Wednesday, 25 April 2007
More than 65 Santa Clarita stakeholders boarded a bus for Sacramento to meet with key legislators and policy makers on Monday and Tuesday.

The trip was the second annual road trip organized by Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, KHTS AM-1220 Radio and Valencia Acura. This year, key representatives from the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Valley Industrial Association (VIA), local school districts and the City of Santa Clarita participated. The group of local movers and shakers lobbied for transportation and education projects impacting the Santa Clarita Valley.

“I was impressed,” said Assemblyman Cameron Smyth. “I see these folks often in Santa Clarita, but they get an entirely different perspective when they travel up north and see us in action. They arrived at an exciting time, just as the budget was released, so they could witness the kind of debate that goes on in our Capitol. I believe they now have a much better understanding of many of our challenges. This was a valuable experience for them, as well as for me and a number of my colleagues who met with the group.”

“Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, Valencia Acura and KHTS designed this event so we could have an impact in Sacramento,” stated Carl Goldman, owner of KHTS radio. “It’s very different when 65 community leaders discuss policy affecting our schools and roads. The impact is so much stronger as a broad range of community leaders speak with one voice about a specific issue or project. When you have the head of the Chamber of Commerce, our Mayor, a strong mix of business leaders, educators and government officials all focusing on the same key issues, we become a powerful combination that is difficult to ignore.”

Valencia Acura owner, Don Fleming added, “Very few communities in the country do anything like this. We know that we made an impression that will have a significant impact on a number of key local issues. The fact that 65 very busy people took two days out of their lives, hopped on a bus to tackle local education and transportation issues at our State Capitol is a reflection of the community we live in. It’s the close-knit relationships in our Valley that allow us to put together an event like this and get this kind of support and turnout.”

This year’s issues included funding for the expansion of carpool and truck lanes for the portion of the Golden State Freeway that cuts through Santa Clarita. Education projects included a fairer system of reimbursements for Special Ed students for our public school districts, along with improvements on concurrent enrollment for our high school students who want to take classes at COC.

All four Santa Clarita Valley elementary school district Superintendents, Marc Winger, Judy Fish, Dr. Robert Nolet and Jim Gibson were on hand, as well as William S. Hart School District Superintendent, Jamie Castellanos. A number of Elementary School and Hart Board of Trustee members were part of the trip, including Paul Strickland, Gloria Mercado-Fortine, Rose Koscielny, and Steve Tannehill. The City of Santa Clarita was represented by Mayor Marsha McLean, Assistant City Manager, Ken Striplin and Mike Murphy Inter-Governmental relations officer for the City. Rosalind Wayman, Santa Clarita representative for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich participated, as well. Leaders from many of Santa Clarita’s more active large and small businesses also joined the trip, creating a perfect cross section of the Valley.

“One important issue for our high schools and community college is concurrent enrollment,” elaborated College of the Canyons Trustee, Joan MacGregor. “Right now, there’s a limitation of five percent on current summer school enrollment at COC for high school students. That means, only five percent of each grade from each of our six high schools can take summer classes at COC. We want that cap eliminated, so all high school students who want a college experience, can obtain it. We were also pleasantly surprised in our meetings when Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, Chair of the Higher Education Committee asked to visit College of the Canyons.”

Wednesday, 25 April 2007
The home sales market in the Santa Clarita Valley is returning to normal, not generating the spectacular profits that marked the past two years, but staying solid, real estate experts said.

Sales of single-family homes in the region were up 11.7 percent in January compared with a year ago. The month saw escrows close on 172 houses, compared with 154 in January 2006.

The market is expected to be steady in the year ahead.

"It's not going to be like it was the last two or three years, where we were seeing huge numbers of sales and huge price increases," said Larry Gasinski, president of the Santa Clarita Valley division of the Southland Regional Association of Realtors Inc.

In January, the median price of a single-family home in the valley went down to $587,900, compared to $620,000 a year ago, a 5.2 percent decrease, according to the association.

The median price of a condominium was $360,000 in January. In January 2006, it was 9.3 percent higher, at $397,000.

There were 73 condominium sales in January, compared to 82 in January 2006, a difference of 11 percent.

Unlike in recent months, sellers are less likely to dip their toes in the market and pick up the for-sale sign if they cannot get their asking price, said Pam Ingram, with Remax of Santa Clarita.

"I think the market has definitely picked back up," Ingram said. "I don't see that prices are going up a lot, but they're also not going down. I've seen prices level off, but the buyers are back out buying. It looks like it's going to be a good year."

There is more than a seven-month inventory of homes on the market, while about a six-month inventory is considered a balanced market.

Home sales dropped by nearly one-third from 2005 to last year, but prices held their own.

Realtors sold 2,531 single-family homes last year compared with the 2005 tally of of 3,726. Condo sales fell from 1,771 in 2005 to 1,246.

The good news was the median price of a house held at $590,000, just $10,000 lower that the previous year. Put in perspective, a home sold today is worth an average of nearly three times the $204,742 median of 1998, the first full year data were available.

The median price of a condo was $360,000 in 2006, compared with $389,000 in 2005 and $124,158 in 1998.

Pam specializes in relocations, new homes in Santa Clarita, and families moving-up to a bigger address. In these unique transactions, she is able to match her clients with the part of the valley that most suits their needs.Her ability to find just the perfect spot also gives first time buyers the confidence to lay down roots. Pam doesn't just find homes; she develops community.

Searching for a new home in Southern California's luxury real estate market is an exciting event. With amazing weather and so many fun places to live, you must first decide where it is you plan on finding a home; near the beach, closer to the city, or maybe in the hills. Next, it is important to consider what type of luxurious amenities you would like in your home. People who are interested in buying luxury homes usually look for features in their home that reflect the relaxed lifestyle prevalent throughout Southern California.

More real estate agents are taking to the Internet, where home buyers can experience virtual tours instead of driving all around. "If you don't have a Web site and you don't have a Web presence, you can't play in this market," said local agent Pam Ingram. Roughly nine of 10 potential home buyers research using the Internet, according to a recent statistic by the California Association of Realtors. Tuesday, 08 May 2007