California August Housing Market

According to the recent news release from the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® (C.A.R.) August 2013 resale housing report, following a strong performance in July, California’s housing market pulled back in August as mortgage rates continued to inch up, although sales of condominiums and townhomes remained robust.

• Sales of condominiums and townhomes surged almost 8 percent from last August in California, and are up nearly 5 percent year to date compared to last year, according to the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® (C.A.R.) August 2013 resale housing report.

• Home prices continued in an upward trend in August, reaching levels not seen in more than five years. The statewide median price of an existing, single-family detached home was up 1.7 percent from July’s median price of $433,910 to reach $441,330 in August, the highest price recorded since December 2007.

• Sales in August were down 2 percent from a revised 443,500 in July and down 1.9 percent from a revised 443,030 in August 2012. The statewide sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2013 if sales maintained the August pace throughout the year.

• The available supply of existing, single-family detached homes for sale inched up in August to 3.1 months, up from July’s Unsold Inventory Index of 2.9 months. The index was 3.2 months in August 2012.  The index indicates the number of months needed to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate.  A six- to seven-month supply is considered typical in a normal market.

• The median number of days it took to sell a single-family home also edged up to 28.8 days in August from 27.8 days in July, but was down from 41.1 days in August 2012.

• Mortgage rates moved higher in August, with the 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaging 4.46 percent, up from 4.37 percent in July 2013 and up from 3.60 percent in August 2012, according to Freddie Mac.  Adjustable-mortgage interest rates in August averaged 2.65 percent, slightly down from 2.66 in July but down from 2.67 percent in August 2012.

All 1" information is from the September 16, 2013 the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) news release.

September 2013 Newsletter

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How to stay within or under budget

Mary Williams Interior Design

A lot of staying within or under budget in a remodeling or redesign project is finding great bargains in the Desert – and I love a great bargain! In fact, I have been finding great bargains all over the place in the most unsuspecting places. What and who I know will save you money with any project – large or small. There is a reason to work with me because “There’s REALLY Something About Mary!”

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If you are thinking about a
remodel, redesign, or reorganizing;
let me take your home from drab to FAB!

If you are considering selling your property,
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Call me at 760.567.7282!

Single Homebuyers in the Desert

One is not the loneliest number when it comes to buying homes. According to a recent article on the online REALTOR Magazine, single buyers made up a fourth of ALL the home purchases last year. Currently there are 33 MILLION one-person households in the United States and is becoming an International Trend.

So, what’s the deal? Waiting to get married? Divorced? Living Longer? Yes, yes and yes.

According to Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist and author of "Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone", the fastest group that are living solo are the 18 to 34 year old and of all groups, are comprised mainly of women. 18 MILLION women live alone compared to 14 MILLION men living alone; both generally in metro areas; low maintenance homes yet still place a high value on areas with high-rated schools.

“One of the largest segments of home buyers is single women, accounting for 16 percent of sales in 2012.”

According to 2010 Census Data on one person households:

40% are living on their own in San Francisco

30% are living solo in LA

Watch “Going Solo” Video Clip

So, do you want to purchase your home in the La Quinta and surrounding areas? There may be some adjustments to being a single homeowner; for one thing, all the good and bad of homeownership are yours and yours alone. Sometimes even qualifying for the purchase can be a bit more involved and stressful when you are single homebuyer, but that is where I come in. I know where you’re coming from and understand. Whether you’re a couple or single homebuyer, I will be able to help you find and purchase your home.

Contact me today – season is getting closer and now is the time to purchase so you can enjoy all season long in the Desert!