California Horse 'n Home

Mary Jo Placka
951-707-7832  cell        951-780-0856  home
License #01707120
Land of the Hawk Realty
17679 Cajalco Road, Lake Mathews, CA 92570
(next to Lake Mathews Feed, across from the Fire Station)
951-940-9401 

LISTING PRICE IN OUR CURRENT MARKET
IS KEY TO HOME SALE SUCCESS

    I'm amazed at a couple of new listings out-of-area agents have taken in the Lake Mathews area. Over-priced is an understatement. If you've read any of my Realty-Reality blog posts you surely understand that there have been zero, none, nada single family homes on 4-5 acres sold for over $850,000.00 in the last couple years in our area (Lake Mathews, Gavilan Springs, Gavilan Hills).
    There's only one home in our area that sold for over $800,000.00 since September, 2009 - and that was a custom built mansion with over 5000 square feet of living space and an Olympic sized indoor pool - It's original listing price was $1.5 million. SOLD FOR $820,000.00 - 9/23/2009 

    Yet, we have OOA (out of area) agents taking listings and sellers jumping on board at unrealistic prices. Personally, I believe they are doing an injustice to their clients and you might have to question the motivation of the real estate agent. It would clearly seem their interest is not in selling the home anywhere near the listing price, which is in the $950,000.00 dollar range - a 2008 price, and high even then. Certainly not a true price in todays market. Previous sales over the last six months would indicate this paticular home is perhaps $200,000.00 or more over current market.   
    There are a select few, really good, honest and hard working agents that represent our area. Any one of them is extremely qualified to assist home sellers in determing a realistic sales price based on the current market. 
    Sellers should not be misled by an agent from an obscure, out of area broker - no matter how hard they try to "sell" their previous experience and expertise. A local agent, one that lives in the area, is by far your best opportunity. Go local. It's in your best interest.

2010 SALES STATS AND MORE
January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010

    Below you will find the sales statistics for 2010 covering Lake Mathews, Gavilan Hills and Gavilan Springs neighborhoods. The statistics are gathered from the MRMLS and deemed to be reasonably reliable.  
    The information provided is comprised of the following Thomas Bros. Map Guide pages: 775 south of Cajalco Rd., all of 805 and properties west of Juniper Rd. on page 806 (properties in the mobile home development along Gavilan Rd. are excluded).

    There are many ways to interpret the statistics - it depends on which side of the fence you're on. There's the Seller that wants to get as much as possible. There's the Buyer that is looking for the best value. And, there is the real estate agent that's trying their best to 'bridge' the gap between seller and buyer. And of course, in the current market we have the lender - which can sometimes be difficult to deal with, at least from the view of the various parties involved - seller, buyer, agent. So, allow me to present...

The Statistical Reality Of 2010

DESCRIPTION	2009	2010	% CHANGE
CLOSED SALES	52	51	N/A
*REO SALES	34	21	-38%
*SHORT PAY	3	13	+425%
STD (owner)	14	17	+22%
TOTAL SALES $'s	$18,471,100	$17,804,150	-4%
AVERAGE PRICE	$355,213	$356,083	N/A

   *REO AND *SHORT PAY sales represented approximately 66% of CLOSED sales for 2010 vs 71% for 2009. To me, that is movement in the right direction for our neighborhood market. Another thing I like is the reduction in REO sales because they represent the bottom end of the market and usually have the lowest sales price average. See chart below.

More Info For The Statistically Deprived

TYPE SALE	% OF SALES	TOTAL $ VOLUME	AVG. PRICE
REO            2010                  2009	35% 65%	$6,330,750 $10,731,600	$301,464 $315,645
SHORT PAY  2010                  2009	28% .06%	$5,037,000 $1,310,000	$387,461 $436,667
STD (owner) 2010                   2009	37% 27%	$6,666,400 $6,429,500	$392,141 $428,633

   Let's first deal with the STD (owner) sale information: 1) I really like the 10% increase in STD sales vs 2009. 2) The $36,000+ drop in sales price is not pretty but represented the directional activity of the market and pulled down to some extent by REO sales. 3) As you can note in the chart below STD sales are dominate in current, active listings - which I believe to be a good sign.
   Now, lets look at the REO sales: 1) Wow, I love that downward move! 2) Even though the average sales price dropped for 2010, from my point of view the reduction of REO's (34 in 2009 / 21 in 2010) is significant. Hopefully this trend will continue.
   SHORT PAY's, what can you say? 1) A huge increase in the number of SHORT PAY sales kept a lot of properties out of the foreclosure market - which is very likely a good thing for home prices. Did the banks realize it was better to work with the homeowner and reduce the debt rather than going to foreclosure and really loosing a lot of money? 2) When you look at the average prices of a SHORT PAY sale vs STD sale there isn't that much difference.

 ACTIVE LISTINGS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Current listings as of January 8, 2011

TYPE	# LISTED	$ VOLUME	AVG PRICE	%/LISTINGS
REO	4	$949,800	$234,750	17%
SPAY	6	$2,546,000	$424,333	25%
STD	14	$5,303,998	$379,071	58%

  A MUST SEE VIDEO THAT WILL TOUCH YOUR HEART

Well, there is no way with all this number-crunching stuff that I could not add a truly heartwarming horse story. Actually it's a YouTube video. Grab your hanky 'cause you'll need it. 'Animal Miracles with Allan Thicke':
CLICK HERE

Get Your GROUPON Now For Great Deals In Your Area. 

Mary Jo Placka
951-707-7832  cell        951-780-0856  home
License #01707120
Land of the Hawk Realty
17679 Cajalco Road, Lake Mathews, CA 92570
(we're next to Lake Mathews Feed, across from the Fire Station)
951-940-9401

Merry Christmas

I've provided some links to articles discussing the current state of our Real Estate market - both National and Local.

Housing Shaky as Lenders Tighten  - The Wall Street Journal

Fannie's Gift For The Holidays - Stricter Guidelines - First Tuesday

CNBC - Mortgage Rates Creeping Up - CNBC Video

Homeowner Perks Under Fire - The Wall Street Journal

SW Florida Top Retirement Spot - Wink News Now - Video

Current Market Rates - First Tuesday Journal Online

And, on a lighter note...

Our Christmas Holiday JibJab Video
It takes a while to load - be patient.

A note to Agents: 
Looking for someone a step above in Property Inspections? Allow me to refer: Ken Terry - American West home Inspection, Inc. - 909-556-7247

 
Mary Jo Placka
951-707-7832  cell        951-780-0856  home
License #01707120
Land of the Hawk Realty
17679 Cajalco Road, Lake Mathews, CA 92570
(we're next to Lake Mathews Feed, across from the Fire Station)
951-940-9401

    This year my husband prepared the Thanksgiving turkey and I must say, as did all our guests, this was the best turkey we’ve ever had. I thought you might like to check out his recipe. 
    However, getting him pinned down on exact measurements of ingredients is like getting a politician to tell the truth – it doesn’t happen. He just kind of uses his built-in “cooking-sense” as he goes along. I’ve asked him to do his best and make an attempt at leading everyone in the right direction. Oh, there’s one other thing: Rarely is anything he prepares considered easy.

So here it is in all it’s glory – in his own words.

Uncle Hubie’s Ultimate Turkey Recipe

    There are four main stages in preparing Uncle Hubie’s Ultimate Turkey and it can take up to two days or more to fully prepare (frozen, thawed or fresh).

1) Brining    2) Smoking    3) Roasting    4) Resting

    It all takes a bit of preplanning, especially for the brining process. You’re going to need a container that you can keep the turkey covered with the brine mixture and keep it cold. I found a “party” cooler or ice-chest to work just fine and simply used a plastic trash bag for the bird and brine. Then added a couple bags of ice to keep it properly chilled. Due to the size of our turkey I allowed it to set in the brine for about 20 hours. 
    Start with a fresh (my favorite) or thoroughly defrosted turkey and remove the stuff from the cavity. Determine how much water will be necessary to completely cover the turkey when in the container - kind of like a trial run.

BRINNING PROCESS

    Our turkey required a little over two gallons of water to completely cover. Here is how I prepared the brine: I took a pot and added two cans of chicken broth then filled it up with water – about a quart or so. I added the following ingredients (all measurements are variable): A palm full of whole cloves; 2 tablespoons dried rosemary; 2 tablespoons dried thyme; 2 tablespoons ground cumin; 1+ tablespoon smoked paprika; 4 cloves of garlic (I pound them once with a mallet to squash a bit). I then bring the mixture to a boil for a minute or two then turn off the heat. I add about a cup of brown sugar and mix it up really well. Set it aside to cool (I let it set for about an hour or two then put the pot in the fridge to get it down to a cool temperature). The idea is to get the various flavors to join hand-in-hand as a team – like family.

    In another large pot (it might take two) I added the remaining water. To this I added 2 or more cups coarse sea salt and almost 2 cups of sugar and stirred it all up until completely dissolved. Between the two mixtures I now have the brine.

    Now we take our turkey after rinsing it really well, inside and out (remember, we removed the goodies inside the cavity) and place it in the “brining” bag. It then goes into the cooler and I add all the brine to the bag and shake it around really good to make sure it’s all mixed up well. Then take the ice and add to each side of the cooler as necessary to restrict the brine contents so it completely covers the turkey. Tie the bag if necessary and add additional ice on top as needed to keep it cold.

    You’re now free to go about your normal life until the brining process has completed. You might want to make sure you have enough ice in the cooler to keep it all cold. This wasn’t a problem for me because I put the cooler in the garage and it was about 45 degrees during the night and not more than 60 during the day.

    Once you’ve completed the brining remove the turkey and rinse it really, really well with cold water – I can’t stress this enough – rinse it really well paying strict attention to the inside cavity.  

    Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels. Mix the following stuff for a dry rub: 1 tablespoon salt; 1 tablespoon pepper; 1 teaspoon ground cloves; 1 teaspoon ginger; 1 teaspoon chili powder. Add a little rosemary and thyme, maybe some pakrika – get creative and let your soul decide. Mix all the stuff up and thoroughly rub it into the turkey (don’t forget the cavity) and let it set for a few minutes to adhere to the skin. Next you’ll brush on some extra virgin olive oil to coat the entire turkey. Note: I take the wing tips and tuck them up underneath the turkey so they aren’t hanging out and overcooking. This “chick” is now ready to smoke.

SMOKING PROCESS

    I smoked this bad bird for two hours on our three-burner gas Char-Broil Red Infrared grill. You’ll need to make adjustments depending on the type of grill you’re using – one thing is the same for all grills – you’ll be using indirect heat. About three hours before, I soaked eight large hickory wood chunks (2”x2”x3”) and had three cups of chips for extra smoke as needed. You’ll also need some type of container to catch drippings and a rack to place the turkey on. 

    I fired all three burners on the grill and brought the temp up to about 500. I’m going to use the right side burner for the wood chips and place the turkey on the left (indirect heat). I now turn off the two left burners where the bird will be setting. I put the “catch-can” under the grills on the left, add three wood chunks and some of the chips to the right side, place the turkey (which is now on the rack) on the left side and shut the lid.

    The idea over the next two hours is to make sure we have “smoke” at all times and the temp inside the bbq is in the 300 range. You’ll probably need to add chunks and chips numerous times along the way.

    At the end of two hours I found the bird was somewhat browned. Which was just fine. I'll finish it up in the oven.

ROASTING PROCESS

    I’ve got the oven preheated to 500 and I put the turkey in to get just the right browning I want on the outside – which took about 15 minutes or so. Prior to all that I’ve got our roasting oven plugged in and preheated to 350. I quartered two apples, one onion and have two cinnamon sticks ready go. I pull the turkey out of the oven, baste it with drippings from the smoking process, add the apple/onion/cinnamon into the cavity, stick in my trusty digital thermometer which I’ve set to 130 (the thermometer is placed into the breast area) and put the bird in the roaster. For this size turkey it took about two hours to get to our desired temp.

RESTING PROCESS

    The resting process is as important as all the other steps in getting a fantastic result – don’t leave this out. You’re going to need something to completely cover the turkey – I used a lid from an old bbq, which worked great. If you only have aluminum foil available you’re going to need to double or triple it up and get it so it really seals over the bird. Anyway, whatever method you use, when the turkey has hit it’s temperature remove it from the roaster, cover it up and let it set for at least 15 minutes before carving.

    Well, that was about as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4. I’m not trying to tell you how to carve your turkey but here’s what I did (we serve in kind of a buffet style because there’s not enough seating for everyone at one table): Chop off each of the legs and wings, there’s always someone that wants a whole leg, and slice up the remaining leg. Cut off one complete side of the breast and slice it into serving size pieces. Lay it all out on a large serving platter so everyone can have at it.

    Not bad. It only took about 32 hours! But, man, it was worth it. I just finished up the last of the white meat yesterday – oh, what a great sandwich.

Your chef in charge – Uncle Hubie

Ps – The turkey was only a small part of this Thanksgiving – there’s still mumblings going on about Mary Jo’s dressing and other side dishes – but the real blessing was in sharing with our family – God bless our kids our grandkids and God bless America.

Mary Jo Placka
951-707-7832  cell        951-780-0856  home
License #01707120
Land of the Hawk Realty
17679 Cajalco Road, Lake Mathews, CA 92570
(we're next to Lake Mathews Feed, across from the Fire Station)
951-940-9401

    I've updated a number of my website pages and added an exciting new feature: Real Estate Today - radio - the link can be found on my home page. It provides exciting up-to-the-minute news about local and national real estate activities that will be of specific interest to potential sellers and buyers as well.
    In addition, here are a couple links to interesting reading regarding the real estate market in California.

http://firsttuesdayjournal.com/lenders-unwilling-to-reduce-principal-balances-under-california%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98keep-your-home%E2%80%99-program/

http://firsttuesdayjournal.com/economic-forecast-conference-points-to-a-long-period-of-recovery-for-california%E2%80%99s-real-estate-market/

Mary Jo Placka
951-707-7832  cell        951-780-0856  home
License #01707120
Land of the Hawk Realty
17679 Cajalco Road, Lake Mathews, CA 92570
(we're next to Lake Mathews Feed, across from the Fire Station)
951-940-9401

2010 SALES STATS AND MORE
January 1, 2010 through October 31, 2010

    Here's what we all love to hate - the real estate sales statistics for our neighborhood - Lake Mathews, Gavilan Hills and Gavilan Springs. But before we get to all that there's some great information that came to light as we were pulling the information together:

We're #1 In Home Sales
In The Lake Mathews, Gavilan Hills And Gavilan Springs Area
Land of The Hawk  had TWICE as many sales for 2010 (as of 10/31/2010) as any other broker in the geographic area I use to produce sales statistics for my blog. Twice as many sales as all Tarbell offices combined, twice as many sales as Realty Executives and well ahead of FIRST Team, Prudential, Keller Williams, Re/Max All Stars and all other brokers in Southern California.

There's a lot to be said about the tag line for
Land of the Hawk Realty
"Your Only Live & Local Real Estate Office"
If you are considering selling your home or a buyer searching for the perfect property, call me or stop by our office and ask for Mary Jo. We get results.

•   NOW FOR THE EXCITING STATISTICS   • 
"Drum roll, please..."  

    The following statistics were gathered from the MRMLS listing service and deemed to be reasonably reliable. The geographic area represented is comprised of the following Thomas Bros. Map Guide pages: 775 south of Cajalco Rd., all of 805 and properties west of juniper Rd. on page 806 (properties in the mobile home development along Gavilan Rd. are excluded).

DESCRIPTION	2009	2010	% CHANGE
CLOSED SALES	37	40	+8%
REO SALES*	26	19	-28%
SHORT PAY*	2	9	+350%
STD (owner)	9	12	+35%
TOTAL SALES	$13,552,950	$14,331,250	+5.7%
AVERAGE PRICE	$366,296	$358,281	-2.2%

    *REO and *SPAY sales represented 76% of CLOSED sales in 2009 and 70% in 2010 - the combination of the two still dominate the sales market.

    ACTIVE LISTINGS: As of November 12, 2010 there were 21 active listings in our area: 3 - REO; 3 - SPAY; 15 - **STD. Total volume is $9,156,797.00 with an average listing price of $436,038.00.  
    **A bit of clarification regarding the STD listings is necessary. One of the listings is a "flipper" - purchased as an REO or SPAY and relisted in hopes of a quick profit.

Is There Light At The End Of The Tunnel?  

    Well...  Yes and No. On the positive side (which is the side I relate to) we see an increase in the number of closed sales from last year and a decrease in the number of REO sales. Yes, there is a considerable increase in SPAY's, but to me that means the banks are working with homeowners to avoid foreclosure. The combined total (REO + SPAY) is the same as last year at this time so it isn't getting worse. 
    What I like best is the number of STD listings = 15, when compared to REO/SPAY combined = 6. To me, this is very positive - especially if the trend continues in that direction. And, although the average sales prices is still down from from last year, it's up almost $24K from the end of July. I'm not sure I would call it a surge but it is a good sign.
    On the negative side the REO's and SPAY's are still prominent and holding the market at bay and the current administration's programs have not produced the results they hoped for. And, more than likely we're not going to see significant change in the housing market from further government intervention.
     There are many that believe the housing market problem was partially due to our government, and/or government supported groups, using strong arm taticts to force lenders into making loans to unqualified buyers. Whatever the case may be - we are where we are - let the "free" market ring.

INTERESTING READING
Here are links to sites providing information that might be of interest

Year-end Tax Planning: http://businesswest.com/2010/11/year-end-tax-planning
Holmes vs Summer - landmark case - choose your agent wisely: http://firsttuesdayjournal.com/holmes-v-summer-dilatory-disclosures-and-the-damage-done/

Heart Warming Horse Stories

Love Conquers All - http://www.horse2heart.com/love-conquers-heartwarming-horse-story
This is a "MUST" read Christmas story: http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/nursery/story.htm

Mary Jo Placka
951-707-7832  cell        951-780-0856  home
License #01707120
Land of the Hawk Realty
17679 Cajalco Road, Lake Mathews, CA 92570
(we're next to Lake Mathews Feed, across from the Fire Station)
951-940-9401

   Note: Just to set things straight - Gary Hillman (DRE Lic#00582430) does NOT represent Land of the Hawk Realty in any capacity whatsoever. He sold his interest to the current owners a few years ago, moved out of state, recently returned and now works for a broker in the local mountain area.

2010 SALES STATISTICS
January 1, 2010 through July 31, 2010

     It's been a long time since I put together sales statistics for the area I make my home - Lake Mathews, Gavilan Hills, Gavilan Springs and nearby local communities. You may remember that I specialize in ranch, equestrian and estate properties. The only factor that has changed is I now represent Land of The Hawk Realty - and what a fantastic team they are.
     This family owned and run group offered me the opportunity to be part of their team and I jumped at it. They represent everything I believe in - honesty, integrity, fairness and the belief that serving the customers interest is paramount. I'm proud to be part of their team and whole hearted believe they/we are the best. No other broker/agency knows this market area better than Land of The Hawk Realty.
    I consider myself a horse person. Over the past 13 years or so my husband and I have owned or bred well over 20 horses - mostly Arabians - my true passion. We've bought them, rescued them, sold them, showed them, raced them, loved them and lost a few along the way. We've experienced the joy of winning and the heart break of losing a true friend.

    The following statistics were gathered from the MRMLS listing service and deemed to be reasonably reliable. The geographic area represented is comprised of the following Thomas Bros. Map Guide pages: 775 south of Cajalco Rd., all of 805 and properties west of juniper Rd. on page 806 (properties in the mobile home development along Gavilan Rd. are excluded). 

2010 SALES STATISTICS
January 1, 2010 through July 31, 2010

DESCRIPTION    2009           2010         CHANGE 

CLOSED SALES      22              30           +27%
REO SALES*         18              17
SHORT PAY*          0                5               
STD (owner)         2               8       Significant
TOTAL VOLUME  $7,881,700   $9,926,250  +23%
AVERAGE PRICE  $358,260    $330,875    -7.7%

*REO and SPAY sales represented 82% of CLOSED sales in 2009 and 73% in 2010 - a reduction of approximately 27%, but still a huge amount

THERE ARE 27 ACTIVE LISTINGS - as of 7/31/2010

    In making a comparison, at the end of January, 2008 there were 64 active listings in the geographic area - five were listed at $1M or above. Today, there is one listing close to the $1M range, however, it's been on the market for nearly a year. There is another listing at $759,000 but it's been offered for sale for well over a year (450+ days).

SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

    One thing we can all see from the numbers is that the majority of home sales are from REO's (foreclosures) and SPAY (short sales). There's no way to avoid that statistic. However, when we look at the STD sale (straight-owner sale) average price, which is $385,000, that is very encouraging for those that have not "lost" their homes - it's well above the average sales price.
    What this means for home owners in our area that are not looking at foreclosure is that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Certainly, the home prices are not what they were three or four years ago, but they aren't at the bottom of the barrel either. 
    End result: If you have a nice, clean home, one with little or no deferred maintenance, and you haven't borrowed half the world against it, you have a reasonable expectation of getting a decent price at today's market value and putting some money in your pocket.

THE REAL BOTTOM LINE

    If you have questions about what your home is worth, or what another property is worth, call me - you'll get the information you need straight from the horse's mouth - so to speak. Seriously, I live here, this is my home base for the rest of my life. I study the market area every day and I have a broker that is without doubt the most knowledgeable in our community.
    My one and only goal is to assist my clients in making an intelligent decision based on fact - I'm not here to amaze you with sales techniques, although I'm extremely adept in that area (which is very important when dealing with other agents, lenders and all the numerous other individuals involved in the home sale process). 
    If you have any questions regarding real estate (or horses) call me. My cell number is 951-707-7832 and I can be reached at home at 951-780-0856.

    Wow, doesn't seem I've been away from the real estate market this long. It is really great to be back. And it's fantastic to now be working with the super group at Land of the Hawk Realty. What a dedicated bunch of honest, down-to-earth people - Kerry, Linda, Shannon and Todd - you just couldn't ask for a better "family" organization to work with.

     I'm honored they asked me and my husband, Hugh, to join their family team. They were my biggest competitors when I represented that 'other' broker. And guess what? We're starting off with a BANG!

OPEN HOUSE THIS SUNDAY
July 18th from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

23894 Los Arrollas Rd, Gavilan Springs - 92570
ML# I10039987   - Thomas Bros Map Guide 806-A5

Stop in and say hello - we can catch up on old times.

Mary Jo Placka
951-780-0856 or 951-707-7832
Lic #01707120
Land of the Hawk Realty
951-940-9401