Debbie Sagorin

Interest rates are at historic lows.

It’s still a great time to take advantage of the historically low interest rates, and you can put down as little as 3.5% to 5% on many loan programs.

Tax advantages of owning a home.

Whether you’re a first time home buyer, a buyer moving up or one moving down, you may qualify for a tax break every year. Interest paid on your primary residence mortgage, (up to the home’s value), and property taxes are typically deductable.

Another great thing is that for most homeowners, there’s no capital gains tax when their primary residence is sold.

Inventory of REO properties.

These are also called Real Estate Owned, Bank Owned, Lender Mediated or Lender Owned properties, and appeal to bargain hunters who have a lot of patience!

Inventory of homes in Orange County did it's seasonal dip the past few months, and if past years' trends are anything to go by, more & more homes will be hitting the market from now until the summer.

This chart shows inventory of Single Family homes over $500K in the county, since June last year.

Nice to see that the prices have been rising the past few months! Look at this chart, also of Single Family homes over $500K in the the good ol' OC!

From $480 per square foot in September, average prices rose, rose, and rose again to $554 in December. Does this mean that a 2,000 square foot home would have fetched $960,000 in September, and $1,108,000 three months later?

Well, numbers don't lie, or do they?

Prices vary from city to city, and even from tract to tract.

Interested in seeing how much your home might sell for, or looking for some tips on timing? Let's talk!

The prices of Woodbridge homes for sale right now, range from $169,900 for a 1 bedroom attached REO condo on Echo Run, to $1,050,000 for a 4 bedroom 2,900 square foot SFR on Whistling Isle in the Summerfield tract, listed by my office!

Right now, there are only 84 Woodbridge homes currently listed for sale!

Right now, only two homes are offered for sale in "The Landings", and these are 8 Rainstar in Landing I, and 30 Foxboro in Landing II.

Usually when one is offered for sale, it is snapped up pretty fast!

30 Foxboro is a model "C" 4 bedroom house, with over 1,000 square feet of travertine, new granite counters, new maple kitchen cabinets, new appliances, built-in fridge, new toilets and tankless water heater. It has a 3 car garage. Nice!

11 Woodflower & 25 Whispering Wind are in escrow.

16 Woodbridge home sold in November 2011, at prices from $167,500, (a 1 bedroom attached REO in the Park Vista tract), to $910,000 for 4 bedroom standard sale Single Family home on Buckthorn in the Gables.

The prices of Woodbridge homes for sale right now, range from $169,900 for a 1 bedroom attached REO condo on Echo Run, to $1,109,000 for a 3 bedroom 2,366 square foot SFR on Lakeview in Arborlake.

There are 92 Woodbridge homes currently for sale, and 42 of these are short sales or bank-owned, (REOs).

21 Woodbridge homes sold in October 2011, at prices from $228,000, (a 2 bedroom attached standard sale condo in the Stonegate tract), to $730,000 for 3 bedroom short sale condo on Lakefront in the Cove tract.

Don't expect to see many homes in "The Landings" on the market for sale. Usually when one is offered for sale, it is snapped up pretty fast!

Right now, only four are offered for sale in "The Landings", and these are 8 Rainstar & 25 Whispering Wind in Landing I, and 30 Foxboro, and 11 Woodflower in Landing II. (11 Woodflower is actually in escrow, and is accepting backup offers.)

30 Foxboro is a model "C" 4 bedroom house, with over 1,000 square feet of travertine, new granite counters, new maple kitchen cabinets, new appliances, built-in fridge, new toilets and tankless water heater. It has a 3 car garage. Nice!

Swing by the 29th annual Holiday Faire, hosted by the Irvine Fine Arts Center.

It's on Friday, November 4, from 5-9 p.m, and also on Saturday, November 5, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Over 150 talented artisans will showcase a variety of unique holiday arts and decorations. Yes, they're for sale!

Join us for family fun, and see hand-blown glass, ceramics, jewelry, folk crafts, porcelain, dolls, clothing, holiday decorations and much more!

The Faire also features live music and a selection of food and dessert, including the ever-popular handmade ceramic collector bowls filled with piping hot chili or baked potatoes with all the fixings. Hmmmm, yummy.

The Irvine Fine Arts Center is located at 14321 Yale Avenue (in Heritage Park).

Admission is a whopping $2 (OMG), and kids aged 12 and under are free.

Parking is free.

Proceeds from the Faire are put back into the arts community.