Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there. The real estate market is still going strong as we enter the Spring sales market. In Ladera Ranch there are 92 homes for sale right now slightly up from 82 homes two months ago. 66 of the homes for sale are single family residences, 15 are condominiums, and 11 are townhomes. Out of the 92 homes for sale 90 of them are standard sale or equity sales, there aren't any short sales but there's 1 bank owned home. The home inventory has remained low for the last year but has opened up a little with the Spring selling season. Over 75% of the homes for sale in Ladera Ranch are listed for over $700,000 right now. Analysts are predicting home price to continue to rise throughout the year around 3-6% for Orange County. Increase in home prices are attributed to the low inventory and high buyer demand throughout southern California. Home loan rates remain relatively low with the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage around 4.750 - 4.80%.

The average price of a home for sale in Ladera Ranch is now $1,394,558. The average days a home is on the market in Ladera Ranch has slightly increased from 63 days of inventory to now be 67 days. The home inventory has increased as we enter the Spring selling months. The inventory has slightly increased to around 2.4 months of home supply as the current buying pace. An inventory of 3-4 months of supply is considered the average, so at only 2.4 months of supply we are in a sellers market. The average sold price verse the average list price remained relatively the same around 98.88%. If your looking to buy a home right now there isn't is a decent amount of buyer competition. Many homes in the $1M and below segment of the market are getting multiple offers in the first week or two if the property is priced correctly. I'd recommend being pre-approved for a home loan before looking at any homes in person.

If you want a free broker price opinion of what your home could sell for or interested in looking at the homes currently for sale give me a call 949-412-3515 Scott Bingham.

Economy News
Members of the Fed expressed expectations that inflation will continue to rise this year. Higher inflation will likely contribute to higher mortgage rates. The 10-yr Treasury broke the 3% yield mark for the first time since 2014. While inflation is growing domestically, lack of inflation is still a concern overseas. The European Central Bank is continuing economic stimulus, helping to keep rates lower here. After 3 months of declines, retail sales were up in march. The increase was fueled by auto sales and big ticket household purchases. Consumer confidence rebounded in April, pointing to underlying strength in the economy. Strong confidence is likely to fuel an increase in consumer spending.

Housing News 
New home sales, which account for 11% of the housing market, increased 4% in March. That’s an 8.8% increase from a year ago, a considerable jump. April housing stats were up even more than expected. The increase included a rebound in multi-family home construction. The number of homeowners benefiting from the mortgage tax break is expected to drop by half in 2018. Only about 20% of all taxpayers have used the break in recent years.

Check out these great rates and give me a call today!

Conforming 30 year fixed 4.750%
Conforming 15 year fixed 4.375%
Jumbo 30 year 4.250%
Jumbo 30 year 5/1 ARM 3.875%
FHA 30 year 4.750%
VA 30 year 4.750% 

Need a loan preapproval? Give us a call:  Diversified Capital Funding
Eric Muller - Mortgage Loan Officer, 925-708-0957, Eric@divcap.net

Economy News
Factory activity slowed in March, but growth in the manufacturing sector is still going strong. More Companies shows signs of expanding that shrinking. Tariffs on goods from china continued to dominate the headlines this week. Trade war concerns have helped keep mortgage rates from rising. Jobless claims were up on the week, but jobless rolls fell to the lowest level since 1973. A tightening labor market could boost wage growth, leading to inflation. 

Housing News 
Construction spending was up in February after being unchanged in January, spending on private residential projects increased .7% after falling in January. Home buyers are blowing their dream budgets to snag their dream houses as prices rise. A third of buyers spent an average of 16k more than they planned. Rising home prices may keep some out of the market. A recent Freddie Mac survey finds 67% of current renters view renting as more affordable than owning.

Check out these great rates and give me a call today!

Conforming 30 year fixed 4.500%
Conforming 15 year fixed 4.125%
Jumbo 30 year 4.500%
Jumbo 30 year 5/1 ARM 3.875%
FHA 30 year 4.500%
VA 30 year 4.375% 

Need a loan preapproval? Give us a call:  Diversified Capital Funding
Eric Muller - Mortgage Loan Officer, 925-708-0957, Eric@divcap.net

Today is officially the first day of Spring and although the weather isn't hot today, the real estate market is on fire! In Ladera Ranch there are 82 homes for sale right now slightly up from 63 homes two months ago. 64 of the homes for sale are single family residences, 15 are condominiums, and 4 are townhomes. Out of the 82 homes for sale all of them are standard sale or equity sales, there aren't any short sale or bank owned homes. The home inventory has remained low for the last year. Over 80% of the homes for sale in Ladera Ranch are listed for over $700,000 right now. Analysts are predicting home price to continue to rise throughout the year around 3-6% for Orange County. Increase in home prices are attributed to the low inventory and high buyer demand throughout southern California. Home loan rates remain relatively low with the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage around 4.50 - 4.80%.

The average price of a home for sale in Ladera Ranch is now $1,482,465. The average days a home is on the market in Ladera Ranch has decreased from 89 days of inventory to now be 63 days. The home inventory has increwased as we enter the Spring selling months. The inventory has slightly increased to around 2.3 months of home supply as the current buying pace. An inventory of 3-4 months of supply is considered the average, so at only 2.3 months of supply we are in a strong sellers market. The average sold price verse the average list price remained relatively the same around 98.9%. If your looking to buy a home right now there isn't a lot of inventory to look at and the competition is substantial. Many homes are getting multiple offers in the first week or two if the property is priced correctly. I'd recommend being pre-approved for a home loan before looking at any homes in person.

If you want a free broker price opinion of what your home could sell for or interested in looking at the homes currently for sale give me a call 949-412-3515 Scott Bingham.

Economy News
The new Fed Chair Jerome Powell appeared for his first time in front of Congress this week. His upbeat economic views moved markets and put pressure on current rates. Consumer prices increased in January, and inflation had its largest gain in 12 months. Inflation pressures rates higher, including mortgage rates. The labor market continues to show strength as well. Filings for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest in almost 50 years. 

Housing News 
Home prices accelerated in December, according to a recent Case-Shiller report. Prices were up 6.4% year-over-year with continued strong buyer demand. Pending home sales were down almost 5% in January. However, the drop is like due to tight inventory and poor weather rather than increased mortgage rates. Buyer traffic was strong in January, but listings fell to an all-time low, down almost 10% year-over-year. Which, can continue to file price gains.

Conforming 30 year fixed 4.750%
Conforming 15 year fixed 4.500%
Jumbo 30 year 4.500%
Jumbo 30 year 5/1 ARM 4.125%
FHA 30 year 4.990%
VA 30 year 4.875% 

Need a loan preapproval? Give us a call:  Diversified Capital Funding
Eric Muller - Mortgage Loan Officer, 925-708-0957, Eric@divcap.net

Economy
The Fed did not raise policy rates at last weeks Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, but we are expecting a likely increase when they meet in March. Consumer spending increased in December, reflecting a strong labor market. Supported by a growing economy, inflation pushes rates (including mortgage rates) higher. Mortgage rates have consistently crept up a little each week through 2018, hitting 4-year highs. Even still, rates are historically low. For 2018 it is likely the Fed will raise policy rates. Consequently, mortgage rates will likely increase slightly this year as well. If you're planning on purchasing a home this year sooner is better than later to lock in a lower rate.

Housing 
National home prices continued their run higher in November, rising 6.2% annually. Home prices are rising more than three times faster than the rate of inflation. Even with tight inventory, pending home sales were up 0.5% in December over November. The supply of homes for sale is at its lowest level since 1999. in our local market our inventory of homes is at a 5 year low making it a sellers market.

Conforming 30 year fixed 4.750%
Conforming 15 year fixed 3.375%
Jumbo 30 year 4.500%
Jumbo 30 year 5/1 ARM 4.250%
FHA 30 year 4.875% | VA 30 year 4.500% 

Need a loan preapproval? Give us a call:  Diversified Capital Funding
Eric Muller - Mortgage Loan Officer, 925-708-0957, Eric@divcap.net

Believe it or not, Ladera Ranch still has some brand new builder homes for sale in the community. New home builder Christopher Homes has a neighborhood that's only half sold out at this point. The new homes can be found at the corner of O'Neil Drive and Sienna Parkway. There are 2 models open daily that can be previewed in the community. The two model plans are both 4 bedroom homes are range in size from 2,800 - 2,934 sqft. Pricing for the models right now is around $1,050,000 and there are about 24 homes still available.

There are also new homes being built in the gated community of Covenant Hills. There are both custom homes being built by independent builders and homeowners and tract homes for sale. The builder The New Home Company has also acquired 28 lots in Covenant Hills. The new home community will be named Sky Ranch and will feature single level homes that range in size from 4,000 - 5,000 sqft. The homes will have 4 - 6 bedrooms with 4.5 - 6.5 bedrooms. The builder is hoping to have the home models open in the first quarter of 2018.

If you'd like a realtor to represent you for free with the potential purchase of a new home give us a call 949-412-3515.

In Ladera Ranch there are only 61 homes for sale right now down from 108 homes two months ago. 54 of the homes for sale are single family residences, 5 are condominiums, and 2 are townhomes. Out of the 61 homes for sale 60 of them are standard sale or equity sales, there is 1 short sale, and 0 bank owned homes. The home inventory has dropped off sharply in the last couple months with hardly anyone willing to sell. Over 85% of the homes for sale in Ladera Ranch are listed for over $700,000 right now. Analysts are predicting home price to continue to rise again this year around 3-6% for Orange County. Increase in home prices are attributed to the low inventory and high buyer demand throughout southern California. Home loan rates remain low with the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage around 4.10 - 4.25%.

The average price of a home for sale in Ladera Ranch is now $1,843,294. The average days a home is on the market in Ladera Ranch has increased from 76 days of inventory to now be 89 days. The home inventory has decreased to around 1.6 months of home supply as the current buying pace. An inventory of 3-4 months of supply is considered the average, so at only 1.6 months of supply we are in a strong sellers market. The average sold price verse the average list price remained relatively the same around 98.5%. If your looking to buy a home right now there isn't a lot of inventory to look at and the competition is substantial. I'd recommend being pre-approved for a home loan before looking at any homes in person.

If you want a free broker price opinion of what your home could sell for or interested in looking at the homes currently for sale give me a call 949-412-3515 Scott Bingham.

What are your predictions for the real estate market in Ladera Ranch in 2017?

Once we get into mid January the number of home listings in Ladera Ranch and Orange County will hopefully increase. This past year the inventory of home listings remained low the entire year. Last year ended with a low home inventory and strong buyer demand. This year it looks like we will have a pretty similar market here in Ladera Ranch. Home inventory will remain low with higher buyer demand.

Home prices have continued to increase in 2017 due to the high demand and low inventory. Higher prices are great for home owners or owners that are looking to sell, but higher prices means less potential buyers in Orange County. Some first time home buyers are beginning to get priced out in Orange County. Many forecasters believe home prices will continue to rise this year between 2 - 6%.

Many analysts are expecting home loan rates to rise only slightly in 2018. As rates rise less buyers are able to afford to purchase homes which will in turn make the inventory rise and the market slow down. Currently, home loan rates are around 4.15 - 4.30% for a 30-year fixed loan. 

This year is a great time to sell a home. The inventory of homes remains low and sellers are getting a premium for their properties. If you'd like a free home valuation to see what it could sell for get in contact. If your looking to sell or buy give us a call today to begin your search Scott Bingham, Realtor 949-412-3515.

Welcome to the new LaderaRanchRealEstate.com website which has been updated and improved with many new features. Our old site was 5 years old and due for a re-imagining. Our site can now be easily viewed on mobile devices like cell phones and tablets. Some new features of the website include the ability to create Market Reports, Check Sold Listings, and get a free property valuation.

If you were a member of the previous site your information has been saved and you should be able to sign into the site with the same username and password. If you had a saved search that will have to be recreated. That's something you can do or if you email me the perimeters I can set that up for you as well. If you have any questions about the new site or anything real estate related please don't hesitate to call or email.