November 2008 Sacramento County Housing Stats - 12/18/08 04:04 PM
from the Sacramento Association of Realtors:
Autumn months show decreased sales, median price

After a bout of increased sales driven by the abundant REO properties in recent months, the Sacramento Housing Market recorded a moderate decline in sales for the month of November. The following information, compiled by the Sacramento Association of REALTORS®, is collected from the MetroList® multiple listing services and covers Sacramento County and the City of West Sacramento.
November ended with 1,716 total closed escrows, an 18.4% decrease from the 2,103 sales recorded for October. Although down month-to-month, November 2008 sales reflect a 110.8% increase over … (0 comments)

Great Time for Investors to Buy in many Areas, including Sacramento - 12/03/08 05:06 PM
Investment GuideMoving InVictoria Barret 12.08.08, 12:00 AM ET
 Randy L. Perkins amassed a nice fortune in real estate, life insurance and investment banking in southern California over the past 30 years. Since May he has sunk $5 million of it into the one place most investors least want to be: housing.
Perkins has bought two dozen homes in the San Diego area through his Westview Financial Group. One was a dilapidated three-bedroom stucco in Escondido for which Westview paid $158,000--a 61% discount from the previous selling price of $408,000.
Westview chased out a couple of squatters. Then, even before it could … (0 comments)

How Mortgage Interest Rates are Set - 12/02/08 06:32 PM

INTEREST rates are often a mystery for many people applying for home loans. How is it possible, for instance, for mortgage rates to rise after the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate, which was what happened in late October? Then, in the week that followed, mortgage rates fell after a report was released showing that the unemployment rate had soared.
Borrowers can make smarter financial choices, industry executives maintain, by better understanding the economic forces that propel rates, and by keeping a watchful eye on the economic news. What is good for the Fed's banking customers, they say, is … (0 comments)