True, there are signs that we aren’t yet experiencing a full-force housing recovery.

However, the national housing market is improving.

More after the video

December 2012 market commentary

There are still millions of “homeowners” in some stage of the foreclosure process. The market will have to work through this distressed inventory in 2013.

Looking past these foreclosures, millions are still sitting in houses with loan balances higher than the home’s value. One slip in personal income and these individuals could find themselves adding to the pre-foreclosure numbers.

The economy is getting stronger on some fronts though.

Is a real estate market relapse possible? Sadly, this is still possible, if the economy were to slip in 2013.

Let’s have a happy and safe holiday season in 2012.

2012 holiday safety tips from Hollak Real Estate Group

1. Keep windows, garages and sheds locked. And, don’t forget to use deadbolts.
2. Use timers to turn on TVs, lights, or a radio to give the appearance that someone is at home all the time.
3. Maintain at least a foot of space between a burning candle and anything nearby that can catch fire.
4. When hanging lights outdoors, avoid using staples or nails which can damage the electrical wiring of the lights. Instead, use UL-rated clips or wires instead.
5. Don’t overload electrical circuits with holiday lighting. Also, be sure to unplug lights before you go to bed.
6. Don’t leave a spare key in a “hiding place.” Burglars are experienced at where to look.
7. Lock your power box with an electricity authority lock (you and your electrical company have a key). This saves your home security alarm system can’t be cut off from the power supply.

Getting our real estate tips as soon as we publish them is super-easy and free.

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With a 2010 census population of just under 5,600 residents, I think it’s fair to call Fowler a (sleepy) bedroom community of Fresno.

In fact, because Fowler to Fresno is  a straight shot north on Highway 99 (the 99), some Fowler residents choose to buy Fowler real estate and commute into Fresno for their job.

Some strong arguments for living in Fowler and commuting into Fresno that we’ve heard are:

• The cost of buying a Fowler home for sale lower than in Fresno.
• You can raise a family in a small town atmosphere.
• The crime rate in Fowler is lower than some parts of Fresno.

Fortunately for our clients, our home search website keeps track of important data, like Fowler crime statistics, automatically for our clients. For example, take a look at Fowler California (93625) Community Info page.

To take a look at current community data for Fowler CA, visit our site and type in your zip code. The data are constantly updated and always current.

It might make a huge difference in your family’s next move.

Fowler CA real estate

Fowler CA real estate has been hit hard, just like most of California has over the past five years.

Real estate prices are down. Great news for real estate buyers, huh? You better believe it.

Fowler CA is right off Highway 99, in between Fresno and Selma.

This makes for a great commuter / bedroom town. If your job takes you out of Fowler CA, then just on the 99 and head north or south.

The latest Fowler CA real estate listings page

To sneak a peak at all of the real estate currently for sale in Fowler CA, check out or Fowler CA real estate listings page.

We update the page every single day to reflect houses that enter and exit the for sale market.

So check back often, because the page refreshes every day with new listings.

Here’s the link:

Fowler CA real estate listings

]]> http://hollakregroup.com/fowler-ca-crime/feed/ 0 http://hollakregroup.com/happy-thanksgiving-everyone/ http://hollakregroup.com/happy-thanksgiving-everyone/#comments Thu, 22 Nov 2012 07:31:16 +0000 Joseph Hollak http://hollakregroup.com/?p=3181 The Hollak Real Estate Group at Keller Williams Fresno, would like to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving 2012.

We appreciate the relationships we have with our past and present clients. We also look forward to working with our future clients we have yet to meet.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Seventy-one percent of all Fresno households can afford to buy a median-priced, single-family home as of the second quarter of 2012.

Housing Affordability Index

The California Association of Realtors released it’s report recently and placed Fresno County in the top 10 most affordable counties for homeownership.

The most affordable county in all of California (for homeownership) went to San Bernadino, where 78% of residents can afford the median-priced home.

Home buying process

With almost three out of four Fresno residents able to afford a home in this county, the subject of the conversation quickly moves away from “can I afford my own home,” to “teach me about the home buying process.”

Especially if you are buying your first home, the home buying process can be a little scary.

The key really, is to find a team that understands your situation and your goals, and puts your needs first.

1. Find a team,
2. interview them, and
3. get to know them.

Trust, and competency, at the end of the day, is going to let you sleep well at night. Knowing that the real estate team that you hired is taking care of you in every way, will make the entire home buying process a great experience.

Fresno online home search

Let’s start the process of finding your family the perfect (and affordable) home.

Type in your search criteria below, and instantly search every home currently for sale in Fresno County.

The little bedroom community of Kerman California still struggles with foreclosures and short sales.

We looked at Kerman foreclosures back in March 2012.

As you can see from the chart above, October saw a spike in foreclosure and short sale activity, when compared to the month prior.

• The green being foreclosure activity
• The plum color being short sale activity

Kerman is one of those small towns that sits right outside of Fresno proper. And, because it is one of those small towns that tends to be a little quieter and a little slower paced, you can usually get more for your money when buying a home.

We’re helping a young family right now, as a matter of fact, to buy their first home. Their first choice was to buy in Kerman.

Kerman foreclosure listings: good or bad?

The increase in foreclosure and short sale activity isn’t good news for owners looking to sell in the near term. The added competition isn’t something you want to see if you’re thinking of selling.

But, for Kerman real estate buyers on the other hand, the added inventory is a blessing. In fact, the more the better. It drives prices lower.

Kerman home buying process

The home buying process remains the same if you looking to buy Kerman real estate. Just follow the logical steps to home ownership and it can happen.

Now, my real estate team would love to be a part of that with you and represent you in the transaction. We can help your family just like the family we mentioned above.

But, we need two things from you first:

1. We need to meet you in person. We want to know who we will be working with. You will be asking us to commit our time and expertise to help you get this done. In exchange for that request, we need to meet you in person before we get started.
2. We need you to trust us and be willing to take the advice we give you when we navigate you through the current real estate market in Kerman.

If you can handle those two requests, then let’s get started.

Call our office to schedule that introductory meeting. Your Kerman home is waiting for you to discover it.

(559) 399-0004 | office

If you are considering the purchase of a new home or investment property and you will need to finance some of the purchase, get ready to learn about private mortgage insurance, or PMI.

PMI gets thrown around a lot in the mortgage and real estate industries, but what exactly is ‘PMI?’

Private mortgage insurance explained

Quite simply, private mortgage insurance (PMI) is designed to protect your lender in the event that you, the borrower, defaults on the mortgage you.

By the way, there is proof that foreclosures are spiking again, and don’t forget about what a 1% rise in interest rates will do, but more on that later. Let’s get back to private mortgage insurance for now.

Your mortgage lender is taking a risk by loaning you money to buy your home, and the lender wants to protect some of their investment with a little insurance policy. Something like you wanting to protect your car so you go out and get insurance.

Private mortgage insurance allows institutional lenders (banks and insurance companies) to make mortgage loans above the usual 75 – 80% of the home’s price.

Is private mortgage insurance common?

PMI is common, especially in this financial climate. In fact, most lenders require PMI on conventional loans if the buyer’s down payment is less than 20% of the total property’s purchase price.

Roughly 50% of all current homebuyers are putting less than 20% down. So, PMI is common and probably isn’t going away any time soon with conventional loans.

If you are putting less than a 20% down payment on your next home purchase, and you are using a conventional loan product, then get to know private mortgage insurance.

Who pays the private mortgage insurance premiums?

Although this insurance policy is designed to protect the lender, the home buyer gets stuck with the cost of the insurance premiums.

Unlike interest, private mortgage insurance is probably not a deductible item on your personal income taxes (“probably not,” because you should always consult your qualified tax advisor for all deductions and tax advice).

If you found this article helpful and informative, please click on one of the share buttons below and let one of your friends in on it as well. Thank you.

If they aren’t patient, I see frustration setting in.

Here’s why:

The number of Orange Cove real estate listing choices for buyers as we start November 2012 is not pretty.

Orange Cove real estate inventory to start November 2012

According to the multiple listing service (the database we Realtors use to track houses for sale) listed only three (3) houses currently active and for sale in Orange Cove. That’s it to start of the month of November. Only three houses.

If one of these three aren’t your dream home, then frustration sets in.

Why?

Frustration sets in because what you’re looking for isn’t for sale right now. It isn’t on the market for you to buy.

And, there is no promise of more Orange Cove real estate hitting the marketing anytime soon. No one has a crystal ball to know when more housing inventory will hit the market.

So for now, you either love one of the three that is currently for sale, or you sit, and wait for more to choose from.

We looked at the Orange Cove real estate in July and found found four (4) homes had sold that month. So housing activity in Orange Cove could be slowing down. Not good for buyers who are out there, still looking.

Orange Cove real estate search

If you are serious about buying a home in Orange Cove soon, and you just aren’t sure how to keep tabs on the market and what real estate is available for sale, don’t worry. The Hollak Real Estate Group has your answer.

You can instantly search every piece of  Orange Cove real estate that is currently for sale, instantly and for free.

Type what you’re looking for in to search box below.

My website will instantly search the market for you. Plus, if you want, we will instantly email you every time a home hits the market that fits your needs. That way, you are one of the first people to know about. Free email alerts will save you a bunch of time and money driving all over town, and search the website everyday.

It’s all free.

Free Orange Cove real estate home search

Today’s buyer has a lot reasons to get into home ownership. If for no other reason than to get into a home before we need to raise interest rates.

If you’re renting and thinking that all of that monthly rent you’re paying someone else, should be going to somehow benefit you and your family, then you’re going to love this blog post.

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

And, that’s the key to successful home ownership.

We have taken the entire home ownership process and broken down into eight, easy-to-follow steps to get you from where you are now, to taking the keys to your new home.

Step 1: Decide to buy

So,  why are you still renting?

If it’s because you’re not financially ready, then I get that. That’s a perfectly legit answer.

If it’s because you’re just afraid of the home buying process, then we need to talk. Because it’s really not that scary. Especially when my team will hold your hand and walk you through the entire process, step-by-step.

Click to read

Take the next five minutes and flip through our digital ebook below. Check out the eight steps to home ownership and see how easy the process can be. The controls for the ebook, like zoom and turning the page will be across the top of the screen.

Then, when you have more time, you have to check out our instant home search tool.

When you’re ready to meet, to discuss strategy, call our office and we’ll schedule that free appointment in our office. If you’re not quite ready to discuss the home buying process in person, a lot of our clients enjoyed reading through our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. It answers a lot of the questions that might be bouncing around in your head right now.

As you will read, the home buying process isn’t scary at all. In fact, the home buying process can be simple. Maybe not easy, but simple is definitely doable.

Let us help you.

(559) 399-0004 | Joseph Hollak’s direct line.

Finding the best home loan for your new purchase is so critically important. So many home buyers are focusing on the low home prices we’re seeing right now, and for good reason. However, DO NOT miss out on the BIG opportunity with today’s historically low mortgage home loan rates!

WHAT COULD A HIGHER INTEREST RATE COST YOU?

Check this out.

If you wait to secure your home loan and interest rates move from where they are today, to just 1% higher, the increase in your monthly payment will feel 10% higher. Who wants a 10% higher monthly mortgage payment? Think of what else you could spend that money on.

SO YOU WANT TO LOOK INTO A HOME LOAN NOW?

Of course you do.

There is proof that the low rates have contributed to a modest housing recovery, and if you want to be a part of this recovery and benefit form the current market conditions, now is the time to get started.

Getting pre-approved for a home loan is really not scary at all. We make it as easy as possible.

Visit our Finance page and fill out our FREE loan pre-qualification form. It will give us an early indication on how much home you will be able to afford.

Remember from above, if you wait to get your home loan interest rate locked in, and home loan interest rates move up just 1%, you’re going to potentially see a 10% bump in your monthly mortgage payments.

Seriously, let’s get started today.

Not only are house prices showing great affordability numbers, mortgage rates are at or near record lows. This is a really big deal. Interest rates on home loans have never been this low before. Ever.

GET PRE-APPROVED FOR A HOME LOAN NOW

We’re also learning that buyers who took the time to get pre-approved for a home loan, were much more likely to close escrow than compared to buyers who were not pre-approved for a home loan ahead of time.

Getting your loan pre-approval out of the way before working with us, is really not that much work.

Cruise over to our home loan guru page and get the process started. It really does make a huge difference.

3 DAYS TO NEGOTIATE

The average time to submit an offer, negotiate the deal and get an answer back from the seller was right about three days. Which doesn’t sound like much, but when you’ve found the home of your dreams, and you have to wait 72 hours to hear back, it will feel like a month. We see buyers sweat all the time during this process. Nothing you can do.

ONLINE HOME SEARCH

If you’re ready to get pre-approved for a home loan, and hire us to help you find, evaluate and negotiate on that perfect home, then let’s get started. Type in your search criteria in the box below and we will instantly show you the homes that are currently listed that match your search. It’s free, super-easy, and will save you a ton of time.

According to the Fresno Association of Realtors records, four (4) single family homes sold in the month of July 2012 inside the Orange Cove (93646 zip code) limits.

Looking at the four single family properties that changed hands in July, the quickest sale came after the property was active for only one (1) day. You read that right. The home at 500 Benjamin St, was on the market for only one (1) day before the buyer and seller agreed to terms. The home sold for $110,000.

1657 Casuga Ct also sold in the month of July 2012, but it spent 267 days on the market before finding a buyer. It closed at $103,000.

That’s quite a range for days on the market.

PRICING

Taking a look at the pricing of the four (4) homes that sold in Orange Cove in July 2012, the least expensive home sold for $65,000 and the most expensive home in July 2012 sold for $160,000. This tells me that homes that are selling in Orange Cove are the affordable single family homes. Homes that the average Orange Cove resident can afford.

Here’s how the pricing broke down in July 2012 (from least expensive, to most expensive):

1. $65,000 - 118 Anchor Ave
2. $103,000 - 1657 Casuga Ct
3. $110,000 - 500 Benjamin St
4. $160,000 - 6882 S Anchor Ave

CURRENT ORANGE COVE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

To take a peak at current Orange Cove homes for sale, visit our Orange Cove real estate web portal.

We list every single family Orange Cove home for sale that is listed on the Fresno Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service.

If you, or someone you know, is thinking of selling a home in Orange Cove California, think about hiring our team. We track the Orange Cove real estate market, and we would love to be the number one real estate team in the Orange Cove housing market.

We can be reached by calling (559) 399-0004

The aim of the consumer-oriented segments is to help Keller Williams Realty agents combat the “doom and gloom” messages of the national print and television media with real information on the state of the real estate market.

According to KW research, almost half of home seller’s that price their house based on their real estate agent’s interpretation of its market value, sold almost as twice as fast and for money than their competition.  The top listing agents at Keller Williams Realty, understand that in this real estate market, taking a listing that is priced too high, is not a listing that is ‘in the market’, but rather, ‘out of the market’ and not a smart business decision for the agent or the seller.

In this month’s video, we discuss how our Keller Williams Realty agents can help their clients sell their home more than a month faster than the competition.

For the Kerman 93630 zip code, there are 13 bank-owned, foreclosed homes on the market for sale.

So I guess it depends on whether you are a buyer or seller.

Buyers are frustrated at the current level of inventory in the Kerman real estate market. Sellers, on the other hand, are loving the lack of inventory for sale because that means their property is getting more attention.

With 13 Kerman foreclosures to choose from today, it really depends on if you are buying or selling doesn’t it?

If you want to check out the Kerman list of foreclosures today, you have two choices. Either click on the screen-grab picture above, or you can use the live search widget below. Either way gets you the most current list of homes for sale in Kerman California.

Enjoy.

The Hollak Real Estate Group at Keller Williams Fresno asks you if raising interest rates before 2014 is too late to save the economy from inflation.

I’m sitting in a hotel room in Orlando Florida as I read this article in the Wall Street Journal.

I’ve been here since Saturday, and it will be home for a few more days. I’m here on business at a real estate convention. The information I gather and learn here, and the connections I make here will serve my team well as we help clients achieve their real estate goals over the next 12 months.

Helping clients achieve their real estate goals is a lot easier with interest rates as low as they are currently. The cost of borrowing money to finance a home purchase is really cheap right now.

And the Fed said last month that it planned to keep interest rates low (really rock-bottom near zero) until at least late 2014. Good news for real estate buyers right? What could be wrong with this plan?

Low interest rates vs. inflation

The Wall Street Journal surveyed 49 economists and basically asked them that last question.

Thirty-three of the 49 said that leaving interest rates as low as they are currently, until late 2014, would be a mistake for the U.S. economy. Why? If the Fed waits too long the country could experience high rates of inflation.

[blockquote]The economists surveyed generally forecast higher inflation and lower unemployment than the Fed over the next three years. The central bank sees inflation remaining at or below 2% through late 2014, based on its preferred Commerce Department measure. [/blockquote]

Get it while it’s hot

Whether the Feds raise rates after late 2014, or sometime before is out of your control.

The important point to grab on to and take advantage of right now, is that rates are rock-bottom low . . . today! Right now.

Locking in a 30-year fixed interest rate loan now, at these rates, to finance a home purchase is an amazing opportunity. It will look even more attractive if you wait to do this after rates go higher in X number of years. Take advantage of this real estate buyer’s market that we have today while borrowing money is cheap.

Sit down with us for 30 minutes and let’s take about a real estate investment strategy that fits your long-term goals. If we don’t make sense after 30 minutes, you can point and laugh at us 30 years from now.

We can be reached at (559) 320-0626 | [googleplusauthor]