Open Houses – Hard to Find This Weekend

I spent the latter part of this week scouring websites & all my resources trying to find open houses.  Lo and behold everyone must have decided to be in holiday cheer and open their homes to family and friends instead of prospective buyers. 

I decided to look for some general information on Open House etiquette or information intsead.  Normally I’m not a huge fan of the About.com information since it tends to be very general and hard to find clear, concise answers.  But to my surprise I found a great article about Open House Etiquette. 

If you’re a first time homebuyer or even someone who’s usually just used a realtor to view homes with pre-planned visits rather than utilizing the open house here, the article offers you some good tips.  I know that sometimes it can be daunting to jump in and go so with step by step details you just might have a little extra confidence to try a new route in your house hunting endeavors.

For those not in the market for new homes, I love the open houses to check out other homes that intrigue me or to check out remodeling or even decor ideas. 

Be sure to check out the article and Happy Open Housing!

Open Houses Before XMAS

 If you’ve finished your holiday shopping and feel like taking a break, here are a few open houses this weekend to check out. The last listings are actually in new home construction sites:

Laguna Niguel:

29221 Pompano Way: $729,900; single-level, 3/br/2 baths, 1,594 sq. feet. Open Sunday 1-4.

27551 Manor Hill Rd. Starting at $1.4 M, new home construction, 3-6 br/3.5-6.5 baths, 3,500+ and up sq. feet. Call to schedule appt. Located in the Summit at San Joaquin Hills.

27525 Homestead Starting at $900,o00, new home construction, 3-5 br/3.5-5.5 baths, 3,200+ sq. feet. Located in the new Mariposa community. Call to schedule appt.

Open Houses for Newport Beach

No fuss, no muss. Here are some great homes in the Newport Beach area for you look at. A city with great views and a relaxed atmosphere one could really find a slice of happiness. With a close proximately to the beach and shopping centers to keep you busy, Newport Beach has more to offer than most cities. So take a gander and see what you can come up with. Happy Hunting

20402 Santa Ave: $559,000,  2 Beds, 2.5 Baths, 1,300 SQ. FT.

204 Pearl Ave: $2,400,000, 3 Beds, 3.5 Baths, 2,200 SQ. FT.

5 Monaco: $2,600,000, 3 Beds, 2.5 Baths, SQ. FT. not listed

2 Rue Saint Cloud: 2,895,000, 4 Beds, 4.5 Baths, 4,044 SQ. FT.

66 Beacon Bay: $2,695,000 4 Beds, 4 Baths, 3,400 SQ. FT.

133 Agate Ave: $2,695,000, 4 Beds, 4 Baths, SQ. FT. not listed

8 Turtle Bay Dr: $2,195,000, 3 Beds, 3 Baths, 2,708 SQ. FT.

The Big Guns

Need some space?  And I mean, really need some space?  Check out these recent reductions on the 3,000 Sq Ft+ homes.

22525 CANYON CRST
4 beds / 3 baths
3,257 Sq Ft
Previously Listed:  $1,096,000
Currently Listed:   $1,049,000
Reduction:  $87,000

23609 Castle Rock
4 beds / 3 baths
3,700 Sq Ft
Previously Listed:  $974,900
Currently Listed:   $959,900
Reduction:   $25,000

27041 El Ciervo LN
4 beds / 3.5 baths
3,800 Sq Ft
Previously Listed:  $1,149,900
Currently Listed:   $1,099,900
Reduction:  $50,000

Open Houses 12/22 and 12/23 in Orange, Santa Ana, and Tustin

If the rain doesn’t keep you away, check out these open houses this weekend. It must be the holidays because, advertised open houses are few and far between. I’ve only found two for this week. Sorry, Orange, none for you.

Below $500,000

2602 West Lingan Ln, Santa Ana 92704; 3 bed/1 bath; 1,500 sq ft; Open Saturday and Sunday 1pm-4pm

11021 Alderman Ave #2, Tustin 92782; 2 bed/2 bath; 1,053 sq ft; $479,900; Open Saturday 12pm-4pm

Something Strange Is Happening On Sandpiper Ln. In AV

 There is something strange going on at Sandpiper Ln. in Aliso Viejo. Did you know that a Sandpiper is also a bird? Well, it seems that prices here are flying the coop.

In fact, two homes have dropped their price tags — one well below the $300,000 mark and the other slightly above the $300,000 mark! When was the last time you saw a home hit that low in South County?

30 Sandpiper Ln. The list price was “$345,000″ and changed to “$290,000.” Condo, 1,011 sq. feet, with 2 br/2 baths, upper-level-end unit. Originally listed in August for $390,000.

73 Sandpiper Ln. The list price was “$330,000″ and changed to “$315,000.” Condo, 1,000 sq. feet with 2 br/2 baths, lower unit on cul-de-sac, no stairs. Originally listed in November for $330,000.

Inventory Update in Tustin — Looking better?

A post on Real Estate Meltdown noted that “Orange County home prices inched up in November from October, but still remain well below prices of year earlier. The median price of an Orange County home was $582,750 in November, a 1.6% increase from a month ago…” The post also stated that median prices are down 6.5% from a year ago.

And where does Tustin stack up against all of this? Well, it’s not exactly doing as well as the stats above would make you think. In looking at data from Altos Research, we see that the current median home price continues to drop and is now $712,000. Back in early November, I reported that the median home price in Tustin was $719,950. That’s a 1.1% drop in median home prices over the last month, almost the exact opposite of the 1.6% increase for Orange County.

The market action index is 14.81 (down from 15.91 a month ago) leading to even more of a buyer’s market. There are 235 homes currently on the market (up from 233) and the average days on the market is at 92 days.

As you can tell from the graphs and data, it seems that we could possibly be close to a leveling point. The data is not definitive but is giving a slight seductive hint of that. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

The average wait time on the market is 92 days in Tustin. With that in mind, check out these old timers:

13722 Red Hill #85; Tustin 92780; 1 bed/1 bath; 696 sq ft; $265,000; 386 days on the market

1217 North Cabrillo Park Dr, Santa Ana (North Tustin) 92701; 3 bed/2 bath; 1,482 sq ft; $499,000; 333 days on the market

1592 Garland Ave, Tustin 92780; 3 bed/2 bath; 1,549 sq ft; $654,000; 300 days on the market

12388 Zig Zag Way, North Tustin 92780; 3 bed/2 bath; 1,800 sq ft; $1,175,000; 295 days on the market

Shaving A Bit Off The Top Line …Why Bother?

 OK, so today, I heard on the radio that home prices are down yet again — so I started to wonder about those homeowners who would rather drop the price by shaving a very small bit off the top instead of taking it off the market until things get better?  Here are some homes where such a case of lowering by a smidgen seems really silly to me:

Aliso Viejo:

1 Sprucewood: The list price was “$850,000″ and changed to “$849,900.” Single-family home has 4 br/2.5 baths, 2,500+ sq. feet and on the market since June. Orig. Price Tag: $869,900.

11 Rainwood: The list price was “$399,000″ and changed to “$375,000.” Condo has 2br/2 baths, 1,200+ sq. feet, on the market since July. Orig. Price Tag: $475,000.

Dana Point:

26781 Calle Real: The list price was “$1,198,000″ and changed to “$1,099,000.” Single-family home has 4 br/ 3.5 baths, 2,600 sq. feet, on the market since October. Orig. Price Tag: $1.1 Million+

33625 Sundown Ct.: The list price was “$829,900″ and changed to “$814,900.” Single-family home has 3 br/2.5 baths, 1,800+ sq. feet, on the market since October. Orig. Price Tag: $844,900.

Stoneybrook Villa Townhomes in Orange

What has three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, 1260 square feet, and a two-car garage? Why, that’d be a Stoneybrook Villa townhome!

Just east of the 55 and a hair south of Chapman, lies the Stoneybrook Villa complex. The complex is a gated community complete with a pool and spa. It is nearby a neighborhood of single family homes, so you do get a more residential feeling. Dues are $210 with a possible additional $50. Built in 1980, Stoneybrook Villa townhomes boast private patios and balconies, two-car garages with direct access, and gas stoves (rare find in condos!). All in all sounds like a nice place but enough of the wordy descriptions; here’s the hard data I know you really care about…

Sold

216 South Esplanade St #7, Orange 92869

3 bed/2.5 bath; 1,260 sq ft

Sold price: $338,451; Sold date: 11/1/07

Details: Built in 1980. Sold for $380,000 back on 11/23/04.

188 South Esplanade St #4, Orange 92869

3 bed/2.5 bath; 1,260 sq ft

Sold price: $369,000; Sold date: 10/9/07

Details: Built in 1980.

200 South Esplanade St #15, Orange 92869

3 bed/2.5 bath; 1,260 sq ft

Sold price: $325,000; Sold date: 9/21/07

Details: Built in 1980. Sold for $465,000 on 8/10/06.

Currently Listed

188 South Esplanade St #4, 3 bed/2.5 bath; 1,260 sq ft; $339,900 (is this same as above? odd)

198 South Esplanade St #16; 3 bed/2.5 bath; 1,260 sq ft; $299,00

*Traffic camera still frame courtesy City of Orange.

Housing Starts Hit 16-Year Low: Get A Fixer-Upper

 Despite the fact that The Fed lowered rates yet again, a report on housingwire.com reports that on a national level, single-family housing starts have hit a 16-year low! Be sure to check out this trend report that also says “Single-family housing starts in November were at a rate of 829,000, the lowest such reading since April 1991. ”

Locally, homes are selling in the OC, but at a very sloooooow rate. If you’re finding that the prices are still too high, however, there are some “fixer-uppers” that can found in Aliso Viejo. Get your D-I-Y toolbelt on!

68 Sandpiper Ln. Price Tag $299,000; 2 br/2 baths, 800+ sq.feet condo, needs new carpet and new paint.

23405 Via San Gabriel Price Tag: $394,000; 3 br/2 baths, 1,200+ sq. feet condo, has new dishwasher.

23447 Via San Gabriel Price Tag: $299,000; 3 br/2 baths, 1,200+ sq. feet single-family residence, needs TLC.

7 Briarwood Ln. #61 Price Tag: $300,500; 2 br/1.5 baths, 900+ sq. feet condo, considered a “great cosmetic fixer-upper.”