Garden Grove real estate, found in a rather exclusive suburban community, has been facing largely the same financial situation as the rest of Orange County, California. One high point for Garden Grove real estate for sale is the median home price, according to a February 23, 2010 article in the OC Metro. The article noted that “Orange County’s median home price rose 13.6 percent in January, compared to the same time last year, according to stats released by the California Association of Realtors.” The piece, composed by Kristen Schott, continued to say that “The region’s home price hit $480,790 in the period, up from $423,100 in January 2009. But the median price fell 3.1 percent from December, when the number was $496,070. The pattern was also reflected statewide, according to C.A.R., which measures its statistics from MLS information. California’s median home price increased 15 percent to $287,440 in January.”

This same pattern for Garden Grove homes for sale was noted by a February 23, 2010 article in the Orange County Business Journal. That piece stated that “The median price of an existing Orange County home declined by more than $15,000 in January from December, thanks in large part to an influx of first-time home buyers snapping up more affordable homes, the California Association of Realtors said on Tuesday.” The article, written by mark Mueller, also noted that “Including condos, the median price of a home here in January was $370,000, a 6.8% decrease from December, and a 15% decrease from a year earlier, according to San Diego-based MDA DataQuick…”

One traditional market of market distress, the number of short sales, increased in January of 2010, indicating a potential trouble spot for Garden Grove real estate for sale. According to a March 1, 2010 post in the Orange County Register, “Orange County home sales for less than a residence’s total debt increased 33.8% in January from the year before, Southern California Multiple Listing Service figures show. The listing service reported that 487 of January’s deals were ‘short sales’ – or sales in which the purchase price is less than mortgage balance.

The Los Gatos homes for sale is very closely related to the trends of the greater Bay Area. Most indicators seem to suggest that the Bay Area real estate market is slowing, after a period of rapid growth towards the end of 2009. According to a February 19, 2010 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, “The Bay Area housing market lost some of its 2009 momentum in January, according to an authoritative real estate report, but prognosticators do not necessarily see a shift towards slower sales in 2010.” The piece, written by Robert Selna, continued to say that “Data analyzed by MDA DataQuick, a San Diego research firm, show that 4,853 new and resold houses and condominiums closed escrow in the nine-county Bay Area last month. That represented a decline of 38 percent from December and a 4 percent drop from January 2009.”

A February 18, 2010 article in the Contra Costa Times noted that there is mixed news facing the greater Bay Area real estate market as well as Los Gatos homes for sale. This piece found that “Bay Area home prices rose in January for the fourth-straight month on a year-to-year basis while the number of home sales dropped below what they were a year ago for the first time in 17 months. But whether the sales slowdown stems from a lower number of homes for sale due to banks holding onto foreclosed properties or cooling buyer interest is unclear.” The article, written by Eve Mitchell, continued to say that “From December to January, home sales dropped 38 percent. While home sales typically fall off between those two months, the average decline has been 28 percent, according to DataQuick records that go back to 1988.”

A February 19, 2010 article in the Mercury News presented a more positive outlook for Los Gatos real estate, finding that “…most experts interviewed said the recovery that started last year is likely to continue later this year, citing an increase in home prices in the same report and a shift to a more sustainable mix of homes on the market, with fewer foreclosures.”

The Costa Mesa real estate market, which is heavily dependent on the larger and inclusive Orange County real estate market, faced some moderately bad news in a report released by ForeclosureRadar.com, which indicated that the number of foreclosures in the region increased slightly from December of 2009 to January of 2010. This trend was reported in a February 16, 2010 article in the OC Metro, which stated that “In addition, 523 properties were returned to banks, up 86 from December but down 193 from January 2009. And 303 homes were sold to a third party, up 81 from December and 183 from the same time last year, according to the report.” The founder and CEO of ForeclosureRadar.com, Sean O’Toole, also said that “With delinquent payments rising, foreclosures slowing and foreclosure alternatives failing, it appears the foreclosure crisis will be with us for many years to come.”

A related indicator for Costa Mesa homes for sale, the number of short sales, spiked much more sharply in January of 2010. According to a March 1, 2010 article in the Orange County Register, “Orange County home sales for less than a residence’s total debt increased 33.8% in January from the year before, Southern California Multiple Listing Service figures show.” The piece, written by Jeff Collins, continued to note that “The listing service reported that 487 of January’s deals were ‘short sales’ – or sales in which the purchase price is less than mortgage balance. That’s nearly 28% of all Orange County resales traded through the MLS.”

One positive note for Costa Mesa real estate was reported by Kristen Schott of the OC Metro, who wrote that “Orange County’s median home price rose 13.6 percent in January, compared to the same time last year, according to stats released by the California Association of Realtors. The region’s home price hit $480,790 in the period, up from $423,100 in January 2009.” The February 23, 2010 piece continued to state that “But the median price fell 3.1 percent from December, when the number was $496,070. The pattern was also reflected statewide, according to C.A.R., which measures its statistics from MLS Information. California’s median home price increased 15 percent to $287,440 in January.”

San Bruno, a community just south of San Francisco, has seen its real estate market rising and falling throughout the past several years, with the economic recession of the past couple of years plaguing the market, like most others in the state of California, as foreclosures and market inventory have risen and prices have plummeted.

According to statistics from the San Mateo County Association of Realtors, in February, there were 28 new listings, putting the current inventory of San Bruno homes for sale at 62. up from January’s inventory of 54. There were 18 closed sales in February, up from 12 in January. The homes spent an average of 26 days on the market before selling, a marked increase of 81 days average in January.

The average sale price for San Bruno real estate in February was just over $530,000, down slightly from just over $556,200 in January, but the median price was $539,500 in February, up from $530,000 in January.

Looking back at the previous year, San Bruno had a total of 207 sales in 2009, down from 228 sales for the year in 2008. Prices showed signs of a struggle throughout the year: The 2009 median sales price was $543,000, down from 2008’s figure of $600,000. And total sales volume was down by more than $20 million for the full year from the previous one.

An unincorporated community in Santa Cruz, the community of Aptos, California, has seen, like many cities across the nation, a dent put into its housing market over the past two years. With the onset of the recession across the U.S. home prices here, like elsewhere, fell, while foreclosures rose and inventory began stockpiling.

Because Aptos is a rather small community, it can be difficult to extrapolate reliable information from its housing statistics. For example, at the end of the year in December 2009, according to the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors information, the average and median price of home sold was $525,000. Upon further scrutiny, however, we can see that there was only one home sold in December – for a price of $525,000. Meanwhile, there were two new homes listed in December for a total of five homes on the market, with each home spending an average of 4.8 months listed before being sold.

Looking back to November, statistics show that there were two Aptos homes for sale closed upon, with an average and median price of $456,000. During that month, there were seven homes on the market, spending an average of just 2.6 months listed before selling.

Some earlier statistics from November of 2008 show that despite the minimal information, the Aptos real estate has improved since the worst days during the crisis. In November 2008, there was one closed home sale, which had a price of almost $238,000, much lower than the prices seen in the last few months of 2009. Based on this information, it would be logical to say the market has seen its bottom and is now on its way back up.

The second largest area in Indiana, Fort Wayne lies in the state’s northeastern corner. The state has been hard hit by the larger U.S. recession, shedding thousands of jobs and putting many homeowners at risk of foreclosure. Meanwhile, other homeowners have seen the values of their houses fall, leaving many upside-down on their mortgages. But recently things in the Fort Wayne real estate housing market, at least, have shown signs of improvement.

According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, assessed property values had fallen in nine of the county’s 20 districts this year. Nine more districts saw values rise less than 2%.  But sales have been up in the city. During November, the city saw a massive 54% increase in sales volume, from 397 to 612. Much of the increased volume can be attributed to buyers looking to take advantage of a recently extended government program that offers tax rebates up to $8,000 to qualified home buyers.

And unlike in many cities nationwide, real estate in Fort Wayne actually saw a bump up in its housing prices, a real reason for optimism that the market is improving. In November, the median price of a home sold was $92,700, up 9% from $84,900 last year. Additionally, the average price was up to $101,073 from $94,880, a 6.5% increase. Despite all the good news in November, however, the average days homes for sale in Fort Wayne spent on the market before closing was up in November – to 115 from just 104 last year, a 10% increase.

Though November showed significant signs of improvement, according to the Fort Wayne Area Association of Realtor’s data, the total for 2009 remains relatively steady compared with data from 2008, despite a few months of increased activity and sales prices. The total number of homes sold to date in 2009 is actually down 1.8% from 2008 at the same time. Prices are up, but just by 0.3% for average and 1.4% for median. It remains to be seen whether December’s figures can be positive enough to help 2009’s total outdo 2008.

The Palm Springs real estate market continues to face mixed signals, although it seems that governmental intervention has nudged home sales in the right direction. According to a November 5, 2009 article in the Desert Sun, “The inventory of existing homes for sale in the Coachella Valley is the lowest since December 2005 as home sales rose 1.2 percent in September over September 2008, the California Desert Association of Realtors reported today. The median price was $159,810 in September, down from $199,810 in September 2008. Prices dropped 20 percent in September over the same period a year ago. ‘The desert median price for a single family home is now below the national median for the first time in several years when including sales in the high desert areas,’ said Greg Berkemer, executive director of the California Association of Realtors. ‘Median sale prices on the valley floor itself rank among California’s most affordable homes.’”

Palm Springs homes for sale have been faring better than the rest of the Coachella Valley, which has been declining recently. According to a more recent article in the Palm Springs Desert Sun, published on November 26, 2009, “Coachella Valley home sales fell 3 percent in September, a new report from San Diego-based MDA DataQuick shows. Sales had been rising steadily since June 2008 – after sales fell 12 percent and the median sales price stood at $300,000 – mostly because of dropping prices. September ended that sales streak. The median price rose 2 percent in October throughout the six-county Southern California region. October data are not yet available for the valley.”

Government action seems to have improved the lot for real estate in Palm Springs, according to a third article in the Desert Sun, this one by Debra Gruszecki. The piece, released on November 6, 2009, noted that “Congress sweetened the deal for house-hunters on Thursday, extending the deadline beyone Nov. 30 for first-time homebuyers to  collect up to $8,000 and beefing up the tax credit pool to include a $6,500 credit for owners of existing homes who are buying a new home. That incentive is kicking in at an opportune time in the Coachella Valley, real estate professionals said Thursday.”

Ecotourism has become one of the largest economic drivers in the state of Hawaii, let alone the island of Kauai.  A wonderful way to investigate some of the Kauai Hawaii real estate that has been untouched for years is by taking part in a zipline adventure that runs through the lush green forests of Kauai and takes participants on an exhilarating adventure through some of Kauai’s most pristine places.  Ziplining is quite simple due to the lack of physical involvement.  Although it takes some effort to climb the initial platform, the entire ride is downhill and zipliners can concentrate entirely on the beautiful terrain they pass over.

A number of reputable companies on Kauai offer the heart-pounding rush of ziplining. Princeville Ranch’s Zip n Dip features the island’s longest zipline and allows people to soar like birds over awe-inspiring valleys, streams, and canyons.  The treetop adventure consists of nine zipline crossings, a suspension bridge, and even a lunch break and swim at a picturesque waterfall.  Kauai Backcountry Zipline offers a similar experience over seven distinct ziplines.  Part of the excursion is the six-wheeled jungle vehicle that takes riders from the base camp to the top of the mountain where the zipline tour starts.

According to RealtyTrac in the Portland Business Journal’s October 28, 2009, report, Anchorage real estate is fairing quite well compared to many of its northwestern region counterparts.  Judging by the numbers, “Anchorage ranked 126th with one foreclosure for every 258 homes,” while the “Seattle metro ranked 95th with one foreclosure for every 217 homes” and “Boise, Idaho, ranked 19th with one foreclosure for every 57 homes.”  Alaska as a whole, however, did not do as well as its state capital in Anchorage.  The DailyFinance.com news source quoted writer Lita Epstein on November 12, 2009 as saying “Other states that posted a major monthly jump in filings included Alaska (up 35.11% on a monthly basis and 17.83% year-over-year).”

Anchorage homes for sale have been helped along by “President Barack Obama who signed off on a bill this week to extend the first-time home buyer tax credit,” reported Leyla Santiago of KTUU News Alaska.  Accordingly, “the tax credit is expected to affect two-thirds of buyers and sellers. For Anchorage builders, the decision buys more time to make deals.”  With construction at a stand-still and current homeowners watching their properties dwindle in value, it is quite easy to see why so many people are becoming so demoralized.  “Hold on,” claim experts who foresee the recession bottoming out next year.  Analysts believe that people who can survive through the bottom of the recession will only benefit in the long-run.

Over the last year, real estate in Anchorage on average has gained about $11,000 in market value between November 2008 and November 2009.  While the median home for sale price remained steady at $270,000 and 0 percent change from October, Yahoo! Real Estate reported that foreclosed homes actually dropped 1.1 percent to $211,285.  Interestingly, the difference in price between foreclosures and other homes for sale is relatively small.

With a softened real estate market and decrease in real estate investments around the world thanks to the global economic crisis and its severe implications, now is the time for prospective property buyers to locate a good piece of real estate to invest in.  While spending thousands and perhaps even a million dollars isn’t an everyday affair, there are certainly simple principles that people can follow to make such an adventure easier, less risky, and simple.  One tip is patience.  In order to find value in a real estate investment, it is important to find a property that fits the buyer’s needs, is within a set price range, and fits a vision for the new owner.  People in search of a fixer-upper property can find a run-down house while those ready to immediately move in have to find a much better maintained property.

Another tip is to get advise.  Some of the market’s most experienced professionals can easily be called upon to help negotiate deals, evaluate real values, and ensure buyers get their money’s worth.  While such professionals do charge a hefty amount, their wage can easily be overcome in residual savings.  Yet another tip is to stay in command.  Too often sellers will be pushy with potential buyers in terms of selling terms and negotiated price.  However, the real estate market is a buyer market where the buyer is in control!