Orange County Real Estate and Events Information. - April, 2012

The Orange County Real Estate Market is hot!

We always get the question: how's the Orange County Real Estate market doing? For the past years we have been saying that we had not seen bottom yet. Well... we truly believe that we have turned the corner and we are in what we can call a recovered market.

In the past months, almost every single offer on a house our agents have written, has gone in escrow over asking price and in many cases with multiple offers bidding the price up. Another phenomenon we are experiencing is the lack of inventory. Usually this time of the year, the market gets full of inventory ready to those spring buyers and is usually the best season in terms of number of transactions. So with little inventory, buyers feeling that the worse is over, and incredible low rates ( the 30…

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US rate on 30-year mortgage dips to 3.88 percent

WASHINGTON (AP) — The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage has dipped to near its record low, keeping home-buying and refinancing affordable.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan dropped to 3.88 percent this week, down from 3.9 percent. In February, the rate hit 3.87 percent, the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

The 30-year loan is the most common financing option for home buyers.

The average on the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage, popular with homeowners who are refinancing, dipped to 3.12 percent, down from 3.13 percent last week. The national average hit an all-time low of 3.11 percent two weeks ago.

Cheaper mortgages have so far done little to boost home sales. Sales of both…

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What OC housewives have their houses for sale and where?

Foreclosures, bankrupcies, and house sales. All part of the show, but also a reality for the ex- home owners from the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County.

The latest one selling her home: after 5 seasons on The Real Housewives of Orange County, Jeana Keough departed the Bravo series, now she's hoping to leave behind her mansion that was often seen on the show. 

The home has been listed as a standard sale - which is rare for these days specially in the neighborhood, where some homes have lost about almost half their 2007 peak value. 

Per the description: Custom Estate, with guest house, panoramic view of Saddleback Mtn, and Coto, single loaded cul de sac, gated court yard parking, set back 6 car finished garages. Stamped concrete circular…

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Good news for short sale homes transactions in OC - New Rules will speed up process

As of earlier this week, the Federal Housing Finance Agency laid out new rules that will help speed up the short sale process, a move that could keep many homes from falling into foreclosure, and less hiccups for those involved in a real estate transaction that includes a short sale. 

Those are great news for buyers and realtors, as short sale homes transactions in in Orange County account for a large number of the overall transactions and according to the National Association of Realtors, 60% of them didn't close last year and ended up in a foreclosure.

Short sales are homes that are sold for less than is owed to the lender, and the lenders involved have to approve the sales prices and other conditions involved in the sale, making the process very…

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Earth Day Events in Orange County this weekend? Here's our favorites!

Earth Day 2012 is coming up and there's a list of events in Orange County. Here's our favorites.

SATURDAY APRIL 21st:

Fair & Arts Festival at Modjeska Canyon: Kids face painting, wildlife sanctuary, live music, BBQ, guided hikes, birding classes, hands on ceramic pottery, Earth Day activities and more. Saturday, April 21 at 10 a.m. at Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, 29322 Modjeska Canyon Rd., Silverado. Price: Adults $5; Children under 12 free. 

Earth Day at Chino Hills State Park: join Hills for Everyone, State Parks and Sempra Energy for an Earth Day event on Saturday, April 21 at 8:30 a.m. at Chino Hills State Parks, 4500 Carbon Canyon Rd., Brea. Free. 

Ritz Carlton - Dana Point: 10 a.m. to noon: Explorer, environmentalist, educator and film…

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More Dana Point events: Pet Project Foundation's 19th Annual Wag-A-Thon Saturday April 28th

There's always something going on in the city of Dana Point.  We recently had the egg hunts events at two locations, Pines Park and Sea Canyon, with over 1000 kids showing up to the events.  What a great turnaround. Now, this upcoming Saturday April 28th, The Pet Project Foundation is proud to have the 19th Annual Wag-A-Thon event. If you are a pet lover, here's yet another reason why living in Dana Point is a great idea.

This is a great, fun-filled family pet event held at the Dana Point Harbor Island from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. The many activities include:

• Opportunities to have Professional Pet Photos with “Bolt”, a St Bernard Mix from the Super Bowl VW Commercial.
• 4 K Walk around the island led by Bolt.
• Herding Dog Demonstrations
• Pet contests…

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Dana Point Events: the Grand Prix is almost here!

The Dana Point Grand Prix is almost here. Ready, get set - go! On May 6th 2012 the annual Grand Prix event will be held in Dana Point.

But what is it? The Dana Point Grand Prix is the top ranked bike race in the country.  USA Cycling has advised that in 2011, the Dana Point Grand Prix attracted the most licensed racers for a single day criterium event.

Also, the Dana Point Grand Prix also sports unofficially the country’s best kid’s races.  Last year over 325 kids furiously pedaled the clean streets of Dana Point. It's also FREE!  The Youth Races are an opportunity for families and kids to learn about the healthy, safe, and fun aspects of cycling. So, parents, bring your bikes and your kids and their bikes. Registration can be done online at the…

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Top 10 reasons to buy a home in Dana Point!

 When our clients are looking to buy a home in the beach cities of Orange County, Dana Point always comes up as a nice town. A client recently asked us - can you give me 10 reasons why I should choose Dana Point? To us there's many reasons, but here's the top 10 we've always thought.

1.Dana Point is still a small town. The city, compared to its neighbors ( San Clemente, Laguna Beach, San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Niguel) still has that 'small town' feel, where people know each other, the population is not as large, and the communities are tight.

2.It's a fun city! The city of Dana Point is known for always organize some kind of activity through out the year. From The Whales Parade, The Doheny Blues Festival, The Tall Ships Festival, The Turkey Trot…

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Easter Egg Hunt Activities in South Orange County: Saturday April 7th.

Are you looking to bring your kid to somewhere in South Orange County for a fun day full of Easter related activities? Many cities are putting together events this Saturday, and depending on if you want to be by the beach or inland, here's some of our yearly favorites:

San Clemente Egg Hunt: This is a great event as it is in the newer Vista Hermosa Sports Park. Breakfast sale, activities, visit from Easter Bunnny and more, with many games to enjoy and of course, an egg hunt up to 10 years old. From 8:30am ( breakfast starts at 7:30am) until 12:00pm.

Dana Point Egg Hunt: Enjoy a morning of spring time fun at our Egg Hunts. The city offers two locations - Pines Park, 34941 Camino Capistrano and Sea Canyon Park, 33093 Santiago Drive. Activities begin at 9:00am…

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The areas that got hit the hardest, are the hardest to get into now! Ladera Ranch, anyone?

It's been said, easy comes, easy goes. Seems to be true when it comes to the areas that got hit really hard with the real estate bubble and the economic recession. For those who are currently looking to buy a home in areas like Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, Rancho Santa Margarita or Talega, it's getting harder to get a home. The prices seems also to good to be true in those areas and now those are some of the communities in Orange County where there's too many buyers, outnumbering the homes listed for sale.

Also almost all of the homes go in escrow within the first days, or get multiple offers, making it a hard market for the home buyers. The majority of the homes listed are either short sales or foreclosures, still offering very attractive prices,…

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