Upland, CA

Eleven Upland homes were added to those listed for sale during the week ending Nov. 15, 2009, according to the Inland Multi-Regional Multiple Listing Service and four Upland properties were reported as entering escrow during the week.

A total of 131 Upland homes were listed for sale in the MLS on Nov. 15. Included are 93 single-family homes. There were 38 condominiums, townhomes and single-family homes in homeowner associations listed for sale in Upland on Nov. 15; 45 homes were reported as vacant.

The MLS showed 11 foreclosed, or Real Estate Owned, homes listed in Upland on Nov. 15; 37 others were in pre-foreclosure - listed as "in foreclosure," Notice of Default or Short Pay/Subject to Lender.

Seven Upland homes were reported in the MLS as sold in the week ending Nov. 15, 2009.

Ila Josephs, a Realtor with Tarbell, Realtors, prepares weekly reports for her website, www.ilajosephs.com, surveying home market activity in the Inland Empire cities of Chino, Claremont, Fontana, La Verne, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland. For more information, call Ila at (909) 261-3541.

Nostalgia is a good thing. One of the things about nostalgia is that it tends to come back around. See if you remember these gems:

1. Homes had owners in them
2. Cash offers were accepted...quickly
3. Listing agents lived in the same city as their listing
4. Asset managers were guys that handled money, not homes
5. When someone said REO, you first thought of a great rock band of the '80's
6. Short sale negotiators didn't exist
7. Fannie & Freddie were funny names of companies most people never heard of
8. Purchase contracts got a Counter Offer, not a bank addendum
9. Voice mails were returned
10. You bought cars and cattle at an auction

Ahhhhh the good old days. I think we've all kind of forgotten that these all applied less than four years ago.As long as we learn the lessons of excess, they will come around again.  This crazy market will settle (not as in "for less than full balance"..but as in "down") and normalcy will return. Feel free to add any others you may fondly remember.

In the mean time, I'm going to listen to Ridin' The Storm Out, comb the hair I no longer have with my Goodie brush, watch football without the annoying fantasy stats that constantly scroll along the bottom of my T.V., and know that the asset managers from Chase & B of A will once again need to update their resumes.

As our market continues to calm, Southern California is seeing the beginning of home appreciation again. Are things all better now? Of course not. And there are those who will say it's only a temporary spike. Or others that will some how blame The First Time Buyer Tax Credit Extension for skewing the numbers. Personally, I am glad to find and share good news. We have forgotten that a large part of any market's decline or rise is based on emotion and confidence. Headlines have a way of building on themselves either way. So please take a moment and click the link below:

Southern California home prices edge upward again in October -- latimes.com

For those of you old enough to remember Whitney Houston singing The Star Spangled Banner during The Super Bowl, it's one of the versions you never forget. For those of you that might never have seen it, take a moment and watch this clip:

As a hobby, I referee high school basketball. More than all the other privileges it allows me, the single greatest is that at least 35-40 times a season, I get to stand with a gym full of people, proudly face our flag and listen to a rendition of The National Anthem. To this very day and after all these years, I STILL get goose bumps every time. It doesn't matter if the singer is a 6 year old singing totally off key, or the recorded version of the video above. If this video doesn't evoke some kind of reaction from you, especially on Veteran's Day,don't check your pulse. It's a bit too late.

The extension of The First Time Buyers Tax Credit is now here. There are a lot of questions as to what may/may no be included. The National Association of Home Builders has put together a rather helpful site. I found this after watching a Think Big, Work Small video this morning. Here's the link for the Q &A:

There are many that are on either side of Home Buyer Tax Credit debate. As I've stated here, I am for it. While I'm not usually in favor of subsidies, this market is far from usual. The inherent difference in this credit is that it doesn't just fall into a black hole, a la TARP. Buyers do buy in part because of this credit. Once in a home, they need contractors, appliances, etc. For once, I do have to take the side of my more liberal brethren.