When the Going Gets Tough... - 09/27/07 11:22 AM
More bad news this week on the real estate and mortgage markets.  It looks like sales of homes in California were down 28% in August as compared with August 2006.  Not to be outdone, new home sales data shows that sales dropped 8.3% in August from the already depressed July levels, the lowest level of sales in 7 years... well, you get the picture.  The news is equally bad in the mortgage markets, where interest rate adjustments on adjustable rate mortgages are creating turmoil.  So what do we do about it?  We tried lowering rates, but that didn't have the impact … (0 comments)

Pleasanton CA Real Estate Agent - 09/24/07 03:49 PM
As a local top producing Pleasanton CA Realtor, I have built my reputation by providing outstanding service.  From my extensive use of technology and the internet to my cutting-edge marketing programs, I am a forward-thinking real estate agent who excels at assisting Pleasanton California area buyers and sellers in acomplishing their goals.  Call me today for all of your real estate needs, or visit my web site at www.PleasantonAreaHomes.com
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Let's Hope Bernanke is a Good Driver.... - 09/23/07 11:43 AM
So hot off the heals of the Fed's lowering of the Discount Rate by 50 basis points (.5%), there was great optimism that this would give a shot in the arm to the struggling housing market. Much of the population, including many realtors, assume that the Fed has lowered Mortgage Rates, and that it is the Fed that controls the interest rates on mortgage loans. Just to dispel any misconceptions about this, take a look at the graph below. It shows the Federal discount rate, which the Fed just lowered last week, and both conventional (i.e., under $417,000) and jumbo fixed … (0 comments)

New Homes on Sale! - 09/21/07 09:29 AM
It looks like some major home builders are starting to run "Sales" to generate interest in their subdivisions. This is not a new tactic, but it certainly is an indication that things are not well in the new home market. First there was Hovnanian Enterprises, who last weekend announced (with much publicity and fanfare, I might add) a 3 day sale at their subdivisions in 19 states across the country, including California. The sale effectively reduced prices by as much as $100,000. There is no truth to the rumor that if you use your Macy's card for the purchase, you get … (0 comments)

Search for Pleasanton CA Homes & Real Estate - 09/19/07 11:53 AM
www.PleasantonAreaHomes.com is the most powerful site available for searching Pleasanton homes, properties, and real estate.  Here you can search Pleasanton CA MLS listings, search by neighborhood, search by map, and get information on Pleasanton California market trends, school information, community information, and luxury homes.  Check the blog page for the latest market insights, statistics, and commentary on the Pleasanton CA real estate market.
 
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Pleasanton Market Update - September off to a Slow Start - 09/19/07 10:45 AM
The Pleasanton CA real estate market continued to limp along in the first half of September, with inventory dipping slightly, but sales off fairly sharply from August levels. Overall, available inventory of single family homes stood at 217 at the middle of September, down slightly from 220 at the end of August. Pending sales activity for the month of September to date is off from August levels, with 16 pending sales so far in September, as compared with 44 pending sales in the month of August. The high point for pending sales this year was in June, when there were 67 … (0 comments)

Pleasanton Ridge Open Space Expansion - 09/19/07 10:42 AM
The East Bay Regional Park Distirict has announced a plan to add almost 1500 acres to the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. With a generous donation from Curtis Priem of Fremont, who is contributing $1.75 million to the total purchase price of $6.63 million, the Pleasanton Ridge Park will add a vital piece of land bordering Sunol and Niles Canyon Road, as well as an additional staging area further South on Foothill Rd. It will also bring the district one step closer to their long term plan of linking the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park with the Mission Peak Open Space.
Park officials … (0 comments)

A Title that No City Wants.... - 09/19/07 10:39 AM
It's usually good to be first, but for Stocton, the news is not good. Stockton was just named the foreclosure capital of the U.S., with the highest foreclosure rate of any U.S. city. There have been 8000 foreclosures year to date. There are currently 2800 homes on the market in Stockton, a city with a population of 285,000. To put this in perspective, Pleasanton has a population of 68,000, and currently has 220 homes on the market.
Or put another way, if we had the same relative level of inventory and rate of foreclosures as Stockton does, we would have 700 homes … (1 comments)

Gorgeous Pleasanton Hilltop Custom home on private 2.2 Acre View Lot! - 09/17/07 07:29 PM
Single story custom home on prime 2.2 acre lot in the Vintage Hills area of Pleasanton. 4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, 4 car garage, outdoor kitchen with pizza oven, custom 3000 bottle wine cellar, workshop, incredible view deck with panoramic views of Mt. Diablo and the Livermore Valley, spacious and elegant living areas, sunny gourmet kitchen, and much more! $2,149,999 … (0 comments)

Affordability & Liquidity - 09/11/07 08:07 PM
I get asked a lot about the local Pleasanton, Dublin & Tri-Valley real estate market, and how long this slump is going to last.  In my opinion, I see the current slump lasting a while longer.  In 1989, when I started selling real estate, the market peaked after strong appreciation in the late 1980's.  Once the market corrected (which took a couple of years), we entered a stagnant period where prices remained relatively flat, before we finally started to see appreciation around 1996.  My best guess (and, after all, it is only a guess) is that we are in for a … (0 comments)

Pleasanton Market Update - Slow Spead Ahead - 09/11/07 08:06 PM
The August numbers are in for the Pleasanton real estate market, and the market has definitely slowed.  The available inventory of single family homes ended the month at 220, up from 206 at the end of July.  Fortunately, this is still relatively low given the circumstances, and the fact that inventory has remained stable has helped mitigate the weakness in the market.  There were 44 pending sales in the month of August, which is down from 54 at the end of July and 67 at the end of June.  With inventory trending up and sales slowing, the market has certainly slowed. … (0 comments)

You know the market has changed when... - 09/09/07 06:02 PM
Okay, with all of this bad news on the Pleasanton, Tri-Valley, and California real estate market, you would think that most sellers got the memo that things have changed. Apparently, there are still some sellers who think it is still 2005, and that none of these things effect them. Because I am "the giver", I want to do my part to help some of these sellers realize that things have changed. So here are some examples about how things have changed since that 2005 market:
Then: Hoping for multiple offers on your homeNow: Hoping for multiple showings (i.e., more than one) a … (1 comments)