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Diane Gross, DRE Lic. #01217299
Realtor/Interior Designer
    Years of Experience: 21

    Re/Max Hall of Fame Award Recipient

Direct: (949) 929-6343

Office: 949-929-6343



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Keller Williams Realty Irvine
4010 Barranca Pkwy, Ste 100
Irvine, CA 92604
949-929-6343


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Posts Tagged ‘Can I afford a home in Irvine CA’

Goal Setting when Buying a Home in Orange County, CA

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

Have a plan!

If you watched the Olympic swimming races, you recognize even an 100th of a second can mean the difference between winning and losing (in this case, that home you’re hoping to buy or sale).  Just how long should one take to figure things out?

Today’s sales meeting was about just that.  In fact, Nike and many others that propose the same thing had it right — ‘Just Do It!’  Follow your plan and let nothing hold you back.  It really doesn’t matter what your goal, having a plan and continuing to move toward that goal in measured, decisive and predetermined steps will best get you what you want.

I was reviewing my facebook site today after the meeting and a couple of postings hit home for me as regards this very subject:

On many occasions Buyers will say we have to pray on it, or discuss it tonight with my loved one or a million other reasons meant just to keep them from moving forward.  The best deal or your perfect home probably just went to someone else.  If you don’t think we’re right back in this mode of home shopping, think again.  Know exactly what you want, find a Realtor who can help you locate it; and choose quickly.

Another facebook entry:

No explanation is needed for this life lesson.  It ties into Real Estate because many are ‘afraid’ to make an offer when other offers are already on the table.  Do not let that hold you back.  In most cases you have the same chance as anyone else if you listen to your Realtor’s suggestions on how to go about making your offer.

Also often considered is whether this is the right time to buy a home.  I’ve said it before and now again: Now is Always the best time to buy; but, you can hardly beat what’s happening today:  the lowest interest rates and prices already beginning to go up.  In Orange County, CA when you purchase right you can again put money into your pockets.

Life Lessons

I treat everything I do as a life lesson and then I apply it to the business.  I think the most beneficial suggestion I heard today was to go to sleep every night saying “Do It Now” 50 times and to wake the next morning doing exactly the same.  Can you imagine a more explosive way to jump out of bed?  You won’t even give NO a thought.  You won’t have time to think it.  All you’ll be thinking is “Just Do It!”

Choose the Right Realtor!

Several years ago, I attended a Tony Robbins seminar where Tony suggested you choose a mentor who is successful at doing something and you do it just like they do it and you’ll be equally successful.  He chose someone from the audience who had absolutely no problem exercising every single morning.  What became obvious to me is this person heard the alarm and didn’t even stop to think that they might not go exercise today.  Their behavior was on auto-pilot.  The alarm started going off and they were already tying their shoes and going out the door before the alarm stopped.

When you are ready to buy a home, you first need to become qualified and next to select a Realtor who works on auto-pilot to help you locate the best home for what you have shared with them that you want.  You choose a good Realtor that you can trust and leave the rest to them.  Remember, in most cases Realtors do not get paid until you close on your home.  That’s a huge motivator.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about just finding you any home.  Realtors also survive on referrals.  How many referrals would a Realtor get if they just put you into any home and were on to the next?  That’s the second biggest motivator.

Choose a Realtor who knows their job so well that they’ll be on Auto-Pilot.  They listen well and know how to make one of the toughest tasks you’ll face into one of the smoothest!  I’d sure like to do this for you!!

If you like what you’ve read, visit my website by clicking here; and be sure to sign up below for pre-notice of future blog entries. 

 

Hey Orange County, CA Buyer, You Just Met that Listing Agent!

Friday, August 17th, 2012
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Why would Buyers in Orange County, CA trust someone they just met — The Listing Agent – with their most important life purchase — their Home?

What’s with Home Buyers ‘thinking’ they can Buy with the Listing Agent as their representative?  I’ll tell you flat out – They’re wrong!!  And, don’t even think you can buy without representation either, though when you buy from the Listing Agent that’s essentially what you’re doing!  Well — you can, but you’ll wish you didn’t!  There are better ways to ‘win’ your next dream home.

Yes, I’m well aware of all the reasons you’re choosing to go through the Listing Agent… you ‘think‘ you’ll get picked when otherwise you might not.  This is just simply not true.  Typically, the Sellers choose the Buyer, granted the Listing Agent might lead them in one direction or another, but with my listing in Coto de Caza I had six different Buyers each ‘thinking’ they could go through me and win the home… Come on guys, we can only pick ONE Buyer and it wasn’t one I represented either!!

I’ll tell you what… I always thought I could represent both sides should the opportunity present itself, and I believe I have in the past.  This year, that’s become more difficult, for example:  a Buyers’ Agent might have been more persuasive on negotiable items like price or repairs if they don’t know how the Seller felt about those items.

In Orange County, CA it’s not always the price or who’s representing you.  Whether you’re chosen more often than not rests with your terms and only a very good Realtor can help you set your terms properly to be acceptable to the Seller.  If you’re getting a loan, how well qualified are you, how much are you putting down, or, are you willing to open escrow without the bank’s full approval on a short sale?  It used to be that no one would even think about doing this.  Now, to get chosen at all, almost everyone must be willing to do this!

If you’re the Buyer on a Short Sale in Orange County, CA and the first or second or even third buyer has gone away and you already know your purchase price and all the terms, a Listing Agent is going to go with the Buyer that is willing to match the Bank’s desires and CLOSE the fastest.  Which Buyer offers the least risk of running to another home should something else come available sooner is the most important factor?

And, I bet many Buyers in Orange County still ‘think’ they can save money by working with the Listing Agent.  At least in Orange County, this also is simply not true.  In a Short Sale, the Bank has already agreed to the Commission amount and their bottom line.  The Listing Agent will just make double or it will go to the negotiator.  The Buyer isn’t going to save money.  In a standard sale, the Seller gets the difference, not the Buyer.  Not just that folks, but you’re in the process of purchasing your most expensive item in your life.  Do you really want to risk your investment that way?  In most cases you just met this person.

As a Buyer’s Agent in Orange County, CA I can tell you whomever gets chosen is mostly about the terms and the price you offer and it’s been like that for years!  You might counter with the fact that the Listing Agent knows the situation better.  But, as a Buyers’ Agent, I know you better!  And, I know your market better than anyone else.

Today, when I contact most Listing Agents, they share a good deal of information, not everything, but enough.  I can tell from that first conversation if you have a chance to win the home or not and what you’ll have to do to get it.  It’s not the Buyer Agent’s fault if you don’t get it and you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to get it should you have gone directly to the Listing Agent.  There can only be one Buyer at a time.

As always, I’d love to hear your opinion!  Visit my website by clicking here, or sign up below to receive email notices of my future blogs.

 

Get Ready California-August typically slow

Monday, August 13th, 2012

You might want to prepare yourselves for a less than glowing report regarding Orange County, California Real Estate in August.  August is typically the slowest month of the year.  Yep, even slower than December!  I also kept hearing from an associate that the Olympics always slow things down.  But, true to form for this year in Real Estate, it’s a mixed bag!  My mother, also a Realtor, held a listing open in Newport Beach on Sunday (Olympics basically over) and barely sat down for a total of 10 minutes with typically 4 or 5 groups going through the home at a time.  Should the news not be all doom and gloom for August, that will even be a worse sign for Buyers and better for Sellers because inventory is already low and interest rates started creeping up last week… a double kabash for what’s to come – Buyers.

As Always, I’d love to hear from you!  To visit my website and to search properties, click here.  To sign up for future blog entries (and I have two more coming out in the next few days!!) sign up below!

 

Attn: Buyers and Sellers in Orange County, CA

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Is it too soon to evaluate the 2012 housing market?  How about the economy?  Signs are pointing to … up.  WAIT!  Don’t stop reading just because you don’t agree!  Did I mention?  After the holidays, keyword after, the movie lines were all the way across the parking lot.  The wait to be seated at CPK for dinner was 20 minutes and that was before 6 pm!

I believe there is a willingness for people to go back out and spend again.  They got a taste of it during the holidays and it didn’t stop afterward.  Yes, some businesses are laying off … many are hiring.  And, several are hiring in large numbers.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s definitely still a mixed bag – 2 steps forward 1 step back. but that’s better than the other way around.

What does this have to do with the housing market?  Lots.  Unfortunately, for the consumer, what is one’s politics determines how one feels about the economy.  Also, it determines one’s outlook on life.

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again – you must be in the middle of it to know exactly what is going on.  This is the time of year in the normal ebbs and flows where real estate begins to pick up.  If my readers/clients insist on reading other people’s projections, make certain who you are listening to and that they are not just saying what you want to hear because they’re matching your own belief system.  In other words — know your source!  Is the writer really in the field and literally out there working with Buyer’s and Seller’s all over Orange County, California?   The fact is, what I’m saying won’t be the case everywhere; and this is why you need your Realtor; but, here goes:

This is what I’m already seeing this year:

  • Inventory is down.  Check!
  • Buyers are out there.  Check!
  • Interest rates are low.  Check!
  • Pricing is down.  Check!
  • Multiple offers abound.  Check!
  • People are tired of waiting.  Check!

Sounds to me like a comeback…

If you agree; and you’re ready to begin working toward either a sale or a purchase of Real Estate, visit my website by clicking here!

As always, I’d love your feedback; and, to receive notice of my future postings, sign up below.

 

Orange County, CA Housing Market

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

I Want to Give You Helpful Information…

Why don’t you take me up on it?

I’ve just reviewed my Google Analytics Report to see what type of information I provide is reaching the majority of my readers.  There were two articles I wrote that received the most attention from you:

1)  SB458 Didn’t work the way it was intended, and

2) You can still buy a condo with only 5% down.

As a Realtor, I perceived all of my other topics to be extremely helpful information to both buyers and sellers alike; and, according to the comments received, they were found to be well written and good information.  However, for whatever reason, they are not causing you to spend a lot of time on my site when compared to those two topics above.  Does this indicate that the majority of the information I provide is not useful to you?

Next month, I complete 20 years of working as a Realtor.  Having been in the industry all that time, I should have the ability to communicate to you just about anything you would want to know about Real Estate.  And, what I don’t know, I can find out for you.  The time I spend writing my Blog is significant and it should count for something.  I’d certainly like to have an open dialogue about my topics, and want to hear from you about what information you would be most interested.

So that you can track how successful this request is in receiving my reader’s suggestions, or to get an answer to your own burning question(s), sign up below to receive an automatic notice of new Blog entries.

 

If you’re interested in allowing me to assist you with your Real Estate needs, don’t hesitate to contact me at 949-929-6343 or, click here to see how I work.

Orange County California Real Estate

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Are you as confused about the current housing market in Orange County, California as I am?  You should be because I’m confused and I should know more about what’s going on than you do!

Here’s a bit about why I’m confused.  I’m fairly up about what seems to be happening, or about to happen, but I’m always a bit more optimistic than most.  I come by this naturally because even though I’ve been in Real Estate since 1992, this is the first down market I’ve been involved in as a Realtor.  Because I know this about myself, I’m always checking myself by asking servers in restaurants I frequent how their business has been.  They’re still disappointed but I’m seeing the bars at say, Islands full instead of being the only one there.  I’m also aware that openings for employment positions are on the rise.  I try not to listen to national news because it’s usually not pertinent to our market and it’s always a downer, whether accurate or not.  I keep track of the inventory as reported in our weekly office meetings and I see inventory dropping; and, I listen to how other Realtors are conversing, and I make a determination by how busy they are and I am.  I’m hearing and seeing that loans are getting a bit easier to come by.  There are again a lot more options than just the 20% down slam dunk loan.  So, even the Banks are becoming a bit more aggresive.

Believe it or not, since May, I’ve averaged twice as many transactions per month as typical, but my income matches years’ passed.  That’s the cunundrum!  Business is up, interest is down, sales are up but prices are still dropping and interest remains among the lowest in history.  Typically, when this happens in our area, prices begin to jump up and they’re still falling … even with multiple offers.

I’ve also attempted to evaluate the type of buyers that are out there.  There are beginning to be a lot more first time buyers; but it’s difficult for them to compete with the investor/cash buyers, and it’s this type of buyer that is waiting to jump until the prices become low enough for them to see a property as an investment.  Also, we’ve gotten far enough removed from when many first started short-selling for those previous owners to be back in the market.  An even more interesting factor is I have more listings than usual demonstrating that Sellers are again willing to test the market.

At this point, given all of the above, I’ve got to say that the market in Orange County, CA is coming back…  What do you think?  Be sure to send your comments.  I’d love to hear from you. 

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In Orange County, CA there’s a Realtor with Heart — Part 2

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

PART 2

It literally pains me to be working under these current economic circumstances in Orange County, CA.  I went into this business to help others personally when purchasing their most important investment in their lifetime.  As many of my clients will probably admit, that comes with a lot of personal and familial counseling.  To top this off, as my Business Slogan says:  to “Build Your Wealth Through Real Estate.” wherein many would become financially independent.  For the first time in my Real Estate career, many clients are not financially better off than they were when they bought their home. 

Often, my Title Rep will come by and ask me how I’m doing.  My willingness to share more than most, I told her that it was not a good day.  I had just received a phone call from another of my clients telling me that they thought they were not going to be able to keep their home.  My Title Rep reminded me that my clients need me to help them for this too; not only do I recognize this, I’m completely capable of doing so.  I simply wish it were not to assist them in this way. 

I NEVER looked at Real Estate as a Job.  It was a joy!  I knew I was improving my clients’ situations and that’s what I wanted from my life’s work.

When I first moved to Orange County, California in the mid-90′s, I assisted a top realtor in Irvine, CA while getting my California license.  I didn’t understand the depression all around me because I came from a market that was thriving.  Now I get it, but I wish I didn’t!

There was one bright light about that time period in the mid-90′s.  It’s because the prices had decreased that my family and I were able to move from the mid-west and afford to purchase a home in Irvine, CA.  Just like 15 years ago; today, lots of people who otherwise would not have been able to buy a home in Orange County, California can buy something.  I have faith that those who have been pushed out of their homes will be able to, and will want to, buy again.  In the meantime, I’m here to help you make your way through it… whatever direction that might be!

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As always, I’d love to hear your comments and questions!  Should you require assistance in these tough times with the disposition of your home, or you’re not sure which direction to turn, click here to schedule a phone conference or evaluation session.

Come On Buyers in Irvine and Other Orange County, CA Communities — Get Real

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

I’ve been giving a lot of thought about what is happening in Real Estate lately, both in Irvine, California and Orange County, California as a whole.  What I’ve seen is that the buyers are still out there … waiting.  Well, not really waiting; they’re looking, and then dropping out of the market.  I’m questioning why this is happening and I think I have the answer.

It’s both because of the media building false expectations; and, the Buyers’ expectations of what is available looking like a palace.  By this I mean the following:  The media has set up the Buyers to expect something greater than what there is.  Buyers are aware the prices have gone down, so they ‘think’ they can LOWER their purchase price and get something more than special.  When they get into the market and start looking they find out that this simply is not the case!  Even if you keep your expected purchase price at the same level it was before, you might be able to buy more square footage; but it doesn’t mean that the home will be perfect.  No home is perfect at any price.  This hasn’t changed with the downturn in the market.  It’s always been like this.

Many buyers think they can follow the pricing in the market down and get more.  I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news; but this is illogical.

Buyers should, instead, be thrilled that they can get what they can for the price homes are priced at today!  Eventually, the cycle will begin again; and though we’ve lost money owning property today; tomorrow, by owning, we will gain it back.

Another mistake buyers make today is they believe the only time to buy is when the market is at its lowest.  You can read some of my earlier postings to see why this is simply not the case. 

Buyers… Even if you cannot buy exactly what you want today, it is worth getting into the market so you can buy what you really want later.  Get out there, look for property and be realistic.  As long as you hold onto your property beyond the downturn, you gain.  Plus, you get to be a homeowner.  Isn’t that what it’s really all about… having a roof over your head to call your own?  Why have we lost site of this?

I’d love to hear from you, your thoughts; and work with you when you’re ready to buy.  Find me by clicking here.

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MANY SAY TO BUY NOW in Orange County, CA!

Friday, April 8th, 2011

I’ve received numerous publications from varying sources and ALL of them point to it being the time to buy now and they back up their opinions with facts I cannot dispute.  Let me post a few you might enjoy reading.  I’d love to have your feedback.

Check into the following:

Fortune Magazine:  http://public.remax.net/public-News/Pages/FortuneCoverStory.aspx

I’ve previously posted information from other lenders; and here’s some interesting information from yet another, John Farrell points out:

“FHA Announces April 18, 2011 Increases in Annual MIP

Supporting its publicly declared goal of accelerating the restoration of the required reserve levels of the Mutual Insurance Fund, the FHA announced yet another increase in the annual mortgage insurance premium.

In its Valentine’s Day mortgage letter (ML 11-10) FHA announced a 25 basis point (0.25%) increase in the annual mortgage insurance premium. The result for loans with case numbers assigned on or after April 14, 2011 and depending on the maturity and loan to value increases the annual premium to:

30 Year

•<= 95% LTV from 85bp to 110bp
•> 95% LTV from 90bp to 115bp

15 Year

•<= 90% LTV from ZERO to 25bp
•> 90% LTV 25bp to 50bp

To illustrate the change in payment in Mortgage insurance for your client:

Let’s take a purchase price of $700,000.00.
Your client finances 96.5% with 3.5% as down payment.
Loan amount would be $675,500.00.

Based upon the OLD MI of .90% the current MI payment per month would be $506.63.”

Now with the upcoming new MI factor of 1.10%, the new MI payment per month would be $619.21.  Which is a total increase per month of $116.00.

Here’s another Lender, Bruce Pham’s announcements on numerous new loan programs available:

“Below is a short summary of what we offer;

Conventional Full Docs, DU Refi Plus, HomePath by Fannie Mae, Jumbo, FHA, VA, VOE Only/Almost Stated, and Private Money.
 
Pre-Approve Your Clients with us, a direct lender.
 
VOE:    No Pay Check Stub, No W2, No Tax Returns, and N4506. Max LTV 80%. Minimum FICO 620. Okay for OO, NOO, 2nd Home, Purchase, Cash Out Refi, and  Flip.
 
FHA:    3.5% down payment with minimum FICO 640. Okay for BK discharged over 3 years, Repair Escrow Holdback, Self Employment, Non-Permanent Resident        Alien, Non-Occupant Co-Signer, Seller can Contribute Up To 6%, Subordination of Federal Tax Liens, and Streamline with our without Appraisal.
 
DU Refi Plus with or without Appraisal.
 
HomePath:   Low Down Payment 97% LTV on Full Doc, Flexible Mortgage Term, No Appraisal Required, No Mortgage Insurance. OK VOE Doc Type LTV up to 90%. Minimum FICO 660.”

I receive numerous of these types of emails daily and all offer something new.  The more loan options = more buyers making bids on the same homes you want = higher prices…

My opinion, it’s just around the corner, in fact, multiple offers are already rampant.  I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s happening.  I have a client that made an offer on an REO in Huntington Beach, Orange County, CA that was not in good condition; another REO in the same tract had just entered escrow though it’s not yet closed, in excellent condition; and the listing agent of that home gave me an idea of where that one might close and that price seemed to be at the listing price of the REO my client was considering needing anywhere from $30-50,000 of repairs/improvements to bring it to the level of the one in escrow. Compared to that sell, my Buyer and I agreed on where he might make his offer.  The listing agent had just received another offer that he said was ‘a low offer,’ so I’m figuring probably somewhere around where we’re thinking to offer. By the time I reached the listing agent, they had countered back and forth a few times and they were close to a decision.  The listing agent gave me an idea where he wanted to be and it was only $5,000 under the list price and remember, that list price was just about at the sales price of the REO in escrow that was in excellent condition.  My Buyer was going to utilize the new 203 FHA home improvement loan, also opening the doors for many home buyers.

The listing agent gasped when I told him what the Buyer’s offer was and he said:  “Not in this market.”  Indicating a good market at this price point in Huntington Beach, Orange County, CA.  You, as the reader, might think this unusual; but it’s happening numerous times a day in many locations.  Last week, Irvine California homes SOLD jumped from a typical 28 to 50!  In one week!  All of this tells me it’s true, Buyer’s need to get their ducks in a row, and the sooner the better!!

I’d love to have your feedback on this article. To learn about how I work, go to my websites by clicking here and here. Please let me know which ones you enjoy more. You can also find me on Twitter. Don’t forget to sign up below for email notices of new blog entries.

 

Now What?

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Beats Me — What IS Going on in the Orange County and Irvine, CA housing market?

About a month ago I reported that I was busier than I had been in a long time, and I was.  I even went so far as to say that the market might be making a comeback; and, it did look that way — then. 

So, I showed that group of about eight buyers at least once each and since then I’ve had difficulty getting them to go out again.  I doubt after being in the business since 1992, my personality just changed over night??  I’ve thought about it since then and realized NONE of them had any/enough motivation to buy!  Most were still living at home with their parents and paying little to no rent.  Others had homes to sell with little to no equity.  Rates are still low enough that even a 1% uptick didn’t motivate them because they’re so certain that prices will go down again … so what do they have to lose by waiting?  Take a look at this Video that one of my preferred lenders has prepared for you as to why he believes it’s better to buy now rather than waiting.

Get this:  I’ve read articles with comments from buyers who now say they’d rather see prices on an upward trend before buying.  My bet is these are the same buyers who have been “waiting for the bottom.” Think about that… they’re afraid to buy because the home might still go down further after they already own it so they would rather pay a higher price when they purchase it in order to rest assured they got the home at a time when the market will fall no further??  We already had some areas with prices increasing and prices still went down again, so that isn’t really the answer.  Who’s really knows until it’s hind sight?  My personal opinion, and I’ve probably said it before, is NOW IS ALWAYS THE BEST TIME TO BUY!  Why?  Because now is the ONLY time we know exactly what is happening.  Now, I’m even questioning that, because I don’t feel like I know what is happening.  You can find five articles in any given day that has its opinion about today’s market in Irvine, CA, other Orange County, CA communities or Orange County, CA as a whole, and none of them will say the same.

What buyers really must think about is how long they believe they will be in the home before they sell it; can they get a nice home for their price point; and, even if the home does dropped another 10%, would that help them get what they want?  Not only those factors, but if interest rates go up, then what?  Are you priced out of the market altogether?  Keep in mind, typically the seller chooses whether they sell into a down market or an up market; so, even if the values continue a downward trend after you buy, there’s a greater chance that you won’t sell until the market is back.

In reality, I’m asking my readers for your comments as to what you might be waiting for?  

If this Realtor sounds like someone you’d like to work with… who’s not afraid to tell it like it is, contact Di at 949-929-6343 or email her at diane.gross2@gmail.com.  Also, visit her website

To see what else Di has to say as soon as it’s posted sign up below for an automatic email.

 

Market Recap

  • Avg. Sales Price: 379,000

  • Avg. Days on Market: 69

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