Julie Crabtree is a new resident of Del Norte County, the author of "Discovering Pig Magic" and a very dear friend.
Julie and her husband Phil were looking for a slower paced, less complicated lifestyle from the San Francisco Bay Area and decided to look for a home in Del Norte County where Julie has spent many a summer vacation.
Julie found me on the internet and called to schedule some showings while on their annual summer vacation to Crescent City in 2007. We found the perfect home the second day and the rest is history.
Crescent City is blessed to have Julie, her husband Phil and their two children join the Crescent City/Del Norte County community. Julie is already active in her children's school and teaching yoga at the Healing Arts Center.
In their one year in Del Norte County, the Crabtree family has already done more cool stuff than I have in the 20 years I've lived here. Julie, the family and their dog Digby can be found at the Smith River swimming, fishing at the ocean or river, kayaking on the Rogue River, jet boating on the Chetco River, walking every beach in the county, taking the tram at Trees of Mystery and so much more.
Julie will be having a local book signing in the near future. I will be sure to do a post when I have the dates. It will be a unique opportunity to have a personally signed copy of her first novel, Discovering Pig Magic, winner of the 2008 Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature and named as a debut to watch by Publishers Weekly.
The Crabtree family is a welcome addition to our community.
Predatory lending is still out there and buyers need to be aware.
One of my clients decided to go with the services of a nice young man who contacted her by phone. He promised her a low interest rate along with many other enticements. She contacted me long after she had begun the loan process with Justin, her trusted lender.
It turns out that the interest rate promised is not even in the ball park of what is in the loan docs, the down payment has since increased from $30,000, to $50,000 and the loan fees for a $152,000 loan are in excess of $7500. Also, my client had no idea she was buying down her interest rate, which isn't cheap.
California is one of the 25 states that has adopted anti-predatory lending laws. These laws usually describe one or more classes of "high-cost" or "covered" loans, which are defined by the fees charged to the borrower at origination or the APR. While lenders are not prohibited from making "high-cost" or "covered" loans, a number of additional restrictions are placed on these loans, and the penalties for noncompliance can be substantial. However, this did not stop Justin from lying and in my opinion, overcharging. When I asked the owner of his company if they could lower some of their fees, he said, "Hey, everybody has to make a buck." Gee, how professional.
Buyers, there are so many wonderful mortgage brokers and lenders out there right now who actually have your best interest at heart. When choosing a lender, work with someone that has been referred by a trusted source. Make sure they've had a personal experience with that lender. Make sure you get all the promises made on a good faith estimate.
I've blogged about it before, and I'll continue to do so...a good lender is worth their weight in gold, now more than ever. If you need a referral to an honest, hardworking mortgage professional in my market, do not hesitate to call me... there are several.
I am here to assist you with your real estate needs!
 Brought to you by Fran Gatti at  Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162 Email: fgatti@charter.net Website: FranGattiHomes.com My Blog: Fran's Blog Fran is the #1 buyer's agent for 2007per CCMLS |
The Crescent City/Del Norte County market report for September is better than August, however when you consider summer is our busiest time of year and sales were down 44% from September 2007, saying it was better is being kind.
The average DOM (days on market) for September sales looked better over Augusts report, which is good, but the absorption rate, the rate at which it would take to sell existing inventory at the current rate of 14 sales a month is still very high at 20 months.
It is very much a buyer's market although the current U.S. financial woes are negatively impacting the buyers ability to get a loan.
My guess after reading up on the subject is that the election isn't going to make a huge difference and that the economy will be in disarray for quite sometime. Liquidity is disappearing from our markets and loans are getting more and more difficult to find, although not impossible, hence the slowdown.
Here is the market at a glance:
|
Active List Price range |
% of active listings |
% of 2008 sold listings |
Average DOM for 208 solds in the price range |
|
199,000 & under |
31% |
52% |
167 |
|
200,000 - 299,000 |
29% |
33% |
209 |
|
300,000 - 399,000 |
14% |
10% |
236 |
|
400,000 - 499,000 |
11% |
2% |
92 |
|
500,000 and up |
15% |
3% |
294 |
The above stats show that the market is being driven by the lower priced properties. It also shows that the upper-end homes have a significant amount of competition.
More market stats:
|
|
9/08 Sold |
9/08 Median |
9/08 Average |
9/08 Avg DOM |
8/08 Sold |
8/08 Median |
9/07 # Sold |
9/07 DOM |
9/07 Median |
|
Residential |
14 |
208,000 |
200,263 |
130 |
10 |
176,000 |
25 |
169 |
200,000 |
|
Vacant land |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
56,250 |
4 |
688 |
199,500 |
|
Commercial |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Multi-family |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
295,000 |
2 |
137 |
383,500 |
If you are a buyer, now is the time to buy, but get pre-qualified with a reputable lender. I have a client who went with a lender who solicited her business over the phone and she is sorely regretful after having one lie after another convert into bringing far more money to the closing than was originally promised.
If you do not know a reputable lender, I know several who have integrity and are professional, so call me.
If you are a seller, especially in the upper price ranges, I know you don't want to hear it, but it may take awhile to sell your home. The average days on market for homes over $300,000 is 207 days. Buyers in that price range seem to be sitting back and waiting to see what is going to happen to their investments and the economy as a whole. Try to make your home the nicest in it's price range and give it good curb appeal and with property pricing it will find a buyer.
I am here to assist you with your real estate needs!
| Brought to you by Fran Gatti at Bus: 707-464-5400, Cell: 707-218-8162 Email: fgatti@charter.net Website: FranGattiHomes.com My Blog: Fran's Blog Fran is the #1 buyer's agent for 2007per CCMLS |
Thursday started out as usual, but my quick jaunt to First American Title to drop off some paperwork ended in disbelief when I was told that they were closing their doors next Tuesday, October 1st.
Unfortunately, the downturn in the economy is effecting all aspects of the housing industry, not just lenders and real estate agents and it isn't over yet, in fact many say it's just the beginning. After reading Matt Heaton's post today on the whole financial/bailout, my hope is that we can hang on through the shake out and come out stronger on the other side. If you haven't read Matt's post titled, Three More Massive Banks on the Brink and his very excellent post on why Failure is Important, give them a read. He does an excellent job explaining the current crisis in an easily understandable manner.
For the five lovely ladies at First American Title who have worked so hard and given professional, friendly and efficient customer service, many of them for almost 20 years, you will be very sorely missed and in our prayers as you move into this sudden, but hopefully exciting change in your lives.
Crescent City loses one of its own
Published: September 21, 2008
The Daily Triplicate
See related web site link(s) at the end of the story: Click Here
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Fran's note: Please keep the de Solenni family in your prayers.
Capt. Bruno de Solenni of Crescent City has been killed in Afghanistan, his father said Sunday.
de Solenni, a 1994 graduate of Del Norte High School, was apparently killed Saturday by an improvised explosive device, said his father, local attorney Mario de Solenni.
Bruno de Solenni was helping train Afghan soldiers while engaged in frequent firefights with Taliban forces in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.
He had been expected home before Christmas.
As a member of the Oregon National Guard, he had also served in Egypt and Iraq.
Bruno de Solenni and his family were the subjects of a front-page feature story in The Triplicate on Sept. 6, and his letter from Afghanistan was reprinted with photos he sent on The Triplicate's features cover Sept. 13.
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Fran is your Del Norte County real estate information resource and number one buyer's agent for 2007 in volume and number of sales (source ccmls). Put her experience to work for you.
Welcome. I am happy to assist you with your relocation to Del Norte County/Crescent City
Although Del Norte County is one of California's smaller county's, it's big in what it has to offer. The home of where the Redwoods meet the sea is where you want to relocate. Let me give you a tour of our county and I'll show you why. The Del Norte Chamber of Commerce website is definitely worth a look. A Little About My Client First Philosophy What this means is I am all about customer service and meeting your needs. Please take a look at my testimonial page to see what my clients have to say about my service. From beginning to end of each and every transaction, your confidence that your home purchase or sale is being handled professionally and with the greatest of care is my number one concern. Why relocate to Del Norte County: No traffic, no smog, nice people, affordable housing, relaxing commute, fishing, surfing, hiking, bird watching, laying on the beach, kayaking, wind surfing, boating, hunting, yachting, rafting, no drought, fresh tuna, fresh salmon, Warrior's football, fresh crab and so much more...
Del Norte County's traffic is minimal with an easy commute from home to office. The weather is incomparable for folks who enjoy a mild climate. Del Norte's temperature for the month of September hovered at approximately 65-70 degrees and Crescent City/Del Norte County does not have smog and so many of the other maladies that effect big city's.
Take a look at my website and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding relocating to the magnificent Del Norte County area. I urge you to go to my links page and my blog on the Active Rain network where you will find a wide variety of useful information and resources about Crescent City and Del Norte County , Hiouchi, Gasquet, Smith River, Klamath and Ft. Dick, as well as a list of Upcoming Events.
From information on the local community, to advice about finding a mortgage or preparing your home to sell, it's all available here on my web site.
Virtual Tour of Del Norte County
My Bio ~
I have been married to my husband Garry since 1980. We have five children of whom we are very proud. Garry and I have attended Foursquare Church in Crescent City since moving here in 1991. We have also been lead couple for over 10 Married For Life classes and have been involved in other community minded endeavors. Garry teaches 6th grade at a local school and is a California licensed general contractor.
My husband and I have bought numerous "fixers" and we are currently living in a home that we built ourselves. Being involved in onstruction on a personal level and working as a real estate agent has given me an enthusiasm for real estate that is genuine. Real Estate is a fabulous investment for the investor and individuals seeking the American Dream.
Thank you for your interest in relocating to Del Norte County. I hope to hear from you.
You already have a friend in Del Norte County. I am here to help your relocation be a smooth one. I will assist you every step of the way, from finding your home, to purchasing your home, and finally, in getting settled in. Please read my testimonial section to see how I have assisted other clients in their relocation to Del Norte County.
I am knowledgable in purchasing vacant land for building your custom home and the building process. Through personal experience with new home construction and assisting my clients, I have accumulated knowledge that my clients find both useful and time-saving. Not every agent has hands-on experience with this process, If you are going to build in Del Norte County, I would be happy to put my experience in this area to work for you.
You can count on me to:
Professional Designations and Affiliations
For more information about all that Del Norte County has to offer, please check out my webpage.
I am honored to write this testimonial to thank Fran Gatti for the superb job she did for us in selling our home. Everyone, including our CPA, said 2008 wouldn't be a good time to sell a home, but we were ready to move to Arizona following my husband's retirement. We did everything we could to make our home and then set out to find the best agent we could. After a few weeks of web surfing, and reading agents bios and blogs, I learned that not only was Fran Gatti the number one buyer's agent of 2007, but in the past year she was in on 25% of all the sales in the county. I was excited. I knew Fran. She had done clerical work for me some years back when I taught school and I had always admired her competence, professionalism and work ethic. Her soaring success in a new profession didn't surprise me This is a letter to the editor in The Daily Triplicate, our local newspaper Fran Gatti is awesome!!!!! I started saving for my first home three years ago. I patiently watched the market and during that time I "worked" with other real estate agents. One agent was more than eager to show me property if I found it and called him; he never notified me of any listings. I found another real estate agent who said she would work for me; she emailed me a few listings. When I was not interested in the listings she sent me; she just "disappeared". Enter Fran Gatti. I could not believe how hard she worked for me. She sent me listing after listing and took me to see several properties. They were just not right for me; she did not give up. I found a home online that I liked and drove by to look at it. When I emailed Fran she told me the disappointing news that it was already in escrow. But Fran talked to the other real estate agent and found that the seller wanted a back up offer. Just a few days later she called and said the house was "mine". Then the hard work really started; the inspections, reports and all the paperwork. I could not believe how relatively easy it was for me because Fran did most of the work. And her husband did the foundation work that was required; everything was done in time. After escrow closed, there was cleanup to be done on the property after the seller moved; she took care of that also. If you are buying or selling; I recommend Fran Gatti ... she is awesome!!!!! FRAN GATTI - DOES SHE HAVE WINGS? NO...BUT MAYBE A HALO! Fran Gatti was a true professional and competent representative of her field. Throughout the process she was responsive and helpful and made buying the property a stress free proposition.
We set up a meeting and Fran pleasantly assessed our property, took pictures and talked with us about our goals. We told her we wanted to be in Arizona by summer. She returned to her office pulled comps and provided us with a market analysis that gave us a price range where we could successfully market our home. Within a week of listing our property, not only was our house showing on the MLS that all the real estate agents use, but it was listed on a number of websites advertising our home across the nation. On these sites she provided both a slide show of our home and a video of the nature trails around the property. Her marketing expertise was another factor in choosing Fran.
Success!! We were in escrow in fifty-one days. Around here, in 2008, that is extraordinary. Fran negotiated for us, educated us, kept us informed every step of the way and eased my worried mind. "Arizona here we come!" Thanks Fran.
The Bowling Family
Published: May 1, 2008
Four independent gray-haired old women who have been friends for many years decided to move from their individual homes in Southern California to share one big home in Crescent City. This letter is to publically thank those professional people who along with their staff, made this move possible. I know I can't mention the names of the businesses involved, but I will tell you the names of the people involved. Shirley Selman, Fran Gatti, Jamie O'Brien, Susan Muhler and Maryann Allman. Sharing this one house will be a unique adventure for the four of us. It was made possible only by the sincere caring of the above mentioned people, who truly believed that failure was not an option.
Rose Afflick
Teresa T.
Dear Fran - Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the hard work and dedication with regrads to making my dream of owning a home here in Crescent City a reality. I feel so lucky and blessed to have had you on my side throughout this process. It's exactly what I needed to make my dreams come through!
Love,
Judy Baker
We wanted to relocate from the San Francisco Bay area to Crescent City, but the scope of such a move was daunting. We have small children, work, and busy lives...how would we house hunt, then buy and sell, and also go through all the paperwork and physical inspection stuff remotely? How could it ever work? Enter Fran Gatti. We found our dream house in one day with Fran's guidance. The offer and subsequent endless trickle of paperwork, inspections, and negotiations that followed were all handled by Fran expertly. Though we were four hundred miles away, she made sure we were informed, involved and consulted at every moment. She returned endless emails and frantic phone calls. We closed on time despite numerous obstacles. Even after we closed, Fran continued to look after our needs by helping us with unexpected issues like pets abandoned at the house, getting piles of debris disposed of, and finding quick medical care. Fran is a treasure, and if you ever buy or sell your property let her handle it...because she will. And well, incredibly well, trust us on that.
The Crabtrees of Crescent City
Phillip Knight
I have the highest regard for Real Estate Agent Fran Gatti from Ming Tree Realty. Fran helped to find the "perfect" house for my real estate investment, and also helped me negotiate a great price for this home. Fran made valuable suggestions in creating inexpensive home improvements to increase the property value and to make the property desirable for a rental home. Throughout this process, she was inspiring, friendly and comforting. Fran is a very wise and hardworking realtor and I would never use another. Best of all, she listens carefully to my desires and my needs, and never pushes me in directions I don''t want to go. I am forever grateful for her professional guidance!
J. Hoffard
I would definitely rate your support all high marks. You were very helpful during the sales process. You supported us during a slow sales market with telephone calls encouraging us. We had a specialized piece of property with 3 acres, which can be difficult to market. We believe the marketing process provided by you and Dan sold our property. Your help during the escrow process was especially supportive. You found us a much needed plumber to assist with the well requirements. Fran Gatti is the consummate real estate professional. Fran took the time to listen to our needs, help us direct our search, and arrive at the perfect decision for us. Without her caring, thoughtful and patient guidance we would not have been able to live, finally, in the home (and town) of our dreams. It took me almost three years to decide to buy a home in Crescent City. In that time I watched the market, compared homes online and figured out which areas would be best for my family. When I first met Fran I was in no hurry to buy a home. I was willing to wait for the right deal and the right house. Fran asked what I was looking for and I gave her my conditions and patiently searched for the right home for us. I would even go so far as to say that Fran knew what I needed better that I did! After months of sending me email listings of homes and showing me a lot of houses, we found the one I bought. I knew it right away and so did she. It was a pretty cool experience. Fran was patient with me, but didn't neglect me because I wasn't ready to buy right away. She has even been helpful after the sale. Apparently, the garage door was damaged as the seller was moving. Fran followed up and made sure that everything was done to get the door replaced. Without reservation, I would recommend Fran Gatti to anyone who is looking for a home in Crescent City or Del Norte County.
Again, thank you for your professionalism and support during this long process.
Hilary
Mike and Lorie Carter
Grant Scholes
Crescent City, California
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