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Sharing Holiday Fun and Trivia Throughout San Marino, CA

irina — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:13:08 +0000

Spreading the Holiday Cheer!

The holidays are upon us, and as we get ready to take part in our celebrations; let us be reminded that this season is a time for us to spread joy and happiness to our loved ones and those who have touched our lives in a special way!

As part of our Holiday fun we invite you and your friends and family to play a little Real Estate Holiday Trivia.

Answer the questions below and have your responses in to us by January 6^th 2010. You can email, fax, mail, or stop by the office and drop off your answers. We will be doing a Live Stream drawing and announcing our winners Wednesday January 6^th at 3:00 p.m.

Real Estate Holiday Trivia Questions

1) What does Alvin the Chipmunk want for Christmas?

2) How long does the average escrow take?

3) What popular drink is only available during the holiday season? Need a hint? Unscramble – GOGNEG

4) What is the last item you receive when you purchase a home? (Hint: If you receive more than one, they jingle.)

5) What country did the Gingerbread House come from?

Be sure to have your name and contact info on your answer sheet so that we may notify our winners! You have a chance to win Starbucks Gift Cards, 1 lb. of See’s Candy, and /or Movie Tickets! Your answer sheet must be in to us for you to be entered in our drawing.

It has been a pleasure to serve you during your real estate endeavors. We look forward to hearing from you, and we wish you and your loved ones a very merry Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year!

IRINA NETCHAEV & ASSOCIATES

San Marino Real Estate Agents

Pasadena, California

(626)629-VIEW(8439)

Additional Reading:

Grandstand Seating for the Tournament of Roses Parade

San Marino City Guide

Search San Marino Homes

San Marino’s Christmas Around the Drive 2009

irina — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:30:08 +0000

Once again it’s that time of year! Come out and join the merchants on Huntington Drive for San Marino’s Traditional Christmas Around the Drive.
The festivities take place on Huntington Drive between Del Mar Ave. and Bedford Rd.

Santa will be arriving on the Old #1 Fire Truck at City Hall at 6:00 p.m.

Enjoy treats from the shopkeepers as they will be keeping their businesses open after hours to offer you snacks as you stroll down the drive. There will also be trolley rides and carolers to get you into the Holiday spirit!

Be sure to come out and support the businesses on Huntington Drive who have made this evening possible for the community for over 15 years.

For additional information please call 626.286.1022.

Take a look here at some photos from last seasons Christmas Around the Drive.

Interested in other Holiday festivities taking place near you? Please visit Pasadena Festivities for additional holiday fun!

From our family to yours Happy Holidays and Warm Seasons Greetings!

Perfect SAT score by a San Marino Student

irina — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:18:54 +0000

Photo credit - SGVN/Staff by Raul Roa

A huge congratulations to Brandon Ly who received a perfect score of 2400 on his SAT exam!

In 2008, only 294 students scored perfect on the SAT out of 1.5 million testers, according to College Board SAT statistics.

Brandon is attending San Marino High School and has a 4.5 GPA (grade point average.) He is also a principal cellist in the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra and part of a music trio that won the Whittier College Chamber Ensemble Competition.

See the full article here.

San Marino celebrates 4th of July

irina — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:10:50 +0000

Our annual family tradition is to celebrate 4th of July at Lacy Park. We wake up early, stand in line and run to get our coveted place on the lawn in anticipation of the evening festivities. Well… I overslept… sort of. My daughter checked the time and said the park opened at 8 am, but… the doors opened at 7 am. Oh well… there’s always a first time.

We did find a spot close to the Virginia entrance of Lacy Park. It should be convenient trying to find it late at night.

This year, the program includes the Rotary Club of San Marino Parade with the San Marino City Council, San Marino School Board Members and Little League All Stars participating. The parade starts at 4:45 and will run through 6 pm.

From 5 pm to 8 pm is the Family Fun Zone time so bring the kidlets. Tom Sullivan’s Dixieland Band will entertain from 7 pm to 7:45 pm and San Marino High School Chambre Choir will perform God Bless America, National Anthem and America the Beautiful at 8:45 pm.

Fireworks will begin at 9:05!

Huntington Middle School Proudly Presents “The Sound of Music”

irina — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:00:40 +0000

The Hills are Alive!

THE SOUND OF MUSIC will be performed by Huntington Middle School students on February 26, 27, 28 and March 1 in the Kenneth F. White Auditorium.

Directed by Janet Jackson, this production has a cast and crew of over 60 talented HMS students.

This classic tale of Captain Von Traap and his seven children meeting Governess Maria from the Abbey is a heartwarming family and love story. Set in the conflict of Vienna as Hitler’s Nazi’s are taking over Austria, it is a story of choices, passion and country that is universal.

You’ll recognize the Rodgers and Hammerstein songs! Don’t miss seeing your friends perform.

It is a truly great show that is sure to be another sell out – a treat for children and adults alike!

Tickets are on sale now. Tickets are $15 and seating is assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Three evening performances are on Thursday, February 26, Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28 at 7 pm. One matinee performance will be at 2 pm on Sunday, March 1.

Students: There’s a $5 Student Ticket Special on Thursday night only (February 26th)!

Huntington Middle School is at 1700 Huntinton Drive in San Marino next to Crowell Public Library.

Don’t miss this performance!

And, for a little fun, take a look at this fun video of a train station in Belgium and the Sound of Music! Enjoy!!!

Tax Man is Coming: Tips for a Larger Tax Refund

irina — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:39:39 +0000

No one ever wants to pay more taxes than necessary, but this year it’s even more important to save every penny you can. Here are some tips that can help you get a larger refund:

Property Tax Deduction for Non-Itemizers: Before 2008, only people who itemized their deductions could deduct property taxes. For 2008, individuals who do not itemize can deduct up to $1,000 of property tax on a joint return or $500 on a single return.

Driving Deductions: The IRS increased the cents-per-mile deduction for business-related driving expenses from 50.5 cents to 58.5 cents from July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008. They also increased the rate for deducting medical and moving driving-related expenses from 19 cents to 27 cents for that same time period.

Disaster Losses: Casualty losses (i.e. like those from storm or fire damage) are normally deductible only to the extent they exceed 10% of AGI. For 2008, casualties in federally declared disaster areas can be deducted without having to abide by the 10%-of-AGI rule, which raises the amount that is deductible.

Capital Losses: Review your portfolio and note all your realized losses for 2008. You can write these off against capital gains and you can have a net loss of up to $3,000 deductible against your salary and other ordinary income. What’s more, any excess can be used to offset gains or can be deducted in 2009 or later years.

Retirement Plan Contributions: You can make tax-saving contributions to retirement plans for 2008 through April 15, 2009.

Charitable Donations: Not only can you claim deductions for money and items you donate to a charity, you can also claim deductions for expenses you incur on a charity’s behalf (i.e. driving costs, printing costs, long distance phone call costs, etc.).

Make sure you take time to go through your records carefully so you receive the biggest refund possible. And if you are looking for a great tax professional to help you, please let me know and I’ll be happy to recommend someone.

READ MORE: Changes in first time home buyer tax break – Obama’s Stimulus package

Huntington Middle School visits UCLA’s Fowler Museum

irina — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:45:35 +0000

Last Friday, some of the lucky Huntington Middle School 7th graders had an opportunity to visit Fowler Museum in UCLA as part of their History education.

What made it even more fun is that a San Marino graduate currently attending UCLA and her friend gave a personal tour of UCLA’s highlights.

The kids had an opportunity to learn about the Bruin Bear -a statue of a bear that has to be touched for good luck before the finals. They learned more about the rivalry between UCLA and USC and the history of the inverted fountain built built by a UCLA dropout, but USC graduate rumoured to resemble a toilet when viewed from a certain angle – the ultimate revenge!

The 6th step that has to be skipped over because the ashes of one of the Janns step builders are buried under it. Major bad luck!

The bomb shelter and tunnels underneath UCLA that are strictly forbidden for students to go into.

Let’s not forget the Royce Hall with its imperfections and amazing stature. The kids were totally awed!

And, of course the wonderful food court with all the goodies including Panda Express, Jamba Juice, 31 Flavors and more.

By the time, the kids hit the Fowler Museum, they were full of energy and enthusiasm to learn more. They were not disappointed! San Marino kids were given a special tour of the Intersections Exhibit which explores the roles that art plays in creating meaning and defining purpose for people across the globe. They even had a chance to sketch an artifact during private activity time.

All in all, the San Marino trip to UCLA was a major success!

More photos for your viewing pleasure:

San Marino’s Lacy Park: You Never Know What You’ll Find

irina — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:47:23 +0000

Yesterday morning, I saw these huge, orange colored mushrooms in Lacy Park. Anyone know what kind they are?

St. Alban’s Pine Trees are Getting Dressed Up for the Holidays

irina — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:52:28 +0000

If you live in San Marino or drive through San Marino, you have been awed by our majestic pine trees that beautify St. Albans Drive every Christmas. This year is not different. These unbelievably tall pine trees (makes you feel like you’re Alice in Wonderland or part of a Dr. Seuss story) are getting ready to sparkle again.

Here’re some photos of our San Marino pines getting ready for the holidays:

Can’t wait to drive by St. Albans Road at night and see it sparkle. Hint… drive slowly… it’s a very short block.

Is San Marino a Walkable Neighborhood?

irina — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 04:55:08 +0000

Living in San Marino, I find that I am doing a lot more walking. I’m only several blocks away from the San Marino library, Starbucks, Japanese, Chinese and Seafood restaurants. About 10 minutes away from Lacy Park. 20 minutes away from Huntington Library and lately my husband and I started taking long walks to Pasadena’s South Lake Avenue District. That walk takes us about 45 minutes – not bad!

Walkscore.com is a website that looks at “walkability” of a particular neighborhood. It helps people find walkable places to live. With gas prices going through the roof and the health benefits of walking, this website calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking.

Why Walking Matters

Walkable neighborhoods offer surprising benefits to our health, the environment, and our communities.

Better health: A study in Washington State found that the average resident of a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood weighs 7 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.¹ Residents of walkable neighborhoods drive less and suffer fewer car accidents, a leading cause of death between the ages of 15-45.