do u think home price in s. cal will drop? i'm thinking purchasing one soon and hope i'm making right decision
608933
It does appear to be a risky market.  \n\nMake sure you pick a house/area where you want to spend 5 years or more.  Also if at all possible put a 20% downpayment down and get a fixed rate loan.  If you think you might only be in the house 3 or 4 years, it might be a good idea to wait until you are a little more settled.\n\nIf you are ready to buy, you can use the risky market to your advantage by making offers significantly below asking price.  If the seller won't budge from asking price, be prepared to move on.
617935
If you are trying to buy a house in Ca, you should wait a year or two because the market is cooling off and the prices of houses are dropping.  I was told buy a realitor to wait a year or two.
1006129
Housing prices in Los Angeles County as of May were still rising, but at a much slower rate than in previous periods.  In most other parts of Southern California, housing costs are either flat or are beginning to drop (most notably Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties).  In other parts of the country, housing is starting to decline.\n\nI believe that in LA County housing prices will follow the rest of the country and decline for awhile.  Unfortunately, much of that decline will be triggered by rising interest rates.  So you have to ask yourself: do you want your payments to go into a house that is declining in value, or to interest payments to the bank?\n\nLong term, it doesn't matter when you buy.  Housing will always rise long term.  Many people who bought during the housing boom in the early 90s in LA County were downside for years after the bubble burst in 1991-1992.  The decline bottomed out about 1997 and many people had recovered their losses and were in the black by 2000.  People who held on through 2005 make a killing.  If you're planning to stay for a long time, buy now.  You'll be able to enjoy your new home longer.\n\nIf you're planning to stay a short time and perhaps move to a bigger house in a few years, wait awhile.  Once you buy, you can't negotiate a lower price for the house, but you can always refinance your mortgage if interest rates decline.
383705
NAPELS IS WAY OVER PRICED, LIKE A LOT OF PLACES IN CA. I THINK SOME AREAS WILL IMPROVE, SOME WILL STAY THE SAME, AND THOSE THAT ARE EXTREMELY HIGH WILL DECLINE. WISH MY PLACE WAS THERE. I WOULD MAKE A PRETTY PENNY IF IT WAS SOLD DOWN THERE.
196315
I wouldn't suggest it unless you are buying a home that you intend to live in for a long time, not for an investment. California is beautiful, but it's so overinflated. I believe that people will continue to buy in California, even if the "bubble" burts because it's such a great place to live, but I don't think the houses are going to increase at the pace they have in the past few years. It will have to correct itself.\n\nIf you are just looking for an investment, consider Phoenix, Tucson or Las Vegas. They are the ones that are increasing so fast now. \n\nI would recommend that anyone check out Rancho Sahuarita. It's south of Tucson, a planned community that is like a resort area. Houses are very well priced, especially compared to California, and they expect the area to quadruple in size over the next 15 years. The community is really, really nice, all new homes in several different price ranges. It's extremely family oriented, only 19 minutes from Tucson but not at all like Tucson (this is a small community of about 17,000 people right now). It has it's own water park, lake, rec center and community activities that are private...just for people who live in Rancho Sahuarita. There is a commercial center (small) built like a town sqauare and condusive to walking. Their are hiking trails and wide sidewalks an one or two active adult designated areas. It's close to shopping, a 6 screen theater, bowling, plus the culture of Tucson, the University of Arizona, Madera Canyon and more. \n\nAlthough I don't live there (I live in nearby Green Valley, an active adult community), I'm thinking of going in with my daughter to purchase a home as an investment for me and to privide a chance for her to live in her own home. She lives in California and can't buy a house there. She's a single mom and could never afford to buy in California. She's planning to move in July. \n\nYou should check it out. There is information on line.
22735
Depends on how long you plan on being here and if you can afford it.  In the bay area, houses are still SO expensive...we pay 700,000 for small 2 bedroom homes here!  Southern CA isn't as bad though and out in the middle, it's still reasonable.  \n\nIf you're only here a couple years, renting might be best, but if you're here long term, it's a good investment.
246027
Dear Santa~\n\n  We would like a nice 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house with a pool and spa on 2-3 acres in Redding, Ca. We would also like a new suv and truck!!\nWe have all been good this year! Working hard!!\n\nThank you so much Santa,\nDavid, Jennifer & Jason K.\nRedding, CA
81947
Actually, prices are rising very rapidly. You should buy soon so you can make a nice profit in a year. Western North Carolina is really booming, and has been over the past year or so.
1036615
well yeah its a good time but there wont always be a demand at the moment it is a buyers market. there are more houses for sale than there are actually abled buyers.
563064
real estate goes in a 10 yr cycle, so I believe we should expect to see a steady climb in interest rates, especially with the weak dollar. \n\nRegards...
1111842
If homes in Mendocino were selling for $75,000 each, then there would be no slump.\n\nSlumps happen when there are no sellers selling at the price that buyers can afford, or wish to pay.  So one of two things must happen for a sale to take place - either the seller must drop the price, or the situation in Mendocino must somehow improve such that buyers want to pay more to live there.
48830
This question is relative to the true value of the home.  Equifax.com offers a great utility that performs regression analysis on the home you are looking to buy.  This will be a good place to start to see if the particular home you are looking into is deemed over or undervalued.  In general, California housing prices are considered to be overvalued at the moment.
1166840
Resale homes in Fresno County have felt the pinch, as a month-to-month comparison shows prices falling from $275,000 in March to $270,000 in April.\n\nPersonally, I think that rising interest costs will force home prices downward, as speculators flee the market.  We're at a pretty high level of foreclosure rate and it's still climbing.  For the long term, buying property is always a good thing, but you need to make sure that you truly can afford it.  Just because you can qualify for a loan doesn't mean that you get to keep the property.  Remember that every person who has ever experienced foreclosure also qualified for a loan.\n\nYou seem like a forward-thinking young person who wants to have a good financial future.  Have you started your Roth IRA yet?  If not, put your money toward that, while you're young and can get time working on your side.  Click on my name and drop me a note if you want to learn a little bit about investing.  In the meantime, I urge you to read a book, "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need" by Andrew Tobias.  It will give you a basic foundation on investing, including real estate.  Good luck!
1100645
Well, technically, you're going to get market value, no matter what.  But, if you want more square footage for less money, there are a few places I'd look: Eagle Mountain, Magna and West Valley, Heber Valley (although prices are going up), Toole, South Salt Lake, Santaquin, and the north-western parts of Weber county (even North Ogden).  \n\nWhat you end up doing is paying less for the house, but you've got more crime and a longer commute.  \n\nIf you see your home as an investment, you're going to want to avoid these places, and buy something you can afford about anywhere else.  Even West Jordan (as rough as parts of it is) may do better for you than these other places.\n\nOne way to get into some of these more expensive neighborhoods is to buy foreclosed homes or homes just "flipped" by an investor (who bought the home in a fire sale, fixed it up minimally, and sells it to you a few % points below market value).  \n\nFrom all the areas described above, Heber Valley and Kamus (North Summit County) is one of the best-kept secrets for real estate in the area.  The commute from Riverton was longer to Salt Lake than it was from Midway (I've lived in both places) because of traffic.  I spent a little more in gas (say $100 a month with today's gas prices and a daily commute), but I enjoyed my commute much more (less traffic until I got down to the valley).  Just so you can make an apple's-to-apple's comparison, $100 per month is about $17,000 difference in house price (if you can save more than $17,000 in the price of the home, you'd be better off spending the money on gas than mortgage).  \n\nThere are probably some other caveats, but that's going to get you started.  One other thought, you might want to discuss this with a good real estate agent.  I'd recommend a friend, Mike Bersie.  I don't make anything by recommending him.  He's just very focused on working with buyers only and delivers better service than others I've found that works these markets.    Also, you usually spend less on purchasing a home when you have your own agent.  His number is  (801) 427-0487.\n\nGood luck
374713
Right now there is a lot of real estate speculator in the market.  This is capping off.  The highest end properties continue to escalate, but the "middle class"  housing market is slowing down.  \n\nWhat scares me is how quickly we are moving to a two class system verses a three in the U. S.  Look at what the builders are constructing- High end gated communities and massive multiple unit complexes.\n\nIf you have a single dwelling home, hold tight, You are lucky.
278429
it might be better to buy one later because of the fact that the real estate bubble is about to burst. prices should fall on property. plus, by then you'll get a better rate because your putting down payment.
1016486
Here is an article I wrote about today's buyers market:\n\n2006 Year of the Buyer!!\n\nLets start with some facts from year 2005. Last year, we had a strong economy and we also enjoyed very low interest rates. Interest rates were the lowest in 2003, even though they have been creeping up each year gradually, the combination of low interest rates and strong economy fueled the housing boom; which seemed to have ended in 2005.\n\nFor 2006, seller’s need to keep in mind that the party is over. If you were holding onto your property in 2005, hoping to make more money in 2006, I got news for you: “You missed the boat.” But there are many things you can do still to enjoy the profits from the sale of your home like fixing up your home, replace that old carpet, repaint the house, etc, etc.\n\nI hope my readers (sellers) don’t think that I am trying to put them into panic mode. I am just trying to make you understand that in most areas you cannot hope to sell you home for the same price you could have sold in the middle of 2005. Prices have dipped a little and they are taking longer to sell but we still have a healthy normal market, which is where we really needed to be. Last couple of years were not normal markets, it was mainly a seller’s market but it got out of control in some areas of the country where they saw too much appreciation for their own good.\n\nI am NOT telling you that the market “bubble” is going to burst but it is definitely deflating and this my friends, will give buyers a very good chance to get a good deal on a home.\n\nPurchasing a home is an excellent investment, the Government subsidizes it, we still have low interest rates and over all Real Estate is the best investment you can ever make in your life.\n\nIf your are currently thinking but have not yet decided to buy a home, you should know that by the end of the year interest rates will be close to 7%, therefore you need to be very well prepared and do your homework early.\n\nIf you are currently thinking bout selling your home, understand your local market and do the fix ups and repairs needed to entice homebuyers and remember that buyers don want to spend more money on a home after they bought it.\n\n*********************\n\nYou can also find an article about the so called "buble" in the Real Estate market I wrote back in November 2005 and still stands\nFollow this link http://jrealestate.blogspot.com/2005/11/real-estate-market-bubble-burst.html