Los Angeles County (South) and North O.C. Tell Interesting Stories Of Prices, Sales and Inventory

The latest market updates for April, 2013, are out for the south Los Angeles County and North Orange County cities--and here is a breakdown of stats for single family homes in local cities (all comparisons are a one-month comparison of April 2013 to April 2012, not on an annual basis):

• Long Beach  -- New listings are up 4% for April 2013; the median sales price has increased 25% to $440,500 (citywide figures); the average sales price is $495,000, an increase of 27%. Listing inventory has decreased by 62.6%, with 1.4 months of inventory at the end of April.
• Cerritos -- New listings are up 25% for April 2013; the median sales price has increased 8% to $573,000 (citywide figures); the average sales price is $615,758, an increase of 14%. Listing inventory has decreased by 78%, with 1 month of inventory at the end of April.
• Lakewood -- New listings are up 8.2% for April 2013; the median sales price has increased 12% to $405,000 (citywide figures); the average sales price is $413,000, an increase of 14%. Listing inventory has decreased by 76%, with .8 months of inventory at the end of April.
• Signal Hill -- New listings are down 42% for April 2013; the median sales price has increased 18% to $594,750 (citywide figures); the average sales price is $529,875, an increase of 8.8%. Listing inventory has decreased by 77%, with 1.8 months of inventory at the end of April.

The general picture is: prices have gone up, and inventory for all properties (houses and condos) is down compared to last year this time, with the lone exception of Avalon (Catalina Island), where inventory is actually up 17% but the median market price is down 33%.   Areas with the greatest increase in median market price tended to be lower priced areas in the past, and are now attracting buyer attention, Bell Gardens and Stanton being two examples.  Los Alamitos (including Rossmoor area) actually decreased by about 6% in median price.  Long Beach stands out at the top of the list of all area cities for the greatest number of closed sales in April at 324 and the most new listings, followed by Irvine at 264 closed sales, then by Anaheim and Huntington Beach.  Of the 68 cities included in the geographic area, only 4 are showing a decrease in median price!

Do you want to know what's going on in your zip code? It's sometimes a different picture than the surrounding city. Get the picture now by giving me a call or e-mailing me, so that you can stay up with your market.

Average Selling Price for a House in Long Beach CA in 1Q 2013

For the first quarter of 2013 (January through March) in Long Beach, the MLS shows 503 single family home sales.

The sales price ranged from $98,900 (a 432 sq.ft bank-owned house) in North Long Beach to a sale for $3.8 million for a 3600+ sq.ft house on The Peninsula.  The average selling price in Long Beach for this time period was $443,772 for a 3 bedroom, 1.75 bath house between 1400-1500 sq. ft.  All cash purchases accounted for 122 of the total, or 24% of all houses sold.

• Of these homes, 18 out of the 503 houses sold for over $1,000,000 (a small percentage of all Long Beach houses), or 4%
• There were 364 houses selling under $500,000, or 72% of the total
• There were 265 houses selling under $400,000, or 53% of the total
• There were 121 houses selling between $501,000 and $999,999, or 24% of the total.

In other words, more than half of the selling activity took place at the price range under $400,000, and 88 of those purchases were by all-cash buyers, or 33% of the total number of purchases for houses sold under $400,000.  This means 72%, the vast majority, of the all-cash activity is in the lowest price range for the city. 

This is a paradise for certain sellers, and a big challenge for buyers, especially for the 1st time buyers and/or 2nd home buyers because under $400,000 is their most affordable market.  (And even though Long Beach is very competitive due to its location, some buyers are looking further south in San Diego area for lower prices.)

Cash buyers often attempt to buy at a much lower price, thinking the seller will be thrilled with them because the transaction does not require a lender or an appraisal, but often they come in very low, or much lower than what is attractive to the seller. So those offers don't always work, at least not at first. And are some sellers being unrealistic about their asking price? In some cases, yes, depending on other factors such as condition, upgrades, permitted square footage, and nearby comparables, but that is something to determine on a case-by-case basis.  Overall, the market trends in many Long Beach zip codes is going up by as much as 20% compared to this time last year.

A buyer's best protection is to be totally pre-approved with a solid pre-approval where the lender has not only their income and debt information, but their tax returns have been thoroughly reviewed as well (if possible, submitting to underwriting in advance can give additional assurance for a pre-approval).  I'm amazed at how often I hear from a hopeful property buyer who tells me they know they're well-qualified, "getting a loan will not be a problem."  If it's not a problem, do it now.  Buyers, sellers want to find out what a good loan source has to say about your loan qualifications or that your statement shows you have all the cash ready-- your own personal opinions simply will not carry much weight when you submit an offer. It is essential to accomplish this step PRIOR to looking at properties so that the seller knows qualified buyers are viewing their home. 

Please contact me for an estimate of your buying costs--I can help you with different down payment scenarios to show you what your monthly payment could be.

 

 

 

What Are Some of the California Tenant/Landlord Rules About Pets In HOAs?

If you live in a homeowner association in particular, questions may have come up about the presence (or not) of pets when leasing property:

California passed new pet laws effective in 2000 for homeowner association owners, allowing a minimum of one dog, cat, fish, or bird (simply speaking) per owner.  The homeowner association is allowed to set further rules concerning size, number of pets above one, and other rules including the presence of animals in the common area, or animal behaviors, as long as they don't conflict with state law.

So what does this mean for tenants who are renting in a homeowner association, because the pet laws for owners do not necessarily apply towards tenants, the exception to many of the following rules being if the tenant is disabled and requires a certain service animal under "reasonable accommodation" rules.

• A landlord may ban pets in a lease; the law allowing pets in an HOA concerns owners, not their tenants.
• A landlord can restrict breeds or types of pets.
• A larger deposit may be charged if a pet is allowed, but the total deposit must comply with California's rules about maximum security deposits.
• If allowed in a homeowner association, the pet provisions will apply concerning any rules such as cleaning up pet waste in the common area, being leashed in the common area, or areas where pets may be allowed or prohibited such as pools or other recreation areas.
• If, for example, a dog bites or harms the postal worker who is on the property delivering mail, the dog's owner will be responsible for his/her pet, and the property owner could also have some responsibility depending on the circumstances involved.
• A landlord/tenant lease can require the tenant to obtain renter's insurance to cover pets on the premises.

For more detailed information, please contact me via phone or e-mail to be sent a more detailed summary prepared through California Association of Realtors about landlord/tenant pet laws and how they might affect you, whether you are or will be a landlord, tenant, or someone who may want to know more about service animals in this situation.

Tighter Lending Standards Are Making Home Sales More Difficult

Long Beach housing inventory/end of 2012

Although much is being said about the housing recovery, the fact is that mortgage loans are much tougher to get than in years past.

• It's just recently come out that some lenders are loosening up the requirement for equity (30% or more) for owners wanting to keep their current homes, but then, a lot of property owners just getting into the market didn't know about that rule in the first place.  It's one of the many things making it difficult for people to move on, because even if they otherwise qualify for a new mortgage, their property doesn't. 
• Another issue is FICO scores.  Higher than ever scores are being demanded of the "average" buyer and this has impacted the market to the extent that, per Laurie Maggiano of the U.S. Treasury's Homeowner Preservation Office, between 2007 and 2012, new home purchases dropped 30% for those with a FICO score over 780.  In that same period of time, new home sales dropped 90% for borrowers with a FICO score between 620 and 680. "Where are these folks supposed to live?" asked Maggiano.  (At one time, a FICO score of 700 or higher was considered very good for a borrower.)
• And then again, specific lenders have their own overlay of loan requirements.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may accept FICO credit scores as low as 620, and FHA will approve applications with scores as low as 580, yet investors for the loans may require FICOs at least 60 points

Home Projects in Los Angeles area: Cost vs. Value



10 Remodel Projects



It's that time of year when homeowners might be thinking of making some improvements.  Or, if you're buying a home this year, you'd like to know what your best improvement might be to fix up a new home.

Remodeling Magazine 2013 report breaks down project costs and returns by geographic area.

For the Los Angeles area, a steel entry door replacement offers one of the highest returns on cost--not everyone wants one for their front door, however.  Perhaps that won't fit in with the local guidelines if you live in a historic district, but you definitely would want one if you have an attached garage with a direct entry into the house for local fire code reasons.

Outdoor decks and garage door replacements are the next high value return projects. Garage doors especially when the garage is attached to the house affect the appearance of your home greatly.

Vinyl or wood window replacements are high on the list of return as well, especially when offering dual-paned inserts.

Interestingly, bathroom remodels and bathroom additions are between 50% and 65% return on value, yet when shopping for a home, updated bathrooms and kitchens are quite significant for most buyers.

All 2013 projects have increased in return on value since 2011, click here for the entire list of projects.

Long Beach is Among the Top 10 Markets in the Country

Homes Along Alamitos Bay, Long Beach

The top 10 markets in the country right now are ranked as follows, according to Michael Sklarz, principal of Collateral Analytics and contributing author to Home Value Forecast :

Top Markets

1. Boston-Quincy, Massachusetts
2. Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, Massachusetts
3. Indianapolis-Carmel, Indiana
4. Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, California
5. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California
6. Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina
7. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California
8. Wichita, Kansas
9. Colorado Springs, Colorado
10. San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas

The high end markets in the Bay Area and around Los Angeles are showing stronger price growth compared to lower priced markets. The buyer profile shows lower loan-to-value mortgages, and are affected less by the current tight underwriting circumstances.   Manhattan Beach has seen prices rise to all-time highs; Los Angeles County may be in the early stages of an upward price cycle.  These markets were included in the top 10  "based on factors such as sales/listing activity and prices, months of remaining inventory (MRI), days on market (DOM), sold-to-list price ratio, and foreclosure and REO activity."

Is this a permanent situation? A company called Radar Logic says that the current rise in prices is unsustainable, and that the entry of so many investors with all-cash may actually be dampening growth, and that this situation will not last with even growth into the future for some time to come.  Diminishing inventories have helped fuel sudden price growth, and "Corporate investors were most active during November in hard-hit markets. In fact, half of all corporate purchases took place in just five markets-ones considered especially affected by the housing crisis. Those markets include Miami, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Las Vegas," areas where investors paid 25% more in November, 2012 than the same time the previous year.

How Much Can Be Saved With a 15-Year Mortgage Payment?

15 year loan vs. 30 year loan payments

A 15-year loan mortgage payment is not what all buyers can afford, but lower rates are making them very attractive for those consumers who have the ability to make the higher payments.

The 15-year mortgage accounted for nearly a third of all refinanced loans in the first 7 months of 2012, compared to 2007 when they made up just 8.5%.   And the California Association of Realtors reports that "statistics from the Mortgage Bankers Association show that a 15-year loan accounted for 23 percent of refinancing applications in November of last year."

Not only are the long term interest savings for a new purchase evident in the chart to the right, some owners could also actually reduce their current 30-year payment depending on when they took out their existing mortgage:

". . . a couple who signed up for a 30-year $300,000 mortgage in January 2004 with a 5.75% fixed rate would have a roughly $1,751 monthly payment. By refinancing the remaining balance of about $255,828 into a 15-year fixed rate loan at 2.81%, the new monthly payment would be slightly lower at almost $1,744."



Another advantage is that equity is built into the home faster with a short term loan.  Don't miss the opportunity to take advantage of today's lower interest rates if you possibly can!



Are You a California Owner of A Timeshare Property? Beware of Fraud

Timeshares . . . can be a flexible vacation option for many people.  It's a form of property ownership shared with other owners, usually for resort condominiums and vacation home purposes, and can often be utilized in various states and even countries, and offer cheaper accommodations than staying in a hotel or B&B for a week.  The downside is, timeshare ownership may be tough to sell in a down market; there just isn't a huge demand for it when money is tight and/or the market values have declined.

The California Department of Real Estate has just issued a warning and consumer alert concerning the latest wire transfer fraud schemes being perpetrated on timeshare owners. 

Beware of websites, or any other marketers, promising and to buy or help you sell or rent a timeshare, after an upfront fee is paid.  Scammers are requesting payment by money order, wire transfer, bank cashier's check, or upfront cash by the victim, after which they disappear and no further sale or rental of the timeshare takes place.  Vacation timeshares are popular in California, Hawaii and Florida, but properties owned in Mexico are popular targets right now, so avoid dealing with telephone calls or e-mails.

Do not fall for something that sounds "too good to be true", and the DRE advises the owner to contact the timeshare resort developer concerning the communications he/she may be receiving.  The DRE states that amounts wired by gullible owners range from $3250 to $85,000.

Beware of any requests for upfront money to be wired to anyone's account for work not yet done!

Here is more information about who to contact and what you can do if you have been scammed (i.e., the California Attorney General; local district attorney and law enforcement; FTC; FBI, and others.

And, please be aware that in California, proper licensure for upfront fee payment must be obtained.

Please don't let yourself be taken in by fraudulent schemes.

Buying or Renting--What's Best for You?

What should buyers be considering BEFORE they buy?  Looking on the internet gets people into the initial stage of exposure, before they even call a REALTOR.   Most people think the property viewing stage is fun, both on the internet and in person, and it should be enjoyable.  But what about the advance homework?  Internet photos and marketing can get you hooked, but it can also be a nervous, even fearful time, coming to the decision to submit an offer when you're new to the process. Even if you're a repeat buyer, buyer's remorse or indecision will have far less impact if you think over some things in advance, and consider now what your fears may be (it's not unusual to have a few).

Sticker Shock:  Renting might be cheaper than owning -- do you have a mortgage pre-approval with estimated costs before you go out and look?

Home Maintenance: Are you prepared to spend time on painting, fixing leaks (or hiring someone), mowing a lawn, saving up for a new roof? Do you know how much it will cost to heat that pool every month--or just keep it clean? And then there's annual insurance premiums.  Just some of the things to think about.

Have you checked out all utility bill costs for a house vs. your one-bedroom apartment? It would be a smart thing to do now. 

Being a Buyer In An All-Cash Competition

I hear from buyers who put in offer after offer, but don't get the house because of losing out to the all-cash buyer or mostly cash buyer. 

What does such a buyer need to do?  First of all, be prepared to be persistent, and persevere. Next, be totally pre-approved with a good lender.  Know the difference between the average "pre-qualification" letter and a good pre-approval letter from a reputable lender with a local track record and who can close on time, and not surprise you with last-minute underwriting issues that could have been avoided up front.  A good REALTOR can be of tremendous assistance here by pointing you in the right direction, not only with all buyer preparation for an offer, but with the local market. See how quickly you can close, and be willing to negotiate with the seller on some extra days to accommodate their moving date. Be prepared to provide all necessary documentation at the time you submit your offer, sellers want to know they can close the deal with motivated and qualified buyers, not get stuck putting the house back on the market again.

Keep in mind that cash buyers may not offer a seller the most attractive offer, and that a good price from a well-qualified buyer who is getting a loan may stand a very good chance with a motivated seller.  Keep your offer terms clear and simple, and bear in mind that trying to change your contract terms after acceptance by the seller could cause them to cancel and go with one of their backup offers.

Let the seller know you are very interested in their property as your next home (presumably you are), and tell them that when you make an offer.

Last, but not least, review the 10 items to the right to remind you about being a successful buyer! I'm experienced with both 1st time and repeat buyers and can help you position yourself towards success for your next purchase, contact me at 562-896-2609.