Best Real Estate Search Sites

 Back when I first started,  the main way people found property for sale before they started working with a Realtor was:
1) Looking in local newspaper ads or real estate magazines
2) Driving around neighborhoods looking for "For Sale"  signs.
  Then the internet came along and everything changed.   Tech smart and forward thinking Realtors developed their own websites and then the large national sites which obtain their feeds from the local mls's, large publications and other websites came into play.  Unfortunately, a lot of the large ones are not the best and cause people a lot of confusion.  I have compiled a list of my top pics for the ones I think are the best nationally and for this area alone.

Beware of Average Home Price Quotes in the Media- Especially SLO county.

When seeing statistics in the news media such as "The Average Price of a Home fell 3% last month in the County",  be cautious of how much that information really means to you.   That is especially true in our location.   Here's why- The average price is determined by taking the total $ amount of all of the sales in the county and dividing them by the number of sales.  Sounds correct enough and it is a correct number.  So, why I am saying why you need to be cautious of using that information?

Loan Qualifying and Tax Returns

Just open a newspaper or turn on the television news anytime in the last few years and you'll know that getting a loan to buy a home or refinance just seems to be getting harder and harder. There is a reason for this and it is called "fear". Basically everyone is afraid of losing money as more and more loans go into default. And this fear of more losses has caused everyone in the business to tighten their criteria for lending. By tightening the guidelines, they feel they are playing a role in limiting future losses.

Calif. Assoc. of Realtors announces housing forecast for 2010

To read the forecast for where the market across the state may be going in 2010, go to
http://www.car.org/newsstand/newsreleases/2009newsreleases/2010forecast/

Dept. of Real Estate Commissioner discusses Lending Fraud in the North County.

Jeff Davi, Commissioner of the Calif. Dept. of Real Estate. gives an interview with the local Tribune on the hard money lending issues that took place in the county. Go to www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/955818.html to see the interview

Sales Rise Higher in November

Closed escrows in November 2009 were 32% higher over November 2008 for Northern San Luis Obispo County. This is a dramatic change and indicative of buyer's acceptance of today's lower pricing. There were also 31% more escrows opened in 11/09 then 11/08 so we are definitely on a positive trend.
Most activity is still in homes priced below $450,000. There is also more activity in the mid range and a little more in the $800,000.00 range but these areas are still feeling pressure.

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended + New Program for Existing Homeowners

IR-2009-108, Nov. 24, 2009

WASHINGTON — A new law that went into effect Nov. 6 extends the first-time homebuyer credit five months and expands the eligibility requirements for purchasers.

New Blog

Welcome to my new web blog for Paso Robles and other northern San Luis Obispo County real estate topics