ANAHEIM On April 18th, the American Red Cross will hold a "Super CPR Saturday" at Angel Stadium.  CPR classes will be held in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.  For more information, please call (714) 481-5351. BREA Bearfoot Bluegrass, an acoustic band from Anchorage Alaska will be performing on April 4th at the Curtis Theatre.  For more information, please visit www.curtistheatre.com BUENA PARK An AARP driving class called "55 Alive" will be held from 9-11am on April 15 and 22nd at the Buena Park Senior Center. For more information, please call 714-236-3870. CYPRESS We Care, a food drive sponsored by Cypress Church will take place during the entire month of March.  Non-perishable food items are requested and may be dropped off at the church lobby, 6143 Ball Road, every Sunday morning t... 03/28/2009

*Burning one gallon of gas produces approximately 25 pounds of C02 *One third of all garbage thrown out in the United States is packaging. *Up to fifty percent of household energy is produced by heating and cooling the home. *If ¼ of U.S. households replaced only one bulb light bulb with one CFL, it would save as much C02 as planting 257,215 acres of forest!!        Thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors 03/22/2009

*Fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1500 miles before reaching your table (statistic applicable to North America only). *Over the holidays, over 25 million extra pounds of trash are discarded by Americans.  *Your fuel efficiency may be increased by reducing your speed to 55mph from 65mph by as much as 17 percent.     Thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors 03/22/2009

  *The United States accounts for 70% of electric energy use *The United States accounts for 39% of energy use overall! *40% of the average household's water consumption goes to outdoor watering during dry months. *The average American uses 50 pounds of tissue paper per year, most of it is not recycled paper!   Thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors 03/22/2009

*Turn off any unnecessary lighting in your home *Shut off water and or conserve your water by turning off the faucet when not necessary *Install low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads in your bathrooms *Unplug electronic equipment while not in use.     Thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors 03/22/2009

*Clean your dryer's lint trap after every load. Also ensure that outside vent on the exterior of your home is clear and clean   *Use fans and open windows as an alternative to air conditioning.   *Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees, which may also be called the "Normal" setting on your unit.   Thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors 03/22/2009

COSTA MESA Nothing to report. FOUNTAIN VALLEY The City's Annual Egg Hunt will take place on April 11th from 8-11am at the Fountain Valley Sports and Recreation Center and Sports Park.  For more information, please call 714-839-8611. HUNTINGTON BEACH Nominations are now being accepted by the American Red Cross for their Bravo for Bravery Award.  Please visit www.oc-redcross.org for more information.  IRVINE Today, between the hours of 12pm-4pm, the Village Church of Irvine will be hosting a free clothing exchange event. The church is located at 77 Post Street. LOS ALAMITOS On April 1st, the winners of the 30th Annual Amateur Photography Contest (sponsored by the Recreation and Community Services Department) will be announced. For more information, please call 562-430-1073. NEWPORT BEACH... 03/22/2009

ALISO VIEJO On March 26th, an economic summit, sponsored by the city will take place at the Pacific Life Insurance Building.   COTO DE CAZA & THE CANYONS Nothing to report. DANA POINT The public has been invited by the Dana Point Surfing Heritage Museum Task Force to attend a town hall meeting.  The meeting will discuss the development of a potential museum in town.  The next meeting will take place at the Dana Point Community Center at 6pm on Wednesday. LADERA RANCH The City's Community Services Department is in the process of planning a day filled with egg hunts, carnival games and bounce house fun from 11am-2pm on April 4th. More information to come... LAGUNA BEACH On Monday, the Laguna Beach Assistance League will be offering tours of their facility between the hours of 10am and 12... 03/21/2009

ANAHEIM On April 18th, the American Red Cross will hold a "Super CPR Saturday" at Angel Stadium.  CPR classes will be held in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.  For more information, please call (714) 481-5351. BREA A rally for the American Heart Association will take place tomorrow at 2pm at 1821 Greenbrier Lane.  For more information, please call 714-671-1619. BUENA PARK Giving Children Hope, a nonprofit organization based in Orange County is currently seeking local artists to participate in the "My Hands Have a Voice" art show which will be held on April 18th.  For more information, please call 714-523-4454. CYPRESS We Care, a food drive sponsored by Cypress Church will take place during the entire month of March.  Non-perishable food items are requested and may be dropped off at the... 03/21/2009

Photo courtesy of greenresourcecouncil.org Michael Caruso with Michael Caruso Real Estate Group has been awarded the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR's) Green Designation, the only green real estate professional designation recognized by NAR. Michael achieved this prestigious designation after completing 18 hours of coursework designed specifically for REALTORS®.  The courses were created in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of industry experts from across the country, ensuring designees gain comprehensive knowledge of green homes and buildings and issues of sustainability in relation to real estate.  More specifically, Michael was trained in understanding what makes a property green, helping clients evaluate the cost/benefits of green building features and practices, d... 03/21/2009

The Laguna Niguel YMCA is currently offering recreational rock climbing for children ages two and up. For a nominal fee ($5 for non-members and FREE for members) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7-9pm.  The YMCA is located at 29831 Crown Valley Parkway.  For more information regarding the rock climbing event or other YMCA programs, please call 9490495-9622. Your comments, as always, are welcome! And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors  03/15/2009

The Laguna Niguel Women's Club is currently accepting applications for new members. Along with enjoyable activities such as couples gourmet, sewing and Bunco, the club is a great way to meet and or network with women in the area.  Most importantly, the Laguna Niguel Women's Club creates and participates in fundraisers for charities such as Make-a-Wish Foundation and Laura's House.   Your comments, as always, are welcome! And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors  03/15/2009

The YMCA is currently accepting donations of old clothes, household items and miscellaneous items for their rummage sales. Proceeds benefit children who's parents work during the day and are looking to leave their children in a safe place.  This is just another of many fundraisers that the YMCA holds to benefit children in South Orange County. For more information, please contact the YMCA, (949) 495-9622     Your comments, as always, are welcome! And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors  03/15/2009

Last Tuesday, a project began to help move-along the erosion process of the jettys.  Throughout the duration of the project, over 130,000 cubic yards of sand will be moved from the Santa Ana River mouth to the streets between 28th and 48th street. The result~bigger waves! Surf's up! Is this the answer to creating more surf spots around the country? Your comments, as always, are welcome! And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors  03/15/2009

I'm sure the advertisers know.  After all, I know...so why wouldn't they?  And soon, they won't offer up any whopping fees to advertise on the most popular TV shows...  Here are the reasons: Statistics show that 50% of TV show viewers "Tivo" or "DVR" their favorite TV show (that goes for the 3 most popular rated TV shows).  Wait...this gets wayyyy better.  Of those people, 60% view the show 3 or more days later and...more than 80% of those people fast forward thru the commercials. Explain why TV advertisers would pay anything more than a smittens to advertise on TV? Comments are always welcome. And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors 03/14/2009

Laguna Niguel, CA Real Estate Guide   So how does the Laguna Niguel CA real estate market look these days? Currently Laguna Niguel has a average listing price for homes for sale of $1,017,597. The ORANGE county average currently is $897,132. The current number of properties on the market in Laguna Niguel is 482. The Laguna Niguel median listing price is $636,333. For ORANGE county real estate the total listings are 15,112 and a median listing price of $490,258. This comparss to California real estate data, which this week shows a total number of listing properties as 137,993 with a median listing price of $339,317.    Laguna Niguel Real Estate Listings by Bedroom (updated weekly) Number of BedroomsProperties / Homes for SaleAverage Listing PriceMedian Listing Price 1 29 $196,077 $199,29... 03/13/2009

I was driving to work and heard something on the radio that startled and astonished me.  A study showed that kids laugh up to 400 times a day and adults laugh...are you ready?  Adults laugh up to 14 times a day!  Is it any wonder why we're all looking gloomy? Doesn't that tell you something?  Kids have a ball - every single day...giggling, laughing, snickering every day.  It seems like they don't have a care in the world....because they're always laughing. Did you know that laughter is good for you?  It brings blood pressure down and it's good for the heart.  I think it releases good natural chemicals into your body. I'm not suggesting that you walk around like a giggling fool...but take a moment for humor, a moment to smile or tell a joke...a moment to laugh out loud! Let's see what h... 03/12/2009

If you ask most people why they work so hard the most common answer is 'because I wanna do nothing later in life'. If you asked me why I work so hard I would say "because basically I'm a lazy person trying to find a way to be lazy"....I just can't find the way to be lazy.  I am bred to work hard.  I have a strong work ethic founded by low middle class parents who made me work a part time job from the time I was a young kid (9 years old).  My uncles all had grocery stores so that 9 year old thing was pretty easy for my parents to initiate. I had a job all through high school and still managed to make good grades and play football and baseball....I had a job in college, then a full time job while finishing college.  I got it all done so I could begin a career and work hard enough to make... 03/11/2009

One of the famous phrases coined by Alan Greenspan was "irrational exhuberance".  I remember the public reaction, news commentator reaction and media reaction to "irrational exhuberance"...some laughed and joked while others shuddered about the possibility of such a symptom for our nation. Have you thought that our people might be suffering from irrational depression? If unemployment is 8.1% then 91.9% of people are working. And if 7% of mortgages are failing then 93% are performing.  Car sales are off, but they are still selling...gas prices have dropped dramatically.  And the population keeps growing.  People still need a place to live. Has the media beaten us down just a little to far?  Has the word "crisis" been exploited? Are we suffereing as a nation from "irrational depression"?... 03/09/2009

We all know the mess we're in, but who among you is thinking about the recovery? What kind of recovery will it be?  Is this a "L" shape recovery?  Or perhaps a "U" shape recovery?  Do we all agree that it is not a "V" shape recovery? Thinking about it now may help you recover quicker than the economy and become a contributing factor in our overall economic recovery.  Comments are always welcome. And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection. Best regards. Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI 2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors   03/09/2009