Gene Riemenschneider East Contra Costa Home Sales 01492725

Buyer's Choice Act hits California!

The Governor just signed emergency legislation that insures the Buyers the Right to Choose Title and Escrow on home purchases.

This applies to residential purchases of less than four units. If the seller fails to comply they can be held liable for up to three times the cost of Title and Escrow. Failure to comply does not invalidate the transaction.

The seller can still recommend Title and Escrow services, but they need to have the buyer sign a disclosure.

This of course is all directed at the banks dictating the services to buyers. Now will it really change anything?

I doubt it. Most banks pay Title & Escrow for the right to choose it. Most buyers are happy to let the bank pay for it in exchange for letting them choose it. Furthermore if I buyer gets it in their head that they should use a different Title & Escrow companies who is to say why the bank picks the other buyer instead. Finally when things get screwed up in Title & Escrow, as they frequently do, it is nice to be able to throw the blame at the banks Title and Escrow Company in order to avoid those nasty late fees.

The Biggest Threat to This Real Estate Market is Uncertainty!

Right now we have a Real Estate Market full of people that look like deer in the head lights. Some of us agents look the same way to. I am not criticizing anyone. Things are happening fast and the rules seem to change day by day. Many of the rule changes bring about unintended consequences which further complicate the issues.

In any market there is always and element of risk and uncertainty. Risk and a willingness to take risk are good things; it has what helped make this country great. Usually taking risk involves some knowledge or attempted discernment of markets and economic trends.

The problem is in this market no one can tell what will happen tomorrow. NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK SHOULD HAPPEN OR BE DONE, you do not know what will happen or will be done. Once you know, agree or disagree you can begin to move on.

Much of these problems of course is rapid and not fully thought out decisions being made at the National Level and applied like a blanket across the nation.

The President was going to provide a plan to bailout nine million homeowners. Agree or disagree, if it was done we could know it and get on with life. Others say the we have millions of foreclosures coming; well if they are coming and we knew that we could plan and deal with it. Many would say it is best to let the market take it's course. But right now we have a big problem in the country and we are like the man with one foot on the dock on the other on the boat; we have got to go one way or another. Neither option is good, but trying to stradle the issue will only make it worse.

Right now everyone is waiting on Washington to do a number of things:

• Decide the future or the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit, expand it, extend it, or let it go.
  
  
• Speed up and ease up Short Sales.
  
  
• What is the government going to do about the credit/money supply for home purchases?
  
  
• How long will they keep interest rates artificially low?

I am sure there are many other issues. We will never take the government out of the equation; but the more government there is involved on a regular basis the harder it will be to make informed decisions. There are some things I might not agree with but feel we are already on the path and turning back now would even be worse.

I do think those buying now and taking risk are wise and will win out in the long run.

Pittsburg Housing Market Report for September 2009.

This Pittsburg Housing Market Report focuses on Home Sales in Pittsburg California in September 2009 and compare them to sales in August 2009.  It also provides information on Homes Currently for Sale in Pittsburg California.  This Pittsburg Housing Market Report are based on Single Family Homes and taken from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) on October 12, 2009.

Contrary to popular belief Prices in East Contra Costa County continue to head up in each and every community.  If the number of sales is down it is because there are fewer homes on the market.

The Pittsburg Housing Market is actually the only market that stayed steady, but last month had the biggest gain.  In August there were 94 Homes Sold in the Pittsburg Housing Market the average price was $168,858.00 and the Median Price was $168,000.00.  The average Listing Price Per SF on the homes sold in Pittsburg California was $108.00, but the average Sold Price was $111.00 per SF.  The average days on market for sold homes was 35. 

In September both the asking and selling price per SF stayed the same.  The Average Price climbed to $198,532.00 and the Median price went to $190,000.00.  But, there were only 78 Home sold.  These numbers indicate that in the Pittsburg Housing Market larger homes sales are picking up.  The average days on market was 45.

Currently there are 133 Homes Availble in the Pittsburg Housing Market with an Average Asking Price of $226,959.00 and a Median Asking Price of $209,000.00.  The average asking price per SF is $123.00 with Average Days on Market of 57.

The supply of homes is less than 2 months.  We are in a traditional slow season, but I suspect prices will hold steady if not continue up through the end of the year.  It is hard to predict long term market trends with the flood of new initiatives to head of foreclosures.

It's time for the Blue Pumpkins.

We are a family that likes pumpkin. A little Pumpkin can go a long way. But the best pumpkins for eating are not the Orange ones you get for decoration. The best Pumpkins for eating are Blue Pumpkins. There are all sorts of Pumpkins, Red, White, Blue (very American type food), and even Orange. There may be more I am unaware of.

The Blue Pumpkin actually looks kind of gray, but who wants a gray pumpkin? The Blues have more meat than all the rest.

My wife gets the Pumpkins and slices them in quarters, cooks them in the oven, scraps out the meat, purees it in the food processor and freezes it.

There is nothing better than a true homemade pumpkin pie, but we also have pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin fritters, pumpkin soup (several types), and other great dishes. One pumpkin can go a long way.

If you want you do not have to puree it all. My wife has fried some too. Not bad, but not the family favorite. I really like the savory soup recipes (rather than the sweeter soups).

Might be able to get my wife to share some recipes with us, but go on line there are a lot of good ones; that's what my wife does.

Good Eating!

Photo by OliBac on Flickr

On October 7, 2009 Royal Ranger Outpost 5 had it's award ceremony.

My six year old Weston picked up a number of badges as did five year old Janson, both are in Ranger Kids (think Tiger & Cub Scouts). But this was a really big night for my older two boys.

My son Corbin who turned 11 this summer earned his Gold Eagle over the summer and it was awarded to him. The Gold Eagle is the highest award for Discovery Rangers (8 to 10 year olds) and not many kids get it. I think only three other kids in our Outpost have the award.

My Older Boys are both in Adventure Rangers now.

The Really Big Award was for my oldest son Nelson, who has had his Gold Eagle for several years.

He earned his Bronze Medal of Achievement. The highest award in Royal Rangers is the Gold Medal of Achievement. Although there are a lot of steps to advance there are three main awards; Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Not many kids go for the award and I do not think we have every had a kid in this outpost (We have only been with this outpost for two years - we transferred in.) earn the Bronze Medal.

Both of my older boys are working on the steps to the Gold Medal of Achievement and I expect them both to get through one more step this year. (Silver for Nelson and Bronze for Corbin).

Attached below is the Video of Nelson Getting his Bronze Medal of Achievement.