4640 Longview Dr North Highlands, CA 95660-5614

Foreclosure Sales Continue to Plummet

For the second month in a row we’ve seen a dramatic drop in the number of properties sold at foreclosure, or “trustee sale”, auctions. Foreclosure sales in California are down 16.7 percent from February to March 2012 and down 53.1 percent from March a year ago. A total of 86,487 sales were scheduled to occur in California, but of those 80.0 percent postponed, and 10.6 percent were cancelled, leaving just 8,392 that were actually sold. Third parties, typically investors, purchased a record 38.6% of the properties that did sell in California.

Foreclosure starts rose in most states, with the largest increases occurring in Washington, California and Nevada. This, at least temporarily, reverses a downward trend, but even with the increase the volume of new foreclosures remains significantly down year-over-year in all the states we cover.

The increase in foreclosure starts is especially interesting in Nevada. Bank foreclosures came to an almost complete halt there after the passage of Assembly Bill 284, which made significant changes to Nevada’s foreclosure laws. The increase this month is directly attributable to new foreclosure starts by Fannie Mae, which is one of very few lenders to have filed any new foreclosures in Nevada since September 2011. Even with the increase by Fannie Mae it is still homeowner associations that are initiating the vast majority of foreclosures in Nevada.

Tambo Says:

The reason these auctions were postponed is because SMART people understand that the responsible thing to do is a SHORT SALE! Let’s review: First, a short sale allows you to buy a house again sooner than a foreclosure, second, the lenders will never come after you, third, it helps us BRING BACK VALUE in our down economy. A house that goes for short sale generally sells 20-30% higher than it does at auction. That means your neighbors’ house value just took a big hit…weren’t they nice neighbors???

Ultimately, if you can’t keep up with your house payment, or if you see that your home’s value with NEVER catch up with the price tag, it might be time to consider a short sale. See the link on this site to learn more. If you need help finding an expert ANYWHERE in the country, just give me a hollar.

Being that I couldn’t bake myself out of a box (or better said, bake without a box) I knew I couldn’t make them myself. Miraculously, people started coming forward, volunteering to donate their time and talent to the cause. First my wonderful cousin, Tonja Brent-Figenshu stepped up and offered to make 200, then my friend Michelle Elder and her daughter Taylor, another 200! I was on to something here! Next, my facebook friend (who I now know face to face) Craig, said he’s make at least 100+….now I was in Cup Cake Heaven!

Next, my dear friend, neighbor and author, Andrea Roth said she’d make some, and another facebook friend and fellow wine-lover Melissa Haines did some too. And I can’t forget my hubby Greg who, even though not feeling well, made the beautiful batch for the guests at the head table. Check these people out! They are amazing and it really goes to show you that charity starts at home. I am so grateful to know there are people who are more than willing to do what they can to help…especially when it involves helping the kids of our nation stay out of harm’s way.

Since we had so many cupcakes left over, I am happy to report that we sent a large batch over to WyndSpring Family Resource Center so that some of our local foster kids can enjoy them this week.

I’ll include some photos here so you can see how lovely some of our big batches were. Help me thank these amazing people!!!

In this the middle of the worst real estate market in my life time, I’ve gotten caught up in the daily to-do’s like most everyone else. However, it occurred to me on recent flight home from LA, how very useful it is to step back, or at least aside, and think, breathe and reflect. From my aerial perspective, all the houses looked like tiny little dots on neatly ordered postage stamps. So it occurred to me to take some time each week and share, reflect and hopefully interact with others on things as they come up.

You know, not worrying one iota about being SEO friendly, Key Word specific, or even hyper-local. Not talking all the time about selling Carmichael homes (oops, old habits are hard to break), but about the human side of things too. We can read all about the doom and gloom every day, but it seems worth mentioning–and discussing–the human side about this thing we call real estate. I had 2 clients die in the past year, and I suspect in part that their losses in the economy had something to do with their sudden and unexpected demises. Maybe wearing rose-colored glasses sometimes isn’t such a bad thing?

The media tells us numbers and statistics and percentages, and we tend to get caught up in the “reality” of things, but what about other “things” that are so important? Soccer games, birthday parties, dentist appointments….first kisses, last kisses and a good bottle of wine?

I love doing my fast, fun and hopefully informative videos–but being good at what I do isn’t all about disclosures and house-hunting. In fact, I think it’s more about caring, listening and just showing up. And whatever your job, or role or position on this planet might be, I have a feeling that it too, spans well beyond what one could learn in a textbook. Being “good” at our jobs sometimes means we need to stop and take a minute; think a little deeper.

And while I can’t battle the banks all by myself (although God knows I try), and I certainly can’t change government, I can reach out to my community and hopefully help remind us all (myself included) that every now and then, we can stop, breathe and take a break. Reflect. Listen. Prioritize. It’s so easy to get slam-dunk crazy out there, caught up in the latest greatest 4G gadget without taking time to breathe. There are solutions to all of the issues we are dealing with on a daily basis, even in real estate. I think stopping and really thinking about our goals of staying and paying, bailing and ruining our credit, or trying to work with the bank on a short sale or a loan mod are all just options, and while right now, they seem so huge, I find that when I can get my clients or callers to stop and breathe, and really think more deeply about the outcome they desire, things tend to fall into place.

Breathing is so underrated

Next time you’re feeling like the weight of the world is resting on your shoulders, take a plane ride. Look down and recognize how tiny our little townships look from up in the sky. The world won’t end if you take a break, take time to think and reflect and act from your gut.

PS– this post is dedicated to my friend Jeff Turner. Although Jeff tends to focus in the social media real estate arena, I would highly recommend that you subscribe to his blog. Social media, like real estate, is one area that we tend to get swept away with and I find Jeff to be a thought-leader who always reminds me to stop, listen and think. I know you’d enjoy his posts.

Ta ta for today!

Tamara