The Uptown Whittier Family Fair is back! The fair had its opening kick-off this evening and it was so nice to see so many people strolling down Greenleaf. Local Merchant "Fenix 5-4" handing out samples of their delicious, organic smoothies I started my visit at the Greenleaf - Philadelphia intersection, where the Whittier Uptown Association had their "Headquaters Booth" (which was manned by Sandra Hahn of "Crepes & Grapes" and Marie Ortiz of "Smooth Biz" when I stopped by) with a chance to win a prize in the raffle and a nice display of upcoming Whittier events (like the "Miss Bluebird" contest on August 14th) and advertising for several local businesses as well as for the amazing ShopWhittier website. Marie Ortiz (center) at the Whittier Uptown Association Booth Like in the years befor... 07/07/2010

LIST OF WHITTIER FORECLOSURES (Bank Owned Properties)!!!! Even though the number of Whittier Foreclosures (Bank Owned Properties, also known as "REOs" for "Real Estate Owned") has decreased, there are still some incredible opportunities out there, and maybe the home of your dreams is already among them! As of 07/06/10, there were a total of 30 Whittier Single Family Home Foreclosures for sale  - this consititutes only 8% of all currently active Whittier Single Family Homes for sale. The largest amount of Whittier Bank Owned Homes are found in the price ranges between $200,000 to $300,000 (14% within this price range) and $300,000 to $400,000 (11% within this price range). There are a total of 7 Whittier Condo Foreclosures for sale - the most Bank Owned Properties in the Condo category a... 07/07/2010

Do you remember that movie "Forrest Gump"? How slow and deliberate Forrest was in everything he did? I had a chance for that this past holiday weekend when my husband and I drove up north to visit his parents. I'm not good with long drives (this one was 7 hours), so I kept myself busy by surfing the internet, completing some RE stuff, and chatting with a relative for about 2 hours. The next thing I know, I'm there! Then I have to start over again and try and unwind. We were in a small town in California's Gold Rush country, and the sky was this amazing shade of blue. We could actually see stars at night, and the quiet was deafening. But I was still anxious. My Blackberry didn't get any internet service, as well as my laptop. I had to bug my husband to drive to the only Starbuck's for mi... 07/06/2010

Looking out the window this morning in Whittier might be a bit depressing (it's raining!), but the good news is that inventory has increased by 28 listings! WHITTIER HOMES FOR SALE $0 to $400,000! WHITTIER HOMES FOR SALE $400,001 to $1mil! WHITTIER HOMES FOR SALE $$1mil and above! Today, 07/06/10, there are a total of 414 active Residential Property Listings in Whittier - 360 Single Family Homes, 54 Condos. In addition to the active listings, there are 95 Whittier Homes and 12 Whittier Condos in Back-up Offer Status, and 206 Whittier Homes and 31 Whittier Condos are Pending Sale. Active Whittier Single Family Homes for sale by price range (compared to 06/28/10): $0 - $200K:          2 (down 1)$200K - $300K:    90 (up 7)$300K - $400K:   123 (up 10)$400K - $500K:    53 (up 4)$500K - $600K... 07/06/2010

Day 12 of 365 Things to do in Whittier, CA:  Uptown Whittier Wednesday Night Family Fair It's back!  After a long Autumn and Winter of not knowing if the Uptown Whittier Wednesday Night Family Fair was going to return this year, it is finally coming back on July 7, 2010. I'll be posting new information about the 2010 season of the Uptown Whittier Wednesday Night Family Fair on this site later.  In the meantime, here is some information about last year's events. In the summertime, you will often find me on Wednesday evenings in Uptown Whittier, walking up and down Greenleaf Avenue during the Weekly Family Fair.  The street is blocked off and filled with vendors under canopies.  Among them you will find sellers of products such as candles, toys and jewelry, and services such as massage, e... 07/05/2010

Last week we lost a great man, Bob Jenkins.  Bob was one of the most respected agents in Whittier and La Mirada, and really epitomized a rock solid, honest, hard-working role model for real estate agents.  His loss came as a great surprise to many of us, who were used to seeing a man with boundless energy run circles around most of the younger agents.  You can see in his obituary in the Whittier Daily News a little more about his life. 07/04/2010

We have been watching the market closely, and the number of bank owned properties coming on the market in Whittier seems to have decreased. However, there are still many great deals out there to be had - for more information on current Whittier bank owned homes for sale, please feel free to visit our recent blog posts about the Whittier Foreclosure and Short Sales Market: "Whittier Bank Owned Homes", "Whittier Foreclosures and Short Sales", "Whittier Foreclosures" . Purchasing a bank owned property can be a great deal, many of them are still selling below the price of a "regular sale". However, there are some things you should be aware of when purchasing a bank owned property: 1. Many times, the bank/owner will require you to get pre-approved by a particular lender before submitting an ... 06/30/2010

Looking to buy a bank owned home in Whittier? The amount of bank owned homes has come down in the city of Whittier, but there are still several bank owned properties for sale that might be exactly what you are looking for. As of 06/30/10, there are a total of 32 bank owned properties for sale in Whittier - 26 of them are Single Family Homes, 6 are Condos. The lowest priced bank owned Whittier Single Family Home is listed at $144,900, it has been on the market for 86 days, the price per sqft on this property is $190.66. The highest priced bank owned Whittier Single Family Home is listed at over $1.6mil, has been on the market for 344 days, at a price of $243.47 per sqft. The lowest priced bank owned Condo in Whittier is listed at $157,000, it has been on the market for 82 days, at a pric... 06/30/2010

Yesterday, we took a look at active residential Whittier property listings and the sales in the past week. Today, I would like to focus on the current amount of Whittier Foreclosures and Whittier Short Sales that are on the market. Let's take another look at the current active Whittier Home listings (Single Family Residences): $0 - $200K:          3 $200K - $300K:    83$300K - $400K:   113$400K - $500K:    49 $500K - $600K:    30$600K - $700K:    24$700K - $800K:     9$800K - $900K:     5$900K - $1mil :     2$1mil - $1.1mil:    2$1.1mil - $1.2mil: 6$1.2mil - $1.3mil: 1$1.3mil - $1.4mil: 2$1.4mil - $1.5mil: 1$1.5mil and up:    5 Now let's see what percentage of these listings are Whittier Short Sales and Whittier Foreclosures: As indicated by this chart, Regular Sales make up the majorit... 06/29/2010

SEARCH FOR WHITTIER HOMES HERE! A new week, a new overview of Whittier Homes for sale! Last week (06/21/10), there were 390 active Residential Property Listings in Whittier, 343 of them were for Whittier Single Family Homes, 47 of them for Whittier Condos. What does it look like this week? Today, 06/28/10, there are 386 active residential property listings in Whittier - 336 Single Family Homes  and 48 Whittier Condos. In addition to the active listings, there are 102 Whittier Single Family Homes in Back-up Offer Status, and 211 Whittier Homes are in Pending Status, and 13 Whittier Condos are in Back-up Offer Status, 33 are Pending Sale. Active Whittier Single Family Homes for sale by price range (compared to 06/21/10): $0 - $200K:          3 (no change)$200K - $300K:    83 (up 4)$300K -... 06/28/2010

Today, we attended the Whittier "State of the City Address" and it was very informative as well as entertaining. Retiring City Manager, Steve Helvey, gave an easy to follow, almost 2-hour presentation of all matters concerning Whittier and its residents. Mayor Nordbak and Whittier City Manager, Steve Helvey As many other cities across the country, the City of Whittier has seen better days, so saving and redestributing and restructuring assets was a big task for the Councilmen to get the new budget passed (for more information on the budget, check out today's article in the Whittier Daily News). After a quick review of the Deficit Resolution, City Manager Helvey went on to talk about the Whittier Police Department and gave an update on the new PD building (next to City Hall). The estimat... 06/24/2010

I have been working hard to reach the top of Google's search engines for Whittier Realtors®, and I am very happy that it has paid off. If you go to Google, simply type in "Whittier real estate", and you will see my two websites at the top of the list: www.willisrealtor.com www.whittierwelcomesyou.com Check out this video to see where else you can find me on the Internet.       _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ About the author: The above article was provided by Rob Willis, a locally recognized Realtor®. If you like my blog, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed to get the latest Whittier real estate news. For Home Buyers, see this website to start searching for your home. Thinking about selling your home? Go to The Hom... 06/23/2010

SEARCH FOR HOMES HERE!!! Driving through Friendly Hills feels a little bit like driving through a beautiful country setting - lush, green landscaping, large front yards, beautiful homes, winding roads at times, just a very serene setting. As all other parts of Whittier, Friendly Hills has also seen a change in property prices, and this blog will focus on price changes, days on market and sales history in this particular part of town. Currently, there are 28 active Single Family Homes for sale in Friendly Hills - ranging from $499,000 ($340.15 per sqft) to $2,200,000 ($415.02 per sqft). The days on market range from 2 days to 591 days. Friendly Hills Homes for Sale (status June 23, 2010)Total active Friendly Hills Homes for Sale:                    28Total Friendly Hills Homes in Back-up... 06/23/2010

It is Monday again and time for our weekly "Whittier Homes for Sale Snapshot". As of 06/21/10, there are a total of 390 Active residential listings in Whittier. Of those, 343 listings are for Whittier Single Family Homes (up from 338 on 06/07/10), 47 are Whittier Condos (up 5 as well from 06/07/10). There are a total of 113 residential properties in Back-up offer status (100 Whittier Single Family Homes, 13 Whittier Condos), and 243 Whittier properties are Pending Sale (212 Single Family Residences, 31 Condos). Active Whittier Single Family Homes for sale by price range: $0 - $200K:          3 (up 1 from 06/07/10)$200K - $300K:    79 (up 10)$300K - $400K:   119 (down 1)$400K - $500K:    58 (down 3)$500K - $600K:    30 (down 6)$600K - $700K:    24 (up 4)$700K - $800K:     9 (no change)$8... 06/21/2010

This Market Report is for Whittier, California. This Market Report on Whittier Homes for Sale will focus on Single Family Residences in Whittier, California.  It does not include condominiums or Multifamily Residences.   As of today, there are 339 Single Family Residences for sale in the Whittier area.   122 homes were sold during the month of May.  Over the past three months, 312 homes were sold.   The average home sale price over the past month was $362,937, at an average cost per square foot of $243.91. 324 homes are currently in Backup or Pending status, which is significant because more homes are have accepted offers right now than are for sale. It would take 2.8 months, at the current rate of sales, for all the current Whittier homes on the market to sell.  A Sellers' Market is wh... 06/12/2010

Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource Certified (SFR)Stephanie Frymyer and Shirley WilliamsYour Short Sale and Foreclosure Specialists Are you having problems making your monthly mortgage payments? You are not alone - many Americans are facing the same problem and are faced with one or more of these difficulties: - Jobloss, business failure or decrease in income - Personal problems, such as death of a spouse or divorce, forcing you to sell your home, but there is not enough equity - Health problems that resulted in major debt - Relocation, forcing you to sell your home, but there is not enough equity - Increase in mortgage payments - You are already in default and are facing foreclosure - You are experiencing another form of hardship. If this sounds like what you are going through, don't ... 06/09/2010

Interested in Whittier Real Estate and homes in the surrounding areas? This is the beginning of a new series of real estate snapshots of the Greater Whittier area - Monday through Friday, we will be giving you a snap shot of a local market, including cities like, Whittier, La Habra and La Habra Heights, La Mirada, Fullerton, Brea, West Covina, Diamond Bar, and many others. Whittier Real Estate Snapshot, June 7, 2010: Single Family Homes For Sale (active) 338 Single Family Homes in back-up offer status 114 Single Family Homes pending sale 212     Condos for Sale (active) 42 Condos in back-up offer status 13 Condos pending sale 37     Whittier Single Family Homes (active listings)   - Between $0 and $200,000 2 - Between $200,001 and $300,000 69 - Between $300,001 and $400,000 120 - Betwee... 06/07/2010

The Whittier Daily News has announced that June is Buy or Sell Your Home Month. The newspaper is expanding their real estate coverage every Saturday and Sunday for the month of June.  In addition, they will be starting a new Real Estate Monthly pullout that will be full of articles related to Southland real estate. Since the Whittier Daily News is part of the San Gabriel Valley News newspapers, this additional coverage and the Real Estate Monthly will also be published in the Pasadena Star News and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The first issue of the Real Estate Monthly will be published June 18. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for reading the blog post, Whittier Buy or Sell Your Home Month.   If you like ... 06/04/2010

How To Work With Million Dollar Clients:   What is the difference between a $100,000 home and a $1,000,000 home. Okay...yes...there are lot of nicer amenities.   What is the difference to the Realtor? Yes...instead of a $3,000 commission, there is a $30,000 comission. The KEY is to GET YOUR MIND OFF OF THE COMISSION! If we treated each and every client like a Million Dollar Client, then we will have Million Dollar Referrals. This may come in the form of ten $100,000 referrals or two $500,000 referrals.   My point is that our Clients who feel Valued and Respected will give you the Referrals that you need to thrive in this business. ALL Clients (rich or poor) can tell if you are working your "tail" off to give them the best possible service.   Have fun, work hard, and the money will take ... 06/01/2010

I was reading in the newspaper the other day about a couple that lives in a neighboring city who won $233 million in the lottery. First I was jealous of their good fortune, then I started thinking about all the stories about prior winners who later wished they had never won. What's wrong with this picture? My husband told me a story of a good friend from his high school days who won the lottery. There were 3 sons in the family, and the mom would buy three lotto tickets each week and hand them out. My husband's friend was a winner! The family was happy until the other 2 brothers insisted that the winning brother split up his winnings. He didn't like being forced to do anything, so he refused. It split up the family. The other 2 brothers still don't talk to him. This happened 30 years ago... 06/01/2010