Santa Maria CA condos Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Santa Maria CA Real Estate Blog & Information, REALTOR® Selling Santa Maria CA Homes

Bank Owned Bidding Wars in the Santa Maria – Orcutt CA Foreclosure Market

02/17/2009
Buyer Info, Foreclosure / Bank Owned (REO) Info, Santa Maria

Is it a great time to buy? Yes. Interest rates are at historic lows, Congress just passed an $8000 tax credit for first time buyers, and prices just keep getting better and better. There are plenty of folks who are taking advantage of this opportunity. As such, jumping into the current market for foreclosure properties in Santa Maria - Orcutt CA can be a rude awakening for potential buyers. Currently, there is a lot of competition for foreclosed properties. REOs comprise the majority of sold properties in the Santa Maria and Orcutt housing market.

Santa Maria CA Foreclosure Buyer Alert – $8000 First Time Home Buyer Credit Approved

02/13/2009
Santa Maria

If you are sitting on the fence about buying, Congress just gave you another reason to jump into the market for foreclosures in Santa Maria, CA. The recently passed stimulus bill modestly increases the first time home buyer credit from $7500 to $8000. But more importantly, buyers now do not have to pay the credit back as long as they stay in the home a minimum of 3 years.

River Oaks Market Update & Santa Maria CA MLS Home Listing Search

02/11/2009
Santa Maria

Sold listings were on the market an average of 77 days, were about 1900 sq.ft., and sold for about $155 per square foot. 12 of the 17 sold homes were REOs, 3 were closed short sales, and only two were regular sales. 88% of the sold activity in this neghborhood was forelcosure related; so, like many other developments that were built during the housing boom River Oaks is now overloaded with foreclosures during the housing bust.

Luxury Townhomes in Santa Maria – Orcutt CA – The Villas at La Ventana & Somerset Gardens

01/14/2009
Santa Maria

Both the Villas at La Ventana and Somerset Gardens townhomes were built by a well respected local builder, Inland Pacific, who is currently finishing the Pacific Crest development in the Westgate Ranch area. The townhome floor plans offered in each community are virtually identical. There are three basic floor plans in each. These upscale townhomes offer no maintenance patios, gas fireplaces, and two car garages. The standard features in these communities were very generous, so even units that were not upgraded with granite countertops and the works still have a very elegant feeling.

Santa Maria CA Gated Townhome Communities, Arborwalk & Lavigna

01/07/2009
Santa Maria

Built in 2004 and 2005, Arborwalk is located at the intersection of Miller & McCoy in the heart of "New" Santa Maria. This gated development is close to shopping, banks, and restaurants and it offers a fitness trail, greenbelt basin, and rose gardens throughout. Once you drive home you truly don't need your car; you can get out and walk to everything; units in this development earn high "walkability" scores. These detached town homes are excellent for buyers who don't want the obligations of yard work but still need a little outdoor space for their pet and/or a BBQ grill. Also, these homes are fantastic for investors who plan to market a rental to nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base. Arborwalk is tremendously attractive to potential renters as it sits adjacent to grocery stores, coffee shops, and restaurants.

Are you PCS'ing to Vandenberg AFB and Looking for Housing?

12/27/2008
Lompoc / Vandenberg Village

Vandenberg Air Force Base provides a steady source of new arrivals to the Central Coast area. Due to the attractive climate and small town atmosphere many decide to never leave or to return to the area after they retire from military service. The biggest weather related complaints here tend to be fog and wind; complaints that generate laughter from those who have spent winters living with ice, shoveling snow, and hiding from freezing sleet.

Santa Maria CA & Orcutt CA Homes For Sale

11/28/2008
Santa Maria

There are currently 528 homes for sale in the Santa Maria CA (and Orcutt CA) area. Approximately 250 of those homes are short sales where bank approval is necessary to complete the sale. About 141 of the remaining homes are bank owned / foreclosure listings. Thus, approximately 50 percent of the Santa Maria inventory is short saled, and about 25% is bank owned (REOs). You can search for short sales and REO Santa Maria homes at www.iLoveSantaMaria.com and www.iLoveOrcutt.com.

Buying Bank Owned Properties (REOs) in the Santa Maria/Orcutt and Lompoc/Vandenberg Village Foreclosure Market

10/07/2008
Foreclosure / Bank Owned (REO) Info, Lompoc / Vandenberg Village, Santa Maria

The Santa Maria and Lompoc real estate markets are currently dominated by foreclosure listings. Of the 663 active listings for homes/condos in the Santa Maria - Orcutt area, approximately 25% (165) are bank owned properties (REOs), and about 50% (339) were short sales. Similarly in the Lompoc - Vandenberg Village active market for homes and condos, there are 198 total listings, and 20% (39) were REOs and 40% (81) were short sales. This means that 75% of the active market in Santa Maria and 60% of the active market in Lompoc and its surrounding areas could be classified as either a foreclosure or a pre-foreclosure. Certain trends or practices are becoming fairly routine in this market.