Sunday, July 26, 2009
Find out where mortgage rates, home sales, and the median price are headed
Find out where mortgage rates, home sales, and the median price are headed. The Association recently released a mid-year update of our 2009 Housing Market Forecast. Click here to view.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Bay Area Cities Ranked in Top 25 Places for Rich Singles
#5 Santa Clara: high tech as well as sports loving.
#20 Campbell: bar hopping in Campbell?
#21 Sunnyvale: how about Segway polo?
Complete list: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0906/gallery.bplive_richsingles.moneymag/index.html
#20 Campbell: bar hopping in Campbell?
#21 Sunnyvale: how about Segway polo?
Complete list: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0906/gallery.bplive_richsingles.moneymag/index.html
Bay Area Home Sales and Median Price Rise
Home sales in the Bay Area jumped to their highest level in almost three years, the result of improved mortgage availability and a perception among potential buyers that prices have bottomed out. The median price paid for a home increased month-to-month for the third month in a row, a real estate information service reported.
A total of 8,644 new and resale houses and condos sold across the nine-county Bay Area in June. That was up 16.1 percent from 7,447 in May and up 20.4 percent from 7,178 in June 2008, according to San Diego-based MDA DataQuick.
Home sales have increased on a year-over-year basis the last ten months. June sales have varied from a low of 7,118 in 1993 to 15,735 in 2004 in DataQuick’s statistics, which go back to 1988. Last month was 16.1 percent below the 10,306 for an average June.
“Getting mortgage financing this last year has really been an egregious process, especially for borrowers in the upper half of the market. We’re just now seeing the beginnings of more normal mortgage lending patterns. There’s still a long way to go, but it looks like the worst of the grind is over,” said John Walsh, MDA DataQuick president.
The median price paid for all new and resale houses and condos sold in the nine-county Bay Area was $352,000 last month, up 3.1 percent from $341,500 in May and down 27.4 percent from $485,000 in June 2008. It was the highest since $375,000 last October.
The current median is 47.1 percent below the $665,000 peak reached in June 2007. It hit a low of $290,000 in March this year. About half the downturn appears to be price declines, the other half is the absence of of high-end home sales in the statistics, which pulls the median down.
Financing with home loans above the old “jumbo” limit of $417,000 edged up to the highest level in almost a year. Last month 28.8 percent of all Bay Area mortgages were jumbos, the highest since 31.9 percent in August last year and well above the bottom of 17.1 percent last January. Two years ago jumbos accounted for more than 60 percent of all home purchase loans.
Bank of America and Wells Fargo are the two most active lenders in the Bay Area with 30 percent of the market between them.
Use of government-insured FHA loans – a common choice among first-time buyers – represented 24.1 percent of all Bay Area purchase loans in June, down from a record 26 percent in April but up from 10.7 percent a year ago.
MDA DataQuick is a division of MDA Lending Solutions, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates. MDA DataQuick monitors real estate activity nationwide and provides information to consumers, educational institutions, public agencies, lending institutions, title companies and industry analysts. Because of late data availability, sales counts were estimated in Alameda County.
Last month 37.3 percent of all homes resold in the Bay Area had been foreclosed on in the prior 12 months, down from 40.5 percent in May and the lowest since 36.0 percent in August 2008. The peak was 52.0 percent in February this year. By county, foreclosure resales ranged last month from 6.3 percent of all resales in Marin to 62.7 percent in Solano.
The typical monthly mortgage payment that Bay Area buyers committed themselves to paying was $1,585 last month, up from $1,443 the previous month, and down from $2,407 a year ago. Adjusted for inflation, current payments are 39.7 percent below typical payments in the spring of 1989, the peak of the prior real estate cycle. They are 55.4 percent below the current cycle's peak in July 2007.
Indicators of market distress continue to move in different directions. Foreclosure activity remains near record levels, while financing with adjustable-rate mortgages is near the all-time low but has recently edged higher. Financing with multiple mortgages is low, down payment sizes and flipping rates are stable, and non-owner occupied buying is above-average in some markets, MDA DataQuick reported.
Source: MDA DataQuick Information Systems, www.DQNews.com
A total of 8,644 new and resale houses and condos sold across the nine-county Bay Area in June. That was up 16.1 percent from 7,447 in May and up 20.4 percent from 7,178 in June 2008, according to San Diego-based MDA DataQuick.
Home sales have increased on a year-over-year basis the last ten months. June sales have varied from a low of 7,118 in 1993 to 15,735 in 2004 in DataQuick’s statistics, which go back to 1988. Last month was 16.1 percent below the 10,306 for an average June.
“Getting mortgage financing this last year has really been an egregious process, especially for borrowers in the upper half of the market. We’re just now seeing the beginnings of more normal mortgage lending patterns. There’s still a long way to go, but it looks like the worst of the grind is over,” said John Walsh, MDA DataQuick president.
The median price paid for all new and resale houses and condos sold in the nine-county Bay Area was $352,000 last month, up 3.1 percent from $341,500 in May and down 27.4 percent from $485,000 in June 2008. It was the highest since $375,000 last October.
The current median is 47.1 percent below the $665,000 peak reached in June 2007. It hit a low of $290,000 in March this year. About half the downturn appears to be price declines, the other half is the absence of of high-end home sales in the statistics, which pulls the median down.
Financing with home loans above the old “jumbo” limit of $417,000 edged up to the highest level in almost a year. Last month 28.8 percent of all Bay Area mortgages were jumbos, the highest since 31.9 percent in August last year and well above the bottom of 17.1 percent last January. Two years ago jumbos accounted for more than 60 percent of all home purchase loans.
Bank of America and Wells Fargo are the two most active lenders in the Bay Area with 30 percent of the market between them.
Use of government-insured FHA loans – a common choice among first-time buyers – represented 24.1 percent of all Bay Area purchase loans in June, down from a record 26 percent in April but up from 10.7 percent a year ago.
MDA DataQuick is a division of MDA Lending Solutions, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates. MDA DataQuick monitors real estate activity nationwide and provides information to consumers, educational institutions, public agencies, lending institutions, title companies and industry analysts. Because of late data availability, sales counts were estimated in Alameda County.
Last month 37.3 percent of all homes resold in the Bay Area had been foreclosed on in the prior 12 months, down from 40.5 percent in May and the lowest since 36.0 percent in August 2008. The peak was 52.0 percent in February this year. By county, foreclosure resales ranged last month from 6.3 percent of all resales in Marin to 62.7 percent in Solano.
The typical monthly mortgage payment that Bay Area buyers committed themselves to paying was $1,585 last month, up from $1,443 the previous month, and down from $2,407 a year ago. Adjusted for inflation, current payments are 39.7 percent below typical payments in the spring of 1989, the peak of the prior real estate cycle. They are 55.4 percent below the current cycle's peak in July 2007.
Indicators of market distress continue to move in different directions. Foreclosure activity remains near record levels, while financing with adjustable-rate mortgages is near the all-time low but has recently edged higher. Financing with multiple mortgages is low, down payment sizes and flipping rates are stable, and non-owner occupied buying is above-average in some markets, MDA DataQuick reported.
| Sales Volume | Median Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All homes | Jun-08 | Jun-09 | %Chng | Jun-08 | Jun-09 | %Chng |
| Alameda | 1,441 | 1,753 | 21.7% | $455,000 | $335,000 | -26.40% |
| Contra Costa | 1,528 | 1,817 | 18.9% | $378,000 | $250,000 | -33.90% |
| Marin | 258 | 271 | 5.0% | $846,000 | $710,000 | -16.10% |
| Napa | 113 | 108 | -4.4% | $440,000 | $355,000 | -19.30% |
| Santa Clara | 1,626 | 2,090 | 28.5% | $612,000 | $445,000 | -27.30% |
| San Francisco | 571 | 561 | -1.8% | $726,750 | $635,000 | -12.60% |
| San Mateo | 565 | 622 | 10.1% | $690,000 | $565,500 | -18.0% |
| Solano | 511 | 851 | 66.5% | $300,000 | $185,000 | -38.30% |
| Sonoma | 565 | 571 | 1.1% | $389,500 | $300,000 | -23.00% |
| Bay Area | 7,178 | 8,644 | 20.4% | $485,000 | $352,000 | -27.40% |
Source: MDA DataQuick Information Systems, www.DQNews.com
Saturday, July 11, 2009
New Tools for Home Buyers
You are walking in the neighborhood and see a house for sale that you really like. You can't wait to check out the details: price, square footage, sales history, etc. Now, whip out your iPhone and check out everything at your fingertip.
As an investor, you wonder how profitable an investment property will be? What's cash flow like? Log on to InvestorLoft.com to sort the properties by different options.
With so many properties priced below market, you are interested in finding out how many times a house has dropped its price, and by how much, so that you may price your offer accordingly. Check out Trulia.com for price reductions.
Video is an efficient means of communications these days. Why not use it for real estate? Watch realtors talk about the areas that they service in, and, better yet, watch listing videos when you hunt for your favorite home.
Check out the latest and the greatest new tools for home buyers.
As an investor, you wonder how profitable an investment property will be? What's cash flow like? Log on to InvestorLoft.com to sort the properties by different options.
With so many properties priced below market, you are interested in finding out how many times a house has dropped its price, and by how much, so that you may price your offer accordingly. Check out Trulia.com for price reductions.
Video is an efficient means of communications these days. Why not use it for real estate? Watch realtors talk about the areas that they service in, and, better yet, watch listing videos when you hunt for your favorite home.
Check out the latest and the greatest new tools for home buyers.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Interesting Housing Anecdotes
Several interesting stories I heard recently:
REO SFH in Tracy: the same kind of house was priced at $280K last year. Peak was $550K+. Now the listing price is $220K. A buyer offered $230K (5% over) but didn't get it. The whisper number is $250K (~15% over).
Another REO SFH in Tracy: 20 yr old, 1,500+ sq ft, 3 BR/2BA. The listing price is $120K, market value $180K, offered $140K (17% over), didn't get it either.
SFH in San Jose Berryessa area: 25 yr old, 1,500 sq ft, 3 BR/2.5 BA. The listing price is $410K (below market). Got 70 offers in 7 days! $480K (20% over) will likely get it.
SFH in West San Jose, Lynbrook High: 1,200 sq ft, 4BR/2BA, listing price in the high $700s. On major street with a bus stop right in front of the house. It went sales pending after one open house!
It seems a lot of investors from out of the state/country are buying distressed properties in CA. Heard there are a surge of applications to get TIN (temporary SSN) from foreign investors who pay cash for homes in the bay area lately.
REO SFH in Tracy: the same kind of house was priced at $280K last year. Peak was $550K+. Now the listing price is $220K. A buyer offered $230K (5% over) but didn't get it. The whisper number is $250K (~15% over).
Another REO SFH in Tracy: 20 yr old, 1,500+ sq ft, 3 BR/2BA. The listing price is $120K, market value $180K, offered $140K (17% over), didn't get it either.
SFH in San Jose Berryessa area: 25 yr old, 1,500 sq ft, 3 BR/2.5 BA. The listing price is $410K (below market). Got 70 offers in 7 days! $480K (20% over) will likely get it.
SFH in West San Jose, Lynbrook High: 1,200 sq ft, 4BR/2BA, listing price in the high $700s. On major street with a bus stop right in front of the house. It went sales pending after one open house!
It seems a lot of investors from out of the state/country are buying distressed properties in CA. Heard there are a surge of applications to get TIN (temporary SSN) from foreign investors who pay cash for homes in the bay area lately.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Fantastic Campbell SFH Next to Saratoga - Open House
1635 Westmont Ave. Campbell, CA 95008 4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms
Living: 2,050 SqFt, Lot: 6,000 SqFt
List Price: $869,000
Open House This Weekend
06/27 (Sat) 2 PM-4PM
06/28 (Sun) 2PM-4PM
Contact: Dr. Richard Ho, (408)828-0189, prkho@DrHoRealty.com
Living: 2,050 SqFt, Lot: 6,000 SqFt
List Price: $869,000
Open House This Weekend
06/27 (Sat) 2 PM-4PM
06/28 (Sun) 2PM-4PM
Contact: Dr. Richard Ho, (408)828-0189, prkho@DrHoRealty.com
Brand New Total Rebuilt - remodeled Single Family House in Campbell next to highly desirable Saratoga LG. Efficient, elegant floor plan and style. Easy living . Priced to sell and move in. Approximately 2050sf living space.
LIKE NEW! COMPLETE ADDITION AND REMODEL! GREAT SCHOOLS! FANTASTIC VALUE! Two master suites with full baths - total of 4 bedrooms! 4 as NEW bathrooms! Spacious family room area with entertainment bonus center. Great floor plan! Gourmet kitchen! Spacious and bright! Desirable neighborhood that borders Saratoga! Close to commute and shopping. Great Campbell Schools.
More details on Zillow.
More details on Zillow.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Available New Home Purchase Tax Credit Funds Dwindle
In March the California State Legislature passed a law establishing a personal income tax credit for purchasers of a qualifying principal residence. The tax credit is capped at the lesser of $10,000 or 5 percent of the purchase price for the purchase of a principal residence that has never been occupied between March 1, 2009 and March 1, 2010.
Over the past two months homebuyers have reserved over $65 million in tax credits, with only $35 million in available credits remaining, according to the California Franchise Tax Board. It is important for buyers to be aware that the seller must file paperwork with the state within seven days of the sale for the buyer to qualify for the credit.
The credit provides in equal amounts ($3,333 for the $10,000 credit) over the three successive taxable years beginning with the year in which the purchase is made.
Qualifying residences must never have been occupied and must be eligible after purchase for the Homeowner's Property Tax Exemption. The taxpayer must live in the home as his principal residence for at least two years, or be subject to payback for any tax credits received.
Unlike the federal tax credit, the state has limited the total amount of credits that may be claimed to $100 million. Because of this provision buyers must make a tax credit reservation, and credits will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) is accepting applications (via form 3528-A) for allocation (reservations) of credit by fax only (916-845-9754). For more information about the credit reservations, applicable forms and the number of credits still available, please see this California Franchise Tax Board Web page.
President Signs Law to Limit Foreclosures
President Barack Obama last week signed into law S. 896, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, an NAR-supported bill that includes provisions to limit foreclosures and keep families in their homes. The bill seeks to help home owners by providing a safe harbor for mortgage servicers who make a good-faith effort to modify troubled loans, and it makes changes to increase the use of the Hope for Homeowners program, which encourages replacement of troubled loans with safe FHA-backed financing. The bill also strengthens oversight of FHA-approved lenders and it establishes a task force to investigate mortgage foreclosure fraud.
The new law loosens the Hope for Homeowners (H4H) program requirements to help homeowners refinance out of their troubled mortgages and into more affordable, fixed-rate FHA-insured loans. If refinance proceeds are insufficient to pay off existing liens, the existing lien holders must voluntarily agree to a short payoff, but a new inducement is an opportunity for them to share in the homeowner's equity. Other changes to the H4H program include monetary incentives for both the participating servicers of the existing loans and originators of the FHA refinance. Millionaire borrowers (with net worth over $1 million) are now excluded from the program.
Effective immediately, an REO lender or buyer who acquires title through a foreclosure sale must give at least a 90-day notice to terminate a bona fide tenant. The following shall be considered bona fide tenants:
• the mortgagor or the child, spouse, or parent of the mortgagor under the contract is not the tenant;
• the lease or tenancy was the result of an arms-length transaction; and
• the lease or tenancy requires the receipt of rent that is not substantially less than fair market rent for the property or the unit's rent is reduced or subsidized due to a federal, state, or local subsidy.
A 90-day notice to terminate is sufficient for a month-to-month tenant or if a new owner will occupy the property as a primary residence at the end of the 90 days. Otherwise, a tenant with a one year or other fixed-term lease with a remaining lease term exceeding 90 days can stay in the premises until the remaining lease term ends. This new 90-day notice requirement applies to foreclosures of a federally-related mortgage loan or residential real property, except for properties under rent control, rent-subsidized programs (such as Section 8), or other state laws that provide additional protections for tenants. This law expires on December 31, 2012.
Other provisions of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act include a 4-year extension of the $250,000 FDIC deposit insurance to December 31, 2013, protection for loan servicers who establish qualified loss mitigation plans from liability for an alleged breach of duty to maximize mortgage values for their investors, $130 million for foreclosure prevention counseling and education, and $2.2 billion to strengthen homeless programs.
Over the past two months homebuyers have reserved over $65 million in tax credits, with only $35 million in available credits remaining, according to the California Franchise Tax Board. It is important for buyers to be aware that the seller must file paperwork with the state within seven days of the sale for the buyer to qualify for the credit.
The credit provides in equal amounts ($3,333 for the $10,000 credit) over the three successive taxable years beginning with the year in which the purchase is made.
Qualifying residences must never have been occupied and must be eligible after purchase for the Homeowner's Property Tax Exemption. The taxpayer must live in the home as his principal residence for at least two years, or be subject to payback for any tax credits received.
Unlike the federal tax credit, the state has limited the total amount of credits that may be claimed to $100 million. Because of this provision buyers must make a tax credit reservation, and credits will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) is accepting applications (via form 3528-A) for allocation (reservations) of credit by fax only (916-845-9754). For more information about the credit reservations, applicable forms and the number of credits still available, please see this California Franchise Tax Board Web page.
President Signs Law to Limit Foreclosures
President Barack Obama last week signed into law S. 896, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, an NAR-supported bill that includes provisions to limit foreclosures and keep families in their homes. The bill seeks to help home owners by providing a safe harbor for mortgage servicers who make a good-faith effort to modify troubled loans, and it makes changes to increase the use of the Hope for Homeowners program, which encourages replacement of troubled loans with safe FHA-backed financing. The bill also strengthens oversight of FHA-approved lenders and it establishes a task force to investigate mortgage foreclosure fraud.
The new law loosens the Hope for Homeowners (H4H) program requirements to help homeowners refinance out of their troubled mortgages and into more affordable, fixed-rate FHA-insured loans. If refinance proceeds are insufficient to pay off existing liens, the existing lien holders must voluntarily agree to a short payoff, but a new inducement is an opportunity for them to share in the homeowner's equity. Other changes to the H4H program include monetary incentives for both the participating servicers of the existing loans and originators of the FHA refinance. Millionaire borrowers (with net worth over $1 million) are now excluded from the program.
Effective immediately, an REO lender or buyer who acquires title through a foreclosure sale must give at least a 90-day notice to terminate a bona fide tenant. The following shall be considered bona fide tenants:
• the mortgagor or the child, spouse, or parent of the mortgagor under the contract is not the tenant;
• the lease or tenancy was the result of an arms-length transaction; and
• the lease or tenancy requires the receipt of rent that is not substantially less than fair market rent for the property or the unit's rent is reduced or subsidized due to a federal, state, or local subsidy.
A 90-day notice to terminate is sufficient for a month-to-month tenant or if a new owner will occupy the property as a primary residence at the end of the 90 days. Otherwise, a tenant with a one year or other fixed-term lease with a remaining lease term exceeding 90 days can stay in the premises until the remaining lease term ends. This new 90-day notice requirement applies to foreclosures of a federally-related mortgage loan or residential real property, except for properties under rent control, rent-subsidized programs (such as Section 8), or other state laws that provide additional protections for tenants. This law expires on December 31, 2012.
Other provisions of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act include a 4-year extension of the $250,000 FDIC deposit insurance to December 31, 2013, protection for loan servicers who establish qualified loss mitigation plans from liability for an alleged breach of duty to maximize mortgage values for their investors, $130 million for foreclosure prevention counseling and education, and $2.2 billion to strengthen homeless programs.
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