One thing that I love (among many) about Fullerton is the art that you find around town. There are so many talented people here and I am not the only one who thinks so! Presenting:

A Night In Fullerton
Saturday, November 8, 200 8 from 5:00 to 9:00

The City’s annual celebration of the arts offers free music, art and dance programs at various locations around Downtown Fullerton.

All programs are offered free to the public!

A variety of food booths will be available on Wilshire for visitors to grab a snack on their way to the many events offered for the evening. There are also numerous restaurants in the downtown that will be open for business;however, due to the anticipated crowds, reservations are recommended.

So come on out for an evening in lovely Downtown Fullerton and see the art that is offered around town!

Participating Sites:

• First Christian Church
• Fox Theater
• Fullerton College
• Fullerton Museum Center
• Fullerton Public Library
• Hibbleton Art Gallery
• Larson Academy of Irish Dance
• Studio EMP, Inc.
• Village Art Center
• West Coast Conservatory
• Wilshire Avenue Community Church

For more information please call the Fullerton Museum Center at 714-738-6545. Or visit The City of Fullerton Website for a complete list of offerings and map of participating locations.

If you are new to the area or would just like some good recommendations for dinner or anything else, please feel free to comment, check out my other blog entries or give me a call. I am happy to help!

Cristal Drake - Fullerton Area Realtor - Re/Max North Orange County - 714-423-7525

Photo courtesy of the Fullerton Museum Center

A Night In Fullerton

Here is your chance!  You know you have been wanting to check out the new Cantina Lounge in Fullerton!  Why not Wednesday, October 1st?  Stop by and make a difference too!

The WTLC (like many other foundations) has a very serious funding issue due to recent budget cuts

wtlc

and has lost over $300,000 in the last couple of months.  They were very near to shutting their doors a few weeks back when some great ladies in Fullerton organzed “WTLC Wednesday”.  It started at Bourbon Street, then Spadra, last week on to Mulberry Street and this week it is on to Cantina Lounge! 

Wednesday October 1^st, starting at 5pm until 10pm, Cantina Lounge will donate 20% of all bills back to the organization if the party mentions WTLC.  If you are not familiar with WTLC, it stands for Women’s Transitional Living Center.  They are a non-profit, community based organization that provides emergency shelter legal services, carreer planning and transitional living for primarily women and children.  This includes victims of abuse, mental illness, substance abuse and Human Trafficking Victims.

Currently WTLC is receiving no financial aide from federal funding and this will continue for six weeks. They are functioning solely on donations at this time.  We are requesting that you come down and join us for dinner and assist us in supporting their organization.  If you cannot make it, or cannot stay for dinner they are also donating 20% of any gift card purchased that evening if WTLC is mentioned.

Cantina Lounge is located in Fullerton at 2736 E Nutwood Ave, just off the 57 Freeway and Nutwood at the old Off Campus Pub location.  The website is Cantina Lounge  If you would like to make reservations for this event, please contact 714-729-2710 xt 141.

Please consider stopping by with a donation.  They can use almost anything you have to offer be it; monetary, gift cards, etc…

Come by to check out a cool new place, meet some amazing people and make a differnce.  You will be glad you did!

People are always asking me if it is a good time to buy or sell.  My answer is usually, “Well, do you need a place to live or do you need to move?”

Crystal Ball

I have a lot of buyers that are really nervous about buying for fear the market may go down.  I also have sellers that are afraid to sell because they are hoping it will come back up.

Guess what?  Both may happen.  Real Estate is a cycle that will always come up and go down.  We had a huge upswing in years past and now are in the downturn. 

So what is a buyer to do?  Well, you have a lot of options right now.  One thing it is really tough to do is to find a home for your family AND buy at the very bottom of the market.  Many buyers tell me that they want to be at the very bottom.  My name may be Cristal but unfortunately; I have no crystal ball. One thing I can tell you is that starter properties are now affordable and often times I am seeing buyers get into one for right around what they are paying in rent!

It is really tough to know where the bottom is and it is very likely that you will not even know we have hit it until the prices start creeping back up and the inventory starts to diminish.   Then the race is on!

So, here are my questions to you as a buyer:

• How much are you paying for rent?
• Where is all the money going?
• Do you like the home you are in now?
• Do you need to move?
• Are you looking long term?
• Will it matter in 10 years when you are 1/3 of the way through your mortgage?

These are just some of the things to think about.  Regardless if you buy now or later, you may miss the bottom.  Why not start putting some of what you are paying on rent towards paying off a home of your own?

And Sellers?  There are lots of people buying now if the home is priced to sell and shows well.  People are selling in this market for a variety of reasons and if you would like to know more about how this may (or may not) benefit you; I would love to answer any questions you may have.  It is all about what your needs are and what works best for you.

Cristal Drake - Fullerton Area Realtor - Re/Max North Orange County - 714-423-7525

Get Ready To SPARE THE AIR in Downtown Fullerton, CA

“Don’t Blow It - Good Planets are Hard to Find”…That is the motto for Spare The Air - Orange County Music Festival and Clean Air Campaign scheduled to hit Downtown Fullerton on August 30^th, 2008 from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.  It will be happening right in the heart of The Soco District!

I help out a great local web site (Fullerton Downtown) by calling up the local restaurants and bars to get their entertainment calendars.  A couple of weeks ago, while making my calls, two restaurants The Slide Bar and The Continental wanted me to make mention of the upcoming Spare The Air mega event that is encouraging everyone to get on-board a great cause!

The idea is to bring awareness to keeping our air clean.  The venue is scheduled to have a number of vendor booths, great food from local area restaurants and entertainment.  Slated to play are Lit, John Easdale, The Used, Death by Stereo and other big names that can not be announced yet.

The event is being held at our very own Transportation Center in Downtown Fullerton, so parking should not be a problem since it is all about sparing our air, take the bus or train downtown! 

This Event is sponsored by KROQ 106.7 so tickets are only $10.67! Hurry, I think this will be a sell out and tickets just went on sale on July 26th.

Enter a chance to win a pair of tickets, leave me a comment.  This is what I would like to know:

1.  What do you regularly do to “Spare the Air”?

2.  How will you get there?  (Since this is all about the environment, I think it is obvious you should try to leave your car at home!

I will be picking a winner from the comments on Wednesday, August 27th.  Good luck!

For more information check out Spare The Air!

I have always tried to keep my business in the city I live in.  Years ago when I moved to the City of Fullerton, I called up the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce and had their business directory sent out.  Since then I have used it to find the businesses to handle almost all my needs.  What better way to find a vendor/contractor that is accountable and gets involved in the city they serve?

Not too long ago I recommended to a friend that was starting a new business to get involved in the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce too.  She tried it for one year and then did not re-new saying that he thought it was only about other people trying to sell him their wares and that he never received any business.

Oh to the contrary!  I think that people don’t realize what they are receiving when they join the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce.

You are getting a ready made networking platform and an opportunity to get involved with the movers and shakers; the people that conduct business and care about Fullerton.  As a consumer, you are receiving the referral to a tried and true professional!

I love Chamber functions and go to everyone that I can!  It is not about the lunch hour or cocktail mixers (though they are fun) but a chance to meet the wonderful, generous people in your city and to introduce yourself to them.  It is a good way to talk about what is going on in Fullerton and how you might be able to help one another!

Here is a big Shout Out to the Fullerton Chamber Of Commerce, Theresa, Erin and Leah, you ladies are so amazing!  You give out great information and are so supportive of the businesses in the city.  I appreciate all you do for our wonderful city of Fullerton and the businesses here!

Last week’s Fullerton Chamberwas held in the patio in The SOCO District and was sponsored by the Fullerton Downtown Business Association.  Thank you to: Heroes, Roscoes, All Media, Leslie Kristen Interiors, Frati Gelato, and the others for a great BBQ complete with a full bar and live music.  The Patio area in SOCO was such a great location!  We had so much fun.

So next time you are thinking of looking in the phone book for a graphic artist, plumber, caterer or any other business, try the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce first.  Chances are they will have a great contact for you!  If you are Fullerton business, check out the opportunities that the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce has for you!

Fullerton Chamber of Commerce www.fullertonchamber.com 444 N Harbor Blvd # 200 Fullerton, CA 92832 (714) 871-3100 Get directions

Wow, what a whirl wind!  My husband and I decided to sell our house last July.  Lucky for us we were able to list, sell and close by September and still made it out in pretty good shape.

We decided to rent for a year to figure out our next step.  We started really looking again back in March.  We quickly noticed that in Fullerton, the good houses, priced right still SOLD quickly.  We (like many buyers I have) started feeling the frustration of not finding a home.

On July 3rd, a new listing came up in a neighborhood that I have always loved but rarely has a sale.  I found it about two hours after it was listed.  I called the listing agent, who happens to be in my office (score for working in a well known office that gets good listings) and said, “that’s my house!!!”  We made the offer on July 4th on our way to a bbq and just closed today!

There was a lot of other stuff in between like the current loan situation (you will hear more about that) but the moral of the story is, “your house is out there and will pop up when you least expect it so you better be ready to write an offer if you want it and make it one that can work for the seller!”

Homes in Fullerton seem to be selling.  I am seeing mulitple offer situations and this was no exception.  I am so glad that I didn’t go out of town like I was planning to or I would have missed out on my new home in Fullerton!!! 

Cristal Drake - Fullerton area Realtor - Re/Max North Orange County - 714-423-7525

In Fullerton - Give Blood, Save a Life and Go To a FREE CONCERT (edit/delete)

I get emails from the RedCross all the time since I try to donate on a pretty regular basis.  I was just thinking that I needed to make an appointment since I was about due…

Then, to my suprise, I got an email that the KLOS blood drive is coming up and they have a stop right here in Fullerton!  The bonus is that you get a free concert ticket if you donate blood!  You will get your coice of:

• Cruefest
• Judas Priest
• ZZ Top

I called my son who is 16 (and now old enough to give blood if a parent is present) and we made appointments.  So now we get to do two things together, give blood and go to a concert (let’s see if he really wants me to go with him to that).  Here is the scoop:

7/31/2008 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM Pacific

KLOS Fullerton - Marriott Hotel at Cal State Fullerton 2701 E Nutwood Ave Fullerton, CA 92831

Not in Fullerton?  That is ok, there are lots of places you can donate in So. Cal. and still get your concert ticket.  Just go to: 

GIVE BLOOD, SAVE A LIFE, GO TO A CONCERT!  GOOD DEAL!

See you there! Cristal Drake - Fullerton Area Realtor - Re/Max North Orange County - 714-423-7525

I pulled into my neighborhood late on Wednesday and the street was full of cars.  I sort of wondered what was going on because there were people all over my usually quiet neighborhood.  Then I realized,”it must be Concert in The Park time!”

I love summer and one thing I use to love to do when my son was little was to pack a nice light dinner and head down to the park to see whatever band was playing.  He would run around like a maniac and I would relax on the grass to listen to the music.

Well, it’s that time again!  My son may be out driving around town now instead of running but the FREE concerts in the park still bring out the families!  Every Wednesday through Aug. 20 is a great time to take your family out for a nice treat!

Check out the Fullerton Parks and Recreation Department’s popular outdoor summer concert series. While food will be available for purchase, concert-goers are welcome to bring a picnic supper to enjoy, as well as lawn chairs or blankets for seating. In addition to the music, the concert will feature special activities for children.

Wednesdays, July 16 - August 20
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Fullerton Sports Complex - 560 E. Silver Pine
(off Bastanchury between Brea Blvd. and Harbor Blvd.)

Admission: Free

Bring your family and friends to enjoy a night of music under the stars! Feel free to bring a picnic dinner, chairs and blankets to this casual evening of entertainment. The Fullerton Museum Center leads a FREE family arts & crafts booth featuring a different craft each week. Food is available for purchase. Call 714-738-6545 for more information.

Further information about the concerts may be obtained by calling the Parks and Recreation Department’s Information Hotline at (714) 738-3167, or the Fullerton Museum Center at (714) 738-6545. Persons requiring special accommodations to attend the concerts are asked to notify the department staff prior to coming to the sports complex. Parking for the disabled will be available at the site.

See you at the park!  Cristal Drake - 714-423-7525 - Fullerton Area Realtor - Re/Max North Orange County - Fullerton, CA

To my surprise, a new vintage store came to town.  I have to check out everything new in Downtown Fullerton and this new store was no exception.

The store is immaculate and is set up more like and upscale boutique than a Vintage clothing store.  But if you want some high quality clothes that you won’t see someone else walking down the street in, then this is your place!  I picked up a vintage cashmere sweater for eighteen bucks!  I know it is summer but I will be so happy when I pull this baby out in the fall!  You would pay in excess of $200 for the same thing at the mall. 

American Vintage is located at 210 N. Harbor in Downtown Fullerton, 714-449-9760.  There is no banner yet but it should be up soon.

So, take a trip to Downtown Fullerton and support a great new store in town, you will be glad you did!

Cristal Drake - Fullerton Area Realtor - Re/Max North Orange County - 714-423-7525