The current state of the real estate market in Crescent City, CA. I had an email today from a client who has her home listed with me asking about the current state of the real estate market in Crescent City. My client's home is priced in the high $200,000's, a price range that isn't hopping right now in the Crescent City real estate market, but she is reading about the increase in sales throughout the state and U.S. and asked the following:  Thanks Fran, hope you have a speedy recovery.   I know in the outside world things are moving along nicely.  What do you think the future holds for the Crescent City real estate market?   Here is my answer to that question and what I think we can expect for the near future. 30 homes have sold since 8/1/09 in the Crescent City/Del Norte County real e... 09/16/2009

Johnston's Gift-Garden-Home located in Crescent City, CA at 962 Third Street is a wonderful place to find a unique gift or that special something for your home. Owned and operated by Sheri Johnston, Johnston's Gift-Garden-Home is the place to go for kitchen, bath and garden items that you will not find elsewhere. I am a proponent of purchasing locally to support my community. I frequently purchase closing gifts for my clients at Johnston's Gift-Garden-Home, but I purchase items for my home as well. Sheri sells a ceramic bowl set that comes with a large size pasta bowl and four smaller bowls all with bright colors that go with just about any decor.  The set of 5 bowls is less than $50 but looks like it cost quite a bit more.  It is one of my favorite closing gifts because the bowls are s... 09/14/2009

Crescent City/Del Norte County Market Report for August 2009 - Sales are down from July, but still looking good. Active listings are up to 278 and 19 residential listings sold in August, giving us an *absorption rate of approximately 15 months, which is not bad when you consider we have had months in the last 12 month period with an absorption rate of over 3 years! The federal tax incentive, low prices and REO's are spurring on first time home buyers and investors with cash for the summer's end flurry of buying our market is currently experiencing. As every year, now is our busy time and closings in October will probably be very good, but don't expect that to last. November closings will no doubt drop off as they historically do every year.  Who wants to move during Thanksgiving or Chri... 09/06/2009

Tolowa Dunes State Park in Pictures - I know I have shared this walk with you before, but when I wrote the previous post, the lake was breaching into the ocean. Today, the sandbar is intact and we were able to walk around the lake a bit.  Our dog, Jack, had a wonderful time swimming in the lake, which is freshwater, and the walk is one of the most beautiful in Del Norte County, which is saying a lot because there are so many.  The park takes in some of the finest wetlands habitat on California's northern coast. An ancient sand dune complex that has evolved into several distinct ecological communities, Tolowa Dunes encompasses ocean beach, river, open and vegetated sand dunes, wooded ridges, and wetlands. A diverse assortment of birds, animals and plant life thrive here, and the area ser... 07/19/2009

Crescent City real estate - financing your home purchase - Real estate financing has changed in my market quite a bit from the liars stated income loans and easily obtainable 100% financing of the early part of this decade. Gone are the days of having a real estate agent show you several homes and your lender being able to find you a loan for whatever you wanted to purchase. The subprime meltdown has changed the face of lending and only the real estate agents who get on board with this new reality are going to meet their clients needs and excel in this market. The best advice I can give a prospective buyer is, "Go see a good lender first."  This should be the first step.  A good agent will work closely with your lender and tailor the home you will purchase to meet the qualifications of ... 07/18/2009

 Crescent City/Del Norte County June Market Report - Finally some great news! Yes, I am happy to write the June market report.  Sales increased 41% over May's figures.  We can thank the low interest rates in April along with the $10,000 California Tax Credit for purchasers of new homes (this tax credit is no longer available) and the $8000 Federal Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers, which is still available until November, for this marked increase. The segment of the market that is selling like hotcakes is $200,000 and under with 66% of June's sales and 62% of sales overall for 2009. The financing of choice for these transactions is the USDA GRH program and FHA.  The GRH program is a wonderful program for low to moderate income families and still provides 100% financing, although the... 07/13/2009

Hello Friends, I would like to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July in and around America and the rest of the world!  Here is a link to the list of things to do in Crescent City, CA during the July 4th Independence Day celebrations: http://www.triplicate.com/http://www.triplicate.com/20090702106360/News/Local-News/Forth-of-July-Weekend-Events 07/04/2009

Now is a good time to buy properties in Crescent City CA because in the past year an a half to two years, prices have been falling steadily.  Now more than ever, there have been more foreclosures, REOs, Bank Owned properties on the market.  If you are seeking a real estate expert with years of experience in working with foreclosure properties and short sales, please call me and I will find you that unique, low priced home or property that you have been searching for. Buyers, Sellers, Mortgage Companies and Banks, you can contact me to help you with your next real estate transaction:  "Helping to make your dreams of home ownership come true. " Thavisak "Lucky" Syphanthong, Broker   Lucky Star Realty                     1305 Northcrest Drive Crescent City, CA 95531email: lucky@luckystarre... 07/01/2009

Crescent City Garage Sale this Saturday and Sunday at 350 Sleepy Hollow.  Take Parkway to Sandmann, right on Sleepy Hollow. Some of the items: Clark forklift for sale 3 man canoe Electric lawn mower Lots of other good stuff Please let Denise know I sent you. Thank you, Fran               06/27/2009

The Crescent City Farmers Market is back! The Farmers Market offers locally-grown produce, specialty items and arts and crafts. It will be open every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm until October 31st at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds in the Northeastern corner of the parking lot (where Rumiano Cheese used to have a store).      Some of the local vendors: Ocean Air Farms of Fort Dick Mountain Home Farm of Orleans Village Baker of Ashland (fresh baked bread) Terri McCune-Oostra (home made pesto) The Dutch Gardener will be selling plants and vegetable starts Daves Bags Spicy Mamas (dried spices) Paul Caster (back massages) Vita Cucina will be doing cooking classes and tasting All of the goods at the Farmers Market are guaranteed by the county Department of Agriculture as made or grown locall... 06/25/2009

Several clients have called this week to ask about the California foreclosure moratorium that went into effect June 15, 2009, and how it will affect them.  The bill is similar to legislation passed by the federal government in March. Some of the highlights: Banks can get an exemption from the moratorium by showing that they have a loan modification plan in place.  Several companies have already applied for the exemption; California Department of Corporations has 30 days to grant or refuse the request. Loan modification programs in place must have some combination of the following features: Interest rate reduction for at least 5 years. Extension of the amortization period for up to 40 years from the date the loan was issued. Deferral of some portion of the principal amount. Reduction of ... 06/22/2009

How do you cope with the reality of foreclosure or imminent bankruptcy? Someone very near and dear to me is facing foreclosure.  There is no one left to borrow from, their bankruptcy is completed and the end (foreclosure) is looming near. My friend is overwhelmed and depressed.  She has lived in her home for over 25 years and wants very much to stay there, but the faltering economy is threatening to claim them as another victim. I made a few suggestions to my friend and if you have any other suggestions, don't hesitate to share, please. I've been married for 29 wonderful years to a great guy and we have raised 5 lovely children on one salary while I was a stay at home mom.  There were some very rough financial times, which of course led to marital stress and even physical illness at one... 06/10/2009

Crescent City/Del Norte County Real Estate Market Report - Improving. The Crescent City real estate market continues to improve as far as amount of sales, but prices continue to decline.  Prices are down 29% over May sales last year.  I think we can thank declining prices, lower interest rates and tax incentives for maintaining sales.  54% of May residential sales were under $200,000 (62% of all 2009 residential sales were under $200,000), with 15% of total May sales being REO/Short Sale listings, although REO/Short sale listings only comprise 6% of active listings (REO listings are continually receiving multiple offers).  The absorption rate, the rate at which it would take to sell all inventory at the current sales rate of 13 homes a month, is 21 months, which is still abysmal.  Inven... 06/05/2009

Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, announced today at an address to several thousand REALTORS that the Federal Housing Administration is going to allow first time home buyers to use their $8000 federal tax credit as a down payment for the purchase of their home (Woo hoo). Secretary Donovan said that important changes, which the National Association of Realtors(R) has been calling for, will help consumers purchase a home. "We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the home buyer tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a downpayment," Donovan said. According to Donovan, the FHA's approved lenders will be permitted to "monetize" the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. This will allow eli... 05/12/2009

I wouldn't say I have been avoiding short sale listings, but thankfully, most of my clients do not have to go this route at this time. Why am I thankful? Because statistics show that the majority of short sales never culminate in the sale of the owners home. This short sale is another one of those statistics. Seller purchased home in 2005 at height of market and shortly thereafter had a life change and had to move to another home. Market dropped and home is upside down (seller owes more than the home is worth). Seller remodels home in hopes of attracting a buyer and lists home at a price that will get seller out of home just breaking even. Market drops more, homeowner lists home as short sale, receives offers and submits to bank.  Here's where it gets interesting. Chase asks for way mor... 05/01/2009

Yes, encouragement for sellers - It makes me very happy to be able to be able to write some encouraging words for sellers, something I haven't done for quite awhile. Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know I follow my market stats closely and do not paint a rosey picture unless it's warranted.  Sales are picking up all over the U.S., not just in Del Norte Country.  In most of the hot markets in California, housing sales are strong because of foreclosures.  It has been that way in Del Norte County as well for the last 4-5 months, but in the last 4-6 weeks, there has been increased activity in homes over $250,000, the majority of which are not foreclosures.  This is welcome news for sellers. Here are my stats (I love stats): Homes $200,000 and under comprise 43% of active li... 04/20/2009

Good news for the Del Norte County real estate Market! My observations would show the market is picking-up in Del Norte County and statistics prove this out.  Homes priced over $400,000 have comprised only 10% of residential sales so far this year (1 sale) and only 5% for all of 2008 (9 sold). In other words, this segment of the market has been stalled. As of this writing, 19% of residential listings that are in contingency or pending status are priced above $400,000. What does that mean for buyers and sellers in my market?   In my opinion, confidence is coming back to the market for whatever reason, pick one, there are many...a new president, unbridled government spending (which scares me, but obviously not everyone), LOW interest rates--I have a client who just locked at 4.875--pent ... 04/05/2009

How many of you look forward to going to work everyday?  If you're a real estate agent, probably a lot of you because it is a great job, but do you look forward to going to your office? I made a move to my current office from an independent last May and have not had any regrets. Last week was my birthday and my 29th wedding anniversary.  My office had a party for me and invited my husband who ran over on his lunch break from his school (he teaches 5th grade and is standing in the background in this picture).  It was a wonderful time and made me feel great, but there are so many other ways my owner, Rose Peasley, makes me feel valued and important to her organization. She freely gives her time, she encourages me to promote myself, likes my blogging efforts and is grateful for the work I ... 03/17/2009

Thavisak Syphanthong | Lucky Star Realty | 707-954-7926 250 PAUL PLACE, Crescent City, CA Fully remodeled a couple years ago. Excellent home surrounded by tall trees. Beautifully landscaped. Pleasant, private country setting within 5 minute 3BR/2BA Single Family House offered at $275,000 Year Built 1998 Sq Footage 1,350 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors 1 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size 1.00 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Fully remodeled a couple years ago. Excellent home surrounded by tall trees. Beautifully landscaped. Pleasant, private country setting within 5 minutes of downtown. Make this home yours today! see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Living room Dishwasher Laundry area - inside Yard ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Photo 1Photo 2Photo 1Photo 2Photo 1Photo 2 ... 02/28/2009

Roger McCovey won the ranking of #1 heavyweight wrestler in the nation on Connect Wrestling, a national website.  McCovey was previously ranked #4. "It's awesome," McCovey states, with the admonition that, "I still have to prove it." McCovey is the defending California State Champion, going 41-0 last season.  So far this season, McCovey is undefeated in more than 30 matches.  McCovey hasn't been taken down by an apponent in two years of competition.  McCovey is a senior at Del Norte High School in Crescent City, CA. Photo courtesy of The Daily Triplicate   01/30/2009