Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Mary Cummins, pending home sales rise in January

Pending home sales rise in January, industry group report

Real estate agents attend an open house in Highland Park in 2012. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Pending home sales rose in January in every U.S. region except the West, according to new data.

The National Assn. of Realtors said that its index of pending sales — based on the number of home purchase contracts signed — rose 4.5% in January from the previous month and 9.5% from January 2012.

The index, at 105.9, is at it hits highest reading since April 2010, the month a popular tax credit for buyers was driving the market up.

“Favorable affordability conditions and job growth have unleashed a pent-up demand,” Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the group, said in a news release.

The group expects higher home sales in the short term but sales growth will be muted because there are not enough homes available for sale, Yun said.

An index level of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be studied and also considered historically a healthy year of sales volume.

Month over month, pending sales were up 8.2% in the Northeast, 4.5% in the Midwest and 5.9% in the South. They were essentially flat, up just 0.1%, in the West, according to the index data.

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-pending-home-sales-20130227,0,3828754.story

BY MARY CUMMINS: The reason why pending contracts are not up in the west is because of lack of inventory. We should have four to six months of supply to be balanced. Currently we have 1-2 months max.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Robert HenryYoung, R.H.Young Inc., process server reported to police for assault, 23001, 1965, california

UPDATE: After I posted this page Robert Henry Young pretended to start a new business. He got a new private investigator license because his old one had my complaint on it. It also had his name on it. He doesn't want people to know who he really is. He is from Greenville, Illinois and graduated from high school there in 1983. Everyone else was in a club, sport, team, was involved in some high school event. Robert Henry Young of R.H. Young Inc was not involved in one club, sport or team. Here are his pics. I attached the guy next to him so you can see the clubs a regular student is involved in. He attended this high school 1980 to 1983.

Robert Henry Young, R.H. Young Inc, california, private investigator, process server, actually just a security guard

In his online website rhyounginc.com he claims he worked in Northern California. I only see addresses for him in SoCal. Same with his wife last name Chavez. She graduated high school 1985. They had a child in 1990. It appears he's been in SoCal since at least 1988. Here are a few more pics.

Robert Henry Young, R.H. Young Inc, california, private investigator, process server,

He eventually came to California as a security guard. In his website he claims to have worked for another PI company as a PI then started his own in 1999. He went bankrupt in 1999 chapter 7 claiming no assets when he actually owned a house.

YOUNG ROBERT HENRY G 1399842 SANTA ANA ORANGE
Licensee Name: YOUNG ROBERT HENRY
License Type: Guard/Patrolperson Registration
License Number: 1399842
License Status: CLEAR Definition
Expiration Date: August 31, 2015
Issue Date: June 17, 2003
City: SANTA ANA
County: ORANGE
Actions: No
Related Licenses/Registrations/Permits

Number Name Type Status Actions
266734 YOUNG ROBERT HENRY Firearm Permit CLEAR No

He has two criminal cases for tinted windows.

February 24, 2013: Today at 7:00 a.m. CA time it looks like *** posted a still from the video of me being assaulted last Sunday. There is a time/date stamp on the still. 02-17 09:26:38. That is when he was there. In the still I'm looking at the guy while his video guy videos. I can tell from where she took the still it's the same process serve. This proves she ordered the guy to pretend to serve me so he could assault me. I believe *** is seriously mentally ill. She ordered the hit from Texas so it's time to call the FBI.

Here is the guy's face.

Robert Henry Young, R.H. Young Inc, Private investigator, california, orange, anaheim, process server, criminal

He posted pics of his wife, daughter, grandson, family in the same directory as his work photos. These photos are public. I blurred out his wife and grandson. This photo is for the police and my neighbors. I've now given them a full description of this guy.

February 20, 2013: The police asked if I had a description of the guy who threw the documents at me. I even have a photo. I'm 5'8" so he's 5" taller than me and is 6'2", heavy set, white guy with lighter colored hair born March 10, 1965, 50 years old. Why a guy bigger than me would hit me with documents is really beyond me. I'm sure ***had to pay extra for that. Amazing she's wasting *** funds on hiring a guy to assault me half way across the country. A sick individual. Never would I have ever thought of doing something like this to her.

Robert Henry Young, R.H. Young Inc, process server, private investigator

February 19, 2013: The thug ***hired is named Robert Henry Young, a licensed private investigator (License 23001) and process server (Process Server License 1911) born March 10, 1965. I had to gather this information for the police report. You would think he would know the law. He lives in Anaheim at 4107 E Alderdale Ave, Anaheim, CA 92807. He was able to retain this house even after he and his wife went bankrupt in 2000 stating they had no assets. Looks like they lied if they didn't report this home they've owned since 1994. Adult daughter is Ashley 24. Their social security numbers are listed on their bankruptcy docs. Seems he was sued for violating someone's civil rights, also had a little run in with the law. *** seems to find some real low lifes, first Randy Turner then Eric Shupps and now Robert Young. I wonder how much of *** money did *** pay to the guy to harass and assault me? Her board of directors is liable for her behavior as they voted her president. They have the power to vote her out completely if they like. That is what California Wildlife Center did to Amanda's friend Rebecca Dmytryk when she was destroying the group and causing volunteers to leave.

February 18, 2013: Yesterday I believe *** hired some thug to pretend to serve me a legal document at the Mayoral convention. Instead of handing me the documents or dropping it on the ground which would be legal service, he threw the folded document at me with force hitting me with it. I just looked more closely at the document. It's the sister state filing from 11/09/12. They did not serve it within 60 days. That means they have to refile and reserve me. This is not legal service as this document is void. I bet *** did this just to harass me. I just asked Hotel security to save their security video for the police. This shows you how low petty, juvenile, nasty *** will go just to be mean.

Robert Henry Young, R.H. Young Inc, private investigator, process server, california, 28532

robert@southerncaliforniapi.com southerncaliforniapi.com new technologies investigative services
He is now calling himself R.H.Young Inc. He also changed his PI license. Perhaps he lost his last one. His new license is 28532. I just looked this up. It's new in 2013. He got it right after I reported him and made this page.

It appears he wanted to get his name off of his license number probably so people wouldn't see his bankruptcy documents. Just found out why he changed his business name. He has a lot of very bad reviews. He charges people a lot of money then rips them off.

Review 3/22/2011
The owner of this company cheated me out of my money: $1000. He did absolutely nothing! He is a crook and a liar!!

So far none of his corporations are legal corporations. He calls himself R.H.Young Inc. He's not incorporated as far as I can tell. http://www.rhyounginc.com/

Licensee Name: NEW TECHNOLOGIES INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES
License Type: Private Investigator
License Number: 23001
License Status: CLEAR Definition
Expiration Date: May 31, 2016
Issue Date: May 10, 2002
City: SANTA ANA
County: ORANGE
Actions: No
Business Owners

YOUNG ROBERT HENRY

He and his wife went bankrupt 2000. His social security number, his wife's are online. He wears an illegal hidden camera in his sunglasses. I x'd out their social security numbers here. Chapter seven bankruptcy is no asset, no income, no job, nada, nothing.

Robert Henry Young, bankrupt, bankruptcy, california, process server, private investigator, assault, battery, police report, complaint, march 1965, anaheim, hidden camera

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, single family, condo, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls,

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

McMansions in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Mary Cummins

The word "McMansion" was coined in the early 1980s in Beverly Hills. Related terms include "Persian palace","garage Mahal", "starter castle", and "Hummer house." An example of a "McWord," "McMansion" associates the generic quality of these "luxury homes" with that of mass-produced fast food meals by restaurant chains.

In Beverly Hills the larger estates are located on larger lots North of Santa Monica Blvd. Lots south of the Blvd are much smaller and have smaller homes which are proportionate to their lot size. The lots in this area are 5000 to 7500 max. The homes were 2-3 bedroom homes approximately 1,800 sf.

During the Iranian revolution many Iranians fled their country. Many moved to Beverly Hills first moving into apartments then later buying homes. Because land is so expensive in Beverly Hills and they generally lived with extended families, they would enlarge their home and remodel to their tastes. They would prefer to buy the cheaper smaller homes on smaller lots in Beverly Hills then enlarge them to fit their needs instead of buying the more expensive, larger estates on larger sites. They were putting 4,000 to 6,000 sf homes on 6,000 sf lots.

They generally would remodel to build the largest home they could legally build on a lot using the entire foot plan. This would most times be a square home with Greek or Colonial embellishments on the front. It would cover the maximum lot lines and top out at the maximum height limitations. Many felt these homes were tacky and tasteless.

These two story plus homes which looked a bit like gaudy apartment buildings would dwarf the smaller one-story Spanish and Traditional homes around them. They would also generally get rid of the garage and have a circular driveway in the front. On top of this more people would live in each home. As they got rid of the garages street parking became an issue. This bothered the original neighbors and did look a bit sightly.

Over time this spread to other expensive cities. The public finally put their foot down and demanded that something be done. Building and planning departments made changes especially in Beverly Hills. New homes had to go through a more rigorous approval process. Height limitations and maximum square footage were changed as were lot lines, set backs and styles. They would no longer allow homes to use the maximum foot plan of the site or maximum height limitations. They also would not approve homes which were just solid squares.

Here are a few McMansions in Beverly Hills which I photographed last week. I did not appraiser these though I have appraised a lot of these types of homes. These are south of Santa Monica Blvd north of Olympic. Notice on the side near the rear the house juts out again. That's because the set back changes at that point and they wanted to use as much land as possible. They also added basements to be able to add even more living space.

Below are the two original main styles of homes in Beverly Hills south of Santa Monica Blvd. The McMansions look like 8 unit apartment buildings next to the original homes.

Another criticism of McMansions and mansionization is people think they are a waste of space and materials. There are sometimes more space than a regular family would need with tall ceilings and open atrium entrances. The quality of the materials and workmanship were sometimes also an issue. They didn't always use the best architect ending up with a home which was a bit tasteless to the point of being obnoxious. Besides this the design and style of the homes seemed to be a jumbled mix of gaudy additions such as columns, multiple front balconies and statuary.

Over time new owners of the original "palaces" have toned down the front facades and color schemes. They've also replaced the acres of pink marble flooring with wood and removed some of the flourishes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMansion

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Mary Cummins has top 5% most viewed LinkedIn profiles in 2012

Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser Los Angeles, Califonria

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate Appraisals LinkedIn

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate Appraisals has one of the top 5% most viewed LinkedIn profiles in 2012! Over 500+ connections!

Hurray! I have one of the top 5% most viewed @linkedin profiles for 2012. linkedin.com/pub/profile/a/…
— Mary Cummins (@MMMARYinLA) February 11, 2013

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

FEMA uses historical data to predict future flood zones, Mary Cummins

It seems FEMA uses historical flood data to predict future floods. This makes no sense. We know the sea levels are rising. This should be taken into account. If not, people will rebuild homes in flood zones which will not survive floods. This means that FEMA will have to pay for future damages. More below.

Climate Change Impacts Absent from FEMA's Redrawn NYC Flood Maps

Scientists argue new FEMA flood maps may be too conservative because they don't consider future sea level rise, with implications for Sandy rebuilding.

By Katherine Bagley, InsideClimate News

Feb 6, 2013

FEMA released revised flood zone maps of New York City on January 28. A close-up of Coney Island, Brooklyn is pictured here.

When the federal government releasedupdated flood maps for the New York City region last week, residents were shocked to find that the number of houses and businesses in the region's flood zone had doubled since the maps were last revised, in 1986.

But it now appears that those maps might have underestimated the extent of New York's flood risk, because they don't factor in the effects of future climate change. Scientists say that by the 2080s, sea levels off the city's coast could rise by as much as five feet from melting glaciers, making storm surges more severe and causing floods much further inland than the new maps indicate.

The maps also don't incorporate data from Hurricane Sandy, which caused catastrophic flooding in the nation's financial capital. Many structures destroyed by the superstorm are not included in the newly drawn flood zones.

If future sea level rise had been taken into account, the flood zone would likely have been much larger, said Philip Orton, a physical oceanographer at theStevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, who served as a technical reviewer on the updated maps.

"The fear is that we'll get a meter [3.3 feet] of [sea level] rise by the end of the century, potentially more," Orton said. "People are rightfully concerned. ... The New York City area isn't ready for the storm surges of today, as we learned from Sandy, let alone what is possible in the future."

The omissions mean the maps already may be outdated—or will be very soon—some scientists said, with implications for Hurricane Sandy rebuilding efforts, as well as the city's plans for adapting to long-term climate change. The flood maps, which are produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are used to set insurance requirements and building codes. If the New York maps are too conservative, property owners might be wasting their money by rebuilding in especially vulnerable areas or by adapting structures to meet standards that will have to be revised in a few years.

"Old statistics on flood risk are obsolete," said Kevin Trenberth, a distinguished senior scientist in the Climate Analysis Section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). "Increasingly, [FEMA] should be looking ahead."

FEMA officials who spoke on background to InsideClimate News said future sea level rise wasn't included because the agency has traditionally used historical storm information to determine where flood zones should be set. Incorporating impending climate change simply wasn't part of the process.

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130204/climate-change-global-warming-flood-zone-hurricane-sandy-new-york-city-fema-federal-maps-revised-sea-level-rise

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

DOJ sues S&P for fraud for giving good ratings to bad investments, Mary Cummins

From 1994 to 2004 I followed the stock market very closely. During that time I saw a lot of securities fraud perpetrated by stock promoters, public companies and ratings groups such as S&P. It was a known joke that a buy rating actually meant hold, hold meant sell and sell meant that you already lost your ass. I assumed everyone knew this and didn't rely on their ratings calls. Seems I was wrong.

S&P gave a good rating to mortgage backed securities which were bad investments. This was 2005 to 2007 when the real estate market was in full swing right before the bust. The government had relaxed lending requirements and mortgage brokers made a ton of money refinancing all the equity out of people's homes. I was getting at least five letters a day asking to refi my home. No doc loans were the norm. Some mortgage brokers were still doing the fake tax returns and asset statements. There's a reason all mortgage brokers owned Turbo Tax Pro during this time. Everyone knew this even though this is bank fraud. Banks were not allowed to check returns with the IRS. Mortgage brokers always had borrowers sign blank applications then they'd fill it in with the "proper" data.

I was telling people in 2006 to not buy real estate as I thought that was the peak. It wasn't the peak. The real peak was mid to late 2007. I'm generally a pessimist and tell people to sell early and buy in late. At least people won't lose money that way.

I thought real estate would probably lose 30-35% value just like the last two busts I'd witnessed. In this case I was an optimist. I did not consider the effect of losses from trading mortgage backed securities that would make the entire house of cards collapse taking banks and jobs with it.

Below is an article which goes into the fraud perpetrated by S&P and the other reviewers. They were paid to review the investments! That doesn't make any sense. Of course they will give them a great rating.

I'm a real estate appraiser. The owner of the property cannot contract with me directly for an appraisal for a loan for purchase or refinance that is backed by the government. Why did the government allow the investment owners to pay S&P for a review?

Time and time again these things happen in our country. The government in cahoots with some big businesses relax government restrictions or turn a blind eye. They allow their friends to defraud smaller investors. Years after everyone has lost their investment, the companies go bankrupt or get bailed out by the government. The investors who lost money don't recoup their losses. They money goes to the companies that ripped them off! They promise this money will save jobs which will trickle down and help the rest of the economy. Doesn't seem like a wise investment to reward people who defraud others.

Read the story below for the specifics.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/u-s-and-states-prepare-to-sue-s-p-over-mortgage-ratings/

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Mt. Olympus celebrates Greek Revival architecture, Mary Cummins

Mt. Olympus is a 300 acre single family housing development in the hills above Hollywood. The ground breaking for the project was June 28, 1963. The developer was Russ Vincent. The homes "celebrate" Greek Revival architecture. I didn't appraise this home but this is the general theme. Over the years people have been opting out of this style and going for modern or Mediterranean instead. The neighborhood was featured in the movie "Hollywood Homocide."

Mt. Olympus housing development in the Hollywood hills celebrates Green Revival architecture

You can access the development off of Laurel Canyon Blvd. just north of Sunset. You can't miss the sign. Take a drive around the steep hill and you'll see some Greek Revival homes with lots of Greek statues.

Mt. Olympus sign off of Laurel Canyon

Mt. Olympus in 1963.

Here is their Homeowners Association http://www.mtolympus-la.com/
Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.