PriceGrabber.com, a part of Experian, explores the impact of the economy on online consumer behavior in its latest Consumer Behavior Report, Economic Trends in Consumer Spending. Results are based on a survey of 3,156 online consumers conducted over the past two months. Survey data revealed that most consumers are cutting back as a result of the economy and that the economy has affected men and women differently.

Consumers are more focused on saving now compared with six months ago.

Even with rumors that the recession could be bottoming out, consumers are cutting back even more than they were six months ago. PriceGrabber.com’s June 2009 survey revealed that 67% of consumers are making a concerted effort to spend less, compared with 57% of consumers who were cutting back in PriceGrabber.com’s January 2009 survey (conducted from Jan. 6-13; 1,545 respondents)- revealing a 10% increase. The June survey also found that of the consumers who have changed their spending habits in the last year, 90% said they still will use their saving strategies after the economy improves by continuing to live with a conservative mentality.

Valerie Fitzgerald specializes in luxury residential real estate in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, Santa Monica and Malibu. Valerie has more than 20 years of real estate experience and is known for her solid reputation in the West Los Angeles brokerage community. She’s also the author of Heart and Sold: How to Survive and Build a Recession-Proof Business. Find it at Amazon.com  

Read more at ValerieFitzgerald.com and learn about luxury real estate in Beverly Hills, Bel Air and West L.A. neighborhoods. 

TopTenRealEstateDeals.com is a new independent website offering Top 10 lists of today’s best real estate deals available on the Internet. 

Believe it or not, there’s a fun and easy way to manage your money!  We love how the folks at mint.com have innovated budget planning, and wanted to share it with you.  Let us know what you think and if you have any money managing tools you’d like to share with us.  Happy bookkeeping!

The local real estate market may be picking up, but what about Prague or Pamplona? The Times (of London, that is) gives you five great rules of thumb for buying property abroad. Whether you’re considering a second home, a vacation rental or an investment property, there’s a lot to be taken into consideration. That amazing little villa two hours outside of Dijon might not be a great rental if no one can get to it…and is that condo in Frankfurt such a steal because it’s adjacent to the worst neighborhood in town? Do plenty of research, and definitely work with a seasoned local real estate professional…you might just end up with the vacation home of your dreams!

 PS: If you’re interested in international real estate,  check out some of our own international listings at thevaleriefitzgeraldgroup.com!

With all the news about financial crises, stock market volumes and bailout plans lately, we’ve been hearing some pretty big numbers thrown around. It’s one thing seeing them written out (that’s a LOT of zeroes), but seeing a physical representation of that much cash is a lot different. Pagetutor.com decided to show us exactly what a trillion dollars looks like in bundles of hundred dollar bills…and it’s absolutely mind-blowing!

Many of us love looking at houses…even if we aren’t going to buy any time soon. And some of us like to take that one step further, ooh-ing and ah-ing over homes that only exist on paper. That makes Houseplans.com both a great resource for those who want to build their own home, AND a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

With plans for nearly 30,000 different homes online, surely your own dream home is up there somewhere. Plus, many of the plans come in a variety of sizes and configurations, and they’ve even got a module to let you “draw” your own changes and edits onscreen. Styles run the whole gamut from quaint cottages to Greek revival to Spanish to architectural (like this one we love — sleek design, and a clever way to work with  steeply sloping ground). Now all you need is a lot!

Maybe a move isn’t in the cards for you right now, but it’s never a bad time to do a little redecorating. But some people are really daunted when it comes to choosing new paint colors — with so many choices, how do you figure out what you want? And how do you know what it’ll look like once it’s up? The sites below can give you a hand with that. Some of the services are free and some require a subscription, but all three are great tools for picking out a new look for your home. Explore color schemes, wall and trim colors, special paint effects and more…before you commit!

Bob Vila’s site features an Exterior Designer that’s your best bet for envisioning new paint, trim and accent colors for your exterior.

Benjamin Moore’s Personal Color Viewer lets you try on paint and trim colors in a variety of sample rooms in different styles. 

The Behr Paints site has a number of ways to explore and try out new colors. You can see your selected shades on sample photos for free — but for only $4.95 per year, you can not only try on paint colors *and* color wash, sponge and rag effects, but you can also upload your own photos and try them out in your very own rooms. Go to the Behr site and click on “Start ColorSmart.”

But maybe you need a little direction to get you started? Take the Style Quiz at Sproost and see what your room preferences say about your own personal style. 

The Washington Post takes a look at the pros (and cons) of leasing out your property in today’s market, rather than selling. The article makes a number of good points about how to find and screen tenants, whether to use a leasing management company, and tax advantages you can gain from an investment property. One thing we’ll take exception to, though, is the idea that you should shelve your plans to sell your existing home and buy something larger (or that otherwise better fits your needs) until prices rise again. For one thing, you can’t know exactly how long it’s going to take for the value of your home to rise above what it was when you purchased it — and why put your life and needs on hold indefinitely? Second, and equally important, is the fact that though you may be selling your existing property for less than what you perceive as its “value” — you’ll also be buying your new home at a far lower value as well — so that when home prices do rise again, your net gains would be higher on the higher-priced home.  The bottom line — do what’s right for you!

If you have interest in leasing out your property, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Understanding housing tax credits.  It’s that time of year again – tax season.  Here is a useful article that breaks down the details of the housing tax credits .  Please feel free to call me at 310-433-2890 or email me with any further questions.

Planning on doing any traveling soon? You might want to bypass the big chain hotels and go for something a little more eclectic. The Telegraph highlights 17 curious accommodations around the world, including a bullfighting ring, a cold war-era bunker, an igloo and a converted helicopter.