Wednesday, February 18, 2009

List vs Sold ...Ask me about your area!


The Average Price of Listed Properties VS the Average Price of Sold Properties

The graph above represtents the following criteria:

  • Single Family homes
  • Priced between $700,000 - 99,000,000
  • In Alamo, Danville, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda and Walnut Creek
  • Between January 1 2007 to January 31, 2009

January 2007
List Average Price $1,286,000
Sold Average Price $1,189,000

January 2008
List Average Price $1,354,000
Sold Average Price $1,142,000

January 2009
List Average Price $1,467,000
Sold Average Price $1,171,000

Send me an email or give me a call for up-to-date information about your city.



Based on information from Bay East Association of Realtors and Contra Costa Association of Realtors for the period 01/01/2007 through 01/31/2009. Due to MLS reporting methods and allowable reporting policy, this data is only informational and may not be completely accurate. Therefore, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage does not guarantee the data accuracy. Data maintained by the MLS's may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009


Late this evening, the U.S. Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 by a 60 to 38 vote.
Earlier today, the stimulus package passed the U.S. House of Representatives in a 246 to 183 vote. Today’s votes followed several days of negotiations by the House, Senate, and White House, with the final tab for the stimulus bill coming in at $787.2 billion.
On the housing front, the good news is that the legislation resets the conforming loan limit cap at $729,750, up from $625,500.
Numerous counties in California experienced a marked decrease in their conforming loan and FHA limits on Jan. 1, and the stimulus bill reinstates 2008 loan limits through Dec. 31, 2009.
The bill also increases the first-time home buyer credit from $7,500 to $8,000, and removes the requirement that the credit be paid back if the buyer stays in the home for at least three years. It also extends the expiration date for the credit from July 1 to Dec. 1, 2009. Homebuyers must have purchased a home after Jan. 1, 2009, and before Dec. 1, 2009, to be eligible for the $8,000 credit.
The California Association of Realtors and the National Associon of Realtors have long advocated for higher conforming loan limits. The conforming loan limit provisions and other housing elements in the stimulus package are a step in the right direction for our industry and all Californians.
The stimulus package also contains $308.3 billion in appropriations spending, including $120 billion on infrastructure and science and more than $30 billion on energy-related infrastructure projects.
It also allocated an additional $267 billion for direct spending, including increased unemployment benefits and food stamps; and provides $212 billion in tax breaks for individuals and businesses.
Now that the stimulus package is approved and is on its way to President Obama for signature, it is our hope that Congress will turn its attention toward helping homeowners remain in their homes and will take immediate steps directed specifically at stemming the ongoing foreclosure crisis.
Sincerely,
James Liptak
2009 PresidentCALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Thursday, February 12, 2009

What is a Short Sale?



In real estate, a short sale is a sale of real estate in which the proceeds from the sale fall short of the balance owed on a loan secured by the property sold. In a short sale, the bank or mortgage lender agrees to discount a loan balance due to an economic or financial hardship on the part of the mortgagor. This negotiation is all done through communication with a bank's loss mitigation or workout department. The home owner/debtor sells the mortgaged property for less than the outstanding balance of the loan, and turns over the proceeds of the sale to the lender, sometimes (but not always) in full satisfaction of the debt. In such instances, the lender would have the right to approve or disapprove of a proposed sale. Many Short Sales leave a deficiency balance for which the Mortgagor / Borrower may liableExtenuating circumstances influence whether or not banks will discount a loan balance. These circumstances are usually related to the current real estate market and the borrower's financial situation.

A short sale typically is executed to prevent a home foreclosure. Often a bank will allow a short sale if they believe that it will result in a smaller financial loss than foreclosing. For the home owner, advantages include avoidance of a foreclosure on their credit history and partial control of the monetary deficiency. A short sale is typically faster and less expensive than a foreclosure. In short, a short sale is nothing more than negotiating with lien holders a payoff for less than what they are owed, or rather a sale of a debt, generally on a piece of real estate, short of the full debt amount. It does not extinguish the remaining balance unless settlement is clearly indicated on the acceptance of offer.
Wikpedia
Give me a call for a list of short sales and foreclosures in your area.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

New Market Trend????

Weekly Market Report
By Joe Brown, President Coldwell Banker

Is It Too Early to Call It a Trend?

Earlier this week, the National Association of Realtors reported that in December, existing home sales rose unexpectedly while inventory declined, led by a surge of sales in the West.

The national real estate organization reported, “Existing home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – jumped 6.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.74 million units in December from a downwardly revised pace of 4.45 million units in November, but are 3.5 percent below the 4.91 million unit pace in December 2007.”

In the West, existing home sales jumped 13.6 percent to an annual rate of 1.25 million in December and are 31.6 percent higher than a year ago. However, the median price was $213,100, down 31.5 percent from December 2007.

Here at home, the news only gets better. CAR reported this week that home sales increased 84.9 percent in December in California compared with the same period a year ago. No, that’s not a typo. 84.9 percent. On the flip side, the median price of an existing home fell 41.5 percent, a continued symbol of buyers taking advantage of the large number of distressed properties currently available.

So why the sudden, so drastic surge in sales? There are a few reasons:

· A lot of people who were previously priced out of the housing market can finally buy
· With interest rates under 5%, a buyer’s purchasing power is at its best in more than three decades
· After months of increasing or stable inventory, we are finally starting to see the numbers fall
· Increased consumer confidence (of late) based on the new administration
· We’re seeing a lot more investors coming into the market in addition to first time buyers. Consider the fact that this week alone, one Gilroy Agent represented 10 properties that went into contract. Almost all were investors and the properties were condos in the under $100,000 price range.

So is it too early to call it a trend? Probably. In all honestly, we still have a lot of distressed properties to move through before we can begin to see prices stabilize. At least for the foreseeable future, buyers will probably have the edge but with an 84.9 percent increase in sales year over year and inventories on the decline, we’re finally moving in the right direction. The key to all of this: buyers are ready to buy when they perceive a good value. Until then, they wait.