August 2009 RSS Feed

We have often talked about the importance of curb appeal when selling your San Clemente home. Your yard is a buyer's first impression of your home and if it is not inviting they will move on to a home that is. I have more than one buyer in my car who has decided not to view the inside of a home because of how the outside looks. the time and effort you put into painting,  mowing, edging, mulching, and planting colorful flowers will pay off in spades.

During the month of September you can submit your spruced yard to the San Clemente Garden Club's Front Yard Contest. All gardens are welcome regardless of size or style.  A special category has been established this year for drought tolerant landscapes.  Community members are encouraged to participate along…

Assessing the months supply of inventory is an important consideration when describing California real estate market conditions. It measures activity in the housing market at a given point in time.

A months supply is determined by calculating the ratio of inventory available for sale at the seasonal sales pace in a given month. If months supply increases, the implication is housing demand favors buyers; if it decreases it suggests better opportunities for sellers.

The California Association of Realtors's Unsold Inventory Index fell to 3.9 months in July, compared with 6.9 months in July 2008.

Additional Highlights of C.A.R.’s resale housing figures for July 2009:

• Thirty-year fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 5.22 percent during July 2009,…

The Toshiba Tall Ships Festival in Dana Point is being hosted by the Ocean Institute as it celebrates its silver anniversary. The dates are Friday September 11th - Sunday September 13th, 2009.

The annual Tall Ships parade begins at sunset on September 11th. Ships include: The Brig Pilgrim (Celebrating the Pilgrim’s 28th year in Dana) , The Spirit of Dana Point, Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson, American Pride, Californian, The Curlew, Lynx and Bill of Rights.

An overview of the festival can be viewed at 2009 General Information or you can view 2009 Tall Ships Events.

There are lots of activities for kids and you can make it a fun day for all!

If you are thinking about buying a San Clemente home, you will enjoy this video of our breathtaking San Clemente oceanfront.

Learn more about the San Clemente area and homes in the area by visiting San Clemente real estate or San Clemente community information.

Search all San Clemente homes for sale.

A second quarter report of existing-home sales showed healthy gains from the first quarter, and price declines have increased affordability, according to the latest survey by the National Association of Realtors®.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the sales gain appears to be sustainable.  “With low interest rates, lower home prices and a first-time buyer tax credit, we’ve been seeing healthy increases in home sales, which are a hopeful sign for the economy,” he said.

But what is happening in the Orange County real estate market? Let's take a look at the July Orange County real estate sales statistics as reported by DQNews.com:

Dana Point Real Estate Sales Statistics - July 2009
(92624 Zip)

Homes Sold:  8
Change from July 2008: +60%

Median…

July 2009 statistics show San Clemente had 678 foreclosure homes for sale with an average foreclosure sales price of $625,917, according to RealtyTrac.com. There were 82 new foreclosures in the 92673 zip code and 103 new foreclosures in 92672, for a total of 185 new foreclosures. 1 in every 387 housing units received a foreclosure filing in July 2009

San Clemente Foreclosure Geographical Comparison

San Clemente foreclosure rate is 0.56% above national rates, 0.03% above California rates and 0.14% above Orange County rates.

San Clemente Foreclosures By Month

The increasing number of pre-foreclosures and auctions indicates we will see increasing foreclosure numbers in the coming months.

Are you or someone you know behind on your mortgage…

There were 25,962 Orange County CA foreclosure homes and 7,286 new foreclosure filings in July 2009. The average sales price of an Orange County CA home was $532,996 and the average sales price of a foreclosed home was $365,653, a difference of $158,343, according to RealtyTrac.com.

Orange County CA Foreclosure Activity and Home Price Index

 

 

Orange County CA foreclosure activity is based on the total number of properties that receive foreclosure filings - default notice, foreclosure auction notice or repossession notice - each month. Home price appreciation is based on month-over-month percentage change of the Home Price Index. The Home Price Index is calculated from home sales records.

Orange County CA Foreclosure Geographical Comparison

Orange…

Tired of the same old Pizza Delivery?
Why not try Bud's Famous Hot Dogs who delivers FREE (min $10 order) right to your San Clemente front door.

We recently ordered 50 of Buds Classic Chicago dogs and 5 Polish Dogs to serve lunch for visitors who visited an open house held at 4 Via Abrazar in Talega of San Clemente. Within two hours, all of Buds Famous Hot Dogs were devoured! Everyone gave the Dogs a rave two thumbs-up reviews.

Buds uses old fashion all beef hot dogs with a natural casing - NY style.
Hot Dogs and Buns are steamed in a commercial steamer. The goal of Bud's Famous Hot Dog's is to deliver to you hot and fresh Hot Dog's and food.

If you are interested in giving one of these Dogs a try, Buds Famous Hot Dogs (or any of the other…

We are lucky enough to live in a most beautiful part of the world. This beauty includes San Clemente's night skies. There is nothing more humbling than standing outside and watching the stars.

Most of us can pick out the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, but other stars and planets are trickier.

You can get help identifying other stars with a star map. Star maps plot out all the known stars and planets. The only problem with star maps is the Earth moves. The planets move. So, your star map need to reflect your location and the season.

I learned about the solution to this problem at Kim Komando's website Komando.com. Sky & Telescope offers an Interactive Sky Chart. This will create custom star maps for your location. You can even print them!

You'll…

Many people know about the $8,000 home buyer tax credit, but did you know that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 also established a number of tax breaks for current Orange County home owners who want to improve their home’s energy efficiency?

Energy-efficient improvements to exterior windows, skylights and doors as well as certain metal and asphalt roofs qualify for 30 percent of the project cost, up to $1,500. The credit covers installation costs for HVAC, gas, oil and propane water heaters and biomass stoves. These improvements qualify for the credit through December 31, 2010.

Orange County home owners who go a step further by adding geothermal heat pumps, solar energy systems or small wind energy systems will qualify for 30 percent…