San Diego Short Sale and Foreclosed Homes

 
 
RISMEDIA, February 12, 2010—Just over 40% of available homes for sale had reduced prices in January 2010, compared with 44% in December 2009, according to a monthly survey of home listings in 27 markets conducted by the national real estate brokerage ZipRealty.

With fewer reduced price homes available in January, sellers were able to ask for their original list prices, rather than cut them to attract buyers.

“Sellers are taking a realistic look at current market conditions before listing their homes,” said ZipRealty CEO Pat Lashinsky. “We have a lot fewer homes for sale right now than we did last year, and we are seeing more sellers sticking to their original list prices, rather than cutting them to try to attract buyers.”

Highlights of ZipRealty’s monthly survey include:

-January was the fifth consecutive month of fewer priced reduced homes on the market, with sellers reducing list prices by $21,925 on average across 27 markets
-Homeowners in San Diego reduced prices by the highest dollar amount, cutting an average of $44,901
-Homeowners in Houston reduced prices by the lowest dollar amount, cutting an average of $10,000
-Markets with the lowest percentage of price-reduced MLS-listed homes were Los Angeles and San Diego (both at 32.6%), San Francisco (31.9%), and Denver (29.5%)
-One out of every two home listings in Jacksonville (49.9%) and Phoenix (48.8%) had cut their list prices, the highest percentage in the survey

 
 
RISMEDIA, February 11, 2010—Last year home staging skyrocketed to the top of the list of the fastest growing careers in America. In the decade ahead it is promising to be a rapidly evolving industry and looks to be one of the key solutions to solving the housing crisis.

“Sellers get the most they can for their property and buyers benefit from a move-in ready property.”

Showhomes, a nationally franchised home staging company with offices in 60 markets, polled 500 Realtors and brokers from all over the country at the National Association of Realtors Expo recently in San Diego. The survey uncovered some startling Realtor feedback about the value of home staging in today’s market:

-96% believed buyers react better to fully-stage homes than vacant ones
-94% believed vacant homes take longer to sell than fully-stage homes
-94% believed vacant homes sell for less money than fully-stage homes
-The majority of Realtors surveyed agreed that vacant homes take twice as long to sell and sell for at least 15% less than a fully-staged home.

“Home staging has become a necessity,” said Thomas Scott, VP of operations for Showhomes. “These numbers say it loud and clear. The home staging industry is at a tipping point. If you want sell a home quickly and for top dollar, there’s no other reasonable choice. In today’s market, if a home is not staged, it does not sell.”

Shell Brodnax, president and CEO of Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), said she’s not surprised by Showhomes’ findings. “Home staging provides economic stability to real estate by leveraging a property’s appeal to buyers,” Brodnax said. “Sellers get the most they can for their property and buyers benefit from a move-in ready property. Home stagers are doing a great job at getting the word out about the effectiveness of staging,” Brodnax added. “The home staging industry will continue to add to the recovery of the real estate industry.”

Statistics provided by RESA show staged properties consistently spend 78% less time on the market. “The decade ahead is a new era for home staging,” Scott said. “If your Realtor doesn’t educate you on how much you stand to lose by not staging your house, then they are doing you a disservice.”