Scary headlines regarding the housing market are back! As if there isn't enough bad news about politics and the stock market, the Los Angeles Times yesterday (September 18) had an article on the front page stating nearly half of home sales in August in Southern California are now foreclosures. OMG! I can just see the panic that could arise from a headline like that. It was pretty scary to me, too, and I am in the industry! Hey, this is how I support my family!!
But as I have been telling everyone that asks, (and some that don't), remember, REAL ESTATE IS LOCAL!! (And a lot of the economy is psychological, but that is a whole other blog I likely will not write!). The Conejo Valley is not like the rest of Southern California.
So, what is the local market doing as far as foreclosures? Local, for me, is the Conejo Valley. The Conejo Valley encompasses the communities of Agoura, Oak Park, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, and Newbury Park. Each of these communities is unique. Thousand Oaks is the largest, Oak Park the smallest. And they are all great places to live and work. People continue to move to these areas because they are safe, and have great schools.
I went on line and did some quick research of my own to see how my local areas compared to those awful headlines. And by comparison, we look pretty darned good! In all of the Conejo Valley for the month of August, 185 homes sold. This number includes condos as well as single family homes. Of those 185, 28, or 15 % were bank owned. The breakdown by community looked like this:
| CONEJO VALLEY FORECLOSURE RATE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL # SOLD | # REO'S | PERCENT REO | |
| AGOURA | 18 | 1 | 6% |
| OAK PARK | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| WESTLAKE | 34 | 2 | 6% |
| NEWBURY PARK | 31 | 6 | 19% |
| THOUSAND OAKS | 87 | 19 | 22% |
| TOTALS | 185 | 28 | 15% |
Click here to SEARCH FOR HOMES IN OAK PARK, AGOURA, WESTLAKE, AND ALL OF VENTURA COUNTY.
OAK PARK, CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS DO IT AGAIN!!
Oak Park California, a small community nestled in Eastern Ventura County, is known, among other things, for its great school system. This year, the Oak Park Unified School District reported the highest combined API score in Ventura County, according to the California Department of Education figures released last week. The score increased 25 points from last year, all the way up to 891.
The API is the Academic Performance index. It is a single number, ranging from a low of 200 to a high of 1000, that reflects a school's performance level, based on the results of statewide testing. It measures academic performance and growth of schools on a variety of academic measures. To see scores from different schools and districts, go to the California Department of Education at www.dce.CA.gov.
Medea Creek Middle School had the top middle school score in the county with 876 points, 26 points higher than last year. Oak Park High School's score jumped 40 points up to 878, the highest in the Conejo Valley. The scores from the three elementary schools ranged from 905 to 934.
Oak Park Schools superintendent Tony Knight said several factors contributed to the high Oak Park scores, among them a school district writing workshop, and a strong focus on literacy through support and intervention programs. The math programs were realigned to meet state standards, and a new math program was adopted at the middle and high school levels. The schools also foster a strong partnership between administrators, teachers students and parents.
While test scores are only a snapshot of how a district is doing, in this case the picture is accurate, and worth more than a thousand words. Oak Park has awesome schools. And that is what keeps property values strong in this area.
Click here to contact Carol and learn more about OAK PARK and surrounding areas.
Click here to SEARCH FOR HOMES IN OAK PARK, AGOURA, WESTLAKE, AND ALL OF VENTURA COUNTY.
World famous chef, Wolfgang Puck has opened a new restaurant in Westlake Village. The restaurant, Wolfgang Puck L.A. Bistro is at 30990 Russell Ranch road, next to Dakota Steakhouse.
Puck, born in Austria, began his culinary training at age 14, and now oversees a virtual empire of casual restaurants and fine dining, catering services, and licensed products. He has catered to Hollywood's elite, and some of the industry's prestigious events.
Dress code at the Westlake Restaurant is casual, as would fit our laid back Conejo Valley lifestyle. The restaurant spokesperson states that the average customer check will be $12-$15 for a menu that includes Puck's signature dishes and seasonal specialties.
For more information, call 818-597-1902, or visit www.wolfgangpuck.com/bistro.
Happy dining, and maybe I will see you there!
Click here to SEARCH FOR HOMES IN OAK PARK, AGOURA, WESTLAKE, AND ALL OF VENTURA COUNTY.
THOUSAND OAKS CA- HISTORICAL SALES DATA-
Brought to you by CAROL LEE, AGOURA, OAK PARK, WESTLAKE VILLAGE CA REAL ESTATE
Apparently I am still crunching numbers these days. There continues to be talk of whether we are at the bottom yet (who knows?) and where the market is headed (another who knows?) All I know is that I am writing a lot of offers for a lot of buyers, and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM HAS HAD MULTIPLE OFFERS ON THEM. Is the market slowing down? If this is typical, then apparently not! These have been homes ranging in price from $350,000 to $800,000. Some were short sales. Some wre bank owned. Some were just plain old "regular" sellers who understood how to price a home. Areas have been from Thousand Oaks all the way to Ventura.
So today I decided to look at THOUSAND OAKS. For those of you who are not familiar with the area Click here for more information on Thousand Oaks CA.
I will let the numbers below speak for themselve. It seems the hardes hit, pricewise, were the smaller homes. My guess it is due to the higher number of short sales and bank owned homes in that price range. I think it is still too early in 2008 to make any judegements as to where the market its headed this year. Too many unknowns with the economy and the elections.
| 2500+ sq. ft | $994,928 | $1,096,901 | $1,053,424 | $911,659 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 -2500sq. ft | $774,755 | $957,641 | $768,504 | $652,900 |
| 1600-2000 sq. ft | $687,647 | $704,184 | $648,746 | $559,966 |
| up to 1600 sq ft. | $570,590 | $595,829 | $553,834 | $425,660 |
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | thru 05-31-2008 |
*Information from VCRDS, Rappatoni, for the dates indicated. Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.
Click here to SEARCH FOR HOMES IN OAK PARK, AGOURA, WESTLAKE, AND ALL OF VENTURA COUNTY.
I seem to be in a major numbers crunching mood these days. Which is surprising, given that I am a people person, not a numbers person. but there continues to be talk of whether we are at the bottom yet (who knows?) and where the market is headed (another who knows?)
So today I decided to look at Westlake Village. For those of you who are not familiar with Westlake Village, it is an upscale community, that straddles both Ventura and Los Angeles County. Click here for more information on Westlake Village.
I will let the numbers below speak for themselves. It seems the hardest hit, price wise, were the smaller homes. I think it is still too early in 2008 to make any judgements as to where the market its headed this year.
| 2500+ sq. ft | $2,044,617 | $2,053,454 | $2,212,567 | $1,941,983, |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 -2500sq. ft | $1,024,962 | $957,641 | $1,024,161 | $814,000 |
| 1600-2000 sq. ft | $973,578 | $840,215 | $835,413 | $$672,333 |
| up to 1600 sq ft. | $792,115 | $679,875 | $762,273 | $531,667 |
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | thru 05-31-2008 |
Information from VCRDS, Rappatoni, for the dates indicated. Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.
Click here to SEARCH FOR HOMES IN OAK PARK, AGOURA, WESTLAKE, AND ALL OF VENTURA COUNTY.
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Carol provides superior personalized service. She is appropriately assertive, hard working, focused, and detail oriented. She combines acute business acumen with sensitive, caring people skills.
I have been living and working in Oak Park, CA, in the Conejo Valley, since 1990. Oak Park is located in Ventura County, in Southern California. My first profession was as a registered nurse (I am older than I look!), so I know how to listen to and take care of people. I have a Bachelor's of Science Degree from Boston University, and am very detail oriented. I never push or rush my clients, as I understand how large a financial transaction buying or selling a home is, and how scary it can be. I have very vivid memories of my first home purchase!
My value as a realtor in working with buyers is to listen to what they are saying, help them prioritize their needs, then go out and help them find that home at the Best Possible Price. With my sellers, I want them to get the Highest Possible Price, and keep as much of their money in their pocket as possible. To do that I market the property extensively primarily on the internet as that is where most buyers start their homes search, but also within the brokerage community. I have strong negotiating skills, and a strong sense of the local market and inventory. I am always honest with my clients, (sometimes to a fault!), and by their side throughout the complex process of buying or selling a property.
No deal is too small for me to work with a client- we all need to start somewhere! My business grows with referrals, so I always want all my clients to be happy. And they are.
My area of expertise is geographical, rather than a price range or type of buyer or seller. I work in an area of southern California called the Conejo Valley, in Ventura County. This encompasses the areas of Agoura, Oak Park, Westlake, Newbury Park, including Dos Vientos, and Thousand Oaks. I have also had clients and work in Calabasas, Simi Valley, Wood Ranch, Moorpark, Ventura County and into the San Fernando Valley as well.
I have worked with many single mothers, first time buyers, repeat buyers and sellers, and investors. I tailor my approach to meet the needs of the individual client.
FROM S.C., THOUSAND OAKS, CA:
Carol Lee is a realtor with persistence, kindness, honesty and integrity. My husband and I met Carol at an open house just as we were beginning our search for a home. Carol was interested in our needs, and had numerous options emailed to us that very evening. We took many months over innumerable outings to view homes, but I never once felt any pressure from Carol to rush our process; rather, she was extremely supportive, encouraging, and attentive to our likes and dislikes in order to help to focus and objectify our search. She is knowledgeable about the housing market and about the local properties, and resourceful in getting information for us. We are very grateful for her experience, and are looking forward to celebrating with her in our new home!
FROM K.B. OAK PARK, CA
Working with Carol Lee was a wonderful experience. She made me feel that she would take care of my side of the deal without any worries. She was completely on top of things and kept things moving without putting any pressure on me, which I really appreciated. It was a pleasure doing business with Carol and I will definitely keep her in mind for any future purchases.
FROM G. G. THOUSAND OAKS, CA: Carol, we cannot thank you enough for all your help with our most recent real estate transaction. We have bought and sold several homes in the past, but until we worked with you, we never realized what it meant to work with a true real estate professional. Read more about Buying or selling a home with Carol Lee.
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