Melanie Serrato's (reagentmel) Blog

    HOW MUCH ARE THE TAXES?        This should be a pretty simple question, but there can be a lot of confusion  when people begin home shopping.  I’ve had the question from many buyer clients, and I’ve seen it posted in online forums, “How much are the property taxes?”        The way the propert...

In my real estate practice, I like to brag about the fact that I've lived in the area I serve for over 15 years, and even graduated from high school here before leaving the area for a time while in college and acompanying my husband to his posts in the Army. It amazes me to find that I've missed ...

On a long drive home yesterday, after an open house at our investment property, my husband took an unexpected exit off the freeway.  I asked him where he was heading, and he indicated that he thought the freeway was going to bog down up ahead at the transition to the next freeway we needed to tak...

Well located 2 bedroom 1 bath condo, less than a mile from the upscale El Paseo shops and restaurants, and an easy walk from the Santa Rosa hiking trails. If you're looking for a seasonal vacation spot, this is in the middle of everywhere you want to go. HOA dues are reasonable, and include not o...

Thanks in part to the dedication of a few volunteer teachers, and also the overall great teaching going on at Eastvale Elementary School, Math Field Day in the Corona Norco Unified School District was a great success for the Wildcats' 5th and 6th grade students who participated for 2011. There w...

                                                                                                                    Want to see some houses?  Understand, I'm more than just a "door opener".  Most home buyers in today's marketplace have spent a great deal of time researching the homebuying process...

This is one of real estate's new FAQs- "What happened with our offer", or some variation on the theme.   Usually, I can communicate directly with an agent, and and offer is either accepted, countered, or rejected.  Pretty simple, and I would update the buyer as to the status of their offer befor...

With so many investor-owned "standard" sales in the Corona, Norco, and Riverside areas, it is important for all to be aware of the rules that could impact either sale or purchase of this type of property.  A flip transaction has many potential pitfalls, be sure you're working with an experienced ...

While holding an open house in Eastvale, CA over the weekend, I decided to make use of my down time between visitors to analyze some statistics on Sold home prices in the area.   Eastvale is a newly formed city, previously part of Corona, popular for its proximity to several freeways as well as l...

  With Thanksgiving behind us, enter the official start of the Christmas Season.  For most of us, December is a time of visiting with friends and family, shopping, entertaining, and travel.  Some even take trips to typical vacation destinations, such as Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Now, I'm...