Orange Co. Real Estate~Lynda Eisenmann, Broker-Owner, CRS,CRB,GRI,SRES, Brea, CA

A cool way to spend the day is at the Laguna Beach, CA Sawdust Art Festival and this is the last week! The festival runs through August 30th.

This is usually an annual event for me, attending with friends and this year was no exception. I headed south down the I-5 to Laguna Beach for the 2009 event. Each year I plan early enough to make the Sawdust Festival prior to attending (later that evening) the spectacular nearby Laguna Pagent of the Masters.

Both events are always a treat, and a great way to beat the late summer heat. What could be a better way to cool off among beauty of mother nature and amazing art!

Without exception the Sawdust Festival (dating back to the mid 1960's) always offers and eclectic array of artists showcasing their cretive talents in many ways.

A wide variety of food and refeshments are available along with entertainment featured on three stages, something for everyone!

• Location: 935 Laguna Canyon Rd. Laguna Beach, CA. 92651
• For more info call (949) 494-3030 Fax: (949) 494-7390
• Admission for adults is $7.50 for the day ~ seniors $6 ~ children 6-12 $3

Now I've got to show you my treasure, my art purchase for this year, created by local artist Robert Jones. This piece has a different look depending on the light, with my camera it has a dark reddish look, yet in natural light it appears to be dark in color. A beautiful work of art.

Living in So Cal this is an ongoing event for me and one thing for sure you never know exactly what you're going to find at the Sawdust, all except for a dog-gone good time!

If you're interested in learning more about living in So Cal and Orange County real estate, contact me at Preferred Home Brokers, Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com. I'm a life-long So Cal resident and broker of more than thirty years. Direct or text, (714) 595-1494.

~CA DRE #00402040

So what's happening in the La Habra real estate market today? Here's the scoop, this report will provide you an overview of La Habra homes sales activity as compared to prior months in La Habra for both single family homes and condo sales for July 2009.

Single Family Home Sales Activity for July:

• 66 homes were for sale, up slightly from 62 last month, and compared to 90/120/136/128/153/180/129/149/153/182 previously
• 40 pending sales in escrow during the month, slightly fewer than last month at 43, compared to 41 sixty days ago and compared to prior months of 26/30/36/20/19/34/24/18/25/34/37 pending sales.
• 39 homes closed in July up from 28 last month and compared to 41/30/42/14/25/26 in prior months.
• $388,653 was the average closed sales price for almost the same as last month, average size of 3 bedrooms 2 baths and 1,600 square feet, with an average 91 days on the market.
• 48% of the closings were identified as distress sales, either short sales, in the process of foreclosure or bank repos, compared to 58% last month.
• Final sale price was 95% of the original asking price, and 100% of the final asking price.

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Condominium Sales Activity for July:

• 40 condo/townhomes were for sale, slightly more than last month (which was the lowest number for 2009) and compared to 36/50/56/65/63/65/71/72/63/82/83 previously.
• 20 pending sales (in escrow) month and compared in 20/9/7/18/7/6/12/23/11/6/5 for prior months.
• 19 closed, the highest number for 2009 and compared to 15/11/18/8/11/10/3/8/10 in prior months.
• $215,999 was the average closed price compared to last two months of $189,000, $193,600 $207,800 respectively.
• 78% of the condo sales for July were identified as distressed sales, i.e. short sales, in the process of foreclosure or bank repos, compared to 64% last month.
• The average condo size was 2 bedrooms and 2 baths at 1,200 square feet, with an average of 61 days on the market.

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If you're a home buyer or a home seller it's essential you have an understanding of today's real estate market when it comes to market conditions in pricing and inventory.

For Home Buyers: It's important to begin the loan process in advance of your home search. Once approved you normally have greater strength in negotiating prices.

For Home Sellers: It's about positioning vs. pricing. Getting ahead of others is crucial for a timely sale. That's right, pricing ahead of the competition, including foreclosures/bank owned properties. 60% of the closings in June were identified as distressed sales.

If you are thinking of selling your Orange County home consider this:

It's about positioning vs. pricing. Getting ahead of others is crucial for a timely sale. That's right, pricing ahead of the competition, including foreclosures/bank owned properties. Roughly 63% of the closings in July were identified as distressed sales.

Where would your buyer come from:

• 87% of all home buyers begin today with the Internet for their home search.
• 80% of Orange County is on-line.
• The average age in Orange County is 36 and I don't know of a "thirty something" person in Orange County who is not on line.
• For the maximum on-line marketing exposure contact me Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com
• Text or direct (714) 595-1494

La Habra is well known for the lively Children's Museum, click here to see more, on this fun place. We've been there many times ourselves with our family, it's always a great time for the kids of all ages. If you're interested in learning more about La Habra check out Living in La Habra, and see why La Habra is a city with a heart.

Want to know more about La Habra 90631 Real Estate? Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, view Preferred Home Brokers and see why we're one of the longest established independent brokerages in Orange County under the same ownership.

CA Dept. of Real Estate License # 00-402040.

~ Data Source: So Cal MLS

Homes sales and closings are up in La Mirada, California.

La Mirada, CA is located in the "burbs" of Eastern Los Angeles County, with nearby Orange County bordering on the east side of the city. If you lived in La Mirada you would be one of approximately 50,000 residents who lives in this beautiful Southern CA community.

Single Family Home Activity for July:

• 43 re-sale homes currently for sale in the city, almost one-half from earlier in the year.
• 37 pending sales
• 40 homes closed escrow the peak for the year, compared to 35/39/35/35/19/19 in 2009.
• Average selling price was $418,800.00.
• Average selling price per square foot was approximately $210.00

Condominium activity for July:

• 24 condos are currently for sale, about the same as the past few months.
• 6 pending sales, (in escrow) slightly more than the past few months.
• 9 properties closed escrow, compared to 3/1/2/0/5/8 since the first of the year.

Comparing same time period 2008 vs. 2009

• 2008 ~ $421,342 Average Selling Price ~ $282.00 Price Per Sq.Foot ~ 53 Days On Market
• 2009 ~ $378,021 Average Selling Price ~ $224.00 Price Per Sq. Foot ~ 65 Days On Market

If you lived in beautiful La Mirada, California you would be approximately:

• 27 miles east of LAX ~ Los Angeles International Airport ~ Los Angeles, CA
• 23 miles north/west of John Wayne Airport ~ Santa Ana, CA
• 36 miles west of Ontario International Airport ~ Ontario, CA
• 10.5 miles north/west of the "Happiest Place on Earth" Disneyland ~ Anaheim, CA

The city has been a favorite since very early in my early days in real estate. The city is also home to Biola College and the famous La Mirada Theater, home to outstanding theatrical productions. La Mirada Golf Course is upper right.

To learn more about real estate in the great City of La Mirada, contact me, text or direct 714 595-1494 or Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com . See more at my Living In La Mirada and see why La Mirada was also named 'One of the best places to live" by Money Magazine.

Preferred Home Brokers, successfully serving home buyers and sellers for more than thirty years. ~ CA DRE License #00402040.

• -Data source, SoCal Multiple 2009

It's the 23^rdannual Brea Fest featuring great food, beverages from over 35 local resturants. In addition to fun and entertainment the event takes place Friday, August 14th, 6:30 to 10:00 at the Brea Civic and Cultural Centre.

This community event is always a crowd pleaser, something for everyone, and once again featuring Kidsville sponsor by the North Hills Community Church.

Funds raised at Brea Fest help support Brea's local arts programs that take place in and around our city. FREE admission to the event and pay $3 bucks for a taste.

The City of Brea will also be spotlighted during the event with community displays of the Brea Historical Society, Friends of the Brea Library and Olinda Oil Museum .

Doors will be open to the Brea's Curtis Theater for the evening. Take a look, there's not a bad seat in the house of this place! The nearby Brea Galley will once again be featuring artists on display, I took this photo last year while at the Gallery.

Brea Fest is always a fun event, I've attended this event many times, and it's always been great fun. Enjoying the outdoors, listening to great music, watching the performances. It was always the place to be. In the past my daughter ran a booth for her employer a local beverage company. The specialty was margaritas. Needless to say that booth it was a huge success.

Brea's Civic and Cultural Center is located on Birch Street, on the north side of the Brea Mall. For more information call, (714) 990-7771 or click here for more Brea Fest info.

If you're interested in learning more about Brea see why Sunset Magazine named it one of the best places in the west, or check out Living In Dowtown Brea, or Downtown Brea Nights, Visit Brea Family Fun, Brea's Curtis Theatre or Downtown Brea Dining. Here's more on the new Sports Park, check it out. Looking for low/no cost fun in our city, read Brea Fun On A Budget.

Planning on spending a day or two here? Check out, Brea ~ CA as Featured in Westways Magazine for day tripping around town. If you're want more on Brea real estate contract me, Lynda Eisenmann at Preferred Home Brokers for Real Estate Help, we're one of longest established real estate companies in Orange County under the same ownership.

For real estate, contact me, Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, we're one of the longest established independent brokerages in Orange County under the same ownership, check us out Preferred Home Brokers. To reach me: Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, text or direct(714) 595-1494.

Summer sales heat up the Breal real estate market!

Finding a Brea home for sale today appears to be more difficult now, we're seeing an almost 40% decrease in inventory for existing single family homes for sale (from two months ago) in the City of Brea, while the number of sales were up the same amount, almost 40% higher from last month.

Brea, CA Real Estate Sales Report ~ Brea home sales heat up this summer in Orange County.

Brea Single Family Homes for July 2009:

• 56 re-sale homes were for sale, compared to 67 last month and 81 two months ago, 65/94/ respectively for the past few months.
• 33 pending sales & back-ups, up dramatically 20 last month, and 23/18/ 25/12/20/16/36/30/27/ prior months.
• 22 homes closed in July up from 15 last month & compared to 24/29/12/13/20/11/28/30/24/20/14/21 respectively in the prior 12 months.
• Average selling price for July was $570,000 (compared to $482,668 last month) for a home with an average of 2238 square feet.
• The average days on the market for July was 38, down from 53 days in June and almost 1/2 of days on the market of 70 for May.
• Of the 22 single family home, only 1 appears to be a bank/owned foreclosure, yet 4 out of the 22 were identified as short-sales or pre-foreclosure.

Brea Condo Sales Activity for July 2009:

• Only 10 Brea condo/town-homes were for sale, exactly the same as last month and compared to 14/16/14/6/12/9/13 in the past few months.
• 4 pending sales/back-ups went into escrow the same as last month compared to 6/3/3/1/4/3/1/5/7/2/1/1/ in prior months.
• 6 condos closed escrow in July compared to 2/1/2/6/0/5/3/4/2/5/4/2/2/0 respectively in preceding months.
• 2 out of 6 closings were indentified as floreclosures, with 1 short sale.

Comparing Brea home sales year-to- date 2008 vs. 2009.

• 2008 ~ 152 Closed Brea sales $520,235 Average Sales Price, $298.15 Sq. Ft., 85 days on the market, $293.68 price per square foot.
• 2009 ~ 166 Closed Brea sales Closed, $527,785 average sales price, $262.36 Sq. Ft., 73d ays on market, $259.09 price per square foot.

Check out Southern Cal home prices per square foot to see how prices vary depending on your city.

Brea is a City is well known for excellence in education. The schools have been definite attraction for residents in our community. We often say Brea enjoys some of the bigger city benefits, yet maintains a small town feeling. Many of us who live here feel we have the best of both worlds.

Brea, CA is very well located in Northern Orange County ~

If you lived in Brea-California you would be approximately:

• 30 Miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
• 39 Miles west of LAX ~ Los Angeles International Airport,
• 16 Miles north/west of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, CA
• 10 Miles north of Disneyland the "Happiest Place on Earth" ~ Anaheim, CA.

If you're interested in learning more about Brea see why Sunset Magazine named it one of the best places in the west, or check out Living In Dowtown Brea, or Downtown Brea Nights, Visit Brea Family Fun, Brea's Curtis Theatre or Downtown Brea Dining. Here's more on the new Sports Park, check it out. Looking for low/no cost fun in our city, read Brea Fun On A Budget.

Planning on spending a day or two here? Check out, Brea ~ CA as Featured in Westways Magazine for day tripping around town. If you're want more on Brea real estate contract me, Lynda Eisenmann at Preferred Home Brokers for Real Estate Help, we're one of longest established real estate companies in Orange County under the same ownership.

For real estate, contact me, Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, we're one of the longest established independent brokerages in Orange County under the same ownership, check us out Preferred Home Brokers. To reach me: Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com, text or direct (714) 595-1494.

* A distressed sale is identified in the So Cal Multiple Listing Service as a property that is either, bank-owned, a short sale, in foreclosure, or a notice of default has been filed among other things. . Not all listing agents properly identify the status with accuracy, that's why I indicated a "minimum" of these sales have been identified this way.

~CA Real Estate License #402040