Make it Happy

Read this and Remember to Make Everyday Happy!  I know I forget... Take a minute and make everyday just a little bit special for your children... and your man!
peace love lemonade: Make it Happy: Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln  We all know things can't possibly ALWAYS be great, ...

It Really is Cheaper to Buy vs. Rent

Since the housing bubble burst, it seems like everyone and their mother can’t stop talking about what a great time it is right now to buy a home, but how good is it really? Call Tami Winbury Keller Williams Realty DRE#01878369 www.ShortsSale.org to help you buy your next home. After years of seeing home prices drop like flies and rental markets tightening up better than pair of Spanx, it’s safe to say that homeownership is very affordable almost everywhere. In fact, it is now cheaper to buy than to rent in 98 of the 100 most populous metros – including (shocker!) pricey places to live like New York, Los Angeles and Boston. Says who you ask? Our Trulia’s Winter 2012 Rent vs Buy Index – that’s who!To give you a little bit of background, this Index is what we use to figure out whether buying a home or renting in a given metro is easier on the pocketbook. To do this, we look at asking prices for rentals and homes for-sale on Trulia.com while also factoring other costs like taxes, insurance and maintenance, etc. Click here to view the full-size interactive graphic. Just see for yourself. After ranking all the metros (marked as dots in the chart below) in order of where buying is most expensive relative to renting, notice that the two metros at the top of the list —Honolulu and San Francisco — are no where close to being orange, let alone being in the red (read: renting is cheaper relative to buying). At best, they are a nice mustard yellow, which means that the asking price between renting and buying isn’t all that different. Instead, what really matters if you’re only doing a basic cost comparison is (1) your tax bracket and whether you can benefit from the mortgage interest deduction and (2) how long you actually plan to live in the house. Buying Beats Renting 99 Miles From LA, But Not Always Generally speaking, homeownership in SoCal gets pricier as you move away from the coast towards the desert, but this “rule” is by no means set in stone. There are a couple of big exceptions: Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley. These two real estate markets are really far from the beach, but are crazy expensive places to buy a home as compared to renting. Heh, go figure. But check out Ojai and Ventura County! Los Angeles (Area Code) Price:Rent Ratio Westside LA / Beaches /Coast (310 / 424) 15.8 Pasadena / San Gabriel Valley (626) 15.8 Orange County South (949) 14.4 Central Los Angeles (213 / 323) 13.4 Orange County North (714 / 657) 12.8 Long Beach (562) 11.9 San Fernando Valley (818 / 747) 11.7 San Bernardino (909) 10.2 Riverside (951) 9.8 Start Spreading The News, I’m Leaving NYC For The Suburbs Today Truth be told, it won’t surprise anyone to say that you need to be making some serious bank in order to be a Manhattan homeowner. Housing crisis or no housing crisis, it’s still going to be a really expensive place to live compared to pretty much anywhere else in the U.S. of A. However, if you can let go of Manhattan city living (like Miranda in “Sex and the City” did), then you might be pleasantly surprised to know that buying a home is definitely doable. You just got to look even further than Brooklyn and Staten Island (priced-out Manhattanites have bid up home values in many neighborhoods…boo! hiss!). How far? Think Queens, the Bronxand other nearby suburban counties. New York City Area (Borough or County) Price:Rent Ratio Manhattan 20.0 Brooklyn 15.7 Staten Island 15.3 Queens 13.6 Bergen, NJ (Hackensack) 12.5 Hudson, NJ (Jersey City) 12.1 Nassau, NY (Long Island) 11.8 Bronx 10.9 Westchester, NY 9.3 NOTE: The lists above rank the major metros where renting a home is most expensive relative to buying, and vice-versa. Price-to-rent ratios that are 15 and under indicate buying is less expensive than renting, while ratios that are 20 or higher indicate renting is less expensive than buying. Between 15 and 20, the rent-versus-buy calculation depends on tax deductions and other personal circumstances. Left My Heart In San Francisco…As I Move To The East Bay When it comes to buying a home in the SF Bay Area, you’re going to have to pay a pretty penny as compared to renting to do so in San Francisco, the Peninsula (San Mateo County) and in the South Bay (Santa Clara County). You’re more likely to get a better deal once you cross the Bay Bridge and head to the East Bay (Alameda County and Contra Costa County). That’s because there’s been more empty homes andforeclosures on that side of the bay. San Francisco Bay Area (County) Price:Rent Ratio San Francisco 17.2 Santa Clara (San Jose) 14.5 San Mateo 14.0 Alameda (Oakland) 12.1 Contra Costa 10.8 If You’re Living in Chicago, It’s Cheaper to Buy vs. Rent No matter how you slice and dice it, being a homeowner in Chicago is much more affordable than being a renter. Even in the heart of the windy city (the Loop and Near North Side), buying is relatively cheaper than buying than in many suburbs of New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Chicago (Area Code) Price:Rent Ratio Loop and Near North Side (312) 11.4 Chicago except downtown (773) 8.0 North/Northwest Suburbs (847 / 224) 7.7 Western Suburbs (630 / 331) 7.5 South Suburbs (708) 5.0

Sellers Raise Home Prices, Are Buyers Responding?

Sellers Raise Home Prices, Are Buyers Responding?

Click for metro-level data.

Median list prices rose by 0.7% in April from March to their highest level in nearly one year, even as the number of homes listed for sale stood at levels down nearly 19% from a year ago, according to a report released Wednesday.

Contact Tami Winbury Keller Williams Realty today to talk about the market in Ojai and Ventura County. 805-798-3412 www.ShortsSale.org

Compared with a year ago, median asking prices were up in 72 markets, flat in 14 markets, and down in 60 markets. But compared with the prior month, they were down in just five of those markets, according to Realtor.com.

Asking prices were up by 25% from one year ago in Phoenix, by 15% in Miami, and by 10% in Washington, D.C. Prices were down by 8% in Chicago and Philadelphia. Compared with March, sellers’ prices were up by 7.9% in Minneapolis, by 4.7% in Detroit, and by 4.6% in San Francisco.
Inventories of homes for sale rose by 2% from March but were down from one year ago in all but six of the 146 markets. Inventory fell by 53% in Oakland, by 47% in Phoenix, and by 39% in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, median age of inventory listed for sale in April stood at 84 days, down by 11.6% from one year ago, meaning that homes listed for sale are staying on the market for less time. In Oakland, homes were listed for just 20 days, down by 55% from one year ago, while the median age of inventory in Denver stood at just 32 days.

The Realtor.com figures include sale listings from more than 900 multiple-listing services across the country. They don’t cover all homes for sale, including those that are “for sale by owner” and newly constructed homes that aren’t always listed by the services.

Contact Tami Winbury Keller Williams Realty today to talk about the market in Ojai and Ventura County. 805-798-3412 www.ShortsSale.org

By Nick Timiraos

Figure Out What Your Home is Worth Today!

Figure Out What Your Home is Worth Today!

Figure Out What Your Home is Worth Today!

Tami Winbury: Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 12:10 PM

Figure Out What Your Home is Worth Today! Call Tami Winbury Keller Williams Realty for a FREE Home Value. With home prices rising and falling sharply over the last few years, it's no wonder that this question can be something of a head-scratcher. If you're watching the nightly news programs lately, you might assume that your home value has dropped to a negative number, that it's almost impossible to sell your home at any price given the current market conditions. But that is wrong. Millions and millions of homes will be sold this year and yours can be one of them. The classic line in real estate is that there are really three prices for every home - what the seller would love to get, what the buyer would love to pay, and finally, what the home will eventually sell for. Assuming there is no underlying motivation to sell quickly - something causing you duress which forces a sale to occur faster than normal like a divorce, a medical problem, a foreclosure or a short sale in the neighborhood - you should be able to reasonably estimate the value of your home. How? The fastest way, of course, is to invite Realtor Tami Winbury over provide you with a competitive market analysis (CMA). Tami has access to a huge database of active and sold listings which they can draw from to provide a very accurate picture of your home's value, and, in general, agents will provide this information free of charge in the hopes of securing your listing. But what if you don't want to talk to an agent quite yet? What if you want to estimate your own home's value? There is good news - you can still do it yourself using a few simple techniques. Research public records Every sale which occurs in your city, town, or neighborhood is recorded with a local government entity, typically the county recorder's office. Because these are public records, anyone can access this information, and many now provide this information free of charge online. Take the time to review as many sales as possible. Call a title companyTitle companies often work with private owners and agents to manage real estate closings or to ensure title for the new home buyer at closing (or both). Because of this they are often happy to provide you with comparable sales for homes in your neighborhood which can be helpful in determining market value. Be a detective If you have keen eye for real estate signs in your neighborhood you can often watch as new listings hit the market, go pending, and eventually close escrow. By visiting real estate web sites such as Trulia, talking to neighbors, or even visiting with the new buyers themselves, you can often learn what the home was listed for and eventually sold for. Use the internet As a potential home seller you may wish to register at Trulia to begin monitoring the activity in your specific market. This powerful site will automatically update you on new listings, price changes, and statistics that can be invaluable when identifying the right price for your property. Pay for an unbiased opinion One way to estimate the value of your home is to hire an appraiser to do a "pre-appraisal". A pre-appraisal is done before a home buyer makes an offer. Appraisers have a duty to provide unbiased, objective opinions based on the latest market data. While this may cost a few hundred dollars, it can often provide invaluable information when you're beginning to think about pricing and marketing your home. Armed with all of this information you should be able to estimate what you think your home will eventually sell for, right? Wrong. All of these techniques will provide you with a range of values, not a specific amount. Why? A home's value is constantly changing, moving up, down, and sideways depending on a myriad of influencers. Your hard work should act as guide post, not a destination point. Call Tami Winbury Keller Williams Realty for an accurate home value. 805-798-3412 www.TamiWinbury.com DRE#01878369 Inventory is at an all time low! Home prices are rising and homes are getting multiple offers. Call today to sell your home.

Pros and Cons to Buy or Rent

Pros and Cons to Buy or Rent

Deciding whether it's best to buy or rent a home isn't an easy decision. There are financial pros and cons to each. Plus, whether or not you want to become a homeowner may depend on your lifestyle, so it's very much a personal choice. Take a close look below at the pluses and minuses before making your move. For personal information and discussion about the home buying process contact Tami Winbury Keller Williams Realty 805-798-3412 DRE#01878369

Pros to renting

• You're not required to save up a hefty down payment.
• Renting is normally a short-term commitment (you normally can sign a lease for as little as a few months to a year).
• You are usually free of major maintenance costs and paying property taxes -- your landlord takes care of that. Also, it's normally up to the landlord to take care of major maintenance issues for the home. You're probably not responsible for tiring tasks like mowing the lawn or the shoveling the snow.
• You aren't tied down to one place, and can relocate fairly easily.
• In some cases, renting may be less costly than owning a home. While you may be able to afford the rent on a pricier home, you might not have the means to buy a similarly priced residence.
• Since you are only obligated to a relatively short-term lease (a few months, or a year), committing to a particular rental isn't an arduous decision.

Cons to renting

• You aren't building equity (the value an owner has in a piece of property minus the debt against it).
• You can't take advantage of tax benefits (like tax deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes) only available to homeowners.
• You may be subject to rent increases that you can do little about.
• You might not be able to decorate a home as you like. (You may have to stick with the white walls and beige carpeting that your landlord put in.)
• You may be subject to restrictions on pets (some landlords don't allow them). Also, your landlord could infringe on your lifestyle -- e.g., complaining about the level of noise from parties and the number of guests who park at your place.
• You are dependent on the landlord to maintain the home and keep things in working order. (This could be a bad thing if he or she is lax about it.)
• You could be evicted (say, if the landlord decides not to renew your lease, or to sell the home) and may need to seek another place to live.

Pros to buying

• You can build equity over time.
• The home is yours, so you have more control over how to decorate it and landscape it.
• Greater stability -- as long as you can afford the property taxes and your mortgage payments, you don't have to worry about being evicted.
• Getting to know the neighbors. Because you are likely to stay in a home you own longer than one you rent, you may become more involved in your community.
• You can benefit from tax deductions on real estate taxes and mortgage interest.

Cons to buying

• It's a big commitment. You may be in that home for quite some time, so deciding which home to purchase can be tough -- you want to make sure it's a good fit.
• When it comes to maintaining a home, it's all about you. It's up to you to make the repairs when the toilet leaks or pay the handyman for the fixes.
• Homeownership insurance premiums. You'll have to pay these to cover the cost of any potential damage to your property. Also, if your home is part of a homeowners' association (HOA), you'll have to pay HOA fees.
• You may have to borrow heavily and pay interest (take out a mortgage) to afford the home. You could lose your house if you can't keep up with your mortgage payments.
• You have less mobility because of the work and time required to find a buyer, sell your place and move your belongings. (Which you may have acquired more of, now that you own space to keep things in.)
• If you can't keep up with your mortgage payments, you could face foreclosure and a loss of equity. (Not to mention the damage it'll do to your credit history.)

Let's talk today! Contact Tami Winbury Keller Williams Realty 805-798-3412 DRE#01878369