Archive for the ‘Real Estate Trends’ Category.
April 17, 2011, 2:53 pm
Over the span of my real estate career I have had numerous Senior clients move to Seal Beach’s Leisure World (and if you’re curious, they love it there). One of my clients is planning on moving next year and was curious what her Glendale condo would sell for. While running comps (comparables) I came across some amusing MLS photos.
My home stager and friend Charis will be horrified over these….
Note the boxes stacked up in the first photo (living room). Nothing says anxious seller more than boxes in the living room. Umbrellas Continue reading post…
April 12, 2011, 10:40 am
March is often considered a barometer of what the year will hold for the housing industry, and it did not offer hope for a strong rebound of homebuying in Inland Southern California in 2011.
Reporting Wednesday on Southland home sales and prices for March, DataQuick of San Diego blamed lackluster results on “a fussy mortgage market, slow job growth and a continued wait-and-see attitude among potential buyers and sellers.”
Perceived bargains are attracting investors. In Riverside County, absentee buyers who are mostly investors and buyers of second homes accounted for 32.4 percent of home sales, the highest percentage since January, 2000, which is as far back as DataQuick can check.
Continue reading post…
April 8, 2011, 2:28 pm
Fixed mortgage were essentially unchanged this week, as the average rate on the 30-year fixed loan stayed below 5 percent.
Freddie Mac says the rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 4.87 percent from 4.86 percent the previous week. It hit a 40-year low of 4.17 percent in November.
The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage increased to 4.10 percent from 4.09 percent. It reached 3.57 percent in November, the lowest level on records dating back to 1991.
Mortgage rates tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note.
Low rates have done little to boost home sales. KB Home was the latest homebuilder to report this week a sharp decline in home orders for the December-February quarter. Last week, Lennar Corp. posted similar results.
April 2, 2011, 3:17 pm
The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority will accept online applications through Friday for housing vouchers.
Qualified candidates will be added to the waiting list.
The vouchers, also known as Section 8, will give rent subsidies to needy families.
Most people qualify if their income level is below $55,000 a year for a family of four.
The applications will be accepted for one week and you can only apply online. To get a copy of the application, visit www.waitlistcheck.com/application/form.php?ID=2365-OH004 .
The last time they opened up the list and took applications, 15,000 applied in just two days.
March 26, 2011, 3:24 am
A new survey from BMO Bank of Montreal and conducted by Leger Marketing finds that one in five Canadians would now consider purchasing property in the United States. Lower home prices and a strong Canadian dollar have sparked their interest in purchasing U.S. property.
Overall housing prices in the United States have fallen by 30 percent over the past four years. However, prices in traditional Canadian snowbird destinations have dropped even more. For example, prices in Tampa are down 44 percent, Phoenix fell 54 percent, Las Vegas 57 percent, and Miami 49 percent.
“Now, with the American economy and employment gaining strength, home sales should pick up and put a floor under soft prices,” said Sal Guatieri, senior economist, BMO Bank of Montreal. “We Continue reading post…