Posts Tagged ‘cirios’Housing Perspective: August New Home SalesMarket imbalances are resolved through two primary mechanisms: Time and price. To be sure, the imbalance in new homes remains, despite a recent uptick in buying activity in real estate markets across the country. And as builders slash prices and time drags on, slowly but surely the backlog of newly constructed homes is being worked [...] Housing Perspective: August Existing Home SalesThe resolve of the nascent US housing market recovery is about to be put to the test. Existing home sales slipped in August, breaking a string of four straight months of rising sales. Purchases fell 2.7% in August from the month before, which was below analysis expectations, according to Bloomberg, One kernel of good news [...] Deal or No Deal: Tend Your Crops in Noe ValleyFor anyone in the market for a single family residence in Noe Valley under $1 million, pickings are slim, at best. Condos, sure, they’re a dime a dozen as the Noe Valley condo market follows rents off the proverbial cliff, but the attractive single family home for less than 7 figures is a rare find [...] Housing Perspective: June S&P Case Shiller Home Price IndexBroad measures of home prices continue to show improvements, as the S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index registered its second straight monthly increase. According to the Wall Street Journal, Case Shiller’s 20-city index ticked up on a quarterly basis 1.4% from the three months ending May 31. 2 cities still showed month-over-month declines, woeful Detroit and [...] Housing Perspective: July Existing Home SalesEclipsing even the most optimistic expectations, July existing home sales registered a 2-year high this morning, jumping 7.2% from last month. According to Bloomberg, the National Association of Realtors (or NAR) reported that transactions climbed to a 5.24 million annualized pace, the highest rate since August of 2007. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun, the man [...] Deal or No Deal RESULTS: San Diego in San RamonCirios Verdict: NO DEAL (Click here for the original Deal or No Deal post) The subject is a well-maintained home on a cul-de-sac in San Ramon. The property is on a decent sized lot with a patio and a gazebo. The kitchen looks like it has been updated over the last few years. The broker [...] Deal or No Deal: Get into Montclair, on the CheapEvery once in a while, we run across a house where the list price just doesn’t make sense. When 5692 Cabot Dr. in Montclair popped up on our radar screen, it screamed DEAL without question. So, naturally, we immediately tried to figure out what was wrong with the house. (click images to enlarge) Good location? [...] Housing Perspective: May S&P Case Shiller Home Price IndexThe housing market got another piece of “good” data today, as the S&P Case Shiller Home Price Index registered its first month-over-month uptick in almost 3 years, according to Bloomberg. The increase was nominal, to be sure, at a mere 0.5% from the prior month, but it was an increase nonetheless. As can be seen [...] Deal or No Deal RESULTS: Walnut Creek on the CheapCirios Verdict: DEAL (Click here for the original Deal or No Deal post) The subject is a well-maintained home in an established neighborhood in Walnut Creek, CA. The majority of the landscaping was recently put in and gives the home very good curb appeal. The interior could use some updating but it should be considered [...] Deal or No Deal: New to Nob HillAs the San Francisco rental market softens, so too is the market for condos and TICs (Tenancy in Common). This bodes well for buyers — as long as they can be patient. In general, we do not forsee a stabilization in the lower end of the condo/TIC market in San Francisco in the near term, [...] Housing Perspective: June New Home SalesIt’s been a long time since the housing market has set a record that wasn’t something like, “Worst since…,” “Biggest decline since…,” or “….since the Great Depression.” The Commerce Department reported today that sales of new homes leapt in June, up 11% from May. According to Bloomberg, the figure marks the biggest monthly gain since [...] Deal or No Deal RESULTS: Belmont Views for Under $700kCirios Verdict: NO DEAL (Click here for the original Deal or No Deal post) The subject is an updated home in the hills of Belmont, CA. The home has an updated kitchen and two updated bathrooms. The backyard sits on the side of a hill but it has been tiered, which makes it significantly more [...] Deal or No Deal RESULTS: Berkeley Hills for Under $500kCirios Verdict: (ALMOST) DEAL (Click here for the original Deal or No Deal post) The subject is a small home in the Berkeley Hills on a large lot, a good portion of which is usable. Crystal Way is a not-through street located in the lower part of the Berkeley Hills, close to the UC Berkeley [...] Housing Perspective: June Homebuilder SentimentHomebuilders remain cautious, as rising mortgage rates and persistent unemployment weighed on hopes for a speedy recovery in the battered housing market. Today’s National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo index of builder confidence fell to 15, down from 16 last month, according to Bloomberg. Analysts expected the reading to come in at 17. The NAHB [...] House of the Week Results: Blame it on BrentwoodBrentwood, as we mentioned, was a poster child for California’s real estate boom and bust. A rural community turned boom town when homebuilders and speculators descended on its quiet shores. Ok, not shores so much as fields, but you get the idea. 552 Sassafrass is a gargantuan home, almost 5,000 square feet on a single [...] |