Real Estate Santa Rosa

Mortgage Loan Rates for May 29th 2012: 30 Yr Fixed 20% Dn Loan Description Rate APR 3.875% 3.958%... 15 Yr Fixed 20% Dn 3.250% 3.388% FHA Reg 3.750% 4.897% VA 3.750% 4.109% High Bal / Jumbo 20% 4.125% 4.211% See more

Take advantage of great interest rates: Mortgage Loan Rates for 5/1/12 30 Yr Fixed 20% Dn Loan Description Rate APR... 3.990% 3.958% 15 Yr Fixed 20% Dn 3.375% 3.261% FHA Reg 3.750% 4.897% VA 3.750% 4.109% High Bal / Jumbo 20% 4.250% 4.464% See more

First gain for Calif. prices in 16 months The median price for an existing, single-family home in California rose 1.6 percent in March compared with the year before, marking the first year-over-year increase in 16 months, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS reported Monday.

HOME BUYING MUCH CHEAPER THAN RENTING.... The answer has never been clearer: BUY In 98 of the top 100 housing markets, buying a home is more affordable than renting, according to the online real estate company Trulia. Only Honolulu and San Francisco buck the trend.... There are several reasons. Home prices are falling. Mortgage interest rates are at historically low levels. And rents are on the rise. The size of the home can also make a difference. In some markets, renting can be a better deal on larger homes, according to Trulia. In San Francisco, for example, studio and one-bedroom apartments sell for 13.1 times rent, while three bedrooms or larger sell for more than 18 times rent. The Trulia survey does not take into account home price trends, which are another factor for individuals choosing whether to buy or rent. "People will pay more for a home if they expect prices to rise and give them a better return on their investment," said Kolko. Those calculations are about to change, according to Ken H. Johnson, a professor of real estate at Florida International who has studied the buy-vs-rent question extensively. He believes home prices nationally have bottomed. "The ship has turned," he said. "Markets should slowly start to recover. Housing will return to its traditional role of a safety investment." If so, that adds an incentive to buy. And investing in many of the most expensive markets may be even safer. Foreclosures: A rising tide ahead Kolko pointed out that places like Honolulu, San Francisco and Boston have strong long-term growth prospects. They also have little physical space to grow, a factor that tends to keep prices strong. On the other hand, old areas that aren't growing much -- while cheap -- may not return much in the long run. "Buying is much cheaper than renting in slow-growing places with high vacancy rates and land to spare, like Detroit and Cleveland, where prices are unlikely to improve much in the future," he said. By Les Christie@CNNMoney March 21, 2012

LOS ANGELES (March 26) Pending home sales in California gained ground for the second consecutive month in February, while the share of equity sales posted higher after two months of decline, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (C.A.R.) reported today. Pending home sales: C.A.R.’s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI)* rose from a revised 102.3 in January to 127.8 in February, based on signed contracts. The index also was up from the 111.8 index recorded in February 2011, ...marking the tenth consecutive month that pending sales were higher than the previous year. Pending home sales are forward-looking indicators of future home sales activity, providing information on the future direction of the market. Distressed housing market data: A lack of inventory in the bank-owned (REO) and short sale market was a contributing factor to the decline in share of distressed sales in February, said C.A.R. President LeFrancis Arnold. In fact, REO inventory declined 24 percent in February from the previous year, while short sale inventory dropped 17 percent during the same period. After declining for two straight months, equity sales increased in February, making up 51.1 percent of home sales in February. Equity sales made up 49.9 and 44.8 percent of all sales in January 2012 and February 2011, respectively. Meanwhile, the total share of all distressed property types sold statewide decreased in February to 48.9 percent, down from January’s 50.1 percent and from 55.2 percent in February 2011. The share of short sales dipped slightly in February. Of the distressed properties sold statewide in January, 23 percent were short sales, down from the previous month’s share of 23.8 percent but up from last February’s share of 22.9 percent. The share of REO sales also edged down in February to 25.2 percent, down from January’s 25.9 percent and down from the 31.9 percent recorded in February 2011.