REO stands for Real Estate Owned. It is a term banks use for property they have acquired through the foreclosure process. In California the foreclosure process takes about 4 months, and is usually initiated by the bank after a monthly payment or two is delinquent. When the foreclosure sale occurs, the opening bid is what is owed to the bank, which includes the original loan plus missed payments, late charges and penalties, foreclosure costs, taxes and more. The person who wants to buy the foreclosure property at this sale auction must have all cash (or cashier’s checks). The opening bid is often more than the current market value. Usually the property goes back to the bank and becomes an REO. Generally it is then listed on the open market and competes with other properties for sale.

Whether you plan to own your house long-term, want to fix up a dump and sell it for big bucks or are just looking for a little change in your surroundings, knowing what to improve, what to gut and where to start are always challenging decisions. It is best to examine every room in the house and address either the area you frequent the most or the one that has forced your hand (How much longer can you wash the dishes in the bathtub?). The first two things you need to consider are your budget and time line.

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Whether you live in a two-bedroom cottage, a ranch-style home, a condo or a large estate, a little greenery can go a long way toward improving the image that your home projects. Think about this … according to the American Nursery & Landscape Association, landscaping can add 7% to 15% to a home’s value—and that’s true for condo and town home owners as well. Patios, fountains, decks and foliage all add value to your home, while providing you and your family with recreation areas, privacy and a peaceful environment.

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It goes without saying that the person with the ability to grant or deny access to massive amounts of cash is a critical player on your team. Here again is where your relationships can pay off.

If you have never bought anything more substantial than a winter coat, it is time to hit the pavement. To be a star flipper, you need a friendly lender in your back pocket. Local banks are your best bet, as sellers frequently frown on offers from an out-of-town institution. That is not to say that you’ll never close a deal if you choose your sister-in-law in Hawaii as your financier. However, if yours is one of multiple offers, you want to do everything you can to make it as attractive as possible.
A quick word about money: A lender will take several factors into account (primarily your income, credit score, and the price and value of the property in question) to determine how much money you are eligible to borrow.

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If selling a home is on your list of “New Year’s Resolutions,” here is a checklist of things you can do to get started:

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According to Chicago Title Company “Real Estate Market Watch” Grant Deed Recordings for Resale’s during 2007 were up 3% in the Santa Ynez Valley, but in the other North County areas  Lompoc was down 31% and Santa Maria was down 22%. It is interesting to note that on a month to month comparison from the previous year (2006) the SYV equaled or surpassed the previous year 6 times, whereas Lompoc only exceeded 1 month and Santa Maria did not exceed any.

In today’s Buyers Market – overflowing with 11 months of home inventory - you cannot afford to list your property with an agent who isn’t willing or able to invest the time and money necessary to make your home stand out above the rest. You need a competitive edge, and an agent that can provide it through an aggressive marketing campaign.

Here are 10 simple questions that will help you pick the right agent for the job: (more…)

“THE BEST WAY TO APPRECIATE YOUR JOB IS TO IMAGINE YOURSELF WITHOUT ONE.” Oscar Wilde And unfortunately, last Friday’s Jobs Report indicated that many more Americans than expected are not just imagining themselves without a job, they truly are without a job.

The Unemployment Rate jumped up to 5.0% from 4.7%, and new job growth in December was reported at a paltry 18,000 jobs…with private-sector job growth actually falling by 13,000, the largest private sector drop in more than four years. And here’s an interesting note - Hourly Earnings actually moved higher than expected. While this seems somewhat contradictory to a slowing jobs number, perhaps it means that employers are attempting to save money by paying more dollars to fewer workers, rather than hiring more staff.

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Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors recently said that “Commenting on the National Housing Market is like discussing the National Temperature…like the weather, all real estate is local.” This couldn’t be truer than in Santa Barbara where both our climate and real estate market are different than most parts of the country.

The news media paints a very bleak picture of the housing market with headlines talking about slumping sales, decreasing values, and a rampant escalation of foreclosures. However, it is important to consider the source of these headlines. The majority of television news media is targeted to a national audience and therefore is summarizing countrywide housing trends. Even local newspapers are primarily printing articles from wire services which again tout national statistics. Other media sources focus on California, but don’t generally provide relevance to the Santa Barbara real estate market which is behaving very differently than most other communities across the state. Sometimes you will hear or read reports about Santa Barbara County which can still be misleading because they include statistics that lump together Southern Santa Barbara County (Carpinteria through Goleta) with North County (Lompoc and Santa Maria). Even these two neighboring communities are currently experiencing very different real estate markets.

Here’s my take on the recent headlines as to how they apply to the Southern Santa Barbara County real estate market:

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A great deal of media attention has been given to the sub prime loan market and rising foreclosures as a result of lenders making loans to marginal borrowers. Interestingly, only 9% of existing loans would be characterized as sub prime and many of those borrowers are not headed to foreclosure.

The areas currently hardest hit as a result of the sub prime loan fall out and resulting foreclosures are those that have experienced significant new construction and in many cases over building. These tend to be areas where prices are more affordable, land is available/inexpensive, and the political climate is pro-growth.

To illustrate why, picture a developer who built a tract of 300 homes in a community and sold them a few years back. You can imagine a billboard in front of the development that read “Why rent when you can own? With no money down and a teaser rate on your loan you can have payments similar to what you are paying now in rent!” These billboards certainly worked because first time buyers flooded to these developments to realize the dream of home ownership while taking part in the double digit appreciation we have been enjoying for many years. (more…)