Santa Clarita Valley Real Estate

http://www.scvrealty.com   You're probably used to thinking that patience can be a virtue when you're shopping for a bargain on a large purchase. But when that purchase is real estate, the opposite is true. Today's conditions - attractive home prices and interest rates at historic lows - have combined to make the current housing market one of the most affordable in decades. It simply makes no sense to hold out for a better opportunity that isn't likely to come. Signs are already pointing to higher interest rates and, with home prices stabilizing or increasing in most markets, waiting to buy a home could easily cost you several thousand dollars each year. If buying a home is in your future, you won’t want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Comparison of cost at sample mortgage amount: $275,000 Mortgage At current low interest rate $1476.26 per month

Santa Clarita Ca. Wi-Fi is now available for free at the McDonald's throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. At all free standing stores you can walk in fire up your laptop and instantly surf the web. You do not need to purchase anything to use the wi-fi or the restrooms for that matter. Click here for a list of Mickey D's hot spots in the Santa Clarita Valley .

5 easy ways to speed up your PC http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/maintenance/speed.aspx By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly. This article discusses how to use the tools available in Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) and Windows Vista to more efficiently maintain your computer and safeguard your privacy when you're online. 1. Free up disk space By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files. Use Disk Cleanup to: · Remove temporary Internet files. · Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets). · Empty the Recycle Bin. · Remove Win

Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest , held October 24 at 6 p.m. at the City’s Sports Complex Aquatic Center. The no cost event will feature teams of SCUBA divers carving pumpkins underwater in the City’s Aquatic Center dive pool, as well as on-deck festive games and activities for spectators. At the event, certified SCUBA dive teams will take to the dive pool at 6:45 p.m. to carve pumpkins 13 feet under the pool’s surface. An underwater camera will capture all the action so spectators can watch the dive teams’ progress live on a big screen. Once the carving is complete, the pumpkins will be judged for a grand prize. “The City of Santa Clarita is dedicated to providing community members with fun and festive recreational activities,” said Mayor Frank Ferry. “The Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest is one of the City’s most popular fall events and is a great opportunity for residents to enjoy a free, one-of-a-kind event at a state-of–the-art facility.” In addition to the Pumpkin Carving

Santa Clarita Street Art Festival 2009 On October 3 and 4, 2009, the Santa Clarita Festival of the Arts, sponsored by Lockheed Federal Credit Union, will highlight a spectrum of artistic talent in Old Town Newhall. This exciting two-day festival will be located along Main Street between Lyons Avenue and 5th Street. This year the highlight of the festival is the process of art. All weekend long, watch street painters, visual, digital, and multimedia artists create a works of art, from a beginning conception to the final masterpiece. The Festival of the Arts is a free outdoor event, open to the public, and features a variety of artisans creating artwork, such as woodcarving, plein air painting, sculptures, and pottery, as well as live entertainment, fine arts and crafts vendors, and the fine art of street painting. Click link for more details Directions & Parking Saturday 10:00 am - 9:00 pm Sunday 10:00 am - 6

CITY HOSTS ENTERPRISE ZONE BREAKFAST PROGRAM A Program to Help Businesses Keep More of What They Earn The City of Santa Clarita will host a free Enterprise Zone Breakfast Program on Tuesday, August 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at City Hall’s first floor Century Room. The informational workshop will include a complimentary continental breakfast and provide local business with information on how to reduce their State Income Tax. A representative from the City’s Economic Development Division will facilitate the program. The workshop will show local businesses how they can benefit from the Santa Clarita Enterprise Zone program on their 2008 State income taxes and where to go for additional information. Businesses located in the Zone may be able to reduce their State income tax by up to 50% or more. “Whether you own a business in the City of Santa Clarita or are looking to relocate to the City, this no-cost Enterprise Zone Breakfast work

LED ZEPAGAIN HITS THE STAGE SATURDAY AT CENTRAL PARK City’s Popular Concert Series Continues with Led Zeppelin Tribute Band The City of Santa Clarita’s 2009 Concerts in the Park series continues, July 18 with a performance by “Led Zepagain,” bringing the sounds of Led Zeppelin to life at the Central Park stage at 7 p.m. The Concerts in the Park Series is free to attend and will continue every Saturday evening at 7 p.m. through August 29. Hailed as “the greatest Led Zeppelin tribute band going,” Led Zepagain consistently sell out shows at some of California’s biggest clubs & casinos, including the House of Blues in Hollywood and Anaheim, The Galaxy Theater, The Coach House and Pechanga Casino. “Community members can get ready to rock and roll when Led Zepagain hits the stage this Saturday for the second performance of the 2009 Concerts in the Park series,” said Mayor Frank Ferry. “Whether you’re a long-time Led Zeppelin fan, o

OLD TOWN NEWHALL FARMERS’ MARKET DON'T MISS THE OLD TOWN NEWHALL CERTIFIED FARMERS’ MARKET Old Town Newhall is open and with it brings the Old Town Newhall Farmers’ Market! The market is open every Thursday from 3pm to 7pm. Don't miss this opportunity to spend your Thursday evenings strolling through this colorful, European-style, open air market. Join family and friends for live entertainment, share a quick meal and shop for healthy, wholesome produce and flowers grown in local fields from Oxnard to Temecula. * This California Certified Farmers’ Market is every Thursday from 3:00-7:00 p.m. * The Old Town Newhall Farmers’ Market is located on Market Street west west of Main Street. Ample parking is available. For more information please call 661-255-4318 or click here .

CITY OF SANTA CLARITA TRANSIT We would like to hear from you! The City of Santa Clarita has hired Walker Parking Consultants to study commuter parking in the City of Santa Clarita. The goal of the study is to help the City manage the parking for maximum efficiency and customer service, and also to determine how much parking might be needed in the future. We are interested to hear your thoughts on what works well, what doesn’t work well, and what people’s parking habits are. Please visit their website at www.santaclaritatransit.com to participate in an online survey regarding parking in the City of Santa Clarita. A direct link to the survey is provided on our homepage. For more information contact City of Santa Clarita Transit at (661) 294-1BUS (1287).

The following press releases were posted between 01/20/2009 and 01/30/2009: MAJOR CRIME DECREASES 14.6% IN CITY - Burglary and Larceny Theft Show Double Digit Reductions for 2008 SANTA CLARITA POOL OPENS NEW LAP SWIM PROGRAM CITY’S GRAFFITI REMOVAL TASK FORCE SEES SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN 2008 FINAL TEAMS ANNOUNCED FOR 2009 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA - Santa Clarita to host Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer Fabian Cancellara and Oscar Freire Among the World’s Best Teams February 2, 2009 NAMES BEING ACCEPTED FOR CENTRAL PARK'S YOUTH GROVE MEMORIAL COUNCIL MEMBER MARSHA MCLEAN RE-ELECTED TO COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION Visit www.santa-clarita.com/press to view all press releases.

The City’s Planning Commission will hear a presentation from City planners and the project consultant regarding the draft Housing Element of the new General Plan on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 5 p.m. in City’s Century room located on the first floor of City Hall at 23920 Valencia Boulevard. The draft Housing Element is one of seven elements of the joint City/County General Plan, One Valley One Vision. As a required element of the General Plan, the Housing Element is part of the comprehensive planning document that provides a framework to guide new development in the City. The Housing Element contains information about the number and type of homes that must be built in order to ensure that all residents in the City will have a safe and healthy home in the future. The Element is being prepared to help Santa Clarita meet local and regional housing goals and to comply with State General Plan requirements. The public is invited to attend the study session which will be held before the Pla

Santa Clarita Valley Single-Family Homes Statistics Santa Clarita Valley Single-Family Homes Sales Increase 23%, Posting 5 th Consecutive Month of Gains Santa Clarita Single Family existing single-family homes picked up during May in the Santa Clarita Valley, posting the fifth consecutive month of increases, the Southland Regional Association of Realtors ® reported. Realtors® closed escrow on 220 homes, an increase of 22.9 percent over a year ago May and 23.6 percent higher than the tally reported this April. May also marked the first time since June 2007 that more than 200 homes sold in a single month. Every month since January has seen more homes sold than the prior year. Santa Clarita Condominium sales remained sluggish as prospective buyers preferred to focus on single-family homes that for the first time in years are being offered at favorable prices by owners who are willing to negotiate and make repairs or concessions. The market is showing signs of stabilization as we ente

Santa Clarita CA, I-5 Project Included in SCAG Regional Priorities Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the largest regional planning agency in the nation, released a draft of its 2008 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) in December. HOV and truck lane improvements "on Route 5 from SR 14 to Parker Road" are included at a project cost of $507 million.The project list is divided into three sections. The Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP), which includes the I-5 Project, forms the foundation of the RTP investment strategy. Second, the RTIP represents the first six years of already-committed funding. The RTP contains additional financially constrained (funded) projects beyond the RTIP. Third, the Strategic Plan lists unconstrained examples of projects the region would pursue given additional funding and commitment. Click the link for more information on The Golden State Gateway Coalition who is leading these transportation improvements.