October Sales Stats

Check out these stats for Laguna Beach in October. And don't forget to Contact us if you are looking to buy or sell your house.

October LB Stats

September Sales Stats

Check out these stats for Laguna Beach in September.

September LB Stats

Sales Stats

Check out these home sales statistics for Laguna Beach.

LB stats

RESPA/HUD-1 CHANGES

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How To Green Your Home

Everyone makes the same resolutions every year, eat better and take care of your body. Those are noble goals! But what about your house? Shouldn't your house start living a healthier life too? Going green isn't just good for the environment, many of these home upgrades also add value to your home.

It used to be that "Going Green" was pretty limited to expensive solar panels and compact florescent bulbs. Well there are definitely a lot more ways to Go Green this year!

Here are just a few ways to Green your home:

1. Flooring - Everyone loves the look of hardwood floors. A couple of really eco-conscious choices are Bamboo and Cork. Both of these come in a wide variety of colors now, making it easy to find a match for your taste. Cork is really great for the kitchen. It's softer than other choices, giving your feet a well deserved treat when you are slaving over that stove!
2. Fire - No matter how hot it gets outside, people love to know their home has a fire place. Well EcoSmart Fire came out with a great product. These designer fireplaces are fueled by a renewable energy source called Denatured Ethanol.
3. Sprinklers - There is a fantastic product on the market now, called Cyber-Rain. It's a sprinkler system that actually checks your local weather reports to decide how much water to sprinkle on your lawn. This is just genius! No more having your sprinklers going on during a storm!
4. Toilets - When most people decide to remodel a room, it's usually the kitchen or a bathroom. If you decide on the bathroom, why not use a green appliance in there? There are tons of Dual-Flush toilets on the market now. One flush is for liquid waste, using less water than a standard toilet. Then there is a heavier flush for solid waste. These are great because you use less water, which is better for the environment AND your water bill!!!
5. Water - OK this next one is like something out of Star Trek. It's called the Dewpointe Atmospheric Generator. This wonder of modern science actually extracts clean drinking water from the air in your home. This even works in the desert! Think of all the money you'll save on water. Not to mention how cool your house will look once you buy one of these!

There are tons more products like these out there. So take a look around your beautiful home and start thinking about how you can improve the health of your house this year!

Happy Holidays!!!

From everyone at Ocean Homes OC, we hope you all have a happy holiday season. Check back soon for more blog posts in the new year!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

UCLA Sees 16% Home-Price Gain In 2010

As seen in the Orange County Register:

Double-digit housing appreciation will return to Orange County next year, with the median home price rising somewhere from 15.9% to 16.6%, UCLA economists forecast in a report released today.

That compares to a projected 8.8% gain in California next year and a 2.4% increase nationwide.

It also differs sharply from Cal State Fullerton’s outlook. An economist there said Tuesday that Orange County home prices will rise 2% to 3% next year – at most.

But Mark Schniepp, author of UCLA Anderson Forecast for Orange County, said he’s not predicting the return of the housing bubble.

Even after six years of appreciation, UCLA economists still don’t expect home prices to reach the 2006 peak. In fact, home prices likely won’t get back to that level again until 2016 or 2017, Schniepp said.

“We’re already at 16% (appreciation) from March. That’s just six months, and I’m talking about a year-over-year (change),” said Schniepp, chief economist with the California Economic Forecast. “When you have a cycle where you’ve over-corrected, you can go up 16%. It doesn’t really mean much.”

The gist of the forecast, Schniepp said, is that the Orange County housing market is in recovery.

“The train has left the station. It’s going down the track. This isn’t a head fake,” he said.

He added: “Now is the time to buy. (Actually), the time to buy was the spring and early summer.”

The UCLA housing forecast is part of an outlook that projects a jobs turnaround in O.C. in 2011.

In addition, the Orange County housing forecast states:

• That from 2011 to 2015, O.C. home prices will increase by 2.5% to 8.7% a year. The median home price, at $406,481 this year, is projected to top $500,000 by 2011 and to be above $600,000 in 2015.
• That foreclosures are expected to rise again early next year, but won’t derail the recovery.
• That homebuilding this year will fall to 1,912 units, the lowest number in records dating back to 1946.
• That homebuilding will pick up by 2012, rising above 11,000 units a year — levels not seen since 2002. In 2013, UCLA projects that housing starts will total 12,537.
• That mortgage interest rates will remain low. Southern California rates likely will be below 6% through 2015, the forecast said.
• That commercial real estate will be hampered by high unemployment through 2010, with recovery not expected until around 2011.
• Office vacancies — currently at 18% to 20% — will start to drop in 2010, but lease rates won’t resume going up until 2011.
• Retail sales are expected to start picking up in late 2010, aided by the recovery in the housing market.

“We do look for a much more robust recovery, certainly by 2011 and for homebuilding by 2012,” Schniepp said.