Cheronda Guyton, the Wells Fargo senior executive who used to party at the Malibu mansion located at 106 Malibu Colony Road -last owned by Lawrence and Linda Elins, was fired.
Lawrence and Linda Elins suffered a huge loss due to Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, and were forced to sign over the property to Wells Fargo.

Guyton, who had been responsible for Wells Fargo’s foreclosed commercial properties, was having weekend parties at the foreclosed 3,800 sqft beach-front house on Malibu Colony. According to neighbors, Guyton was using the property not only for parties but also family members were staying at the house.

Click on the photo to see more pics of 106 Malibu Colony

Earlier this year Wells Fargo was on the news for receiving $25 billion in government bailout money last October and planing “recognition events” at upscale Las Vegas hotels for top mortgage employees. It said in February that events of this magnitude were part of its culture.

Wells Fargo stated earlier this month that it would repay its bailout funds without raising additional capital.

“We deeply regret the activities that have taken place as they do not reflect the conduct we expect of our team members,” the fourth-largest U.S. bank said in the statement about the employment termination of senior vice president Cheronda Guyton.

Source: Los Angeles Times

As the temperature fall, many pest often wander inside the house to survive, seeking for a source of water, food and a comfy temperature.

Here are some scary facts:

Depending on the species, an ant colony can include 500,000 individuals.

Two houseflies can produce tens of thousands of offspring per season.

Termites cause more than $5 billion in home damage every year.

In your walls, Cockroaches can produce several thousand offspring in a year.

To enter your home, mice can fit through holes as thin as a pencil.

Rats shed more than 500,000 body hairs yearly and 20-50 droppings per day.

Scary, isn’t it? Some good common sense could prevent welcoming all these creatures into your home.

Make sure your home insulation is not deteriorated, look for cracks or holes around your house and fix them.
Attics are perfect for hosting different types of pests, cleaning them at least once a month will help, also repairing any leaks that introduce water into these areas.
Never leave food and drinks out in the open, pests could smell them from the distance and will be attracted by them.
Isolate your trash until is ready to be moved out of the house.

Fall is the perfect time to get your yard ready for spring, according to the “Yard Doctor” Trey Rogers.
John (Trey) Rogers, Ph.D., is a professor of turfgrass science at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich. He is regarded as one of the country’s leading experts on growing and maintaining healthy lawns. Pretty impressive!

Here are some of Doctor Rogers’ recommendations:

1. Fall is the very best time to seed your lawn
Regardless if you only have some bare patches to fill or try to establish a new lawn, now is the best time to do it! “The warm soil combined with cool nights is perfect for grass seed germination. Start with high quality seed that matches what is already growing in your lawn” Rogers says. Don’t forget to consult with your local garden center.

2. Get rid of those dandelions
Those pretty yellow flowers popping up every spring, yeah, I think they are pretty in their own special way…

Well, they look pretty at the park, not so much when they grow in my yard.

“The ideal time to control this type of broadleaf weed ranges from early October in the northern U.S. to late October in the South. You want to apply a broadleaf herbicide as the weeds germinate. A liquid herbicide that you spray on will help ensure contact with the new, small weeds as they germinate. Dandelions are a main target, but this will also control all winter annual weeds that flower in the spring”

3. Feed your lawn
Did you know that during the fall your lawn spreads horizontally? Rogers recommends feeding the lawn with a good nitrogen and potassium combination fertilizer. Your lawn will fill those thin spots instead of just growing tall.

4. Draw up your plan for spring
Plan some changes now and start implementing. Visualize how you want your yard to look next summer, draw/sketch your vision. Fall is a good season to remove and replant bulbs, is also a good time to add new trees to your landscape.

‘…fall is a time of energy and renewal. A morning or afternoon of yard care is invigorating, fulfilling and will net you great rewards next year.” I agree with the “Yard Doctor”, gardening gives me more energy, however if I don’t use mosquito repellant, it also gives me horrible enormous red bumps, those creatures can smell dinner from 50 meters away. That’s all for now, talk to you soon!
If you have any suggestions on how to take care of the yard this fall, and would like to share them with us, send me a note.

Source: yardsmarts

Even in the most expensive zip codes, home prices took major hits this year.
Forbes reported that California, being the estate that accounted for 96% of America’s 50 most expensive ZIP codes, dropped to less than 50%.

Take a look at the median home price for the most expensive ZIP codes in America:

No. 1: 07620 Alpine, N.J.
Median Home Price: $4,139,041

No. 2: 94027 Atherton, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,849,133

No. 3: 10014 New York, N.Y.
Median Home Price: $3,521,514

No. 4: 91008 Duarte, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,444,773

No. 5: 90210 Beverly Hills, Calif.
Median Home Price: $3,367,167

Source: Forbes

For Sellers:
Who will tend to the property and pay for routine maintenance?
Who pays for major repairs?
What are the costs of setting up and managing an escrow account for the portion of rent allotted to the down payment?
Will you manage the property yourself, or hire an agent?

What if the renters change their minds? Who keeps the money in the escrow account?
If the buyers change their minds, what will be required to put the property back on the market?

For Buyers:
How much of the rent is going to the down payment?
How locked in are you if you change your mind?
What will it cost you to get out of the deal?
How long will it take to accumulate enough of a down payment that you are likely to qualify for a mortgage?

Source: REALTOR® Magazine Online