Monday, August 30, 2010

Allison Van Wig, Local Long Beach Realtor® Explores the LA Bike Path

Living in the Long Beach & Lakewood area has so many benefits … which is just one of the reasons why I love selling real estate here. I guess you could say that I really believe in my product …

One day last week, during my morning bike ride, I decided to take a little adventure and explore the LA Bike Path. A friend recently told me that they had repaved the bike path and I thought to myself … let's check it out. Miller Children's Hospital Bike Challenge

I hadn't been on it for about three years so … I headed West on Del Amo Blvd. because it is one of the many streets in Long Beach that has a bike path on the roadside (except of course for the area between Atlantic and Long Beach Blvd). As I approached the Long Beach Freeway, I entered the bike path & continued onto the trailhead while heading South towards the beach.

Los Angeles River Bike Path 2

On my left hand side, there were wetlands that had been restored with drought-resistant plants … I feel the city has done a beautiful job of bringing the area back to its natural habitat … very nice. Plus, all along the bike path, there are signs posted explaining what the wetlands are and … why we need them.

Los Angeles River Bike Path 1

As I continued my bike ride, I passed a horse … the rider was great and moved over and said good morning … this gave me such a good feeling of community.

Further down the river bed it turns from cement to dirt as it gets a little wider … which, is right around where you're passing the blue line and of course going underneath the blue line is a thrill as the passengers wave to you.

Los Angeles River Bike Path 3

I then began to see more bicyclists and there were more and more people out for their morning walk … a photographer was taking pictures of birds and was using a special lens to capture images of the flocks of birds who would occasionally leave the river and fly overhead.

A Friendly Spider acting as a tour guide

As I approached Willow Street and headed back towards the Wrigley area, I had the faint smell of horses and Eucalyptus. On the left side of the trail are horse corrals with very large shade trees ...on the right side are small walls so you don’t ride into the river … and on those walls, wild grapes are growing. At Pacific Coast Highway I turned around and headed back to my starting point thereby making it easy to get a 10 mile bike ride because … the path is marked every quarter-mile.

Early Morning Bike Ride

As I turned around and headed back … there was a slight breeze on my face, and I thought … not a bad way to start the morning. Anyone who has not ventured out onto the bike path … give it a try and then feel free to come back to this blog and leave a comment about what YOU think.

LA River Bike Trail LA River Bike Trail LA River Bike Trail

For more information about Long Beach and Lakewood real estate and why I love living in Long Beach, feel free to visit my website www.SuperBroker.com … there you will also find full access to the Multiple Listing Service or … if you have any questions about buying or selling real estate or … the LA Bike Path … just give me a quick call … 562-882-1581.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Local Long Beach Realtor – Allison Van Wig Has Gone To the Dogs

Long Beach & Lakewood California Realtor® Allison Van Wig has done her homework on how to help displaced homeowners and renters find new homes for their family pets.

Real Estate Rover has teamed up with SuperBroker – Allison Van Wig to help solve a heart breaking problem.

The real estate housing crisis is causing many dog and cat owners to become displaced from their homes and sometimes Fido and Fluffy have to find new owners!

Many people do not realize that they have many more options …

#1 There is a lot more “Pet-Friendly” rental housing available than you might think. Find a computer (try the local library) and … Google Pet Friendly Apartments in your city … for instance Pet Friendly Apartments in Long Beach CA … and just sniff around to see what comes up … one such website is www.peoplewithpets.com.

#2 Find a phone book … again at the library if you don’t have one … and call local property management companies and ask them if they manage properties that are pet friendly. The possibilities could be the answer.

Lastly, if all else fails go to www.petfinder.com … there you will find resources for finding your pet a new home, to include posting a free classified ad.

Also, every animal shelter usually has some partnership agreement with an adoption service … this also might be another solution. You could also ask a friend or a neighbor to post your pet’s picture on FaceBook where someone who is looking for a new pet to find. There are thousands and thousands of people who are looking to become responsible pet owners by adopting a rescue dog …

Allison Van Wig has two dogs right now that need a new home … they will be available when their present owner’s house closes escrow … Allison would love to give you more information about these two great dogs.

beagle teacup

For information about them or anything else real estate related … visit www.superbroker.com or call Allison direct at 562-882-1581.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Welcome Home to 13716 Arcturus Ave in Gardena

P1030527 [800x600]

P1030530 [800x600]

Beyond this hard-scaping and customized driveway and lush porch area, this home has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with 1,291 sq feet of living space.

The beautiful entryway leads into living room with picture window, built-in bookshelves and fireplace. P1030546 [800x600] Nice dining area + room for eat-in kitchen & … inside laundry area.

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Great backyard area with nice size patio just waiting for you and your guests!

 

 

For more information about this property visit www.superbroker.com

From your cell phone you can text allison to 79564 or use your Smartphone and scan this Microsoft Snap Tag

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Friday, August 13, 2010

Local Lakewood Realtor® Goes the Distance

In the movie … Field of Dreams one voice kept resonating a message … “Go The Distance … “

I have had the pleasure of serving the Long Beach and Lakewood areas as a Realtor® for over 22 years and I try to go the distance in all areas of my life.

Professionally speaking, I just successfully completed a very difficult escrow on a short sale which took over 26 months to negotiate and close.

Several escrows were attempted and unfortunately had to be cancelled for a variety of reasons too bizarre to mention … but it was this Realtor’s extensive knowledge of how to navigate through serious difficulties that resulted in being able to bring my client’s property to a successful closing.

Personally speaking, I am currently going the distance by committing myself to my goal of completing 100 miles of bike riding within 7 days during my “off hours” from my full-time real estate practice.

Allisons Bike Ride

I am also am very proud that I consistently go the distance by giving back to my community and by participating in several fund raising events throughout the year. The Susan B Coleman event, The Avon Walk, The “Three-Day” Walk and most recently, The Long Beach Miller Children’s Hospital Bike Ride Challenge.

If you would like to support any of these events or would like to know more about how you too could Go The Distance … visit my website … www.superbroker.com

Friday, August 6, 2010

A Good Listing Agent Can be the Key to Selling Your Home

Selecting a great listing agent can truly be the key to selling your home quickly and for a good price. When choosing a listing agent, it is in your best interest to select someone who has experience working with sellers, is familiar with your market, and is committed to aggressively marketing your property. One of the best ways to find a great listing agent is to ask your friends and colleagues for recommendations.

Misconceptions About Listing Agents

People often mistakenly believe that real estate agents play a very limited role in selling homes for their clients. Sometimes people think that listing agents just run a few ads in the newspaper and stick a sign in your yard. With a good listing agent, this could not be further from the truth.

Listing agents handle many important marketing and legal details related to the process of selling their clients’ homes, and are crucial to successfully selling most homes. A great deal of behind the scenes work goes into selling a home, and many homeowners who have tried to sell homes on their own will tell you that getting a good listing agent as soon as you decide to sell your home is the smartest thing that you can do.

What Do Listing Agents Do?

Real estate agents work as independent contractors, so not every agent approaches the process of selling a home in the same manner. Typical listing agent activities include:

  1. Provide accurate information about market value of comparable homes in the area
  2. Make suggestions for preparing the home for sale
  3. Photograph the property for marketing materials
  4. Create and distribute marketing materials
  5. Get the property listed in the appropriate multiple listing services
  6. Network with other real estate agents to increase exposure for your property
  7. Schedule and host caravans to introduce other Realtors to the property
  8. Schedule and host open houses for prospective buyers
  9. Advertise the property in local print media
  10. Create and post online marketing materials for the property
  11. Facilitate communication between you and Realtors representing potential buyers
  12. Educate you regarding your legal rights and responsibilities as a seller
  13. Facilitate various aspects of preparing the property for closing
  14. Many additional tasks

The best way to verify which of the above services the listing agents that you are considering working with provide … is to ask. Make sure you know exactly how the agent plans to market your house and communicate with you throughout the process before you sign an agreement.

Are You Comfortable with Each Other?

It is smart to shop around for a listing agent rather than selecting the first one you meet. It is very important to choose a listing agent with whom you are comfortable.

You need to have a good rapport with the person who will be responsible for helping you sell your home. The two of you will be working very closely together during the time your home is on the market, so it is very important that you get along and are able to communicate effectively with one another.

For more information on choosing a Good Listing Agent visit www.superbroker.com or call Allison Van Wig at 562-882-1581