While thousands played catch and rode bikes on a balmy first Sunday of spring, scores of locals also delighted long-suffering real estate agents and sellers as they trooped in and out of open houses across Sacramento.
Browsers arrived early in Land Park and midtown, and rolled into the Pocket, Elk Grove and Natomas, citing a litany of individual reasons why people buy houses.
"We just moved to Sacramento (from Carson City, Nev.)," said Supranee Tuttle, eyeing a century-old, $299,000 bungalow in midtown. "My grandson is here."
"We're looking for a house for our daughter and granddaughter," said Andy Gaston of West Sacramento. He pronounced a one-bedroom, $104,000 bank-owned home in Natomas too small.
In Elk Grove, Shawn Trinh had the same reaction to a two-story. Too small. He said, though, "I'm looking around to see the styles."
Miles north, Era and Craig Gini of Gold River checked out the near-downtown location of a $764,000 house in Land Park. So did Christine Polley of Meadow Vista. She aims to move to the city and shave a downtown commute from 90 minutes to 15. She walked out the door with two words as others arrived: "It's beautiful."
Buying or not, this was all music Sunday to the ears of real estate agents who have endured a stubborn housing downturn that began in late 2005 in a market that still hasn't entirely found its footing. Shredded home values, bank-owned discounting and prospects of an $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time buyers are launching a stronger 2010 real estate season, they say, after January and February sales fell to almost two-year lows.
Home sellers, who Sunday included those leaving town for Kentucky and Southern California, moving up to a bigger home in Arden Arcade, selling their deceased parents' homes or operating as banks unloading their foreclosed inventory, hope again in 2010 for the spring sales bump.
"I've had 28 come through today," said Lyon Real Estate agent Anna Niemann, marketing the midtown bungalow. She said people came Sunday before she opened the house.
In Land Park, Lyon agent Kim Pacini said the same.
"We've had about 10 people," said Prudential NorCal Realty agent Frederick Kuo in Elk Grove. At 2 p.m. he had hours yet to go at a $230,000 bank-owned home.
Lyon agent Diana Lematua said open houses on her $104,000 Natomas listing near Chuckwagon Park drew mostly neighbors a few weeks ago. Keller Williams agent Jeff Yocca at Monterey Village also recalled extremely quiet open houses during the February rains. But spring weather has pulled in more serious crowds and offers, they said.
Sunday's browsers said there are still serious obstacles to buying, even with all their supposed advantages as buyers. Investors, many with cash offers, bought 27 percent of the homes sold in Sacramento County in February, according to La Jolla researcher MDA DataQuick.
Agents also say there are fewer for-sale signs than many people think. March began with 6,521 listings in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado counties, reported Sacramento researcher TrendGraphix. In August 2007 there were 16,262.
"The majority of houses you get to already have multiple offers," said Gaston. "You never know where you stand. It's a bidding war."
By Jim Wasserman - Sac Bee
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