January 2009

Jan
28

Rate Watch For The Week of 1/26/09

Posted In: Mortgage & Finance
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  CONFORMING (under $417k) 30 Year Fixed, No Points    5.125% 30 Year Fixed, 1 Point        4.75% 30 Year Fixed, 2 Points      4.25% 5 Year Fixed, No Points     5.25% 5 Year Fixed, 1 Point         5.0% 5 Year Fixed, 2 Points       4.75% 7 Year Fixed, No Points     5.375% 7 Year Fixed, 1 Point         4.125% 7 Year Fixed, 2 Points       4.875% CONFORMING JUMBO ($417k – $625k) 30 [...]
Jan
27

December 2008 Bay Area Sales

Posted In: Local Market Statistics
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Bargain hunting dominated the Bay Area housing market last month as the purchase of foreclosure properties accounted for more than half of all resales for the first time. Sales patterns also reflected continued problems for buyers looking to finance purchases in the upper half of the market’s price range, a real estate information service reported.   The chart below shows [...]
Jan
24

Sewer Lateral Replacement Rebate Program in Richmond

Posted In: For Buyers, For Sellers, Richmond
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This just in from Richmond’s North and East Newsletter: “City rebate program offers financial incentive to comply with sewer lateral standards — Qualified residents and non-profit business owners in Richmond’s Sanitary Sewer District Number One can apply for grants to offset the cost of bringing sewer laterals into compliance with ordinance 12/17, article XII of the Municipal Code. For more [...]
Jan
23

Calling All Skaters, Head To The Pool

Posted In: For the Heck of It, Foreclosures & Short Sales
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Skaters are traveling across the country to skate in the pools of homes that have been foreclosed on.  Flashing smiles as wide as half pipes, kids everywhere are finding a surplus of empty pools with which to perfect their acrobatic skills.  To read the entire article, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/us/29pools.html?_r=3&partner=rss&emc=rss
Jan
22

The Future Looks Grim, So Sayeth Carole Rodoni

Posted In: Economy, For Buyers, Foreclosures & Short Sales, General Real Estate News, Investing, Local Market Statistics
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If you are looking for someone with a strong opinion about the economy and real estate, then look no further than Carole Rodoni.  Her leadership and statistical analysis of the economy and how it affects real estate makes her opinions extremely valuable.  Yesterday I spent nearly 2 hours in a room with 500 other curious minds to see what Carole had [...]
Jan
19

Honey, Can We Live In A Spaceship For The Weekend?

Posted In: For the Heck of It, Foreclosures & Short Sales, General Real Estate News, Places
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Calling all Sci-Fi fans.  Last month the famed Spaceship House in Tennessee went up for auction, the second time in a year.  The round, concrete home sold at auction last March for $135,000 but the deal never went through.  This time it sold for $119,000.  The winning bidder intends to “greenovate” the interior, including upgrading the insulation, installing new appliances, and repaint [...]
Jan
16

Alameda & Contra Costa County Statistics, Oct. 2007 – Dec. 2008

Posted In: Economy, First Time Home Buyers, Foreclosures & Short Sales, General Real Estate News, Investing, Local Market Statistics
thumbnail for Alameda & Contra Costa County Statistics, Oct. 2007 – Dec. 2008
The first graph is for single family homes in Alameda County, the second graph is Contra Costa County.  The blue bar shows “sold,” the green bar shows “for sale,” and the triangles show “pending.” First of all, let’s look at the obvious.  Both graphs show a similar pattern with January being the lowest in inventory.  In February inventory goes up, peaks in [...]