December 2009 RSS Feed

November 2009 statistics show San Clemente had 665 foreclosure homes for sale with an average foreclosure sales price of $573,779, according to RealtyTrac.com. There were 59 new foreclosures in the 92673 zip code and 64 new foreclosures in 92672, for a total of 123 new foreclosures in San Clemente. 1 in every 608 housing units received a foreclosure filing in November 2009.

San Clemente Foreclosure Geographical Comparison

San Clemente foreclosure rate is 0.32% above national rates, and 0.21% above Orange County rates.

San Clemente Foreclosures By Month

Foreclsoure activity increased in November with the number of bank-owned properties up from 16 to 19 and pre-foreclosure numbers increasing from 52 to 59.

Are you or someone you know behind…

Think foreclosure is the only option? Curious about Short Sales?  You can avoid foreclosure and save your credit.

The Hartanov Team has launched a new website, GetShortSaleHelp.com, that is focused on assisting distressed homeowners find information and investigate options to avoid the foreclosure process. A short sale is a real estate transaction option that banks will consider instead of foreclosure with specific guidelines. There are other options available other than the devestating process of foreclosure.

Visitors to GetShortSaleHelp.com will find information regarding the process of foreclosure, what effects foreclosure has on a homeowner, and ways to prevent the foreclosure process from continuing. The website features easy-to-understand…

Nearly one-third of all existing homes sold recently were either short sales or foreclosures, according to National Association of Realtors® data. To help Realtors® meet the needs of home buyers and sellers who need these services, NAR recently launched a new Short Sales and Foreclosure Certification Program (SFR).

The Hartanov Team is pleased to announce that they are among the first to receive the SFR Short Sales and Foreclosure Certification from the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council of NAR.  To earn the certification, you must complete a one-day education program including passing a written test,  as well as three one-hour Webinars. The program included training on how to manage short-sale, foreclosure, and real-estate owned transactions, and…

       "The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."
                                                                      ~ Burton Hillis

Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated festivals globally and is no longer viewed as a purely religious holy day. It is now a time enjoyed by people of many countries and faiths, and there are numerous universally recognized icons which we associate with the yuletide. In fact, these symbols have become so commonly associated with the celebration of Christmas that when we see Santa riding on a reindeer, a mantle hung with stockings, coniferous green trees decorated with tinsel and ornaments, or houses festooned with evergreen wreaths and…

The Holiday season provides us with many opportunities for fun with our family, and decorating inside and outside your San Clemente home is one activity that can be enjoyed by both young and old. As always, however, the use of common sense and the taking of safety precautions are vital to ensuring happy holidays.

To that end, the Consumer Products Safety Commission strongly suggests you follow these timely tips when decorating your home:

TREES:

• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label "Fire Resistant." Although this label does not mean the tree won't catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
• When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are…

National Association of Realtors' Chief Economist Lawrence Yun is cautiously optimistic about the 2010 housing market outlook.

After a year filled with challenges, housing and the economy appear headed for a sustainable recovery, helped in part by first-time buyers.

According to Yun, home prices are in the early stages of stabilizing, and with the expansion of the tax credit to additional buyers through the middle of next year, home prices should rise between 3 and 5 percent in 2010.

Housing affordability reached record high levels this year. Existing-home sales are expected to increase 13.9 percent in 2010, from 5.01 million in 2009 to 5.69 million in 2010.

The $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit is extended

• Now, qualified first-time homebuyers would receive a tax credit of up to $8,000 if they sign a purchase contract by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30, 2010

• The home purchased must be their primary residence

• Buyer cannot have owned a home during the past three years

• Tax credit is up to 10 percent of the home’s value (not to exceed $8,000

• Annual income caps to qualify for the tax credit will increase ($125,000 for single filers / $225,000 for joint filers)

• Buyers don’t need to repay the tax credit if they occupy the home for three years or more

• Members of the military who are serving overseas on “official extended duty” for a least 90 days during 2009 and the first four…

Many of you may already know that HUD/FHA along with Congress plan on revamping the FHA loan program. They feel the following changes are all necessary to maintain the fiscal health of HUD/FHA.

Here are the Proposed Changes that HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan mentioned in Congressional testimony before the HOuse Committee on Financial Services on December 2, 2009.

1. increasing the minimum required from down-payment from 3.5% to 5% of the sale price
2. increasing the mortgage insurance premium either the monthly, the upfront or maybe both
3. decreasing the amount a seller can pay on behalf of the buyer towards closing costs from 6% down to 3% of the sales price
4. increasing the required minimum credit score a buyer must have

FHA loans have become a major…

We want to be among the first to congratulate San Clemente's Greg Long for winning the Eddie Aikau big wave contect at Waimea. Greg, at the age of 24, has emerged in recent years as the world's premier big-wave surfer.

Take a look a Greg's ride on a monster wave... 

Since graduating in 2001, around the same time that he won the NSSA National Open title, Long has followed winter around the world to log a ridiculous amount of monster-surf time, massive rides and major kudos. He follows in the footstep of SoCal chargers the likes of Taylor Knox, Brad Gerlach and Mike Parsons who have honed their skills at Todos and Cortez to make a seamless transition to Waimea.

Many Orange County real estate owners pay property taxes monthly as part of their mortgage payment. In turn, the mortgage company pays any property taxes that are due. However, just as many home owners pay their real estate property taxes themselves. If you are one of these owners...this reminder is for you!

The Orange County real estate property tax deadline is December 10. After 5:00PM on Dec 10, payment is delinguent and subject to a penalty. So don't delay! You don't want to pay California any more taxes than necessary!!

Other Important Orange County Real Estate Property Tax Dates:

February 1:  2nd Installment Due
March 1:   Assessment date; Taxes on unsecured roll due
April 10:  2nd Installment delinquent
April 15:  Last date to file homeowners,…