County of Castles: Orange County Real Estate Blog

It's very rare for the Fed to use such strong language like this prior to a meeting.  Based on what Bernanke has to say, I'm going to anticipate a 1/2% rate cut at the next meeting in just less than 3 weeks.  Here's the article:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22592939/In it, he says, "We stand ready ...

Okay folks, the holidays are now officially behind us.  As the world "gets back to work", another thing people get back to is their search for a home.  This activity tends to increase as we approach the spring months.  First, we expect to see some home sellers re-entering the market in hopes of a...

This article on MSNBC.com talks about how the sales of new homes dropped again in November.  Even when we deal in resale homes, it is important to be aware of what the new homes are doing, as they're often a leading indicator for what's ahead in the resale market.Now, I'm not terribly surprised t...

I'll get to the point of this post in a moment, but first, a story:So apparently I'm "magic".  And not just because I help make buyers' home ownership dreams come true.  No, this is a deeper kind of magic.  The kind of magic that makes chocolate materialize, just by thinking about it.  That's som...

It seems it's been a while since I did an interest rate update.  Let's see how they're doing, shall we?Today's National Averages Mortgages        APR 30-yr. fixed      6.00% 15-yr. fixed      5.64% 1-yr. adj.          6.12%Last time I mentioned interest rates was on November 19th:Mortgages       ...

We knew this would happen, right?  With the real estate market virtually frozen as buyers continue to sit on the fence, the demand for apartments and other rentals is on the rise.  According to this article on MSN, the average rent in Orange County has risen 5.6%.Now, this doesn't mean the market...

Starting tonight and running through Sunday night is the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, once described by the New York Times as "One of the top ten holiday happenings in the nation".  Local Orange County boat owners decorate everything from kayaks to yachts in thousands of lights and decora...

Article hereAs expected, the Fed cut rates a quarter point in today's meeting.  That puts the Federal Funds Rate (the interest rate banks charge eachother) at 4.25%.Interestingly, one of the voting members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC, or the Fed), Eric S. Rosengren, actually wanted...

Well kids, here we are, December 11th, and the last Fed meeting of the year.  It is expected (not hoped, expected) that the Fed will drop interest rates again today.  The question, of course, is how much?  If the Fed wants to play it conservative, they may only drop rates another quarter percent....

There is lots of fun to be had for the holidays in Lake Forest.  Details can be found on the city's website.Breakfast With Santa - This Saturday, December 8th.  Seatings at 8am and 10:30am in the Lake Forest Community Center (25550 Commercentre Dr.).  Cost is $5/child and $7/adult for a delicious...