California Real Estate - Appreciation on Steroids

For the last five years, owners of California real estate have been hitting the ball out of the appreciation ballpark. Yes, a real estate market on steroids.

California

California is heavily populated from north to south along the coastline, but they state offers significantly different ecologies. In Northern California, one is much more likely to see signs of the four seasons, get cold temperatures and more historic feel in locations such as San Francisco. Southern California, on the other hand, has an extremely moderate climate with temperatures rarely dipping below 60 degrees even in the winter. Rainfall is also scant with San Diego receiving roughly 11 inches a year. If you are considering moving to California, there are two constants throughout the state.

Traffic

So many people have moved to the state that traffic can be a real issue even on weekends. Los Angles traffic is legendary, but San Francisco and San Diego have their own congestion problems.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes are a constant throughout the state as the San Andres Fault bisects much of the state. Earthquakes happen all of the time, but they are typically very small. If you live in California for more than a month, you won’t even notice them.

Beaches, Sun and Culture

There are serious benefits to living in California. Foremost, of course, are the beaches. If the thought of spending weekends and evenings on the beach appeals to you, this is the place. You’ll pay a premium for it, but there is nothing like it. For example, the temperature in San Diego on October 5, 2005, the day I am writing this, is 79 degrees!   

California Real Estate

California is an incredible place to live and real estate prices reflect it. Single-family home prices average as follows for the three major metropolitan areas - $620,000 for San Diego, $1,300,000 for central San Francisco and $750,000 for central Los Angeles. As a general rule, the closer the home is to the ocean, the more it will cost.

As shocking as the prices are, the rate of appreciation is downright impossible to believe. In the last 12 months, California real estate has appreciated over 25 percent. For a 500,000 home, that is a gain of $125,000 in 12 months. Steroids indeed!

Real estate is all about location, location, location. While this is certainly a cliché, there is no doubt it is true in California.

California Real Estate – Appreciation on Steroids

For the last five years, owners of California real estate have been hitting the ball out of the appreciation ballpark. Yes, a real estate market on steroids.

California

California is heavily populated from north to south along the coastline, but they state offers significantly different ecologies. In Northern California, one is much more likely to see signs of the four seasons, get cold temperatures and more historic feel in locations such as San Francisco. Southern California, on the other hand, has an extremely moderate climate with temperatures rarely dipping below 60 degrees even in the winter. Rainfall is also scant with San Diego receiving roughly 11 inches a year. If you are considering moving to California, there are two constants throughout the state.

Traffic

So many people have moved to the state that traffic can be a real issue even on weekends. Los Angles traffic is legendary, but San Francisco and San Diego have their own congestion problems.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes are a constant throughout the state as the San Andres Fault bisects much of the state. Earthquakes happen all of the time, but they are typically very small. If you live in California for more than a month, you won’t even notice them.

Beaches, Sun and Culture

There are serious benefits to living in California. Foremost, of course, are the beaches. If the thought of spending weekends and evenings on the beach appeals to you, this is the place. You’ll pay a premium for it, but there is nothing like it. For example, the temperature in San Diego on October 5, 2005, the day I am writing this, is 79 degrees!   

California Real Estate

California is an incredible place to live and real estate prices reflect it. Single-family home prices average as follows for the three major metropolitan areas - $620,000 for San Diego, $1,300,000 for central San Francisco and $750,000 for central Los Angeles. As a general rule, the closer the home is to the ocean, the more it will cost.

As shocking as the prices are, the rate of appreciation is downright impossible to believe. In the last 12 months, California real estate has appreciated over 25 percent. For a 500,000 home, that is a gain of $125,000 in 12 months. Steroids indeed!

Real estate is all about location, location, location. While this is certainly a cliché, there is no doubt it is true in California.

Buying a Home in Rancho Santa Fe

<b>Homes in Rancho Santa Fe</b>

For those who like a little more luxury in their lifestyle a home in idyllic Rancho Santa Fe, California is just the ticket. 

This exclusive location is the favoured home to the super-rich and the famous, as a quick scan through the list of past and present residents of Rancho Santa Fe's luxury houses, mansion and developments will show. It is also the highest income community (with at least 1000 households) in the United States.  It's zip-code - 92067 - is also listed in Forbes Magazine as being the second most expensive zip-code in 2006.


<b>Rancho Santa Fe California Real Estate</b>

Rancho Santa Fe properties have to be designed within strict restrictions.  This means that many of the houses of Rancho Santa Fe cannot be seen from the road-side, due to the fact that they sit within large land-scaped grounds and gardens. 

Apart from the downtown area, which exists aroung the intersection of Linea del Cielo/Paseo Delicias and La Granada/Via de Santa Fe, the region is nearly exclusively residential - the only other buildings being Golf Clubs and Country Clubs.

All of this means that the entire region of Rancho Santa Fe is a beautiful part of the world to live in, and this makes Rancho Santa Fe Real Estate highly sought after.  Rancho Santa Fe houses therefore makes excellent investment properties.

The prices of homes for sale in Rancho Santa Fe range from condos for sale from just over $500,000 to elegant mansions priced at well over $8,000,000 in the more sought-after sub-divisions.


<b>Rancho Santa Fe Homes Information</b>

There were 1,204 households at the time of the 2000 census, for which the median income was in excess of $200,000.  The population is broken down as follows:

- 25.9% under the age of 18
- 2.9% from 18 to 24
- 17.7% from 25 to 44
- 33.0% from 45 to 64
- 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older


<b>Buying a home in Rancho Santa Fe</b>

Rancho Santa Fe is broken down in to the following sub-divisions, all of which provide their own unique flavour of luxury and decadence:

The Bridges
Cielo
Covenant
The Crosby Estate
Del Mar C.C.
Del Rayo Downs
Fairbanks Ranch
The Groves
Hacienda Santa Fe
Las Villas
Montecito
Non-Covenant
Rancho Del Lago
Rancho Del Rio
Rancho Diegueno
Rancho Farms Estates
Rancho Glens
Rancho La Cima
Rancho Santa Fe Farms
Rancho Santa Fe Lakes
Rancho Santa Fe Meadows
Rancho Valencia
Santa Luz
Senterra
South Pointe Farms
Spyglass
Stonebridge
Stratford
The Summit
The Tuscan Estates
Whispering Palms

5 General Trends in the California Real Estate Market to Watch 2006

Historically, the real estate trends of California have always been the precursors for the rest of the country. Which is why leading players of the real estate market keep a close watch on the Golden State’s real estate market conditions.

And whether you are a first time homebuyer, debating the viability of building your dream house in San Bernardino, or a real estate investor looking to sell condominium units in Los Angeles, you certainly want to know: When is it the optimum time to buy or sell?

Purchasing a house is a major investment. With judicious planning, this valuable asset will appreciate with each year.

But how do you get the big picture? Fortunately, real estate trends are predictable because these develop over a long period, unlike the stock market, which is rather volatile.

The first thing you will need to do is to read and track real estate articles: the market reports of the California Association of Realtors or the California Building Industry Association, and the briefs created by housing analyst companies.

Once you have identified the following key indicators you will have a better grasp of the general trends in California’s real estate market.

THE FIVE KEY INDICATORS TO WATCH

Interest Rates
When interest rates rise, buyers shy away. Conversely, lowered interest rates attract more buyers.

This year, interest rates in California are on an upswing. For example, thirty-year fixed mortgage rates, which averaged 5.71 percent in 2005, has risen to 6 percent levels in January 2006. And adjustable mortgage interest rates have moved up to 5 percent levels compared to 4.12 percent in 2005.

Building Permits
The higher the number of building permits issued, the higher the demand for houses.

Figures show that number of building permits issued for the year 2006, have fallen by 10 percent in comparison to last year’s figures. In terms of houses, that’s a decrease of 1,430 building permits compared to January 2005 figures, according to California Building Industry Association report.

Home Sales
This key indicator refers to the total number of homes sold. In the law of supply and demand, when there are few buyers, real estate prices fall.

The January 2006 figures of the California Association of Realtors reveal that the number of existing single-family detached homes sold, has gone down by 24.1 percent in comparison to sales for the entire year 2005.

Another factor to consider is the growing inventory of available houses in certain counties in California, which is changing the market dynamics. What was once a sellers market is slowly turning into a buyers market.

Loan Defaults
This refers to the failure of homeowners to pay their monthly mortgage fees. One downside to this is that many Californian homeowners are choosing to have a bad credit report, rather than to keep paying fees for a home whose value has been inflated by as much as 20 percent more.

Foreclosure Sales
Figures presented by DataQuick Information Systems, a housing analyst company, indicate that foreclosure activities in California have gone up by 19 percent in the last quarter of 2005. This is an increase of 3 percent compared to the third quarter of 2005, and is 4.6 percent higher when compared to 2004’s last quarter figures.

When foreclosure sales are on an upswing, consumer spending is down and consumer debt levels have risen. In the real estate market, this has meant that many financially strapped homeowners are selling their homes at lower prices. The other contributable factors are inflation, the rising prices of gasoline, federal budget deficit, and interest rates.

Concurrently, these key indicators confirm that although home sales levels in California are falling, the demand for houses remains strong and steady. Always do your due diligence before undertaking a purchase of property in California.