Bottom of Housing Market is near say Housing Analysts
Last week, while attending the semiannual Construction Forecast Conference both market analysts and home builders predicted the end of the housing decline was in the near future. Read More

California Statewide Home Sales and Median Prices for March 2009
Statewide, an estimated 36,215, resale and new homes were reported sold in the month of March. That figure is up just over 47% from March of last year. For the last nine months, sales have shown an increase on a year-over-year basis. Read More

Home Affordability Gains Strength in Most Markets
Economists at PNC Financial Service Group and HIS Global Insight discuss in their quarterly report the home prices have now dropped to a point where the typical American household and now afford to purchase. Read More

First-Time buyers Increase While Existing Home Sales Slip
The month of March saw a decline in the number of existing home sales throughout the country. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) also reports that first-time buyers are taking advantage of low mortgage rates and available tax credits. Read More

Federal Reserve Officials Say the Worst is over
According to Federal officials, the worst of the economic crisis is behind us. These opinions were shared during a conference held on April 17 at Vanderbilt University. Read More

Just Launched: Federal Housing Rescue Plan
This week, the Obama administration's new program intended to rescue home owners in distress went into effect. The program was announced back in February. Read More

Friends of La Jolla Shores Organizes Community Playground Build
The Friends of La Jolla Shores has organized a Playground Community build which will take place April 30 - May 2. Read More

Fed Chief and President Both Cite Economic Progress
President Obama on April 14 pointed out sign that our country's current recession is showing signs of ebbing. Major factors include: a strengthening real estate market, recent auto industry rescue efforts and the recapitalization of some major U.S. banks. Read More

New La Jolla Parking Plan Proposed
During a recent meeting, members of the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) discussed a parking proposal for the village of La Jolla which is intended to add spaces. The plan could curtail future intervention on this outstanding issue by the City of San Diego. Read More

20 Green Events Make up UCSD Earth Week Celebration
UCSD, one of the country's greenest universities will celebrate Earth Week, April 20-25. The unique and beautiful campus located in La Jolla, will host 20 events which have been dubbed "Extreme Green". Events include a trash sort, a "green" job fair, and an eco-friendly fashion show. Also included in the festivities will be a green film festival of student's work and a sustainability awards ceremony. Read More

Mortgage Modifications Being Questioned by Economists
A recent study conducted by the Boston Federal Reserve shows that buyers are more likely to fall into default on their mortgages due to the loss of a job than because of the terms of their existing home loans. Read More

Mortgage Rate Update
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 4.78%, down from 4.85%. Rates on 15-year fixed rate mortgages fell to 4.52%, down from 4.58%. Rates on a 1-year adjustable rate mortgage fell to 4.75%, down from 4.85%. Read More

Annual Little Italy ArtWalk in Downtown San Diego has New Sponsor
This year's ArtWalk in Little Italy is now officially sponsored by Mission Federal Credit Union. 2009 marks the 25th year of this wide-ranging outdoor free event held on the streets of Little Italy, one of downtown San Diego's most vibrant and unique neighborhoods. Read More

Government Officials Crack down on Mortgage Modification Scam Artists
The government is getting a lot tougher on scam artists who prey upon desparate home owners that are faced with the tragedy of foreclosure. Read More

Top Economists State the Recovery has started
Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com believes that economic recovery is all about making people in this country feel confident once again. Read More

The Housing Market: Where it is headed
Over the past month, the market received an important indicator as to which direction conditions are headed in: applications for new mortgages and loan refinances surged throughout March. Read More

Mortgage Protection Plan Launched by C.A.R.
On April 2, the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) started the California Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Fund Mortgage Protection Program. This program is being offered to first-time home buyers and persons who have not purchased a home in the past three years. Read More

FBI Instructs Lenders to Retain Records for Longer Periods
In order to make the prosecution of fraudulent lenders an easier task, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has recently called on Congress to enact legislation which would require lending institutions to retain all records for at least a ten year period. Read More

Senate Testimony: the FHA, Essential to Housing Rebound
The primary source for much of the mortgage funding for many in America is The Federal Housing Administration. This agency plays a vital role in assisting in the stability of the housing market. This message was delivered to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on April 2 by representatives of the National Board of Realtors. Read More

Rampant Foreclosures Lead to Investment Opportunity
Even as the government steps in with measures to prevent foreclosures, February saw more than 290,000 new foreclosures filed, the 3rd highest one-month total since RealtyTrac began tracking the number in 2005. The data includes auction sales, bank repos and default notices. During the last 3 years, there have been more than 4 million foreclosures in the US. Investors seeking to build equity have always been attracted to foreclosed-on properties. Such property can usually be acquired for 20 to 60% off of market value. Experts say that investors looking to buy properties, spruce them up and re-sell them will be hard pressed to turn a profit. Those investors with the ability to sit on the properties, whether renting them or holding out until the market improves, should be very excited about the opportunities available today. A good investment strategy is to acquire properties in areas where prices are very low, yet demand for rental properties remains high. Read More

Five Landscaping Tips that will Wow Home Buyers
Sellers in today's real estate market need to work harder to entice potential buyers to consider their homes. Here are five tips: Read More