Lodi / Stockton CA Homes For Sale & Real Estate Information

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A now former employee of Countrywide had downloaded millions of files of consumers and sold that private information to the employees of other lenders to be used as sales leads.

The alleged thief was caught back in 2008 and his trial begins on Oct 19th of this year, and he is currently free on bond while waiting for his trial.

There were possibly 15-17 million consumers that were at risk from this crime and Bank of America, which bought Countrywide back in 2008, is now offering free credit monitoring for two years to all those consumers that had provided personal and private  information to Countrywide before July 1, 2008, or who had a mortgage loan service by Countrywide before that date as well.

I don’t know what affect this settlement will have on the current real estate market, but Bank of America has been more quickly to respond to a couple of my Short Sales of homes for sale in Stockton and Lodi, CA recently.  Perhaps they realized they’d make more money on the short sale rather than letting the home go into foreclosure.

If you’d like to get more information on this and even file a claim for the free credit monitoring you can call (866) 940-3612, or visit their website at www.CWdataClaims.com.

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• Bank of America Settles Data Theft Claims (dailyfinance.com)

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I came across a good article by Stephanie Andre and posted by RISMEDIA yesterday that hits on a subject that we’ve all heard and read about many times in the last few years…water conservation.

Summer is nearing the end soon and here are some tips that we can all adhere to in order to use/consume less water and do our part to make a difference.

1. Water your lawn only when it needs it. An easy test to tell if your lawn needs water is to simply walk across the grass. If you leave footprints, it’s time to water. (An added benefit of watering less often is that fewer, deep-soaking waterings encourage deep root growth and stronger turf.)

2. Water in the early morning. As much as 30 percent of water can be lost to evaporation by watering during midday.

3. Set your lawn mower one notch higher to make your lawn more drought-tolerant.
4. Use drip irrigation hoses to water plants, and water in the early morning or evening.

5. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your sidewalk, driveway, or patio.

6. Forego the hose and wash your car with a bucket and sponge instead. According to EPA WaterSense, a hose left running can waste as much as six gallons per minute while a bucket and sponge uses only a few gallons to do the job.
7. Keep a bottle of cold tap water in the refrigerator. You’ll avoid the cost and environmental impact of bottled water and you’ll have cold water available in the summer without running the faucet.

8. Run dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are full. If you have a water-saver cycle, use it.

9. Adjust the water level of your clothes washer, so that it matches your load size.

10. Regularly check your toilet, faucets and pipes for leaks and have them fixed promptly. An easy test for toilet leaks from EPA WaterSense: Place a drop of food coloring in the tank. If the color tints the water in the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak. Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.

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There are many homes for sale in the Lodi and Stockton areas that are now empty due to foreclosure and/or a short sale situation, and since no one is living in the house, then no one is watering the lawns or flushing the toilets.  This can of course cause damage to the grass and plumbing of these homes.  This is not the same as water consumption.  Some of these homes are unsightly in their appearance, but it won’t take much for them to be brought back to life and beautify the neighborhood once again.

Well, I hope you can use at least a couple of these tips and implement them into your routine.  It WILL make a difference.

Make it a great day!

Hey Dorothy, it doesn’t look like we’re in Kansas.

I’ve had the great fortune of being able to stay with my broker and his family at their 2nd home in Carlsbad, CA, while attending an international convention for the world leader in nutritional cleansing with Erica Davis.  They live only 2 blocks from the ocean near Pinto Beach.  Here’s a photo I took my 1st night here.

Life is a Beach!

I’m really looking forward to returning home to my own family, which I miss very much, but I do find myself wishing that it would be easier for them to all just move down here.  The scenery is beautiful!

The local real estate market in Lodi and Stockton area is much different than what it is here in the Carlsbad and San Diego areas.  Most of the homes for sale in the San Joaquin County are foreclosures and short sales.  The median sales price for single family homes in San Joaquin County in the month of July 2010 was $175,000.  Oddly enough that’s the same median sales price for the same time last year.  The median sales price for San Diego County was $380,000 and $352,000 respectively, but here is Carlsbad the prices are even higher.

For assistance in finding good deals on homes for sale in the Lodi and Stockton areas be sure and contact Realty World – Davis Homes & Properties.  And for the Carlsbad, CA area make sure and contact Steve and/or Carol Davis with Davis Coastal Properties.

Although we don’t have any oceans in Lodi, it is where my home and family are, so I am really looking forward to seeing them and getting back to taking great care of my real estate clients I’m currently working with and also the ones that I’ll soon be helping.

It’s a great life!

Randy

According to DSNews.com as published in the August issue of California Real Estate magazine, there was a study released by a group called Tenants Together.

The group focuses on renter’s rights and th

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

eir study states 37 percent of California’s foreclosed residential properties involved renters and effected an estimated 200,000 residents, many of whom were displaced, which is a nice way of saying they were given their walking papers, which is a nice way of saying they were evicted from their homes.

Unfortunately I have seen this first-hand while working with Short Sales in Stockton, Lodi and the surrounding areas.  It’s never a good day when families are being asked to leave (evicted) from their homes even though they may have been paying their rent on time, but perhaps the owner of their home wasn’t paying the mortgage.

Once the owner stops paying their mortgage, soon after they have to decide whether to let the home be foreclosed on by the bank or to try and do a Short Sale, but either way the renter loses out and has to find another place to live.

At Realty World-Davis Homes & Properties, we try to be advocates for all parties involved in any situation if we can.  If you have questions, then most likely we have answers.  We highly recommend that anyone facing foreclosure or a short sale of their home to always seek the advice of a CPA as well as a real estate attorney.

Don’t just “wait and see what happens”.  Be sure to seek professional assistance to get a fully informed as you can.

You can pick any magazine, newspaper or online news page, and see what the “experts” are foreseeing next for the real estate market.

I sure wish I had my Magic 8-Ball six years ago when I bought my new home, that’s for sure!  Who knew that there would be such a crisis that would cause so many Short Sales in Stockton and so many other cities across the nation?  Did the banks know?  Did their investors know?

Will the market bounce back?

Well if you’re looking to move in the near future, here’s another article I found with a list of Top 10 Improved Housing Markets by the year 2014.  This might be a good thing to know, or just another fortune teller looking to get their name in print.

CLICK HERE to view the Top 10.

Leave a comment telling us what you think the next 3-5 years holds for our local Stockton, Lodi real estate markets.

I was showing a home this morning in the Stockton real estate market to some wonderful clients of mine, and it always amazes me the things some people will leave behind when they move out of their homes.

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.

I hope you all had a fun and safe 4th of July weekend!  Yesterday was our country’s celebration of independence.  But what about our financial independence?

When the banks have ‘bad debt’, they write it off.  When a business or corporation has a ‘bad debt’, write it off.  BUT when a homeowner has a ‘bad debt’, just writing it off ain’t gonna happen.

A lot of people who can afford to stay in their homes are just saying good-bye to them  and their mortgages by exercising their freedom of choice and just walking away from their financial responsibilities.  This is commonly referred to as Strategic Foreclosure or Strategic Default.

So, what’s a honest homeowner to do when they’re home is now worth much less than they paid for it only a few short years ago?  Well, before you just get up and walk away you should definitely consult with a real estate attorney, a good Realtor, and also a CPA to find out what options and legal consequences you’ll have depending on your choices and situation.

You could let the bank foreclose, or you could Short Sale your home.  REOs and Short Sales in Stockton and surrounding areas are the bulk of what’s on the market these days.  Just look around and I’m sure you’ll see For Sale signs up and down many streets in your own neighborhood.

Walking away from your home that’s “under water” (worth less than you owe) instead of trying to work with your bank(s) or having a Realtor short sale it for you, could actually leave you in deep water.

Here is some more specific information about this…CLICK HERE.

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• The Short Sale Process (home-mortgages.suite101.com)

Could it be true?  Could it be possible?  C’mon House…Let it ride, baby!  Let it ride!

If you’ve made an Offer to Purchase a home recently, especially a Short Sale in Stockton, Lodi, Modesto, CA or anywhere for that matter, then you know what I’m talking about.

To receive the home-buyer’s tax credit you had to have been “under contract” (meaning, accepted by the seller) by April 30th and have your deal “close escrow” by June 30th.  But since some banks are extremely slow to approve short sales, a lot of these deals haven’t closed escrow yet, and may not be able to by June 30.

It was put to a vote, and the Senate said YES to an extension until Sept 30th to get these deals closed.  Now it’s up before the House to approve this extension as well.

Here’s a quick read on this story… http://bit.ly/9fr0ru

Good luck Brandon!  I’m bettin’ on the House for you!

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• Senate votes to extend home tax credit deadline (reuters.com)

According to an article in the Boston Globe, here are four things sellers should understand about today’s market to make their homes as saleable as possible:

1. Real estate pricing is very local: “When you’re looking at comparables, you have to see what’s sold in the past three months. Look at your competition and what’s under agreement.

2. Get property pics online: Stage the property, then take pictures and video. Better yet, hire a professional photographer to do the job.

3. Disclosure is key: Tell potential buyers what’s wrong before they figure it out. That eliminates last-minute re-negotiations and cold feet.

4. Clean, clean, super-clean: A clean and clutter-free property makes potential buyers likely to pay more.

So, whether you’re still living in your home that’s For Sale, or you’ve already moved out, but are trying for a Short Sale in Stockton or Lodi areas, it’s always a good thing to get the most money for your home.

Make it a great day!

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• 7 Ways to Avoid a Crummy Real Estate Agent (usnews.com)

When it comes to buying a home, most potential buyers will use the listing price as the number one factor to determine the homes that they look at.  Even though you and a Realtor may determine the asking/listing price, the buyer will ultimately determine the selling price.  If the price is too high, most buyers won’t give it a second thought – which is why you want to determine the listing price carefully.  Real estate prices have dropped considerably in the last few years here in the Central Valley, so be careful not to chase the market downward with your pricing.

If you set the correct price, you’ll notice a much faster sale.  Setting the right listing price will also attract more potential buyers to your property as well.  You’ll also notice an increase in response from Realtors, and receive more calls about the property.  The listing price is very important – and it can ultimately determine whether or not you even sell your property.

A home can be overpriced due to several reasons.  Overpricing is something you want to avoid, as buyers tend to steer clear of homes that have been overpriced.  Normally, this happens when a buyer asks a lot more than the home is worth or valued at due to emotional reasons.  Some sellers ask a lot more than the value of the home due to location.  Although the location is very important, most potential buyers won’t give the home a second look if they think the price is too high – and more importantly out of their price range.

When you put your home up for sale, most activity will happen within the first couple of weeks.  If you put the right price on your home, you’ll notice immediate interest.  There are always buyers looking for homes in their price range, waiting for new homes to be listed or homes to be reduced in price.  Buyers who are waiting to purchase may miss seeing your home completely if the price is too high.

To determine the listing price of your home, you should always have your Realtor go over the comparable recent sales.  This way, you’ll know the possible value of your home.  You can sell it for market value or go a little under, although you should never attempt to go way over the value.  In doing so, you’ll miss out on a lot of potential buyers.  The home market is very competitive these days, which is why you want your home to draw as much interest as possible, as soon as possible.

Keep in mind that Realtors really have no control at all over the real estate market, only the plan behind the marketing.  Realtors don’t determine the asking price – the seller does through the assistance of their Realtor.  If you do things right and take each process step by step, you’ll set the listing price in the right area and have no problems selling your property, or at least getting offers for it.

Short Sales in Stockton and Lodi, CA areas are what’s fueling the market right now and will stay that way for the near future.  The main thing is to get a good solid offer on your home and then the lender(s) will determine if you get the ‘green light’ or not.  That will most likely only happen if you price it right from the start.