QUICK UPDATE:

The units sold in October 2008 v. October 2007 were up 57%. Most of that activity happened in homes under $500k, short sales and REO (Real Estate Owned by the bank after foreclosure or how you would want to call it “Real estate Opportunity”) In addition, the 1 million plus range seems to be moving better than the deep-freeze we were in from October 10 to the end of October. During the last 5 weeks buyers are buying 1 million dollar plus homes at a faster rate than in September - October. It’s a great opportunity to upgrade from smaller homes which lost relatively less to larger, more expensive home.

WHAT IT TAKES TO SELL IN THIS MARKET:

Price and condition of the home become even more critical than in the past. Homes that are still selling are either priced more aggressively or upgraded and in good Condition. The homes that are priced well and remodeled are attracting the most attention and getting sold faster.

Of course location is of utmost importance. Being in a good school area improves the saleability of the house immensely.

WHO IS BUYING TODAY?

Relocation Folks; First Time Homebuyers; Investors in anticipation for appreciation for under 400K market; Move-up Buyers making a lateral move; Folks that have been sitting on the sidelines for a few years; Folks at all price points that have been pushed out of the market by multiple offers over the last 4-5 years

Investors:

If you are planning to buy a short sale, check with your real estate lawyer. There are too many law suits going around due to innocent mistakes or not knowing the laws and regulations.

QUICK RATE UPDATE: please note, the actual rate that you can get depends on your credit history and down payment amount.

30 Year Conventional 6.000% @ 0 pts up to $417,000

30 Yr Agency Jumbo 6.375% @ 0 pts up to $729,750

5/1 ARM Super Jumbo 6.125% @ 0 pts up to $4M

Take your typical 3 bedroom 2 bath ranch, in its original condition, clean it nicely and poof, like magic, you turn it into millions of dollars. It was purchased for $28,000 45 years ago. Back then it was expensive. The neighborhood was very quiet and modest, there were cherry and apricot orchards around, in the heart of the Silicon valley. Now the magic word is Cupertino schools. This is the melting pot of the world. Immigrant from India, China, Japan, France, Germany, Finland, Israel, Iran, and many other countries, come to live the American dream. They want to get education, freedom and money. They are willing to pay $140,000 above the asking price for this 1600 s.f. house that has $30,000 termite and foundation damages. Additional $50,000 might be enough for basic remodeling. Yes, you need at least $1,1M to own a modest house in Sunnyvale, Cupertino School District. Last week a nice ranch house was sold with 18 offers and this week a similar house got sold with only 7 offers but the end price was higher. How high can it go?