Hula and The Real Estate Market Today

Do you ever start and then get waylaid by life and then remember oops, been a few months since I've blogged??? So thought I'd say Hi to blog-ville.

This year has had so many ups and downs in the market, many are afraid to even try to get a home for themselves. The news doesn't help much, congress doesn't either but the few of us that are still out pounding the pavement can tell you that those who are shopping are picking up sweet deals for their future. It's true that the rich get richer and this is one of those times in fact all of my buyers are currently investors, as where last year they were all 1st time homebuyers. The other thing is that a lot of properties are being purchased by foreign investors which has to also tell you something. Don't let everyone get it all, get out there and find a sweet deal for yourself. The interest rates couldn't be much lower and you know that won't last, properties are ripe for the pickin. Call me and let's start shopping for your future.

Deef@hularealtordee.com

The older you get the harder it is to move, that is, a whole house anyway. Use to be able to whip it out in a weekend and now it takes weeks to pack and the same to unpack. I know we have too much stuff, and yet we still want to go out and buy more stuff??? Crazy, now I'm starting to rethink the more stuff you have the more it weighs you down, and in fact that's just the truth. So my motto for this year is get rid of that stuff and don't buy anymore stuff and when I'm shopping just envision having to move that stuff and that will be my deterrent. (Maybe and Hopefully anyway)

The thrill of being in a new home, new area, new neighbors does help to cut through the misery of moving thank goodness.

If your in the zone to make a move, gain a property investment, or eliminate one from your portfolio give me a call because as tough as it is to make some moves it is essential to your well being and allows you to clear out some of your unneeded stuff and MOVE forward with your life.

Here to serve your Real Estate Needs,

Dee Fether 714 907-7207 Weichert Realtors, Gold Coast

Many are beleiving the market will begin to creep up after March, the fact that lenders are still sqeeky tight with home loans won't make that change any easier for 1st time homebuyers.

Bank owned are being released but again its a very slow trickle and buyers/investors are ready to scoop them up the minute they hit the market.

Short Sale properties are taking longer and longer which was suppose to be getting shorter with all the organization, new employees etc. added to the short sale dept's but for some reason no 2 lenders do it the same and buyers are still having to wait for months just to see an approval. 

As a realtor in this market it is not easy, every transaction is a struggle. It doesn't have to be that way when everyone works together but it just seems that buyers don't always realize how much work your actually doing throughout the process. After months of daily research, no call backs from other agents, time previewing, writing offers with no response, negotiating your price and contingencies etc. all for free, they take off to find another Realtor to assist them or want the little commission your actually receiving credited to their transaction. Funny but when you receive your payck 1ce or 2ce a month, your company doesn't ask you to cut it in half I wonder why buyers think thats an appropriate think to ask of their Realtor? If your a buyer be considerate to your Realtor believe me they are working very hard for you even when you don't see it and by the time a transaction closes which could be months for free they've earned a paycheck.

Is it a good time to buy? YES even though its a tough Market to work in the prices couldn't be better, and thanks to the interest rates staying where they are at the moment makes it even better. Tough yes, good yes.

Lenders want high FICO's, 1-2yrs employment with same employer, 3.5% to 20% down depending on Condo , SFR or Multi Unit, and a good loan to value ratio. They are tight and they're making sure the loans make sense, if you need help to get your FICO's up or need Down Payment Assistance there are agencies to help you. Most cities in Calif. have city owned properties that are easier to qualify for if you meet the income levels and both Fannie and Freddie have homes to sell with lower down pmt requirements and closing cost assistance. When your ready to purchase, their are options available to you. It will take some work on your end but worth it.

Sorry this was a long blog, for someone who always forgets to blog but hopefully you will find it informative and useful.

If you need a dedicated Realtor and your ready to go, give me a call.

Dee

January always kick starts everyone to start fresh, for those that hadn't purchased or sold their properties last year now have a new opportunity to get moving again. I think when December hits every year it's a human shut down where we put everything on hold and get through the holidays with time for family and friends. Actually we should have at least one other time each year that we do this, it does create a new found energy to move again.

The tough end is that some markets are still holding on to higher pricing (HB) and those properties that are priced well are sold quickly so don't take too much time to think it over you need to move quickly. As always, there are properties exactly what your looking for available but keep your expectations in reality. My sister told me once "If you want more you have to pay more" and it seems to hold true in Real Estate.

Key items still hold weight: Location, size, condition, and price. Stay true to your goals but re-check yourself from time to time you may need to make adjustments to get what you want. In the end your property isn't just for now it's your future investment some with built in equity and value you can live in, hold and touch. "You can do it", sounds cheesy but its true.

Make it happen,

Dee 

Unusually cold this year, but I think it's the same across the nation with blizzards back east makes you wonder about that Global Warming could use some right about now.

Everyone is predicting a RE market upswing but I'm not sure, doesn't look like there's a lot of movement at the moment. 
As long as the rates don't start hiking up, and the REO's hit the market we should do fine. Still a ton of buyers to work with and investment property to purchase so I'm looking forward to 2011.

If you've been sitting on the fence on whether to sell, purchase or invest it's still a great market with prices lowered, so don't sit too long there will be an upswing eventually and you don't want to miss out. Holding your cash in the bank isn't the best investment today since the dollar has been decreasing in value. Investing in property has always been profitable over time and of course the purchase of gold or silver for those of you who understand that market.

If your ready to invest in Real Estate give me a call, I will treat your transaction with the knowledge, skills, protection and top priority as if it were my own home.

Dee

This year in Real Estate has been exciting, not always in a good way but still very active. Thus the blogging just got put by the wayside, but my 1st resolution for 2011 is to Remember to Blog. Just back from a family vacation in Florida where it was sunny everyday but froze my tailend off and returned to not so sunny Calif. where it never rains, it pours hard and I'm still frozen. Hummm, guess it's really winter something we forget about in Calif. With all the rain, will come lush mountain sides hopefully not mountain slides. And we can start the new year with everything cleansed and new again, well that's the hope anyway. I'm looking forward to 2011, 2010 was a year of 1st time homebuyers struggling in this sometimes venoumous real estate world but my gut feeling is that 2011 will be a year of real estate investors which will help this market recover a bit. It's going to take investors with cash to bring us back, the banks have kept the interest rates down but to qualify you have to go through the mud and back to survive and endure their torture. It's time to release those REO's they've been clenched to and work with RE Agents to get this clean up started. Were all ready to get a fresh new start this year so with this I'll send out my Ha'ole Maka Hiki Ho (Happy New Year) to all of you, here's wishing you a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year!!

Dee Fether, Weichert Realtors Gold Coast

Every year I ask the same question "Why do we have to set the clocks back"? It only makes the days seems so much shorter and darker quicker, how can that make us more productive? All I want to do is eat earlier than I should and go to sleep earlier than I want to. So if I were in charge I would stop that time change for good.

But as you can see I'm not in charge of that nor will I ever be so it's just a worthless complaint that goes nowhere, kind of like the Real Estate Market these days. Complaints that go nowhere such as: Why can't Short Sales actually be Short, Why won't banks work with their clients to stay in their homes without making things worse, and Why are Qualified Ready to buy Buyers getting reamed with HOA delinquency fees they didn't create after waiting months to purchase. And there are many more WHY's but these are a good start. We could actually start on the When's......when will things get better? I'll tell you, when the why's get answered the when will begin. LOL

Yes, you have to laugh it's actually close to crying both very strong emotions except that laughing does your body good and good makes you function properly, which will end up lengthening your life so you can live past the Market of today. Gee I'm feeling better already. Guess I better get back to closing those transactions that I have.

Optimistic about tomorrow and now that the time has changed, maybe the Market will too.

Dee Fether                                                                             Weichert Realtors, Gold Coast #01793727

There are days in this Real Estate Market that do just that...trick you or treat you.

Examples of tricking you, don't return phone calls, don't return e-mails, don't acknowledge the offer you just sent in and waiting, waiting, waiting for any type of response. Or, accepting an offer then asking your client to pay everything including the kitchen sink after contingencies are removed and your at the closing table. WHAT the H..., is this really how you conduct your business? Driving me crazy, and disrespectful to clients and fellow agents, as well as bad professional policy. Stop the trickery and save yourself, this market won't be around forever.

Of course I'll leave on a good note, treats are always welcome. Funny that having good behavior, good manners and good professionalism has become a treat. Yes, there are still some Realtors (good ones)left to shine through the yuk of bad ones and make the process of Real Estate fun and enjoyable. When an agent picks up there phone, returns e-mails and updates during a transaction to keep everyone informed. Now this is a good environment to work in and one that I consider a Treat these days.

So ask yourself are you a Trick or Treat?

Dee Fether, Weichert Realtors Gold Coast

I know you rely on your Transaction Clerks, Escrow Officers, Title Officers, Lenders but Please don't forget to check it out when you receive this info. There are so many hands moving at the same time and speed that it's easy to miss or misrepresent your clients transaction. Maybe it's just that I actually read everything that I catch so many errors in the process. Thankfully I haven't had any suits, litigation or problems thus far but with the Market as crazy as it is and everyone's Agent doing something different to sell these properties it will come back to haunt you if you don't do your due diligence.

A simple fix is cleaning up your MLS listing, it takes a couple of minutes but it is crucial for the Appraiser, Home Inspector and so on who are using this information to complete their reports not to mention Buyers Agents and Buyers. Every time I let an Agent know there is/or isn't something in their Listing they should take care of it but honestly most don't, I can see that even something this small could bite them in the end.

Being a Realtor is not just a name it's a responsibility and should not be done in a messy manner, my call to colleagues is PLEASE pay attention to your transaction no one else cares as much about it as you do or has the same responsibility to your client.

Keeping it REAL in Real Estate,

Dee