Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Your Credit Card: What's in it for Thieves Online security breaches where retailers are hacked and customers’ credit card information is stolen are becoming a regular part of the news cycle. Cybercriminals can sell the data online to other criminals, who can then use the information to open bogus accounts in the names of legitimate customers, run up charges on the stolen credit cards and commit other acts of fraud. The going rate for a U.S. credit card number and a software-generated card verification number is worth $5 to $8, according to a report by Intel Security called “The Hidden Data Economy.” If a bank ID number or date of birth is included, the black market price rises to $15. Add in other details, such as a cardholder’s full name, address, mother’s maiden name and Social Security number, among other things — called Fullzinfo — and it can sell for $30. For information stole

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Contribute to a 529 College Savings Plan With Gift Cards Parents contributing to a 529 college savings plan may find it difficult, if not a little time-consuming, to transfer cash and checks that their children receive on their birthdays, Christmas and other celebrations into the popular college savings fund. Instead of not knowing if their cash gift is going to pay for college or for a night out on the town, grandparents and others can buy gift cards and have the money deposited in the student’s college savings plan. The 529 gift cards are used at GiftofCollege.com, a registry for online gifts to 529 accounts. Electronic gift cards for 529s are available at the Gift College website. The 529 gift cards come in fixed amounts of $25 or $50, and in variable amounts up to $500. Some of the gift cards promote a specific state plan, but all of them can be redeemed as a deposit into any state

 This two and a quarter acre property just closed escrow. The new owner wanted a lot of land away from close neighbors. If you too want a property with land at a great buy, call me & see what I can do for you at (858) 382-3763 #hopeleitner #hopeleitnerrealestate #realestate #homebuyers #homesellers #househunting #escrow #escrowclosed #valleycenter #home #homeowner #homeownership #BacktoSchool #SelfCareAwarenessMonth #BabySafetyMonth

There are hundreds of thousands of people who believe, for one reason or another, they cannot afford to buy a home currently.   Some people  may not for any number of reasons but it would be very surprising to know how many who can buy but have gotten some bad information along the way.   It's worth digging a little deeper to find out the facts. John and Karen have been renting a home for the last five years at $2,000 a month.   During that time, the value of the home they were renting went up by $30,000 in value while the unpaid balance decreased by $18, 400.   Even though they were fortunate enough the rent remained constant over the five years, they missed out on close to $50,000 of equity that the owner realized instead of them. Another thing to consider with today's low interest rates, it is quite common for a mortgage payment to be lower than a tenant is paying rent for a similar property.   So, in this example, John & Karen paid more to rent than a house payment

  Staging is a great way make you home more appealing to buyers. Here are some tips to do that on a budget

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Contribute to a 529 College Savings Plan With Gift Cards Parents contributing to a 529 college savings plan may find it difficult, if not a little time-consuming, to transfer cash and checks that their children receive on their birthdays, Christmas and other celebrations into the popular college savings fund. Instead of not knowing if their cash gift is going to pay for college or for a night out on the town, grandparents and others can buy gift cards and have the money deposited in the student’s college savings plan. The 529 gift cards are used at GiftofCollege.com, a registry for online gifts to 529 accounts. Electronic gift cards for 529s are available at the Gift College website. The 529 gift cards come in fixed amounts of $25 or $50, and in variable amounts up to $500. Some of the gift cards promote a specific state plan, but all of them can be redeemed as a deposit into any state