If you are considering selling your home Short make sure your listing agent uses a licensed Negotiator or better yet they do it themselves. Stay away from unlicensed or unscrupulous short sale third party negotiators. Someone who charges a fee to act on a homeowner’s behalf in negotiating a loan must generally be licensed with the California Department of Real Estate (DRE). An unlicensed person who practices real estate is committing a crime. Also, if you pay that unlicensed person for conducting licensed activity, you too may be committing a crime. Take care when looking for a qualified Short Sale listing agent.  Now the pitch Janet O’Brian is that listing agent she has been doing short sale for years with a 97% approval rating. She does all of the Negotiation herself, so she has the c... 03/17/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Anaverde and the Greater Antelope Valley Match 16 - 2010So it happen at last REALORS® are making FaceBook friends upset.  We all got a blast from one of our friends calling us boring, doing too much advertising.  Well I agree to a point.  Being in business we are using all the resources we can you to the best job for our clients.  I for one will refrain from over doing it but, we all post stuff to FaceBook that all of us might not like.   That’s my beef on social media.   As for the current real estate market in the Antelope Valley Palmdale, Lancaster area, it is true prices are going up.  We have hit bottom and are moving up.  In all price ranges too.  Investors are picking up the low-end while mid range buyers are bidding up the prices. I exce... 03/16/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Anaverde and the Greater Antelope Valley Match 9 - 2010 Homes are coming on to the market daily in the Antelope Valley, Palmdale, and Lancaster area with renewed frenzy.  Short Sale and bank owned as well as normal sales.  Prices have leveled off and for the first time in 3 years have gone up over all.  February 2010 homes prices were 2.6% higher than February 2009!  The Antelope Valley has made turned corner and is headed for recovery.  In recent posts I have outlined the fact that the Antelope Valley , Palmdale, Lancaster cities are growing with big plans currently in the works and is going to be the place to be living in for years to come. If you are looking to sell or buy now is the time don’t miss out on this opportunity to get into your d... 03/09/2010

Absorption Rate what dose it mean? The Absorption Rate is a number that shows the rate at which the inventory of homes for sale are being sold. If the Absorption Rate is a declining figure that indicates the inventory is decreasing meaning more homes are being sold than are coming onto the market. Thus putting upwards pressure on pricing, home values go up; supply and demand forces kick in. A rising absorption rate implies that there are more homes coming onto the market than there are buyers willing to buy at the market prices, this pushes prices down. The absorption rate lets you know how well the market is absorbing the current inventory of listings. The ultimate question the absorption rate, right now in the Palmdale, Lancaster areas the current inventory level growing slowly.  Howe... 03/06/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Anaverde and the Greater Antelope Valley Match 4 - 2010Buyers and Sellers are alive and well in the greater Antelope Valley, Palmdale, and Lancaster areas.  The projected numbers this early in March shows an upwards trend in sold homes over last month.  We are still down from last year same month, however the outlook is positive. With the tax credit available until the end of April and in escrow through June buyers are taking advantage of the great prices in the Antelope Valley.  Keller Williams Realty AV Ranked #1 in the Antelope ValleyJanet O'Brian is a Certified Short Sales Specialist in California is ready to help you with your Situation… Pre-foreclosures                                                                                        ... 03/04/2010

I talk a lot about the Antelope Valley, Palmdale & Lancaster because there is a misconception that the High Desert is a wasteland.  Far from the truth over the past few decades the Antelope Valley has gone from a rural bedroom community of Los Angeles to thriving twin-cities with over 300,000 in population.  We have some of the biggest employers and all the amenities of a large city with the feel of a small town.  Lancaster Municipal Stadium has it's own class-A baseball team and concerts and special events all year long.  We also have a yearly state fair in one of the newest facilities in southern California.   The Lancaster Municipal Stadium is changing it name to The Hanger keeping up with the aerospace industry which we are known for. You like gourmet food no problem Palmdale has th... 03/03/2010

Palmdale & Lancaster in the Antelope Valley is currently the only part of Los Angeles County is growing.  With the new 200 million dollar Palmdale Medical Center due to open this year and 10.5 million dollar redevelopment plans for Lancaster blvd, the Antelope Valley is on the move.  Palmdale has a convention center in the works as well creating good paying jobs.  With over six green energy power plants the Palmdale and Lancaster area is on the cutting edge of green jobs as well.  With the vast growth in the Antelope Valley homes prices remain the best bargain in Southern California.  The median price of existing, single-family homes rose 15% in January, according to CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’S® latest sales and price report.  The median price of an existing, single-family deta... 03/02/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Anaverde and the Greater Antelope Valley February 27 & 28th - 2010February 2010 is in the bank and we are looking forward to March and spring with the warmer weather open houses are coming back in a big way.  My office has started a March long team effort holding open houses.  We have teamed up with our in house lender and 15 agents per team with 5 teams.  Wow that’s 75 open houses, and it gets better the teams target an area with some teams over lapping.  As a buyer drives around they will see open houses are over the place. We even have individual agents getting in or the open house frenzy by have they own open house within the team’s area.  Buyers come out to the Antelope Valley and check it out! I’ll let you know how it all works out…  Just ... 03/01/2010

We strive to complete the entire short sale process without having the seller bring any money to closing. In late 2007, some lenders changed their policies and there are certain expenses that the lender might not pay, such as unpaid Home Owners Association dues, certain escrow fees, and some minor closing costs. In most cases, these items total no more than $300 - $800. We will not know exactly how much they will be, if any, until we are closer to closing. We will strive to get this information as soon as possible in the beginning of your transaction so there will be no surprises. Team O'Brian will help to get the lender to forgive your unpaid taxes, unpaid mortgage payments, pay all of the REALTOR fees associated with the sale and customary seller closing costs. The savings to you is t... 02/27/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Anaverde and the Greater Antelope Valley February 26 - 2010 Who benefits from the Short Sale? Short sales are a win-win situation. Lenders, Mortgagees and Realtors all benefit from the successful short sale. Mortgagors get the majority of their money back, Mortgagees get the relief they need and are able to sell their property and avoid foreclosure, and Realtors can facilitate the transaction and receive compensation (commission the bank pays) from the sale of the property. Why would banks forgive the difference? To mitigate their losses, banks often accept a settlement of less than what is owed on the property. When faced with the option of getting the property ‘back’ through foreclosure, a short sale often makes a much wiser business decision... 02/26/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Anaverde and the Greater Antelope Valley February 25 - 2010 When you are looking to sell you home and you need to sell for less then you owe you are selling Short.  In the Real Estate business the term is called “Short Sale” or “Short Pay” and “Pre-foreclosure”.  In the short sale scenario, the bank agrees to accept less than the full balance due on the debt, and usually ‘forgives’ all or a large portion of the difference.  However depending on you individual circumstances the bank might request you to bring something to the table. How will the Short Sale affect my credit? Short Sales are still a relatively new concept. Banks have the option of submitting the short sale to the credit bureau as "Paid in Full" or "Settled for less than full balan... 02/25/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Anaverde and the Greater Antelope Valley February 24 - 2010 Lancaster & Palmdale – inexpensive homes have bottomed out and moving up in some areas of the high desert. The higher end still has some room to move lower but that remains to be seen in the Antelope Valley.  Yes you can find upscale homes in the Antelope Valley what sold a few years ago for over a million dollars have been reduced by haft and more.  We believe we could see a 5 to 10 percent downwards move but not much more…    So if you are looking to stretch you home buying dollars Palmdale & Lancaster are a good place to buy right now because it’s at the bottom, and is made the turn upwards. Be prepared to get ahead of the pack. Well priced foreclosures and short sale garner multipl... 02/24/2010

At the Keller Williams Family Reunion 2010.  My office with Vice Chairams Mo Anderson...Keller Williams Realty AV Ranked #1 in the Antelope ValleyJanet O'Brian is a Certified Short Sales Specialist in California is ready to help you with your Situation… Pre-foreclosures                                                                                                  Monthend Numbers   Jan '10 Dec '09 Nov '09 Oct '09 Sep '09 Aug '09 Listed 691 598 756 659 701 691 Pending 556 507 667 593 725 564 Sold 369 517 565 549 564 61 Dailys* Statistics track the current Real Estate Market in the Antelope Valley, Palmdale & Lancaster.     New Listings 42 Back on Market 16 Price Increases 8 Price Reductions 17 Pendings 52 Solds 18 Expireds 4 Inactives 7   Month to Date and Projected open Escrows* Total... 02/23/2010

West Palmdale, California Real EstateWe here at the Gockel Group, continuously monitor local real estate statistics to keep our clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends. Below you will find West Palmdale real estate statistics for the last seven days.Total inventory today is: 168   Of these, the number that are short pays is: 118Number of homes entering the market in the last 7 days: 25    Of these, the number that are short pays is: 19Number of homes entering escrow in the last 7 days: 25Number of homes closing escrow (sold) in the last 7 days: 6   Of these, the number that are short pays is: 5Number of homes cancelled/removed/expired/withdrawn from the market in the last 7 days: 8See my 24 hour Market Report of the entire Antelope Valley by viewing A.V. Real Estate Trends ... 02/22/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Anaverde and the Greater Antelope Valley February 22 - 2010 In the Hills of Palmdale back in early 2003 just off avenue “S” a new community named Anaverde was started.  The planned community consisting of over 4,500 single family home got under way and during the buying frenzy most if not all home were sold.  Now with the troubles with the financing in recent years a lot of the homes are coming available to qualified buyers at a huge discount.  In 2007 when the first wave of foreclosures started 30% or so in the Anaverde planed community were put on the market.  Today we are seeing more Short Sales in Anaverde due mainly to the loans term changing.  What was a comfortable monthly mortgage payment for a $500,000.00 home is now out of reach.  How... 02/22/2010

Find West Palmdale CA Homes For Sale, 93551, 5 bedrooms or West Lancaster CA Homes for sale, zip code 93556, 5 bedrooms right here, spacious homes with square footage between 2500 sq.ft up to 5000 sq.ft, newer homes built from 2000 to 2010, easy to show, call Lupe Soto Palmdale & Lancaster Realtor , Call or email for more information, schools, park information, metrolink, relocation info. HABLO ESPANOL WEST PALMDALE, ANAVERDE, RANCHO VISTA, QUARTZ HILLS, WEST LANCASTER info, click here West Palmdale, CA Zip Code:  93551West Lancaster, CA Zip Code:  93556Quartz Hills, CA Zip Code: 93556Anaverde West Palmdale, CA Zip Code  93551Rancho Vista Palmdale, CA Zip Code 93551 Remember, I have no intention of selling you a home, only helping you locate the one you wish to purchase and help YOU OWN... 02/19/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Quartz Hill and the Greater Antelope Valley February 19 - 2010 Let me take a moment to discuss the News, mainly the real estate news the stuff we read in the paper and see on TV.  Most of these stories are taking a national overview and are not a good source to make decision locally.  To understand what I’m getting at I like this analogy: The average world temperature runs about 85 degrees, is it always 85 degrees where you live?  No.  This is why so many buyers and sellers have trouble making an informed decision; they get caught up in numbers that really don’t reflect their local real estate market. That is one of the best reasons to have a knowledgeable REALTOR® working for you.  They know the current local trends, are prices go up what kind... 02/19/2010

In 1996, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is charged with the planning, designing, constructing and operating of a state-of-the-art high-speed train system. The proposed system stretches from San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento in the north-with service to the Central Valley-and then to Palmdale and Los Angeles and eventually San Diego in the south. With bullet trains operating at speeds of up to 220 mph, the express travel time from downtown San Francisco to Los Angeles is just under 2 ½ hours. Intercity travelers (trips between metropolitan regions) along with longer-distance commuters would enjoy the benefits of a system designed to connect with existing rail, air and highway systems This will only enhance future property values in the Antelope Valley, Palmdale Lancaster ar... 02/18/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Quartz Hill and the Greater Antelope Valley February 17 - 2010 Palmdale and Lancaster were one of the first areas in southern California to be inundated with bank owned properties.  We are now moving into a new market (Short Sale) as the government’s (HAFA) Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program officially launches April 5, 2010.  The program allows the borrower to get a preapproved short sale terms (pricing) among other terms before the property is listed and will frees them from future liability for the debt. Moreover, servicers using the program are prohibited from requiring a reduction in the real estate commission agreed to in the listing agreement. The borrower also receives a $1,500 incentive for relocation after the transaction... 02/17/2010

Real Estate Trends - Palmdale, Lancaster, Quartz Hill and the Greater Antelope Valley February 16 - 2010 National Association of Realtors® has a Short Sale designation and Janet was able to attend today.  Over 125 local Realtors® where in attendance, the many speakers kept coming to a common theme, Short Sale are here and are going to grab more of the market this year and will continue for the next 2 years or more.  With the new government involvement banks are getting on board or will be left behind.  If you are facing foreclosure, behind on your payments, been hit with medical bills or job lost, going through a divorce.  You have options avoid foreclosure and seek out a licensed Realtor® that specializes in short sale and has the credentials. Keller Williams Realty AV Ranked #1 in th... 02/16/2010