Best of Tour for April 28, 2015

Selecting today’s Best of Tour home made for a difficult decision. Not because there were too many intriguing homes to choose from, or great deals to be had, but rather that there were none which offered any attributes we found remarkable or outstanding.

I don’t profess to be any sort of great hiker, and today proved why. We hiked up and down more stairs today than was portrayed in the famous lithograph Relativity by M. C. Escher in 1953.

Aside from the common denominator of “mundane” in the homes we toured today, was the abundance of cliff side homes. There are two kinds of cliff-side homes—cliff hangers—you know, the sort of homes you wonder if your kids would get out the bungee cords and leap over the edge, and what we refer to as cliff clingers—those homes which are on the up-slope with a yard better suited for a Billy Goat.

Now don’t get us wrong, many of these very homes offer spectacular views and often little yard maintenance. But when you’re out touring 20 of them in a row, one pines for just one sprawling California ranch home.

So if you are looking for an excuse to step back from the relentless open house weekend, we recommend you get away and tune in next week. Perhaps a nice hike would be in order…

Best of Tour for April 14th 2015

The definition of a mansion varies from person to person but we’re weighing in and calling this best of tour home in San Carlos so unique as to rise to the level.

Perched on the prestigious Hyde Park development with sweeping views of the surrounding canyons and San Francisco Bay, this stately home offers a plethora of elegant verandas and vistas to choose from.168 Queens Lane

Swank and extraordinary best describes this home and it comes with an equally extraordinary price tag for San Carlos where the average home sold this year for just over $1,400,000—yet there’s nothing average about this home. Listed by Coldwell Banker at a cool $4,988,000.

Click here for more images and details…

 

 

168 Queens Lane Kitchen

Veranda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

You can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Morganhomes and also find them on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/morganhomes

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

 

 

 

Best of Tour for April 7th 2015

Today’s Best of Tour was chosen due to its awe factor of being what I would consider my dream home. Imagine living lakeside in a mountain retreat but really just minutes from downtown Redwood City with its nightlife and great restaurants, not to mention the “Weather Best by Government Test” slogan the city boasts.

But get your wallet out as this amazing five bedroom five and one-half 4,250 square foot home will set you back a cool $4,498,000 if there are no multiple offers…

Click here for more pictures…
1005 Lakeview Way kitchen1005 Lakeview Way aerial

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1005 Lakeview Way Living room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

You can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Morganhomes and also find them on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/morganhomes

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

Listed by Coldwell Banker

 

Belmont Loses an Icon, Gains Some Gourmet

The Greedy Ant comes to Belmont and while Belmont loses an icon, it gains some gourmet as there’s a changing of the guard. The Beli-Deli, an institution in Belmont which has served the residents and beyond very well and for many years, is closing its doors. Our best wishes—we hear they are retiring to Tahoe!

Beli DeliTo fill Belmont’s deprived sandwich lovers, The Greedy Ant Gourmet opened up three months ago in the place of the old flower shop at 932 Ralston Avenue—right between the US Bank and Divino’s Italian restaurant.

Owner Mark Paladini seems to be filling more than a vacant flower shop void as his offerings are reminiscent of the now defunct A.G. Ferrari’s gourmet Italian deli, currently the Panda Express.The Greedy Ant

We stepped inside The Greedy Ant to a plethora of imported and domestic specialties including over 40 different types of cheese which Mark will gladly let you sample. We settled on the Pistachio Pecorino which is a semi-hard sheep’s milk cheese. It had both a creamy texture and nutty crunch without being too salty, as some Pecorino’s can be. This cheese was amazing!Peccorino

The Gnocchi stuffed with mushrooms and truffles was beckoning to go home with us and we can’t wait to give them a try this weekend. We’re considering topping them with some Mascarpone and shaved Pecorino we brought home—if there’s any left after the appetizer round.

But it’s not just gourmet items they carry to pique your interest, they also have inspiring sandwich combinations. Forget about formulaic offerings, these sandwiches aren’t your standard ham and Swiss on rye. Each product chosen for his sandwiches is unique in its own way. His version of a ham sandwich is described like this, “Shaved Truffle Ham or Rosemary Ham, Creamy Havarti Cheese, Marinated Cipollini Onion, Organic Greens, & Extra Virgin Oil, Magic Mayo” And the ham they use– Imagine the number one ham in Rovagnati’s cooked ham range, Gran Biscotto (ham), a unique product, a myth in Italian charcuterie, combined with the heady flavor and aroma of truffle.

And if you are in need of catering that will impress your guests, we suggest you give Mark a call to hear about his full line of catering offerings–as intriguing as his shop.

Stop by and say hi to Mark and his crew but be careful not to drool on the displays of hand-picked specialties. We’re going back.

 

Disclaimer:

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

You can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Morganhomes and also find them on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/morganhomes

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

Best of Tour for March 31st 2015

We see a lot of homes on tour but this home stood out as our best of tour because of its outdoor recreational areas for all ages and the indoor entertaining space for large gatherings.
This stunning 6 bedroom, 5 bath Tudor style home is in the sought-after Emerald Hills location. This rare opportunity affords one a large, level lot with a rural feel, yet it remains close to 280, downtown Redwood City and San Carlos. This ideal floor plan offers plenty of room for large gatherings and entertaining, with a master en suite and 3 additional bedrooms upstairs, 2 bedrooms downstairs, including extra-large bedroom suitable for in-laws/au pair. A “Great Room style family room with custom entertainment center and wet bar is open to the remodeled kitchen. Enjoy resort-like living with pool, fire pit and outdoor kitchen including a recessed outdoor flat panel TV for the sports enthusiast in your household.

Never Lose Money on a Home Again with Home Price Protection?

Home Equity LockHow does the program work?

Home Price Protection™ provides financial protection to homeowners in the event their local market index value declines at the time they sell their home,regardless of the price the home is sold for.

Is this insurance?

No. It is a financial agreement to pay the homeowner upon resale if their House Price Index drops. The contract is not purchased to insure against the loss of value in a particular real estate parcel; rather the contract pays out based on declines in the relevant market index, regardless of whether the home sells for a gain or a loss. A Home Price Protection™ agreement holder cannot have an insurable interest in the House Price Index. In order to provide consumers the confidence they deserve, we insure our risk with a Washington, D.C. insurance company which provides regulation on our pricing, capital and reserve requirements at levels sufficient to cover operations and expected claims.

Who can sign up for this program?

Anyone who is a homeowner or who is buying a home can purchase a Home Price Protection™ contract from EquityLock Solutions. Anyone who is selling a home can agree to purchase Home Price Protection on behalf of their buyer.

How much does it cost?

The national average is currently 2.05%. For a home worth $200,000, the one-time cost would be about $4,100. We offer multiple payment options from a onetime payment up to 60 month financing options.

With RE/MAX we offer special pricing and the cost for RE/MAX clients ONLY is 1.75% of the purchase price and can be financed over a two year period at zero percent interest.

When can I file a claim?

Upon the sale of the home after a 2-year waiting period from the time of enrollment and if the house price index in your area has gone down since enrollment. Protection is available for a maximum of 15 years.

Why is there a waiting period?

There are several reasons why we chose to impose a waiting period. The program is intended to encourage homeowners that are committed to remaining in their home for the long term, rather than as a speculative financial tool. Second, home price movements can be somewhat predictable over the short term, but over longer periods, the predictability is reduced. The waiting period prevents a situation where homeowners will increase their protection at times when the market is weak, impacting the sustainability of the program.

What if the homeowner loses more money upon reselling the home than they get from the Home Price Protection™ payment? What if they make money upon reselling the home, but the index has gone down?

EquityLock Solutions will make a payment only when there has been a decline in the market index and only for the percent change in the index, multiplied by the protected value. Because the index represents the average performance of home prices, some people will experience losses greater than the decline in the index while some people will experience losses less than the decline in the index. It is possible that a homeowner could sell their house at a profit but still receive a Home Price Protection™ payment if the index has declined in their neighborhood.

How is payment made in the event of a claim?

Upon reselling your house, we look at the change in your market index. If there was a drop in the market, we pay for any difference, up to the contract maximum of 20%.

If you’d like more information on this exceptional program please contact us at info@morganhomes.com or call (650) 508-1441.

Disclaimer:

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

You can find them on Facebook and also on Twitter.

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

Belmont Enjoys Steady Home Price Increases–2014 a Year in Review

Belmont Enjoys Steady Home Price Increases

Since the housing recovery began in earnest in 2012, Belmont has enjoyed a steady increase in home values. Since 2010 Belmont’s home values have increased 44%, while year-over-year prices continued to increase 17% in 2014.

Belmont Median Home Price

Part of the rapid increase in home values is due to historically low interest rates coming off a reduction in home values during the Great Recession. Another influence continues to be the influx of new jobs which jump started the need for housing in 2012. But the scarce housing inventory may have been the largest contributing factor by creating bidding wars and over exuberant offer prices.

To put the meager housing inventory into perspective, there were four times the number of homes for sale at the end of 2010 and 2011 than there are now, while new listings in 2014 were a quarter of what they were in 2010.

The time a home sat on the market dropped 70%, from 52 days down to just 16, while the percent a seller received increased 10% as sale prices averaged 109% of the asking price last year.

It’s safe to say that Belmont’s robust housing market has become self-evident. But how does Belmont stack up to other nearby cities such as San Carlos?

San Carlos bested Belmont in the median price category coming in at $1,425,000—11 % higher than Belmont for the year. The rate of appreciation over the past four years as also been higher as San Carlos home values increased 52% since 2010 as compared to Belmont’s 44%.

When compared to San Mateo County as a whole, a different picture develops as both Belmont and San Carlos are at the front of the pack. San Mateo County reported a 15% increase in the median home price year-over-year—with a median home value still 21% lower than that of Belmont’s. Here’s the supply and demand answer as to why home values are skyrocketing—the available homes for sale in all of San Mateo County dropped 73% over 2010 and the number of new listings dropped 21%.

We start 2015 with the lowest inventory of homes for sale since we started tracking home statistics in 1998. This will invariably create more multiple offer scenarios forcing buyers to outbid one another for their ideal home. This in turn will continue to put upward pressure on home values. And if interest rates remain stable (currently at a 1.5 year low), we expect another year of double digit appreciation, though we also expect the rate to slow as it did last year, down 2% from 2013.

Disclaimer:

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years of experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

If you are considering selling your home we’re somebody you should know. Be sure and include us in your interview process—we’ll show you our proprietary EXCITE listing program which has netted our sellers more than any other top Belmont agents.

 

 

 

Winter Home Prices Increase

Winter home prices increase and buck the trends of a winter slowdowns.

We’re getting close to our most anticipated analysis—the year end summary for Belmont. But before those numbers are in the history books, we are closing out the year with November’s home sales report.

The Belmont home market continues to show strong growth after a lackluster fall market. Typically we see a strong push for home sales after Labor Day and a winter hibernation period once we get past Thanksgiving. This year seems to be at odds with historical trends as seen in the median home price which has risen steadily since August.

This November in Belmont the median home price was at $1,342,000 which was only eclipsed once in July of this year. Last November the median home price was $1,089,000. That translates into a 23% increase in the median home price year-over-year.

Did larger homes sell this year artificially skewing the median home price higher? The answer is yes. The size homes which sold this November were 18% larger. If we account for this in the median home price analysis we arrive at a more reasonable appreciation level of 5% year–over-year—which of course is just an approximation.

As prices get higher, demand wanes and the rate of appreciation levels off—as is demonstrated in the above numbers.

SALES & NEW LISTINGS

The number of homes sales dropped 44% year-over year since last November. Upward pressure on home values is being fed by the lack of inventory as new listings dropped 20% as well.

PERCENT RECEIVED

The amount which Seller’s received of their asking price was essentially unchanged at 107 % of asking.

OVER-UNDER

While 72% of all home sales sold for over the asking price—unchanged since last November, this year no seller’s had to adjust their asking prices lower. Last November 20% of sellers lowered their asking price for on average $200,000—indicating a slightly more robust November this year.

On a macro-level, the San Francisco Metropolitan Statistical analysis (the SFMSA) prepared by Standard & Poor’s, and referred to as the Case-Shiller study, reported a decline from August to September of .2%. The Case-Shiller uses a repeat sales pair methodology—virtually watching the same home sell over time. Not that .2% is a monumental shift in trends, since as can be seen in the chart below, seasonal factors cause even a large area like our MSA to fluctuate to a much greater degree.

This graph compares the MSA for our area year-over-year for the past three recovery years. Note that a fair amount of each year’s appreciation (increase in the index) occurs in the first two quarters of each year.

MSA Year over Year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

 

Fed Up Buyers Take Action

Fed Up Buyers Take Action

Buyers, tired of multiple offers, are forming an alliance in an effort to alter the current inequitable supply and demand of housing inventory. Known as Buyers Usurping Real Property, or BURP, Their grass roots movement is gaining momentum as their “just sit on the fence” attitude is resonating with other frustrated buyers.

Implicit in their long term goal is to bring real estate prices down and shift the market from a seller’s market to that of one which benefits buyers, by resisting the urge to compete in the housing market.

Ben Dover, the collation’s founding father and leader was quoted as saying, “Just say no to multiple offers. Sellers have had it their way long enough and frankly we’re tired of this”. He went on to elaborate, “The market should have shifted by now—we all have life plans and we need to move forward. We’re committed to remain in our rentals forever if need beSay No To Homes [rather] than purchase at today’s inflated prices”. Asked what he thought about the inflated rents, he responded, “Well, that’s just market forces at work isn’t it?”

Mr. Dover continued, “We’re confident we’ve got sellers with their backs to the wall. If we continue to resist the temptation to purchase a home, our movement will be a success. We plan on waiting out the winter market and spring into action next year, when our boycott will have created enough inventory and affordable housing for all.

Asked if he thought the actions of his devoted followers would be enough to alter the course of the housing market, Mr. Dover reasoned, “It had better we’re banking on it”.

Housing Market Prices Halve

With the Autumnal Equinox just around the corner, we look back a great summer. Now to get caught up on the housing market since we’ve took some much needed time off.

On the national level…we gleam this insight from Standard and Poor’s website…

“Home price gains continue to ease as they have since last fall,” says David M. Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “For the first time since February 2008, all cities showed lower annual rates than the previous month. Other housing indicators – starts, existing home sales and builders’ sentiment – are positive. Taken together, these point to a more normal housing sector.

“The monthly National Index rose 0.9% in June. While all 20 cities saw higher home prices over the last 12 months, all experienced slower gains. In San Francisco, the pace of price increases halved since late last summer. The Sun Belt cities – Las Vegas, Phoenix, Miami and Tampa – all remain a third or more below their peak prices set almost a decade ago.

“Bargain basement mortgage rates won’t continue forever; recent improvements in the labor markets and comments from Fed chair Janet Yellen and others hint that interest rates could rise as soon as the first quarter of 2015. Rising mortgage rates won’t send housing into a tailspin, but will further dampen price gains.”

“All 20 cities used for the Case-Shiller report saw their year-over-year rates weaken in June. For the second consecutive month, San Francisco saw its rate decelerate by almost three percentage points – from 18.4% in April to 12.9% in June. Phoenix showed its smallest year-over-year gain of 6.9% since March 2012. Cleveland showed a marginal increase of 0.8% over the last 12 months while Las Vegas led with a gain of 15.2%. All cities reported price increases for the third consecutive month; it would have been a fourth had New York not declined 0.4% in March. San Francisco posted its eighth consecutive price increase but showed its smallest gain of 0.3% since February. Five cities – Detroit, Las Vegas, New York, Phoenix and San Diego – posted larger gains in June than in May. Dallas and Denver continue to set new peaks while Detroit remains the only city below its January 2000 value.”

Everybody wants to know when this crazy market will end.  People just can’t imagine that it will continue at this pace—and of course it won’t, and it didn’t and we’ve been predicating this all along; that the rate of appreciation would wane once home prices rebounded to levels which are sustainable.

The housing market dropped too far and filling that void happened very fast—essentially 2012 until now. We are now reaching new high home values and people are just plain being priced out—with fewer and fewer people who can afford the median price home.  But while the rate of appreciation is slowing, home values are continuing to rise, just at a much more sustainable and slower pace.

The San Francisco MSA (which consists of the counties of San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Alameda), while experiencing a slowdown in the rate of appreciation (by almost half), nevertheless still enjoyed a 12.9% increase year-over-year.  You can see a graph we’ve put together of the SF MSA data points illustrating the trend over the past 27 years.

*Note—the Standard & Poor’s Index lags the market by three months.

The good news is a home won’t cost you 25% more next year, probably just around 10%. But who wants to pay a 10% penalty for waiting?

 

Disclaimer:

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.