How Many Properties Under $300,000 in Long Beach?



Ocean Blvd Condo

Today, the Southern California MLS (combined with CARETS) shows 631 properties in all areas of Long Beach. This is more than June, 2009 (431) and less than December, 2008 (737).

There are 269 single family homes of which 38 are bank-owned and 136 are short sales, the majority are in North Long Beach.  There are 340 condos under $300k,  of which 48 are bank-owned and 182 are listed as short sales. There are 13 co-ops, 4 require short sale approval and 1 is lender-owned. There are only 9 OYOs, probably because many have converted to condominium status in recent years--only 1 requires short sale approval and none are listed as bank-owned.

From these 4 categories, it's clear that short sales constitute nearly 50% of the market in this price range, while bank-owned properties, while bank-owned properties are about 14% of this category in Long Beach.

If you the buyer submits an offer on a short sale, know that they require patience and the ability to wait. The seller wants to avoid a foreclosure, and can usually only do so by obtaining short sale approval from the bank, and counting on the buyer to stick around for the entire process. Buyers should understand all of the short sale addendum terms, and be clear about the waiting period you've agreed to--if there is no waiting period (number of days) inserted in the addendum, that means you're committed to waiting until either the bank says it's not approved, or the bank says it's approved--whichever is longer. In other words, agree to 90 days and if there's no approval by that time, then it's safe to cancel and move on. A 30-day escrow including bank approval would not be realistic for almost all properties.

This is the affordable range for many people, and it also attractors investors who have a lot of cash. Some properties give a 10-day period for owner-occupants to make offers, another reason why the buyer should be prepared in advance with loan approval and funds documentation to be ready to make that offer, assuming it's the property you want. Otherwise, try to find a property being sold by an equity seller.

The future will continue to feature distressed properties in one form or another: "Sales of distressed properties are set to peak in 2011 at 2.3 million transactions before falling to more normal levels at 850,000 in 2016, according to a report from John Burns Real Estate Consulting."  Does that mean prices will continue to fall? It all depends . . . on the area and local real estate. That's why you should keep up with prices in the area of your interest, and stay in touch with a good lender and a good Realtor who can keep you updated on recent sale prices, interest rates and current lending guidelines (which can change every few months or every few weeks).

Nearby cities of Cerritos, Lakewood and Signal Hill also have properties, ranging in number from 22-27 each, under $300,000--the vast majority are condominiums with a small sprinkling of houses. Norwalk, however, has 200 properties, the majority being single family homes, so this is another area of opportunity for those willing to live a little further inland.
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