Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Christmas Time in the City of Whittier!

Christmas has come to the beautiful City of Whittier!


The Season officially started with the 15th Annual Grand Illumination on December 4th. The next milestone will be the 56th Annual Christmas Parade on December 12, from 10am to 12 pm (go to http://whittieruptown.com/wua/?page_id=2 for more information provided by the Whittier Uptown Association and to view a little YouTube video of past events).










 
 
  The motto of this year’s Parade is “Commitment to Community” and will feature many local businesses that help make the City of Whittier such a wonderful place to live in. The parade runs down popular Greenleaf Ave, from Hadley down to Mar Vista. I will be there taking photos so be sure to check back in next week!

As the parade ends around 12pm, you'll have plenty of time to grab a bite to eat at one of the many great restaurants in the area - for a complete business directory, go to http://whittieruptown.com/wua/?page_id=130 , and plan a wonderful and fun filled day with the family in the City of Whittier. One of my all-time favorites is "Crepes and Grapes", great French inspired atmosphere, yummy crepes, sandwiches, soups, salads and so much more! You can go to http://www.crepesandgrapescafe.com/ to see their complete menu.
















After lunch, take a stroll down Philadelphia to get to Newlin, where you will find the “Whittier Historical Society & Museum”. You can’t miss the it (see below), it features a beautiful mural on the outside of the building. There are many different things to see, the current exhibit is titled “Fly Your Colors – Patriotism in Whittier”, and there is also a gift shop where you can pick up a little something to remind you of this beautiful day in the City of Whittier. Open Saturday & Sunday, 1pm – 4pm. For more information, go to http://www.whittiermuseum.org/ or check out http://www.whittiermuseum.org/About%20the%20Museum.html to download a brochure of the Museum.




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  If you enjoyed the Whittier Museum, I am sure you will also like the famous “Bailey House”, located at 13421 E Camilla St. It is the home of the first Whittier settler, Jonathan Bailey, and was built in 1887. It was deeded to the City of Whittier in 1975 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is currently run and operated by the Whittier Historical Society. For the complete history of the home, go to http://www.whittiermuseum.org/Bailey%20House.html. Open to the public Sundays, 1pm – 4pm.
 
 

 
 
 
  And to top off this Christmas season, the City of Whittier has one more event to offer: the “Holiday Sonata” on December 19th, 5pm to 9pm, featuring carriage rides along Greenleaf and a Santa’s Village in the parking lot along Greenleaf between Hadley and Bailey.

Enjoy your stay in the City of Whittier!

Sincerely,
Stephanie & Shirley
http://www.serenefoundations.com/

Thursday, December 3, 2009

C.A.R. Mortgage Protection Program

The Housing Affordability Fund (http://www.car.org/tools/haf/ ) launched a new program on April 2, 2009, in order to ease the minds of first-time-home buyer's who were worried about potential job loss due to the current economy, and subsequent challenges in making their mortgage payments.


With the FREE C.A.R. Mortgage Protection Plan, qualified buyers can receive up to $1,500 per month for up to six months should they lose their jobs, and qualified co-buyers can also receive up to $750 for up to six months to be put towards the mortgage payment.

In order to qualify for the CAR Mortgage Protection Plan, a Buyer must:

1. Be a first-time home buyer (must not have owned a home within the past three years).

2. Open Escrow after April 2, 2009, and close before December 31, 2009. UPDATE: CAR HAS EXTENDED THE PROGRAM THROUGH 2010!!!

3. Use a California Realtor.

4. Be a W2 employee (must not be self-employed).

Please click on the links below for additional information!


Frequently Asked Questions:

http://www.car.org/3550/pdf/204893/Revised_Jul2009_HAFMPP_FAQ.pdf

Samples:

http://www.car.org/3550/pdf/204893/Program_Samples.pdf

Application:

http://www.car.org/3550/pdf/204893/HAF_MPP__FINAL_APPLICATION_1.pdf



Why not take advantage of this incredible offer - it is free! If you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please feel free to contact us directly.
Have a wonderful day and Happy House Hunting!

Sincerely,
Stephanie Frymyer
http://www.serenefoundations.com/