How long would it take to sell out our current residential listings?  Based on closed sales in December (104), and our current inventory of 530 single family houses, condos and PUDs --- and that figure includes active, contingent and pending listings because they have NOT closed escrow yet --- there are less than two months worth to be sold right...Read More!

No surprises really for the 4th week of January.  The toughest part is the lack of inventory in the Santa Maria - Orcutt real estate market, and this week we are down again.   With only one more day left in January, let's compare it to the same time period last year in terms of sales.  The number of sales will...Read More!

Fidelity National Title has a great graph I'd like to share with you today, which compares 2010 closed sales to 2011 closed sales.  The data tracks all recordings for resales in the Santa Maria Valley (Santa Maria & Orcutt), with comparisons also for the number of REOs (bank-owned foreclosures). Interesting Facts The yellow bars represent 2010, and the black 2011.  The first quarter...Read More!

It's Saturday and it should be a fun day, especially if you don't have to work!  Today I'm going to tell you about a fun game that has become extremely popular since it was released in 2009: Words with Friends.   I am probably a little late to the party, but hey --- I didn't have an iPhone until November!  Yes, I have...Read More!

Mobile homes can be a wonderful alternative to a traditional "stick-built" house or condo, particularly as today's mobile homess are so very different from the past.  In Santa Maria and Orcutt, there are some very nice "parks", most of them age-restricted, catering to the 55+ population. Typically, when there is no age restriction within the park, it is because one owns the land...Read More!

Hard to believe January is nearly over!  Time goes by so fast, and in a blink of an eye, it will be May, and as most Santa Marians are fully aware -- the end of May brings our famous Santa Maria Elks Rodeo!  Last year there was not a rodeo queen contest, but this year the tradition is back, and...Read More!

As most active users of Facebook have noticed, there is a big change in the way you will be using it.  "Timeline" has been available to all users since December, as an option, but now the "encouragement" period is over, and members will be given a week to change information (if desired) before Facebook does it for them.  Some users love...Read More!

Day 3, and our new little girl is adapting beautifully!  Eating habits are fine, once her humans adjusted to the fact she has a tiny tummy, and only requires about 2.5 tablespoons of dry food per meal.  Elimination is also going pretty well, with only two small "mistakes" on the carpet, but of course this issue truly requires the training...Read More!

As I said last week, you can't track a trend without several months of data!  You'll see that last week's real estate market activity was very different from the week before  (January 8-14), and our inventory is even lower than before.  We need some new listings, so if you are ready to sell, please give me a call for a...Read More!

Let's catch up on the condo/pud market in the Santa Maria Valley!  This data encompasses the past 6 months of condo/pud activity in Santa Maria and Orcutt. Current Active Listings                 25          Highest Price: $375,000          Lowest Price: $62,500          Average: $132,050 Contingent REO Listings:              1           $135,000 Contingent Short Sales                  26         Highest Price: $225,000          Lowest Price: $65,000          Average: $128,892 Pending Listings:                            17          Highest Price: $239,900          Lowest Price:...Read More!