Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos …

We know that the market is very localized, and that even within a City the market is markedly different from low-end to high-end, from an area to an other, and of course whether it is a house or a condominium.
How does it look all combined??

This is the way the market looks for these 3 Cities combined, houses and condominiums and townhouses, all together, over the past 2 and a half years.

Some will describe it as “definitely hesitant”,

Some will say it is “getting better”,

Others will say that the worse was in mid 09.

It is difficult to interpret such graphs because a low average price per square foot can just mean that more properties of a larger size sold that month, and the median and average price mean something different, - although the curves are fairly parallel. This is a summary of many individual stories.


But one thing is certain, the market is alive and kicking here, and in most of the Silicon Valley.

Also, let’s remember that about 35% of houses sell for over asking price in the County, and a good 30 to 35% of sales are cash sales, with no loan involved … We are fortunate.

Curious about your City, or your zip code? Let me know, I can help ;-)

Francis

Silicon Valley Real Estate

Local market trends

useful links

Remember: our Free E-Waste Collection and Shredding Event,
on: 10/22/11, Sat.  9 am to 4 pm for E-Waste Collection
10 am to 2 pm for Shredding.
address:  161 S. San Antonio Rd, Los Altos, CA 94022

KnowYourOptions.com ...

Homeowners in difficulty: KnowYourOptions.com

For homeowners who are in difficulty to make their mortgage payments or cannot refinance, there are several options other than Short Sales or letting the property be sold through the foreclosure process.

Fannie Mae has set up a website: www.knowyouroptions.com/  . That site lists the five possible options that sellers should explore with their legal and financial advisors before deciding to list their property as a Short Sale or letting it go through a foreclosure action, if the loan is owned by Fannie Mae.

This web site is all about getting informed, knowing all the possibilities available to be able to stay in your home, the options if you do have to leave your home, and how to contact a help center – if the loan is owned by Fannie Mae.

In-person and telephone support for homeowners is available in the “Mortgage Help Centers”.

These Centers have been established to help homeowners with loans owned by Fannie Mae.  At a Mortgage Help Center, one can meet directly with dedicated on-site staff and experienced housing advisors to discuss one’s mortgage situation. English and Spanish advisors are available, and all services offered by the Fannie Mae Mortgage Help Center are FREE.

Of course, hopefully this is not something that is needed...

Francis Rolland

Silicon Valley Real Estate

Local market trends

useful links

PS:  Mortgage rates: Week ending 10/06/2011:
- 30-yr. fixed: 3.94 fees/points: 0.8%
- 15-yr. fixed: 3.26 fees/points: 0.8%
- 1-yr. adjustable: 2.95% Fees/points: 0.5%
(Source: Freddie Mac)

Worth noting: our Free E-Waste Collection and Shredding Event,
on: 10/22/11, Sat.  9 am to 4 pm for E-Waste Collection
10 am to 2 pm for Shredding.
address:  161 S. San Antonio Rd, Los Altos, CA 94022

Refinancing? Current loan limits expire this week...

Current loan limits expire this week (today on Friday).

Current conforming loan limits are scheduled to expire Friday, Sept. 30. The maximum FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac conforming loan limit will decline to $625,500 beginning Oct. 1, 2011, from the current $729,750 limit, though the majority of counties will fall far below the $625,500 maximum.

The conforming loan limit determines the maximum size of a mortgage that FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) can buy or guarantee. Non-conforming or jumbo loans typically carry a higher mortgage interest rate than a conforming loan and require a higher down payment, increasing the monthly payment and negatively impacting housing affordability for California home buyers.

An estimated 30,000 people will be impacted in California by this new limit.
If you are thinking of refinancing, or a purchase, I can certainly help you choose a reliable, professional lender.

Francis Rolland
Silicon Valley real estate
Local real estate links.

►worthy to note: our next E-Waste collection and shredding event: 10/22/11
at: 161 S. San Antonio Rd, Los Altos, CA 94022.
It's easy, it's free, it's green!  Stop by for free shredding service and bring your electronic recyclables with you!  TV's, cell phones, batteries, computer stuff.... ;-)

Can you be an "accidental landlord" ?

Reading this article from Rismedia called: “sign of the times, accidental landlords”, it reminded me of several situations I have seen recently here in the Bay Area, with clients who became exactly that: an accidental landlord.

What do you do indeed when you need to move, but your property would not sell for what you bought it for?

One solution is to sell it at a loss, and recuperate this loss in the new purchase, which is going to be less expensive too; but you cannot do this as easily nowadays. It used to be that you could purchase a home and get a “bridge loan” from the house you were moving from. The bridge loan was predicated on the house being sold within 2 or 3 months. Banks did not have any problem doing this because they were pretty sure your old house would sell fairly quickly. You cannot get such a bridge loan today, and therefore you have to sell your previous house first, and then move to temporary housing and start looking for your new house. Not very convenient…

Another solution is to buy subject to the sale of your current home. This is harder to do than to say; often it means you’d have to pay more, to compensate for a weak bargaining position. It is almost impossible to do if you are looking for a desirable property, and other people want it too.

The remaining option is to rent out your previous house and purchase your new home. But there again the banks are a lot tighter with their money (hum.., your money…), and the rules are much stricter. The ideal is when you have enough income to qualify for 2 loans easily. If you are not in this ideal case, you need to show that your previous house has a tenant in place before they will lend you on your purchase. And there you go, you are an “accidental landlord”.

People do not intend to remain a landlord for long, just the time for the market to improve enough that it will make sense to sell. But actually, if you are going to have savings, it makes sense to spread them over several investment vehicles: the usual suspects are “real estate”, CD’s, bonds, stocks and cash. Over the long term, a real estate investment can be a good retirement account. But remember to check with your tax advisor: depending on your specific situation, the tax implications will not be the same.

If you think you may find yourself in such a situation, call me to discuss your options.
Thanks for reading!
Francis
http://www.frolland.com/
http://www.francisrolland.com/

Fix Ups for Property Resale

Are you a homeowner preparing your home for sale? If you are, you may want to consider these 6 real estate fix up tips. They will help you increase your chances of getting the most return at the time of sale, for a modest cost. We can often overlook the simplest things but these 6 tips will ensure that you optimize for the maximum payout.

"Money wisely spent is money wisely earned."

• Cleaning and de-cluttering - costs $290 but yields a $1,990 Return (put things in boxes, since they will end up in boxes anyway)
• Brightening - costs $375 but yields a $1,550 Return  (clean and clear windows, update light fixtures)...
• Smart staging - costs $550 but yields a $2,194 Return
• Landscaping enhancements - costs $540 but yields a $1,932 return (new flowers, nice colors, clean up...)
• Repairing electrical or plumbing - costs $535 but yields a $1,505 Return - time to repair these little things that have been left alone...

• Replacing or shampooing dirty carpets - costs $647 but yields a $1,739 Return

The yields are estimates of course, but a good indication of the results.

The ROI (return on investment) on performing these property fix ups is pretty good, so consider them closely. The time spent performing the tasks are plainly worth the effort.

The 6 home fix up tips were the result of a Home Sale Maximizer Survey released by HomeGain.com. - the result of a survey of nearly 600 real estate professionals to try to find out what pays the most. The survey was to aid home sellers in determining what to consider to prepare their homes for sale time.

Let me know, as always, how I can help!

Francis,

Silicon Valley Specialist

Local Real Estate resources

Silicon Valley Market Trends

Buyer beware! lenders need to know everything!

Buyers beware...  When applying for a loan: lenders need to know everything!

1- All funds used for the down payment and closing costs are going to be very carefully scrutinized by the lender:

• you must provide detailed and accurate information to show which accounts the funds are in and where the funds are coming from,
• you must document the source of any funds that have been in your accounts for less than 2 months,
• any changes that occur to your financial condition will need to be explained to the lender,
• changes to your assets, employment, income or credit scores during the escrow could jeopardize your ability to qualify,
• provide complete documents, - all pages!
• provide documents with names, addresses and account numbers.

2- The lender is going to require a letter of explanation and/or support documentation for:

• recent inquiries or derogatory items on your credit report,
• recent deposits, transfers of money etc... in your accounts,
• evidence earnest money deposit has cleared your account.  ... hum, they don't trust much...

3- If you are receiving Gift Funds the lender will require:

• a gift letter signed by you and the gift donor,
• evidence of the donors ability to gift the funds (bank statement),
• evidence of the receipt of the gift funds, in your account.

4- Things not to do during an escrow:

• do not transfer funds between accounts, nor make large deposits into your bank accounts,
• do not buy a car!... or spend large amounts of money on stuff..
• do not change jobs,
• do not close or open credit card accounts.

Yes, it is a real experience, to get a loan nowadays!  ;-)

For lenders referrals, do not hesitate to contact me.

Francis

Silicon Valley Real Estate

Local market trends

useful links

Why it is a good time to buy real estate...

Real estate is positioned well for the future...

From our Coldwell Banker blog...
* "Baby boomers are in their prime real estate buying years and are 78 million strong.

* The Pew Research Center reports minority homeownership levels still have room for improvement. The gaps between white and minority households remain significant with homeownership rates for Asians (59.1 percent), African-Americans (47.5 percent) and Latinos (48.9 percent) well below the 74.9 percent among whites.

* Immigrants are moving to the U.S. by the tune of 1.1-1.5 million a year depending on the source. These are legal immigrants who add value to our country and society. They need housing.

* Echo boomers will likely have similar economic impact in coming years that their baby boomers parents have had through their lives. Echo boomers are born between 1977 and 1994 and are 73 million strong and according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, 4 million turn 21 each year.

* Household formation is also an important statistic. The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University projects at least 1.25 million households will be created annually from 2010-2020 and will be led by the echo boomers.

* Between 2010 and 2020, the Census Bureau projects U.S. household growth to be in the range of 1.25 to 1.5 million per year, which will create an additional demand for housing. This should equate to a demand for 12.5 -15 million total new households during this decade.

* People move for lifestyle. There have been 4 million marriages and a record more than 8 million babies born in the last two years indicating there is demand for housing. Many of these growing families have not bought a home and are either renting or living with family as they save for a down payment. We know there is pent up demand." ....


Why is now a smart time to buy?

"I.I.I.P. Inventory, interest rates, incentives and price. In most markets around the nation, home inventory has increased giving buyers a greater choice. At the same time, mortgage rates remain at near historic lows and home prices have seemingly stabilized. 2010 saw median prices increase slightly by 0.2% to $172,900. This has made home affordability the best since at least 1973 and maybe ever."

Thanks for reading, and let me know how I can help, always!
Francis
Silicon Valley Real Estate
Los Altos Specialist

Rates:
Mortgage rates: Week ending 8/4/2011 30-yr. fixed: 4.39 fees/points: 0.8% 15-yr. fixed: 3.54 fees/points: 0.7% 1-yr. adjustable: 3.02% Fees/points: 0.5% (Source: Freddie Mac)

Valuable Appliance Longevity Report Every Home Owner Must Have

Have you ever thought about the life expectancy of your household appliances? How about the materials used to build your home? Well, if you are like many home owners today, you probably haven't given it much thought at all. I mean, who really needs to know how long the shingles on the roof are going to last, anyway, right? But, that is just the point; there are some things, you, the home owner, need to know.

Whether you are buying a home or thinking of selling your home, it is important to understand the estimated life expectancy of all your appliances and other home materials. Buying or selling a house without factoring in the cost to fix aging materials can cost you in the long run.


There are many factors involved that can age a household appliance like a refrigerator or building material such as siding.

• Weather
• Maintenance
• How an item is used.

Here are some examples depending on above factors:
• A refrigerator may last up to 13 years.
• Cooks, - your kitchen cabinets have a life expectancy of 50 years.
• Outdoor lovers, your outside deck has only a life span of 20 years.
• Vinyl Siding will last for the lifetime of the house, and
• Your wood floor will endure for 100 years. Of course, all under ideal circumstances.

The NAHB, National Association of Home Builders released a report in 2007 entitled, "Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components." They list appliances, building materials, as well as other components you may never have thought about. The comprehensive report is only 19 pages long yet boasts as a worthy read of any home owner or potential buyer.

Let me know, as always, how I can help!

Francis

Silicon Valley Specialist
Local Real Estate resources
Silicon Valley Market Trends