tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-335462082011-12-07T16:10:00.070-08:00Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-45026605649084785732011-12-07T16:05:00.001-08:002011-12-07T16:10:00.082-08:00

As somewhat a laudee-dah lady I am often asked, “How is it you love to hunt and fish so much?” The short answer is that I owe it to my two grandfathers; Reg Meaker, Sr. and Lin Blondin. My grandfather Meaker was known as the Nevada Desert Sheep Man and my grandfather Blondin was an avid fisherman. However, there is so much more to the story. But to keep this blog reasonably concise, it all

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-2188787007929102602011-11-18T12:13:00.000-08:002011-11-18T13:11:11.165-08:00

Ryan and I attended the Annual Sacramento Association of Realtors Master’s Club Breakfast this morning. (Master’s Club members must sell at least $4 million in sales each year to maintain their membership. They are the 20%-ers of Real Estate) I have not attended one in probably 20 years. However, with Ryan now moving his real estate career forward as a licensed agent, I felt I should set a

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-58564691400005897422011-10-21T13:30:00.000-07:002011-10-21T13:36:34.546-07:00

But…..Sometimes We Just Can’t Help Ourselves!The real estate business has never been easy. Even when thousands of people got into the business because it looked like “easy” money, it was still challenging. During those times all your past clients now had someone in the family with a real estate license. But in all my 42 years I have never seen our industry so difficult. In order to survive,

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-73404568803505099512011-09-06T15:54:00.000-07:002011-09-06T16:00:19.262-07:00

It is one thing to have a great day of catching fish when you are on the river with a pro like Kevin Brock. But as I blogged, even then at times you have challenges such as those 5 lost fish. However, we did hook approximately 18 fish that day with all parties taking home limits. Yes that is the ultimate definition of “Sweet!” However, we ventured back out on our own the following Sunday on

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-68697097631333585662011-09-02T15:20:00.001-07:002011-09-02T15:27:06.957-07:00

Alan and I always look forward to fishing with Kevin Brock whether it is stripers in the spring, steelhead up on the Smith, but for our trip for Salmon on the Sac this past week, we were like two kids at Christmas. After all it has been years since that fishery was really open let alone promising. Following Kevin’s reports that he was bringing in limits everyday really elevated the

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-72179931496413714862011-08-29T12:34:00.000-07:002011-08-29T12:34:58.007-07:00

Each morning right about 6:00 a.m. you will find me coming through the gate at Brown’s Ravine with my 3 dogs in the back of my SUV on our way to enjoy a 3 mile run and then a 30 minute swim. We check in with Ivy who is the main gate keeper. Last Saturday, it was business as usual. As I drove into the park, I noticed the regular groups of hen turkeys with their poults. On any given morning, there

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-4737510248833316122011-08-24T13:39:00.000-07:002011-08-24T13:39:54.688-07:00

Calling all fishermen! The fall salmon run is here. I have 4 homes in several price ranges within walking distance of the American River… The fall salmon run is shaping up to be phenomenal which we have not seen in years! Additionally the American offers year-round striper fishing, shad fishing and one of North America’s Premier destination steelhead runs. Imagine coming home from what you do

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-82763025529839308762011-06-01T14:24:00.000-07:002011-06-01T14:32:28.408-07:00

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-52073026925092556012011-06-01T14:14:00.001-07:002011-06-01T14:32:00.301-07:00

This has been a year + of milestones for me and my real estate journey. October of 2009 marked my 40th anniversary of starting my career in real estate. Then in 2010, the Business Journal contacted me and asked to do an article on my 40 years in the business. Oh my goodness! This past January, the good people at Short Sale Genius named me “Short Sale Genius of the Month”. Short Sale Genius is a

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-43921304864005206982010-10-27T14:40:00.000-07:002010-10-27T14:40:32.465-07:00

THE BELOW IS THE WORK OF STEVE BEEDE, ATTORNEY AT LAW WHO SPECIALIZES AMONG OTHER THINGS IN ADVISING CLIENTS WHO ARE FACING FORECLOSURE OR A SHORT SALE IN THEIR HOMES.  AT HIS INVITATION I AM SHARING IT WITH VIEWERS OF MY WEB SITE AS I BELIEVE THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THIS ARTICLE IS VERY IMPORTANT AND MAY OFFER A NEW ALTERNATIVE TO HOMEOWNERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES.On October 1st

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-46723572957616265772010-07-19T14:41:00.000-07:002010-07-19T14:41:13.927-07:00

It was amazing to see how the buyer's vanished on May 1, 2010 when the deadline had passed on getting into contract for the $8000. first time buyer's tax credit.  However, if you're thinking this windfall opportunity has passed you by, think again.  Two major things have transpired since then:  First interest rates dropped to an all time low (at least in my 41 years of selling real estate). 

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-28046051711623646122010-06-23T10:49:00.000-07:002010-06-23T12:11:11.113-07:00

Jack with 2 tennis balls and a stick! Many of you know that we are a Real Estate Team that cares. Something you may not know is that when we say we care, we really mean it. Alan and I have two great dogs including a white lab named Jack.  Jack is a blood donor dog at Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic in Loomis. A week ago Sunday, I was putting a prime rib on the barb – b – que at around 3:15 p.m

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-71529606730257661932010-06-09T19:03:00.000-07:002010-06-10T09:08:09.640-07:00

You can't help but have noticed that, along with the Gulf Oil Crisis and the National Healthcare Bill, there has been a tsunami of foreclosures and short sales which have negatively impacted both the banking and real estate industries. In essence my business has changed dramatically over the past couple of years! For my dear friends who haven't heard from me as often as I would have liked, I

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-91902425834746582242008-11-06T13:04:00.000-08:002008-11-06T13:08:20.945-08:00

The content of this newsletter was obtained from press releases from Realogy Corporation and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in recent weeksThe past few weeks have been an economic roller coaster. We have watched the market dip and climb as fear, frustration and questions in the stock and real estate markets mount.What we are experiencing is the results of combining over-inflated pricing

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-49377154613840024992008-05-05T12:24:00.000-07:002008-05-05T12:49:09.280-07:00

Eric, I've talked a lot about what to do if you are in trouble with other options to avoid foreclosure. But what if you're one of the unfortunate ones who have lost your home to foreclosure. Again, the word is, don't put your head in the sand. If ever there is a time in credit history that future credit grantors will be compassionate and forgiving for those who have lost their homes to

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-75059986171955182082008-04-08T13:02:00.000-07:002008-04-08T13:34:01.895-07:00

Eric Hogue and I have talked many times about advertising and how slick ads often work whether it is in business or in politics, even when they are misleading. Doug Ose has really been spending a lot of money on his ads and I have to say they are extremely clever even though they are definitely misleading. On one hand you have Tom McClintock, who regardless of where he resides has been a tried

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-18418365986657066842008-03-26T12:57:00.000-07:002008-03-26T13:26:42.666-07:00

Yesterday, the California Association of Realtors came out with new numbers on existing home sales in the Greater Sacramento Area. Sales for February compared with February 07 were up 11%. However, the prices were down about 30%. The news focused on the negative part of the drop in prices, however, I think it is truly the silver lining to this horrible crises we are in. With interest rates still

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-55722371683752851512008-03-17T13:06:00.000-07:002008-03-17T13:20:46.751-07:00

I wanted to clarify some facts vs. fiction. I received a call from an investor who is interested in buying homes for investment. He said he that he knew he could buy houses in good areas between $40,000 and $100,000. My response was “Really!” Where are they, I will buy them. The facts are that home prices in Elk Grove, Natomas, Lincoln and other hard areas hit that have hundreds of bank owned

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-75792936787516921982008-03-12T12:26:00.000-07:002008-03-12T12:53:16.604-07:00

There is a saying goes, one man’s loss is another man’s opportunity. How true that is in today’s real estate market. As tragic as this whole loan debacle is for so many of our neighbors, if you’re in the market to buy, you should be licking your chops. Let me give you some examples from the elk Grove area. There is currently a home listed at $190k that sold in. 06 for $377k. It's a nice 3

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-13354828649562495832008-03-10T12:35:00.000-07:002008-03-10T13:01:15.669-07:00

NBC news did piece this weekend on the latest foreclosure scam? I heard about this a few weeks back, so it’s great that it’s getting national exposure. Companies are popping up all over soliciting homeowners who are behind on their mortgage with a walk away service. They have a large package of paper work that the homeowner must complete; in some cases they actually have the homeowner deed the

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-64048257137012003362008-03-07T10:32:00.001-08:002008-03-07T11:10:05.452-08:00

The number one course that most homeowners who are in trouble are taking is foreclosure. Up until recently it was considered not much different than a short sale in how it would affect your future credit worthiness. However, that is now changing.Lenders have recently issued a change in the direct underwriting guidelines making a negotiated short sale far less damaging than foreclosure. They

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-91713093804992667392008-03-06T12:33:00.000-08:002008-03-06T13:41:22.972-08:00

This week we have been talking about the crises in the real estate market. One of the options for those who find themselves either upside down or unable to make their payments or both is to sell their home on a short sale. A short sale is when the net proceeds from the sale of a home fall short of paying off the loans against that property.It requires the co-operation and approval of the lender

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-79217406711346655252008-03-05T12:18:00.000-08:002008-03-05T12:35:37.006-08:00

If you cannot continue to make your payments or feel your situation is hopeless, do not put your head in the sand. There are some real remedies that I can help you with. And the consequences of not acting are substantially worse than if we get working for a solution right away. What are those solutions; that depends on what out come you are hoping for.Do you want to try and stay in your home?

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-29737319262656458492008-03-04T12:09:00.000-08:002008-03-04T14:06:09.701-08:00

Okay, you have one of those loans……your payment’s gone up……your loan balance is higher than your house is worth…..what do you do? Where do you turn?A lot depends of the type of loan you have. If it’s the loan you used to buy your home, (Called a purchase money loan) it usually makes a real difference. However, if that loan is actually two loans in the form of a first and a second, then a lot

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-2869502830191655792008-03-03T10:52:00.000-08:002008-03-03T12:26:10.272-08:00

Greetings!I want to tell you how excited I am to have Eric Hogue back doing what he does best and how honored I was to be asked by Eric personally to bring the Real Estate Minute back to his show!In speaking with Eric this morning, he confirmed that one of the hottest political issues as we enter into this President Election year is the economy and the housing crises. Eric and I would like to

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-65044949062961337262008-02-27T12:19:00.000-08:002008-02-27T14:25:02.780-08:00

Guess who’s coming back to KTKZ!ERIC HOGUE!That’s right, starting Monday, March 3, 2008, Eric will be back on AM1380 from Noon—1:00 p.m. with the Capitol Hour bringing you the latest from the “Belly of the Beast”. Eric's format will be analyzing political hot topics from the conservative view point. As a special feature, on the last Friday of each month, Eric will host the Capitol Hour from the

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-70667256339302291052007-08-27T15:35:00.000-07:002007-08-27T16:05:24.355-07:00

There has been a lot in the news lately about the mortgage industry and the fact that it is teetering on collapse. I have to tell you that I am very concerned about the state of that part of my business. If you will recall, 3 years ago I sent out a similar letter called “Lender Alert”. In that note, I warned of my concerns about how many unqualified people were getting into the mortgage

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-71694845863171626342007-08-14T14:53:00.000-07:002007-08-14T15:08:05.971-07:00

With all we have heard in the last few weeks about the lending industry, I wanted to share with you what I think the real story is. As I began to piece together several different reports to try and "Nut Shell" it, I received this email from Brad Puckett, a local mortgage banker. Frankly, his analysis, mirrored my own, so rather than spending hours creating this blog, with full credit to him, I

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-90371873674799952782007-07-31T08:37:00.000-07:002007-07-31T08:40:12.294-07:00

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. Ifyou hear a noise outsideyour home or someone trying to get in yourhouse, just press the panicbutton for your car. The alarm will be set off,and the horn willcontinue to sound until either you turn it offor the car battery dies.This tip came from a neighborhood watchcoordinator. Next time you comehome for the night and you start to put yourkeys away,

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-24575079787423192802007-07-18T10:41:00.000-07:002007-07-18T10:49:05.818-07:00

Sometimes with the busy lives we all lead, we forget to stop and reflect on our blessings and to give thanks for all our glasses that are more full than empty. In our family, we have enjoyed so many perfect blessings, with some definite challenges mixed in. We have elected to make those challenges the focus of our chosen charities. One of those is the Special Olympics. My nephew Matthew Meaker

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-35897665911006763962007-07-11T13:53:00.000-07:002007-07-11T13:56:19.859-07:00

Foreclosures are the hot topic in today’s real estate market. Most people that I talk to are of the notion that the best buys to be had in today’s market are homes that have gone back to the banks. In some cases, that is true, but as in all real estate, you have to look at each prospective property case by case. I am just now closing on one REO (Real Estate Owned or a foreclosed home) where my

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546208.post-1157109399119856352006-09-01T04:01:00.000-07:002006-09-01T04:16:39.130-07:00

Good morning! According to the clock on my computer, it is 3:56 a.m. I am making this post - and trying to make it quick because I need to get showered and out of here to join Eric at Roseville Meats for the last broadcast of Hogue in the Morning on KTKZ and the Real Estate Minute. I can't tell you how many times I wondered how long such a great experience like doing the Real Estate Minute

Viki Benbow The Real Estate Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918748191468468761noreply@blogger.com1