Is The Right Time To Buy?

With a holiday-shortened week, little news, and relatively thin trading, Bond prices and home loan rates should stay fairly stable. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Bonds get forced back beneath the tough ceiling they've been fighting for so long, but the move will not likely be dramatic enough to see a change in home loan rates. That's great for those who are ready to close in the next 30 days. But what about those of you who are still undecided on the purchase of that “first” or “new” home?

Interest rates have already dropped at a 10-month low, with the average on a 30-year fixed rate now at 6.24%. Home sales, already slow for the year, usually get slower during the holiday season as homebuyers are more interested in purchasing gifts and planning that holiday party than home buying. Home sellers are also taking part in that holiday shopping frenzy, but to a lesser extent as in their mind is the sale of their home. A home seller today has most likely bought a replacement home and now he has to deal with two mortgage payments, or he has already found it and is anxious to sell in order to move-in by year’s end so he can showcase the “new” home at the New Year’s party. In either case that home seller is anxious to sell! During my years in real estate, I’ve always seen the best deals happening during the slow holiday season, as smart home buyers do realize this and seem to step up and buy the house they want at probably its lowest price of the year

Buyer Specialists

Couple months ago, I received a call from an out of town client who wanted to view some properties that I had send her information about the day before. The problem was that she wanted to view the properties the same date and time that I had already scheduled showings for another client. She insisted that this was the only time she was available due to her work schedule and to the fact that she was only going to be in San Diego for that day.
How was I going to be in two places servicing two clients at the same time? The short term solution was to refer her to another Realtor who I knew that was going to help her view these properties that day. So, I did! It is not uncommon among professionals to refer clients to each other, but Karen wanted me to be part of the negotiation and escrow process as she had built confidence in me during our prior email and phone conversations. Long story short, after some arrangements she got her wish, as I'm a true believer of servicing my clients specific wants and needs.

Wanted to avoid scheduling conflicts like this one in the feature, I decided to hire a couple Buyers Specialists who would help me provide a better service to my increasing base of buyer clients. I joint Century 21 All Real Estate as a Broker Associate and formed the Alexiou Team which consists of myself, Liz Franco and Claudette Narvaez, my two buyer specialists.

Liz and Claudette service the needs of my buyer clients to identify the home of their dreams and then myself, the buyer specialist and the client work together as a team towards getting the deal done and having a smooth escrow.

Visit my San Diego Real Estate web site and click on the about page to learn more about the Alexiou Team and how we CAN help you with all your real estate needs.

Central San diego County Coastal

Community pages that have been added or updated during last week on my San Diego Real Estate web site include the following areas in Central San Diego County Coastal:

Clairemont Mesa, La Jolla, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Point Loma and University City.

In these community pages you will find area and school information, median home prices, real estate tips as well as MLS access to homes and condos for sale and FREE market analysis in the community of your interest.

North San Diego County Coastal Community Information (1)

I have been updating my San Diego Real Estate and Mortgage web site and have recently added community information pages for the North San Diego County Coastal. You will find community and school information, home search and home values (find the value of your home) tools as well as links to our home loan center.

I have added pages for the the following coastal communities:
Cardiff by the Sea real estate - a coastal upscale community featuring some modern architecture ocean front homes and condos.
Carlsbad real estate - the golf capital of the world as is considered by many.
Carmel Valley real estate - the Del Mar beaches are just across the I-5 freeway, and it's home to many families who are employed in its neighboring Sorrento Valley.
Del Mar real estate - Its famous beaches make Del Mar one of the most desirable beach communities in San Diego County.
Solana Beach real estate - just north of Del Mar, its beachs are less crowded and more family friendly. Home of the Cedros Design District.

Biggest Mistakes Home Sellers Make

With the rapid price appreciation that we've seen in San Diego County during the past few years, it's not surprising that home seller expectations sometimes outran market reality.
The number one mistake that home sellers make today when listing their homes, is overpricing. Based on past housing market expectations, sellers are overpricing their homes which creates longer market time and unnecessary price reductions and stress. Request a FREE no obligation CMA report to find out your San Diego Home Value based on recent sales and currently active for sale homes in your neighborhood.

The second-biggest mistake that sellers make is dealing with the same real estate agent who represents the buyer which can create a possible conflict of interest and possibly a perception that the buyer was getting a better deal. It is always wise to use an experienced San Diego Realtor who knows the current market conditions and who will represent your interests on a exclusive basis.

The third-biggest mistake that sellers make is failure to disclose known defects or problems. If you fail to disclose a known defect or problem, it could came back and haunt you during the buyer's physical inspection or latter on after the sale when the problem is discovered.

The next-biggest mistake is underpricing your home which could mean thousands of dollars lost if you had chosen a professional San Diego Realtor to properly price and market your home and also represent your interests.

Finally, the last-biggest mistake that sellers make is not utilizing the Internet technology to market their properties. With over than 77% of current home buyers start seeking for their first or next home online, The Alexiou Team - Century 21 All Real Estate is using the Internet as its major marketing avenue and has positioned its websites through the search engines so that home buyers will see your home when they are seeking for homes for sale in your area.

For more information visit our San Diego Real Estate or San Diego Condos websites.

Higher Conforming Home Loan Limits

Alexiou Real Estate, Inc. is happy to announce higher conforming loan limits for California effective October 4th, 2005.
The new higher loan limits are as follows:

• 1 Unit $400,000
• 2 Units $512,000
• 3 Units $618,900
• 4 Units $769,100

That represends an increase of $40,350 in a single family conforming home loan limits. What does this mean to you the consumer? Up to 0.50% lower interest rate, which represents a lower monthly payment savings of up to $131 on a 30 year $400,000 mortgage.

Visit us at San Diego Real Estate Homes for Sale San Diego Mortgage Home Loan and click on Interest Rates to view today's rates for San diego County. Click on Search San Diego Homes, to search all MLS homes listed for sale in San Diego County.

2006 California Housing Market Forecast

Last week San Diego hosted the California Association of REALTORS®' Centennial Expo where real estate practitioners from all over California celebrated C.A.R.'s 100th anniversary. At the EXPO's opening luncheon the main speaker was Leslie Appleton-Young, C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist where she presented the 2006 Housing Market Forecast for California.
Her opening statement was that the only bubble in California's housing market is the bubble that exists all over the news during the past two years. Instead of the much talked about bubble California is in for a smooth landing during 2006. The rate of home price appreciation will moderate in 2006 following four years of steep increases, and sales will dip slightly from this year's record pace.
The median home price in California will increase 10 percent to $575,500 in 2006 compared with a projected median of $523,150 this year, while sales are projected to reach 630,610 units, falling 2 percent compared with 2005, according to the forecast.
Fixed mortgage interest rate is expected to rise to 6.4 percent next year, and the adjustable rate to hit 5.1 percent, which will make it more difficult for many families in California to be able to afford a home.
For more information on the 2006 Housing Market Forecast and how you will be affected if you plan to sell or buy a home in San Diego, contact me through my website click San Diego Real Estate Homes for Sale. Visit my Mortgage Center and view today's Interest Rates.