
Brea Jazz
It’s Brea’s Sixth Annual Brea Jazz Festival 2008 ~
It’s the 2008 FREE Concert Series courtesy of the Downtown Business Owner’s Association beginning Friday September 5th through Saturday September 27. Hours are 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm each night.
The concerts take place Friday and Saturday nights in downtown Brea on Birch Street just West of Brea Blvd. You will want to arrive early for seats, they’re limited. FREE parking is nearby in the multi-level parking garages in down town. Or, reserved tickets are also available here online.
New this year is the an Arts and Crafts event on Saturdays beginning at 4:00 pm to 10:30 pm. See the event line up and more here.
And for libation, those over the age of 21 can stroll on over to the beer and wine garden . Local service clubs play host for this event serving beer and wine.
If you’ve spent any time in down town Brea you know there’s a variety of great eateries. Check out Carvao Grill (formerly Gaucho Grill) is one of my favorites. Another is the Fitness Grill, then there’s Jo Jo’s Pizza Kitchen, see why they’re a Brea Business with a Heart!
If you want to learn more about downtown Brea visit Living In Down Town Brea to start! Looking for information on Brea Real Estate, contact me .Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com
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Brea’s downtown area on Birch Street is well known for eateries, fine dining and great eats. The Carvao Grill a South American steakhouse is one of my personal favorites. My last trip was for lunch a few weeks ago.
There’s indoor and outdoor dinning to choose from. The proprietor Piaggio (aka Coli) was born and raised in Argentina He’s also the perfect host. I took this photo of him out in front of his restaurant one day during the Brea Farmer’s Market held on Tuesdays. As for my lunch the s
erving size was so large it also became my dinner the next day.
Then as a nice surprise Coli sent over a very special dessert.
If you’re looking for a wonderful place of lunch or dinner in Brea try the Carvao Grill, check out their menu here. Oh just in case you were wondering, yes there is a full bar.
So give it a try, you won’t be disappointed! Oh, how about dinner at a movie? You know the Carvao is just across the street from the Edwards Theaters. Save your movie ticket and get a discount on dinner at Caravo, (some restrictions apply) what deal! You will love this place.
Location: 210 Birch Street, Unit 102, Brea, CA 92821 ~ Phone: (714) 990-2140
From the 57 Freeway ~ Exit on Imperial Hwy. Drive west towards Brea Blvd. turn right (north) to Birch St. then left (west) on Birch Street. Plenty of FREE parking.
Brea’s Curtis Theatre Announces the Fall 2008 Production Lineup!

Brea's Curtis Theatre
Elvis ~ The King of Rock & Roll ~ It’s Scott Brue as the King.
October 3, 4 & 5 th
Friday: 8 p.m. Saturday: 5 & 8 p.m.; Sunday: 2 p.m. Adults $35 ~ Seniors $32 ~ Children $30
No Sex Please, We’re British
A funny English comedy that will make you laugh!
October 17-19, 24-26 & 31, November 1 & 2
Friday & Saturday: 8 pm & Sunday Afternoon 2 p.m.
Adults are $20 ~ Seniors $18 (not appropriate for children)
The Wonder Bread Years, by former Seinfeld writer Pat Hazell
November 14, 15 & 16
Friday & Saturday 8 pm Sunday 2 pm
Adults $28 ~ Seniors ~ $25 Children $23
Christmas with The Alley Cats ~ Back in Brea Once Again as a Holiday Favorite
December 4, 5, 6, 7
Thursday & Friday 8 pm ~ Saturday 2 & 8 pm Sunday afternoon 2 pm
Adults $28 ~ Seniors $25 ~ Children $23
The Curtis Theater is located at the Brea Civic and Cultural Center at 100 Civic Center Circle on Birch Street, Brea, CA 92821. The Civic Center is located on the North side of the Brea Mall and across the street from Brea’s Post office to the West and the Brea Marketplace to the North.
- The Curtis is such a terrific venue, not a bad seat in the house
- Watch for the 2009 Schedule Coming Soon!
The City of La Mirada, CA like many others in SoCal is not immune to the housing dole-drums experienced in the Southland. La Mirada’s current inventory of existing listings is similar to many other surrounding communities when it comes to distressed sales.
La Mirada’s current re-sale inventory foreclosures/short sales vs. “traditional sales”:
169 total properties for sale ~ of which only 15 are identified as Bank Repos, slightly less than 9% of the total inventory. However, when you factor in current short sale properties that total swells to 40% of the current inventory. That’s right another 53 homes are identified as short sales in the Multiple Listing Service. (It’s most likely a few others which may not be properly identified in the multiple listing service as a short sale).
La Mirada bank repos are currently priced from a low of $163,000 for a one-bedroom one bath condo in the Los Olivos complex at Ocaso and La Mirada Blvd. to $789,000 for a 5 bedroom 3/bathHillsboro Manor home near Beach Blvd. and Hillsboro Drive, south of Imperial Hwy.
Not every distressed sale is a repossession or short sale so let’s define distressed sales, a bank repossession/foreclosures, short sales vs. personal circumstances:
•1. Bank Repo, aka REO or Bank Foreclosure~ A bank/lender/government repo is owned by the institution that held the loan on the property, or in some cases actually insured that loan. REO=Real Estate Owned is a term used by institutions to identify properties on their books.
•2. Short Sale ~ A term used when a property is offered for and/or sells for less than the current amount owed on a loan. For example, (a)the case where a home buyer purchased a property for one amount, the value declined and the owner could not sell for the amount owed on the loan. On the other hand,(b) other short sales may result from a property being re-financed at any period of time and the value declined (c) where an owner has tapped the equity in the form of a home equity line of credit, aka HELOC and again there has been a decline in values. Again where the sales price would be less than the amount owed to the lender.
It takes real stamina to hang in there for these things. I’ve watched repo sales for over twenty-five years and urge you to work with someone who understands your local market. Again, do your homework ahead of time!
If you’re interested in finding out more about a La Mirada bank repo, contact me, Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com
Welcome to La Habra Heights, CA 90631
La Habra Heights, is one of those eclectic areas of So Cal, so unlike so much of our cookie cutter living elsewhere in tract homes. The “Heights” as it’s known to those who live here, is not to be confused with the neighboring city right next door of La Habra, CA.
For the record La Habra Heights is located in the L.A. County, the sister City of La Habra (again right next door) is located in the OC.
Another major difference is the make up of the city, meaning most communities have a balance of housing, residential single family, condos, apartments, some commercial and shopping, etc. etc. However not in the Heights. The majority of the La Habra Heights is home to sprawling estate size lots of an acre or more offering a more rural lifestyle in the city. People love it here!
Many homes dot the hillside streets or are situated the picturesque valley areas. Some are lucky enough to have a view to Catalina Island (26 miles off our coast according to the song) on the clearest days. Others may have a tranquil view the spectacular golf course. It’s easy to see while driving through La Habra Heights the abundance of multi million dollar estates you can find, while others that may be more modest in size and price. As I said before it’s eclectic and wonderful.
Some streets appear as county lanes while just minutes away from the more urban city lifestyle. The Hacienda Golf Club located near the center of the community on Hacienda Road. Many of the homes have views of the spectacular fairways and mature trees everywhere. The photo on the left is one I took on a Sunday in “The Park” of La Habra Heights on Hacienda Blvd. It’s also home to the “Music in the Park” summers series on Wednesday evenings.
According to the last reported census the median household income was just over $101,000 at that time. I would imagine by today’s standards it would be considerably higher. While the area in high in income, it’s small in size encompassing a mere 6.2 miles. The population again according to the last census was around 6,000 residents, an unknown number of horses and other (mostly) domestic 4 legged friends.
The average selling pricefor homes in the City of La Habra Heights (a total of 20 homes which closed according to SoCalMLS data) was $890,800 for the first half of 2008which reflects the down turn in pricing in our SoCal real estate market Records indicate these homes sold at an average of 92% of the last asking price and 88% of the original asking price.
If you’re interested in finding out more about living in La Habra Heights, contact me, Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com at Preferred Home Brokers. We’re one of the oldest independent brokerages under the same ownership in SoCal.

Symphony on Birch Street!
That right Sunday, August 3rd it’s time for the whole family to enjoy the sounds of the Pacific Symphony and enjoy the outdoors on a late Sunday afternoon.
Come early for a good seat, (some seats are reserved) some are first come first served. Family activities begin at 5:30 PM with the Children’s Musical Workshop and entertainment. The Pacific Symphony begins at 7:00 PM.
- General Admission is FREE ~ Over 700 seats are available on a first come-first-serve basis.
Reserved Seating is Available ~ In a variety of Ways:
- Individual Reserve ~ $35 and you will receive a $20 Yard House Gift Certificate
Seating for Two & Seating for Four including chocolate desserts from the Melting Pot, (been there myself several times and loved it!) by clicking here for more information.
And for the grand finalee after dark (approximately 8:30) it’s roof top fireworks!
Brea’s Birch Street Downtown Promonade is located on Birch Street, just North of Imperial Hwy. and also West of Brea Blvd., it’s the heart of the city.
Brea’s Downtown Promenade is a unique area of Brea with shops, movie theaters and eateries, in addition to the famous Improv. The Downtown Promonade is located on Birch Street, just North of Imperial Hwy. and also West of Brea Blvd., it’s the heart of the city.
One of my favorite eateries is the Carvao Grill, and Coli Piaggio is the proprietor and a wonderful host to all! The Fitness Grillis just a short walk while still in the downtown area. Another great Brea business with a heart, pay a visit to Jo Jo’s Pizza Kitchen on Brea Blvd. and see why they’re special.
To learn more about Brea take a tour around our city at All About Brea~ Brea, CA 92821 & 92823 and view Sunset Magazine, Brea The Best of The West and you will see why Brea’s the Place to Be. Looking for family entertainment in the City of Brea? View Family Fun in Good Old Brea, or visit our City Hall Park, it’s like a step back in time.
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Summer evenings in the OC are wonderful to experience. Usually cooling off enough to turn off the a/c, opening doors and windows in the late afternoon to enjoy the outdoors, we grill outside almost daily.
In my neck-of-the woods we’re in the fairly small community of Brea the northern part of the OC. Living here it seems like one city just runs in to another, it’s tough to tell where one stops and another begins. So when trying to describe our location to others in different areas I ask, “Have you ever been to Disneyland?” When most answer yes, I explain that we’re about 20 minutes north of the Happiest Place on Earth.
If you’ve lived in Orange County (depending on location) no doubt you’re accustomed to this “summer sound” and may not even notice it any longer. Yet for me, it’s a familiar sound that brings a smile to my face. It’s the Disneyland fireworks each and every night. Need to re-set your clocks? No problem, at 9:25 sharp, without fail seven days a week, it begins. It’s a ka-boom,.., one right after another, then in multiples. At one time I had a fireworks view from my second story deck at home. Now with the mature trees that’s no longer possible. Yet I still love the friendly sounds.
Over the years Disney fireworks has evolved into huge choreographed production complete with narration, music and of the course, Tinker Bell, flying over the picturesque Sleeping Beauty Castle. Not long ago we celebrated a friend’s birthday at the park, that night the fireworks show was the perfect ending to a spectacular day.
If you’re interested in learning more about SoCal homes within about 60 minutes of Disneyland, contact me. Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com. I’d love to hear from you and share my love of the southland.