Hope, Vision and Value Creation Book Signing on Friday, December 4th in Laguna Beach

Real Estate Industry Veteran John Martin to share lessons learned from housing cycles, community development and residential design at a special book signing in Laguna Beach.

The real estate industry is in a severe economic recession; John Martin offers his prospective on how-to accelerate the recovery by three to four years so the industry can go back to work creating great places for people to live.

His new book, Hope, Vision & Value Creation, is about hope ~ beginning the recovery; vision ~ seeing future opportunities, and the imagination to design the homes and communities that create value.

The purpose of this book is to identify market niches to satisfy the needs and wants for today's buyer; to attract and convenience the financial community to return to and invest in new projects, so the industry can once again, thrive and prosper.

A special book signing will be held on Friday, December 4th at Art for the Soul, 272 Forest Street in Laguna Beach, CA. For more information please visit www.martin-associates.net.

Martin & Associates are dedicated to assisting those who design, develop, market and manage communities and neighborhoods by providing vision, strategic thinking and positioning and by implementing action plans through research and analysis.

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Shea Homes is the First National Builder to Launch Applications for Iphone and Ipod Touch

Our clients are staying in touch with their customers.

CORONA, CA – November 17, 2009 -- Because of Shea Homes’ success with Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and by listening to their customers, the company continues to embrace technology and is now the first national home builder to release a dedicated “App” for the Apple iPhone. As the iPhone continues to gain market share and more and more people are turning to their Smartphones for information, Shea Homes is pleased to announce, “They have an App for that.” The App is compatible with iPhone as well as the iPod Touch, and is a free download from the iTunes AppStore

What does this mean for Shea Homes’ customers, Realtors®, and TradePartners®? The Shea Homes Southern California iPhone App provides users with easy access to important community information. Some of the benefits and features that users of the Shea Homes App will enjoy include:

Finding detailed information about all of Shea Homes' communities

- Easily browsing all of the plans available at each community and sharing them with friends
- Seeing pricing, square footages, exterior elevation images and floorplans
- Instantly calling, emailing or getting driving directions (GPS enabled) to any Shea Homes community
- Staying informed with frequent updates about communities, specials and limited-time opportunities
- Instant access to Shea Homes’ Facebook and Twitter pages

According to Gartner Research, the “iPhone OS had 8% of the Smartphone market in 2008” in spite of the fact that the iPhone 3G wasn’t released until July 2008. With the release of the recent upgraded model this past summer, Apple is expected to dominate this sector. The iPhone and iPod Touch combined hold the top spot for mobile browser market share at 30.5% from August to October of 2009. With over 50 million iPhone and iPod Touch customers and over 100,000 applications available, Apple far exceeds any of their competitors. To date there have been over 2 billion AppStore downloads with availability in 81 countries. All this is amazing considering the iPhone has only been available since the summer of 2008.

“Shea Homes is very excited to be the first national home builder offering an iPhone Application which acts as a robust digital and interactive green brochure,” said Bert Selva President and CEO of Shea Homes. “With the increased use of mobile technology and the popularity of Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, this was a natural transition. As we move forward into the future, Shea Homes is dedicated to utilizing technology to provide easy and convenient ways to instantly share information any place, any time, and best of all, it’s free. We are also currently working on applications that will be available to other mobile device users, and we expect to offer them by year's end.”

“We are extremely thrilled with the release of our Southern California iPhone App which provides a much needed solution based on numerous consumer requests,” stated Janet Benavidez, director of sales for Shea Homes Southern California. “In addition, it offers more functionality than we had originally thought possible. You have to download it today to see for yourself.”

For more information about the Shea Homes Southern California iPhone or iPod Touch App, visit http://itunes.com/apps/sheahomessoutherncalifornia.

The Shea Homes Southern California iPhone and iPod Touch App provides instant access to detailed information about Shea Homes communities in Orange and Ventura Counties and the Inland Empire.

In Orange County, they include Tapestry in La Habra; Latitudes North and Latitudes South at Vantis in Aliso Viejo; and Harbor Station, Pasadera, Birch River and Vista Vallarta at Glenwood in Aliso Viejo.

In Ventura County, Shea Homes is offering Meridian, Boardwalk and Reflections at RiverPark in Oxnard and Canterbury Lane in Moorpark.

Home buyers in the Inland Empire can choose from these Shea Homes neighborhoods: Tetherwind at The Preserve at Chino; Newbridge, Carmody and SPACES at Avonlea in Corona; Topaz at Eldorado in Menifee; Three-65 at Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga; and Meadowbrook at Adeline’s Farm in Winchester.

Complete details on those communities, including floor plans, driving directions and more, are also available by visiting the company's website at sheahomes.com.

Shea Homes Southern California is a division of Shea Homes Limited Partnership, one of America’s largest privately held homebuilders. As a member of the Shea family of companies, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2006, Shea Homes has won numerous prestigious awards for quality, integrity, innovation and customer satisfaction. Shea Homes’ pursuit of excellence is typified by Shea Superiology, the art and science of designing and constructing homes that offer homeowners superior value by maximizing their quality of life, minimizing their costs and making a positive contribution to the environment. For more information, please visit the company's website at sheahomes.com.

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Solar Conference 2009 - Anaheim, California

We who have been in the homebuilding industry for awhile have seen solar go from the “less than attractive” to “how cool is that”!

One of our staff was luck enough to attend the solar conference earlier this month. It was very well attended with 900 exhibitors on the entire show floor of the Anaheim California convention center; more than 20,000 industry attendees from 90 countries.

Images showing use of solar panels – one on a custom home (Craftsman style) and one on a commercial building, really tell the story of its “come a long way”. Many of the commercial buildings are able to get government funded loans to cover the install, once they are up and running the extra energy generated by the panels is sold to the electric energy grid – the income generated pays back the loans.

For more information on the next generation of solar and the next conference visit, http://www.ases.org.

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TRI Pointe Homes, Inc. - Launching new company and new communities!

Kovach is proud to assist in the marketing of a new team of homebuilders launching a new company, TRI Pointe Homes, Inc.

“We believe that in the face of today’s many challenges, it is time for a new generation of homebuilders to deliver quality homes for new home buyers,” stated Douglas Bauer, who, with Thomas Mitchell and Michael Grubbs, is one of the three founding principals of TRI Pointe Homes. “We plan to establish TRI Pointe Homes as the vanguard of the homebuilding industry's future. Our company’s core values of quality, integrity and excellence are the driving forces behind energy efficient, innovative designs that will connect with today's and tomorrow's buyers and exceed their expectations.” We have the perspective to provide environmentally friendly, energy-efficient residences that anticipate families’ needs.

Bauer, Mitchell and Grubbs, agreed that it is an unwavering commitment to think, renew and inspire that guides TRI Pointe Homes. “Insightful thinking means anticipating and encompassing all the events and needs of the individuals and families that will live in our homes,” Mitchell explained. “We have a passionate desire to renew a sense of belonging by creating spaces that invite both energized interaction and peaceful solitude.
Grubbs noted that he and his partners saw a business opportunity in the current economic climate. “As the market turns around, which it has already started doing, many doors open and opportunities present themselves.”

One key focus of TRI Pointe Homes will be connecting with its customers on a personal level. “The difference between a homebuilder and an exceptional homebuilder is customer service,” Mitchell explained. “Our buyers will understand that difference firsthand when we arrive at their final walk-through, personally answering any questions that may arise. It’s all about that one-on-one connection with the homeowner. We want the home-buying experience to be memorable and special for every one of our customers.”

Additional information on TRI Pointe Homes and their first two communities is available by calling (949) 596-8660 or visiting http://www.tripointehomes.com/.

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