Real Estate Outlook

What’s Happening With Prices?

Prices for Palos Verdes real estate have not been fluctuating as much as other areas. However, when one looks at the average price for single family residences at the end of March 2009 (1,259,000) compared to March 2008 ($1,608,000) there is a 27% decrease but what those numbers do not show is that the number of sales under $1,000,000 are currently the bulk of sales (40 out of total sales of 82...


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California Housing Market Outlook

What is the outlook for Palos Verdes real estate? I attended a forecast meeting presented by Robert A. Kleinhenz, Ph.D., Deputy Chief Economist for the California Association of Realtors. There was good news and "other" news. First the good news. Affordability for California is now at 60%; it was 23% in 2007. Interest rates are at historic lows and probably will remain at these levels through the...


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A Ray of Sunshine!

Yesterday, both the Daily Breeze and Los Angeles Times had housing reports. The Daily Breeze headlined with "County home prices look to be stabilizing." Los Angeles County home sales made its third consecutive gain while prices remained stable leading some to believe that the market has "finally hit bottom." The lower end of the market is moving and the upper end is slower. For Palos Verdes real...


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March 2009 Market Statistics

Statistics for single family homes for the month of March for Palos Verdes Real Estate are now available. March 2009 had more than twice as many sold/close escrows and slightly more pending sales than February 2009; the sold/pending numbers are down, however, when compared to March 2008. Inventory of active listings/homes for sale rose again for the third consecutive month which is great for buyers....


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February 2009 Market Statistics

Statistics for single family homes for the month of February for Palos Verdes Real Estate are now available. February 2009 had less sold/closed escrows and less pending sales than January 2009 and had increased inventory of active listings/homes for sale. Additionally, February 2009 had half the number of sold/closed escrows and 70% less pending sales when compared to February 2008. For the month...


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January 2009 Market Satistics

Statistics for single family homes for the month of January for Palos Verdes Real Estate are now available. January 2009 compared to January 2008 has the same number of sold/closed escrows, 1 additional pending escrow, and 46 more active listings/home for sale. Average price per square foot for homes that sold January 2009 is $494 compared to $545 last January. For the month of January, there...


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2009 Real Estate Forecast

Everyone wants to know how the Palos Verdes real estate market is doing. I am an optimist by nature so I have to check for facts before I give my opinion. Currently we have 32 properties that have sold/closed escrow since the first of the year compared to 23 properties this same time period in 2008. Additionally, there are currently 42 properties in escrow. So the Palos Verdes real estate market...


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December Market Statistics and Year-End Results

The numbers are in and owners of Palos Verdes Real Estate single family residences experienced a 6.2% decline in 2008 average sales price compared to 2007. That is actually not bad compared to the rest of Los Angeles County which was down about 28%. Home values on the Palos Verdes Peninsula have held fairly steady: 2008 was the first year of declines in recent memory. Palos Verdes homeowners...


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Have We Hit Bottom?

Conventional wisdom tells us that we do not know if we have hit bottom until we are on the way up. Trying to "time" the bottom is a matter of luck. For buyers of Palos Verdes real estate I encourage them to consider the following: 1) Interest Rates are at historic lows. 4.75% for conforming 30-year fixed and 6.625% for jumbo 30-year fixed rate loans. 2) Many buyers are sitting on the...


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Remodeling Cost vs. Value

I am often asked by owners of Palos Verdes real estate which remodeling projects will give them the greatest return on their investment. The answer is siding replacement, window replacement and major kitchen remodel according to the December 2008 Realtor Magazine. This article covers areas around the country and states, "Pacific Coast cities recorded the best payback on remodeling by a wide...


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