The Goal of Homeownership - 02/29/12 09:10 PM

… (3 comments)

What Is a Short Sale? Is It Right For Me? - 02/21/12 03:48 PM
I frequently talk to Long Beach home owners and home buyers wondering "Is a short sale right for me? What exactly is a short sale."
We've worked with lots of Long Beach home buyers and sellers to successfully close short sales. A short sale can be an excellent solution for homeowners who need to sell, and who owe more on their homes than they are worth. It can also be an opportunity for a home buyer to get a good deal on a home, particularly if they are flexible with regards to timing.
In the past, it was rare for a … (3 comments)

The Right One May Be Just Around the Corner - 02/21/12 08:31 AM
Sometimes, the right home is just around the corner. And if you wait and persist, it will come.
I've been working with a wonderful couple I met recently when they called on one of my signs. They've been trying to buy a home in Long Beach.
The seller of the house they made the first offer on chose to play games -- hanging onto their offer for a week, collecting offers, before countering back, asking for "best and final" offer. My clients had a chance to look at other homes in the meantime and decided that the home's one bathroom was too tiny … (2 comments)

"Are We Being Too Picky?" - 02/21/12 07:56 AM
Mary Hutchison offers good advice for home buyers. Although we don't have many finished basements in Long Beach, California and our market is shifting out of one where buyers are in control, the advice remains the same. It's important for buyers to focus on their priorities, make sure expectations are in line with budget, and look beyond a home's decor.
Via Mary Hutchison, SRES, ABR Brookside, Waldo, Prairie Village (Prudential Kansas City Realty):
After a few months of searching for a home, that’s what these first time homebuyers asked me.  I hesitated before answering, because I did think they had unrealistic expectations.  Still, … (0 comments)

8 Questions to Ask Your Long Beach Real Estate Agent - 02/20/12 04:58 PM
If you're thinking about buying a home in Long Beach, you have many real estate agents to choose from.
Most home sellers know that who they hire makes a difference, but buyers sometimes think that choice isn't as important. After all, the agent is simply going to open doors and write an offer, right? Why would it matter who you hire?
The reality is that agents do far more than the above -- at least the good ones do. How do you know who to hire?
Here are eight important questions to ask a Long Beach real estate agent before you … (2 comments)

We Love Helping Home Buyers Relocating to Long Beach, CA! - 02/18/12 07:36 PM
Over the years, we've worked with lots of home buyers relocating to Long Beach, CA. One of my favorite parts of being a Realtor is giving the keys to new homeowners and then following their progress as they transform their house into a home!
Today, I had the pleasure of giving keys to our clients, Ryan and Jill, who just drove across the country, relocating to Long Beach, CA from New York.
We were able to help them remotely scope out neighborhoods, sending them video and digital photos when necessary, negotiating the contract and managing the transaction. The home they bought … (1 comments)

Long Beach Housing Market Heating Up - Now is a Great Time to Buy a Long Beach Home! - 02/15/12 08:24 PM
This afternoon, as I was setting up a showing for a Long Beach home buyer, I found definite signs that our real estate market is heating up. A number of the listing agents I spoke with told me they have multiple offers in hand. Several of the homes have been on the market for 100 days or more, but suddenly interest has picked up.
I've been encountering multiple offers with more regularity over the past few weeks.It seems as though home buyers are jumping off the fence and into the housing market.
Is this a good time to enter the housing market? … (2 comments)

Thinking of Selling Your Long Beach Home? It Ought to Be In Pictures! - 02/12/12 05:28 PM
If you're thinking of selling your Long Beach home and trying to choose an agent, there are a number of factors to consider. Track record, experience, and communication skills are important. But so is the agent's marketing plan and the quality of their marketing - particularly the photos.
Most home buyers begin their home search on the Internet and the first exposure they will probably have to your home is the pictures that the agent provides to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). It's very important that there be lots of pictures -- and that the pictures are of good quality.
In the age … (2 comments)

Wondering about Long Beach home prices? Crime stats? School Reports? - 02/11/12 09:10 PM
If you're wondering about home price trends in Long Beach or surrounding neighborhoods, we've got exciting news for you. Our Market Insider report will provide information on real estate trends as well as school reports, crime statistics, and more.
Introducing Market Insider, the FREE report that gives you valuable, customized, and up-to-date information on real estate trends in your local communities. Whether you're buying or selling a home, you'll have access to the data you need to make informed decisions in this ever-changing market. Create a customized Market Insider report on the areas you care about most, and then sign up to … (1 comments)

A Home Buyer's Guide to Distressed Property - 02/11/12 06:09 PM
With so much of the current housing inventory now made up of  distressed properties, I'm often asked by home buyers in Long Beach and surrounding communities, what's the difference between a short sale and a foreclosure? Doesn't the bank make the decision in both. Not exactly.
Here's a quick guide to who's who and what's what in the world of distressed properties:
Short sales - These are homes that are still owned by Jane and Joe Homeowner, regular people like you and me. Unfortunately, they are "upside down" on their mortgage (or mortgages), meaning that they are "short" on equity. Because … (2 comments)

Facing Foreclosure on Your Long Beach Home? It May Not Be Too Late for a Short Sale - 02/11/12 05:36 PM
Recently I received a phone call from Long Beach homeowners who had just received a notice of trustee sale. With the foreclosure sale around the corner, they wanted to know if it was too late to do a short sale.
The answer? Not necessarily. We listed theirLong Beach home as a short sale, helped them select an effective pricing strategy and quickly launched an aggressive marketing campaign that resulted in three offers in just three days.
We were then able to submit a complete short sale package to our clients' bank, Bank of America, and just last week, we got the trustee sale postponed, … (3 comments)

Lakewood Village Real Estate Market Update - February 2012 - 02/07/12 07:51 PM
If you’re thinking about making a move in 2012, now is the time to plan for it. Typically the real estate market kicks off after Super Bowl Sunday. (on’t ask me why because I’ve never understood the connection between football and real estate – I just know it occurs every year!)
 
For buyers, there are two major reasons to enter this market – low interest rates and relatively low prices.
 
For sellers, the biggest reason to consider selling now is that buyers seem to finally getting off the fence.
 
One of the more popular neighborhoods in Long Beach … (2 comments)

Long Beach Real Estate Market Update - February 2012 - 02/07/12 07:45 PM
Long Beach home sales and sales prices were both down a little in January 2012 when compared to the same month last year.
In January 2012, 129 Long Beach single family homes closed escrow, ranging in price from $89,900 to $2,199,000. The average sales price was $374,762 and the average days on market was 96, according to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
In comparison, there were 144 Long Beach houses that sold in January 2011, with an average sales price of $395,851 and average days on the market of 97 days.
Here's that the current inventory looks like:
Currently, there are … (0 comments)

Inquiring Minds Want to Know How Those Stupid Little Inquiries Effect Your Credit - 02/01/12 09:11 PM
You've probably heard that having too many inquiries on your credit can negatively impact it... But is that always? Here's the scoop from lender Larry Bettag:
Via Larry Bettag - Cherry Creek Mortgage:
Recently I wrote a post about credit scoring entitled What You Need to Know About Credit Scoring.  There were 5 variables that affect the credit score of the borrower.  Needless to say, I really think that while credit inquiries have the lest amount of weight towards your credit, it also happens to be the most misunderstood category. 
The 5 Categories that Specifically Impact your Credit are: Payment History Outstanding Credit … (2 comments)

 
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Shannon Jones - Long Beach CA Real Estate

Long Beach, CA

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The Shannon Jones Team

Address: California Dept. of RE License #01247705

Office Phone: (562) 896-2456

Cell Phone: (562) 335-1965

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The Shannon Jones Team is a successful, customer-focused real estate sales team serving Long Beach and surrounding Los Angeles and Orange County Communities. This is their blog.
Long Beach Real Estate

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