Category Archives: Homeownership

Prices on the Uptick

Prices on the Uptick

San Diego County Housing Market Report July 2015

HomeDex housing market reportLow interest rates and a lack of inventory are helping to promote continued appreciation as shown in July’s San Diego County housing market report. The number of detached homes that sold in June also increased, while the median number of days those homes were on the market did not change significantly.

Those record low interest rates have started moving upward, and are probably going to be increasing more in the near future. While most economists don’t expect the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee to make changes to the Federal Funds Rate when they meet later this month, they do predict the Fed will start raising rates as soon as September. This will make housing less affordable for home buyers in San Diego County. If you’ve been thinking of buying, you might want to move quickly to lock in today’s low rates.

Take a look at the North County and San Diego County summaries below, or click on the links for a detailed view of June’s statistics.

Continue reading San Diego County Housing Market Report July 2015

Think Your AC Won’t Make it Through the Summer? Here are Some Fixes

AC won't make itBy: Douglas Trattner

Is your AC making ominous noises? Maybe it sounds fine but isn’t cooling. Here’s a list of common air conditioning warning signs and their likely causes and fixes.

“Let comfort be your guide,” says Tom Hutchinson of Hutchinson Plumbing Heating Cooling. Air conditioning is all about comfort, so the simplest way to evaluate your system is to ask: Am I comfortable?

Air conditioning and HVAC units don’t last forever — 12 years is an average lifespan — and the moment they fail is usually when you need them the most.

Continue reading Think Your AC Won’t Make it Through the Summer? Here are Some Fixes

San Diego County Housing Market Report June 2015

HomeDex housing market reportJune’s San Diego County housing market report indicates continued price increases countywide at a sustainable rate. North County’s month-over prices showed no increase when detached and attached numbers were combined, but when looked at separately, each category did show month to month median price increases. The annual price increase for detached homes in North County was almost 9 percent.

We saw an increase in the number of homes going under contract in May along with a decrease in new listings coming on the market. This will not help alleviate the already tight supply our market is experiencing.

Take a look at the North County and San Diego County summaries below, or click on the links for a detailed look at May’s statistics.

Continue reading San Diego County Housing Market Report June 2015

6 Myths About Credit Scores

6 Myths About Credit Scores

San Diego County Housing Market Report May 2015

HomeDex housing market reportApril’s San Diego County housing market report shows continued strength. After March’s quick uptick, both North County and San Diego County pricing remained fairly level on a month-over basis, but homes sold even more quickly in April than they did in March.

Detached homes appreciated between five to six percent compared to the previous year. Attached home prices grew between one and two percent depending on location.

The number of active listings increased in April, but the number of sold units grew by double that amount, keeping inventory supply under three months.

Take a look at the North County and San Diego County summaries below, or click on the links for a detailed look at April’s statistics.

Continue reading San Diego County Housing Market Report May 2015

San Diego County Housing Market Report April 2015

HomeDex housing market reportThis month’s San Diego County housing market report is hot, hot, hot! Homes are selling quickly. Prices are on the increase, and inventory is still low. Trulia published a report on April 15 showing San Diego to be the fourth fastest moving market in the nation as of April 5.

This is evident in the March numbers which definitely make up for February’s lackluster statistics. March’s median price for all North County homes shot up to $526,000. This is quite an increase from the $482,700 reported in February and significantly better than January’s median of $510,000.

Take a look at the North County and San Diego County summaries below, or click on the links for a detailed look at March’s statistics.

Continue reading San Diego County Housing Market Report April 2015

Rent Again?

rent againAfter you take the training wheels off your bike and learn to ride it, you’d never consider putting them back on again. Similarly, once you’ve owned a home, you might think you’ll own a home from now on; but there may be some situations where it makes sense to rent again.

Big shifts in a person’s life like a divorce, death of a spouse, empty nesting or a temporary transfer to a new city are certainly things that may warrant renting, at least temporarily, until you know what your long term plans are.

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San Diego County Housing Market Report March 2015

HomeDex housing market reportThis month’s San Diego County housing market report isn’t showing the monthly increases we saw in January, but other sources disagree.

Although I post the HomeDex numbers monthly, I’m always looking at multiple sources and reports to stay on top of the constantly changing market. Even though all of these sources work with real estate statistics in San Diego County, they often don’t end up with the same results. So if you are worried about prices, you might feel a little better knowing that Infosparks shows no monthly change in prices as shown in the chart below, and the Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS® shows an increase in the median prices for both detached and attached homes countywide from January to February.

Continue reading San Diego County Housing Market Report March 2015

San Diego County Housing Market Report February 2015

HomeDex housing market reportOverall, the market’s not off to a bad start for 2015. This month’s San Diego County housing market report shows reasonable price increases for the county as a whole, with less of an upturn in North County.

The number of sold properties dropped compared to December, but this is typical for January and reflects fewer homes going under contract during the holidays.

As you can see in the chart below, inventory is still limited. The number of available homes for sale in January was the lowest it has been since 2004.

Take a look at the North County and San Diego County summaries below, or click on the links for a detailed look at January’s statistics.

Continue reading San Diego County Housing Market Report February 2015