The Best Value in Los Angeles Mortgages Depend on Personal Circumstances

Real estate home buying trends and mortgage rates in Los Angeles vary greatly and that means finding the best value in home mortgages will depend in part on your neighborhood.

The Mount Washington area to the north and east of downtown LA is a popular zip code to hunt for homes and mortgage broker-banker Richard White says it was the third most popular zip code nationally in 2003.

"Home buyers found there was a 64 percent jump in home values from the 2^nd quarter of 2012 to the 2^nd quarter of 2013." Richard told me he lives in the Mt. Washington area and said the lower

priced homes were popular.

"Higher end homes weren't appreciating at the same rate so in the Los Feliz area to the north there was a 5 percent jump at the same time."

Richard says listening to homebuyers, their goals, and their specific circumstances helps him tailor a mortgage and run a total cost analysis.

"I run scenarios for people in all stages whether they're home buyers with low credit scores, buyers over age 62 considering reverse mortgages, or people looking to buy on their own for the first time."

Richard can run many scenarios including a rent-to-own cost analysis and check figures and costs for refinancing to 15 year mortgages, and a cost of waiting analysis. He expects to work with people from all backgrounds.

"I don't target market any particular kind of mortgage need. Instead, I get many different buyers of all income levels and ages needing a specific product. Some are turned down by banks and others may only want to stay in a property for 7 years."

A broker-banker has more lending options than a bank, says Richard who has a degree in finance and has nearly 25 years experience.

"As a banker broker we utilize all different types of financing institutions that offer all the Fannie, Freddie, Fha products plus portfolio products. I have to look at the client and see their goals and fit into the best product. In some cases, using retirement funds may be answer while in other cases we'd stay away from those funds."

"If someone's nnot approved at the bank they need to talk to a mortgage banker with few dozen products. There are guidelines but there are variations. My job is to find out what works best."

Click here for Richard White, ArcStone Financial and learn more about personalized mortgage products for home buying in Los Angeles.

A spread sheet Richard uses

Finding the Best Value for Refrigerators and Appliances in Pasadena

Getting the Best Price for a New Refrigerator

An idea for getting a best value for refrigerators and other appliances or major household purchases could mean shopping around major and minor holidays.

We bought a 28-cubit foot LG refrigerator during a Labor Day sale at Best Buy in Pasadena in the Hastings Ranch area.

The original cost was $ 1, 400 and there was an announced sale price of $ 1,097.

Another 10 percent off was announced in a store flyer and the price dropped another 5 percent because we applied for a Best Buy credit card.

Delivery was free, too.

The LG Refrigerator Features

The LG refrigerator is a side-by-side and runs quietly and is considered an ultra-large model.

I'm impressed with the lightweight doors. They open and close easily without a great deal of suction as is the case in some refrigerators. Our most recent model was used and it seemed like it took a hard yank to get the doors open.

A welcoming blue light is innovative in the refrigerator and the ice dispenser is truly meant to be used from the outside only.

The temperature can be controlled by an outside touch panel.

LG has a trademark on the Spaceplus Ice system used.

On the company's web site for appliances there are details on how a conventional compressor has

higher peaks and lows during run times and that results in greater motor noise and more uneven cooling.

Click here on this portion of the LG website for the details on energy efficiency. 

LG Dependability in My View

I'm not a LG fanatic by any means. We'll give the refrigerator a try and I hope it lasts for several years or more without the need to service it or have it hauled off. If that's the case, then our price for less than $ 1,000 will be a Best Value indeed.

We had a low end LG dishwasher and got rid of it at the end of 2012 and we went several months without even having a dishwasher.

We have a full household but the insulated rubber inside the dishwasher wore off easily and became damaged. The metal inside became damaged as well and LG was difficult to work with in help to fix it or make a claim.

A person came out and said he would make a report on what he saw. We couldn't get the company to budge on refunds or replacement.

LG Reviews Online

On this site, Consumer Affairs.com about LG refrigerators there are many negative reviews.

We're getting off to a great start with the LG refrigerator and I'm glad we got it during a holiday. Keep your eyes peeled around the end of October for possible deals in your area and of course at Thanksgiving so you can get the best value for your refrigerator or other appliance.

In a related post, here is a Best Value for teapots and kitchen products.