If you have not experienced Big Bear Lake's Independence Day celebration, you are missing a real treat.Big Bear Lake is famous for holding one of the top 10 fireworks displays in the state of California.The show is always on July 4th at 9:00pm. This year, the 4th is on Thursday. Courtesy of the Big Bear Rotary Club, each year's show has an uplifting half hour of gorgeous, high-flying fireworks, coordinated with Independence Day music from the local radio station, KBHR 93.3FM. Be sure to tune in! The fireworks are … [Read more...]
How Much Should I Offer?
May 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
What you offer on a Big Bear property depends on a number of things, such as the maximum price you’re willing to pay for the home, the risk of losing the home to another buyer, appraisal value, and how realistic the asking price is. Though homes in Big Bear are selling for an average of 96% of the listing price, there is no cardinal rule for a fixed amount that a seller will negotiate from their asking price. Every property & every seller is unique. The Big Bear real estate market is in a transition from a … [Read more...]
Spring in Big Bear
May 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Big Bear Lake Memorial Day weekend is looking to be at the height of Mother Nature's Spring. Yellow Daffodils have come up. Grass is greening and already needing cutting! Ornamentals and Apple Trees are blossoming all over town. The Lilacs have finally put out green leaves. In fact, a few brave Lilacs are already flowering. The Willows are turning green. We're waiting to see the Oaks put out their new pink leaves. By the time Memorial Day arrives, the beauty of Big Bear should be in Nature's full bloom! Daytimes … [Read more...]
Big Bear Lake Transient Private Home Rentals (TPHR) Ordinance
April 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Vacation rentals are big business in Big Bear. There are close to 1700 private homes currently registered or pending approval within Big Bear Lake city limits. Add to that the rentals in the un-incorporated areas of Big Bear (Fawnskin, Big Bear City, Sugarloaf, etc.) and the number of available vacation rentals within the Big Bear valley is estimated to be over 2000. The City of Big Bear Lake receives over $1,200,000 annually in tax revenue from vacation rentals based on approximately $15,000,000 in sales. Back in … [Read more...]
Big Bear Real Estate – Equestrian Properties
March 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Buying property that can accommodate your horse(s) can be a good solution if you don’t want to stable your animal. The investment will pay off over the years. There are several neighborhoods in Big Bear that are excellent locations for horses. North Baldwin Lake has an area especially developed as equestrian property. There are also a lot of horses in Erwin Lake, Lake Williams and Shay Meadow. Big Bear requires a minimum of a half acre to keep one or two horse, allowing a maximum of four horses per acre. … [Read more...]
Big Bear’s Utility Options
March 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
What do you look for in a house that you want to call your own? Do you need the conveniences and location of city life? Are you willing to trade out one or two of the available services for alternatives further from town? If your future home is in the city, water, sewage, natural gas and electric services are provided to the house. Your services are ready for you. You just need to "plug in". Contrary to humorous belief, the majority of the Big Bear area has all these services readily available. Then again, the … [Read more...]
New “App” for Home Improvement Projects
March 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
If you’ve been considering a remodel project for your Big Bear cabin or home, and just don’t know where to start, there’s a great new “app” available - and best of all, it’s free. Zillow Digs, launched by Zillow.com, is hoping to corner some of the social media market share that houzz.com and pinterest.com have in the virtual real estate world. Zillow.com is the website that allows visitors to get an estimate (or as it’s called on the site, "zestimate") on the value of homes. Zillow helps homeowners, buyers and … [Read more...]
5 Tips to Increase Real Estate Values in Big Bear
March 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Here are a few projects that can add resale value to your Big Bear home. Energy efficient green-technology projects will benefit your lifestyle, save you money, and increase your home’s overall value. 1.) Solar Arrays Solar energy is perfect for residents of Big Bear. The Big Bear area enjoys 310 days of sunshine a year. The average cost of installation is $30,000 before tax credits and rebates. You can expect a 30% rebate from the federal government. The rebate from the State of California depends on your … [Read more...]
Routes to Big Bear
February 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
We kind of have a saying in Big Bear, "No matter which direction, it takes about an hour from the bottom of the mountain to get up the hill." In essence, this is true. There are only 3 roads that lead to Big Bear Lake. Just remember, the 18, the 38, and the 330. These are Big Bear's access numbers. Each is the route number, from different directions, that will take you to our mountain paradise. Most drivers coming from the Los Angeles area, tend to use the 330 through Running Springs. You'll notice the "Mountain … [Read more...]
Big Bear Lake Faces a Crisis
February 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
– And Comes Out Stronger – Like the rest of America, the residents of Big Bear were glued to their television sets as a madman went on a rampage throughout Southern California. The difference, of course, is that this drama suddenly began unfolding in our own backyard. When I first heard that Christopher Dorner’s pick-up truck was sighted in the hills between Bear Mountain and Snow Summit, I was sure it was a hoax. This sort of thing doesn’t happen in Big Bear - we’re safe up here. We feel insulated from this sort … [Read more...]
