Gene's East Contra Costa Real Estate Blog

Where is Santa Claus?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:24:58 -0600

Where is Santa Claus?

I told the boys that on this Tuesday we were going to see Santa Clause early this year. Well my older two rolled their eyes and wanted to stay home, but my little boys were very excited. They know that dad is a friend of the big guys and it is important to talk with him.

The older boys got more in the spirit when I told them about where we were going to see Santa - The Bass Pro Shop in Manteca, Ca. Now I know a bunch of you are all ready saying, "You know your a Red Neck if . . ."

I had never been to a Bass Pro Shop before, but my sister told me they have a fantastic Christmas set up and as all my boys are home until Wednesday night I wanted to go as a family during the week when there would not be any crowds.

From the outside the store looks like a Giant Hunting Lodge - On the inside the Store looks like a Giant Hunting Lodge. The store is amazing. Lots of leather, rock, western furniture, mounted wild game all over,antlers hanging like hangers in my closet, a man made stream runs outside the front with bridges over it. The store is huge and I was told it is the smallest one in the country.

There store is decked out for Christmas and they actually call it Christmas and play religious Christmas music along with the secular stuff. I like both and do not like the attempts to make the holiday little more than secular spending spree.

I cannot possibly describe how elaborate the decor of the store is, you must go and see one. Inside there was another fake stream filled with trout (big ones that look like the ones that always get a way from me). There is a huge aquarium with a number of different types of fish and a man made water fall coming down from the second floor into the aquarium. If you walk up the stairs you go behind the waterfalls.

There is mucho inventory and if you come in for something I bet they have it. I have never seen so many fishing poles in one place. Prices vary, much of it is high end, but they have some lower end items too. I saw my dream BBQ and Smoker priced for under $2,000.00. There are food items, general store, camping gear and places to pick up a snack in the store.

Weston and Janson Christmas Dreaming. Don't worry they will not get them.

The boys got to play arcade type shooting games, try out the remote controlled cars and slot car sets. The only problem is Santa does not get down from the north pole until after 5 this early in the season on a week day. My kids were very disappointed, but I explained I had called the fat man and understood he was busy making them something special for Christmas. We will go see him again on another day.

As a Realtor what I could learn from this day is Web 2.0 is great, but there is nothing like a good retail store to build some business. I may order something on line from them, but it is because the store impressed me. The other thing is Staging and Decor are important.

Sherman (2) Corbin (11) Janson (5) Nelson (13) Weston (6)

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Things I am Thankful for and the Holiday Weight Challenge

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:47:11 -0600

Things I am Thankful for and the Holiday Weight Challenge.

With this Post I kill two proverbial Turkeys with one stone. Posting on thinks I am thankful for and weight loss tips. Many of you on Active Rain know I post my diet struggles on the member side and use this as a place for accountability.

In our instant information and fast food culture we often do not enjoy food as it was intended. Food and eating is a very intimate thing and that is being lost in our culture. We eat on the run, we rarely eat as a family, we grab fast food, and microwave snackes.

If like me you are struggling with your weight you might do several things this Thanksgiving: 1) Make special diet foods and abstain from the normal fair; 2) take a day off from the diet and go for it; or 3) straddle the two.

I am on a low carb diet. My wife and I are putting together a number of low carb foods for Thanksgiving. Some will be for me only and some will just be on the table for everyone. An everyone thing is a reduction gravy rather than something made with flour. For me is a special stuffing recipe. I will also do a pumpkin souffle with Splenda rather than the pumpkin pie.

What ever your strategy for Thanksgiving, even if not on a diet, take it as a chance to set down and have a slow thoughtful meal talking with friends and family. Bring the intimate nature of food and fellowship back into the holiday. Many of us struggling with weight issues need to do this with food in general. Food is often a substitute for relationship and a way to deal with stress. Let's start enjoying food the way it was meant to be enjoyed with friends and family.

Things have been hectic around here, but lately I have been trying to respond to the hectic with calm and be at peace in everything. I could panic over the recent collapse of business, my wife being exhausted with the baby coming, the kids tearing up the house. Well all of a sudden some things are starting to take care of themselves. We were not going to do much for Thanksgiving, but my wife has had a chance to work on the house some and the kids have actually been helping some.

My older boys go back to their mom Wednesday night or Thursday morning. We decided last week to have Thanksgiving Dinner on Wednesday evening. It will be a little smaller than usual (we will not cook as much) but there will be plenty and a couple family members will be over.

The boys take real pleasure in having the table set nice and the fancy dinner. My wife has new dishes, nothing very expensive, but nice and we will debut them instead of the good china. I am thankful I can have all my kids present and gathered around the table. We will hold hands and thank God for all that he has given us. I am working only part time this week so I can do more things with the kids and I am thankful for this time.

What are you thankful for? How will you celebrate?

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Sommerset in Brentwood - November 2009 Market Report

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:06:11 -0600

Sommerset in Brentwood - November 2009 Market Report

Sommerset is a dynamic community in Brentwood California for people 55 plus. This Sommerset Market Report focuses on Sommerset, Summerset, and other 55 plus communities in Brentwood.

Sommerset Communities feature single family homes and duplexes. This report focuses on the Current Sommerset Market and the homes sold in the Sommerset Communities in October and September.

Currently there are 21 homes for sale in the Sommerset Community. The average asking price of those homes is $459,406.00 and the median asking price is $439,950.00. The currently active homes have spent and average of 68 days on the market and have an average asking price of $227.00 per SF.

In September there were 6 homes sold in Sommerset Communities. The average selling price was $290,650.00 and the median selling price was $262,500.00. The average days on market was 57 and the average selling price per SF was $194.00.

In October there were only 3 homes sold in Sommerset Communities. The average price was $316,166.00 and the median price was $292,500.00. These homes spent an average of 36 days on the market and sold for $192.00 per SF.

The cost of a home in Sommerset is more expensive than a home in Brentwood proper based on last months Brentwood Housing Market Report. However, this is a gated and specialized community.

The small number of homes makes it hard to count on the numbers to show real trends. One trend that is apparent is that the smaller well priced homes are going quick. The larger and grander of the homes are setting.

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The things I am Thankful for

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:07:55 -0600

This week I am going to write about somethings I am thankful for. At the top of my list is my family and my kids, but there is one of my five (and soon to be six) boys I want to tell you about.

My second son Corbin. Corbin is from my first marriage (we had two together). Corbin is a family name on my mothers said and my son always laughs when he sees a picture of Great Great Grandpa Corbin at prairie sod house with beard like ZZ Top.

My oldest son lives with me (his mother had trouble getting him to do well with school - I don't). Corbin is an excellent student and strives for perfection. I almost which he would fail some so he could learn my love for him does not depend on him always being right and not making mistakes. I have been through the many hops with custody and I will not detail them all here. If it were up to me he would be here full time. His mom keeps him busy with sports (which I want but I also think is a way to keep him too busy for me). He is involved in Royal Rangers with me and the other boys which I have gotten his mom to support.

Corbin is my baseball star. He loved playing short stop and made the All Stars as short stop a few years ago. But being left handed he got moved to center field and then first base. I thought First Base would be a waste of his speed, but he is the best defensive first basemen in the league. He runs the bases like crazy. He runs them smart too. I do not think he has every been caught stealing. I taught him that more important than stealing is to have them think he is going to steal, how to act and play head games (Corbin likes to play head games in many ways). He has a great swing and often bats high in the order, but some how has been slumping, I hope he works his way out of it. His team won the TOC championship in AA Little League two years ago. He stole home to keep his team in a crucial playoff game. When he got to first base one of the team mates was heard to say, "Corbin's gonna do his thing." That thing was drive the pitcher crazy enough to get wild and let him score. Last year his AAA team made the TOC's and went down in the first game.

Corbin earned the Gold Eagle in Royal Rangers Last year and is now working on his Bronze metal of Achievement; the first of 3 steps towards the Gold Medal of Achievement. He loves to camp and fish.

I miss him horribly when he is not here. Often I will be playing or doing something with the other 4 boys and be sad in my heart as I know something is missing. I know his mom loves him and he is really all she has left on a day to day basis of what used to be a family.

Corbin likes to play board games with me and his brothers. Lately he likes to shoot airsoft. He is a joker and prankster. Sometimes he squabbles with his brother as brothers are prone to do. He likes to irritate his older brother and they have issues at times, but love each other and miss each other. At one point he would fight a lot with his younger brother (# 3) Weston. He complained to me that Weston was being irritating on purpose and would not leave him alone. I asked him to imagine he had an older brother (which he does) and if he found something that irritated that older brother would he continue to do it (he does). That shut him up quick. He found a way to get a long with his brothers better after that on both ends.

He reminds me a lot of his mother and I do not say that to be mean (as she divorced me), but I see the personality quirks. I embrace this as a chance to shape is character and learn to relate to him (as I ultimately failed to relate to his mother.)

I am thankful that over this holiday he is in my home for 5 uninterrupted days. He gets spoiled as when he is here we tend to do things he likes and cook food we know he likes.

Corbin has the life vest on.

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Royal Ranger First Aid

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:23:56 -0600

Royal Rangers

My two oldest boys, Nelson and Corbin, and I just completed a first aid and CPR course through Royal Rangers provided by the National Safety Counsel.

First Aid has not changed much sense I took my Scouting First Aid badge, but it has changed some and the refresher course is always good. My sons took this course to Earn their Gold Merit for First Aid (and becsue when I have my heart attack I want them to know what to do).

This is just one of the great things they learn in Rangers. Not only does it provide the basic skill but it gives them confidence and teaches leadership.

If you are around here and want to know more about Outpost 5 of the local Royal Rangers or about Royal Rangers in general let me know.

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Send A Gift- Thank You Card To Our Soldiers- Xerox Let's Say Thanks Program

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:03:33 -0600

Via Nestor & Katerina Gasset Realtors® Wellington Florida Luxury Homes (International Properties and Investments, Inc.):

Thanks to Xerox sending out a Thank You card to our soldiers is simple, fast and free.

At this time of the year we can take some time out to teach our children about giving thanks and living in gratitude.
The best way of course to teach gratitude is by being a good example of being in a thankful state of mind.

You can gather your children around your computer right now and go to this site:

Let's Say Thanks- In Support of our Troops.

All you do is click on the card you want to send and then click on what you want the words on the text side of the card to say.
You don't even have to think to do this because it is all done for you. You just have to choose the card and the text out of the ones on the site.
Then you just click send.

Xerox prints out the postcards and then these cards go into the care packages that Givetothetroops® sends to our soldiers.
What a gift Xerox is giving to the troops. I really appreciate a company setting a great example like this.
The cards have all been designed by children and are patriotic. There are many patriotic symbols and messages to choose from.

There is a link on the site where you can read the responses from soldiers around the globe.
For some of these soldiers, your card will be the only mail they get from home.

Here are some of the comments sent back by different servicemen and women:

To all who have supported us,

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you from myself and my fellow Marines. Your packages and well wishes have lifted our spirits at a time when we are so far away from our friends and family. I wish you could have seen the bright eyed looks and utter excitement from the Marines when opening the boxes. It was a true blessing that you made happen. It makes us proud to know that our fellow Americans care as much as we do. It makes the sacrifices we and our families make worth every minute we spend here. We Americans can stand shoulder to shoulder in unison on one thing - we're all proud of our country and we're all proud of each other. The effort you make on behalf of the troops is just as important as the work we are doing here and around the world.

- A Gunnery Sergeant

As I was leaving an un-eventful Valentine's Day today, one of the mail clerks yelled "Adams!! You have a package!!" A package, I thought to myself. I'm not expecting anything. What could this be? I took the box into my office and closed the door. As I opened the box, a flood of joy came over me as I looked over the cards from you and the young ones, one of my co-workers walked in to see tears rolling down my eyes. I had never received a gift with this much love, packed into one little place from someone that I've never known.

As I thought about what the cards talked about with soldiers giving their lives and privileges up to ensure the freedom of Americans, it was nice to know that someone out there does not take it for granted. I don't know who you are, but you are truly a gift from God. The gift that gives me the drive to serve my country proudly. As you pray that the Lord keeps the soldiers here safe and brings us home, I pray to the Lord that people like you do not die off from this world. Your contributions are nowhere near inadequate. Please never forget what this means to a soldier. Thank you for your love and thoughts.

Please be kind- take a moment out of your day to send a card for free to a soldier today. Please Reblog!

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Novato Home Back on the Market!

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:26:21 -0600

Novato Home Back on the Market!

One of the finest homes for the price is back on the market! The owner took the home off the market for a short time to upgrade some of the fixtures and do some painting. This home is excellent. It offers:

Pool
Two Decks
Game Room
Media Room
Five bedrooms with a Jack & Jill Suite
Hot Tub
Gourmet Kitchen
Large Park like grounds
Flowing Creek
Horses OK
Large Lawns
Could hold RV Parking
Classic Hard Wood Floors
Grand Fire Place
Excellent Schools
Attic Fan
and so much more!

For recorded information and/or an exclusive showing call:

1-800-950-6159 ext 1003

For more photos and information go to:

www.2424Vineyard.com

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Econ 1A -- your Real Estate Refresher Course in 7 Simple Steps

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:25:24 -0600

Via Barb Fischer (RD Brown Real Estate):

Don't get stuck in Fantasyland! Real Estate always follows a few basic economic truths. Honor these realities, and you'll win what you want. Here's a 7-step quick tour through real estate economics. Pass, and you can have a fighting chance to get the house you want.

1. Supply and Demand: When there are more buyers out there than desirable homes available-- you get A) multiple offers, B) offers over asking price. This is what's happening now.

2. Location, location, location: Real estate is always local in nature, and #1 above is what's occurring in most of San Diego. If you read USA Today, you might hear that prices are plummeting; you can also buy a home in Detroit for $10K. Not true here.

3. Human Nature: Most everyone wants the same thing; the best house in the nicest neighborhood for the the lowest price. You have competition!

4. Lottery Mentality: Don't fall for it! When a home is priced artificially low (which is done to inspire multiple offers) and every other house in that neighborhood has consistently sold for tens of thousands more, ignore the "suggested retail price" and go for fair market value. This is what it's most likely going to sell for. Do you really think you're the only one who saw that low price and decided to jump on it? Sure, there are isolated cases of someone getting an amazing deal,so you should ask yourself: do you want to wait for this scenario to possibly occur, or do you want to move forward and really buy a house?

5. Acknowledge the competition: If nobody else offers on a house, you CAN get a better price. Just make sure they don't know something you don't and that there isn't something drastically wrong with it. People always ask me what they should offer. It depends on a lot of factors-- primarily what it's worth to you, but also if you are the only person writing an offer, or if you're competing with a dozen others. The higher the interest, the higher the price. You may be the only offer at first, then after a long weekend of showings, you will one of many.

6. Forget what the seller paid for it. Some buyers get really hung on the price of the last sale, and some get upset that another person is making money. Maybe that person bought it 20 years ago and is looking to retire on that profit. Maybe they are supporting a family member who is terminally ill. Or maybe they like to buy fixers and make them nice again. You, too, can buy distressed homes, take the risk, fix them up and make money. Or you can have someone else do it for you, for a price. See #7.

7. Time is money so.... You either buyer low with work needed, or buy high with it all dolled up and ready to move into. The choice is yours.

Hope this helps.

©Barb Fischer San Diego 2009 Real Estate Econ 1A
Barb Fischer

San Diego, CA

619.339.1396

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At the NAR. HVCC Problems? Not according to the Government.

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:13:32 -0600

This is what your government is doing to "Help" you. This is one of the big problems in buying and selling a home today.

The HVCC is supposed to make the process better. The reality is someone is making some money somewhere at the cost of the consumers and the public in general.

This is a Repost of a Blog Post by an agent at the NAR convention.

Via Gene Wunderlich - Realtor®, Government Affairs Director (Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors):

One of the seminars I attended today at NAR was entitled 'Managing the Risks and Opportunities of the New Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC)."

Let me say at the outset, I sat through the whole friggin thing and didn't note any opportunities - unless you count aggravation as an opportunity. No shortage of risks, however.

NAR did a great job staging this - they had a panel in place that included spokesholes from FHFA, FHA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and an AMC. Oh, and they had two Realtors sitting in for balance. In my humble opinion, if I had a load of the bullshit they were peddling today, I would have the healthiest, greenest lawn in Southern California.

Alfred Pollard, General Counsel for the Federal Housing Finance Agency; Jacqueline Doty, Directory of Collateral Policy for Freddie Mac; and Mark Johnson, COO for LSI (and Appraisal Management Co), started the process with brief statements on why the program was started (to combat fraud) and how well it's working. As Mr. Pollard stated - 'we have experience a systemic event for the financial markets, primary and secondary lenders, Realtors, institutional lenders and appraisers - all of those industries are on the table as we determine what comes next.'

It was interesting to note that the one entity that he left out, the one he happens to work for, wasn't included as being on the table - THE GOVERNMENT. The one institution central to the whole fiasco is the only one not up for evaluation and found wanting. In fact, these sanctimonious bastards are now sitting in judgement of the rest of us and determining how they can keep us from running amok again. Ain't that special.

Our Realtor panelists, Steve White, owner of two large Keller-Williams offices in LA; and Penny Triplet, a Realtor and appraiser from Ohio, stated the litany of complaints that you are all familiar with. Delays, incompetence, bad appraisers, out of area appraisers, higher costs to customers, lost transactions, lack of portability - you name it, they brought it up.

The government people claimed to be listening but they were just dancing. Time and again they quoted passages from the 6 page HVCC document - well this is how it's supposed to work; well, this is what it says; well that's another of those myths; well this is how you're supposed to work through that. Basically they acknowledged that 'there might be a few bad actors in the group but this HVCC has solved a lot of problems and is a wonderful thing.'

Oh, and if you thought it was scheduled to expire in June of 2010 - think again, It's in place until next November and there ain't nothing you or (NAR President) Charles MacMillan or anybody else can do about it. Your opportunity is to learn how to work with it because it's here to stay. Even after the current HVCC expires, some form of the bureaucracy that has been set up to administer it will continue because, like any government program, once born it never dies.

As if the moderator knew the Q & A might get testy, she decided that rather than take questions from the floor, she would just take questions submitted in writing. That lasted about 15 minutes until she could no longer ignore the line of Realtors standing quietly at the microphones waiting to ask questions.

Still no straight answers were forthcoming. Realtors were advised to report bad appraisers - that is if you can figure out who they work for or if the AMC or the lender cares enough to return your call (after 18 months, the office for reporting bad appraisers still hasn't quite been set up but it's coming soon). Realtors are allowed to talk to appraisers and even give them comps, of course provided the appraiser even bothers to call you or come out to your city or doesn't report you for applying undue influence by giving them accurate comps. If you get a bad appraiser you can request a do-over, of course it will be done by the same guy whom is now pissed off and never mind that the delay might cost you the deal. If it's so bad your buyer switches to another lender of course the appraisal should be portable (like you'd want to port that crap) unless the new lender doesn't want to accept it or it's from an appraiser that's not accredited by their AMC, in which case your client will get to buy a new one and hope it's better than the old one. You've got an appraiser from 200 miles away? Or even from another state? Jeez, that's not supposed to happen because the HVCC says it's not so it can't be. That's just anecdotal information. The Freddie Mac rep said complaints to her office are waaaay down since HVCC. Complaints from appraisers that is. Turns out they don't take complaints from Realtors unfortunately.

One Realtor summed it up perfectly - 'The government appears to think the problem in under control. Realtors think the problem is out of control. How do we get the two sides together?

If todays panel is any indication, we don't. Hang on kiddies - it's gonna get worse before it gets better. We're from the government and we're here to help you.

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Fishing with the Rangers

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:55:33 -0600

Fishing with the Rangers.

This morning Outpost 5 of the Royal Rangers went on a Fishing Trip to Lafeyette Resevior in Lafeyette CA. About 12 kids came along and an equal number of parents. It was primarily the younger kids. They got their feet wet (some literally) fishing, BBQ'd some Hot Dogs, enjoyed some other snacks and had an all around good time.

I took my two middle boys Weston (6) and Janson (5).

NO FISH WERE ACTUALLY HARMED IN THE PREPERATION OF THIS BLOG POST. Maybe next time.

If you want to know more about Royal Rangers in this area or in your area contact me and I will let you know how to get involved and what the program is about.

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Discovery Bay Housing Market Report - October 2009

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:20:26 -0600

Discovery Bay Housing Market Report - October 2009

The Housing Market in East Contra Costa County is still very tight. There are some very slight price decreases, but they might be simple seasonal anomalies and certainly are not an indication of the market going soft again.

This Discovery Bay Housing Market Report for October 2009 compares the sales of single family home sales in October to those in September and the Active Housing Market in Discovery Bay California.

Currently there are 63 Single Family Homes for sale in the Discovery Bay Housing Market. The Average Asking Price on those homes is $560,055.00 and the Median Asking Price is $379,000.00. The Average Asking Price per SF is $199.00 and the Average Days on Market is 91. However, a big Factor in the Discovery Bay Housing Market is homes with Deep Water Docks. If we take at just the home with Deep Water Docks in Discovery Bay the numbers look different. The Average Price is $871,670.00 and the Median Price is $795,000.00. The Average Price per SF is $301.00 and the Average Days on Market is 131. In general Discovery Bay is an eclectic community and the Deep Water Dock homes are just one part of that.

The Discovery Bay Housing Market fluctuates a lot due to the small number of homes. In October there were 26 sales of Single Family Homes. The Average Price of the Sold Home in the Discovery Bay Housing Market for October was $320,607.00 and the Median Price was $270,750.00. The price per SF was $135.00 (Asking Price for those sold was also $135.00.) and the Average Days on Market was 23. There were only four homes sold with Deep Water Docks. The Average Price was $661,500.00 and the Median Price was $605,000.00. The Average Days on Market was 18 and the price per SF was $254.00 (the asking price per SF was $257.00).

The Discovery Bay Housing Market went down significantly in October compared to the Discovery Bay Housing Market in September. The Average Home Price in September was $374,225.00 and the Median Price was $311,125.00. The Average Price Per SF was $141.00 (Asking price for those sold was $143.00.) with an Average of 18 Days on the Market. There were 30 Homes Sold in the Discovery Bay Housing Market in September. There were five homes sold with Deep Water Docks. The Average Price was $591,600.00 and the Median Price was $500,000.00. The Average Days on Market was 22 and the price per SF was $270.00 (the asking price per SF was $285.00).

I attribute the price drop to seasonal changes and the small market. The Deep Water Dock Homes have less appeal as we go into the Winter months. With a small marker one or two sales of high end homes can change the numbers quite a bit. The number of sales is down slightly but we less than a 3 month supply of homes which indicates a tight seller market.

Click to see other area Housing Market Reports.

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Novato Open House 11-15-09

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:06:02 -0600

Novato Open House 11-15-09

Come by 2424 Vineyard Road in Novato on Sunday from 1-4 PM to see an unbelievable home. Pool, SPA, Corner Lot, almost a 1/2 acre, gourmet kitchen and more. The property used to be a horse property and can be again.

This house is coming back on the Market Monday 11-16-09, but we will have a special preview open house on Sunday November 15 from 1 to 4 PM.

This house was fantastic, but has now fixtures and amenities have been updated and enhanced to look and appeal of the home. I do not even have the new pictures of the inside to show you yet.

For recorded information and/or an exclusive showing call:

1-800-950-6159 ext 1003

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I Want a Deal

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:52:01 -0600

This Post is very relevant to the local market here in Brentwood and East Contra Costa County. I have reposted courtesy of the initial writer.

Via JL Boney, III Columbia, SC Real Estate (Russell and Jeffcoat):

Well of course you do, in this day and age who doesn't? But the fact of the matter that all "deals" are relative to the situation. Your perception of what good deal is can be very different than than what the market says is a good deal.

These days with all the fuss over foreclosures, every buyer that makes their way off of the proverbial fence is looking for that turnkey home that's is pristine condition. They also have their minds made up that they are going to get that beautiful home for next to nothing due to the desperation of the economy.

Well, the fact of matter is that you may not see a good deal for what it is if you are paying attention to the market. Your money may not buy a mansion on a hill just because the market is not a hot as it once was in the past. You still pay market value regardless. Take those wonderful foreclosures for example. If a decent one hits the market in my area, they have multiple offers within a few days and they don't have to accept your low ball.

While no one likes to feel that they are being robbed in the process of making a purchase, you still have to accept the fact that not every market is desperate. Some are doing well, and here in Columbia a good home at a good price is still going to get a good offer. You have to be realistic about what you can accomplish. While you can get a great deal on a home compared to the price of that same home a couple years ago, you still have to pay market value for it today.

Columbia, SC Homes for Sale
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

JL Boney, III - Columbia, SC Realtor - Russell and Jeffcoat Realtors

I specialize in Columbia, SC real estate and the surrounding areas, including Blythewood, SC, Kershaw County, Fairfield County, and Lexington, SC. If you are in the market to buy or sell a home in Columbia, SC or any of the surrounding areas, I would love the opportunity to speak with to see how I can help. Thanks for reading and feel free to contact me if I can be of service to you.

Office- 803-788-1450 Cell- 803-730-9601 Email- jlboney@russellandjeffcoat.com

My Columbia SC Real Estate Website

My Columbia, SC Real Estate Blog

www.jlboney.com/columbiascrealestateblog.html

www.activerain.com/blogs/jlboney/rss

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Lake Murray SC Homes for Sale

Forest Acres SC Homes for Sale

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Brentwood California Housing Market Report - October 2009

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:42:11 -0600

Brentwood California Housing Market Report - October 2009

This Brentwood Housing Market Report for October 2009 compares the sales of single family home sales in October to those in September and the Active Housing Market in Brentwood California.

Currently there are 162 Single Family Homes for sale in the Brentwood Housing Market. The Average Asking Price on those homes is $543,822.00 and the Median Asking Price is $379,450.00. The Average Asking Price per SF is $227.00 and the Average Days on Market is 82. However, this numbers are skewed upwards by 11 estate homes on the Market selling for $1,000,000.00 to $5,000,000.00 plus. If we take out 11 Homes out of the Brentwood Housing Market the numbers look different. The Average Price is now $387,001.00 and the Median Price drops to $375,000.00. The Average Price per SF goes way down to $175.00 and the Average Days on Market drops to 74. Quite a change!

The Brentwood Housing Market was very active in October with 96 sales of Single Family Homes. The Average Price of the Sold Home in the Brentwood Housing Market for October was $317,090.00 and the Median Price was $302,500.00. The price per SF was $130.00 (Asking Price for those sold was $127.00.) and the Average Days on Market was 25.

The Brentwood Housing Market went up in October compared to the Brentwood Housing Market in September in all but one area. The Average Home Price in September was $298,939.00 and the Median Price was $282,200.00. The Average Price Per SF was $130.00 (Asking price for those sold was $127.00.) with an Average of 26 Days on the Market. There were 77 Homes Sold in the Brentwood Housing Market in September.

The Price Per SF stayed level which is probably an anomaly caused partly by seasonal market changes. Average Price and medium price were up. The number of sales is up and we only have about a 1.5 month supply of homes which indicates a tight seller market. The Days on Market is decreasing.

Click to see other area Housing Market Reports.

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Oakley California Housing Market Report - October 2009

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:08:37 -0600

Oakley California Housing Market Report - October 2009

This Oakley Housing Market Report for October 2009 compares the sales of single family home sales in October to those in September and the Active Housing Market in Oakley California.

Currently there are 100 Single Family Homes for sale in the Oakley Housing Market. The Average Asking Price on those homes is $305,868.00 and the Median Asking Price is $275,975.00. The Average Asking Price per SF is $142.00 and the Average Days on Market is 80.

The Oakley Housing Market was very active in October with 79 sales of Single Family Homes. The Average Price of the Sold Home in the Oakley Housing Market for October was $242,805.00 and the Median Price was $233,500.00. The price per SF was $116.00 (Asking Price for those sold was $113.00.) and the Average Days on Market was 56.

The Oakley Housing Market in spiked in October compared to the Oakley Housing Market in September in all but one area. The Average Home Price in September was $213,805.00 and the Median Price was $190,000.00. The Average Price Per SF was $117.00 (Asking price for those sold was $115.00.) with an Average of 58 Days on the Market. There were 67 Homes Sold in the Oakley Housing Market in September.

The very slight decrease in Price Per SF is probably an anomaly caused partly by seasonal market changes. Average Price and medium price were sky high, which indicates sales of higher end homes. The number of sales is up and we only have about a 1.5 month supply of homes which indicates a tight seller market. The Days on Market is decreasing.

Click to see other area Housing Market Reports.

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Antioch California Housing Market Report - October 2009

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:11:16 -0600

Antioch California Housing Market Report - October 2009

This Antioch Housing Market Report for October 2009 compares the sales of single family home sales in October to those in September and the Active Housing Market in Antioch California.

Currently there are 176 Single Family Homes for sale in the Antioch Housing Market. The Average Asking Price on those homes is $227,827.00 and the Median Asking Price is $210,400.00. The Average Asking Price per SF is $116.00 and the Average Days on Market is 54.

The Antioch Housing Market was very active in October with 148 sales of Single Family Homes. The Average Price of the Sold Home in the Antioch Housing Market for October was $212,098.00 and the Median Price was $210,000.00. The price per SF was $116.00 (Asking Price for those sold was $113.00.) and the Average Days on Market was 24.

The Antioch Housing Market in October compared to the Antioch Housing Market in September is pretty close. The Average Home Price in September was $200,870.00 and the Median Price was $195,000.00. The Average Price Per SF was $107.00 (Asking price for those sold was $102.00.) with an Average of 26 Days on the Market. There were 161 Homes Sold in the Antioch Housing Market in September.

The Average Price Per SF was up over 3% in one month. The number of sales is still up and we only have a little over a one month supply of homes which indicates a tight seller market. The homes are being snatched up fast.

Click to see other area Housing Market Reports.

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Pittsburg California Housing Market Report - October 2009

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:57:01 -0600

Pittsburg California Housing Market Report - October 2009

This Pittsburg Housing Market Report for October 2009 compares the sales of single family home sales in October to those in September and the Active Housing Market in Pittsburg California.

Currently there are 123 Single Family Homes for sale in the Pittsburg Housing Market. The Average Asking Price on those homes is $223,990.00 and the Median Asking Price is $210,000.00. The Average Asking Price per SF is $119.00 and the Average Days on Market is 48.

The Pittsburg Housing Market was very active in October with 80 sales of Single Family Homes. The Average Price of the Sold Home in the Pittsburg Housing Market for October was $193,867.00 and the Median Price was $181,500.00. The price per SF was $111.00 (Asking Price for those sold was $107.00.) and the Average Days on Market was 22.

The Pittsburg Housing Market in October compared to the Pittsburg Housing Market in September is pretty close. The Average Home Price in September was $199,517 and the Median Price was $190,000.00. The Average Price Per SF was $112.00 (Asking price for those sold was $109.00.) with an Average of 46 Days on the Market. There were 76 Homes Sold in the Pittsburg Housing Market in September.

The very slight decrease in Price Per SF is probably an anomaly caused partly by seasonal market changes. However, the number of sales is still up and we only have about a 1.5 month supply of homes which indicates a tight seller market. The Days on Market is rapidly decreasing; the homes are being snatched up fast.

Click to see other area Housing Market Reports.

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Are we all headed for Public Housing?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:02:46 -0600

Are we all headed for Public Housing?

The Feds have announced Thursday under Fannie Mae that homes in default would be taken over and leased back to the defaulters or the current tenants. The stated claim is that they are trying to stabilize neighborhoods and provide a transitional arrangement.

The occupants will be given a one year lease then go month to month. On one level this sounds very nice and practical but it raises big concerns. With the governments taking over the banks will they soon just take over the entire housing supply?

The Obama Administration admits they want government control of vast portions of the economy. They have taken over two car companies, regulated wages in some companies, bailed out banks and or financial service industries to only make them subservient to the government programs.

The banks are holding on to a large amount of inventory. I do not think it far fetched for them to start this type of program. Will it soon be like what they want for health care where we go to a board to see what we are allowed to live in (rented to us) at the government housing bank? Will they be deciding where we live and how? Barney Frank has changed his tune from making sure everyone can own a home (pre-housing melt down) to everyone has a home.

Right now there are not enough homes on the market. The market should take care of itself. Put the homes out there and get people in them. By limiting the supply of homes the only people that are profiting is those with cash, not middle class buyers looking for a place to live.

The housing policies are further eroding the middle class. Home ownership is an important part of building a strong country and community. Public housing is a disaster and the dream of social planners.

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Monterey Bay Aquarium

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:42:00 -0600

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Three of my boys are home schooled and Monterey Bay had the Home School Day on Monday November 2. So we packed up four of the boys (the other is in Public School) and headed down Sunday afternoon for a fun night at the Hotel first.

Public School day is FREE which put this right in out price range. The kids loved it especially the sea otters. The big hype is on the Sea Horse exhibit which I felt was so so. There is a large tank with sharks, big tunas, barracudas and a number of other fish.

Most of the fish are salt water, but they did have some nice looking trout; wish I had my rod and a fry pan; but they probably would have tossed me out.

What I did not know is there is a huge underwater canyon that goes 2 miles down right off the Monterey coast. The average depth of the world's oceans is 2.5 miles so what they have is an area with multiple habitats they can study close by.

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First Time Buyers - A Bigger Concern than the $8,000.00 Tax Credit!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:26:44 -0600

First Time Buyers

There has been a lot of debate about the $8,000.00 Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers. Should we keep it? Does it create home sales? Are we borrowing against future sales? Is it causing price increases?

However, right now there is something that should motivate everyone to buy a home as soon as possible. In 2010 the Bush Tax Cuts Expire. Why should this be a big concern? Because it will effect every tax payer in the country and it will make it harder to save for a home.

But if you get into a home now the tax deduction for Mortgage Interest and Property Taxes may actually save you enough money to make ownership more affordable than renting. The other consideration is that interest rates are still low but will probably start to go up at some point soon.

So if you want to save money now is the time to buy that new home.

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Novato Market Report November 2009

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:10:30 -0600

Novato Market Report November 2009

Set down grab a cup of coffee and some No Doze. You are about to get some numbers to make your head spin and sleepy, unless of course you are excited about the Novato Housing Market and trying to buy or sell a home in that area.

The Novato Housing Market offers some of the best buys on Luxury Homes in Marin County with Excellent Schools and a fantastic life style.

This Novato Housing Market report looks at single family home sales in Novato and compares September figures to October figures looking for sales trends; and examines at the current Active Novato Housing Market. As the Novato Housing Market covers a number of Luxury Homes I decided to also take separate looks at homes priced over $750,000.00.

In September there were only 36 homes sold in the Novato Housing Market. On Average those homes had 3 bedrooms, 2.61 bathrooms and were 2,159 SF. The Average List Price was $655,727.00 and the Average Sold Price was $651,767.00; with an Average Days on Market of 107. The Median Numbers are similar with 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and Median SF of 2,034. The Median List Price was $625,000.00 and the Median Sold Price was $635,000.00; with a Median Days on Market of 69. My Favorite Number is Price Per SF which is $302.00.

For homes over $750,000.00 in the Novato Housing Market in September the Average number of bedrooms was 4 and bathrooms 3.3 with 3,275 SF. The Average List Price was $992,655.00 and a Sold Price of $965,950.00; with an Average of 88 Days on Market. The Median Numbers are 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 3,023 SF. The Median List Price was $929,000.00 and the Sold Price was $897,500.00; with 58 Days on the Market. Average Price Per SF is $295.00.

In October there were 50 homes sold in the Novato Housing Market; and this number may go up with late reporting. On Average those homes had 3 bedrooms, 2.68 bathrooms and were 2,267 SF. The Average List Price was $679,303.00 and the Average Sold Price was $667,788.00; with an Average Days on Market of 96. The Median Numbers are similar with 4 Bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and Median SF of 1,996. The Median List Price was $599,000.00 and the Median Sold Price was $597,500.00; with a Median Days on Market of 66. Again my Favorite Number is Price Per SF which is $299.00.

For homes over $750,000.00 in the Novato Housing Market in October the Average number of bedrooms was 4 and bathrooms 3.41 with 3,177 SF. The Average List Price was $1,017,795.00 and a Sold Price of $998,052.00; with an Average of 89 Days on Market. The Median Numbers are 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 2,918 SF. The Median List Price was $850,000.00 and the Sold Price was $830,900.00; with 61 Days on the Market. Average Price Per SF is $314.00.

How does this compare to the Current Novato Real Estate Market? The Average Home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with 2,537 SF and an Average Asking Price of $826,071.00. The Average days on the Market is 103. The Median numbers are similar with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a list price of $709,000.00 and 72 Days on the Market. This is an Average Asking Price of $325.00 per SF.

For homes priced over $750,000.00 in the Novato Housing Market the Average numbers are 4 bedrooms, 3.64 bathrooms, 3,419 SF; with a List Price of $1,166,431.00 and 101 Days on Market. The Median Numbers are 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3,292 SF, and priced at $950,000.00; with 86 Days on Market. The Average asking Price Per SF is $341.16.

So what do all these numbers mean. Here are a few highlights I see:

The Average Price is going down slightly, but on the high end homes the price is rising.
The Market is picking up. Currently there is a 4 month supply of housing. This is a balanced Market.
Homes that sell tend to sell fast. There are some homes weighing down the Average Days on Market numbers. The Median Days on Market better reflects a properly priced home.
The Sold Prices are almost as high as the List Prices in some areas and those numbers are getting closer. People are not making extremely offers on over priced homes.

Click here to see our Premier Novato Listing for November. One of the Best Buys in town priced at $282.00 per SF - Horse Property - Pool - Wooded Estate with a flowing creek.

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Don't Let this Happen to Your Photos

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:01:51 -0600

Don't Let this Happen to Your Photos - Why is there no Photo here?

I want to make a point about taking care of our photos. About a year ago my wife's computer began to have trouble. I told her to back up. She quickly began to upload all of her photos. But the computer went before she could finish.

She got another computer and I procrastinated on taking her old computer in. When I did they told me the hard drive was damaged. To even see if stuff can be recovered they need to send it out to a clean room and that starts at $1,500.00. She lost a year and a 1/2 of baby photos for one of my kids.

I have the hard drive still and maybe sometime I will have $1,500.00 to spend on this project. Maybe someday the recovery can be done cheaper.

Just a reminder - BACK UP. Put your photos on line at one of the many free sites you can do this at.

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This Brokerage Has 750 Listings…..So they must be the best! (Part 1)

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:58:58 -0600

Here is some more good information for consumers from another real estate blog. Let me know what you think.

Via Ruthmarie Hicks (Keller Williams Realty):

Does size really matter? Do the number of listings or the size of the brokerage have anything to do with the ability of the agent to market and sell a home successfully? Is it the brokerage or the agent that is the determining factor?

What Does the Brokerage Bring to the Table?

One of the biggest issues I encounter on listing presentations are questions regarding the brokerage itself.   Most questions revolve around marketing. What does the brokerage do in terms of marketing for the listing?

I think that most sellers assume that since the brokerage is “big” and has capital behind it, that they are the ones spending big bucks on marketing the home. But this is rarely the case.   Many big-box national brokerages build on that confusion and perpetuate the myth that their brokerage “brand” makes a significant difference in selling a home for top dollar. They also tout their “marketing package” in terms of the amount of support they offer. Some actually stress that the number of agents in the brokerage somehow makes that brokerage better or somehow more able to move the property.   With all the hype and misinformation out there it is small wonder that sellers are confused.

I would challenge these large brokerages who claim that their numbers speak for themselves to enumerate exactly WHAT they do to justify their claims? And while they are at it, I would like to have some hard numbers to back up their success stories. I haven’t seen any of them come up with any marketing advantage that holds up under scrutiny. Most of the time they appear to be blowing smoke. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not slamming big brokerages. That would be rather foolish since the brokerage that I am currently associated with is quite large. What I am trying to do is cut through the hype.

Follow the Advice of Deep Throat:

Who actually sells the listing? The agent or the brokerage? To figure that out you have only to listen to the words of “Deep Throat” in All the President’s Men.   He told Robert Redford to “Follow the money!”

If a brokerage has hundreds of agents, it is likely that they have close to 1000 listings. Brokerages are business to make money on sales. For a big brokerage like this – the listings are a numbers game. Throw 1000 up against a wall and maybe half will “stick.” So how important is your individual listing going to be to that brokerage? Answer: not very.

But what about the agent? Most agents have just one to two listings at a time. Top producers can have as manay as 20-30. Agents are paid on commission. If the property doesn’t sell – all the work they did is down the drain….and there is a lot more to than sticking a sign in the ground. When a listing fails to sell an agent is out usually well over 150 hours of time AND they are generally out a good deal of marketing money as well. Do you think that agent cares if your home sells? You better believe it.

Take Home Lesson: Look to the AGENT to market and sell your home.

Stay tuned for part 2 – where some major marketing myths will be revealed.

Further Reading:

Mirror, mirror on the wall…who’s the fairest listing agent of all…Part 1:

Mirror, mirror on the wall…who’s the fairest listing agent of all…Part 2

© 2009 Ruthmarie G. Hicks http://thewestchesterview.com. All rights reserved. Initial post

This Brokerage Has 750 Listings…..So they must be the best! (Part 1)

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Seven Ways to Use a Home Inspection Report

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:54:54 -0600

Good thoughts you should read from another great blogger.

Via Jim Bushart (Home Inspection Services of Missouri):

In random order, I present to you seven different ways in which a home inspection report can be used by parties to a real estate transaction for advantage and benefit.

1. Buyers can consider the reported conditions of the home's systems to determine their ability to afford to maintain the property. A home with a 12 year old water heater, an 18 year old furnace and a 25 year old composite shingled roof is going to need some costly investments in the near future.

2. Buyers can sometimes use information regarding undisclosed defects to negotiate the seller's action to repair the defect(s) or adjust the asking price for the home.

3. Sellers can obtain a home inspection and use the report to disclose known defects to potential buyers.

4. Sellers can obtain a home inspection and use the report to identify and correct significant defects that could interfere with a buyer's desire to submit a contract to buy the property.

5. Buyers can use the inspection report as a "punch list" or "to do list" for maintaining the property after purchase.

6. Buyers/Sellers can use the report to communicate to contractors the nature of the defect(s) to obtain estimates for repair or to arrange for repairs or replacements.

7. Buyers can sometimes use the inspection report as a means to withdraw from the contracted agreement to purchase the home when certain types of undisclosed defects are reported.

Buyers and sellers should consider obtaining inspection reports only from professional full-time home inspectors. Inspection reports generated by builders or contractors are often used by them as marketing tools and a means to generate business for maintenance and repairs and do not always represent the actual conditions of the property.

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Pumpkin Murder - It happens in the Best of Families!

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:39:51 -0500

If you have been following the adventures around here you know we bought 2 of the now famous Blue Pumpkins for baking and an Orange one for the kids to Carve.

My wife cooked up one of the Blue Pumpkins, carved it out, pureed it. There was enough Pumpkin in it for 12 Pumpkin pies, 3 large loaves of Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Pancakes, some Low Carb Pumpkin dishes for me, and we still have some left.

But the little wolverines disquiesed as children wanted to get to that big orange one. So we did. I handled the knife work. But I was told he had to have an angry face and a "Cheese" eye. Now I was not sure what a "Cheese" eye was so the 5 year old drew it on the Pumpkin for me. I think a "Cheese" eye is a side ways triangle that looks like a cut of cheese. So we have one Cheese eye.

Tonight we are taking them to the Halloween Party open to the Community at Cornerstone Christian Center. They will have face painting, petting zoos, bounce houses, rides, shows, and trunk or treating for candy. They are living under the delusion they will be allowed to come home and keep big bags of candy in their bedroom. Are they in for a surprise. No doubt tonight my wife will be searching it and clearing it of "Dangerous" stuff; dark chocolate, licorice, Sugar Babies (or anything with Carmel), Candy Corn, and Coconut Products. I would be helping her but alas I am on a diet. They will get the rest of it doled out slowly.

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