Good Bye & Good Luck, Eric Parker

My client and friend Eric Parker of the San Diego Chargers was released by the team yesterday after 6 years of being the Chargers' most productive wide receiver.

Even though Parker missed the entire 2007 season, his 170 receptions since 2003 rank third on the team behind Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson. Teammates consistently ranked him as the team's hardest worker.

But his high salary, a toe injury that kept him out all of last season and might hamper him further, and the Chargers' abundance of receivers conspired to bring his six-year career in San Diego to a close yesterday.

Back in 2004, I helped Eric and his wife, Nadia, fix their credit and got them into a property in San Diego.

Eric is a real nice, down-to-earth person. He was very grateful for what I was able to do for him and referred a lot of clients to me over the years since.

I'm sure he'll land with another NFL team and continue his career for a few more years.

Are you a football fan? ... Then you'll appreciate this

Having lunch at Soup Plantation last Friday when one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game sits down two tables away from us.

I said, "That's Terrell Davis."

My mother-in-law, Stephanie, says, "Who's Terrell Davis?"

Jen and the boys knew because we're ... shall we say ... a bit fanatical about our football in the Hall household.

I went on to explain to Steph that Terrell Davis:

* Is one of only 4 running backs to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season

* 2 Superbowl Rings with the Denver Broncos

* NFL league MVP

* Superbowl MVP

Unfortunately, he had to retire after 8 years because of a knee injury (same one I just had surgery for).

Me, Dillon, Austin and Logan walked over and asked for his autograph. Very nice guy and we chatted for several minutes. He makes his home in Murrieta.

I just received an email from my client, Jim Wentworth and I'm copy/pasting below along with a photo of Jim and I.

We just closed on Jim's purchase June 3, 2008. What he had to say was ... well, downright touching. I am very humbled by and appreciative of Jim's comments. It's a pleasure to have clients like Jim.

*****************

To: Ken Hall
Coldwell Banker
Platinum Properties

From; Jim Wentworth June 14, 2008
29161 Promenade Road
Menifee, Ca. 92584

I want to take this opportunity to write a “thank you” for a “Job well done”. I had given up hope on finding a home period, and then to meet you and to find a home in the Murrieta/Menifee area was a blessing. I want to summaries the experience the best I can so you know how much I appreciate having you as my realtor and friend.

As you know I have owned homes before, but due to a divorce and a few bad stock investments I figured I would rent for many years or forever due to my age. Then the market took a turn for the worst for most investors. A friend told me about the housing market in the Riverside county and how you could buy a home for under three hundred thousand. I did not believe it, so I went on line and hooked up with some realtors. I was so excited to think that I may have a chance to purchase a home again.

As you know I was well qualified to purchase a home. Ten years on the job, a 750 credit score, ten to twenty percent down, no property to sell, never a bankruptcy, and so on. I was ready to buy the home that I thought I would never own again.

I worked with realtors for over three months making multiply offers on homes that I thought would be my dream home. After multiply offers, two short sale escrows and no response from all of my effort I became very depressed that my expectations of owning a home again was slipping away. The realtors keep saying that I had to keep making offers, but I told them that “if we keep doing what we have been doing, that we will get the same result”.

Then I decided to go out on my own, and that Saturday afternoon I meet you at the house on Promenade. Right off the bat I knew I finally meet the right realtor. You explained to me what a great relationship you had with asset managers of banked owned properties and that you could make this deal happen. Well, with my past experience I was a little skeptical, but within a week we were in escrow and I was actually buying a home again. The very first home I made an offer on with you Ken, the offer was accepted and every thing else is history. I found out what all of the other realtors were missing once I meet you, and that was your aggressiveness, your contacts, and professionalism.

Ken, sorry for the long letter, but I want to thank you for the opportunity to own a home again, not to mention a five bedroom, three full baths, on a golf course, and in like new condition. You walked me through the process with professionalism, you keep your word on every aspect of the sale, you and your office were there when I needed them, and I could not be happier with the experience.

Thanks Ken,

Jim Wentworth
Retail Customer Manager

Kraft Foods USA

Temecula Valley Economic Forecast

The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted an economic forecast last Thursday at Pechanga. The presentation was given by John Husing, PHD (http://www.johnhusing.com/).

I was really, really looking forward to attending this event, but unfortunately, my knee surgery was scheduled for that same morning. My partner, Jon Sheehan and our assistant, Melanie Davis, did attend. The photo is Jon and Melanie with Professor Husing in the middle.

If you would like a copy of our notes and hand-outs, email me at Ken.Hall@socalfunding.com and I'll email you a PDF.

In a nutshell, Dr. Husing said the next 18 months are going to bad for the Temecula Valley area. Continued home foreclosures and a net loss of jobs for the first time in over 40 years.

The good news: when the foreclosures are gone and the real estate market begins coming back, the Temecula Valley will boom like never before. The upside potential for the Temecula Valley is far greater than San Diego and Orange Counties.

Austin's Black Belt Prep Test

My middle son, Austin, tested for his "Black Belt Prep" promotion last Friday ... and passed! All three of my boys have been training for about three years at Sunridge Karate http://www.sunridgekarate.com/.

Sunridge is an awesome Christian-based martial arts school in Temecula. Their curriculum is first and foremost Christ-based. Martial arts, second. That doesn't mean they're not a legitimate martial arts school, though. Just the opposite, in my opinion.

The training is rigorous and they're not "selling" black belts in 12 months like so many of today's martial arts schools are doing. At Sunridge, you can't test for a black belt until you turn 16. That's the way it used to be with most martial arts schools and certainly the way it should be.

If you're looking for a great way to build your kid's character and confidence, I can't think of a better way than Sunridge Karate.

Knee Surgery!

Here I am, before and after knee surgery pics.

On Thursday, June 26th I had ACL Reconstruction and Meniscus surgery on my left knee. Trust me when I say it is NOT pleasant at all.

In the pre-surgery pic (where I'm wearing the stylish hair net), they had just given me my "happy shot" so I'm feelin' no pain. In the after-surgery pic, it's the same afternoon after coming home. I was still really loopy and don't remember anything from the rest of the day.

The good thing is, they don't "zipper-cut" the knee like they used to. It's all done arthroscopically with 3 small incisions and 1 bigger incision. For the ACL, Dr. Reiman removed 2 of my 5 hamstring tendons and used them to rebuild my new ACL. For the Meniscus, he just cuts-out the loose, torn part.

I have to wear the big brace for 2 solid months! The first month I have to keep it locked, straight-out. The second month I can unlock it so I can bend my knee. Can't do any kind of activity that requires twising or pivoting for 6 months because it takes that long for the new ACL graph to regenerate. So no, not really looking forward to the next few weeks!

But, hey, what's done is done, right? Only thing to do is grin and bear it.