Archive for the ‘National’ Category

There’s a Land Rush on USDA Housing Loans

January 7th, 2010

The Federal government’s best deal for home buyers is no longer a best kept secret. Founded in 1949 to spur home sales and development in rural areas, the US Department of Agriculture’s direct and guaranteed rural housing loans today are just about the only place in America you can get a mortgage with no money down at competitive rates.

As more and more suburban and exurban buyers figured out how to qualify and an infusion of stimulus funds made more direct and guaranteed loans available, the program doubled its volume last year, making 27,871 loans for the year. Stimulus money paid for 84,021 loans. More

Central Valley and Bay Area Real Estate Information and Services at PMZ.com

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PMZ: Fastest Growing Real Estate Company in the United States

July 1st, 2009

Everyone here at PMZ is a buzz! We’re very excited to share that Realtor Magazine’s list of top firms for 2008 is out and PMZ Real Estate was ranked as the 38th largest firm by transaction sides and the 54th largest firm by sales. Even more exciting is the fact that in 2008, PMZ Real Estate was THE FASTEST growing real estate organization in the entire United States. From 2007 to 2008, PMZ Real Estate transaction sides grew by 167%!

As featured in the latest Realtor Magazine:

PMZ Ranks in top 100 real estate firms in the nation!

Click image for larger version

Thanks goes out to all of our clients, colleagues and staff for making this possible.  Thank you.

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April 2009 Sold Vs. Pending

May 15th, 2009

Number of For sale homes is below the Sold and Pending Sales, according to the numbers provided by Trendgraphix.

The charts and tables provided by Trendgraphix, inc were compiled using the following criteria:
Published May 2009
Location : Modesto S of Briggsmore E/McHenry (20104)
Number of Homes For Sale vs. Sold
Price Range: $0 – No Limit
SQFT Range: 0 – No Limit
Single Family Homes – Bank Owned Homes (REO)

It is true! According the local Metrolist, the number of listed homes for sale (REO properties), was less than the number of sold homes and pending sales.
As seen below, the number of for sale homes decreased to 38 homes compared to 53 the month of March and 65 homes in the month of February; a steady declined in REO homes for sale, three months in a row!

April 2009 For Sale vs. Sold Chart
1 year 15 months
Apr 08 Apr 09 % Change Feb 08 Apr 09 % Change
For Sale 107 38 -64.5% 104 38 -63.5%
Sold 40 50 25% 15 50 233.3%
Pended 58 46 -20.7% 31 46 48.4%

Next, the average price per square foot; the chart represents the price range of the homes that closed escrow for the month of April, indicating in this case $83 per square foot, a slight decrease from $86 in the month of March.

April 2009 Average Price per Square Foot Chart
1 year 15 months
Apr 08 Apr 09 % Change Feb 08 Apr 09 % Change
Avg. Sq. Ft. Price 120 83 -30.4% 132 83 -36.7%

Continuing, the chart sold vs. list price %; out-of-town or relocation buyers can assist them in making their investment decision, the percentage element helps identify where the market activity is the strongest.

In our case, of the homes that sold (REO); the chart shows 38 days is the average number of days the sold homes were on the market for. In addition, it continues by displaying that the accepted offers were averaging about 0% above the listing price.

April2009 Sold vs List Price % Chart
1 year 15 months
Apr 08 Apr 09 % Change Feb 08 Apr 09 % Change
Avg. Days on Market 36 38 5.6% 40 38 -5%
Sold/List Diff. % 97 100 3.1% 97 100 3.1%

The average price (in $,000), helps determine whether the market is a buyer or seller market.

Generally, if the listing price and the average sold price are the closest, the area has a healthiest market. If the average sold price is below the average listing price, and falling, the market is moving toward a buyers’ market. If the average sold price trend is above the listing price, the market is moving toward a sellers’ market.

From our chart, we can see that the average sold price (REO), finished above the listed price at $126,000 for the month of April.

april 2009 Average Price (In $,000)
1 year 15 months
Apr 08 Apr 09 % Change Feb 08 Apr 09 % Change
Avg. Active Price 183 112 -38.8% 194 112 -42.3%
Avg. Sold Price 177 126 -42.3% 181 126 -30.4%

Months of inventory, also helps determine whether we are moving into a buyer or seller market. Six months of inventory is typically considered as the mid-point, more than six months of inventory indicates a buyer’s market.

So, what is the chart telling us? Well here it is, if we had no more bank homes added to the market, we would be out of homes in less than a month.

April 2009 Months of Inventory
1 year 15 months
Apr 08 Apr 09 % Change Feb 08 Apr 09 % Change
Months of Inventory (Closed Sales) 2.7 0.8 -70.4% 6.9 0.8 -88.4%
For additional information on the charts above, or should you like information about a different area; do not hesitate in calling.
TO VIEW LAST MONTH

TO VIEW OTHER MONTHS

All reports presented are based on data supplied by Metrolist MLS. Metrolist MLS does not guarantee or is in anyway responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Metrolist MLS may not reflect all real estate activities in the market. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Always Grateful,

Daniel Valencia, Realtor
(209) 988-7055

Modesto Metrolist MLS Logo

Equal Housing Opportunity Logo

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PMZ Real Estate ranks 40th in national ‘Power Broker’ report

April 21st, 2009

MODESTO, CA – April 21, 2009 – Central Valley based PMZ Real Estate made the top 100 list of the 21st annual RISMedia Power Broker Report, an annual report that showcases the most successful real estate firms based on transactions and sales volume.

In 2008, PMZ Real Estate closed over 7,500 transactions totaling over $1.5 billion dollars in sales, ranking the firm 40th in the nation in number of transactions and 54th for sales volume. The firm moved up 112 spots from 154th to 40th largest real estate firm based on transaction count.

ris-power-broker-report-gra

Michael Zagaris, President of PMZ Real Estate, said “This is a real tribute to the outstanding work of the entire PMZ team. Our team has responded in an extraordinary way to the rapidly changing demand of the market and the needs of our clients.”

PMZ Real Estate is family-owned and managed and was founded by Paul M. Zagaris, who started his real estate practice in 1947. PMZ Real Estate has evolved from a small yet powerful residential brokerage firm into the leading Real Estate brokerage firm in California’s Great Central Valley.

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Counties, cities will have cash to make American dream a reality

April 7th, 2009

Nearly $50 million is headed to the Northern San Joaquin Valley to help people buy and renovate foreclosed homes.

That includes nearly $8.2 million for Modesto, $1.5 million for Turlock and more than $9.7 million for the rest of Stanislaus County.

Individual home buyers, real estate investors and contractors can get chunks of this federal money this spring to help them purchase, fix up and occupy foreclosed homes.

Getting a piece of the federal program

Do you want to know ways you can get a piece of the federal money headed to Stanislaus County to stabilize neighborhoods? The Bee and the City of Modesto are sponsoring a program that will help you do so. For more information, visit http://www.modbee.com/homeownership/

» More: Counties, cities will have cash to make American dream a reality

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PMZ Agent Kevin Moran speaks to CNBC regarding ‘Foreclosure Central’

April 7th, 2009

PMZ Real Estate agent Kevin Moran spoke with CNBC regarding “Signs Of Hope And Fear In ‘Foreclosure Central’” Here’s an excerpt:

“We’ve reached affordability in our market,” says realtor Kevin Moran of PMZ Real Estate. When a home is priced right, Moran says, “we get three to four offers in the first weekend on the same house.”

Prices have stabilized and inventory is down. That’s the good news. The bad news is that no one really knows how much real inventory is out there in Stockton.

Moran has a second line of work where he goes out and assesses the condition of homes for lenders who may want to rework the loans. We followed him to one such home. It was empty. The owners were long gone. “I appraise and inspect over 200 homes a month, and, anecdotally, 30 to 40 percent are vacant and the lender doesn’t know it,” he says. That means there could be a second wave of foreclosed properties hitting the market in the next five or six months. But why would someone abandon a home before they’ve even been foreclosed on? Moran pointed to the house we were looking at. The debt owed was $403,000.

Read the full story on CNBC.


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February existing home sales rise by 5.1 percent

March 23rd, 2009
By ALAN ZIBEL, AP Real Estate Writer Alan Zibel, Ap Real Estate Writer – Mon Mar 23, 12:46 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Sales of previously occupied homes jumped unexpectedly in February by the largest amount in nearly six years as first-time buyers took advantage of deep discounts on foreclosures and other distressed properties.

Economists said sales, while still at levels not seen since 1997, may finally be coming back to life after declining sharply following the stock market plunge last autumn.

Home SalesPrices, however, are expected to keep falling well into the year. Tens of thousands of homes remain tied up in the foreclosure process and are not yet for sale. Plus, as the recession deepens and job losses mount, many buyers are likely to stay on the sidelines.

“The four-letter word in the housing market is ‘jobs,’” said Nicolas Retsinas, director of Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. “If you’re worried about having a job tomorrow, you’re not likely to buy a home now.”

The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales of existing homes grew 5.1 percent to an annual rate of 4.72 million last month, from 4.49 million units in January.

It was the largest monthly sales jump since July 2003, with first-time buyers accounting for about half of all transactions. Sales had been expected to dip to an annual pace of 4.45 million units, according to Thomson Reuters. The results, which came after a steep decline in January, mean that sales activity has returned to December’s levels, but still remains lower than most of last year.

» More: February existing home sales rise by 5.1 percent

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