Escondido Foreclosures and Escondido Homes for Sale

February 28, 2010 By
Welcome to my Escondido Homes featured listing page.  Click on the hot links below by price to get a fast start.  If you would like to see an area not shown you can set up your own personalized search by zip code, area, price, features, and much more.  Start your own custom serarch here.   You can also see Escondido foreclosures, auction, or pre-forclosure homes at “Free Foreclosure Search.”  For a personalized tour of any of these Escondido homes contact Gary Harmon.
Escondido Homes $300k – $400k
Escondido Homes $400k-$500k
All Other Price Ranges
See Video and learn how to SEARCH LIKE AN AGENT!
Filed Under: Escondido Homes Tagged With: , ,

Do's of Mortgage Fraud Prevention

February 22, 2010 By

Escondido HomeYesterday, we discussed tips to prevent mortage fraud when buying Escondido real estate.  We focused on the “don’ts.”   Again, when you are in the market to buy Escondido real estate, the first thing you should do is to get pre-qualified with a lender.  I recommend HomeServices Lending.  During the process of buying your Escondido home and getting a loan here are some  “Do’s” that can help avoid mortgage fraud.

  • Do provide your confidential financial and personal info to your trusted mortgage lender.  Gary Harmon, your Escondid0 Realtor, has been in the Escondido real estate business locally and can help you choose a trusted lender.
  • Do always be totally honest when completing the Escondido home loan application.
  • Do request and keep copies of everything you provide to the lenders and everything you are ask to sign.  If you feel uncomfortable, call Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor for advice.
  • Do review the Good Faith Estimate of Closing Cost carefully.
  • Do ask about any parties being paid if you are unfamiliar with their names.
  • Do ask about any fees that you may not understand.
  • Do lock in your interest rate as soon as you get a rate you like.
  • Do read everything presented to you before you sign.  Don’t let anyone rush you.

Follow the do’s and don’ts of these last post for a better Escondido home loan experience.   For more information, call Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor.

Filed Under: Buyers, Escondido Homes, Getting a Loan Tagged With: , , ,

Escondido Homes and Escondido Foreclosures

February 20, 2010 By
Welcome to my Escondido Homes featured listing page.  Click on the hot links below by price to get a fast start.  If you would like to see an area not shown you can set up your own personalized search by zip code, area, price, features, and much more.  Start your own custom serarch here.   You can also see Escondido foreclosures, auction, or pre-forclosure homes at “Free Foreclosure Search.”  For a personalized tour of any of these Escondido homes contact Gary Harmon.
Escondido Homes $300k – $400k
Escondido Homes $400k-$500k
All Other Price Ranges
See Video and learn how to SEARCH LIKE AN AGENT!
Filed Under: Escondido Homes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Escondido Market Update

February 17, 2010 By

Escondido Housing Market  as of 2-15-2010

This week the median price for a home in the  Escondido real estate area was $399,900. This is down from the median price in November of 2009 of $415,000.  The average asking price per squae foot was $193.  The inventory of Escondido homes for sale is increasing.  This is partially due to the usual homes coming on the market after the first of the year.  The other contributing factor, and somewhat more concerning, is the slow down in sales of Escondido homes. In is definitely a buyers market as the demand level is low relative to the available inventory of Escondido homes for sale.  This weakening Escondido real estate market has caused prices to start to come down. See the chart below for trends supplied by Altos Research.

Escondido Market Data

Another good way to look at Escondido real estate data is to look at sales by quartiles, the most expensive to the least. In the top or first quartile the median sales price was $749,500.  Down from $875,000.  In the second quartile Escondido housing prices were $485,000, down from $508,000. In the 3rd quartile Escondido properties had a median price of $319,990, down from $339,000 .  And in the bottom quartile Escondido housing had a median price of $217,000 which was up from $210,000 last November.  To get more current market conditions on Escondido homes for sale, call Gary Harmon, your Prudential California Realty Escondido Realtor.

Filed Under: Escondido Homes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Pledge to Escondido Home Buyers during Negoiations

February 17, 2010 By

Escondido Floral

“Someone accepted the offer on the Escondido house that I wrote, now what?”   This is a question that I get from a lot of Escondido house buyers.   After week of searching, they have found their Escondido dream home.  Not it is time to write an offer and start the negoiations.  But, how much should you offer?  How much will be enough or too much?  Here are some of the things that happen during the negotiation process.  I will strive to provide the following services:

  • Review with my Escondido buyer all the forms and documents involved in buying Escondido real estate.  The purchase documents and supporting documentation on your Escondido home purchase are prepared online in a computer program called ” Winforms.”  These forms are uniform California Association of Realtor (CAR) forms used by all Escondido Realtors.  They can be printed, faxed, e-faxed, or sent to you as pdf attachments.
  • Provide a copy of all documents needed for the lender you have selected for your Escondido home purchase.   HomeServices Lending is one of the Gary Harmon team members and is an excellent choice.
  • Prepare a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) showing comparable Escondido properties currently on the market, in escrow, or recently sold.  This comparison will aid you in making an informed decision on your initial offering price and any counters that are usually necessary.
  • Present your  Escondido real estate purchase offer to the sellers on your behalf.
  • Present your Escondido home purchase offer in a timely manner and in person if you desire.
  • Discuss with Escondido buyers the most comfortable negotiating strategy and work within your parameters based on our current Escondido housing market conditions.
  • Based on the type of Escondido housing offer you choose to write, discuss the best possible strategy to get your offer approved.
  • Inform you immediately of the Escondido sellers response to your offer when presented.
  • Keep you updated daily on the progress be made during the negoiations.  If your offer is on a bank owned property or short sale, will keep you up to date as information becomes available.
  • Deliver to you the final executed purchase documents on your new Escondido real estate.

For more information on what takes place during the purchase of Escondido properties, contact Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor.  See Gary’s eariler post on what takes place during a home search:  http://www.garyharmon.com/buyers/garys-service-pledge-to-escondido-buyers.  Watcht for a new post  that will  describe what happens during the escrow period on your Escondido house.  Gary is proud to recomment Pickford Escrow.

Filed Under: Buyers, Escondido Homes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Double Your Tax Credit

February 12, 2010 By

Current Escondido Homeowners

Find out how to get up to double on the $6,500 tax credit for existing Escondido homeowners.  That’s right, existing Escondido homeowners can get tax credit also.  Current Escondido homeowners buying a house between Nov. 7, 2009, and April 30 and who have used the Escondido home being sold or vacated as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight can qualify for the $6,500 credit. Most people know about the original $8,000 tax credit  for first-time homebuyers, but few know about the $6,500 credit for existing Escondido homeowners.   This incentive was added when the original $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit, which expired Nov. 30, was
extended.

Escondiodo homes purchased for $800,000 or less are eligible for you as a repeat Escondido home buyer. Single buyers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples up to $225,000 may receive the maximum tax credit for both repeat and first-time purchases. The credit decreases for Escondido homebuyers who earn between $125,000 and $145,000 for single buyers and between $225,000 and $245,000 for Escondido homebuyers filing jointly. The amount of the tax credit decreases as his/her income approaches the maximum limit. Escondido homebuyers earning more than the maximum are not eligible for the credit. If a binding written contract to purchase is in effect April 30, the purchaser will have until July 1, 2010 to close.

To find out how to get up to double your existing Escondido homeowners$6,500 tax credit, contact Gary Harmon, your Prudential California Realty Escondido Realtor.

Filed Under: Escondido Homes, General Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Reduce Your Escondido Property Taxes

February 8, 2010 By

Decline in Escondido Home Values

Prudential California RealtyMost Escondido home owners are aware that Escondido property values have been declining.  In many parts of San Diego County, the decline has been relatively dramatic. That decline may mean a reduction in Escondido property taxes, however.  Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment passed in California in 1978, allows a temporary reduction in assessed value (which is what your Escondido property taxes are based on) when a property suffers a “decline-in-value.” That decline in Escondido home value occurs when the Escondido real estate market value of the Escondido property is less than the assessed value as of January 1st.  Does a decline in a property’s market value require a reduction in Escondido property taxes? The answer is that it depends on the Market Value and the Taxable Value.

 

  • Market Value – Is how much the property would sell for (the unconditional sales price)
  • Taxable Value – Is established by the Assessor, (the Prop. 13 value), and this value may be increased by a
    CPI factor of up to 2% per year as specified by California laws

A temporary reduction in Escondido property taxes can only be granted if the Escondido home Market Value falls below the Prop. 13 value (Taxable Value).   Some property purchased in 2005, 2006 and 2007 would be the most likely to qualify. Property is valued for property tax purposes each year as of January 1. If you’d like information about recent comparable sales in the Escondido real estate  area to see what today’s value may be, simply contact Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor.   I’d be happy to help you!

Filed Under: Escondido Homes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Grade Your Realtors Website

February 6, 2010 By

Shop and Compare

Gary's GradeNo matter what you decide to buy in life, you always shop and compare and try to make sure you are getting the best value for your money.  Before you hire an Escondido Realtor to sell your home, you should definitely do the same thing.  After all, your Escondido property is probably your most important investment.

According to the San Diego North County Association of Realtors over 87% of Escondido home buyers start their search on the Internet. Before you hire someone to sell your Escondido property, you want to make sure they will maximize the chance of Selling your Escondido home. Is there an objective way to measure your Escondido Realtors website marketing effectiveness?  There are really two ways and the first is called Website Grader.

Website Grader

Website Grader is a free tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of your Escondido Realtors website. It provides a score that incorporates things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. To use Website Grader go to the webpage: http://websitegrader.com/.  Enter the url address of any Escondido Realtor webpages that you would like to check. Then click on the box that says “Generate Report.” The higher the score the more effective is the Realtors website. The Website Grader score of Gary Harmon.com is “89.”

Google Keywords

The second way to grade your Escondido Realtors website is to see how it ranks in Google. Go to http://www.google.com/ and type in different search words that should apply to selling your Escondido real estate. Try “escondido realtor, escondido real estate, or escondido homes.” A good Escondido realtors webpage is found on page one or two of Google.

Pick the Best

Before you list your Escondido home, check out your Realtors website. Pick an Escondido Realtor that has a site that will mazimize the chance of getting the most visitors to their site. Pick a site with a high Website Grader Score and a high Google page rank. Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor has such a site. Hire Gary Harmon with Prudential California Realty and put Gary’s winning team to work for you.

Filed Under: Escondido Homes, Listings Tagged With: , , , , ,

Escondido Property Tax Refunds -Where Are They?

February 5, 2010 By

Escondido Property TaxProperty Tax Refunds on Escondido Real Estate

Where is your Escondido property tax refund on your Escondido home.  The price of your Escondido property has gone down every year for the last four or five years. You have filed a request with the County to refigure your assessed value on you Escondido home, but you keep paying the high property taxes here in San Diego.  You are in the same  boat as thousands of other Escondido home owners.
I am including an article from the North County Times to expose the problem.

“The San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office continues to take in millions of dollars more in property taxes than is owed and then lags in returning the money to taxpayers, according to a 2009 audit. The examination of the treasurer’s property tax refund account concluded that nearly $8 million needed to be refunded or funneled to the county’s general fund if the person or entity who was owed the money could not be located.

It’s been a problem that stretches back to 2003 and has dragged on, despite a series of examinations in the years since. The most recent independent audit, conducted over nine months by the firm of Kessler International, found a variety of problems in how the treasurer’s office manages what is known as the Property Tax Trust and Refund account. That report was issued in March but never shared with the public.” Of course, this is an election year and Dan is running again.

This problem will not be easily solved, but Dan McAllister vows changes are being implemented to correct years-old problem.  If you would like to find out how to lower your property taxes, contact Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor.  Gary Harmon will provide you with a property tax reassessment form along with instructions on how and when to file.

Filed Under: Escondido Homes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Escondido Homes for Sale and Escondido Foreclosures

February 4, 2010 By
Welcome to my Escondido Homes featured listing page.  Click on the hot links below by price to get a fast start.  If you would like to see an area not shown you can set up your own personalized search by zip code, area, price, features, and much more.  Start your own custom serarch here.   You can also see Escondido foreclosures, auction, or pre-forclosure homes at “Free Foreclosure Search.”  For a personalized tour of any of these Escondido homes contact Gary Harmon.
Escondido Homes $300k – $400k
Escondido Homes $400k-$500k
All Other Price Ranges 
See Video and learn how to SEARCH LIKE AN AGENT!
Filed Under: Escondido Homes Tagged With: , , , , ,
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