We are off to a new year. How does 2009 look for real estate sales in Chico, California? The MLS can give us some facts to set our baseline.
We are down to 294 single family homes for sale. This is down from over 450 mid 2008. I expect this number to rise some with the […]

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We hear on the news how California and the nation’s housing markets are doing this year compared to last, but how about Chico?
I compared December of 2007 to December of 2008. For starters, we have fewer homes on the market, down about 10% from 350 to 315. The average days on the market is also lower […]

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I hate to bore everyone with facts and figures, but sometimes the numbers tell the story best.
Last week I received the number of actual homes sold by foreclosure in Butte County for October. Here is a recap of the year-to-date:
January            26
February          67
March              51
April                68
May                 55
June                 81
July                  90
August            110
September        97
October            63
I was pleased that the numbers seem […]

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How many times have you heard, “I was just in the right place at the right time?”
 
A good 15 to 20 years ago, I heard something I will never forget.
 
I was attending a seminar on how to negotiate with large advertising agencies placing television buys. The skills I learned are great for negotiating real estate […]

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California has been hit by two major housing “hurricanes.” One in fall 2005 and a second one this August.
 
Imagine Florida for a moment. When a major hurricane blows in, the area closest to the eye of the storm experiences the major brunt of the damage, and possibly the storm surge. As the storm continues its […]

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The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 was signed by President Bush into law on Friday. The National Association of Realtors has posted this information to help all of us sort through the new legislation.
This summary uses some general subject headings to illustrate the many pro-taxpayer and pro-borrower provisions in the law, as well as […]

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Those of you who have been following this blog may remember that I have sold real estate in many areas of California. Traveling with my husband’s job, I started in San Joaquin County in 1980, then worked in Del Norte, Kern and Tehama counties, finally settling into Butte County and Chico in 1989. Before 1980, […]

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Ready to buy a house in Chico? Read this primer and get up to speed on the new ways of real estate.
 
It may be a buyer’s market, but the buyers are not always in control.
 
Remember my clients, the Smiths?  They were interested in finding a good deal, on a house priced under $250,000.
 
The […]

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Last week I had the opportunity to listen to the foremost economist on California real estate. Joel Singer is the Executive Vice President of the California Association of Realtors. He has been with the organization since 1978, and has served as C.A.R.’s chief economist.
He began his speech on a personal note. His own daughter was […]

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Here is an interesting story written by a Realty World broker in Sunnyvale, CA. She was telling me of her experience, and I asked her if I could post it for all of you to read. Good stuff to know…
You’ve heard about real estate auctions and you may be wondering if this is a good way […]

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