By Rocky G.H. Hawrysz
Realtor®, Broker Associate, CRS®, e-Pro®, ABR®, SRES®
Prudential California Realty

12/15/2009 ABOUT THE CURRENT MARKET

As the data indicates, in San Joaquin County active-listings (supply) increased by 16 homes
and pendings were flat. Listing price decreased by $5,000 and Sold Price decreased by
$4,000.  Months of Inventory rose to 2.1 from 1.8 months in October.

In Stanislaus County, active listings were up for the first time in more than a year by 67
homes. Pendings remained flat, while the average price decreased by $16,000. Sold price
also decreased slightly by $3,000 and Months of Inventory rose to 2.0 from 1.5 in October.   

Month of November Numbers:

Stanislaus County on Market
REO’s = 303
Short Sales = 417
Non Short Sale/REO = 484

San Joaquin County on Market
REO’s = 385
Short Sales = 488
Non Short Sale/REO = 681

I have also added a new Short Sale trend to my web site.  It is important for buyers and short
sale owners to understand the relationship between "For Sale," "Sold" and "Pended Short
Sale" homes.  What this chart tells us is as a buyer you are going to need patience and an
acknowledgement of non-ownership when making offers on these homes.  For a Seller, it is
important to acknowledge that a Short Sale may not result in a sale.  Take a look and let me
know if this chart is useful to you.

As predicted, the holiday season is making this market a bit sluggish.  However, I would
estimate better than average activity for December as a result of the extension of loan limits,
$8,000 tax credit incentive and vacation or holiday time off.  In addition, investors are coming
back into the market and taking advantage of super low prices, rehabbing and getting them
back on as quickly as they can.     

Home Buyers: Inventory remains low, but don’t give up.  Also, there is a lot of buyer
competition right now and it’s now best to look 10-20K below your qualification.  In simple
terms, if you qualify for 220K you might want to look at 200K homes, so you have the ability to
outbid your competition.  The same would apply for all price ranges in this market. Also,
watch out for homes that have recently been rehabilitated (flipped).  There great don’t get me
wrong, however some loan programs have restrictions (90 day rule) and if your agent doesn’t
understand them you may be wasting you time and energy.  I say it all the time, however now
more so than in the past, it is very important you contact an experienced and professional
Realtor before committing to an agent. You’ll need somebody that has a good understanding of
this market, one that is able to pre-screen homes if you intend to use something other than
conventional financing or cash and one that won’t give up on you when the going gets tough.    

Investors: There are now 70 properties right now in both counties under $50,000 and the
lowest priced single family home (non modular) came in today at $19,000 in Modesto. It’s a 4
Bedroom, 2 Bath, 2292 Sqft. on .270 Acres ~ WOW!  Just make sure if you flip you keep all
those receipts. You’re going to need all the help you can with Capital Gains.

Homeowners: Sold prices are stable and have appeared to flatten out. Sale prices are dipping
slightly however, I believe this will improve in the short term. Buyer competition (demand)
remains very high.  

We’ll see how the market changes next month, with more analysis and opinion.





Contact Rocky at (209) 444-6610 or rocky@prucalifornia.com if you would like more
information.
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By R.G.H. Hawrysz Realtor®, Broker
Associate, CRS®, e-Pro®, ABR®, SRES®
Prudential California Realty

2/14/2010 ABOUT THE CURRENT MARKET

It’s Tax Credit CRUNCH TIME!

As the data indicates, in San Joaquin County
Active-Listings (supply) increased by 33
homes. Pendings increased by 270 homes.
Listing price decreased by $6,000 and Sold
Price decreased by $2,000.  Months of
Inventory rose to 2.6 from 1.9 months in
January.

In Stanislaus County, Active-Listings
decreased by 14 homes. Pendings were
also up by 270 homes and the average price
increased by $7,000. Sold price decreased
by $2,000 and Months of Inventory rose to 2.7
from 1.9 in January.   

Here’s the month of January numbers:

San Joaquin County on Market
REO’s = 430 (Last month 467)   
Short Sales = 568 (Last month 526)  
NonShort Sale/REO = 716 (Last month 687)  

Stanislaus County on Market
REO’s = 379  (Last month 446)
Short Sales = 488 (Last month  442)
Non Short Sale/REO = 483 (Last month 477)

Home Buyers: More supply came on-line last
month, however pendings out-paced the
increase. Competition remains very strong
for desirable homes. Look 10-15K below
your qualification and be prepared to make
an offer over asking price.  

Key Tax Credit Points:

1) Buyers who enter into a binding contact by
April 30 have until June 30 to settle on the
purchase.
2) The max credit amount remains $8,000 for
first-time homebuyers.
3) Buyers that qualify have not owned a
primary residence within the past 3 years.

Investors: On Valentines Day there were 73
properties in both counties under $50,000
and the lowest priced single family home
(non modular) came in at $16,200 in
Modesto. It’s a 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 466 Sqft.
on .143 Acres ~ WOW!  

All buyers: It is very important you contact an
experienced and professional Realtor before
committing to an agent. You’ll need
somebody that has a good understanding of
this market and one who is willing to take the
time to pre-screen homes, if you intend to
use something other than conventional
financing or cash.  It’s your time and money.  

Homeowners: Good news! Sold prices came
up in Stanislaus County and San Joaquin is
holding on. January’s buyer competition
(demand) remains high. However, don’t
forget to buckle up for possibly more
mortgage resets coming in mid 2010.  We
can only hope that the banks leverage their
positions in the market to keep price stable.   

We’ll see how the market changes next
month, with more analysis and opinion.



If you would like more information or would
like to work with our team to sell or purchase
your next home, contact us at (209) 444-6610
or e-mail rocky@prucalifornia.com.


Information obtained from regional listing service and is not guaranteed by
Team Hawrysz or Prudential California Realty.
By R.G.H. Hawrysz
Realtor®, Broker Associate, CRS®, e-Pro®, ABR®, SRES®
Prudential California Realty

1/13/2010 ABOUT THE CURRENT MARKET

Happy New Year!

2009 was an incredible year in Real Estate.  We started out in January with 7,272 homes on
the market in San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties and we also hit the bottom in terms of
average list price. It has indeed been a year of significant market adjustment and recovery.
However, as many of you will agree we have a long way to go.

As the data indicates, in San Joaquin County Active-Listings (supply) increased by 125
homes. Pendings increased by 180 homes. Listing price decreased by $20,000 and Sold
Price increased by $7,000.  Months of Inventory rose to 2.2 from 2.1 months in October.

In Stanislaus County, Active-Listings were up again by a 135 homes. Pendings where also
up by 64 homes and the average price decreased by $14,000. Sold price increased by
$7,000 and Months of Inventory rose to 2.1 from 2.0 in October.   

A word about Short Sales:

I trust you’ll find the new Short Sale data on my website very informative.  It is a good
indication of the success rate and should help you to determine if you want to participate in
Short Sale Real Estate.

Explanation:

Pendings always come before Solds and are typically 30 days later. In a normal sale (Bank
Owned & Private) the quantity of Pendings are virtually the same as Solds in the following
month.  Essentially, this is the rate of successful closes.  With Short Sales the gap is much
larger and that gap indicates a rate of failed or delayed closings.  In San Joaquin County, out
of 367 homes pended in November only 157 Sold in December and in Stanislaus County, out
of 262 pended in November only 125 closed in December.

If you plan to pursue a Short Sale, make sure you don’t stop looking for the other perfect
home after placing your offer. Approximately 50-70% of them may not close escrow.  

I hope this information will allow you to understand and express the reality of Short Sales to
your friends, family and perhaps clients.

Here’s the month of December numbers:

Stanislaus County on Market
REO’s = 446 (Last month 303)   
Short Sales = 442 (Last month 417)  
NonShort Sale/REO = 477 (Last month 484)  

San Joaquin County on Market
REO’s = 467  (Last month 385)
Short Sales = 562 (Last month  488)
Non Short Sale/REO = 687 (Last month 681)

The holiday season as predicted, had better than average activity. Our office activity also
reflected these numbers which very well could make for a better January than expected.

Home Buyers: Inventory remains low and competition is very strong for desirable homes. As
I mentioned last month, look 10-20K below your qualification and be prepared to make an
offer over asking price. Also for those of you that are FHA and need closing cost, you may
want to consider borrowing the money from family and using the $8,000 tax credit to pay
them back.  Be sure to talk with a Tax Advisor about this because actual money in your
pocket could vary depending on your unique tax position. It is very important you contact an
experienced and professional Realtor before committing to an agent. You’ll need somebody
that has a good understanding of the market and one that is willing to take the time to pre-
screen homes, if you intend to use something other than conventional financing or cash.  It’s
your time and money.  

Investors: On January 9th there where 130 properties in both counties under $50,000 and
the lowest priced single family home (non modular) came in at $10,900 in the town of Keyes.
It’s a 3 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 936Sqft. on .16 Acres ~ WOW!  Flippers, save those receipts. You’
re going to need them.

Homeowners: Good news! Sold prices came up in December and Buyer competition
(demand) remains high. However, there is more upcoming mortgage resets coming in mid
2010.  

We’ll see how the market changes next month, with more analysis and opinion.



If you would like more information or would like to work with our team to sell or purchase
your next home, contact us at (209) 444-6610 or e-mail rocky@prucalifornia.com.
Information obtained from regional listing service and is not guaranteed by
Team Hawrysz or Prudential California Realty.
Past "ABOUT THE CURRENT MARKET" Blogs
"ABOUT THE CURRENT MARKET"
February 2010 - San Joaquin County