The New Housing Policy – Will It Repair the Housing Market?
Recently a friend and colleague, Robert Hahn, encouraged the readers of his own blog to submit posts for his upcoming 'Carnival of Housing Policy', hoping to collect thoughtful discussion around the potential changes in housing policy. I've been somewhat reluctant to participate so I'll start wit…
Read more...Robinson Ranch – Low Taxes and Magnificent Views
Robinson Ranch is a unique community, just Northeast of Rancho Santa Margarita. It's technically in the Trabuco Canyon zip code and is one of the gems of South Orange County. Few neighborhoods afford the views found in Robinson Ranch. Friends know that I think one of the great gifts of Sou…
Read more...2008 Orange County Residents – “We’re Outta Here”
Forbes Magazine recently published an interesting visual representation of moving trends. It allows one to visually get a sense if more people are moving into, or out of, a particular county during 2008. Orange County was pretty interesting. Guess I'm not entirely surprised to see that the in…
Read more...The Housing Bottom? Not Yet
The housing bottom can be an elusive thing. Determining when we've actually arrived can only be seen in retrospect, but clearly there are some signs that indicate, we haven't quite seen the end of this housing recession. As I've said before, there are several things that have me concerned about…
Read more...What’s the Value of a Cash Offer?
The real estate market is a strange world right now. It's plagued by distress sales, foreclosures, a challenging lending environment, and economic uncertainties, and yet there are certain price points where inventory is so low that sellers are receiving multiple offers within days of listing.…
Read more...So You Want to Buy a Short Sale? A Word of Caution
This post is LONG, but if you are thinking of buying a short sale (or if you're an agent looking for an outlet for your short sale frustrations), PLEASE read. Understanding this information is a must. I completely understand the allure of the short sales when you are a buyer. The prices…
Read more...Microscope On Mission Viejo
Today the microscope is on Mission Viejo. So many of the media numbers focus on Orange County performance, but real estate performance can vary dramatically within our large county and particularly at various price points. I'm going to spend the next several posts breaking down each of the South Orange County cities to give you an idea of local performance. Whether you are buying, selling, or just keeping an eye on your local market, these numbers tell the story. BTW Dear Friends/…
Read more...What Comes Out of the ‘Black Hole’
After years in this business, my husband has learned a few realities about my business: "I just have to return this one phone call."Â Translation: 30 minutes and several phone calls. "I just have to run down to my office and shoot out a quick email."Â Translation: 20 + minutes in the office.…
Read more...The Stimulus Plan -Big Miss for Orange County
The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan was recently released. It attempts to address some of the issues that the current housing market is struggling with and I have been through some of the details and as it currently is written, I'm disappointed. Near the end of December last year I posted the article about about the top 10 worst housing markets in the country, according to CNN. Unfortunately, 8 out of 10 were in the state of California. Now keep in mind, California is a massi…
Read more...The Bottom – Are We There Yet?
Remember those long car rides that seemed to last forever? I used to pester my poor parents with the tired question, "Are we there yet?" As a mother to 3 kids, 10 and under, I'm now on the receiving end of that tired question. This Orange County real estate market is one of those long car rid…
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Linsey Planeta
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