Crescent City Real Estate News

Can You Find the Silver Lining in the Current Real Estate Market?

I have recently been accused of being overly negative regarding the real estate market.  I have reflected on that statement and would say that may be true.  While there certainly is a lot to be negative about, there is a silver lining and that silver lining has been keeping me very busy and away from blogging for the last few months.

First of all, I do not claim to be an expert in any market other than Del Norte County, but in that regard, I definitely will make the claim that I am an expert.  To my knowledge, I am the only agent who consistently puts out market reports and follows the trends as closely as I do.  I do this mostly because I like statistics and I love real estate and the two make quite the handsome couple, in fact they were made for each other.

My market is a very small one in comparison to most in California.  Our little county is nestled between the redwoods, the ocean, Siskiyou National Forest, and the Oregon border.  Our population is only 29,000 for the entire county.    Yes, we are small, but mighty.

Not only am I an expert on this market, but on being a home seller in this market.  It can be tough if you are in the upper end market.  If you don't know why being an upper-end home seller is tough in our current economy (I'm talking nationally now), then you live in a cave, don't read the paper, listen to the news or have the internet and probably don't want a big long explanation. 

The upper-end market enjoyed a decade of strong growth in home equity.  While all us homeowners were enjoying the market heading up, the sky's the limit, etc., there were a whole lot of folks that lost any hope of ever owning a home in a state that had a median price of $650,000 just about 4-5 years ago.  That priced a whole lot of people out of the market, seemingly forever. 

Now, it's their time.  Those who never thought they could own a home, suddenly have homes in their price range and not just a few, heck lot's of homes.  There are even loan programs to help first time home buyers out.  I had three closings last week and two were first time home buyers who were thrilled to live the American Dream of home ownership.   I am writing many offers for first time home buyers, but also another group of folks as well.  Investors and second home buyers with cash.  Most of the second home buyers are baby boomers near or at retirement who want to faze out of the big city life and come to Del Norte to enjoy a slower paced lifestyle.  The investors with cash are coming to enjoy the deals we have on pricing in our county and to get their money out of banks that are paying a pittance of a return on their deposits. 

So, I found the silver lining and have shared it with you.  It's my privilege to assist all my clients in their home purchase and the sale of their home, but to see a first time home buyer, who had lost all hope of the dream of home ownership move into their first home...well it's my honor to have assisted. 

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Video - Housing Outlook for 2011

I know from reading blogs from agents in other markets that not all real estate markets are experiencing the same issues right now.  My market, Del Norte County, is a textbook example of what Cliff Rossi is discussing in this video, large inventory, declining prices, large foreclosure and short sale inventory, long days on market for upper end inventory, etc.  I agree with his assessment of what we can expect in 2011 for sales in Del Norte County and yes, it is definitely a buyers market.

 

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Crescent City/Del Norte County Real Estate Market Report - November 2010

Crescent City/Del Norte County Real Estate Market Report - November 2010 is Slooooooowwww.5375 South Bank Road, Crescent City, CA

I'm really looking forwward to the day when I can say something encouraging for owner/seller's about our real estate market.  It's still a buyers market with low interest rates, declining home prices and motivated seller's.  It won't improve much for sellers until prices stabilize.

There were eight sales in our tiny market for the month of November.  The median price, $120,000 with a long DOM (day on market) of 140 days.  Four of the eight homes that sold were foreclosures, in fact the highest priced home to sell for the month at $243,000, was a foreclosure with an ocean view off Pebble Beach Drive. 

The California Association of REALTOR's latest issue of Real Estate magazine has an article, "That was then, this is now," that has some interesting statistics and predictions for the coming year.

  • Anxiety about jobs and a sharp drop iin home sales created fears of a double-dip recession by mid-2010...no double dip, however it may be too soon for a substantive economic recovery in 2011. 

  • Statewide unemployment averages 12.2% for the year...Unemployment should remain in double-digits until Q4 2012, according to a UCLA forecast...Del Norte County's unemployment is higher than the statewide average.

  • Interest rates were at a low of 4.32% in September 2010...NAR's chief economist says mortgage rates could rise to 5.7% in 2011 and as high as 6.2% in 2012.

  • 2010 was a banner year for buyers...not for sellers, though. 2011 will still be a buyers market for those with a stable job. Seller's will still face tough price competition from short sales and foreclosures.

  • 2010 sales - 492,000 units...projected for 2011 - 502,000 units.

  • Housing Affordability index 2010: 48%...46% for 2011.

  • Any additional stimulus efforts, such as President Obama's $814 billion economic stimulus package will come under heavy scrutiny by Congress and taxpayers.

  • Will state and federal tax credits come back?  Unlikely...our country does not have the funding, however we spent 3 trillion in the last 2 days bailing out the Euro.  Maybe we should all move to Europe.

  • More than half of loan modifications done thus far have defaulted after the modification. Look for alternative to modification such as banks being encouraged by to "write down" the loan balance.

  • The Dodd-Frank bill attempts to regulate banking and finance. Does anyone have any faith in our government to regulate anything at this point?

  • According to CAR, Investors are driving the recovery and Del Norte County MLS stats bear that out.

  • In 2010, sellers received an average of $35,000 on the sale of their home-a record low. This explains why the trade up market continues to languish (upper end home sales).

  • 30% of sellers sold at a loss.

My personal experience, foreclosures are increasing in our market.  At this time last year we had less than 20 REO/short sale listings and as of today we have more than 40, which is almost 20% of the listings.  As long as short sales and foreclosures are a driving force in the market, prices will continue to decline increasing the risk of even more strapped homeowner's walking away (strategic foreclosure) from their homes.

Hang in for a bumpy 2011 and if you have money to invest in real estate, now is the time.

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Crescent City/Del Norte County Real Estate Market Report - October 2010

Crescent City/Del Norte County real estate market report for October, 2010...no surprises.Fran Gatti is a certified REO Dfault Professional

There were 13 homes sold for the month of October 2010 with a median price of $84,000.  The median price for the same time period 2009 was $160,000, which means prices have declined 52% since this time last year, ouch.  I doubt this comes as a surprise to anyone who has been faithfully reading my market reports and keeping up with the news. 

There are 277 active residential listings, down a bit from last month. I expect the decline in listings to continue the normal seasonal descent until February.  The Del Norte County real estate market has an absorption rate of approximately 21 months (the absorption rate is the rate it would take to sell all current inventory and the current rate of sales--13). 

As I have been reporting each month since May or so, the upper-end market is taking a beating.  Why?  Upper-end homes are usually purchased by move-up buyers who generally need to sell in order to buy.  You see the problem now?  According to MSN money, 1 in 6 homeowners are under water (have no equity in their home). This should come as no surprise to anyone unless you live in a cave and haven't been listening to the news for the last several years. 

There are roughly 7 million homes in the shadow inventory in foreclosure land and as these homes continue to be released into the housing market, prices will continue their downward spiral.  There's no getting around it, when a foreclosure hits the market it is usually at below market price and it negatively effects every home in the neighborhood. 

There are other considerations that hurt the upper-end market, such as how difficult it is to get a loan right now.  I don't care how perfect your credit score is and how straight your row of ducks may be, the bank is going to find a reason to decline the loan somewhere in the process.  Why would a bank want to loan on a home that will more than likely be "underwater" next year and might be the victim of a "strategic default"? 

What is selling right now?  Homes in the lower price ranges and REO's are at the top of the list.  Of course there are still going to be people looking at upper-end homes, but that segment of the market is small.

If you have an upper-end home, hang in there and work with your REALTOR to make sure your home is competitively priced.

Have a wonderful month and give me a call if you would like to discuss the real estate market.  It is my favorite subject.

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Current State of the Real Estate Market in Crescent City/Del Norte County - 9/15/10

I usually do a market report each month.  I really don't feel like doing one for August.  July had six sales, six!  August had 19 and wow, 2 of those homes sold for over $300,000 so if I do a market report, everyone will get all excited and say, "See, things are getting better."  Well, so far this month--September--4 homes have sold and the highest priced home was $92,000 and we're halfway through the month. 

EVERYDAY I get a phone call from a friend or client who can no longer afford their home and either has to do a short sale or is letting the home go to foreclosure.  There are currently 290 residential listings active on the MLS.  At the current rate of 16 sales a month for the year, we have an absorption rate of 18 months.  The absorption rate is how long it would take to sell all current inventory at the current sales rate.

42% of 2010 sales have been foreclosures, although they generally comprise about 15 to 20% of the listings. REO's (foreclosures) are usually listed below market price and fly off the shelf.  To compete, neighboring homes that are for sale need to be priced competitively, not something very many homeowner's want to do...compete with a bank trying to unload a home in 30 days or less.  It can be distressing for a home seller located right next door to a foreclosure. 

As a rule, foreclosure listings are not in too good of shape giving the owner/occupant home seller the advantage of having a turn key home for sale for the non-fixer-upper type home buyer.  This means however, your home needs to be in good shape, have some plants out front, good curb appeal, clean inside and smell nice; in other words, move-in ready.  That is the advantage a home seller is going to have over most banks who want to sell "as is," whenever possible. 

If you are a homeowner who needs to sell but you are upside down in your equity, your home is worth less than you owe, then you may want to consider a short sale.  It is still a ding on your credit, but the word on the street is that a short sale adversely affects your credit for 2 years, at least in getting another Fannie or Freddie loan, versus 7 years for homeowners with a foreclosure on the credit record. 

One more thing, if any readers know of anyone who has successfully completed a loan modification would you please say so in the comments of this blog.  I don't know anyone personally who has made it through that mine field. In fact the folks I know who are in the process have been stuck in "loan mod hell" for over a year so it would be good to hear if there are actually people who exist, real people, not fake names the bank makes up, that can vouch for the loan mod process.

Homeowners in other areas of California would love to be able to say their home has "only" dropped 35% in value, however if you take into account the largest employer in Del Norte County has cut the largest pool of homeowners wages by 15 to 25%, it makes for stressful times for a whole lot of people. 

Go out and vote in November!

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Encouraging News for Crescent City/Del Norte County Home Sellers

1385 Sandmann, Crescent City, CAEncouraging news for Crescent City/Del Norte County home sellers -

I figured my readers could use some encouraging news after my July market report, so here it is, sales for the first week of August have already surpassed July's sales!  Yippee.

There have been four closings so far in August and I have two this week which puts us over the five residential closings for July, thank goodness. 

More encouraging news:

  • There are 9 contingency sales
  • There are 16 pending sales

Many of these sales are scheduled to close this month which should make my August market report a positive experience...at least more so than July's.

  • Median price of open escrows - $139,000
  • Average price - $160,284

Keep up-to-date with the Del Norte County real estate market by bookmarking www.FransBlog.com.

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Crescent City/Del Norte County Real Estate Market Report - July 2010

930 Cessna, Crescent City, CA  95531Crescent City/Del Norte County real estate market report for July, 2010...Ouch!

The market report for July is fairly depressing with only 5 sales all month. 

The highest priced sale was $237,000 for a home on 1.53 acres, three REO's (foreclosures) sold and a mobile in a park for $8000. 

I checked my search 3 times to make sure I was not in error.  5 sales is abysmal for winter months sales, but in July!!!!  Ouch.

Here are the market stats for July:

  • Median price sold - $105,000
  • Average price sold - $121,600
  • Average days on market - 159

Another trend that is hard to miss is the upper end market, especially homes on Pebble Beach Drive, one of the premier neighborhoods in Del Norte County for its outstanding views.  There are currently 13 homes listed for sale on this street that is about a mile long.  What makes this particularly noteworthy is that there are still homes on Pebble Beach priced over $1,000,000, which seems out of line with what is happening in the market.

There are  currently 309 active residential listings, 33% of those listings are priced over $300,000, however they only comprise 9% of sales so far in 2010. 

  • 98 active listings over $300,000 or 32% of listings
  • Sales over $300,000 comprise 9% of sales for 2010
  • Sales between $200,000 and $299,000 comprise 23% of sales
  • 67% of sales so far in 2010 are homes priced under $200,000 approximately 40% of those sales were foreclosures
  • At the current rate of 5 sales a month, it would take 5 years to sell all current inventory

What does it all mean? Here is a post I wrote recently that sums it up,  Home prices are not expected to bounce back anytime soon.  It is a tough time to be a seller.  It is difficult to see your homes value plummet, especially if you have to sell.  Del Norte County prices have declined 32% over 2006 prices, which is better than the rest of the state, but still a hard pill to swallow, especially if you purchased in 2005-2006 at the height of the market.  The end of the federal tax credit and more stringent lending standards are both contributors to July's 74% drop in sales from June.

There are still buyers in the market and they are looking for a deal.  Sellers who price their homes competitively should still be able to find a buyer. 

If I was limited to only one suggestion to a buyer or seller in this market, the most important factor is to choose your real estate agent wisely. Not every agent works full time, knows how to write offers that involve seller contributions and will stay on top of all the support people who make a transaction successful. 

Call me if you have real estate needs in Del Norte County and thank you for stopping by my blog. 

As of today, no one has sold more listings or represented more buyers in Del Norte County for 2009 and 2010 than Fran.  Why? Fran works full time, knows her market and handles every aspect of each transaction as if it were her personal purchase.  Fran's focus is to make sure your escrow closes instead of crashes.  Put Fran's experience to work for you.

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Crescent City/Del Norte County Real Estate Market Report - June 2010

140 Blueberry Lane, Crescent CityCrescent City/Del Norte County Market Report for June 2010 - Encouragement for sellers

I'm going to write an encouraging market report for a change.  Don't get overly excited, however...

The median price was still low at $145,000 for residential listings sold in Del Norte County for June, however, there were 19 sales, the most in one month so far this year and two sales over $300,000, one for $435,000 and the other for $356,000 (an REO).  The home that sold for $435,000 has an ocean view and sold for $115 a square foot, down from the high of a few years ago when ocean view properties were selling in the upper $200's a square foot. 

It shouldn't come as a shock that the Del Norte County real estate market has declined 40% since the high in 2006 and continues it descent.  Sorry I forgot I was writing an encouraging report.

There are currently 291 active residential listings on the market.  At the current rate of 19 sales a month, we have an absorption rate of 15 months, down from the high of 22 months.  If you are selling your home, that should be encouraging. 

However, you knew a "however" was coming, four of those 19 June sales were REO's and 2 were short sales.  These types of sales continue to add to declining home values along with financing that is very difficult to obtain and economic hardships being felt in every sector, including Del Norte County's largest employers, the State of California as well as other government entities.  Employees are getting squeezed at every turn right now, expect one, home prices if you're a buyer! 

Homes in the under $200,000 range are selling at a brisk pace, 74% of June sales, giving first time home buyers a chance at the American dream and investor's a better return on their money than they can get in most venues.  Del Norte County's median price is $229,000. 

Give me a call if you are trying to sell your home, are thinking about selling your home or want to purchase a home.  I am happy to discuss current trends in the Del Norte County real estate market and how you can meet your real estate goals in the current market, even if you need to sell. 

Fran has sold 9.06 of the volume so far in 2010 (next closest agent has sold 6.71), more than any other agent and has sold more listings than any other agent.  Fran attributes this to knowing the Del Norte County real estate market and working full time, being accessible to her clients 40+ hours a week.  Give her a call to reach your real estate goals, even in this market!

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Crescent City/Del Norte County Real Estate Market Report - May 2010

Crescent City/Del Norte County Real Estate Market Report - May 2010580 Keller, Crescent City, CA

Number of residential sales improved over April 2010 and May 2009 sales, however the median price has dropped 21% from the May 2009 median of $180,000. 

The effect of foreclosures, declining prices, can not be denied. REO (foreclosure) sales comprised 56% of May 2010 sales and 37% of sales so far for 2010.

Upper end sales continue to remain stagnant with only two homes closing in May over $300k and one of those sales was an REO.  So far in 2010 homes $300,000 and over were 11% of total residential sales.

What does it mean?  It's a buyers market and there aren't a lot of buyers.  The buyers that are out there are experiencing a difficult time getting pre-approved (even with the best of credit) and escrows are taking longer than usual to close, upwards of 60 days or more, as well as having to overcome many hurdles along the way, appraisals just to name one

If you must sell at this point in time, your home needs to be priced competitively for your price range.  Buyers who do make it successfully through the mine field of pre-qualification expect nothing less than an all out bargain.  If you don't have the stomach for that, you best wait until the market picks up a bit for sellers.  That may be awhile though and prices, in my humble opinion, are going to continue to decline so you better take that into consideration.

I work with quite a few asset managers, the folks banks contract with to liquidate their foreclosures, and they all agree that we have not yet seen even half of the foreclosure inventory hit the market.  Banks seem to be holding onto a great deal of inventory for whatever reason and when these homes do enter the market, they will have a negative effect on home values in their neighborhoods. 

Here is the market at a glance for May, 2010:

  • May 2010 median price - $142,500, median price for May 2009 - $180,000
  • May average price - $162,306
  • Average days on market - 156
  • 2 homes sold over $300,000, one of those was an REO
  • 56% of May's sales were REO's
  • 37% of all 2010 residential sales were REO's
  • 2010 average sale - $169,689
  • 2010 median sale - $161,000
  • 2010 average days on market - 177

If you have questions about pricing your home in this market, please give me a call.  I would be happy to give you current market data for competitively pricing your home.

I have sold more homes, both in volume and number of sales so far in 2010 than any other agent in my market.  The reason, I work full-time, market my properties extensively on the internet and return prospective buyers phone calls and emails quickly.  My goal is to give the best customer service available in Del Norte County.  Please give me a call with your Del Norte County real estate questions.

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS

Del Norte County Market Observations - April 20, 2010

Del Norte County Market Observations - April 20, 2010

I haven't been blogging too much in 2010, the reason?  My REO business is increasing along with my regular listings and it's keeping me busy, but I still have time to watch the market closely and I have noticed some trends that may be helpful for buyers and sellers in this market.

My first observation for our current market:311 Bay Meadows, Crescent City

  • The shift seems to be from homeowner REO's to investor REO's - The majority of the REO listings I had in 2009 were owner occupant, but I would say 90% so far this year have been investor owned and the tenant didn't know a thing until the very end when I showed up to offer Cash For Keys.  I have also noticed that many investor's have more than one home, bringing several REO's to market in a short period of time.  I expect the REO trend to continue.  I have read that many experts feel we have only seen 35% of the anticipated foreclosures hit the market. 

Bringing us to observation number 2:

  • Prices are falling- The Beresa tract of homes would be a good example.  Prices at the height of the market in 2005 were in the mid to high 200k range.  Homes have fallen in price over 50% since that time and continue to do so.  I have an REO listing in that tract for $114,900 and two more coming up within the next few weeks. I expect those prices to be at the $100,000 mark.  This affects more than REO's. If you are living right next door or even a block away and want to sell your home, you have to compete. 

    Even if your home is in better condition, the REO listing is still going to effect the price of your home.  If not in the offer price, it will in the appraisal.  The appraiser will no doubt take into consideration the fact that your home is not a distressed property, but in the case of the Beresa tract and many others, the appraiser will be hard pressed to find a comparable to use in his report that is not a distressed property let alone three comparables.

With the decline in sales, new home construction in Del Norte County has slowed but thankfully, it still exists.

140 Blueberry Lane, Crescent City

Bringing me to observation number 3:

  • There are some good deals on new construction and if you hurry, you can cash in on the California tax credit for purchasers of newly built homes - This tax credit is a pool of money that is first come, first served and with a plethora of new construction all over the state, it's going fast. 


    • There are some benefits to buying new construction:

       

      • A one year warranty on workmanship
      • New appliances, water heater and new everything that all comes with warranties
      • Generally energy efficient to meet the newer guidelines for construction
      • Two brand new subdivisions: Redwood West and Bay Meadows

Observation number 4:

The decline in prices has brought homeownership to buyers who have been priced out of the market for years, and, we have financing for them!

  • All of Del Norte County meets the criteria for rural housing, making the GRH rural housing loan program one of our major financing programs for low to moderate income folks.  Yippee to this.  I personally enjoy handing the keys to first time home buyers, especially buyers who never thought they could purchase. 

 

  • Consider that the median home price for homes sold so far in April is $101,000, the range for first time home buyers.  I know I've handed keys to several first time home buyers in the past few months.  Also consider 50% of sales this month have been REO's.  Guess who is snapping them up? 

175 Douglas Park

Bringing us to observation number 5:

  • It's a great time for the investor to purchase - Rents are increasing due to low supply of rentals and increased demand.  Investors are tired of getting 1% on their money and are pouring money into the real estate market to cash in on the great deals that the first time home buyers are enjoying.

 

  • Homes in the lower price ranges are experiencing multiple offers and bidding wars in many cases (if they are priced right).  This is something that should catch the attention of sellers in every price range.

Concluding with observation number 6:

  • It's tough to sell an upper end home right now - So far this year only three homes have sold in the $300k price range and no residential listings have sold over $368,000.  If you want to attract buyers in the upper end price range, you must have the most competitively priced home in your price range.  There are very few buyers and plenty of listings, so get your game face on and be ready to compete for those buyers by offering an incentive such as paying a % of buyers closing costs. 

Six parcels of land, two commercial listings and the first multi-family sale in over a year round out the activity for sales so far in 2010. 

The real estate market is still moving in Del Norte County, however, lower-end, extremely affordable homes are what is driving the market at this point.  If you are a buyer, you must be pre-approved with letter in hand to compete for listings in this price range.  Asset managers who handle negotiation's for bank owned properties will not even look at an offer unless the buyer has either their proof of funds or pre-approval letter and if you are a seller, get ready to make your home sparkle and list at a competitive price to sell in a timely manner.

I am happy to answer any of your questions pertaining to Del Norte County real estate.

 DelNorteCountyREOForSale.com  &  REOAgent95531.com

GOOGLE ME

Crescent City Custom Home Listings  Crescent City Luxury Home listings  Crescent City listings under $300k  Crescent City foreclosure listings  Search the Crescent City MLS

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments on this post are welcomed and appreciated.
No one sold more homes in Del Norte County in 2009 and 2010--*both in number and volume--than Fran Gatti. Put Fran to work for you!

 

 Fran Gatti

Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  REMAX
No one works harder for you! 
Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162
Email: frangatti@remax.net
Website: FranGatti.com
My Blog: Fran's Blog
RDCPro®, CDPE®
CA lic 01723796

*PER CCMLS