The California housing market has been on a roller coaster ride in recent years. After experiencing a boom in 2020 and 2021, the market began to cool down in 2023. This was due to a number of factors, including rising interest rates, inflation, and a decline in stock prices.

In the second quarter of 2023, the median home price in California was $830,620, down from $880,000 in the first quarter. Home sales also declined by 14.2% year-over-year.

The slowdown in the housing market is presenting some challenges for both buyers and sellers. For buyers, the biggest challenge is affordability. With rising interest rates and home prices, it is becoming more difficult for buyers to qualify for a mortgage and afford a down payment.

For sellers, the biggest challenge is inventory. There is still a shortage of homes for sale in California, which is giving buyers the upper hand in negotiations. Sellers may need to be prepared to price their homes competitively and offer concessions to buyers in order to sell their homes quickly.

Challenges Buyers and Sellers Are Facing Right Now

Here is a summary of the challenges that buyers and sellers are facing in the California housing market in 2023:

Buyers:

• Affordability: Rising interest rates and home prices are making it more difficult for buyers to qualify for a mortgage and afford a down payment.
• Low inventory: There is a shortage of homes for sale in California, which is giving buyers the upper hand in negotiations.
• Competition: The California housing market is still competitive, even with the recent slowdown. Buyers need to be prepared to act quickly when they find a home that they love.

Sellers:

• Pricing: Sellers need to price their homes competitively in order to attract buyers.
• Concessions: Sellers may need to offer concessions to buyers, such as paying for closing costs or offering a home warranty.
• Marketing: Sellers need to market their homes effectively in order to reach a wide pool of potential buyers.

Tips for Buyers and Sellers

Here are some tips on how to buy a home in California in 2023 affordably:

Buyers:

• Get pre-approved for a mortgage before you start shopping for a home. This will give you an idea of how much money you can borrow and what your monthly payments will be.
• Work with a qualified real estate agent who can help you find the right home for your needs and budget.
• Be prepared to act quickly when you find a home that you love. The California housing market is competitive, so you need to be ready to make an offer right away.
• Be flexible on your budget and criteria. You may need to compromise on some things in order to find a home that you can afford.

And here are tips on how to sell your home in California quickly in 2023

Sellers:

• Price your home competitively. Get a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent to determine what similar homes in your area are selling for.
• Be prepared to offer concessions to buyers. Buyers are more likely to make an offer on your home if you are willing to pay for closing costs or offer a home warranty.
• Market your home effectively. List your home on multiple real estate websites and hire a professional photographer to take photos of your home.
• By following these tips, buyers and sellers can increase their chances of success in the California housing market.

The California housing market is complex and ever-changing, but it is also a very exciting market to be in. With the right knowledge and preparation, buyers and sellers can succeed in this market.

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in California, I encourage you to do your research and work with a qualified real estate agent. With the right team on your side, you can achieve your real estate goals. Renting could be an alternative too.  If you live in Los Angeles, California, or in the area, you can check out apartmentguide.com.

I hope this information has been helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sources:

• California Association of Realtors, “2023 California Housing Market Forecast“
• National Association of Realtors, “Existing-Home Sales Fall in July for Sixth Straight Month”
• Redfin, “California Housing Market Forecast 2023“
• Zillow, “California Home Prices Fall for First Time in Two Years“

Know more about the pearls and how fabulous nature’s creations are.

I instantly fell in love when I heard about its story.

And now, I share it to you all

Our Philippine National Gem: The South Sea Pearl

As the latest endeavor to mark the Philippines as a major design destination in Asia, Manila FAME invites Jewelmer to participate in the major sourcing event for lifestyle products, furniture, gifts, and fashion. The exposition will be held from March 14 to March 17, 2012 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at the SMX Convention center.

Jewelmer will give attendees an opportunity to purchase their lustrous golden gems set in fine jewellery. Collections such as Stella and Lautitia will be on display alongside the quintessential Jewelmer golden strands and some very special archive pieces.

The company is in a unique position for collaboration with Manila FAME 2012. In 1993, President Fidel V. Ramos declared the Philippine South Sea pearl as the country’s National Gem, which is the perfect complement to an event to showcase the best of the talent, quality, craftsmanship, and creativity that the Philippines has to offer.

Jewelmer’s representatives will be at Booth DX20, located on the ground floor of the SMX Convention center. Manila FAME 2012 will run between 9:00am to 6:00pm from March 14 to March 17, 2012.

For more information, please visit www.jewelmer.com.

Apart from this, Jewelmer now resumes exclusive Educational Pearl talks.  I went to the island itself to discover how beautiful pearls are.  Better than diamonds I say because the Pearl sprouts on a very nice and happy environment, unlike diamonds who needs to be in excessive pressure to be grown.

Jewelmer Resumes Exclusive Educational Pearl

Newly harvested golden pearls.  Yes, I was there to witness this! *cries for joy*

Nature is beautiful

Have you ever wondered how to tell real pearls from plastic? What is the difference between freshwater and saltwater pearls? How can you assess the true value and quality of a pearl?

The country’s authority on pearls brings back The Exclusive Jewelmer Pearl Talk in three educational events, which will take place at three separate locations. The host venues in March include The Peninsula Manila hotel, Eastwood Mall and Resorts World.

Beyond the basic Pearl 101, an interesting mix of clients, media representatives, and friends attend the talks to reacquaint themselves with the straightforward facts of the complex nature of pearls. It is an interactive experience with the specialists at Jewelmer who are eager to share their knowledge about the most lustrous pearls in the world.

Jewelmer’s Exclusive Pearl Talk dates are as follows:

The Peninsula Manila Hotel

4:00 pm on March 13, 2012

Eastwood Mall

4:00 pm on March 15, 2012

Resorts Worls, Newport Mall

4:00 pm on March 16, 2012

Limited slots are available. Interested parties are invited to inquire at any Jewelmer boutiques or contact Tess Catedral at 0917.327.1025. For more information on Jewelmer, please visit www.jewelmer.com.

Speakers:

Blogging 101 – Micaela Rodriguez

Social Media and Marketing – Yours truly, Hannah Villasis

Understanding Search Engines – Fitz Villafuerte

Vigilant Net Surfing and Nettiquette – Mr. Gerald C. Bataoil, MIT

It was a great day of learning for everyone, including me.  Thank you for the hearty welcome and the energetic welcome!  The students were very attentive and eager to learn and this inspires all of us speakers to continue sharing what we know about the triple W!

Congratulations to the student organizers, volunteers and faculty members for drafting this successful event!

It was a pleasure speaking in front of everyone.  I hope you all learned a few important things that can change your life and challenge you to Ready.Fire.Aim!

My apologies for submitting the wrong set of slides.  It has been a busy week for me, but do know I took time to prepare this – I think it got me too excited I misorganized my files and sent the wrong version.

Let me make it up to you all and I post here the entire contents of my correct slides 😛 <— I use a lot of emoticons!
Social Media and Marketing – Hannah Villasis Slides
Please feel free to read through again, you can ask me any questions here or if you want to mail me privately, do so at hannah@flaircandy.com

How to Plan and start a Business?

That was one of the questions I always ask myself.  I always have “aha” moments when I think of some ideas for a new business.  My problem is – how to start one?  Especially here in the Philippines where filing anything is complicated and takes time >.<

And so, I browsed online for companies offering short courses on businesses and I found the Business Coach Philippines offers a wide range of short courses or seminars depending on the business you have in mind.

I have different businesses in mind myself so I asked them if they have a general “How to Plan and Start a Business”

You technically need to alot a day or two for this.  You can opt for a weekend or a weekday class.  Anyway, it really helped me A LOT in understanding what forms I need to file and the steps I need to take to plan, register and start my BUSINESS!

I won’t blog about the content of the seminar because heck, they might sue me for copyright infringement or anything like that lol, but to give you an idea what they will be discussing in this specific seminar, they included:

• Introduction
• Attributes of a Successful Entrepreneur
• Planning and Creating
• Research
• Modelling
• Funding
• Registering
• Set-up
• opening

The instructors are well-versed about their subject of course and my instructor at that time was also an accountant (like me) who pursued entrepreneurship and internet marketing as well so they know what they are talking about 🙂

My class was only for 1 day and snacks and lunch is included for a minimal 1-day fee.  You can check out ALL of the seminars that they offer on their official website and call their hotline to personally ask any questions before you take the class 🙂

 

Business Coach Philippines Seminar and Classes Schedule

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & TRAINING

How to Compute Salaries, Wages & Benefits – March 26 (P 3,000)

Basic Leadership Training – April 1 (P 3,000)

Career Planning and Development – April 4 (P 3,000)

Competitive Selling Techniques – April 5 (P 3,000)
Human Resource Management Training – April 5-6 (P 6,000)

Time Management – April 9 (P 3,000)

Performance Management System – April 11 (P 3,000)

Personality Development – April 11 (P 3,000)

Customer Service Training – April 12 (P 3,000)

Basic Supervisory Skills Training – April 16 (P 3,000)

How to Implement 5S in the Workplace – April 18 (P 3,000)

Telephone Skills Training – April 19 (P 3,000)

Business Etiquette Training – April 25 (P 3,000)

Training the Trainers – April 26 (P 3,000)

How to Do In-House or Corporate Events – April 26 (P 3,000)

Conducting Interviews, Recruitment and Employee Selection – April 27 (P 3,000)

Labor Laws for Entrepreneurs and Managers – May 14 (P 3,000)

 

LOGISTICS

Purchasing Management – April 8 (P 3,000)

Effective Warehouse and Inventory Management – April 15 (P 3,000)

Supply Chain Management – April 28-29 (P 6,000)

 

ACCOUNTING AND TAXATION

Business Taxation Made Easy – March 28-29 (P 6,000)

Bookkeeping and Basic Accounting – April 18-19 (P 6,000)

 

BUSINESS PROCESS

Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) – March 25 (P 3,000)

How to Plan and Start a Business – March 28 (P 3,000)

How to Import: Procedures and Documentations – April 18-19 (P 6,000)

Food Safety: A Basic Training on HACCP – April 29 (P 3,000)

How to Franchise Your Business – May 13 (P 3,000)

 

EVENTS AND PARTY NEEDS BUSINESS

Balloon Printing and Designing – April 6 (P 3,000)

Wedding and Debut Planning and Coordination – April 13 (P 3,000)

 

ARTS AND CRAFTS

How to Make Elegant Beaded Jewelry – April 7 (P 3,000)

Gift Wrapping, Gift Basket, and Ribbon Making – April 26 (P 3,000)

Bookbinding Techniques and Procedures – April 27 (P 2,750)

 

FOOD BUSINESS

How to Plan and Operate a Restaurant – March 26 (P 3,000)

Starting a Coffee Shop Business with Barista Training – March 28 (P 3,000)

Starting a Meat Shop Business – April 1 (P 3,000)

Starting a Food Cart Business – April 1 (P 3,000)

Starting a Catering Business – April 2 (P 3,000)

How to Start a Pizza Business – April 6 (P 3,000)

How to be a Canteen Concessionaire – April 16 (P 3,000)

Starting a Quick Service Restaurant – May 18 (P 3,000)

 

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Starting a Spa Business – March 29 (P 3,000)

Starting a Drugstore Business – April 14 (P 3,000)

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Internet Marketing Seminar – April 4 (P 3,000)

Starting an Internet Cafe Business – April 7 (P 3,000)

 

MONEY BUSINESS

How to Start a Money Lending Business – April 2 (P 3,000)

How to Start a Money Changing Business – April 12-13 (P 6,000)

How to Invest in Stock Market – April 12 (P 3,000)

Starting a Pawnshop Business – April 16 (P 3,000)

 

REAL ESTATE BUSINESS

Real Estate Marketing Seminar – March 24 (P 3,000)

Building and Property Management – March 26 (P 3,000)

Apartment and Commercial Stall Rental Business – April 5 (P 3,000)

How to Buy and Sell Real Estate Properties – April 7 (P 3,000)

 

OTHER HIGH POTENTIAL BUSINESSES

Starting a School and Office Supplies Store – March 25 (P 3,000)

How to Start and Manage a Manpower Agency – April 2 (P 3,000)

How to Start and Operate a Printing Press – April 8 (P 3,000)

How to Start a Janitorial Services Business – April 9 (P 3,000)

Starting a Travel and Tour Business – April 9 (P 3,000)

How to Start and Manage a Preschool or Day Care Center – April 11 (P 3,000)

How to Start and Operate a Laundry Business – April 15 (P 3,000)

 

Know More

Official Website: http://www.businesscoachphil.com/

Hotline: (632) 727-5628 or (632) 496-6949

Location: Unit 201 Richbelt Tower, 17 Annapolis St., Greenhills, San Juan City

They put up this online web application called M.A.C. or Meralco Appliance Calculator a long time ago (like 2003) but I don’t think a lot of people know about it (did you? I didn’t!!!), so they launched it this time last Friday To get started and check out what this cool application does, you can check it out right now on this link:

www.meralco.com.ph

If you want to be edumacated first on how it works then you can read on:

The Meralco Appliance Calculator (M.A.C.) has been a consumer’s electricity budget buddy since 2003. The M.A.C. is designed to be an electricity bill management tool of Meralco residential customers to help them: a) better manage their electric consumption and their electric bill; b) make wiser decisions in buying home appliances, and; c) get home energy efficiency tips that are customized to their home electricity consumption.

Although the M.A.C. has been around for many years now, new features and enhancements are constantly being introduced to enable it to cater to the  growing demands of electricity users. With the new Meralco Appliance Calculator (M.A.C), users can now have the option of using either “My Appliance Calculator” or “My Bill Manager”.

“My Appliance Calculator” allows the user to calculate the estimated consumption cost of appliances – one at a time.

“My Bill Manager”, on the other hand, allows the user to calculate the estimated consumption cost of appliances in a table format. It allows the user to get an estimate of the household’s total electric consumption cost and see which appliances consume more electricity.

Other features of the “My Bill Manager” menu include: consumption manager, energy efficiency adviser and target bill amount estimator. Consumption manager allows the user to see the corresponding electric consumption pie chart and some text description of the chart based on the information provided by the user. The energy efficiency adviser, meanwhile, allows user to see some energy efficiency tips based on the information provided by the user. The target bill amount estimator, on the other hand, allows the user to see an estimate of his “monthly target kWh consumption” and “estimated price per kWh” by just inputting the “target electric bill amount”.

Other new features of the M.A.C include: a) e-mailing of the M.A.C web link to friends through the “email” button; b) sharing the M.A.C web link to Facebook and Twitter accounts through the “share” button; c) sending feedback to Meralco regarding the new M.A.C through the “feedback” button; d) printing the computation results of “My Bill Manager” through the “print” button (for easy access and future reference of the computations), and; e) viewing the basis for computing the estimated electricity consumption of home appliances for the M.A.C application through the “formula” button (so that users can validate the results of the computations).

Some shockers:

1.  Air Conditioner really significantly contributes to higher monthly bill.  For example, using aircon 8 hours everyday in one month would equal to Php 2,067.

2.  Use of microwave oven is not that expensive!

For example, let’s say we use microwave oven for 15 mins every day for the whole month (which is an overstated amount).  It would only cost us P100 pesos that month.

You can Check out for yourselves how your appliances perform and how you can use it more efficiently. The M.A.C. is truly a user-friendly, interactive and valuable tool for cost conscious electricity consumers. Go give it a try!

Sisters in Style

With the MAC, our plan is to manage our household electricity costs within our budget.  Since the topic is a little bit on the practical side, they also invited Beauty and Fashion speakers to talk about Fashion tips that helps fashion conscious people style themselves economically.

Marie and Michi Calica graced the Meralco theatre with beauty and fashion tips that taught us how to get smarter with style.

[flickr album=72157625539254038 num=19 size=Square] ]]> https://flaircandy.com/cost-management-meralco-appliance-calculator-fashion-and-beauty/feed/ 10 https://flaircandy.com/inside-the-belle-de-jour-planner-2011/ https://flaircandy.com/inside-the-belle-de-jour-planner-2011/#comments Fri, 05 Nov 2010 02:00:00 +0000 http://www.flaircandy.com/2010/11/inside-the-belle-de-jour-planner-2011/ I have been receiving comments from people asking me about the new Belle De Jour Planner 2011.  Friends want to know what’s inside the new Belle De Jour Power Planner 2011.

I’m telling you straight-on… They keep on making better and better planners!  and HELL YEAH!!! Belle de Jour Planner still rocks!  I love the new and better paper they use, the new design and the new stuff they added to guide all of us busy ladies.  I also noticed that they got more coupons and nice deals too I have used their planner for years and it has helped me getting things aligned.  It even motivates me to keep going and finish what I have started.  Gaah! That’s always my weakness… I start something, and I never finish it.  With the design of the planner (both aesthetically and the layout) it will sure keep you in track of all your doings.

It’s also always enjoyable writing on it and I can’t wait for 2011 to arrive because I want to write on it already!!!

If you want your own Belle De Jour Planner now, you can order online through BDJ website and get 5% off early bird promo ‘till November 30, 2010!

I had mine with the Double Wire Binding, but you can also choose get the Book-style binding

This is where you keep track of your daily things.

It has the usual reminders of Holidays and events.  It has time lightly put on the side for those who need to block of certain times for certain meetings and tasks.  And if you’re more of a free-writer, that’s why they kept the font light

—

They have a coupon holder and a separate additional handy notebook for more essential stuff.

Here’s what it looks like inside:

It has a project planner – really helpful to keep track of your progress!

You have space for notes too!  Bring this if you have a meeting with some important people.  This will impress them more that you jot down notes about the meeting

and what I love – emergency business cards that you can give away!

It always happens to me – forgetting my cards on very important events!

—-

The Buy-One-Take-One deals are back!

—

I love these new additions – the Cash Flow Tracker and the Bills Tracker!  It’s for all you independent women out there

Of course, they have more stuff in the planner that would keep you organized.

Here are more photos of what’s inside.  Feel Free to browse

UPDATE:

Thanks Telly for asking about the other Belle de Jour planner.  That reminded me I forgot to post about the other more personalized Planners fit for you.  I ordered the Navi planner last year and it’s like a travel planner/diary.  It layout of the pages looked like the previous Starbucks planner way back in 2005 and 2006.  I am still using it now

Preview of the Navi Planner 2010 (Navi for Navigator).  I haven’t seen the 2011 Navi but I think it would look bit the same 🙂

There you go, a sneak peek of what I write in my journal 😛

more photos:

There have other planners they offer:

BDJ 2011 Power Planner (Book-Style Binding)

BDJ 2011 Power Planner (Double-Wire Binding)

Campus BDJ

Navi 2011 Power Planner

BDJ Favorites (Birthday List + Gift-giving guide + Address Book)

BDJ Basics (Project Planner + Monthly Calendar + Notes)

BDJ Chronicles (Forget-me-not Pages + Notes Pages)

and

Dr. Mom (Health Journal For your Child) – although I want to buy this to track my health lol

]]> https://flaircandy.com/inside-the-belle-de-jour-planner-2011/feed/ 39 https://flaircandy.com/the-power-of-the-internet-business-edition/ https://flaircandy.com/the-power-of-the-internet-business-edition/#comments Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:35:59 +0000 http://www.flaircandy.com/2010/10/the-power-of-the-internet-business-edition/

The Power of the Internet

BUSINESS EDITION (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and how they can help your business)

This class is designed for traditional brick and mortar entrepreneurs who have yet to understand or harness the power of the internet. A beginners class for internet marketing.

From free marketing online to handling customer complaints, we tackle everything a business needs to know about the internet like: Blogs, Facebook Fan Pages, Twitter, Online Branding, Internet Marketing, Google tools, SEO and more!

Some question whether or not they can afford to send people to this class, but with the mass media power and broadcasting of the internet able to send out negative ideals about your product / service / brand / company, the real question is “Can you afford NOT to take this class?”

–

The class will be taught by Vince Golangco, a web enthusiast who hosts the show “Tek Tok TV” (Tech Talk TV) on the Global News Network (GNN). Vince is also the editor and creative director of WhenInManila.com, the blog that won the #1 Emerging Influential Blog Award for 2010. Vince’s experience with online marketing has made him a sought after consultant and media powerhouse.

SIGN UP NOW TO GET THE EARLY BIRD RATES (valid until Oct 31 only). Limited seating.

Call “The One School” to save your seat:

Phone Number 817-4396

Class Dates: November 13 & 20 (Saturdays)  9am – 6pm The One School CHED and TESDA accredited 55 Paseo de Roxas Avenue, Makati City Phone: 817-4391 http://www.theoneschool.org/

The first seminar was a success and there’s another one happening today August 14, 2010.  I will be hosting this day’s session happening at Victory Greenhills Training Center, Promenade, Greenhills, San Juan City.

If you didn’t make it to the registration for today, don’t worry they have set up more dates for this.  If you are interested to join visit websafetyforparents.org.  It’s free!

Jomar was invited to speak at the Philippine Insurance and Financial Advisors Association of the Philippines (PIFAAP).  Vince and I volunteered ourselves to assist him in his talk 😀

The convention’s theme was all about “Conquering Greater Heights.”

Here are the pictures of the event 🙂

Me at the PIFAAP with a dress from Thailand and shoes from Michael Antonio.

Me with the Internet Marketing Guru – Jomar Hilario 😀

Vince and Jomar

Jomar talks about Internet Marketing

More Pictures

[flickr album=72157623423377971 num=37 size=Square] ]]> https://flaircandy.com/pifaap-convention-2010-at-sofitel-conquering-greater-heights/feed/ 3