Fremont homes

For Sale By Owner or FSBO has long been an option that many people look into when it is time to sell their home. They do so for a variety of reasons. However, usually it is simply because they are trying to save the expense of hiring a real estate agent. Ideally, this means that homes sold by owner should even be less expensive than others, making them more desirable. The price of a FSBO home is often at least 5% cheaper than a comparable one listed by an agent.

Finding homes, which are for sale by owner, is not always the easiest thing to do. It requires a little extra work because you simply cannot call up an agent and give her the specifications of what you are looking for. By putting the following tips to work, you will be well on your way to finding great FSBO home sales in the area you want.

1. Check out websites that feature free classified ads like Craiglist.org and other local real estate web sites that offer low cost for sale ads. Even eBay has a section for real estate that is worth investigating.

2. Check out specialized websites that offer just by owner ads. More of these are starting up and usually have an option to search by city or even zip code, to tailor your search. FREEhomeownerlistings.com and Zillow.com are good sources to check.

3. Get the local newspaper daily, but especially on Sunday when there are bigger featured real estate sections, and check it thoroughly for the by owner ads.

4. Drive slowly through the areas and neighborhoods you would like to buy in and take notes on homes with a for sale sign that does not have a real estate broker’s information on it. It may or may not say for sale by owner.

5. Check local real estate publications. Often there are free real estate magazines available in grocery stores, libraries and other public places. While a majority of ads will be for real estate agent listings, there are often for sale by owner ads too.

6. Use your social network. Tell your friends that you are looking to find a for sale by owner home and if they know of one to please pass along the information. It is surprising how often someone in your circle may know of a home that is not even on the market yet. You may get first dibs. If you have a Facebook, MySpace or other social networking account, make a mention that you are looking for a FSBO home.

7. Contact a real estate agent. Some FSBO owners will be willing to co-op with real estate agents and agents will often be aware of such listings.

8. Check the MLS or Multiple Listing Service because many owners will pay the flat fee to list their home there for the added exposure it brings.

By taking such steps you will be well on your way to finding every FSBO home in the market you are looking to buy in. These are great ways to find a good deal. Just be sure that you involve a real estate lawyer so that you have all your bases covered and you haven’t missed anything vital in the transaction.

Exit the Traffic Jams – Buy a Condo

Condos are a great buy, holding their price in a downwards market – and sometimes even increasing their value!

Why would it be that in many distressed realty areas, condos are holding their price? Is it the glut of baby boomers moving into the easier ‘condo’ lifestyle? Is it because they can often be less expensive than houses for first time buyers? Could it be because single householders (who are more likely to choose condos) have now out-numbered married ones? Is it because condos are built slap in the middle of town?

Whatever the reason, condo prices have remained unchanged in nearly sixty key USA metros and they have even shown a price increase in thirty-three metros. A closer look at the figures for the nation could point to the answer.

For instance, Chicago is one of the metros where sales of townhouses and condos were mostly equal or higher than in the previous year. Chicago is a very condo-dense city which could indicate that many buyers probably wish to avoid all the traffic jams and live right where they work. The immediacy of condo life is very appealing to city lovers and the career-minded.

The south-western coast of USA boasts the highest priced condos in the nation. In the San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont area you could pay the median figure of $600,000 for a condo. This is fairly high when you consider that the median price for a condo in North Carolina is $116,000.

The second highest median condo price is in the Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Ana area and this is quoted as $363,000. This market is closely followed by the San Diego, Carlsbad, San Marcos area where the median price for a condo is $327,000.

These areas could all fall under the ‘West’ resort bracket, a sought after location, where all prices are high against the national average.

The rules for buying a condo are the same as ever: location, location, location. However, prospective condo buyers would be well advised to pay attention to the other type of rule pertinent to condo ownership – that of the HOA.

HOA stands for Home Owners Association and it is imperative to read through their rule book before you buy. You will have to live by these rules, so you will need to ensure that they fit your lifestyle. You will also need to ensure that any conditions that you particularly want when buying the condo will not be jeopardized by the HOA rules.

For instance, if you are planning to rent your suite out for half the year, or even half a week – make sure this is allowed. In order to keep the community feeling of the condo society, some HOA’s do not like transience.

Permanency builds neighborliness and it also means that the condo occupier is more likely to adhere to the rules. If you are just stopping there for one week, you may well crank up the stereo while you are sunning on the balcony. Rental options may be disallowed in order to better enhance the lifestyle of all the permanent residents.

Another point to watch is this: if you are a do-it-yourselfer, many condos have rules about only using certain contractors to carry out repair problems and/or decorate. Certain other rules are involved in condo living; for instance, night-time noise may be regulated after, say, 11pm.

If the rules of the HOA fit your wishes and your lifestyle, then it will seem as if the conditions are non-existent. However, if part of the deal of purchasing your condo involves augmenting your financial status by renting it, you will need to ensure that this is acceptable.

The risk of home price reductions across the U.S. has been triggered by the year-over-year slowdown in the appreciation rate of home prices and a decrease in housing affordability, according to the PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. The forecasts are based on PMI’s Winter 2007 Market Risk Index report that lists out the communities which face the risk of home price decrease in the forthcoming years. Several communities are at risk of home price reductions but in areas that have strong economic fundamentals such as low unemployment rates, good job growth and incomes, the risk of home price declines is much lower.

Out of 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), 34 have shown an increase risk of home price declines. The PMI U.S. Market Risk Index (SM) average score increased consequently from 328 to 342, raising the risk of home price decline in the next 2 years to 34.2 %. The year-over-year appreciation rate has slowed down in 43 of the 50 largest MSAs.

The risk of home price decline went up to 50 % from 18 % of last quarter in 19 MSAs with California and the Eastern Seaboard facing the most risk. Eight of these MSAs are located in California, eight in the Northeast and two in Florida.

However, most MSAs are going strong on the economic front in terms of unemployment rates and job growth with 46 out of the 50 MSAs recording employment growth. New Orleans topped the list of MSAs registering a positive job growth of 8.37 %. Only Detroit and Warren in Michigan, Cleveland in Ohio and Indianapolis in Indiana saw a slump in the job growth rate.

The top 20 communities at risk for home price reductions and their risk scores are as follows:

1.Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, CA – 604
2.San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA – 603
3.Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA – 603
4.Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA – 602
5.Nassau-Suffolk, NY – 601
6.Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA – 600
7.Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA – 597
8.Boston-Quincy, MA – 595
9.Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA – 595
10.San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA – 592
11.San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA – 588
12.Edison, NJ – 586
13.Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, FL – 579
14.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV – 568
15.New York-White Plains- Wayne, NY-NJ – 566
16.Cambridge-Newton- Framingham, MA – 563
17.Las Vegas-Paradise, NV – 550
18.Newark-Union, NJ-PA – 549
19.Miami-Miami Beach- Kendall, FL – 535
20.Baltimore-Towson, MD – 498

If you are considering buying a home, condo or any other type of real estate, be sure to seek out the services of a local real estate agent to advise you about real-time local market conditions.