Are We Moving From a Buyers To Sellers Market? ~  Irvine, CA  ~ Market Report ~ March 2009   Irvine is one of the most beautiful and sought after residential communities in the OC and Southern California.    We saw and experienced increased Irvine buyer shopping activity during March 2009 as compared to last month, Feb. 2009, and with the past six months.     Lots of first time Irvine homebuyers expressed interest in some of the best home loan rates in years, their credit opportunities in the US Spending Bill 2009, and lowered asking prices from the peak of two years ago.        115 Irvine homes were sold with closed escrows in March 2009 v. 125 sold the same time during March 2008 (10 percent down year to year).   _______________________________________________ 197 homes were under con... 04/03/2009

I was pretty close! Instead of 14 closed sales as I predicted, there were 15 closed sales in Woodbridge in March. (Close, but no cigar.)The prices of these sold homes ranged from $215,000, (a 3 bedroom probate sale), to $1,045,000.71 Woodbridge homes are currently "for sale". These range in size from 715 square feet to 4,200 square feet. 04/01/2009

Did you know you could use your VA to buy a home or receive help if you are having trouble making your mortgage payments? There are many benefits of a VA home loan Equal Opportunity Loan Limit $625,000.00 CA No Down payment, (unless required by the lender or the purchase price is more than reasonable value of the property. Negotiable interest rate Ability to finance the VA funding fee (plus reduced funding fees with a down payment of at least 5% An assumable mortgage Right to repay without penalty   Lastly, existing VA loans are eligible for VA Assistance to veteran borrowers in default due to temporary financial difficulty.   03/27/2009

FHA financing has become the primary way to finance the purchase of a home when the buyer has less than 20% for down payment. Why is this? And who should get an FHA loan? There are numerous reasons, but below are some of the primary advantages that FHA financing has versus Conventional (Fannie/Freddie) financing. FHA only requires 3.5% down payment. In California, a "declining market" state, the minimum down payment is generally 10%, though a buyer using Conventional financing with 10% down better have a 740 FICO. The down payment can be "all gift" with FHA. With general Conventional guidelines, a buyer would need to have 20% down payment for the entire down payment to be a gift. No need for approval by an outside Mortgage Insurance company when financing with FHA. For anyone with less ... 03/21/2009

Hi, I'll be moving to Irvine after I get married in September 2009. I'm looking to work with a very experienced and intelligent broker in the Irvine area specializing in residential and commerical real estate. Preferrably with a brand name franchise. I'm currently a broker associate with an independent office in Glendale. 03/21/2009

  IRVINE is considered to be the economic center of THE OC, CALIFORNIA  ~  with vibrant businesses and quality employment positions in medical, banking, finance, education, high tech, hotels and travel, service, real estate, business consulting, research and development. There are now 755 homes for sale at Irvine ... each with average of 79 days on the market. 179 of those homes now for sale are SHORT SALES NOT YET LENDER APPROVED (which is 23.7 percent of market and up from last month and one year ago) 24 of those homes now for sale are REO bank owned  (3.2 percent of market, which is down from last two months). 232 of the IRVINE homes are now under contract and in pending escrow (which is up from last month and one year ago). 98 of the IRVINE homes have been sold with escrows closing ... 03/18/2009

A quick recap - 4 homes have sold so far this month, (closed), and there are 66 Woodbridge homes for sale, (Active), right now.13 homes are in Backup Offer status, and a further 13 are "Pending". After last month's very disappointing Closed Sales numbers, (one home!), I have a feeling that we'll see a FEW of these 26 homes close in March.If I were a gambling lady, I'd bet that 10 of them will close, which will bring the number of Closed Sales in March to 14.Let's see how close, (or lucky), I am, when I report the final numbers at the end of the month. 03/13/2009

35 Woodbridge homes are currently for sale, and there was only one "closed sale" in February. That condo sold for $375,000. If any more "closed sale" Woodbridge homes are added, (late), I'll let you know.Right now the prices of homes for sale in Woodbridge range from $299,900, (for a 3 bedroom bank-owned condo), to $1,219,900, (for a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, Single Family Residence).  The sizes of the homes for sale are from 917 Sq Ft to 2,794 Sq Ft. 32 homes are in "back-up offer" or "pending" status, and 20 of these homes have special conditions like "bank-owned", "short-sale", and others. 03/01/2009

First-time homeowners - read about the new Homebuyer Tax Credit - The bill provides for a $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. The credit does not require repayment. Most of the mechanics of the credit will be the same as under the 2008 rules: the credit will be claimed on a tax return to reduce the purchaser's income tax liability. If any credit amount remains unused, then the unused amount will be refunded as a check to the purchaser. Read more about this at www.WoodbridgeCondo.com Info from the Realtor on-line magazine. 02/28/2009

                        Another Home Irvine Buyer Caught Red Handed! YOU!                                    Did you just type into www.Google.com or www.Yahoo.com something like EL CAMINO REAL HOMES FOR SALE IN IRVINE?? How about EL CAMINO REAL CONDOS IN IRVINE, or IRVINE HOMES FOR SALE ?? Which one was it?  Well, if this sounds familiar, we already anticipated what you were searching for so we have made it easy to find these Irvine Properties for you WITH NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED!!!!!!!!!  Searching for Homes in Irvine with NO GUESTBOOK REGISTRATION helps you feel like we are  NOT trying to catch you red handed. JUST CLICK ON THE EASY IRVINE REAL ESTATE LINKS AND FEEL FREE TO VISIT OUR IRVINE REAL ESTATE BLOG again or our Irvine Real Estate website www.Real-Irvine-Homes.com El Camino ... 02/23/2009

                                  Find Walnut Homes for sale in Irvine California.  Let's keep this IRVINE REAL ESTATE Blog simple today. If you want to find a particluar neighborhood in Irvine, you can access the most popular areas here for finding Irvine Homes & MLS here. Or, if you just want to see whats currently for sale in Walnut, follow these Walnut Irvine Real Estate Links. Walnut Homes in Irvine Walnut Condos in Irvine 02/23/2009

Buyers often have a difficult time determining how to arrive at a price to make an offer. Often, avoiding an offer at full asking price, can save the buyer money. Other times, full asking price is the only price at which a seller would be willing to let go of a property. Read further to learn about some of the things that affect the price at which a buyer is willing to make an offer. Condition. A property's condition certainly plays a factor in determining the price a buyer wants to offer. A smart buyer will have a good idea of how the condition of the desired property compares to the general neighborhood; namely whether it fits in or stands out. Condition takes many things into account. For example, structural condition is probably the most important to consider. Walls, ceilings, floor... 02/18/2009

The total number of Woodbridge "closed sales" so far this month is.... zero.There are 16 Woodbridge homes in "backup offer" status, and there are 9 "pending". Now as 15 of these 25 homes have special conditions like "short sale", "in foreclosure", (and others), it's unlikely that they will close in 30 - 45 days, like we see in normal markets. Last month, 10 homes sold and hopefully we'll at least match that number in the next 10 days before month-end.How many Woodbridge condos and SFR homes are currently for sale, you ask? Well, there are 49, (37 condos & 12 SFR). At the beginning of the month, there were 57 Woodbridge properties for sale on the MLS.So if 10 homes sell again this month, and we assume 10 will sell each month for a while, there is a 5 month inventory of Woodbridge homes f... 02/18/2009

We have finished our Irvine Real Estate page for searching the best Irvine Neighborhoods with NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED! This page enables you to access all the current..... Woodbury Homes for sale in Irvine Woodbury Condos for sale in Irvine 02/18/2009

Looking in Irvine for Real Estate listings? There are curretnly aver 800 Irvine Homes for sale, so we made it easy to just search in the Irvine Neighborhoods you may be interested in. Check out all the current listings in Woodbridge in Irvine here. Click these Irvine Real Estate links below for all WOODBRIDGE HOMES FOR SALE IN IRVINE. Woodbridge Homes in Irvine Woodbridge Condos in Irvine 02/18/2009

It really is not that difficult to close an FHA loanas quickly as any other type of loan. But here are the steps that need to be followed in order to meet the time lines required on a purchase transaction.Day 1- Take the loan application, run credit, get the Automated Credit Approval, request pay stubs, W2's, bank statements, drivers license and social security card copies. Actually, this entire step is normally already taken care of if the borrower has been properly PreApproved for an FHA Loan. On Day 1, the appraisal is ordered, and the escrow company is contacted to request escrow instructions and title.The goal is to have a complete loan package ready for final underwritten approval within 7 days. The lender needs to be proactive in notifying all parties involved in the transaction ... 02/16/2009

I love easy. Buy a log at the store, wrapped in yellow paper with black and red letters. Take it home and set it on the fire grate. Bend the paper edge up just a little and light the edge where the arrow indicates. Wait a couple of minutes and you'be got a great glow in the fireplace, a little bit of warmth and tada...so easy. Or, go out in the back yard, look for the gloves you left, somewhere, and reach under the potting table for a heavy, dirty, spidery log. Haul it off the pile and drop it on the cement, end up, to shake out any "beings" that you don't want to bring into the house. After repeating this process with at least 3 to 5 of those misshapen hunks of wood, pick them up with your right hand and balance them in the crook of your left arm. Leave the 2 that are too heavy to carr... 02/14/2009

Here are two upcoming events you might find fun!Annual Irvine "Sounds of Spring" concert series (Free)The City of Irvine kicks off its annual "Sounds of Spring" concert series on Sunday, February 22, with an afternoon of solo and ensemble chamber music performed by the UCI Chamber Fest. Under the direction of renowned cellist Dr. Margaret Parkins, the Chamber is comprised of musicians from UCI's chamber music program who will perform musical selections highlighting the sounds of string, wind and piano.Stars of Tomorrow showcase Irvine's "best of the best," on Sunday, March 22, with a non-stop performance of music, dance and theatre performed by students from Irvine schools. Rounding out the series on Sunday, April 26, the Young Musicians Ensemble, a highly regarded organization of talen... 02/12/2009

As I rounded the corner on my usual morning walk to South Lake, I had to stop and stare. The mountains looked amazing - all covered with snow. I'd figured there'd be snow on the mountains after yesterday's hail and rain-storm in Woodbridge, but I wasn't expecting anything so beautiful. Of course I rushed back home to grab my camera, and when I returned, two other walkers, (or joggers - I can't be sure), had also stopped to admire the breathtaking view. One asked me why on earth anyone would choose to live anywhere else in Irvine, but here in Woodbridge?I answered that I honestly did not know, and told her that I'd post the photos onto my website www.WoodbridgeIrvine.com/ and she was welcome to download them from there. That invitation is extended to you too! Enjoy!  02/10/2009

Irvine Properties For Lease And Rent Are you looking for a home to rent or lease in Irvine? If so this is where you will find all the properties that are available. The best part is, our services are FREE. All fees are paid for by the landlord/owner of the properties. You only pay for a $15.00 fee per applicant over 18 years of age for the credit report. If you have any questions or if you would like to set up a time to see any properties for lease or rent in Irvine or Orange County, please contact Fred Sed at (949) 274-3733. PROPERTIES AVAILABLE FOR LEASE & RENT Fred Sed (949) 274-3733 FredSed@PGCoastal.com The Pahua Group (To reference a property, use the MLS # that is located next to the pictures. It is in bold and it starts with a letter then a series of numbers) 02/06/2009