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Carlsbad, CA Homes Sold July 2009

Current Market Trends for Carlsbad, CA July 2009

If you have been paying attention to the News lately you are beginning to hear more positive comments regarding the Real Estate Market. 

There is clear evidence of an upward trend in the Carlsbad Real Estate Market.

In our last report Homes Sold Carlsbad April 2009, which is typically a pretty active month for Real Estate, we saw there were a total of 61 homes sold in the 4 zip codes of Carlsbad for that month.

That figure increased to 82 for the month of July, with and average Sold price being $715,756 only slightly down from April which was $737,415.

Another notable difference in the 2 reports are the number of active listings.  In April there were a total of 419.  In todays report there are only 355 combining the active and contingent listings.

One important factor that is not shown in this chart is the number of Short Sales and Foreclosures that are include this mix.  The Carlsbad area has fortunately been less affected by these distressed type properties as other areas of the San Diego North County such as their neighboring coastal city of Oceanside.

Of the 82 properties sold in July, only 7 of them were short sales, and of the 287 active properties, only 32 are short sales.  As for bank owned or REO properties in this area, there are only 20 that are currently active and 8 sold.

All in all it appears that this area has recovered rather nicely from the last couple of years down turn in the market.

As always, people will find the ways and the means to live near the beach, especially this desirable and well maintained community.

If you are curious about the value of your home or would like to know the values of homes in any area of San Diego County, feel free to give us a call or an email.  We are here to help and we answer our phones!

Pam and Joanna
760-580-1615 or 760-580-1630

Low Cost Ways to Update Your Home

Quick Cheap Tips to Update Your Home

Some quick and easy tips to improve your home without emptying the bank account are always useful, especially in this economy. Ideas which are simple and cost effective can make a huge difference. You don’t need to remodel your kitchen or add granite counters, just try something simple and you will be amazed at the effect.

 If you are thinking of putting your home on the market it will certainly help make your home more attractive to potential home buyers. The right touches can get a home buyer excited about your home, but a few poor decisions may lose their interest completely.

Make sure your landscape is well maintained to increase curb appeal. A more conservative yard is often a better showcase for your home, so be generous with your trimming and pruning. Pare down bushes and trees that block windows. Pull weeds out of flowerbeds, lawn and sidewalk cracks. Repair minor asphalt and walkway cracks if necessary. If your home has gutters on the roof, clean and clear them frequently.

Natural light is the best light to cast your home in. Replace faded and heavy curtains with sheer ones or install blinds.Opening the shades when showing your home will also make your house seem larger. Temporarily replace energy-efficient fluorescent lights with high-wattage incandescent bulbs to give your home a warmer glow. Make sure dark rooms are well lit.

Some Other Quick Tips to Update Your Home:

• Install a new mailbox
• Ugrade outdoor lighting
• Replace old doormats
• Plant annual flowers
• Buy new pillows for sofas
• Display lightly scented potpourri or candles
• Polish or replace your old address plaque
• Fix or replace leaky or outdated faucets
• Buy organizational systems to reduce clutter
• Re-caulk sinks and bathtubs
• Place centerpieces on large counters and tables

If you have any other ideas you would like to share we would be more than happy to hear from you.

Pam Parton 760-580-1615                  Joanna Woolley 760-580-1630

content by courtesy of Brian Buffini

15731 Pauma Valley Drive,Pauma Valley, CA 92016

15731 Pauma Valley Drive, Pauma Valley, CA 92061

This gorgeous 4,346 sq ft hacienda style home overlooks the Robert Trent Jones golf course, with beautiful traditional fairways, manicured to a dream.

Originally priced at $1599,000 and just SOLD for a mere $1,000,000 – can you believe that?

 Located on 1.5 acres of private grounds, this home offers exceptional quality construction and design. Granite and imported marble floors, 16 ft ceilings, wrap around patio and forever views of the stunning Pauma Valley are some of the features which make this home so appealing.

Luxurious Master Bedroom

 A private airport with a 3000′ runway is one the conveniences of this community along with a clubhouse and facilities with a recent $3+million in renovations. This exclusive estate is fully gated and furnished for the lucky buyer.

A stunning unique home  with privacy, luxury and convenience at a truly unbelievable price.

Stunning forever views of Pauma Valley

First Time Buyer $8000 Tax Credit Deadline

You might be thinking you still have plenty of time to find and purchase that first home to be eligible for the first time buyer $8000 Tax Credit, after all its only August. 

Well you better take a look at the calandar.  The deadline for this tax credit is Midnight November 30, 2009.  That means you need to CLOSE ESCROW by this date.

So lets start counting backwards from November 30th.  Lets assume your escrow period is 45 days,(maximum scenario).  Ususally you can get it done in 30 days or less, but unforseen situations do arise to increase that time, so lets play it safe and say 45 days.

That puts us at October 16th to open escrow.   Prior to that you can figure somewhere between 5-12 days between acceptance and fully executed contracts between buyer and seller.  So now we are at  October 4th.

Prior to putting that offer in, you will probably visit anywhere from 10-50 properties before finding that perfect one, and possibly put in 3-7 offers before finding one that will actually get accepted.

The competition is fierce right now.  Well priced properties are receiving multiple offers, and usually well over asking price.  

You need to put in your highest and best offer right off the bat.  There will not likely be negotiations until the seller decides which offer to accept, and then they will lay out the terms of the contract, and you will need to accept them or they will move on to the next offer.

If you look at 5 properties everyday for 10 days in a row, (and that is not realistic) and put in at least 5 offers  with a wait time of 2 days between each of them, you are looking at about 20 days. 

That now puts us at September 14th as the latest possible day to get started shopping for your dream home to be able to close that escrow in time to be eligible for the $8000 tax credit.

This is just an average scenario of current time frames for purchasing a home, it could take more or less time than this to aquire that first home.

The point you need to understand, is that you have a little less than a months time to get on the ball and start shopping for that first home for yourself.

If you havent already started and arent sure what to do first, give us a call and we will take you by the hand and guide you every step of the way. 

We specialize in First Time Homebuyers and know how important this is to you and how tedius the whole process may can be.  

We are here to help, we make the process painless and worry free, and we answer our phones, give us a call.

Pam and Joanna
760-580-1615 or 760-580-1630

Thinking of Selling Your Home – Well it Might Just Become a Sellers Market!

Are we Heading Towards a Sellers Market?

If you are thinking of selling your home sometime in the near future a selllers market might just be on the horizen -some great statistics from the California Association of Realtors support this theory:

In June sales grew 20.1 percent from one year ago to an adjusted rate of 514,110 according to the California Association of Realtors. The  existing single family homes on the market in California dropped to a 4.1 months supply.

A six months supply of housing inventory for sale reflects a healthy balance between buyers and sellers – anything less is considered a seller’s market! At the end of June 2008 California’s Association of Realtors unsold inventory was 7.6 months.

This is great news if you are thinking of selling your home. Perhaps the time has finally come and a sellers market is about to begin!

If you are thinking about buying a home, don’t wait –  now is the time-  interest rates are great and home prices are incredible, so why would you miss this buyers market?

CALL Pam and Joanna for more information on some GREAT deals in San Diego North County – we would be happy to set you up on our customized home search for your individual needs.

Or CALL us if you are thinking of selling your home – we would be happy to share our marketing plan with you.

PAM   760-580-1615          JOANNA   760-580-1630

content from C.A.R statistics

New Loan Protection Rules for Homebuyers

New Loan Rules for Home Buyers

Are you one of the many who are in the process of applying for a home loan or planning to refinance your home ? If so you should be aware of a new set of federal consumer protection rules that take effect July 30th 2009.

The new Federal Reserve guidelines require lenders to provide you with initial disclosures of your mortgage costs within 3 days of your application – if you don’t get them you can RUN……

The rule also prohibits lenders from collecting any fees, except of course a reasonable charge for checking your credit – until you have recieved your loan cost disclosures.

What does this mean to to you?-  It means no more out-of pocket up front applications charges until you’ve recieved the truth-in-lending disclosures and an annual percentage rate (APR) calculation of these loan costs.

Many mortgage brokers and lenders traditionally have collected fees to cover appraisal fees, credit and various other charges at the time of application – this can amount to hundreds of dollars, so this will be a significant change in procedure for the lending industry.

Another rule also prevents quick closings on loans by requiring a seven day waiting period after applicants are given their early mail disclosures or the disclosures are mailed. You will now have up to a week to think about the transaction. Final truth-in-lending disclosures are due three business days before closing.

Here’s another new change – the new rules require lenders to deliver a copy of the real estate appraisal to you three business days before sceduled closing on the loan.  In the past, consumers could request and obtain a copy of the appraisal, buyers often ignored that right – or had no knowledge of this right as no one in the home purchase department had ever told them about this option.

Another important change: if the APR on the early truth- in- lending disclosure increases by more than one-eighth of a percentage point (0.125), the lender will now be required to redisclose to you a corrected version and allow you an additional seven business days to consider the transaction before settlement.

For more information call Pam and Joanna, we are always available and WE ANSWER OUR PHONES!

Pam Parton 760-580-1615

Joanna Woolley 760-580-1630

Information by courtesy of Ken Harney, real estate columnist with Washington Post Writers Group.

Valley Center Homes Sold July 2009

Current Market Trends for Valley Center, CA  July 2009

Valley Center Market Trends July 2009

The buzz around town is that we have passed the bottom of the market. 

Current reports are definately showing a positve upward trend, and confirming that rumor.

Lets take a look at Valley Center for instance.  The last time we looked in this  area, was in our article Valley Center Homes Sold May 2009 . 

In that report we saw the average SOLD price was $388,278.00 and the average PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT was $155.42.

In todays report, we see a notable increase in the average SOLD price for July to $416,813.00, and the average PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT  increased to $166.81.

The inventory remained fairly close, currently there are 115 active and contigent listings, and in May there were 102.

We are also noticing a decrease in overall market time.  In May, the average days on market for Sold properties was 113. Today it is just 69.

These are all positive indicators that we are inching out of the recession, and headed for a smooth recovery.

As the market evolves, we are still finding great values for fantastic homes in this area.  If you are thinking about buying a home,  call  Pam and Joanna to give you a tour of the Valley Center area, still one of San Diego Countys best kept secrets.

If you have been thinking of selling your Valley Center home, but wanted to wait till the market recovered, give us a call for your free, no obligation personalized Current Market Analysis.

Pam and Joanna
760-580-1615 or 760-580-1630

Request For Permanent Reversal of HVCC

18 Month Moratorium on Home Valuation Code of Conduct

As if buying or selling a home doesn’t have enough obstacles to deal with, the HVCC continues to devastate home values across the U.S.

We fear that with higher Fannie and Freddie loan limits it will carry through to our former jumbo markets, leading the country even further into recession.

Representatives Childers and Miller introduced legislation(H.R. 3044) requesting an 18 month moratorium on the HVCC.   

H.R. 3044  now has 22 co-sponsors, and now is the time to forward this petition to every person you know and every representative in the country.

Tens of thousands of consumers have lost out on opportunities to enjoy historically low rates due to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo s rule.   HVCC needs to be permanently reversed in order lower costs to the consumer and to restore the thousands of real estate transactions stalled by this horribly misguided code.

We understand the intentions of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct were to help curb the potential for fraud with respect to the valuation of residential properties, but now the pendulum has swung too far the other way.

Please read the petition in its entirety by clicking the following link www.hvccpetition.com, this will help you to completely understand the severity of this issue.

Times are a Changing in the Real Estate World!

Times are a Changing in the Real Estate World

Most real estate news seems to be telling us times are a changing for the better. Last week thirty year fixed rates dropped below the five percent mark for the first time on record, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The average rate for a thirty year loan was 4.89 percent, and fifteen year loans were around 4.6 percent.

The outlines of Obama and Congress’s plans to help the housing market return to a more normal state are becoming more apparent.  Ending the foreclosure epidemic is one of the top priorities through aggressive new programs intended to rework the terms of hundreds of thousands of mortgages that are now unaffordable. There also seems to be another three month freeze on foreclosures in the works, and recent news explains there will certainly be a reform in the  legislation allowing judges to modify mortgage terms to forestall foreclosures.

There are plans from the incoming National Economic Council to use portions of the remaining funds in the “Troubled Asset Relief Program” to rework monthly payments for responsible home owners who are now facing economic challenges in this recession.

Stabilizing the housing markets according to most economists is the  best way to reduce the distressed property transactions. Foreclosures typically reduce the property values in neighborhoods and push home prices down, this in turn discourages home buyers when they think home prices are still declining.

There is also news that Congress may create a new and improved tax credit – one thats not repayable and covers all home purchases, not just first time home buyers.

So all in all action is being taken to improve the real estate market, changes don’t happen overnight – so lets be patient and remain hopeful that with some of these new programs at least some will make a difference we WILL experience better days ahead.