Rio Vista Elementary’s fifth grade guitar students got a special treat this December with a very unique field trip.  It wasn’t to a museum, or an aquarium, or the science center, but instead they took a trip to Paramount Studios where they interacted and performed with the cast of the hit TV show Glee.  Rio Vista Elementary is the happy recipient of a guitar and recorder class provided by a non-profit called Education Through Music-Los Angeles (ETMLA).  Every week this non-profit teaches children in select schools the basics of music.  Their mission is that each student “deserves a well-rounded education…one that includes music.”  All the teachers and instruments are provided by ETMLA at no cost to the school and their presence fills a growing void in the ever shrinking budget of the LAUSD.

The field trip was hosted by Members Project® from American Express and FOX’s GLEE cast.  The students made toy guitars, shakers, and tambourines with cast members Matthew Morrison (Mr. Schuester), Mark Salling (Puck), Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Chang), Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel), Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson), Harry Shum, Jr., and Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury).  After making crafts, the Glee cast became the audience as the fifth graders rocked out with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”  In true Glee style, they had a choreographed routine where the guitar students were sitting on desks while the other students sang.  One student even stood on a desk for a little electric guitar solo.

The Glee cast looked like they enjoyed their role as an audience rather than the usual one as performer; and the fifth graders certainly seemed to have a good time.  The finale didn’t belong to the fifth graders, however, but rather to American Express and the Fox/Glee team who presented ETMLA with a $100,000 check to further their mission of bring music to students in under-funded schools.

It was truly a day to remember for students and actors alike.  And thanks to the generosity of American Express and Glee, children’s lives will continue to be enriched by music.

Written by Todd Jones a local Realtor and proud father of two boys at Rio Vista Elementary.  Rio Vista Elementary is located in Studio City and serves the children of Studio City, Toluca Lake, and North Hollywood.  You can reach Todd at todd@ToddJonesHomes.com

Get the pdf here:  http://shermanoaksstudiocitynews.com/archives/2011/Jan_2011_ShermanOaksStudioCity_Encino_news.pdf

Photos provided by Rachael Sanchez.

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By Todd Jones www.ToddJonesHomes.com

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Every Tuesday at my kids’ elementary school, a group called CSA California distributes fresh veggies and fruits from local farmers.  I get about 25 pounds of produce for $25 dollars–a real bargain when you price the same naturally grown veggies at the local grocery store.  In addition to feeding my family some healthy food, I am also saving a trip to the grocery store (and with two kids, that’s immensely helpful).  It’s fun to see what they have each week as the produce varies based on the harvest.  It’s also a good way to broaden your “veggie horizon” as you will undoubtedly get something in your bag you’re not accustomed to eating.

If this program piques your interest, you can see all of their Los Angeles locations at: https://csacalifornia.org/Pick-Up_Locations.html

By Todd Jones www.ToddJonesHomes.com

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I like to meet challenges like this head on. It’s also an opportunity to build a stronger community in our schools. I have come up with 7 ways that you can help out this year. If you don’t have kids in school, don’t stop reading. You can help too.

1) Teaching Supplies–Most teachers use much of their hard earned money to buy supplies for the classrooms. All those cute decorations, tools, visual aids, etc. all come out of their pocket. Find out where they like to shop for the supplies, and if you can afford it, get them a gift card for that store.

2) Join the PTA–Most Parent Teacher Associations have a membership drive at the beginning of the year. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, cousin, sibling or just a friendly neighbor, those PTA dues (usually very little) go a long way to help the kids. You can sign up relatives that live out of the area too.

3) Volunteer–There’s always something going on at the school that can use some free help. The great thing about this is that you can help as your personal situation allows. For example, if you have a very busy work schedule, just try to find one hour a month to do something at the school. If 30 people volunteered for just one hour, the school would have 30 hours of help.

I’m not talking about anything outside your skill set either. I help open car doors in the morning at my kids’ elementary school. It’s certainly not brain surgery, but it helps keep the morning safe and only last about 20 minutes in the morning before I head to work.

Some other opportunities are: be a room parent, help to sell snacks after school, assist at the school carnival, be the person that runs the PTA web site, or if you love Facebook, then set up a Fan Page and help build the community online. The opportunities are endless and the more involvement, the better for the kids…even if it’s only an hour a month.

4) Buy a Candy Bar–or wrapping paper, or a candle, or greeting cards, or whatever the children are selling…even if you don’t really need it. Those fund raisers are great for the school and the kids love winning the silly little prizes they get for selling stuff.

5) A Kind Word–The school staff and teachers usually only hear from parents when there is some kind of issue. For every nice thing they hear, they must hear 10 more negative things. You’ll make such a difference by simply saying something nice. And don’t just do it the first day of school. Keep the kind words coming all year long.

6) Student Supplies–You know how there is a list of supplies for each child to buy at the beginning of the year? Well, during these tough times, there is probably a child in your class whose parents will have difficulty purchasing those items. If you have a little extra cash, consider buying double of what your child needs. Give the extra set to the teacher and let them know that it’s for anyone who can’t get their supplies. The teacher will know who needs help. And if there’s no one in need of help, the supplies won’t go to waste. The teacher can use them as backup supplies, or when a child forgets, loses or breaks their own stuff.

7) Know Your Child’s Teacher–Get to know you child’s teacher. You don’t have to be best friends, but it would be great for you to have open communication with him or her. Be sensitive to the busy times. The morning and pickup time probably isn’t the best time to have lengthy conversations. But a quick “hi” and attending the parent/teacher meetings will be invaluable. And if they have some helpful critiques about your child, don’t take it personally. School isn’t just for learning the ABC’s…it’s also a great place to learn social skills that will serve them the rest of their life. I know you’re child is a perfect angel…mine is too (wink wink), but just in case they have a devilish day, the teacher can really use your support to back them up when your child needs a little social adjustment.

Keep in mind, the more you participate, the more it helps your kids–and as a whole, our society. On the local level, a good school helps property values stay high (I’m a Realtor, I had to mention it). I can think of several communities that have been less affected by the decline in home values, partly due to the schools (think South Pasadena, Carpenter Avenue, Colfax Elementary, etc.) Living in a nice, friendly, safe community is attractive on many levels and a good school reinforces this kind of neighborhood.

These are 7 ways you can play your part in helping your school. Pick one or pick them all. And the great news is that some of them require absolutely no money at all. I would love your thoughts and your ideas, so please feel free to add any more you can think of as a comment to this post.

Written by Todd Jones www.ToddJonesHomes.com

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There are some minimum requirements.  For example, it has to be your first home, BUT the IRS will consider it your first home if you haven’t owned a home in the last 3 years.  Also, there are some income requirements so be sure to check out the IRS site and consult with your accountant.

If you want to begin looking online, feel free to use my site.

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The other way (and the way I help buyers) is to buy a foreclosure that the bank could not (or has chosen not to) sell at auction.  Instead, they sell the property through a Realtor.  There are many 100′s of properties for sale this way.  I have developed a very user friendly web site to help find them in the Los Angeles area.  Perhaps the best thing about buying a home this way is that you can get financing, do inspections and know that you will be getting clear title with no outstanding liens on the property.  You will also have a Realtor (hopefully me) watching your back and guiding you through the process.

To search for them, go here:  www.toddjoneshomes.com

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Many buyers are very excited when the first see the listing price of a short sale, but I am here to tell you to hold your excitement.  I always like to say that the listing price of a short sale is a “made up price.”  Let me explain.  A short sale happens when a home owner feels like they need to sell but cannot sell their home for what they owe.  In other words, they would come up short to close Escrow.  When this happens, the seller must either dip into their bank account or ask the bank to forgive the difference.  For example, if the home owner owes $500,000 on their loan, but can only get $400,000 for their home in the current market, then they are short $100,000 plus commissions and closing costs.

This is where an experienced Realtor® becomes an invaluable asset.  A seller who is selling a home that is “short,” will have to prepare a package to send to the bank to try to get them to forgive the difference.  But the bank won’t even talk to you if you don’t have an offer to include with the package.  For this reason, most Realtors® will price the home aggressively so that they will get an offer quickly.  This is why I say it’s a “made up price.”  Think about it…if you want an offer in this very competitive market, you have to offer the home at a GREAT price.  That price will undoubtedly be lower than the price of the competing homes nearby.  But most importantly, no one has any idea whatsoever if the bank will even forgive the difference.  Hence, the “made up price.”  In fact, it’s even possible that the difference is so great that the bank won’t forgive the difference and the home will go to foreclosure.

So you may ask, why even look at short sales?  There are a few reasons.  One is that you if you are not in a hurry and the bank approves it, you might actually get a great deal.  Another is that the short sale listing might be advertised as “bank approved.”  That basically means that the listing agent and their client have gone through the entire short sale process and the bank has actually approved the price.  More than likely, the original buyer has already found another property and could not wait the 30 to 90 days to get an answer from the bank.  An “approved” short sale is one that you can definitely make an offer on and avoid playing the waiting game.

Confused?  It’s a very confusing process and you need the support of a qualified, experienced Realtor® to guide you through the process…whether you are buying or selling.  If you need some advice, please don’t hesitate to call or email.

Todd was honored as Rookie of the Year for his $6 million in sales in his first year and he has continued his success as a Realtor.  Currently ranked in the top 2% of Realtors nationwide, Todd believes that his experience in the advertising industry translates well to real estate and has helped to make his marketing approach stand tall above the rest.