'What's The Market Like?' ~ SCV Home Sales Activity ~ September 29, 2017

Husband and I went on vacation for 4 days. I didn't look at our local MLS the entire time!!! We actually were fairly off the grid...heavenly!

Back at it, went through over 250 homes to check listing activity last night!

Santa Clarita and our surrounding communities still on course!

ACTIVE right now? 580. Not enough people!

Under Contract, or In Escrow? 532.....that's a nice healthy amount!

The number of Closed sales in the last 30 days was pretty staggering! 380. WOW!

Needless to say, we still don't have enough inventory. But, as we hear, more new homes are coming on the horizon. That means more re-sale as people want to sell to buy new again.

I dub thee....."Santa Clarita, The Town of New".....LOLOL

Anywhohow, that's the skinny as of just a moment ago.

Now, who wants to sell their house? I know a great agent!! 

Is It In A Safe Neighborhood?

When I'm working with buyers that are not familiar with the neighborhood and are concerned about safety...or what the neighborhood is like?

I drive them all around the 'hood'. Drive them in the ugly and pretty way. Drive them out, and around, for several blocks to make sure they see everything they can. Drive past local supermarkets, shopping, restaurants.

But, if I get asked, "Is It A Safe Neighborhood?" I always tell them to check with the local law enforcement. My idea of safe may be entirely different than their idea. They may mean the complete opposite from what I may be thinking.

So, this morning I have a text conversation with a buyers agent that is out of the area from one of my listings. She has out of state buyers. Wants a video of the listing, not just the virtual tour. She asks the loaded question..."How's The Area? Is It Pretty Safe?".

I've been there at least a dozen times. From when we bought it a few years ago, visiting my client, and now prepping it for sale and an open house. To me, it's totally safe. But, that's me. To my Seller, totally safe...I've never been afraid to be there. My Seller has not been broken into nor vandalized.

But, one persons safety level is another persons fear level.

I would never feel like an expert in the safety of any neighborhood, not my job, not my specialty. That's what the police department is for. To provide you info about the security of any particular neighborhood.

Just food for thought. Driving around an unknown area is wise, but investigating on your own is wiser!

Don't Forget About Your Front Yard!

Summer seems to be nearing an end...finally! So done with the heat! Are you??

And, now it's the time where you may enjoy a beverage on your front porch instead.

Looking through Houzz this morning brought these great before and after pics of front yard makeovers!

In Santa Clarita Valley we have a lot of HOA's, so make sure you can do what you want to do before you do it! Just sayin!

Before........blah.....

 After.....sweeeet!

Before.....very cute to start!

After......talk about 'curb' appeal!

Before....apparently on a busy street per article.

After........, great way to enjoy your busy street front yard!

Whaddya think??

Lies? Or Just Not Thorough?

Just a story of the week. But, it reminds me of my first broker.....when I complained about an agent that lied to me.....'Welcome to the World of Sales'. My chin hit the floor.

Got an offer in on one of my listings. Did my due diligence, checked out the lender, the agent, asked for proof of funds. Spoke directly with the lender to verify that he had in fact reviewed income documentation and 2 additional documents as the borrowers had a couple specifics that had to be met.

He said yes, all good. Confirmed, or so I was told, that he had the items needed to make it happen. Even ran the numbers again for a higher purchase price.

And, then, the buyers agent sends me an e-mail, as we're waiting for our counter offer to be signed, that one of the specifics needed wasn't able to be provided.

At first, I sorta wondered if they just blamed the lender and didn't really want to move forward. But, the agent is trying a different lender under a different loan program....so, all things point to.....

You guessed it, Pinocchio, aka Liar!

Definitely not thorough enough, and then couple it with lying to me and saying he had the specific documents?

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to know if he was lying in the beginning. There is private info on the 2 docs I asked if he had, and some amount of trust needs to happen, but the most important one? He most definitely did.....not....have it.....turd!

Home Loan Rates September 5, 2017

Thanks to some of my local lenders, me keeping up with current interest rates for home loans is a simpler task than finding Buyers a home!

Not everyone will be able to get these rates due to FICO's, debt, etc. But, here's a nice baseline to keep handy.

• 30-year fixed conventional loan - 3.875% (3.944 APR). Loan amounts up to $424,100.00 =$1994.28
• 15-year fixed conventional loan - 3.250% (3.370 APR). Loan amounts up to $424,100.00 =$2980.02
• 5/1 ARM - Fixed for 5 years and then becomes variable - 3.375% - (3.480 APR) Loans up to $424,100.00 = $1874.93
• 7/1 ARM - Fixed for 7 years and then becomes variable - 3.500% - (3.619 APR) Loans up to $424,100.00 = $1904.40
• 10/1 ARM - Fixed for 10 years and then becomes variable - 3.750 - (3.871 APR) Loans up to $424,100.00 = $1964.07
• 30-year fixed FHA loan - 3.500% (4.534 APR). Loan amounts up to $424,100.00 = 1937.73+ $305.66 PMI= $2243.39
• 30-year fixed VA loan - 3.500% (3.723 APR). Loan amounts up to $424,100.00 = $1904.40 (VA Funding Fees is not added)
• 30-year fixed Jumbo loan - 4.125% (4.131 APR). Loan amounts up to $3,000,000.00 = $14,539.49