy and rewarding practice. Join us on the Road to Zero Waste by rethinking the way you handle your materials. By adopting more sustainable habits, we can reduce pollution, save resources and better help our community fight climate change.

How to win a coin toss. Flipping a coin does not carry 50/50 odds, but rather 51/49 biased for the side that is facing up when flipped. Also, when spinning a penny, tails will face up 80% of the time.  Here's some coin flipping strategies you can use to increase your odds at winning a toss: - Always be the chooser, if possible. - Always be the flipper, if you can. - Don't allow the same person to both toss and choose. - If the coin is being flipped, and you're the chooser, always choose the side that's initially face down. If the coin is being spun rather than flipped, always choose whichever side is lightest. On a typical coin, the "heads" side of the coin will have more "stuff" engraved on it, causing "tails" to show up more frequently than it should. Choosing "tails" in this situation is usually the power play. - Never under any circumstances agree to a coin spin if you're not the chooser. Adding e

The choices you make every day impact our environment. Be an environmental steward by thinking locally and acting locally and do the right thing at your curb! Over 80% of our materials are recyclable, make sure you are recycling right. Consider donation first for gently used household items such as furniture, appliances, electronic waste and other similar items. Make sure your carts are not damaged or inoperable.  Reduce your waste size by searching for alternatives to your disposables. Don't place plastic bags, film plastic, or foam food containers in your recycling cart and/or green waste cart.  Don't overload your carts. Maximum weights can be found on the cart lids. Don't place hazardous waste, sharps, and construction materials in your residential carts. 

Green waste goes in the compost . Green waste includes the following: Lawn clippings Leaves and weeds Tree branches and shrubs Garden trimmings Sawdust Wood (untreated, not painted) Dirty or food soiled paper (this is also considered compostable, it's just not green waste) Waste goes in the landfill . Waste includes the following: Waxed paper Food wrapping Floor sweepings Candy wrappers Paper towels and tissues Broken glass and mirrors Food waste Ceramic dishware and pots (consider reuse or donation of these products) The following are considered recyclable : Plastic containers Water bottles/juice bottles/milk jugs Aluminum/tin cans Cardboard/12-pack soda boxes Junk mail/magazines/phone books Glass bottles/jars Newspapers/office papers Clean paper/plastic to-go containers Cardboard egg cartons Empty aerosol cans Pie tins Computer/white paper Coupons Brown paper bags Cereal boxes (lining removed) Tissue boxes Clean pizza boxes Laundry det

In the ever-changing world of real estate and title industry, there are a wide range of requirements and procedures associated with recording documents. In order to operate more efficiently for you and your clients, it is beneficial to have a broad understanding of what the County Recorder requires to prevent issues.  First is a complete, correct and legible notary acknowledgement. The names of the parties being acknowledged must match the names on the documents. The name of the notary needs to be the same as shown on their stamp. The correct form of acknowledgement must be used.  Second, the document must be complete, legible and with no blank sections. The best way to review the document from top to bottom is to start at the top of the instrument and work your way down, one blank section at a time. For example on a deed, there is usually a "recording requested by" section, a "return address" area, and a "transfer tax declaration." As you continue dow