Community
Real Estate News-Inspections vs. Appraisals
Q: Do I need a house inspection when my bank is having the house appraised?
A: Yes! A house appraisal is an independent evaluation of the current market value of a house or property. In general, the purpose of an appraisal is to set the current value of a house so that a lender may determine how much it can loan to the buyer. The appraiser looks at similar properties in the area and the prices at which they were sold to set the value of the house.
A house inspector conducts a thorough evaluation of the houses major systems and structural integrity. Whereas the appraiser is typically working for the bank, the house inspector is working for you. The house inspector identifies items that need replacement or repair prior to closing, which can save you thousands of dollars.
U.S. Department Of Housing And Urban Development (HUD) requires buyers sign a Consumer Notice advising them to get a house inspection in addition to a house appraisal before purchasing a house with a FHA mortgage. Additionally, HUD now allows homebuyers to include the costs of appraisal and inspection in their FHA mortgage.
Red Ribbon Week- “Drug Free is the Key”
Whittier~“Drug Free Is the Key” is the theme for the 21st annual Red Ribbon Week.
Co-sponsored by the SKILLS Foundation and the City of Whittier, Red Ribbon Week is celebrated annually by local schools and youth groups to support a drug-free community.
Kicking off the event will be the 21st Annual Pancake Breakfast and Community Rally, which will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, October 24 at East Whittier Middle School, 14421 Whittier Boulevard.
The $4 per person breakfast (children 3 years and younger are free) includes pancakes, sausage and beverages.
Along with breakfast, families will be entertained by local schools and organizations, and there will be informational booths and displays promoting a drug-free lifestyle. There will also be chances to win prizes such as electronics, amusement park passes and restaurant gift cards.
Whittier Hosts 7th Annual “Celebrating Abilities” Expo
Whittier~“Celebrating Abilities,” the seventh annual Expo and Celebration of Disabilities Awareness Month, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, October 21, 2008 at Parnell Park, 15390 Lambert Road, Whittier. All community members are invited to come to this free event to learn more about how Whittier is working to become accessible to all residents.
“The event is jointly sponsored by the City of Whittier Accessibility Committee, Community Services Department, Southeast Area Social Services Funding Authority (SASSFA) Work Source and the Whittier Union High School District to celebrate Disabilities Awareness Month in October,” said
More than 25 agencies will be represented at the Expo, featuring exhibits and displays on employment assistance information, advocacy, independent and assisted living, parent education, support programs, social services resources and emergency preparedness information, Shields said.
Cerritos College Volleyball Doing a Dig Against Breast Cancer
Norwalk~When you say October, you would think Halloween, Columbus Day or falling leaves. But October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And Cerritos College women’s volleyball team will be joining for the first year in Side-Out’s Dig Pink National Breast Cancer Awareness Rally to raise funds and breast cancer awareness in the community.
This fall, thousands of teams from around the country will be participating in Dig Pink to promote Breast health education as well as raising funds to help eradicate Breast Cancer.
“It’s a neat way to get us together for a great cause,” said Teresa Velazquez, head volleyball coach at Cerritos College. “Students, family, friends and the community can help a good cause while supporting the team.”
Dig Pink attendees will watch the women compete on the court while contributing the breast health awareness by wearing pink in the stands and making a donation at the door. Dig Pink t-shirts can be purchased for $10 at the Physical Education Department. Order form is available here.
Every home game in October will have 50/50 raffles in which 50% of the proceeds go to the Side-Out Foundation and the other 50% will be prize. Or, even if you cannot make it to the games, you can still make a credit card donation at the Cerritos College Page on the Dig Pink Web site by going to www.DigPink.org, selecting the Colleges link under 2009 Team Summary and selecting Cerritos College.
Cerritos College will host its Dig Pink event at the following home games during the month of October:
October 16, 6:00 p.m. against Los Angeles City College
October 28, 6:00 p.m. against Long Beach City College
The Side-Out Foundation is an organization that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for breast cancer research nationwide through tournaments, clinics, and rallies. This is where the goal of $2,500 in proceeds and donations set by the Cerritos College “Dig for the Cure” campaign will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, a national 501 (c)(3). For more information about the event, please contact Teresa Velazquez at tvelazquez@cerritos.edu or (562) 860-2451 ext. 2881.
Splash! Enjoys Record Summer Success
La Mirada~Record attendance and revenues were seen at the Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatic Center during the recently concluded summer season.
Summer attendance of over 189,000 drew in $1,200,000 in revenue. More than 6,300 Splash! season passes were sold.
"Attendance by families from the La Mirada area, particularly those with smaller children, was especially strong throughout the summer", according to La Mirada Community Services Director Lori Thompson. "Splash! has become a very popular destination for aquatic recreation, instruction, and competition".
The creative design of Splash! which combines instructional water and competitive pools with the family fun activities found in Buccaneer Bay water park area, is also proving to be a viable business model. While traditional pool complexes can be costly to operate and produce very little in the way of revenues, Splash! produces significant revenues to offset costs. The net investment in Splash! operations is within that of other recreational and cultural facilities serving La Mirada.
Splash! also offered hundreds of local youth a free program of swim lessons and activities during the summer. The program included lessons, competitive activities and water play. The program was offered in cooperation with the County of Los Angeles and LA 84.
Althought the Buccanerr Bay water park ihas closed following the end of the summer season, Splash! will continue to offer a wide variety of swim lessons, exercise classes and open swim opportunities. For additional information on the Splash! schedule of activities, visit www.cityoflamirada.org or call (562) 902-3191.
Hats Off at the Kiwanis Installation Dinner
La Mirada~On Wednesday, the 23rd of September, members of the La Mirada Kiwanis Club, spouses and friends met for an installation dinner of the new term of the La Mirada Kiwanis Club.
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| Longtime Kiwanian Tony Armas with outgoing President, Debbie Scheibel |
All in all, the plusses well outweighed any negatives. The Club enjoyed a membership growth from 34 to 52; and for the math inclined, that’s a 53% increase.
Kiwanis also hosted the second annual Duck Race, served Tri-Tips at the 3rd of July City fireworks show, sold fireworks, and sold hamburgers at the city Stroll in the Park. We served pancakes to all comers at many, many youth activities. We cooked the pancakes for the Knabe Katch and treated some 50 plus children to a Shopping Spree last Christmas at Sears, with breakfast after at Ruby’s.
When everything was totaled, we logged in 1783 hours on 89 projects, spending over $17,000 on service projects. We gave out $11,000 in Scholarships to local seniors plus over $12, 500 in donations. Debbie thanked all members for their efforts and singled out some special members for their continuing efforts.
She called up Tony Armas, Ronnie Knight, John Tovar, Reed Taylor and Lou Piltz, giving them awards for their continuing efforts. She gave hats to each to signify their specialty, with Tony getting a hot dog hat, Ron, a patriotic hat, John, an umbrella hat, Reed, a Fire Chief hat and Lou, a wizard hat.
Celebration in the Park Victorian Tea
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| La Mirada's Pride and Joy, the Neff Mansion |
La Mirada~Enjoy a Victorian Tea at the City’s Celebration in the Park event on Saturday, October 3, at the historic Neff Estate.
Tea will be served at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. The cost is $12 presale and $15 on the day of the event, which includes a variety of desserts, tea and lemonade. Presale tickets are available at the La Mirada Resource Center and the La Mirada Activity Center until September 25.
The Neff Estate is located at 14300 San Cristobal Drive. For information, call the Community Services Department at (562) 943-7277.
Cerritos College Annual Job Fair
Norwalk~Cerritos College's annual Job Fair will be held Tuesday, October 6, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Library/Falcon Square sidewalk.
The event, which attracts more than 300 attendees each year, is free and open to Cerritos College students and the general public. It is recommended that attendees dress in business attire and bring copies of resumes with them.
During the Job Fair, attendees will have opportunity to talk to recruiters, learn about the companies, explore job opportunities, network with recruiters, and receive suggestions from employers on resumes and interviewing skills.
Employers representing business, finance, technology, healthcare, retail and other industries will participate in the event.
Resume building workshops and workshops in successful job fair tips will be offered prior to the event.
Shop La Mirada
Sales tax revenues from purchases made in La Mirada support many municipal programs and services vital to the community.
Whether getting a bite to eat with the family, catching a movie, filling the gas tank, or buying groceries, look to La Mirada first for your shopping needs.
Seniors: Come Improve Your Health, For Free!
La Mirada~The City of La Mirada will be hosting a senior health fair on Wednesday, September 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Various organizations will be providing information on topics such as healthy living, health screenings, and more. This event is free to the public.
For more information please call the La Mirada Activity Center at (562) 902-3160 or visit www.cityoflamirada.org.
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