Laguna Homes|Laguna Condos| Laguna Real Estate|Marlene Bridges

Laguna Woods Village (formerly known as Leisure World) is a Seniors (55 and better) community located in the City of Laguna Woods, California. There are approximately 15,000 residences and 18,000 residents. The close proximity to the beautiful coastal city of Laguna Beach, about 10 minutes away and it's location atop gently rolling hills overlooking Saddleback Valley make it a most desirable place to live. The community is guard-gated and offers many ammenities including 18 holes of golf for only $8 for residents and their guests.

The photo below was shot from the steps of the guard house at Gate 7 just last week. The snow-capped peaks in the background were an awesome sight to behold. Enjoy the view!

JANUARY 2009 MARKET SUMMARY & JANUARY 2008 MARKET COMPARISON

Laguna Woods, California - Closed Sales January 2009 - 24 Properties Found

In comparing the January 2009 acitivity to 2008 activity, there was 1 unit in The Towers that sold for $10,000 and one luxury home that sold in January 2009 while no towers units or luxury homes sold in January 2008. The chart below reflects the January 2009 sales excluding The Towers or luxury single family home sales:

Laguna Woods, California - Closed Sales January 2009 - 20 Properties Found

(Excluding Towers & Luxury SFR's)

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Laguna Woods, California - Closed Sales January 2008 - 47 Properties Found

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Below is the comparison of the averages for January 2008 and January 2009 sales:

SUMMARY:

1. Total number of sales declined from 47 sales in January 2008 to 24 in January 2009.
2. While the properties sold were of similar average size, the price per square foot has decreased by $47.08 per square foot and a reduction in average sales price of $50,713.
3. The ratio between list price to sales price is holding fairly steady with only a 1% reduction in January 2009 at 91% versus 92% in January 2008.
4. The average Days on Market (DOM) has increased from 91 days in January 2008 to 118 days in January 2009.

There are currently 390 active listings in Laguna Woods Village. If we divide that by the 24 sales in January 2009, that calculates 16.25 months of inventory (assuming no other properties come on the market.)

Properties that are priced well, in good condition, and available for agents to show are selling. If you are considering selling your property in Laguna Woods Village, it would be my pleasure to prepare a property evaluation for you at no charge and with no obligation.

If you are considering purchasing or leasing in Laguna Woods Village, it would be my pleasure to provide you with information to assist you in your search.

Marlene Bridges, REALTOR®, Certified Residential Specialist®, Seniors Real Estate Specialist®, President Laguna HIlls/Laguna Woods Chamber of Commerce

Sherman Smith & Associates-Laguna Niguel, CA

800 777-1775 or text me at 714 745-2592

www.LiveTheCaliforniaDream.com

All statistics compiled from SoCal MLS and are deemed accurate but not guaranteed.

Myth #1 - The desert is dry, dusty, colorless and boring.

Myth #2 - The Road Runner is a very fast bird and even Wylie Coyote couldn't catch him.

The photos below were snapped in a friend's backyard in La Quinta, California (near Palm Springs) last weekend. As you can see, there is color, color everywhere...There goes Myth #1...And, I'm nowhere as fast as good 'ol Wylie Coyote and this guy let me follow him around for about 10 minutes...There goes Myth#2!

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed seeing this beautiful creature and watching him...watching me :-).

When my friend saw this big guy on her wall, she came to ask me what kind of bird it was...much to our surprise, this handsome California Road Runner let us come out and take a few photos.

He began to walk along the top of the two foot high wall, watching all the way. At one point, he actually jumped down into the back yard and walked in and around the bushes. Seemed funny because, he could have just as easily jumped to the other side of the fence to a greenbelt with no nosy onlookers. I guess he must have been as curious about us as we were of him.

Can you see me now? He kept moving along the wall, watching us all the way.

I finally decided to snap one last shot of our Road Runner friend and let him enjoy his walk on the wild side without human company. What a wonderful way to start the day. It's no wonder that after a day or two in La Quinta I come back with my soul refreshed.

Have you ever driven past Laguna Woods Village and wondered what it looks like beyond the gates? As you probably know, Laguna Woods Village is a 55 and better Seniors Community located about 10 minutes inland from Laguna Beach. Since it's a guard-gated community and you need a pass to get in, you've probably not had an opportunity to see it unless you happen to know someone who lives here. So, here's your opportunity.

On Tuesday they're having an Open House at the Towers and you're invited! Here's the scoop:

The Towers at Laguna Woods Village

OPEN HOUSE FEBRUARY 24TH
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Towers at Laguna Woods Village
24055 Paseo Del Lago W., Laguna Woods, CA 92637

To print your pass click here Just print the page and present to the guard at Gate 10. To get to Gate 10, Take Santa Maria (just off Moulton Parkway) all the way to the end and turn left at the stop sign.

Enjoy the Open House...I'll see you there!

Of course, if you are unable to attend the open house or would like more information or a personal tour of Laguna Woods Village or the City of Laguna Woods, please don't hesitate to get in touch. It's my pleasure to introduce new people to this energetic and thriving community.

Marlene Bridges, REALTOR®, Certified Residential Specialist®, Seniors Real Estate Specialist®

800 777-1775

Text me 714 745-2592

Today's California Association of Realtors® Newsletter included an interesting story about a seller who was sued by a buyer three years after the close of escrow. Who was the winner?---You Be The Judge.

Here are the pertinent facts:

1. In 2002 a seller enters into a contract to sell his condo.
2. The seller fills out a Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) stating "that he was aware of flooding, drainage or grading problems and added a notation about water intrusion during heavy rains." In a subsequent conversation, the seller also described to the buyers the repairs made in 1998 to solve the water intrusion problem.
3. The seller disclosed to the buyer in the Transfer Disclosure Statement prior to close of escrow that there had been a leak in the subject condo which had been repaired and waterproofed by a contractor and there had been no subsequent leaks.
4. Nearly three years after the close of escrow the garage of subject condo flooded.
5. The buyer sued the seller on the basis that full disclosure was not made at the time of the sale.
6. The buyer learned that there had been intermittent problems with water intrusion in some of the condo complex.
7. The buyer also learned that the HOA had sued not only the developer, but also the contractor hired by the association to affect the repairs and waterproof the affected areas.
8. Fact - both lawsuits eventually settled and yet another contractor was hired to make necessary repairs.
9. The second contractor stated that he "specifically informed the seller, as the HOA Treasurer and ‘point man' for the repair work, that it could only solve a portion of the problem."
10. The buyers sued the seller and others for negligence and misrepresentation.
11. The sellers response to the buyer's lawsuit was that the reason he didn't mention the lawsuits on the TDS was because he thought he was only obligated to disclose pending actions.

Do you think the court decided in favor of the buyer or the seller?

If you think the buyer won their case, you're right. The court decided that, "A condo seller who discloses a defect in the property may nevertheless be required to also disclose previous lawsuits regarding that defect." That was the decision of the California apellate court on February 17, 2009 in the case of Calemine v. Samuelson (2009 WL 368648). The court found that once "essential facts are disclosed a seller is not under a duty to provide details that would merely serve to elaborate on the disclosed facts and the evidence [in this case] revealed a triable issue of fact, as the existence of the two lawsuits was the very type of material information that a potential buyer could find seriously affected both the desirability and value of the property. Moreover, Samuelson's disclosing the repairs made by the HOA in the absence of providing information about the context in which those repairs were made could be characterized as a partial disclosure, likewise creating a triable issue."

So, a word to the wise...when in doubt, disclose, disclose, disclose.

A friend and I will be heading to Orlando for NAR (National Association of Realtors® Expo) next week. Last week, while vacationing out of the country, we both realized it was probably too late request an absentee ballot (requests must be received by the registrar by 10/28). Today, I called the California League of Women Voters to see if there was any way we could vote. Guess what? We will be voting early. I had no idea that was possible!

The nice lady at the League of Women Voters directed me to the Orange County Voter's website OCVote.com and lo and behold, there it was...a button that said "VOTE EARLY".

After clicking on the VOTE EARLY button, I was amazed to see there was an early voting location within minutes of my house. The early voting in Orange County is from October 19th through the 28th. So for any of you who find yourselves in a similar crunch, ya gotta hustle!

Thanks to Joan Mirantz for an excellent question in her comment, I found a great website where you can check to see where to vote early in your state...here's the link http://www.vote411.org/bytopic.php?topicID=13

Voting is such an incredible privilege, it would have been a huge blow to my buddy and I not to have participated. No matter what your political affiliation, it's so important to cast our votes.