California Horse 'n Home

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 (Repo)*            18                    17
    SPAY SALES (Short Pay)*      0                      5               
    STD (by owner)                    2                      8               Significant
TOTAL SALES VOLUME        $7,881,700        $9,926,250           +23%
AVERAGE SALES 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 7/31/2020

    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

2007 SALES STATISTICS

    I would imagine most agents are glad to see 2007 behind them, myself included. Without question, it was a difficult year for real estate – not just for agents but sellers and buyers as well. The market is still in “slow-motion”, but with the possible increase in FHA and Jumbo loan rates and the lowering of interest rates, everyone is looking for something better in 2008.
    The following statistics were gathered from the local multiple 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 (Lake Mathews, Gavilan Hills and Gavilan Springs).

THE STATS

DESCRIPTION	2006	2007	CHANGE
CLOSED SALES	47	26	-45%
TOTAL SALES VOLUME	$35,540,350	$17,222,300	-49%
AVERAGE SALES PRICE	$756,177	$662,396	-12%
SALES OVER $1M	5	1	-80%

CURRENT ACTIVE LISTINGS (as of 01/31/08):
  64 - (5 @ $1M+)

    For January we've seen one (1) closed sale and that was an auction. The home was listed for $534,900 and sold for $452,500, a decrease of a little over 15% and was on the market for 143 days. In addition, there is one pending sale that had been on the market for 111 days (sales price not disclosed until close of escrow).

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

    Click on the following link for a cute horse story entitled: 
   If Horses Were Software - A letter to tech support 
         http://ultimatehorsesite.com/fun/joke_techsupport.html    

If you’re a coffee lover (aren’t we all?) here is a website called The Coffee Corral  that has some great, fresh-roasted to order coffee. It makes for terrific gifts because not only is it good coffee but the packaging is very personalized – and the price is right. I’ve been giving them as gifts to my clients when I do open houses and they love it.     They have coffee from Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Sumatra, Nicaragua and Guatemala - flavored coffees too. They even make deliveries to the local area on special request.   www.TheCoffeeCorral.com

   Until next time, thanks for visiting...

    Mary Jo Placka - Tarbell, Realtors
    951-707-7832

FOLLOWING THE SOUND OF THE BELL

  Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.

  Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

  If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her halter is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.

  As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

  Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.  Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see.

  Good friends are like this. You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

  Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

Thank you for visiting... Until next time.

Mary Jo Placka - Tarbell, Realtors
951-780-0856