ARE WE AT THE BOTTOM?

The sales data for September has been released from the Southland Regional Association of Realtors and to everyone’s surprise the numbers are outstanding.

Existing single-family home sales in the San Fernando Valley dramatically increased 81.8 percent during September compared to a year ago. 658 homes sold to new buyers last month- 296 more homes sold than last year this same time. The number of condo sales also saw an increase during September at 36.1 percent to 211 transactions- 56 sales higher than a year ago.

This may signal that we are at the bottom of the sharp decline in local real estate values that we have seen in the last 3 years. From personal experience I’m seeing much demand from buyers as they recognize that pricing of homes are at affordable levels. My buyer clients who are actively writing offers see competition from other buyers who are looking take advantage of the opportunities that the local real estate market presents. I would say 90% of my sales have involved multiple offer situations.

With that said, it may be still be too early to accurately predict whether the recovery of the housing market will be slow or fast due to the fact that the details of the legislative efforts that aim to rescue homeowners are still being ironed out. Moral of the story is that if you are looking to buy a property, can comfortably afford the monthly payments, and plan to live in the home for at least 5 years, you will most likely see appreciation in your home. The tax advantages in most cases afford homeowners monthly payments that are in equivalent to renting.

Most importantly you can take pride in saying you own your own home.For more information visit: http://www.srar.com/members/rronline/10-27-SFVsales.php

IT’S STILL HAPPENING….MULTIPLE OFFERS

Here’s an article written by Mary Funk, President of the Southland Regional Association of Realtors and David Walker. The recent improvements and change in lending guidelines have caused a surge in buying activity. Almost all properties I have sold have had multiple offers, this could be a signal of the bottom and we should start seeing values stabilize within the 2009 year.
Check the info for yourself:

Multiple Offers Reappearing

BY MARY FUNK, PRESIDENT, AND DAVID WALKER, SRAR

While many prospective home buyers are still waiting in hopes of catching the bottom, others are jumping into the residential real estate market feet first and, in a growing number of instances, they wind up competing with a swelling legion eager to capture a bargain.
At a recent meeting involving dozens of members of the Southland Regional Association of Realtors®, all of the Realtors® said they had recently encountered home purchases where a handful of buyers presented competing purchase offers.

"It's happening in all price ranges and in all communities," one participant said.
Many of the properties have list prices that had been discounted from year ago levels, including a number of bank-owned houses that had been involved in foreclosure proceedings.
The activity level is no where near the frenzy of the seller's boom, the participants said, but offers are coming ion, near and, in some instances, above the already discounted list price.
The reports represented a significant shift in a market that had been paralyzed by buyers who had been glued to the proverbial procrastinator's fence. Buyers' hesitancy created endless work but no sales for Realtors®, who typically are not compensated until an escrow closes.
That lack of urgency now appears to be fading as more buyers enter the market at a time when government-sponsored programs appear to be setting the finance industry, thus making home loans more available and affordable - albeit at stricter qualifying guidelines which require proof of income and down payments.

Buyers who are entering the market believe they have a secure source of income, faith in the local economy and realize that waiting to catch the top or bottom of any real estate cycle is risky business, with success hinging on a large close of luck.

The recent increases in government-insured mortgage limits are expected to provide much-needed liquidity and stability to housing markets across the country.

That is especially true in California - a region with particularly expensive homes - where tens of thousands of families could be eligible this year to purchase or refinance their homes thanks to the recently approved Economic Stimulus Act.

The higher loan limit expands the pool of eligible borrowers, enabling more families to qualify for safe, affordable FHA-insured mortgage loans which can be as high as $729,750.

By focusing on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages, FHA helps home owners avoid and escape the risks associated with exotic subprime mortgage products, which have resulted in rising default and foreclosure rates.

While still at historically low levels, rising sales suggest that the worst may be past and that more buyers believe that the time to buy is now.

For more information please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com

Written by Mark Gonzales Copyright 2008

Mark Gonzales, Realtor, real estate agent specializing in marketing and selling residential homes, condos, and commercial real estate sales in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas. Please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com for more information.

THE NUMBERS ARE IN!! SALES INCREASE 16% FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

The San Fernando Valley real estate market is reacting favorably to historically low interest rates and affordable pricing as existing single-family home sales have increased 16.2 percent in July from a year ago.

Mary Funk, President of the Southland Regional Association of Realtors states, "The numbers indicate that the market is at the bottom with sales on the upswing. Demand is increasing because people realize that what they could not afford before they probably can afford now. Come next year, people who are waiting will find that they will be paying more."
In fact the median price of a single-family home as increased a modest 1.0 percent from June to $435,000. Local experts believe that the market will remain busy and may pick up added momentum in the coming months. Pending escrows indicate future resale activity and show the market is picking up. There were 1,141 pending escrows at the end of July which is 39.2 percent higher than a year and up 1.2 percent from this June. This coupled with the fact that active inventory levels have been declining since November 2007 where the number of active listings were 7,505. As of the end of July there were 6,950 active listings. Seems like the law of economics may come to fruition as there is more demand and less supply; making way for the stabilization of the real estate market.

CHECK THE STATS FOR YOURSELF: http://www.srar.com/members/stats/summaries/2008/july/SFV.pdf

For more information please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com

Written by Mark Gonzales Copyright 2008

Mark Gonzales, Realtor, real estate agent specializing in marketing and selling residential homes, condos, and commercial real estate sales in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas. Please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com for more information.

JUST A QUICK REAL ESTATE THOUGHT

Being at the forefront of current Los Angeles real estate market as a Realtor who entered the industry in 2005 (at 22 years old) I can truly say that this is my best year yet. There are many buyers who have been waiting on the sidelines to fulfill the need and dream to own their own home. They are looking to live and own a home for the sake of owning long term regardless of where the market will be 2-3 years. They have great credit, choose fixed financing and are able to afford these homes with their real, tax-documented income. As such buyer’s absorb the inventory, we will we begin to see stabilization in the depreciation of homes and begin to see modest returns 3-6% until the next economic expansion where incomes begin to rise.
In fact, I sold over 14 properties homes in the last 120 days days which is amazing considering we have over 18,000 Realtors in the San Fernando Valley and there are 900-1600 sales per month. So yes, I believe the market is beginning to rebound, there are multiple offers on well priced properties and there are bargains out there for those who are willing to work at submitting offers on multiple properties until the right property is found for the right price.
Please contact me if you’re interested in seeking representation in your next real estate transaction!

For more information please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com
Written by Mark Gonzales Copyright 2008
Mark Gonzales, Realtor, real estate agent specializing in marketing and selling residential homes, condos, and commercial real estate sales in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas. Please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com for more information.

FORECLOSURES, GREAT DEALS WITH HIGHER RISK PT. II

To continue my rant on this hot topic on foreclosures here’s Part II explaining why buying foreclosures have higher risk:

• Foreclosures are sold AS-IS. I tell all my clients that when you buy a foreclosed property you are purchasing it AS-IS, which means the bank who owns the property will not agree to complete repairs or provide any credits in advance. So the tactic of buying a foreclosure and then asking for a HUGE repair credit won’t work. However, the buyer sill has a right to ask, after all the worst thing that could happen is that they say NO! I encourage credit or repair requests especially if there are significant repairs that involve mold, water damage, tenting the home for termite repairs. Some banks will often provide the termite and retrofitting reports during negotiations. If the cost of such repairs proves to be a significant amount of money, I will always advise the client to ask for a credit upfront to help pay for those repairs. With that said, I would advise anyone looking to purchase a foreclosure to not buy one if you assume the bank will do repairs or provide credits. It’s just not realistic in our current market.

Stay tune for Part III....

For more information please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com
Written by Mark Gonzales Copyright 2008
Mark Gonzales, Realtor, real estate agent specializing in marketing and selling residential homes, condos, and commercial real estate sales in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas. Please visit www.MarkSellsLA.com for more information.

MULTIPLE OFFERS! HAPPENING AGAIN?

Yes it’s true! I’m seeing multiple offer situations on well priced properties. Multiple offers can be seen on Foreclosure and Short-sale listings the most. The general impression out there is that Real Estate isn’t doing so hot right now. While it may be true that number of sales are their lowest in over a decade. Single family homes in the $300k-$400k range are attracting multiple offers from qualified buyers who are utilizing special FHA loans which require only 3% down payment and to everyone’s surprise there are buyers who are placing offers with ALL CASH and 20-50% down payment. With inflation at its highest level in years, the dismal performance of the stock market, many savvy investors still bet that purchasing Los Angeles real estate is a secure long term investment. I agree with this due to basic laws of economics; supply and demand factors: they’re not making any more land, developments are becoming more vertical than horizontal, and the glitz and glamour continues to lure more people to the city resulting in appreciating values over next 7-10 years.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

If you're in the housing market you need to do your homework before hitting the listings! Analyze your income vs. debt and use the how much can I afford? tool so the housing dollar signs don't grow bigger than your maximum wallet capacity.

Other tools of the trade to help ease your money mind: mortgage payment amortization, mortgage calculator

Already own a home? Test out this handy tool: should I refinance?