Sacramento Real Estate Views

William Lyon Homes Throwing In Everything!

Twin Oaks, Whitney Ranch, Rocklin

I just got an email from William Lyon homes, Twin Oaks in Whitney Ranch, Rocklin.  They giving away appliances*, landscaping AND window coverings on any new home purchase between now and the end of the year.

This is amounts up to a $16,000 savings on your move in costs into one of these homes.

Whitney Ranch is located in the middle of everything in Rocklin.  It’s very close to shopping at the Galleria, close to the new high school off Wildcat Road and golf is everywhere.  The courses at Lincoln Hills as well as Turkey Creek and Whitney Oaks are just a short drive away.

Quick Move In Specials

They sent me 4 quick move in specials in the email but I’m having trouble getting the easily embedded into this article.  If you’re interested, let me know and I can get you the email they sent me.

Also, yesterday I stopped by Brighton Place, the new Centex community in Westpark, Roseville and spoke to my friends there.  Great community designed for the entry level buyer.  Single stories up to about 2000 square feet.   I’ll post an article on that later on today.

Wishing you joy and abundance for the New Year…

Thanks for visiting!

*Appliances include washer, dryer, refrigerator and dishwasher, GE stainless steel. (Ooooo preetttyy!) LOL

Tags: New Homes, Rocklin, whitney ranch, william lyon

Short Sales in Sacramento

Banks Becoming Easier to Work With

Over the last couple of years, short sales have been nothing short of a complete pain in the butt.

Getting a response out of the bank was difficult and it seemed that they would rather foreclose on a seller than to sell short and make more money in the process.

That seems to be changing throughout the Sacramento and Placer county area.

I just closed a Wachovia short sale in under 30 days from the list date!

While that’s not typical, it has and can be done.

Selling Short vs. Foreclosure

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Rocklin, Roseville, short sales sacrament

Rocklin & Roseville Open Houses This Weekend!

Google Interactive Map for Open Houses This Weekend!

(Click here for the most current map. Thanks!)

I’ve created a interactive Google map with all of the open houses scheduled in the MLS for this weekend.  If  there is a house you’d like to see, getting directions is EASY!

The schedule in the MLS sometimes doesn’t get posted until the last minute, ie. on Friday mid day or sometimes early Saturday.  Check back for updates.

It happens that the agents scheduled to hold any given home open have to cancel at the last minute for whatever reason.  If you’re interested in a specific home and would like to see it, why not give me a call for a private showing?  This will ensure you get to see the home you’re interested in and minimize frustration.

The weather forecast for this weekend looks beautiful.  Give us a call to see any home in the South Placer County or Sacramento County areas.

For a private showing of any property on the map, please click here to contact me.  For a larger version of this map, click the link “view larger map” at the bottom center of the map.

Tags: open house, Rocklin, Sun City Roseville

“REO? Foreclosure? They’re The Same, Right?”

Well, No They Aren’t!

As I’ve said before, I get many real estate related questions every week from people who are trying to sort out this market.  Admittedly, it’s a very complex thing.  Some markets are harder than others especially when you’re dealing with financial institutions.

Just a few short years ago, no one was worried about foreclosure, short sales, declining values or losing their incomes.  The market was good, property was appreciating and everything looked very rosy.  As Paul Harvey used to say,  “now you (we) know the REST of the story”.

Things will get better, they always do.  It’s the natural ebb and flow of life.  I hope it happens sooner than later.

What’s a Foreclosure?

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: bank owned, foreclosure, homes, Rocklin, sacramento, Sun City Roseville

FHA Buyers! Great News!

UPDATE:  According to HUD, this program has been suspended until further notice.  It is unclear if this is just to give them time to create a policy governing how it will be implemented or if they have rescinded their decision to allow the credit to be used at the time of purchase.  I will update this as news becomes available.  Thanks! RS

Use The Tax Credit As A Down Payment On Your Purchase!

I prematurely scooped this a couple months back but it’s finally here and it’s great news for first time home buyers everywhere.

The FHA has approved a plan for their lenders to monetize the $8000 tax credit so that it can be used as a down payment toward the purchase of a home.  Shaun Donovan from HUD announced this yesterday at a National Association of Realtors legislative summit.  Details are slated for release next week.

So far, this looks like an awesome development for the first time home buyer.  If they allow the lenders to credit the $8000 toward the down payment on a home without the home buyer coming out of pocket for the money then filing for it’s return on next years taxes, it will facilitate many more people to get into the market.  As I’ve said in previous articles, now is the time to buy if you’re in the market to do so ESPECIALLY for a primary residence.

The National Association of Realtors has been leading the charge on this to spur buying activity nationwide.  This is great news across the board for first time home buyers in the Sacramento real estate market.

This tax credit is only going to be here until December 1, 2009.  If you’re planning to purchase this year, you’ve got to act quickly.  Let us know if we can help you.

Stay tuned for more details on this.

Thanks for visiting!

Tags: first time home buyer sacramento, Rocklin, Sun City Roseville

Your Questions Answered!

I get questions from clients and potential clients all the time.  That is one of the great things about having a blog; it’s a very interactive platform.  Much more helpful than the newsletters I used to do and a lot more fun!

I’ve created a new category called “Your Questions Answered”  where I’ll be giving my opinion based on my experience in the real estate industry.  I hope you find it helpful.

The question in this post is concerning short sales.  As the REO/foreclosure inventory begins to decline, the short sale inventory will begin to increase or seem to at least due to the absence of foreclosed homes to purchase.  (Don’t infer that the foreclosures are going away. Let’s just call it a “stay of execution”! )

“What’s the length of time a bank will respond on a short sale?”

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Rocklin, short sales sacramento, Sun City Roseville

5 Reasons To Buy A Home In Sacramento

The Sacramento Real Estate Market is First Time Home Buyer Friendly!

The decline of the Sacramento region real estate market has been tough.  There isn’t anyone who hasn’t been touched by this near depression both in the housing industry and other sectors of the regional economy.  That said, every cloud has a silver lining and currently and that silver lining, or in the case of the first time home buyer, is a GOLD lining!

The Sacramento real estate market has more to offer the first time home buyer than ever before.  Here’s the top 5 reason why the Sacramento real estate market is THE place for the first time home buyer:

1.  Renting costs MORE!

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: first time home buyer sacramento, Rocklin, Sun City Roseville