I wanted to send this post out as soon as this listing became available! Here’s a GREAT and wonderful Mountain Home in Big Bear, available at an unbelieveable price!

This isn’t a run-of-the-mill Big Bear cabin … this is a jewel among Big Bear homes. Located in the preferred Moonridge area of Big Bear Lake, this home provides SIX BEDROOMS and 4 1/2 baths in 2,812 square feet of living space! There’s tons of room for your family and a couple of guest families to really spread out!

That’s what happens when you live in a wonderful place like Big Bear! Most folks who move to our great Big Bear area find out very quickly just how many friends they have … that they never knew they had! Everybody wants to “drop in for a visit” … that lasts a whole weekend!

That’s why this is the perfect type of place for a full time Big Bear home. You’ve got room to accommodate all the guests, extended family members … everything handled in comfort at any time.

And what more in the way of ambience could you want? The exterior deck, patio, and gazebo areas are spectacular. Entertaining in this home is a dream. Sitting in the spa … taking in the ski slope and lake views … what a great place to get away from it all … and to call “home” at the same time.

Whether you’re looking for a full time home, a vacation get-a-way, a corporate retreat, or to invest in a vacation rental with amazing potential, this is one Big Bear home you won’t want to miss.

I’ve been dealing with Big Bear real estate for over 30 years now, and this is an amazing property at a great price.

Contact me today for further information and to arrange a showing! You’ll be glad you did!

Have a GREAT Day!

Janet Stevens-Moore
Broker/Owner ERA Bruin Trojan Realtors, Inc.
Big Bear Lake, California
909-585-4991

http://janet4bigbearhomes.com

janet@janet4bigbearhomes.com

Well, in my last post I talked about the Amgen Tour of California coming to Big Bear. That’s right! The premiere pro-team cycling race will hold the finish of Stage 6 … The Big Bear Climb … right in the parking lot of Snow Summit Ski Resort this coming Friday, May 21st!

This is an amazing event that’s coming to our town, and I want to make sure everyone knows what’s happening! This is really the BIG TIME, guys and gals. From Lance Armstrong to Levi Leipheimer, everyone will be competing. This is big time pro cycling at it’s finest.

I’m writing this on May 15th. The race will begin tomorrow, May 16th, and the first stage is from Nevada City, CA to Sacramento. The Big Bear Climb is Stage 6 and happens next Friday, May 21. The racers will begin in Palmdale (the route was changed to to road damage on the LaCanada side of the Angeles Crest Highway), and finish right here in Big Bear Lake after a gruelling day of mountain riding covering more than 140 miles!

Let’s all be in Snow Summit’s parking lot to greet them!

Click HereTo Visit The Official AMGEN Tour Of California Website For More Complete Info

At the same time as the Tour of California pro race takes place, the “Tour de Big Bear” will happen as well. This is a corresponding event for all of us non-pros. Everyone from the serious cycler to the inexperienced and even entire families will find something happening just down their alley in the Tour de Big Bear.

The local event also begins on May 21st. Here’s a list of what’s going on:

Friday, May 21 – Tour of California

>>> FREE bike valet service

>>> FREE “Glory Ride” . . . opportunity to ride as a group through AMGEN Tour of California Finish line before racers (limited number of riders available and early event check-in required – by 11:00 AM Friday)

>>> Early check-in for Saturday’s Tour de Big Bear event

Saturday, May 22 – Tour de Big Bear

>>> Choose from 10 road and mountain bike routes around Big Bear Valley & Join The Groups

>>> FREE and discounted food and activities along routes and in Big Bear

>>> FREE SkyChair lift ticket (first 250 registered ONLY)

>>> FREE official Tour de Big Bear T-shirt

>>> FREE Live AMGEN Tour of California LA Time Trial coverage in Big Bear Cycling Expo after your ride

See what I mean? This is going to be fun!

So come on up and visit us here in Gorgeous Big Bear Lake. It’s Spring now, and the climate is perfect for biking … both pro and … well .. like ME!

CLICK HERE For More Info and to Register For The Tour de Big Bear

Why not plan to visit Big Bear to see the exciting finish of this historic Big Bear Climb and take part in the really fun Tour de Big Bear event? I’m not exaggerating when I say that the weekend of May 21-23 is a GREAT time for the entire family to spend here in Big Bear!

So … Where ya gonna stay? Huh?

Well, it just so happens that at ERA Bruin Trojan … and our reservation company, BigBearVacationRentals.com … we have some wonderful accomodations great for everyone from couples to the large family or friends groups.

Click the link below to view our online rental properties right now:

http://janet4bigbearhomes.com/vacation-rentals/

After you’ve seen them … give me a call. Select the Big Bear cabin you’d like to rent and stay at for the weekend … and then contact us! We’ve got some Special Goodies For Fans of The Tour of California and the Big Bear Climb! Be sure to ask us about those!

For Reservations paid in full and up front, we will waive all reservation fees … AND … include a 4th Night FREE when renting for 3 Nights!

Come early and stay a few days!

Take the opportunity to see the end of the AMGEN Tour of California … and to spend a few days exploring and biking the roads … both paved and unpaved … in beautiful Big Bear Lake!

See you in the mountains!

========================================================

Janet Stevens-Moore
Broker/Owner
ERA BRUIN TROJAN REALTORS, Inc.

1-909-585-4991

Wow! This is so exciting! Professional team cycle racing coming to Big Bear!

AND … it’s not just any old race … it’s the AMGEN Tour of California! That’s the premiere, professional, team racing event in the entire US!

This year, the tour … patterened after the Tour de France … will include as Stage 6, The Big Bear Climb! This stage of the race will start in Palmdale. Palmdale City Hall will serve as the backdrop for the most difficult stage in the five-year history of the Amgen Tour of California.

After a five-mile neutral section heading south on Sierra Rd., the route makes a left turn onto Angeles Forest Highway. Facing the riders is the imposing San Gabriel mountain range, and within a few miles the first of seven KOMs will be crested. After a blistering descent from Mill Creek Summit, the route turns to Upper Big Tujunga and then onto Angeles Crest Highway.

From there, the riders continue on a 135-mile odyssey with more than 12,000 feet of climbing. The race will climb to a high point of nearly 8,000 feet as it rolls along the Angeles Crest Highway. Then, there is a brief respite as they descend to Wrightwood and over to Highway 138.

The route again ascends as it passes through Crestline and Lake Arrowhead, as the cyclists take to the “Rim of the World” highway. Entering the Big Bear area, the riders will take the northern route around Big Bear Lake and then tackle the last rise to the finish at a more than 7,000-foot elevation at the Snow Summit ski area for the Amgen Tour of California’s first-ever alpine finish on Friday May 21!

This is a huge event for Big Bear! All of the world’s great pro riders … including the incredible Lance Armstrong and the amazing Levi Leipheimer will be competing to see who is first into the Snow Summit parking lot on that Friday afternoon! I can hardly wait!

It hasn’t been easy to make this wonderful event happen. As you probably know, we had a very heavy winter here in Big Bear. Well, condition along the Angeles Crest Highway over in the San Gabriel Mountains were even worse. The Big Bear Climb was originally supposed to begin in Pasadena and enter the San Gabriels directly onto Angeles Crest Highway. However, during the winter large portions of the road were washed out and made re-routing Stage 6 necessary.

Luckily the City of Palmdale stepped in and now the race goes on, starting in that high desert town. The Big Bear Climb Stage of the race will cover over 140 miles and cyclers will experience over 12,000 feet of vertical climb during that distance.

WOW! That’s some bike ride!

Visit the AMGEN Tour of California website to find out more:

http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com

Why not plan to visit Big Bear to see the exciting finish of this historic Big Bear Climb? The Tour of California is only one of the exciting events happening that weekend. Here in Big Bear we are also having our own “Tour de Big Bear”! This is a really neat event designed for the entire cycling family. I’ll be posting more about that in the next couple of days … for now, let’s just say that the weekend of May 21-23 is a GREAT time for the entire family to spend here in Big Bear!

So … Where ya gonna stay? Huh?

Well, it just so happens that at ERA Bruin Trojan … and our reservation company, BigBearVacationRentals.com … we have some wonderful accomodations great for everyone from couples to the large family or friends groups.

Click the link below to view our online rental properties right now:

http://janet4bigbearhomes.com/vacation-rentals/

After you’ve seen them … give me a call. Select the Big Bear cabin you’d like to rent to stay at for the weekend … and then contact us! We’ve got some Special Goodies For Fans of The Tour of California and the Big Bear Climb!

For Reservations paid in full and up front, we will waive all reservation fees … AND … include a 4th Night FREE when renting for 3 Nights!

Come early and stay a few days!

Take the opportunity to see the end of the AMGEN Tour of California … and to spend a few days exploring and biking the roads … both paved and unpaved … in beautiful Big Bear Lake!

Be sure to check back here for my next post about the “Tour de Big Bear”! That’s really exciting as well.

See you at the Races!

========================================================

Janet Stevens-Moore
Broker/Owner
ERA BRUIN TROJAN REALTORS, Inc.

1-909-585-4991

NEW TAX REGULATION FOR HOME BUYERS

New Incentives and Restrictions …

… Where Do You Fit In All This?

Homebuyer Tax Credit Extension Signed into Law

There are some interesting new tax laws that present significant advantages to today’s home buyers. The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 (Act), was approved by Congress, signed by President Obama, and became law on November 6, 2009. Here’s a summary of the final provisions:

The Act extends and expands the first-time homeowner’s tax credit of $8,000 that was scheduled to expire at the end of November, 2009. Two additional categories of “first time homebuyers” are now entitled to a tax credit if certain conditions are met.

If you are eligible, you must buy, or enter into a binding contract to buy, a principal residence on or before April 30, 2010, and you must close escrow on the home by June 30, 2010.

The definition of a first-time homebuyer is expanded to include a second group of people. For the $8,000 credit, you are still considered a first-time homebuyer if you haven’t owned a home for the previous three years. The credit is 10% of the purchase price of the home. The full credit will be available for most homes costing $80,000 or more.

A third category of people are now eligible for a reduced tax credit. The new law provides a credit of up to $6,500 ($3,250 for a married individual filing separately) to current homeowners buying a replacement principal residence, as follows: “In the case of an individual (and, if married, such individual’s spouse) who has owned and used the same residence as such individual’s principal residence for any five-consecutive-year period during the eight-year period ending on the date of the purchase of a subsequent principal residence, such individual shall be treated as a first-time homebuyer.”

The previous income limits still apply to purchases on or before November 6, 2009. Previously, there was a phase-out between $75,000 to $95,000 yearly for individual filers, and $150,000 to $170,000 for joint filers. The new law increases the income thresholds. For homes purchased on or after November 7, 2009, the credit phases out for individual taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income between $125,000 and $145,000, or between $225,000 and $245,000 for joint filers.

There is a limit on the purchase price of $800,000. In addition a new age restriction has been added. The buyer or the buyer’s spouse must be at least 18 years old on the date of closing for purchases on or after November 6, 2009.

If the home ceases to be the buyer’s principal residence or if the buyer sells the home or converts it to a business or a rental within three years after the purchase, the credit must be repaid.

To claim the credit, the buyer must file IRS Form 5405 with his or her original or amended tax return, and attach a copy of the purchase closing statement. For qualifying home purchases that close in 2010, the buyer has the option of claiming the credit on the 2010 return or on the 2009 return filed by April 15, 2010.

The first-time homebuyer credit is paid to eligible taxpayers even if they owe no tax or the credit is more than the tax owed.

As always with any tax information, you should consult a qualified tax professional to verify just where you fall in all of this. As you can see, there are things here that have been expanded and some that have become more strict as the laws were changed.

At any rate, there are some areas covered here that do open up significant new tax incentives for some home buyers. That … along with the fact that current home prices are at historic lows … means that now may be a very good time for some reading this to be purchasing a home.

If you’d like to discuss these new regulations as they pertain to you, or if you’re considering a home purchase or sale in the near future, I’d be happy to arrange to contact you personally at your convenience. You can always use the information on the “Contact Me” page of this site … or simply enter your information in the form to your right requesting a Personal Contact, and I’ll be in touch.

 Have a GREAT Day!

Janet Stevens-Moore
Broker/Owner
ERA Bruin Trojan Realtors

1-909-585-4991
janet@janet4bigbearhomes.com