About San Benito County, CA

Well, Peggy and I have been a little pre-occupied lately with our 32 year old son in Haiti helping out a medical team in an orphanage he supports and has visited the last 3 years before the earthquake.

Some of the children where injured and about 35 children died in the orphanages he visits and helps.

Their group is seeing about 90 people per day last report, however reports are scarce, one of the doctors in the group has a phone and calls her husband in Georgia from time to time but reports a short and sparse. Bio-mechanical type water filters he has purchased and installed during previous trips are being used by many right now.

I’ll we can do is hope and pray he comes back safe and healthy.

The Earth is part of this little piece of perfection called Hollister in California.

My best to you and your family,

Ray

Merry Christmas from Peggy and I in our little part of the world

Just got back from a CDPE seminar updating on all the new preforeclosure and foreclosure issue in the market today.

Peggy and I were helping clients 20 years ago with these issues but that was only approximately 2% of the market at that time and it was a mess then. Now it about 80% of the market or more and things are worst.

New government programs to help but hard to find. Many people needing help but with all the scams they don't know who to trust. This new information we have will help but the public has to seek help as soon as possible to get the best on come or at least a better out come. We hope we can help even if it only one peson at a time.

If we all jumped in we could have this market stabilized at least and then maybe things could start getting better.

So that the WORD from quiet little San Benito County California keep te light on for me! Ray

I found the following article about strategic defaults in today's Los Angeles Times. It sheds some realistic light on this sector of our crisis. What I find most interesting is that there are actually less strategic defaults than most people have previously thought. In that Southern California has one of the largest losses of equity in the country, it will be interesting to see how this segment recovers.

Click here to read the full Los Angeles Times article.

The San Benito County real Estate market at a glance

Well heading into the Holidays the local market inventory is down and the pricing is heading up.

Nothing huge, REO or bank owned properties account for a large number of the inventory however there are still a few privately owned properties in the inventory.

4 condos are active

with 132 active single family residents in the current market in the whole county

The inventory is dropping the house price is increasing, what will the Winter have in store for us is the question.

The beginning of all this foreclosure madness had the inventory at 800+ in this neck of the woods.

Quite a drop from 2 years ago and quite a difference from the 90's when the foreclosure market in this area accounted for about 2% of the inventory.

It was just announced that unemployment is up it's hard to say how that will effect the market if it will throw us into another batch of foreclosures and short sales.

Now lets look on the sunny side the prices are down my investors are filling their stables with well priced houses with a positive cash flow and good tenants.

First time home buyers are back in the market and making their dreams come true.

Some renters can finally become buyers.

The current rate is excellent compared to the historic 18% days in the 80's.

Now if the planets would align and PEACE would come to the WORLD for the Christmas season all would be perfect.

Hope all is well with you and yours until next time from that hidden little paradise call Hollister, California.