Yesterday I found in my mailbox an official looking letter from “Property Tax Assessment Adjusters, LLC”. In addition to a lot of legalese type verbage, it said: IMPORTANT : Upon a preliminary check your assessed value appears to be higher than your current market value. You may obtain property tax relief, even if you have…
Lake Forest Real Estate Sales Report December 2008
Home sales in Lake Forest, California, slowed down a bit in December compared to the prior few months, but still finished 79% ahead of the miserable number (29 closings) from December 2007. The 52 closings were split exactly down the middle with 26 each of condos and single family homes. Condo sales ranged in price from $102,900…
Year End Report Card
A year ago today, I posted my predictions for the Orange County real estate market in 2008. Today, I can look back and see that I got some right, and some wrong. (Isn’t that how it always is?) Some things I got right : The volume increased, (but not as much as I hoped.) As of…
Lake Forest Market Update – November Sales Report
November 2008 sales in Lake Forest are up 233% from last year’s dismal numbers, but sale price per square foot is off by almost 26%. Prices ranged from a low of $110,000 up to $724,900. First time buyers were the driving force behind the improved sales volume, since they didn’t have to unload a previous…
Before You Buy in an HOA!
If you are planning to buy a condo, or a house in Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, or other South Orange County area, there is a good chance that you will be buying in to a home owners’ association (HOA). If that is the case, make sure you read over all the HOA…
Lake Forest Market Update
Homes in Lake Forest are selling! The preliminary numbers for the month of September are up from last year, although the average price is lower than a year ago. In September 2008, 63 properties closed escrow compared to 26 in September 2007. The sold prices ranged from a low of $100,000 for a one bedroom…
Mistakes COST Home Sellers Thousands!
Sometimes I can’t believe the things that listing agents do, or fail to do, that cost their sellers time and money. If you need to sell your home, and list it with me, I promise that I will not make these mistakes, that I see regularly on our SoCalMLS: Put a home on the MLS…
Educational Video Explains Housing Cycles
This video was produced by John Burns Consulting, a company that specializes in advising the homebuilding industry, but the explanations and lessons provided in it also apply to the resale home market. Search the 14,000+ Homes on the Orange County Market Today Learn What Your Home is Worth
Mid-Year Progress Report for Orange County Real Estate Market
Now that half the year is over, it’s time to take a look at how close to (or far from) reality my predictions were that I made in my December post about 2008 real estate activity. You can go back to read my justifications for each prediction, but this analysis will only address the basic…
Should you Sell or Lease Your Orange County Home?
In Orange County today, as well as many other places, there are home owners who are going through the difficult decision process of whether to sell their current home, or lease it and wait for a better time to sell. Some of these people have taken a job out of the area and will not…
Vicki Lloyd, MBA, Realtor®