About Humboldt County, CA

2008 brought financial destruction to many people. What will 2009 bring? The brightest minds in the country did not foresee the meltdown of the stock market. Seeing the economy shrivel was like watching the air being released from a balloon. What will 2009 bring?

If you believe the industry analysis (which many in the public take with a high degree of cynicism), the market will bottom out in 2009 and start to rebound in 2010. If you believe the sellers, the worst has passed…if you believe home buyers, the market has a long way to go before it bottoms (who really knows when the bottom is?). I guess it depends which position you are in.

The bottom line is nobody can predict what will happen. There are a few variables that can and will greatly impact the Humboldt County real estate market in 2009:

1. Interest rates – as of today, rates have not been this low since the 1960’s. If rates can remain the same or even drop, that can, and likely will trigger many buyers back into the market who are sitting on the fence. And if that happens you will see prices stabilize and possibly go up at the entry level points in our local market. Home sales for properties under $300,000 have remained consistent. If interest rates increase, that will put a wet blanket on real estate sales.

1. Foreclosures - Here in Humboldt County the foreclosure levels are one of the lowest in California. Should that number increase that may further depress prices.

1. Standing inventory of homes. As of 12/29/2008 there are 601 single family homes on the market in the county. That has fluctuated between 550-800 this year, so the inventory is near a low point. Statistically approximately one in every five properties has been going under contract this year. That has remained consistent this year. Should inventory numbers drop and interest rates remain constant, that could be good for sellers.

1. Stock market – many potential buyers lost money in the stock market that could have been used for real estate investing. An improvement in the stock market could be a shot in the arm for the economy and overall confidence.

1. California’s budget mess – wow that is a real wild card. The state is going broke and in this area many jobs are dependent on income derived from the state. That is a wait and see.

1. Financing – Will it become easier or more difficult to get financing. Are banks who took billions of taxpayer dollars with the supposed intent to grease the economy and lend money, continue to hoard the cash or give qualified buyers the opportunity to take advantage of historically low interest rates?

So the bottom line answer to what the real estate market will do in 2009 is anyone’s guess. Some facts can’t be argued: Interest rates are at historical lows; Prices are down in great numbers from the peak markets; Real estate as a long term investment is always solid; The population numbers are going up, not down and people have to live somewhere; The tax benefits of real estate ownership (compared to renting) are significant.

What I tell buyers is if you plan to be in the house 3-5 years, you will get the benefit of freedom of enjoyment of your own castle. The tax and appreciation benefits are ancillary but significant both immediately and over time. If anyone can predict when is “bottom” please let me know. I will wait and see what happens with any of the six above items I listed before making any predictions. I will say that I hope to be personally in the market in 2009 as a buyer.

Thank you for reading my blog entry. Happy New Year!

Hello Everyone Out there, my staff and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! This is a tough time right now with the economy being the way it is and the winter season upon us. I hope everyone is staying warm inside (or outside) with their family and friends, and for good things to come in the new year!

Last week I presented a speech to my Toastmaster's group that I thought I would share with you. As always they are fairly personal. I'm not afraid of sharing myself with others. The goal of this speech was to appropriately use body language. So you'll have to use your imagination there, but hopefully some of the descriptive paragraphs help you generate that descriptive picture I was trying to portray.

So here's my speech in a nutshell:

Confidence and Building Relationships to Build a Successful Business

So I’m going to talk to you about two key ingredients that make a successful business. Confidence and Building Relationships. But I’m going to come from my own personal experience with this, how I had to become more comfortable in my own skin as a real estate agent these past 2 years and how I quickly realized that just like anything else in life, you have to build relationships.

Let’s go back 2 years for a moment. I was green and I had the drive to become successful, but I didn’t like myself as a salesperson.

My idea of a salesperson was this smooth talker, in an expensive suit with the stench of cheap cologne wafting through the air. And as he approached you, you literally could see the sleeze dripping off his shoulders. And when he would greet you he’d say “Hey there.” His arrogance was so strong that it was suffocating and would send the bullshit meter off the charts.

Now, we’ve all met people like that. I sure the heck didn’t want to become that.

Now they don’t train you to be a salesperson like what I’ve described, but the training isn’t necessarily anything to write home about either.

Don’t get me wrong. I may have not agreed with half the sale techniques I was being taught, but I did try some of them…against my better judgement. I knocked on stranger’s doors, met strangers in networking events asking for business..."Hi, I'm Jessica Bigger. You don't know me from Adam, but hey who do you know who needs real estate services. Hire me please." Lastiy I did something I wasn't proud of. I'd call people I knew to chat with them for a while and then at the end of the conversation ask… “by the way who do you know who’s thinking about buying or selling their home”

Can you imagine having someone call you every month to touch base with you, just so they can end the conversation with..."who do you know who's looking to buy or sell a home." I don't know about you, but after the 3rd phone conversationl I'm not sure I would want to give that person business.

It didn’t take me long to realize that this was not how I wanted to build a business, let alone build a reputation. I believed in the concept of building relationships. I just wasn’t applying it to my own business at the beginning. And the funny thing is, I've always valued the relationship and helping others. So why did I think that it didn't apply to my real estate business.

Let's move back to the present.

There’s two things I believe in today – Having Confidence - I am no longer ashamed of being a real estate agent. I'm not ashamed of wanting to be successful at it. And 2nd - the key to success in any business goes back to building lasting relationships with people and giving to others.

I want people to know me as Jessica the gal who genuinely cares about what’s going on in your life. The one who would bend over backwards to help you if you were in need. The girl who’s fun to be around. A good person.

And last but not least, a good friend first, who happens to be an incredible Real Estate agent.

Copyright 2008 Jessica Bigger. All Rights Reserved. *Building a Successful Real Estate Business takes Confidence and Lasting Relationships - My Personal Story*

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Contact Jessica Bigger, Realtor®, Ming Tree GMAC Real Estate at 707-269-4305 to list your home for sale or to purchase your first or next home in Eureka, Cutten, Bayside, Arcata, McKinleyville, Westhaven, Trinidad and the rest of Humboldt County California.

To view all Humboldt County CA Historic and Luxury Homes for Sale Click Here, then click on Search Area Listings at the top of the web site. I know Humboldt County CA well and can help you get your home Sold or help you buy your next Humboldt County California Home. Call today!

I am working on a real estate transaction right now that keeps getting its closing date extended and extended. I know that in a real estate transaction, one can never know when a deal will fall out of escrow. I had one that was about to close right before Thanksgiving, on November 26 in fact, and the Friday before, the buyers called me and told me that the gifted funds from their relatives to help with their 20% down payment, is no longer available and we now cannot complete the transaction without those funds.

That was a blow to the waist line because we have completed all the things necessary to make the purchase happen and the funds were "guaranteed" throughout the entire escrow period... up to that point. Without that missing piece, my buyers could not make the purchase and I had to break it to the seller's agent, which was gut ranching, especially after I had assured him over and over that we have everything checked off and approved that we were suppose to do and that we were only waiting for the closing date. That was a call that I did not want to make, but right when I found out that my buyers could not make the purchase, I had to tell the seller's agent right away so that they can quickly put the property back on the market, because now, they have wasted all that time that the listing could have showed up as "active" on the mls and potentially have attracted more buyers.

Well, for the current transaction, I am representing the sellers and so far, the buyer's agent has kept me informed on the buyer's loan application status and how the escrow is going. Right now we are just waiting for the loan docs to be signed so I will be keeping my fingers crossed.

In spite of all that's been going on in our economy and in the news - in a sea of worry and negative thinking, sometimes we need to shift our thinking and remember what we have.

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to think about what we're all grateful for and remember that regardless of what's happening around us, many of us have a lot to be grateful for today. At least at this point in life we live a much better life than most people around the world. So it's all relative. And when I get into a negative mood about all the things I don't have in life, I always step back and look around the world to remind myself how great of a life I truly do have.

So this Thanksgiving think about all the great things you have in your life. What are you grateful for?

I'm grateful for so many thinngs:

1. I have a wonderful husband
2. I have a family that adores me
3. I have a great affectionate dog who's fuzzy
4. I have a cool old "Purple" Victorian that's very comfortable
5. I have a car to get around in
6. I have my health
7. I have an incredible amount of great friends and aquaintances in my life that truly care about me.
8. I get to travel to visit family and friends
9. I have time to just be

And of course I could go on and on.

Being grateful is only one piece regarding attracting other things in your life that you want. So don't forget about this piece.

I felt Thanksgiving is a great time to remember how important it is to realize all of the wonderful things we already have in our life and if we look around, most of us already have a great life.

Copyright 2008 Jessica Bigger. All Rights Reserved. *Happy Thanksgiving - Channel Your Economic Worry into Positive Thinking. What are you Grateful For?*

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Contact Jessica Bigger, Realtor®, Ming Tree GMAC Real Estate at 707-269-4305 to list your home for sale or to purchase your first or next home in Eureka, Cutten, Bayside, Arcata, McKinleyville, Westhaven, Trinidad and the rest of Humboldt County California.

To view all Humboldt County CA Historic and Luxury Homes for Sale Click Here, then click on Search Area Listings at the top of the web site. I know Humboldt County CA well and can help you get your home Sold or help you buy your next Humboldt County California Home. Call today!