I Googled San Diego Real Estate this morning and saw the top rated spot was a news article from the Union Tribune, Real Estate Expert: San Diego at Leading Edge of Recovery. The Real Estate Expert they site in the article is Lawrence Yun the Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors. Yun is known for making many blunders and erroneous predictions in the past. Check out http://www.lawrenceyunwatch.blogspot.com/ for some in depth research on Yun’s other predictions and faux pas. I’m a big fan of laying all the facts out on the table for anyone buying a home in San DiegoCounty. A prediction like this headline needs to have all the facts including the ones behind the scenes.
The article Real Estate Expert: San Diego at Leading Edge of Recovery bases the recovery on rising prices and sales. Yun states that there is only a 2.5 month inventory of homes for sale and new home construction sluggish. He said that the demand is strong. In an excerpt from the article Yun confesses: “He began with a confession about how he missed the real estate bubble of 2004-06. Surely, the system had enough checks and balances to avoid a runaway market, he thought at the time. “I was clearly wrong,” he said.” My concern now is what else is Yun overlooking through assuming that others have checks and balances in place.
In the UT Article, “He also predicted that foreclosures will continue at high levels for the next 12 months because of the weak economy. But unlike last year, he said this year’s foreclosures are being snapped up in many markets, including San Diego.” The market in many areas of San Diego is saturated with many short sales. Many of the short sales have homeowners in them not making mortgage payments and in the foreclosure process while trying to short sell their home. I think the foreclosures at high levels will carry on well past 12 months. Related Blog Post : http://www.responsiblelending.org/mortgage-lending/tools-resources/new-foreclosures-by-state-for.html
Many agents and asset managers speak of the tidal wave of foreclosures that are coming. I wonder why the banks are holding back all of the foreclosures that should be on the market. If the foreclosures are being held back and not put on the market for sale then there is a false sense of inventory. They are foreclosed on or will be soon but the homes are intentionally not being made available to home buyers. Why? Maybe this is to stabilize and firm up the market. But is this real or false stabilization?
The question is by doing this is it creating another problem of false values like the bubble we just came out of. I don’t know but the information needs to be out there for potential home buyers so they have all the facts when buying. Let’s face it, when NAR says something the news and the public listens. Let’s make sure they have all the facts not just the talking points for getting buyers to buy homes.
Is this last spike in sales and home prices in San Diego due to the mass of foreclosures being held off the market and only a trickling of foreclosures being released for sale? Is there a Great Wave of foreclosures coming? Just do a Google search for REO Tsunami and you will have plenty to read.
I think it is a great time to buy a home in many areas of San Diego County in certain price ranges. I think interest rates are low and the $8,000 tax credit is a helping hand for first time homebuyers. I also think that a home buyer needs to be aware that there are many more foreclosure due to hit the market and the word on the street is that the banks are holding back many foreclosures. If you are considering a home purchase in San Diego do your homework and gather all of the facts.
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Ashlon Langley Writer and Director of The Car a 1970’s film starring James Brolin was interviewed on Shameful Cinema. I write many Blog posts about San Diego and San Diego Real Estate and after reading the Ashlon interview about this 1970 movie I thought I would deviate and write about something out of the ordinary. I like the 1970’s low budget movies without all of the special effects and outspoken actors of today’s Hollywood. Ashlon responding to a question from the interviewer Andy about the car design he said;
Ashlon: The under-cranking was reminiscent of the Adams Family and The Munsters television series, making that quality silly to me. However, the design is choice! I love that one of the confusing points for the cops in the movie is that they can’t tell what make or model the beast is. And… it has no tags! If only they could get a license plate, the bungling cops could stop all the mayhem, yeah right!
I wrote about this movie and this interview because things are also reminiscent of the 1970’s even though it’s 2009. We are now like in the early 70’s in a recession and inflation is due to rise. America has taken a hit in the pride department due to the media’s constant attack on the good things America stands for and good things the United States does for so many around the world. The 70’s brought about the 80’s and the economy started gaining ground again and Americans had a lot of good things to feel good about. Watch The Car if you can and read the Ashlon interview. It’s truly entertaining.
If you need help buying a home, condo, Bank Owned REO, Foreclosure or Short Sale in the San Diego area including Chula Vista make sure you contact us we’re your San Diego Realtor.
May 2009 - The Mortgage Reform and Anti Predatory Lending Act HR1728 passed on Thursday May 7, 2009. The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 300 to 114 and is said to protect homeowners from questionable and predatory lending practices that were partially responsible for the record home foreclosures and financial crisis.
This Mortgage Reform and Anti Predatory Lending Act sets up rules to ensure that lenders make loans that mortgage borrowers can afford to pay back. The act also bans prepayment penalties on ARMs Adjustable Rate Mortgages that are the real culprit loans in the foreclosure mess. This bill will also hold accountable the secondary mortgage market for following the same rules. One lawmaker said, “The message is simple. Lenders can’t give loans to people who can’t afford them. And borrowers have to tell the truth about their finances when they apply for a loan.” Not to be disagreeing with the administration of hope but isn’t this just common sense?
Nancy Pelosi the Democratic House Speaker said, “The simple fact is that our laws and enforcement efforts did not keep pace with the complexities of a global economy and a financial industry where the greed of some trumped common sense. Insisting on responsible borrowing and lending and ensuring that borrowers enter into mortgages they can repay or refinance will help families protect their most valuable asset — their home — and guard against another financial and housing market meltdown.” I would have to ask Nancy why she didn’t do something about it, she was a lawmaker at the time and there were many economists warning the government about this.
Many San Diego home owners and potential home buyers know the facts about the San Diego housing market and its foreclosure mess. This act, although very important for protecting potential home buyers when getting a mortgage comes in way too late. The damage is already done. I think if anyone dropped the ball it was the U.S. Government and there lack of proper legislation to protect home buyers and the greed that’s within the system itself. Isn’t that what we elect them for? It’s very interesting to see where all of the elected officials got their campaign contributions, the banks and companies now getting all of our future tax dollars in the form of a so called bailout? What a joke.
If you need help buying a home or condo in the San Diego area make sure you contact us we’re your San Diego Realtor.
There are many foreclosures because of the Foreclosure Moratorium that are waiting to be put on the market for sale by banks, asset managers and REO agents. The foreclosure moratorium here in San Diego County as well as most areas of the United States has kept homeowners in their homes through the 2008 holidays and then extended into 2009. Now that we’re well into 2009 there are many wondering why hasn’t the banks released the foreclosures. Many of them are vacant and the buyers are looking for new foreclosures to buy. In fact there are so many buyers here in San Diego they are starting to get discouraged in some San Diego markets and price ranges on the lack of inventory. There are also multiple offers on many homes sometimes exceeding 30 offers.
Some say the foreclosures are being held off the market because the banks are waiting to see if the Obama administration will subsidize the banks for their toxic assets. If that’s the case one of two things will happen the government “our tax dollars and our kids and grandkids tax dollars” will bailout the banks once again and then the foreclosures will come onto the San Diego market or the administration wont bail them out and the foreclosures will come on the market. Either way if this is the hold up let’s make a decision already because my buyers are getting real tired of waiting.
The word here in San Diego is that there are buyers galore and not enough homes for sale in some areas and some price ranges. Mostly first time home buyer price ranges. The inventory is filled with REO’s that are heavily damaged and needing lots of work or short sales with many offers and slow moving negotiators at banks. I HOPE by summer the Obama administration will CHANGE what’s going on.
If you need help buying a home or condo in the San Diego area make sure you contact us we’re your San Diego Realtor.
This $10,000 tax credit in the state of California only applies to homes that have never been occupied and purchased between the dates of March 1, 2009 and March 1, 2010. The California home buyers must also reside in the home as their primary residence for at least 2 years from close of escrow.
A qualified home buyer is:
A taxpayer who purchases a single-family residence, whether detached or attached, that has never been occupied, that is purchased to be the principal residence of the taxpayer for a minimum of two years, and that is eligible for the homeowner’s exemption under California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 218.
A qualified principal residence – new home is:
-A qualified principal residence means a single-family residence, whether detached or attached, that has never been occupied and is purchased to be the principal residence of the taxpayer for a minimum of two years and is eligible for the property tax homeowner’s exemption.
- Types of residence: Any of the following can qualify if it is your principal residence and is subject to property tax, whether real or personal property: a single family residence, a condominium, a unit in a cooperative project, a houseboat, a manufactured home, or a mobile home.
- Owner-built property: A home constructed by an owner -taxpayer is not eligible for the New Home Credit because the home has not been “purchased.”
The State of California has set aside $100,000,000 in tax credits for new home buyers. This program is on a first come first serve basis and once the allocated new home tax credit money is gone it’s over. Make sure if your California real estate agent is unfamiliar with this tax credit you let them know about it. You should also contact your accountant. Some details include that the tax credit amount is equal to either five percent of the purchase price or $10,000, whichever is less. Taxpayers must apply the total tax credit in equal parts over 3 successive taxable years which is a maximum of $3,333 per year beginning with the taxable year of when the new home is purchased. This can also be used in addition to the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit in the Stimulus Package.
If you are interested in applying you will need to:
- Do the following within 7 days of close of escrow on your New California Home.
- The seller must complete Part I of Form 3528-A which is the Application for New Home Credit and certifying that the home has never been occupied as well as provide a copy to the buyer or escrow person.
- The buyer will complete Parts II & III of Form 3528-A.
- The escrow person on behalf of the seller and buyer will fax the completed Form 3528-A to FTB at 916.845.9754, and provide a copy to the buyer.
- Fax is the only delivery method that will be accepted and considered for credit allocation by FTB, as the date and time stamp on the fax will determine the order in which credits are allocated.
- Fax only one completed application per residence with all qualified buyers listed. Do not include information on nonqualified buyers. An incomplete application may delay or prevent credit allocation.
- Do not fax the application to FTB before escrow closes.
- Do not fax the application to FTB more than once. We will process the applications in the order received as quickly as possible.
- Escrow companies should only send one application per fax transmission.
- The buyer keeps a copy of the completed Form 3528-A for their records.
- The State of California Franchise Tax Board will have a fill able Form 3528-A online soon. In the meantime, if you fill out the form by hand, please print numbers as clearly and neatly as possible using CAPITAL LETTERS and staying between the lines. The faxes can be very hard to read.
Many people hear short sales and think “shorts for sale” these are not shorts for sale in San Diego. They are short sales or selling your home short of what is owed on it to the bank.
The San Diego MLS is filled with Short Sale Homes. Many buyers think that most of the homes for sale in San Diego Foreclosures or bank owned homes. The fact is that there are many more short sales in San Diego County than there are foreclosures. When buying a short sale home in San Diego there are many things that need to be taken into consideration. Things that you will need an experienced San Diego Short Sale Realtor to help you with. There are many reasons why a short sale home can be a better option over a bank owned home.
A short sale home is a home that is listed for sale and will sell for less money than what is owed by the homeowner to the bank or mortgage company. San Diego has many short sale homes on the market and will continue to through 2009, 2010, 2011 and maybe even further down the line. If the home doesn’t sell as a short sale it will in most cases become a foreclosure and will be taken back by the bank and become an REO or Real Estate Owned on the banks books. The banks will then sell this home or hire a San Diego REO Listing Agentto sell the home as a foreclosure.
Some of the benefits of buying a short sale home over an REO are that in many cases because the homeowner still owns the home the homes are in better condition. The homeowner wants their home sold before the bank forecloses on it and in most cases will have it well kept during the short sale process and in many cases be living in it. This is not always the case but it is more likely that a San Diego Short Sale is in better condition than a San Diego REO. The process for buying a short sale is usually much longer than buying a foreclosure. There is much more negotiation and bank processing time when purchasing a short sale.
If you are considering buying a San Diego Short Sale Home make sure you contact us. We have many to show you.
If you need help buying a home or condo in the San Diego area make sure you contact us we’re your San Diego Realtor.
Do you want a list of San Diego Foreclosures? If so we can help you with that. There are thousands of foreclosures in San Diego County and the list changes every day. We thought about putting a daily San Diego foreclosure list together but then thought why not just give the San Diego foreclosure search tools to the buyers. That way a buyer looking for a foreclosure in San Diego or even the whole state of California can search foreclosures by zip code, price, size and any other possible search criteria.
This service costs us money but we feel that if a client wants to search for a foreclosure, why not give them the tools real estate experts use. Buyers then know how serious we are about helping them find a San Diego foreclosure by letting them use our expensive foreclosure analyzer tools for free. A list of foreclosures in San Diego is ineffective compared to how these tools can help you locate the perfect San Diego foreclosure. When you’re ready to buy a San Diego Foreclosure make sure you call us the San Diego Foreclosure Experts!
If you are a San Diego Border Patrol Agent buying a home in San Diego County including Chula Vista, Otay Mesa, San Ysidro and Imperial Beach make sure you call us. We have helped many Border Patrol Agents in San Diego buy a home. We appreciate all the hard work you do in San Diego County and want you to know when it comes to find a Real Estate Agent in San Diego we’re here to help. If you’re a Border Patrol Agent relocating to San Diego make sure you give us a call. We can get started right away emailing you homes for sale in San Diego and get things ready for your move to Southern California.
We have some great tools on our San Diego Real Estate Web Site to help you find your new home. We also have great maps to assist you in the location of the home to the rest of San Diego and distances to freeways. Also due to the large amounts of foreclosures in San Diego we have a San Diego Foreclosure Search Tool. If you’re in the U.S. Border Patrol and you need help buying a home or condo in the San Diego area make sure you contact us we’re your San Diego Realtors.
I’m Dawn Lewis and I’m a San Diego Realtor. You have just found the best San Diego Real Estate web site for searching for San Diego Real Estate. I hope it helps you with your San Diego home or condo search and answers questions you have about San Diego real estate. Please use the tools and features like the San Diego MLS with its great maps and community information.
My Experience:
Realtor® in San Diego Since 1989
SOLD well over 1,500 Homes
San Diego Top Producer
San Diego Relocation Expert
Top Real Estate Negotiator
San Diego New Home Sales Expert
San Diego REO Listing Agent
San Diego Foreclosure Expert
Short Sale and Foreclosure Expert
Winner of many Real Estate Awards in Sales and Customer Service
As you can see I have been a real estate agent in San Diego for quite some time. Please put my experience to work for you and give me a call today.
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