NEW: City and Area Market Reports

Free from the Bruce Clark Team: Want to know what's going on with the Southern California Real Estate market? We provide free real estate market reports for each city and area, and shows such information as Average Price, Median Price, Number of Listings, Average Asking Price, Average Sold Price - and even shows the property address and other valuable information of sold homes, including Original Asking Price, Final Sales Price, Adjustment Percentage from Original Asking Price, and Days On Market. If you would like to receive your free market report, click here to email us with your request.

The reports are free and can even be sent directy to you each month. Want more detailed information: click here for our propietary Market Trends report, which provides detailed market information, including allowing us to provide ZIP code-specific information.

More Free Homeowner Solution Workshops Being Planned:

Not able to attend one of our workshops? Call us toll free at 877-968-4675, email us, or sign-up for our mailing list for notification of all upcoming events, to reserve a seat at one of our free homeowner workshops, or to set-up a Private Consultation. Always seek legal counsel and a tax opinion before attempting to pursue a short sale. A real estate agent cannot give you legal or tax advice.

Reasons to Avoid Foreclosure:

• Many current and prospective employers run credit checks: a foreclosure can put a current position in jeopardy. Also, foreclosure is one of the top items that will put a potential new hire in jeopardy.
• Security clearances, government positions, military and law enforcement, banking, financial services: many employers reconsider security clearances and jobs positions should one be foreclosed on.
• You could end up with a much higher tax liability in a foreclosure than could result in a properly negotiated short sale since, in most cases, cancelled debt will be higher.
• Credit: it will be much tougher - and take much longer - to buy a home with a foreclosure on ones record.
• You may end up with a Deficiency Judgment (the bank may pursue you for the amount you owe less what they received at auction).

Articles of Note:

Here are articles and websites dealing with short sales, mortgage fraud, loan modification, and deficiency judgment that we found very informative:

• Deficiency Judgment: Mortgage lenders pursue homeowners even after foreclosure - Feb. 3, 2010 - CNN Money
• Lenders Pursue Mortgage Payoffs Long After Homeowners Default: Bloomberg
• One in five U.S. mortgage borrowers are underwater: Reuters
• FBI: Mortgage Fraud
• StopFraud.gov - Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force
• Banks Face Short-Sale Fraud as Home "Flopping" Rises (Update2): Bloomberg BusinessWeek
• Big Banks Accused of Short Sale Fraud - CNBC
• Dealing with Debt - Money Matters from the Federal Trade Commission

BRUCE CLARK TEAM: COMING TO MARKET

Bruce Clark: Receives Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource Certification (SFR).

We are proud to announce the Bruce Clark Team has been accepted for membership in the RISMedia's Top 5 in Real Estate Network.

RISMedia’s Top 5 in Real Estate Network® is a membership network of leading real estate professionals providing leading real estate information to consumers. To qualify for membership in the Top 5 in Real Estate Network, agents must meet specific criteria in five key categories: experience; results; education; information technology; and commitment to community. RISMedia, the leader in real estate information systems, has been providing the industry with news, trends and business development strategies for nearly 30 years through its flagship publication, Real Estate magazine, its leading website, RISMedia.com, and its renowned networking and educational events.

The Bruce Clark Team: 2008 Two-Time Recipient of the Realtor.com 'Online Marketing Award of Excellence'

January 25, 2008: Bruce Clark awarded the 'Award of Excellence for Online Marketing' from the Vice President of REALTOR.com, Max Pigman. We are very proud to accept this award as it is awarded to a very select number of Realtors. Bruce was chosen for this award for maximizing the Internet marketing of his listed homes by posting multiple pictures for each listing, custom, detailed property description, 360-degree virtual tours and and more.

The award is recognition of leading agents that demonstrated consistent quality marketing of properties on REALTOR.com. In today’s market, over 80% of home buyers begin their search for a new home on the Internet: Bruce’s attention to detail with marketing homes online maximizes the quality of each home’s internet presence.

If you have a home that you want to sell and would like to receive our award-winning marketing, call Bruce Clark at 949-285-1207. (We are proud to be the only Orange County Realtor that was TWICE awarded the 'Online Marketing Award of Excellence' by Realtor.com for 2008.)

FIRST IN LUXURY, FIRST IN EXCELLENCE

First Team is the #1 independent real estate company in southern California, with more home sales in Orange County over the past 10 years than any other brokerage. First Team Estates, the exclusive branch of First Team that caters specifically to the luxury market, offers an impressive level of service and insight into the distinctive needs of affluent individuals all over the world who can turn to First Team with their search for the ultimate luxury property.

First Team and First Team Estates are proud member of Luxury Portfolio, the high-end estate division of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World,® (LeadingRE), a real estate referral network encompassing 700 top companies in 38 countries. The fastest-growing luxury marketing program, Luxury Portfolio connects individuals around the world with First Team Estates, sharing over 270 currently active listings. First Team Estates proudly represents some of the most prestigious properties in southern California, and has sold more homes over $1 million than any other brokerage in Orange County in 2009*

First Team is proud to be a co-founder and shareholder of this exclusive network and its Relocation Department enjoys a 50% market share of LeadingRE's southern California referrals.

First Team's proprietary marketing tools such as the NEW Rules of Real EstateSM, which redefines the standards for buying and selling luxury real estate, are coupled with showcasing estates locally and internationally in leading luxury real estate publications and online venues such as luxuryportfolio.com. Additional proprietary marketing initiatives include Market TrendsSM, for neighborhood by neighborhood pricing intelligence, HOT BUYS® and successfully targeting the luxury market with First Team Estates' "Live Beautifully®" campaign and vision. Through LeadingRE and Luxury Portfolio's global and luxury networks, First Team rises as a trusted partner in any real estate venture.

For more information about First Team's relocation and referral services, please contact Bruce Clark at 949-285-1207 or via e-mail.

*Based on 2008 TRENDGRAPHIX, Inc. report for Orange County, CA all residential property types $1 million and above. Report published 1/08/09, based on reports from December 08.

About the Company

First Team Real Estate and Family of Companies have grown to over 2,000 agents and employees across 56 locations. The company has responded to changing markets for more than 32 years with innovative programs and targeted marketing enabling the company to sell more homes in Orange County in the last ten years than any other brokerage, according to Real Data Strategies, Inc. First Team Real Estate, based in Orange County, is the # 1 independent real estate company in Southern California according to the 2009 RIS Media Power Broker Report.

First Team is partners with Yahoo! Real Estate, Zillow, Trulia, Realto.com - the Internet's #1 real estate websites. The company's "First in our Hearts" Foundation is well known for its generosity to the Southern California community.

BRUCE CLARK TEAM NEW HOMES ON THE MARKET

BRUCE CLARK TEAM: HOMES COMING TO MARKET

• Townhouse in Irvine: 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath townhouse in Heritage Park coming to market soon. Priced at $324,900 for a quick sale. Not a short sale!
• Gorgeous Tustin Ranch home: Available for a private showing: over 3,300 sq. ft. with a private pool and on a large lot behind guard-gates. Available for purchase at $1,800,000. Call us at 949-285-1207 for more information.
• We currently have other homes under contract that will be offered to the public for sale in the next 30 days. To find out more, call us at 949-285-1207.

BRUCE CLARK TEAM: HOMES IN ESCROW OR BACKUP STATUS

BRUCE CLARK TEAM SELLS MORE HOMES!

Closed escrow on 81 Tortuga Cay in Aliso Viejo. Representing a buyer, the home was a bank-owned property (REO) on which there were 13 offers - but we got our buyers' offer accepted. Call us whether you are buying or selling to find out how the Bruce Clark Team can successfully represent you.