Santa Maria real estate Archives - Page 5 of 7 - Santa Maria CA Real Estate Blog & Information, REALTOR® Selling Santa Maria CA Homes

Does 'Days on Market' Always Tell the Whole Story?

12/31/2009
Seller Info

It's the end of the year and time to begin compiling data and drawing conclusions about what the real estate market was like in Santa Maria and Lompoc this past year. Often, sellers and buyers rely on "days on market" to tell them additional and useful information about the real estate market. However, as with any one statistic, days on market can be an unreliable and misleading indicator of true market conditions.

Orcutt View Park Townhomes, Old Orcutt CA Condo Update

12/30/2009
Santa Maria

Nestled between May Grisham Elementary and Highway 135 is a strip of cute little townhomes known as the Orcutt View Park Condos. These homes offer 3 bedrooms, two baths, a one car garage, and a birds eye view of community sporting events held in the sporting fields next to the school. They are about are about 1400 sq. ft. in size and the association dues are about $180 per month. Most of the townhomes offer a small patio and backyard. For those who wish to commute to Vandenberg AFB, the location is ideal; the commute time is about 15 minutes to the main gate.

River Oaks Development, Santa Maria Homes Market Update 2009

12/26/2009
Santa Maria

Home to Jim May Park (an 11 acre park which includes a lake and walking trails) and Ida Redmond Taylor Elementary, the River Oaks development offers an idyllic setting which parallels the Santa Maria riverbed in northeast Santa Maria. Built from 1999 -2003, these homes range from 1400 sq.ft. up to almost 3000 sq.ft. in size. Current asking prices for active and pending homes in the River Oaks development range from $260,000 to $299,900. In the past 6 months, home sales prices in River Oaks ranged from $235,000 - $310,000.

Pacific Crest Development, Santa Maria Homes Update

12/25/2009
Santa Maria

Built by a local developer, Inland Pacific Builders, Pacific Crest is conveniently located on the south end of Santa Maria and a short 20 minute commute to the main gate of Vandenberg AFB. The Pacific Crest homes were constructed beginning about 2005, and the last few homes are still being sold by the developer. The floorplans are some of my favorites built in Santa Maria, with circular interior entries, spacious kitchens, and luxurious master suite options.

Where Have all the Houses Gone in Santa Maria – Orcutt?

07/15/2009
Buyer Info, Santa Maria

When I searched the MLS for active properties this morning, I came up with 158 single family homes or condos for sale. 29 of those listings are short sales, and 35 are active REO listings. There are 234 contingent listings, and 222 of them are short sales. In the last 30 days, 131 homes have sold, with an average price of about $250,000, average price per square foot of $150, and averaging about 75 days on market. 28 of those sold homes were closed short sales, and 61 were REO (bank owned property) sales. Average days on market for short sales were about 120 days (this reflects the time period to obtain bank approval), and average days on market for REO listings was about 53 (this includes the time it takes to get the contract finalized by the bank).

The Santa Maria Real Estate Market is Hot!

03/21/2009
Buyer Info, Santa Maria, Seller Info

I know the media is saying that the real estate market is in the dumps. And I guess if you were hoping to get housing boom level prices for your home, it is. But if you are a Santa Maria or Ocutt home owner who needs to sell your home, you should know that the Santa Maria real estate market is hot! Why do I say that? Because homes that are priced in line with today's market that are not short sales, sell in less than a week. I feel as if this is a hidden secret of today's market place. Everyone believes that it is hard to sell your home right now, but even short sales that are well priced are receiving multile offers right now.

What not to do when selling your Santa Maria CA home

03/17/2009
Santa Maria

Home sellers often ask what they can do to make their home sell quickly for the price they want. I believe that this is a great market for realistic sellers. Realistic meaning sellers who do not expect to get housing boom era pricing for their homes. There is actually a shortage of easy to buy homes on the market in the Santa Maria, Orcutt, and Lompoc markets. The market is clogged with short sales that stay stagnant. Homes and condos that are priced right are receiving multiple offers. That being said, time and time again I see sellers make critical mistakes when trying to sell their home.

Can I Buy A Home for $25,000 in Santa Maria, CA?

03/11/2009
Santa Maria

You would be surprised how many times I am asked this question with amounts varying from as little as $5000 to $50,000. And my answer to that is an easy no. I even had someone ask me about an $81,000 home in Foxenwood Estates! When I ask these potential buyers where they are getting this type of information, they point to the various foreclosure related websites. After sampling a few, for properties that are in pre-foreclosure (i.e. a Notice of Default has been filed) the amount of the payments that are in arrears, or the amount of the second loan owing on the property shows up as the list price, when in fact the home may not even be listed with a broker.