The huge drop in interest rates yesterday may begin to work against you!

So many buyers have been absolutely determined to drive down their offers for maximum benefit that a certain mindset has evolved. Some buyers feel all powerful in this market, waiting for the most and best, absolute and rock bottom deal – but the pendulum may start to swing back. Read the rest of this article »

At 8:08 a.m. this morning I got a call from a client on the cusp of making an offer: “Don, what’s going to happen because of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae being taken over?”

As I write this at 3:47 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the answer is that interest rates (on conforming loans) have dropped by over one half point – that’s HUGE! So FAST! However, a lender warned me there may be a slight pull back, but nevertheless, everyone seems to be relieved and happy that the Fed’s action yesterday took place.

This won’t solve our housing crisis, but it should help bring liquidity and some sense of “normalcy” back into the marketplace.

Over the summer we’ve been working with a goodly number of buyers, and a not uncommon theme has been the balancing of desire with reality.

In the several first time homebuyer seminars we did this spring and early summer, we addressed this issue with a PowerPoint slide of a gorgeous Spanish Hills home in Camarillo (“OUR DESIRE”) followed by a slide of an outhouse (“REALITY”). You’d be surprised how true that is!

It’s been said there’s a 15% gap between our desire and what we can really, truly afford.

That’s where a great Realtor like Leslie comes in to help! Bridging that 15% gap is a process, and Leslie patiently listens, helping buyers find a home that ultimately not only meets their needs, but their desires! She has “the touch” to make it happen!

Don and I have been in real estate for 30 years or so and have “seen it all” – or so I thought. An REO listing came on the market in Camarillo a few weeks back close to a listing I have and so we checked it out. Walking along the side of the home toward the back yard, neatly placed at the corner of the home, was a cemetery headstone with “Mother” and dates…

Was it a “real” headstone?!? Why is “Mother” still there? Was she “ever” there? Who knows? But now I’ve seen it all!