You don't love me anymore?

This sectional, baby’s playpen, and MANY other items were just left behind at this home and I feel like holding a yard sale and donating all the proceeds to charity.  The thing is that it all still belongs to the current homeowner even though they seemingly have abandoned the home and all it’s contents.

Another thing they didn’t take with them was the awful odor that is lingering on throughout the home.  Especially in the garage where I believe they housed a cat or two.  :-/

It’s difficult sometimes to get clients to look beyond a home in such disarray to picture what it would look like in its cleaned up state.

I really feel for the homeowners that are being forced to make such drastic changes in their lives due to the current situation in the Stockton real estate market.  The number of Short Sales in Stockton seem to be increasing, but leaving behind so much furniture, exercise equipment, personal appliances, clothing, toys, etc., when a Short Sale is the option, is still a mystery to me.

First American CoreLogic reports that distressed properties accounted for 29% of all U.S. home sales in January. Also, real estate-owned sales rose to 22% of homes sales from 19% in December, and short sales rose to 8% from 7%.

National average sale prices in January were $161,600 for distressed homes, compared to the average non-distressed sale price of $247,700, $141,900 for REO properties, and $215,300 for short sales.

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Heritage Oak Winery Tasting Room Bar

Join other birding enthusiasts for the March edition of the Weekend Bird Walks. The tour will be led by David Yee who will guide the group across the vineyards of the Heritage Oak Winery in Lodi, CA.  You’ll be taken along the Mokelumne River and through our riperian woodland.  David is among the leading experts at native bird identification in San Joaquin County.

The walk will start at the winery at 9:30am. Sturdy walking shoes are highly recommended.  Binoculars and field guides are also helpful.  And of course bring your cameras.  Dress appropriately for the weather.  An optional lunch will be served at 11:30am with wine and must be ordered in advance.

The cost is $20 per person for the bird walk.  If lunch is desired afterward, there is an additional $10 charge.  Contact David at (209) 329-5490 to make your reservation, or email to the winery at info@heritageoakwinery.com and include your telephone number.  A credit card will reserve your place and meal.

The weather forecast for this Saturday is a low of 49 and a high of 75 and partly cloudy.  So enjoy!

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So, what’s the real reason for the lack of sales going on right now in the San Joaquin Valley?  Are people still afraid of falling home prices?  Could it be the inventory of homes that the banks are holding on to after foreclosure?

I’d like to hear from you out there…the public.  What are YOUR thoughts on this and what do you think it will look like in th upcoming months?

Here are the stats for the San Joaquin County, CA…

School Edition

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of taking my family to the Saint Mary’s High School Theatre Dept’s rendition of the play, Les Misérables.  It was performed at the San Joaquin Delta College’s Tilly Lewis Theatre in Stockton, CA.

I must say that I haven’t attended very many plays other than the ones that my own children were in while in grade school.  I got a glimpse on Saturday of what I’ve been missing out on.  I really, I mean REALLY enjoyed the performance very much.  And I look forward to enjoying other performances that will be played out at Delta College.  It was a perfect venue, as I sat down in the 5th row and felt as if I was catching a glimpse of some of our future television and even movie stars.

This was the first time that Les Misérable School Edition was presented in Stockton, and it was the first time St. Mary’s Theatre group performed at Tillie Lewis Theatre, according to its director, Kevin Costello.

I highly recommend that anyone and everyone attend your local theatre productions.  You don’t know what you’re missing out on.

Make it a great day!

Randy

Image via Wikipedia

If you are a current real estate investor or looking into how to get started, then I recommend that you look into a new group in Stockton that is already making a name for itself in the “Where do I go to learn and network” circles.

Here is a link (CLICK HERE) that will take you to the site for the Real Estate Investor Community of Central Valley.  The 1st meeting was a great success!

Real estate investing is a hot topic right now, and especially in the Stockton and Modesto areas of the central valley in California.  These two cities were listed recently in a list of the Top 10 undervalued markets.

Be sure and check out the Investors link above and I’ll see you at the next event.

There is always going to be that ever-so-popular 64 thousand dollar question.  Sometimes there’s no easy or simple answer.  But right now, I think there is one.  And that answer is “YES”.  It most definitely IS a good time to buy real estate, especially here in the Lodi, CA, Stockton, CA, and pretty all the surrounding areas in the San Joaquin and Stanislaus County areas.

Home prices are lower than they’ve been in years.  Incentives like the $8,000 tax credit are plentiful.  But here’s the real kicker, interest rates are said to be on the rise.  Oh, they’re still lower than ever right now, but from what I hear and read, that’s not for long.

All indicators point to rising interest rates in the coming months.  I don’t believe there’ll be a spike that makes your eyes pop out, but it’ll be enough that you’ll surely notice it in higher monthly mortgage payments if you wait to purchase.  At Realty World – Davis Homes & Properties we work with lots of investors and especially first-time home buyers to help them get the best deals on some really good homes.  Either way you slice it, right now it’s a buyer’s market and you could be in the driver’s seat.

I came across a short video on YouTube that talks a little about these topics and more.  I think you’ll find it informative.  CLICK HERE to view.

I’d love to hear what your thoughts are about what you see in the video.  Please take a moment and click on ‘Comments’ and let me know.

Thanks and make it a great day!

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