I just came across an old spreadsheet that I had created on October 7, 2008 that compared interest rates and payments for a typical home in Whittier.The average interest rate at the time was 6.5%.The average Whittier home price was $470,000.FHA loans allowed borrowers to have a down payment of only 3% of the purchase price.Today, the nationwide interest rate for a home loan is 3.88%, according to bankrate.com.Today, the average Whittier home price is $295,000 (based upon last 3 months of sales).Today, FHA loans allow borrowers to have a down payment as low as 3.5% of the purchase price.Using bankrate.com's mortgage calculator, the monthly payment on a $470,000 home loan at 6.5% is $2,970.72.Using the same bankrate.com calculator, a comparable home loan today of $295,000 at 3.88% interes... 02/07/2012

It is clear that we are in a declining real estate market.  In an interview on On The Edge (discussion starts at 19:40 in the interview), Karl Denninger of Market-ticker.org has predicted that housing prices may fall another 50% or more over the next 2-3 years.  “My expectation is that over time, the deflation in housing prices and the deflation in that sector, along with most other sectors, is going to continue.  I don’t think that there is any bottom anywhere in sight in the United States.  The foreclosure mess is still there.  The holding of assets with unrealistic values is still there; and until we see that start to clear out, we’re not going to be able to find out where a bottom actually is.   But it would not surprise me, over the next 2 or 3 years, to see another 50% come off ho... 01/02/2012

 Prudential California Realty is the Whittier home for collecting Toys for Tots by the U.S. Marines Corps.  Every year, the U.S. Marines come by our office to pick up toys as part of their Toys for Tots program. The Marines will be picking up all of the toys on Wednesday, December 15, 2011 at Noon at the Prudential California Realty office at 16218 East Whittier Blvd., Whittier, CA 90603. We will have a large box at the office, just waiting for your Toys for Tots.  The Marines are looking for a few, good, unwrapped gifts for boys or girls.Please make sure to bring your toy to our office before December 15.  If you can’t make it to the office, just give me a call, and I will drive to your house to pick up your toy donations.   -- Blog End -- ______________________________________________... 11/22/2011

$288,400 - SHORT SALE APPROVED!! - Beautiful Home in Whittier - Hardwood Floors, Vaulted Ceilings, Double Pane Windows, Sparkling Pool, Upgraded Bathrooms and much more! - EXCELLENT DEAL!! Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 2 Year Built: 1955 Lot Size: 7,343 Square Footage: 1,700 Price: $288,400 14166 Close St   Whittier, CA 90604 View Map Approved Short Sale!! Pre-Approved list price by the Lender! Home can be used as a duplex or for a large family. Features include double pane windows, 6-panel interior doors, hardwood floors, sparkling pool, upgraded bathrooms, vaulted ceilings in addition and much more. Needs some cosmetic work but this is an EXCELLENT DEAL!! Range/Oven, Dishwasher, Sink Disposal, Hardwood Floors, Vaulted Ceilings, Patio, Swimming Pool, Grass Lawn Adam Brett 714-496-8116   Powe... 09/18/2011

Your listing has been HIJACKED on Craigslist!  What do you do? Many times, when I have a listing, whether it be for sale or lease, I'll give craigslist a snoop in addition to running comps on the MLS.  I also check out some of the FSBO listed on there. Well, last night when I was checking out some of the rentals, I saw a very nice listing with a title that caught my attention. It sounded very nice and the description of the property, to me, sounded very inviting and well-written. So I scroll down to take a look at the pictures and...................BAM!!  I've been 'JACKED! Hey!  That's MY listing!  With someone else's phone number on it for showings!! So I printed out the Craigslist ad, and later today I'm going to give a phonecall to this very enterprising little troll and give them w... 07/29/2011

This Market Report is for Whittier, California. This Market Report on Whittier Homes for Sale will focus on Single Family Residences in Whittier, California.  It does not include condominiums or Multifamily Residences. As of today, there are 544 homes for sale in the Whittier area, and 459 of them are Single Family Residences.   108 homes were sold in the City of Whittier during the month of June.  Over the past three months, 311 homes were sold in Whittier.   The average Whittier home sale price in June was $346,523, at an average cost per square foot of $234.11. 299 Whittier homes are currently in Backup or Pending status. Homes are taking an average of 94 days to sell in this market. It would take 4.3 months, at the current rate of sales, for all the current Whittier homes on the mar... 07/03/2011

I had been hearing some people say that it seems like all the properties for sale these days are Short Sales.  So, I checked to see how many homes sold during the last 4 months, and what type of transactions they were. Here is the breakdown of the 330 homes that sold in Whittier from April 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011: Flip 4 1.21% In Foreclosure Process 1 0.30% NOD 5 1.52% HUD Owned 3 0.91% Probate 6 1.82% REO 87 26.36% Short Sale 70 21.21% Standard 154 46.67%   330 100.00% Standard sales were the largest of any sale type, with nearly 47 percent of all sales. However, REO and Short Sales combined to make up the distressed property category at almost 48%. -- Blog End -- _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ About the author: Th... 06/30/2011

Standard Sale of a Wonderful  Home in East Whittier. Open House Address:  11527 Groveside Avenue, Whittier, CA 90604 Date:  Saturday, June 4, 2011 Time:  1 -  4 p.m.    3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms.     1,878 Square Feet     Year Built:  1960                         $439,500 This lovely Whittier home for sale is a turnkey home.  It has been completely remodeled, with gorgeous new hardwood flooring in the living room and family room, beautiful tile flooring in the dining room, kitchen and bathrooms, and quality carpet in the bedrooms. You will love the fully updated master bathroom and hall bathroom. The brand new kitchen has beautiful granite counter tops over quality wood cabinets.   This beautiful Whittier home has central air conditioning for the summer and a warm fireplace for the winter... 06/03/2011

Whittier Home for Sale!!! 11841 N. Circle Dr, Whittier, CA Gorgeous new listing in the beautiful Whittier Hills!!! If you are looking for a serene living space, surrounded by nature, come see this beautiful Whittier Home in a countryside setting. Spacious 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home, with fire place, A/C, water softener, inside laundry, brand new hardwood floors, detached enclosed patio, 2-car attached garage, 4 Avocado trees and 1 tangerine tree. Absolutely charming! Standard Sale, don't miss out on this rare opportunity! Living Room Kitchen (breakfast nook with mural) Charming Country Kitchen For more pictures and complete listing information, please visit www.YourLocalPropertyPro.com Stephanie Frymyer & Shirley WilliamsThe S & S Real Estate Team"Your Local Property Pros"562-355-8120 &... 06/02/2011

Every year, Whittier holds free concerts during summer evenings at Central Park and at Parnell Park.  Each event starts at 7 p.m.  The City of Whittier has announced the schedule for 2011 Whittier Summer Concerts in the Park. Mondays at Central Park July 11:  Proud Mary, a Tina Turner Tribute July 18:  Born Blue, Blues Music July25:  Gregory Wolfe, a Rod Stewart Tribute August 1:  The Trip, Classic Rock August 15:  Upstream, Reggae Music Thursdays at Parnell Park July 14:  Stone Soul, Motown Music July 21:  Funk-O-Matics, Disco July 28:  I See Hawks in L.A., Country Music August 4:  Abbey Road, Beatles Tribute August 11:  The Deloreans, 80s Music August 18:  Chico, Variety/Salsa Contact the City of Whittier for more information at (562) 567-9430. 365 Things to do in Whittier, California... 05/30/2011

I was driving through a Whittwood neighborhood the other day, and the gorgeous blue sky backdrop for these blooming trees made me stop and snap a picture.  What a beautiful spring day it was in Whittier, California!Does anyone know what type of trees they are? -- Blog End --_____________________________________________________________________________________________________About the author: The above article was provided by Bob Willis, a locally recognized Realtor®.Thinking about selling your home? Go tohttp://showmyvalue.com  04/15/2011

There are currently more homes for sale in Whittier than there have been in any month since March 2009.Today, April 1, 2011, there are 542 homes listed for sale in the Multiple Listing Service.I have been tracking these numbers personally, and putting them into a funnel representation since May 2008, when there were 888 homes for sale in Whittier.  The lowest inventory point was October 2009, at 262 Whittier homes for sale. I do my survey usually once a month, between the 20th and end of the month, so it is only a snapshot picture of one particular day on any given month.Here is what today's funnel looks like for a typical Whittier home for sale._____________________________________________________________________________________________________Thank you for reading the above Highest Le... 04/01/2011

02/07/11 - Weekly Whittier Homes and Condos Market Report and Update Whittier Homes for Sale! As of 02/07/11, there are a total of 465 active Whittier Home listings (compared to 461 last week) and 52 active Whittier Condo listings (compared to 51 last week). Whittier Homes by Price Range! With regards to Standard listings compared to listings of Short Sales and Foreclosures, the distribution amongst the active Whittier Residential Real Estate listings looks as follows this week:  Besides the currently active Whittier listings, there are 93 Whittier Homes and 15 Whittier Condos in Back-up Offer Status, 146 Whittier Homes and 14 Whittier Condos are Pending Sale. Since 02/01/11, a total of 14 Whittier properties have closed Escrow - all of them Whittier Single Family Homes, ranging from $2... 02/07/2011

Is it worth losing the property over $5,000? I have a very nice couple that I'mworking with that I met while sitting an open house on one of my listings. They are looking to purchase a home for their daughter and her husband. My listing wasn't quite right for them, but I did know the area well enough to find a great match for them. It is a bank-owned property, that is just adorable.  Very clean, nice neighborhood in Whittier, California. We wrote an offer below asking and the bank countered back. At that point we were $5,000 apart. They asked my opinion and I asked them "Is it worth losing the property over $5,000?" They flat out answered "No". Suffice it to say we're under contract now and they are thrilled about being able to get this home for their daughter and her husband. Sometimes... 02/04/2011

01/25/11 - Weekly Whittier Residential Real Estate Update and Market Report Whittier Homes for Sale! This week, there is a notable increase of Whittier Home and Condo listings, compared to data collected on 01/17/11. Active Whittier Home listings increased from 444 to 459, and even active Condo listings went up from 54 to 56, bringing the grand total of active Whittier Residential Real Estate listings to 515. Whittier Homes by Price Range! The distribution of active Standard Listings compared to Whittier Short Sales and Whittier Bank Owned properties is as follows this week: In addition to the currently active Whittier listings, there are 92 Whittier Homes and 15 Whittier Condos in Back-Up Offer Status, 147 Whittier Homes and 15 Whittier Condos are Pending Sale. Since 01/01/11, a total ... 01/25/2011

Keller Williams Whittier - VERY cool office, and made me feel like part of the family....... Last week I was showing property in Whittier to some clients of mine, and during that time I had some other clients contact me about some properties that would require me to print out some MLS sheets. Well, I looked up the information for the closest Keller Williiams office, and there was one just a couple of blocks away in Whittier. I called and asked if I could by chance stop by and use one of their public computers to print out just a few sheets. Their Director of Agent Services, Carrie Rackham, was very kind and welcomed me to the office and was such a great representative of her market center. The manager there is Paul Purunjian. That is probably one of the coolest KW offices I've seen so f... 01/23/2011

Standard Sale on a Wonderful  Home in Whittier's Michigan Park.  A Rare Find in the Highly Sought-After Michigan Park NeighborhoodOpen House Address:  8261 Ocean View Avenue, Whittier, CA 90602 This Saturday and Sunday, January 22-23, 2011 Time:  1 -  4 p.m.  3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms.     1811 Square Feet     Year Built:  1951                         $545,000 NEW PRICE! This lovely Whittier home is located in the Michigan Park neighborhood of Whittier.  Built in 1951, this home shows "Pride of Ownership".Address:   8261 Ocean View Avenue, Whittier, CA 90602Directions:  From Whittier Blvd., go north on Ocean View.  Home is between La Cuarta and Mar Vista. 8261 Ocean View Avenue, Whittier, CA 90602-- Blog End -- ______________________________________________________________________________... 01/21/2011

There are currently more homes for sale in Whittier than there have been in any month since March 2009. Today, January 21, 2011, there are 510 homes listed for sale in the Multiple Listing Service. I have been tracking these numbers personally, and putting them into a funnel representation since May 2008, when there were 888 homes for sale in Whittier.  The lowest inventory point was October 2009, at 262 Whittier homes for sale.  I do my survey usually once a month, between the 20th and end of the month, so it is only a snapshot picture of one particular day on any given month. Here is what today's funnel looks like for a typical Whittier home for sale. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for reading the above H... 01/21/2011

01/17/11 - Weekly Whittier Homes and Condo Market Update Whittier Homes for Sale! Even though there were a total of 11 new listings since our last report, the overall amount of active Whittier Home and Condo listings has decreased from 504 to 498 (with 444 active Whittier home and 54 active Whittier condo listings). Whittier Homes by Price Range!  The distribution of active Standard Listings compared to listings of homes and condos in some state of foreclosure looks as follows this week:  Besides the currently active Whittier home and condo listings, there are 91 Whittier Homes and 13 Whittier Condos are in Back-Up Offer Status, 150 Whittier Homes and 15 Whittier Condos are Pending Sale. Between January 1, 2011, and today (01/17/11), a total of 26 Whittier properties have successfully c... 01/17/2011

Do you really want your home to sell?Nearly 20% of all homes for sale in Whittier in 2010 expired.  In other words, they were put on the market for sale, but they did not sell.In 2010, 1,294 of the properties that were put on the market for sale actually did sell.  However, there were also 318 homes on the market that did not sell.What that means is that it is extremely important that your house is priced to sell and it is in the best condition possible.Do you want your house to sell, or do you want it to be one of the houses on the market that doesn't sell?Many home sellers simply start by listing their property for sale at a price that is too high.Are you chasing the market?  What often happens when the real estate market is in a downward trend is that people start by pricing their pr... 01/12/2011