Real Estate

If you were to tune out the din of numerous voices talking shop this weekend at the National Assn. of Realtors Conference & Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center, which is expected to draw nearly 18,000 people in the real estate business from all over the nation, you'd hear some new voices. "Hey, bra, you check out the latest home price index? It's sweet!" That's not so far-fetched if you happen to be listening Matt Clements with Prudential in Laguna Niguel. To hear him you'd almost think he was channeling Keanu Reeves' surfer dude character in "Point Break.

Editor's Note: This is a two-part story forecasting real estate experts' top predictions for the market in 2012. * Perhaps sometime between now and Dec. 21, 2012, will be beginning of the end. In fact, some think the end is already here, and they welcome any prophecies for an end to it all now or any time in 2012 - but we're talking about the prolonged real estate market downturn here. The new year brings with it lots of questions. Is the real estate market ready for the onslaught of short sales and foreclosures we've been hearing about, and if so will these "deals" drive down prices?

A Newport Beach woman was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison for scheming with her two daughters and son-in-law to commit more than $16 million in real estate fraud, authorities said. Sushama Devi Lohia, 74, pleaded guilty in December to felonies - including conspiracy to commit a crime, identity theft and failure to file - for securing loans and buying homes using "straw buyers," or people who buy a property they never intend to control, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

This is the second of an occasional series of stories on the Real Estate Fraud Advisory Board and the Orange County District Attorney's fraud unit. * When Kathy Chen purchased 35 properties around Orange County using stolen identities and then intentionally defaulted on loans in order to steal the loan money, it must have seemed like a bright idea. It must have also seen like an opportune time, seeing as it was only a few years ago, during the heart of the real estate downturn.

Working for the McMonigle Group, an international real estate firm in Newport Beach, may seem like an unattainable dream for many young agents. McMonigle hosted its first “Top Agent” competition last fall, sending a select group of applicants through four weeks of grueling training before one contender won a job with the firm. This spring, company founder John McMonigle plans to start a new round with “Top Agent 2.” “The first Top Agent program exceeded our expectations by presenting us with an amazing group of real estate talents and our ultimate Top Agent, Paul Benec,” McMonigle said in a news release.

Members of Orange County's business community can expect UC Irvine to become a bigger part of the real estate scene if the evolution of the school's Center for Real Estate goes as planned. The center's creation was announced in June. The center is part of UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business, and according to school officials, more than $1.5 million has already been donated to it. One of the center's founding donors is Robert Campbell, president of the Newport Beach-based CT Realty Corp.

John McMonigle and his McMonigle Group was named Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage's top residential sales team in the world for last year, according to a news release. This is the third year in a row the Newport Beach-based McMonigle Group was named as the company's top seller, with $432 million in sales in 2006 — a 74% increase from the group's 2005 sales. The first year the McMonigle Group was named the top domestic and international seller, Coldwell Banker reported McMonigle sold $197 million in residential real estate.

Kerry Vandell, an influential professor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been appointed executive director of the new Center for Real Estate at UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business. Vandell, who will also serve as a professor of finance, plans to begin his tenure in July 2006. At Wisconsin, he directed the Graaskamp real estate program, one of the most heralded business education programs in the country. As head of the UCI real estate program, he will preside over the training of graduate students preparing for careers in the real estate industry.

NEWPORT BEACH — Despite reports of doom and gloom in the real estate market, one new company is thriving in its niche luxury market while representing all kinds of properties. Surterre Properties started in October 2006 with cash, two people and an idea. Founders Gary Legrand and Paula Wilhelm wanted to create a new kind of real estate firm, one that focused on teamwork rather than individual accomplishments. And even with threats looming about the local market's "bubble" about to burst and the increasing number of foreclosures, they dove in head first.

Donald Trump won’t be around to bark orders, but when the McMonigle Group kicks off its “Top Agent” competition in October, the organizers intend to make it just as intense as reality TV. The Newport Beach real estate firm, partnered with Coldwell Banker Previews International, is seeking 10 to 15 candidates to compete for a full-time job with McMonigle. Beginning Oct. 15, the screened candidates will face off in a number of competitions, including generating sales leads, holding open houses and giving listing presentations.

A Newport Beach woman was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison for scheming with her two daughters and son-in-law to commit more than $16 million in real estate fraud, authorities said. Sushama Devi Lohia, 74, pleaded guilty in December to felonies - including conspiracy to commit a crime, identity theft and failure to file - for securing loans and buying homes using "straw buyers," or people who buy a property they never intend to control, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

I know my shortcomings. One of which is the inability to understand government — local to federal and everything in between. As a result, I never miss an opportunity to learn more about civics and politics. I've discovered if you look closely, lessons are everywhere. For instance, the Daily Pilot published a letter from Robert C. Hawkins ( "Don't limit citizen involvement at City Hall," April 8). Reading beyond the headline provides a crystal clear glimpse into the dark and dreary side of politics, on any level.

This is the second of an occasional series of stories on the Real Estate Fraud Advisory Board and the Orange County District Attorney's fraud unit. * When Kathy Chen purchased 35 properties around Orange County using stolen identities and then intentionally defaulted on loans in order to steal the loan money, it must have seemed like a bright idea. It must have also seen like an opportune time, seeing as it was only a few years ago, during the heart of the real estate downturn.

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series on the Real Estate Fraud Advisory Board and the Orange County District Attorney's fraud unit. * If you're in real estate and you're in Elizabeth Henderson's sites, you are probably on the wrong side of the law and you should know there's a whole community of real estate experts helping her try to catch and punish you. Henderson, an assistant district attorney and head of the major fraud unit in the Orange County District Attorney's office, has behind her the Real Estate Fraud Advisory Board.

Is seems there can be a great deal of leeway when one talks about what constitutes a "deal" in today's real estate market, but there are only a few communities in Southern California where it is considered a deal when you are talking about the $700,000 and less range. In the upscale community in Orange County known as Ladera Ranch, less than $700,000 is a deal — especially when you consider many homes in the area were selling for $1 million and more only a few years ago. But deal-seekers may be pinpointing Ladera Ranch specifically, as sales in the less than $700,000 category have been on the rise, say real estate agents who specialize in the 12-year-old community bordered by the cities of San Juan Capistrano and Mission Viejo.

William C. Hardesty, "Bill," 75, beloved husband, father, grandfather, restaurateur, and real estate broker passed-on Jan. 15th after a courageous battle with emphysema.  Bill was born in Denver, Colorado, on Feb. 13, 1936, to John Duncan Hardesty and Thelma Grace Hardesty. He attended Newport Harbor High and went on to receive a degree in real estate from USC. An honored member of the Newport Beach Association of Realtors since 1957, he also owned and operated the Park Avenue Café on Balboa Island for over 26 years.

James Elsworth Mizell born June 28th, 1919 in Jamesville, Martin County, North Carolina to John Henry and Effie Mae Wallace Mizell passed away on December 23, 2011 at the age of 92. Survived by his wife Joyce Picard Mizell, two of his three sisters Dorothy Stone and Joyce Hardison of Jamesville, North Carolina, son Craig Mizell, daughters Stephanie Spiller and Melanie Hanley, ten grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren. He was preceeded in death by his first wife and mother of his four children, Beverly Keene Mizell, his eldest son, James (Jamie)

Editor's Note: This is a two-part story forecasting real estate experts' top predictions for the market in 2012. * Perhaps sometime between now and Dec. 21, 2012, will be beginning of the end. In fact, some think the end is already here, and they welcome any prophecies for an end to it all now or any time in 2012 - but we're talking about the prolonged real estate market downturn here. The new year brings with it lots of questions. Is the real estate market ready for the onslaught of short sales and foreclosures we've been hearing about, and if so will these "deals" drive down prices?

If you were to tune out the din of numerous voices talking shop this weekend at the National Assn. of Realtors Conference & Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center, which is expected to draw nearly 18,000 people in the real estate business from all over the nation, you'd hear some new voices. "Hey, bra, you check out the latest home price index? It's sweet!" That's not so far-fetched if you happen to be listening Matt Clements with Prudential in Laguna Niguel. To hear him you'd almost think he was channeling Keanu Reeves' surfer dude character in "Point Break.

COSTA MESA - When you're done reading this article, real estate insider Holly Schwartz has 365 ideas for what to do with the rest of your day. As author of 365 Things to Do in Costa Mesa, a Torelli Realty blog that highlights local events, places and activities, Schwartz is the unofficial expert on what residents love most about the city. "There's so much going on here," said Schwartz, Torelli Realty's vice president of media and marketing. "Costa Mesa really is a small city with a big-town heart.