Altadena, CA

So here I am, searching active listings in City Of Altadena and WOW.

Do you remember years back when you could not find a home to sell your clients? Or, a new listing comes up on the market and there are 20 buyers and agents outside the house during caravan?

Today, I look on the multiple and find 77 listings of single family homes available in Altadena. I wished I had 77 qualified buyers... FYI, what are the prices out there...

• 14 homes are under $400,000
• 16 homes are over one million
• 3 homes are over two million

New listings to check out:

• 3033 Glen Ave. 3 bed, 2 bath $379,900
• 1892 E. Altadena Dr. 3 bed, 1 bath $595,000
• 1016 Alta Pine, 3 bed, 2 bath $689,000

Majority of homes are priced over 1/2 million ($500,000). Though we hear that prices have gone down, to find a decent home in Altadena (and Pasadena) is still challenging for many first time buyers.

A few weeks ago we staged this lovely Altadena Spanish Revival home. Altadena is an unincorporated city located in Los Angeles County. The home had been on the market for more than 2 months with no offers before staging.

I'm happy to report that this Altadena home is now in escrow less that 3 weeks after staging (there was an earlier offer that fell out), with multiple offers!

As you can see, the home had some furniture in it before it was staged. The owner had attempted to stage it themselves with whatever furniture they had on hand. While it was a good effort, the furniture they used and the way it was placed did not help sell the concept this was a home, not just a house. Proper furniture and accessories, along with proper placement made this Altadena Los Angeles home feel warm and welcoming.

Home staging works in Altadena and Los Angeles!

For more information about this home read Los Angeles County Home Staging - Staging an Altadena Spanish Revival.

Call Michelle Minch at Moving Mountains Design (626)441-8975 for more information about home staging and preparing a home for sale in Los Angeles, Pasadena and Long Beach CA, or visit our Los Angeles Home Staging Info blog.

©2009 Moving Mountains Design ~ We don't sell homes but we know what makes home sell!

Add one Los Angeles home stager plus a fantastic 1928 Altadena Spanish Colonial Revival in (with an entry courtyard), the homeowners furniture, plus a few rented pieces of furniture, a Persian rug and some staging accessories et voila!

An interesting note about this lovely cottage: It was built and designed by Anna P Latham, one of the first women to be licensed as a building contractor in California. In 1928!

Here are some before and after pictures after staging. We brought in a new sofa, chair, rug, some artwork and accessories. We moved the existing furniture around to use it to best advantage. This was an inexpensive yet effective staging.

Kitchen before staging

Kitchen after staging

Living Room before staging

Living room after staging. Note that the fireplace was painted. The coral color was a choice the homeowner made before we were hired to stage. While I am a big fan of using color to accentuate architectural features, this was not the right color.

Note the valuted ceiling. BTW, the chandelier is lit by candlelight and is raised and lowered with a pulley system.

For more pictures and information visit Los Angeles Home Staging Info

For more information about this super nice 3 bedroom 2 bathroom Spanish Cottage located in the Country Club neighborhood of Altadena, contact the listing agent, Judy Rubin (626)797-6669.

We stage homes in Los Angeles, Altadena, Pasadena, the San Gabriel Valley and the San Fernando Valley. Moving Mountains Design Home Staging...We don't sell homes but we know what makes homes sell

©2009 Moving Mountains Design

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For more information about home staging in Altadena, Pasadena and Los Angeles visit our Los Angeles home staging web site, or contact Michelle Minch at (626)441-8975 or via email Michelle@MovingMountainsDesign.com.

Real Estate Market Report

West San Gabriel Valley March, 2009

Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena, and San Marino

Market Index

A market index of above 1.20 is a seller's market, between 0.80 to 1.20 is a balanced market, and below 0.80 is a buyer's market.

The Market Index increased from 0.20 to 0.29, mirroring the shift in December. Last year the index was 0.17.

New Listings - 204 new listings, even with last month's 199. Last year there were 319.

Pending Listings - 116 listings opened escrow, compared to 88 last month, versus 67 last year.

Pending Ratio - 0.55, up from 0.43 last month, up from last year's 0.21

pending ratio.

Listing Inventory - 783 listings on the market, down slightly from 797 last month. Last year we had 989.

Sold Listings -111 properties sold, up from 93 last month. Last year 91 homes sold.

Average Sales Price - $595,724, down slightly from $558,620 last month, down 21.3% compared to last year.

Days On Market - 117, compared to 120 last month and 59 last year.

Price Per Square Foot - $359.52, up slightly from $353.78 last month, down 18.7% from a year ago.

Sales are strong due to the lower prices and interest rates. The new stimulus package allows for a more generous tax credit of $8,000 which does not need to be repaid if you live in the property three years, $10,000 additional if you buy new construction.

Data from Itech and SRAR MLS has not been verified, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change.

Market is HOT, HOT, HOT. Who says it's a down market? Eleven homes sold at/or above list price.

Altadena Homes Sold (closed escrow) the Month of March

Address	Bed, Bath	SQ FT	List Price	Sold Price	SP % LP
1028 Morada	2, 1	600	$160,000	$130,000	81.25
2100 El Sereno	2, 1	1145	$209,900	$210,000	100.05
66 W Mendocino	2, 1	1016	$250,900	$240,000	95.66
160 W Palm	2, 1	993	$264,900	$286,300	108.08
853 Figueroa	3, 2	1462	$274,900	$291,700	106.11
427 W Poppyfields	2, 1	858	$299,999	$305,000	101.67
2618 Glen	2, 1	1011	$325,000	$310,000	98.41
631 Mendocino	3, 2	1268	$299,900	$316,500	105.54
503 Crosby	3, 1	1240	$349,000	$349,000	100.00
3321 Raymond	3, 1	1482	$369,925	$350,000	94.61
686 Royce	3, 2	1196	$352,500	$350,000	99.29
150 W Mariposa	3, 1	1420	$399,000	$370,000	92.73
2747 Visscher	2, 1	1277	$370,000	$390,000	105.41
48 Reever Wy	4, 3	2094	$430,000	$430,000	100.00
3589 Glenrose	3, 2	1477	$406,000	$433,000	106.65
1272 E Loma Alta	3, 2	1780	$394,900	$440,000	114.32
1270 Rubio St	5, 5	4723	$1,695,000	$1,695,000	100.00

*courtesy of ITECH MLS, subject to change.