Realtors for Ventura | Oxnard | Camarillo

I recently received a phone call from a seller wanting to know if she should disclose a particular piece of information regarding some neighborhood activity.

The answer?? Yes!

If you know it – disclose it. Complete transparency benefits the buyer and you as the seller.

The number of homes in escrow in Ventura for April 2009 is similar to April 2007, while 2010 jumped markedly from 2009.

This data is taken from the Ventura MLS.

The number of homes in escrow in April 2007 to April 2008 more than doubled; while 2008 to 2009 increased about 30%; and 2009 to 2010 is back to the April 2008 level.

This data is taken from the Oxnard MLS.

The number of homes going into escrow in Camarillo for the month of April 2010 is the same as for April 2009 while both are way up from 2008 and 2007.

This data is taken from the Camarillo MLS.

The number of single family homes sold in Ventura in April is maintaining with an upward trend; the price per square foot is slowly increasing over the last 16 months.

The number of condos sold in Ventura is way up! The sold price is upward and the price per square foot is similar to April 2009.

This data is taken from the Ventura MLS.

The number of single family homes sold in April in Oxnard is on the rise since January. The sales price is a bit downward since January; the price per square foot is steadily increasing since Spring 2009.

The number of condos sold in April is trending downward; the number of D.O.M. (days on the market) is trending downward since the first of the year; the price per square foot is holding steady.

This data is taken from the Oxnard MLS.

The number of single family homes sold in Camarillo is way up; the number of days on the market (D.O.M.) is on a downward trend and the price per square foot is holding steady, trending upward.

The number of condos sold for the month of April shows a strong Spring. The D.O.M. is increasing and the price per square foot is staying strong.

This data is taken from the Camarillo MLS.

We try to keep an eye on inventory levels because from a macro standpoint, inventory levels have a bearing on price points. Around the first week of the month, we take a “snapshot” of how many active listings there are on the market. It’s not static – it changes all the time as new listings come on the market, existing listings go into escrow, etc.  Here are the inventory levels for Ventura, Oxnard and Camarillo. (oooppps – we forgot last month!).

The California Association of Realtors stated that military personnel have an extra year, through June 2011, to buy a principal residence in the U.S. and claim the federal tax credit.  The deadline for entering a binding contract is April 30, 2011; the deadline to close a purchase is June 30, 2011. The extension applies to any individual (and, if married, the individual’s spouse) who serves on qualified official extended duty service outside of the United States for at least 90 days during the period beginning after Dec. 31, 2008, and ending before May 1, 2010.  All other home buyers must be under contract by this Friday (April 30) and close by June 30 to qualify for the federal tax credit.

For distressed homeowners, the temptation to just “walk away” (and allow the bank to foreclosure) may initially be appealing. Just be done with it. However, that may be the worst option to choose, and here’s further proof it’s better to do a short sale instead of allowing the bank to foreclose. Fannie Mae just gave new guidelines stating when a homeowner can re-purchase a home after either a short sale or foreclosure – it’s a 2 year wait after a short sale vs. 4 – 7 years after a foreclosure. With the new federal HAFA initiative, there’s little reason now to simply “walk away” – don’t do it! If you’re in this situation, call Leslie today and find out more about short sales and the HAFA program.