Redding Ca Real Estate : June 2008

There are some wireless speaker options that are pretty cool...Check out my earlier blog post on that.The real question on this new law is this "Will it be enforced". We shall see. I have heard the first offense is only $50 and that it doesn't add any points on your record so the insurance companies probably won't be able to raise your rates if you get tagged as a cell talking bandit! I THINK I SAW THIS PERSONS COUSIN DRIVING INTO THE CITY THIS MORNING! Rick

Thinking about purchasing a home and have more than a couple credit cards? You may want to think about stepping up the pace in your home search as top Banks are lowering their customers credit limits on their credit cards thus driving the customers FICO's down in the near future!

This is not good news for your typical buyers or buyers that have, 4+ credit cards with balances!

The Credit card company has to give you 15 days notice that they are indeed lowering your credit limit but after that it is fair game.

What does this mean if you are in the market for a home right now and have large balances on some of your credit cards? Well it may mean that your current FICO score will be dropping soon....

So if you are in the market for a home and have marginal credit scores to start with and have balances on your cards you might consider running to the nearest Realtor and Lender and get going....or you may be renting for awhile...or at least until things change....1-2 years or so.

This doesn't apply to EVERYONE and may not apply to your specific case but if you fall into the above scenario then you might want to take action....

There are plenty of deals out there the trick is to get a home loan while you can...and before interest rates go up!! And they will....trust me!

 

Regards

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding ca

530-248-5627

http://www.rickgoates.com

 

It's that time of year again when I get questions on gardening. Some of my clients know I love to garden and some say do a pretty decent job at it. Not all bugs are bad...I had to teach my son-5 that bugs are an important part of the garden.He of course wanted to step on all the "Little Guys' as he calls them but once we went through the reasons for leaving them he was ok with letting them live.... live and let live right?

Most of the insects in the garden are actually helping keep the balance and should be left alone...or as we do in our organic garden helped to stay there. We actually feed the bugs...I know tha sounds silly but by putting out cantaloupe rinds and watermellon rinds etc the little guys are kept very happy...and happy bugs keep pests at bay.

You see the little guys actually patrol the plants and keep the real pests at bay by eating their egss if they lay them.They also keep the peace in the bug world so to say so the plants can grow,grow,grow and don't have to fend off the bad guys.

The good guys have actually taken up residence right next to each garden plant...kind of like staking claim to territory.

My son wanted to fill all the holes in....I had to explain to him what would it feel like if someone closed up all the doors and windows in our home? He agreed it was not too nice to do so he settled on killing a lone grasshopper as it left one of his tomato plants.

if you are having trouble with Aphids try getting some lady bugs! They work and can be purchased at most nurseries.

Dragon flies are good also as they eat Mosquitoes.

Frogs are great for your organic garden also. Try adding a water feature to keep these little guys happy!

Organic gardening is all about keeping balance...as in live it is very important to have Balance.You won't get rid of ALL pests....you just have to manage the best that you can.

 

Happy Gardening!

 

Rick Goates

I just found a company that installs solar on people's roof tops and leases the panels to them! Wow, now there is an idea. Lets see here for example sake...you live outside the city of redding ca. You currently pay PG&E $300-$400 a month on average. Many people are paying much more than that right now!

Lease a 3.2Kw system installed for $80 per month? Wow...not too shabby!

The following is an example of a cash purchase vs. a SolarLease:

For a typical home with a monthly electricity bill of $200, we would recommend installing a 3.2kW solar power system. This size system will generate enough electricity to offset what you are currently paying to the utility company from $200 to $75 per month.  That's a saving of $125 per month that will more than cover your monthly lease payments.

The company that offers this is Solar City .You might want to check them out today to see if they will work with you in your area? Sounds like an innovative program that may indeed work for many people!

Regards

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Keller Williams Realty

Redding

http://www.rickgoates.com

 

 

Don't get caught with a cell phone to your ear in less than a week! The first ticket I understand is $50 and the next ones are much higher! If an officer sees you with a cell phone up to your ear after July 1st 2008 that is reason enough to pull you over and check EVERYTHING out...Well mam I see that you are getting a $50 fine today for the cell phone but I also noticed that your registration is out of date and is that.......Well you get the hint.

Here is info on one product that looks pretty cool. It's a hands free speaker phone set up...Save that $100 for installation that some companies want with a built in system...If you have two cars this will work with all of them as long as you have Bluetooth on your cell phone...You can take it with you from car to car!

Amazon has this items pretty cheap but hurry!! When EVERYONE figures it out they will ALL be back ordered!!

 

http://www.myblueant.com/supertooth-light-bluetooth-handsfree-video.htm

 

Regards

 

Rick Goates

Everyone is looking for a deal...in fact over 25 people were shopping for a steal in the last fiasco that happened when a home was priced EXCEPTIONLY well by an agent that knew what he was doing...trying to generate some INTEREST AND OFFERS... so much so that he had to clear out his cell phone messages as it was full!

There are some deals...you just have to know where to find them and be ready to pounce on them...being ready to pull the trigger with either a cash offer or a short close period is a must in this market.

If you have been staying up late and night and purchased one of those get rich in real estate manuals you might want to remember that the odds of getting one of these bank homes at 40% below the market is nothing other than a distant dream....and then you fell off the bed and the alarm went off....

With many buyers looking for deals when they find one there is usually quite a lot of interest...and offers thus pushing the price from steal to deal in a day or two.

Contact me today with what you desire and I will find it for you...and if you are ready to act quickly you can still get a steal...

Ready-Set-Call 530-248-5627

 

Regards

 

Rick Goates

Redding's ECO Broker

530-248-5627

www.rickgoates.com

 

Redding ca short sales

 

Shorts,short sales,short pays,short this and that.You have probably heard about short sales but what exactly are they and WHY do they take SO long you might be wondering? Short sales are simply where the owners of the property owe more on the loans than the property is worth and are trying to sell the property short of what is owed.

It takes willing lenders/note holders to make this happen. Sometimes they are willing to work with you and sometimes they are are not.One thing is for sure...it will take a while to learn if they will play ball!

I have one right now where the buyers (mine) have been very patient and have been waiting for 2 months now to hear...now most people wouldn't wait that long and the lender is probably going to lose out on some great buyers that wrote and excellent offer but hey...they aren't going to wait forever with 1900+ home available.

The main reason that these things take SOO long is that there is a person somewhere in a bank that has this stack on his or her desk...this stack seems to grow each week and not shrink...meanwhile lets not forget that this person gets paid a salary...it really is just another number on another piece of paper to them so there is not too much interest in getting an answer back in any fast fashion! I mean another way to look at it is this...if the pile keeps getting larger...well, that's just job security...right?

Another reason it take a long time is that there is usually more than one lender involved...and everyone must play to make it work. If the second or third says "we are not interested or won't work with you" the game is over..so that takes a while also.

SHORT SALES ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART...they are time consuming and stressful for buyers and sellers not knowing until the last minute IF the back will play ball...

Regards,

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding Ca

530-248-5627

www.rickgoates.com

 

I have to give credit where credit is due...There is one builder in Redding that "Gets it".They sold tons of homes when the market was hot and now that the market is not they are still selling homes! What magic bullet do they have that other developers and builders don't? Well they build a great home for one...sure they have one here and there that has problems but when they can build a New home of high Quality in This market and sell them..this tells me one thing...they are doing what it takes to sell in a down market..

What they are doing is selling this homes for $144 a foot...In REDDING...not Shasta Lake or Happy Valley or Oak Run...Redding.Are they making money at that price? Do you know what the buyers says when presented with that question?? Who cares! That's right the buyers all want a deal...Don't we all? I know I want a deal also.

So back to the homes...They offer the following-

 

Energy efficient Earth Advantage homes. Large, level lots range from 1/4 to 1/2+ acres. Room for RV parking on most lots. Amenities to include: stucco exteriors, ceramic tile floors and countertops, vaulted ceilings, master suites, whirlpool appliances... just to name a few.

If this doesn't make you excited at $144 a foot for a NEW HOME then you are either dead or won't get excited if you hit the lotto!

Contact me today should you want more info on what one very "Successful" developer is doing and doing well!

 

Regards

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding

www.inforedding.com

 

The market chugs along.The Developers and home sellers are wondering why nothing is sellling and wondering what is selling. I can tell you two things....yes there are buyers out there! And they are purchasing. What they all want is a DEAL. If you are selling a new home whether you be a developer or a home seller the advice is pretty simple right now...PRICE IT RIGHT TO START WITH... Does this mean that you may lose money if you have a new home subdivision? Well it may but if you want to SELL some homes, the home better be priced right or you don't stand a CHANCE. Yes properties need to be advertised and the best way to do that now days is the internet as that is where over 85% of ALL buyers go now.

It's the same advice as when the market was hot but only a little different now. When the market was hot you could sell the right and left and price didn't matter but now, price is EVERYTHING. You see there used to be a very small difference between new and existing pricing levels per foot. Now there is a much higher spread as existing home sellers have had to face the reality of "Offering a deal" or die.

Does the buyer on the street care if a developer is breaking even or losing money? The answer is NO they don't!! It has always been the same and always continue to be the way and that is "What is in it for me". That is the mantra of buyers everywhere.

There is one development company that is still selling homes right now even in this market..What are they doing to get them sold?? They are pricing them to sell!! OFFERING A STEAL OF A PRICE!! ARE THEY MAKING MONEY? PROBABLY VERY LITTLE IF ANY. THEY ARE SELLING HOMES THOUGH AND THEY ARE BUILDING MORE REPOIRE WITH THEIR BUYERS.When the market comes back do you think this current buyers will be happy ?? Well we all know the answer.

The buyers Don't care about anything other than price and location right now...If your home is in an area that is considered undesireable then you are in a real pickle right now with the way the market is right now! What you need to do is compensate for this EVEN more now than ever before...Why? WEll if a buyer has a chance to puchase a home in Redding over say Shasta Lake City or Anderson etc for about the same price they will be voting for REDDING.

It might not have mattered as much when the market was blazing hot but now location is even more critical...."Location, Location....you have heard it before but hasn't changed.

If you have a home in a less desirable area and want market prices for Redding you are in for long haul...

"Sometimes we have to do what we have to, to sell a home...not what we want to"! That means PRICE IT TO SELL FOR THE CURRENT MARKET AND CURRENT PROBLEMS... If you don't like the sound of it you have two options...Wait until the market comes back or reduce or start at a price that the agents AND the buyers say "Wow that is a good deal!!" When you get the agents and the buyers saying that...then you will have some sales!! Will you the seller or developer be making any money? Probably not...but if you want to SELL then you have to do what it takes...EVEN if you Don't like it....

It was your descision to purchase in the area that you did when you did....Take some responsibility and take some good advice and make it happen...Then if you can't sell some homes, hire someone like me that will tell you the above information AGAIN and AGAIN until you are ok with it or pick another Broker. In this market you either get it or you don't...if you don't you will take less later...pretty simple stuff...not rocket science folks!!

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding Ca

www.rickgoates.com

530-248-5627

Warren Buffett...what can I say, this man is a genius! When others are buying he is selling and when others are running scared his is buying...Here is one of just another example of his brilliant stock picks...Budweiser back about 3 years ago was just a run of the mill beer company right??-Wrong...Buffett studyed this stock and started accumulating it...buying when others were worried about the mico brews and all that other stuff.

Fast forward 3 years...someone wants to purchase Bud....well now...look at that stock head on up!! And who do you think is making a KILLING on it...yes that is right MR Buffett...Why? Well because he bought yet again at the RIGHT time....and sold at the Right time.....Wow!

If Berkshire weren't so high I would have some of this one....But then there is a REASON that stock is SO high....

Buffet looks for companies that have a "Durable competitive edge" Those are words that need to be remembered!

 

Regards,

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding Ca

530-248-5627

The smoke is thick and my eyes are burning as I type this. We have over 150 active fires in our immediate area.With the smoke and heat in the mid to high 90's residents with respitory problems are advised to stay inside with the windows CLOSED! Don't venture out unless it is necessary as the problem is Redding is so bad that ash is falling out of the sky this evening!

Here is the map that shows where the fires currently are in California right now...

 

Stay safe!

 

Regards

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding Ca

5430-248-5627

With all the talk about "Green" I came across this product that is interesting if you have a baby or two in the home.While they might not be considered truly "Green" these diapers appear to be a much better choice for parents everywhere! Instead of using plastic in the diapers (like traditional ones) they use something different.

Supposedly these things break down fairly quickly and you can even compost them...well the ones that don't have a little present in them so to say!!

They say the garden will love them...not too sure about that but tolerate probably yes!

Here is the link to a new product that might just get people concerned with the environment to change their ways when it comes to diapers!

 

Gdiapers...mmm wonder what Google thinks about this one?

 

Regards

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding Ca

530-248-5627

www.rickgoates.com

 

I just read where Senator Obama is sweet on Ethanol....But has he looked closely at all the NON food based alternatives? Using food based crops to produce fuel is not too smart in my opinion! There are so many alternatives like cane/switch grass/Jatropha Curcas and many others.

Yes the corn farmers are loving the current prices but lets look at all the alternatives.

I am hoping that whom ever gets elected will look at the big picture and not just the special interest groups!

Regards,

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding Ca

530-248-5627

http://rickgoates.com

 

We hear it every week...green this and green that...If fact there is one local builder here in my city that toughts a green home...problem is they might be building an energy star home or a super effiecient home but their homes are FAR from "Green". That's the problem...people jump on the bandwagon and start preaching green when they don't even know the difference between an efficient home and a true "Green" home..

Here is a link if you want to see where you fall into the spectrum?

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Keller Williams Realty

Redding CA

530-248-5627

 

www.rickgoates.com

 

Millions of people every week receive literally tons of junk mail in the good old mailbox. I have provided a link so that you can take yourself OFF these lists and will hopefully get your junk mail down to a reasonable pile!! Most companies will not send you any more junk mail once you register because sending out catalogs is fairly expensive and if they know for a fact it will be thrown out then they would rather not even send it.

I have noticed a huge drop after signing up and hope that you do too!!

Here is the link so you can cut that junk mail/catalog mail etc down!

 

Regards

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding

530-248-5627

Greetings everyone. I wanted to let you know if you are looking for a nice 4/2 for $150k and under and have not been able to find one in Shasta County you might want to check this one out!!

This home is located in the city of Shasta Lake and is close to the Dam and lake itself.There is handicap access via a concrete ramp up to the front door.

Many upgrades and the sellers are movtivated.

Contact me today for more details or info

Rick Goates

Atlantis Realty Group

Keller Williams Realty

Redding CA 96001

530-248-5627

Interest is heading up...at least that is what Yahoo had on their site today. I have heard that it would be going up and couldn't stay super low for ever.This is just one of many good reasons to think at least about buying a home now and not waiting until the "Bottom" occurs.

No one can time the bottom...if they could they would all be millioniares! One thing is for sure though if you wait too long to purchase waiting for the bottom then you will be paying more each month..How that you ask? Well if interest goes up 1% in the next year waiting will cost you many $$$ over the life of your loan...if you keep it 30 years I don't even want to think about what that extra 1% will cost you!

The inventory is still pretty high and there are still many REO's to choose from so now is a great time if you have been thinking about it.

The last "Steal" had 25 offers on it here in Redding...Can you imagine how many offers it would have had on it if the market were coming back and everyone agreed that we had already hit the bottom?? 30-35?

Rick Goates

Atlantis Realty Group

Keller Williams Realty

Redding Ca 96001

530-248-5627

www.inforedding.com

 

This update on Redding California Real Estate shows that homes in the lower price ranges are certainly in DEMAND. There was a nice little home in south Redding that was recently listed. The price was and excellent price for the home,even in it's current conditon.There were 25 offers on it!! Thats 25 not 2 or 5....25...WOW!

What does that prove or show us? Well for one, there are many buyers out there....the misnomer that there are NO buyers out there is really not true...as evidenced by this home. But what the buyers all want is a DEAL...Yes a deal...a steal in fact. So this home met that criteria...It was in a good area,surrounded by nicely kept homes and in a good part of the city.

We have approx 1900 homes active and available so inventory is still pretty high and there are plenty to choose from.

The moral of the story you ask? Well price it right or be in for a long haul....this little home should be in escrow in a couple days...and the seller will be counting their money as the other homes in the area sit....and sit...and....

Here's to the good deals!!

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding Ca

530-248-5627

With all the foreclosures and short sales etc I thought it very important to stress the benefits of using a licensed california agent or Broker.People that are licensed and that are Realtor's MUST act in a very high manner when helping you...They simply have to as there are repercussions if they don't.

I remember back about 6 months ago I had a client interested in a home on a couple acres and came in contact with a lady that claimed to be an "Expert at short sales".She did not currently have her Real Estate License but mentioned she was a seasoned investor and that she could make this situation work.

You see she was advertising peoples homes on the internet that #1 she did not even have listed, #2 didn't even know the people,#3 was trying to gather buyers to then approach the bank in the hopes that she could sell the property to these buyers by getting the bank to take a lot less that what was owed.Her plan appeared to approach the owners in distress and explain that she could get them out of their situation and that she would take care of everything! She then would tell the potential buyers that they could purchase the home for X amount and then she would start negotiating with the bank to take less that what was owed...substantially...then the difference?? Well the difference was to go into her pocket!!

Is that legal? Well you would have to talk with an attorney about that but I can tell you it is far from being moral!!

There is a real benefit to working with someone ABOVE board and that has their real estate license! This particular lady let hers expire MANY years ago...mmm I wonder why?

You see as a licensed real estate agent or Broker you will have to answer to someone should you try and do any of the above...WE look out for our CLIENTS best interest...not ours!

Next time you run across someone that is fast talking and tell you they buy and sell a lot of real estate and will take care of everything...check them out....Here is a link to do that-

http://www2.dre.ca.gov/PublicASP/pplinfo.asp

Regards,

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Redding

530-248-5627

I am seeing it every week now. There are hundreds of people that are getting ready to lose their homes because they can not make anymore payments.One of the most important things to remember if you owe more on your home than it is currently worth is that once you get your notice of default in the mail or posted on your door then the time clock is ticking!

What that means is that the problem is NOT going to go away! It is IMPERATIVE THAT YOU TAKE ACTION and contact a Realtor that is an expert in doing short sales.Not just any Realtor will do if you owe more on your home than the market is willing to pay right now!

I saw a while back where an agent lost his own home because he tied to do a short sale but didn't quite know what he was doing and ended up losing this home to foreclosure.He had it listed on the MLS but didn't quite understand how to price it low enough to get the offer or offers needed to make it happen prior to the sale date.

You see EVEN some Realtors don't know what to do in these situation so you can see the importance of getting to someone that has a very good CHANCE to get the home sold PRIOR to the Trustee's sale date!!

One thing is for sure...if you stop making your payments sooner or later the bank WILL foreclose on your home!!

There is another option for home owners IF they can still make most of their current payment and that is called "Loan Modification".This is a process of working with your lender to modify the terms of the current loan that you have.It may work for some people and for many it just doesn't work.

The main thing I want you to know is that there is help available to get your home sold PRIOR to it being sold at the court house steps...you just have to take ACTION and make a phone call to make this happen.

Foreclosure can prevent you from getting another home (home loan) for up to 10 YEARS!

Contact me today should you like to talk about your Shasta County home that you might need to sell because you can't make anymore payments on it.

Regards,

 

Rick Goates

ECO Broker

Keller Williams Realty

Redding Ca 96001

530-248-5627