What are your predictions for the real estate market in Ladera Ranch in 2019?

In 2018 homes prices increased 7% in California to an average price of $575,800 according to the California Association of Realtors. They're also forecasting the sales market to slow down this year with prices only increasing an estimated 3.1%. Here's what they had to say about this years market "A combination of high home prices and eroding affordability is expected to cut into housing demand and contribute to a weaker housing market in 2019, and 2018 home sales will register lower for the first time in four years, according to a housing and economic forecast released today by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®' (C.A.R.)."

This year i'm expecting the market to slow down a little with less transactions occurring and homes staying on the market for longer as buyer demand wains. So what I believe we're seeing is a sellers market transitioning into a buyers market. So right now it's not a sellers market and it's not a buyers market; it's somewhere in the middle. So sellers should expect to negotiate a little more on price with buyers this year. We should also see an increase in the number of properties on the market with longer days on market.

Many analysts are expecting home loan rates to rise in 2019 as well. The Fed is expected to raise rates 2 or 3 more times throughout the year. According to C.A.R. the average for 30-year, fixed mortgage interest rates will rise to 5.2% in 2019, up from 4.7% in 2018 and 4.0% in 2017, but will still remain low by historical standards.

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.

New Conforming Loan Amounts Announced

Every year, the Federal Housing Financing Agency (FHFA) determines and announces what the “conforming” loan limits will be for each county. The loan limits generally follow the average cost of living trends, so it’s no surprise that the new loan limits for 2019 will be higher than they currently are (see below for county-specific numbers).

“Cool, but what does this mean for me?”  Well, I’m glad you asked. Any mortgage loan amount that falls at or under the county maximum loan limit will be able to be underwritten to a federally-standardized set of guidelines, published by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These conforming loans are generally much easier to qualify for than “jumbo” loans (loan amounts above the county conforming loan limit), specifically when it comes to maximum debt-to-income ratios, employment history, and reserve requirements.

What’s Up With Rates?

As you probably know by now, mortgage interest rates have been on a steady rise since November 2016 and we should continue to see them rise, gradually, through 2019. Why? The Fed has been consistently raising their rates (three rate hikes this year, so far, with one more all-but-guaranteed hike in December) in response to a strong economy and low inflation figures. The Fed rates have been a hot topic as of late due to President Trump’s outspoken opposition to the Fed hiking rates any further. As of now, the Fed is forecasting three additional hikes in 2019. While mortgage interest rates don’t jump in harmony with the Fed rate hikes, they do tend to follow similar trend lines as one another. All this means to you, the homebuyer, is that you should expect to see mortgage rates continue to rise. If you’re on the fence, it’s time to take the leap!

Today’s Interest Rates*

Conforming 30 Year Fixed: 5.125% Rate / 5.212% APR
Conforming 15 Year Fixed: 4.500% Rate / 4.585% APR
Jumbo 30 Year Fixed: 4.625% Rate / 4.701% APR
Jumbo 7/1 ARM: 4.000% Rate / 4.074% APR
FHA 30 Year Fixed: 5.000% Rate / 5.515% APR
VA 30 Year Fixed: 4.990% Rate / 5.090 % APR

*rates shown are based on 20% down payment, 740+ FICO, are subject to change, and are according to market conditions as of November 27, 2018.

Want to know more?
I would love to chat about this with you some more. I absolutely love what I do and get excited “geeking out” about the mortgage industry! If you’re ready to find out what your purchasing power is and what it could look like to purchase, feel free to give me a call, shoot me a text, or email me any time:

Ladera Ranch Market Update  

The real estate market hasn't changed much since our last update a month ago. In Ladera Ranch there are 96 homes for sale right now down from 99 homes a month ago. 68 of the homes for sale are single family residences, 21 are condominiums, and 7 are townhomes. Out of the 96 homes for sale 92 of them are standard sale or equity sales, there is 3 short sale, and 1 bank owned home. The first half of the year the home inventory was lower but now its begun to stabilize with the decreased buyer demand. Around 70% of the homes for sale in Ladera Ranch are listed for over $700,000 right now. Analysts are expecting home price to level off for the remainder of the year in southern California.  Home loan rates remain relatively the same as last month with the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage around 4.85 - 4.95%. Most realtors and lenders are expecting the FED to raise rates 3 times throughout  2019.

The average price of a home for sale in Ladera Ranch is slightly down at $1,265,680. The average days a home is on the market in Ladera Ranch has increased from 84 days of inventory to now be 98 days. The home inventory has increased in the last month as homes are staying on the market longer as buyer demand dips during the holiday season. The inventory has increased to around 3.10 months of home supply at the current buying pace. An inventory of 3-4 months of supply is considered the average, so at 3.10 months of supply it's a healthy market and not favoring sellers or buyers. The average sold price verse the average list price remained relatively the same around 98.3%.

If you want a free property valuation 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.

Ladera Ranch Market Update  

The real estate market hasn't changed much since our last update. In Ladera Ranch there are 99 homes for sale right now down from 110 homes a month ago. 69 of the homes for sale are single family residences, 22 are condominiums, and 8 are townhomes. Out of the 99 homes for sale 97 of them are standard sale or equity sales, there is 1 short sale, and 1 bank owned home. The first half of the year the home inventory was lower but now its begun to stabilize with the decreased buyer demand. Around 70% of the homes for sale in Ladera Ranch are listed for over $700,000 right now. Analysts are expecting home price to level off for the remainder of the year in southern California.  Home loan rates remain relatively low but saw minor increases with the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage around 4.85 - 4.95%.

The average price of a home for sale in Ladera Ranch is now $1,321,023. The average days a home is on the market in Ladera Ranch has increased from 77 days of inventory to now be 84 days. The home inventory has decreased in the last month as less homes are coming up for sale as we enter the slower real estate sales months. The inventory has decreased to around 2.65 months of home supply at the current buying pace. An inventory of 3-4 months of supply is considered the average, so at only 2.65 months of supply it's a slight sellers market. The average sold price verse the average list price remained relatively the same around 98.4%.

If you want a free property valuation 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.

The Real Housewives of Orange County Star Tamra Judge has listed her home for sale in Ladera Ranch. The home is located in the prestigious gated community of Covenant Hills in Ladera Ranch. Covenant Hills is luxury home community of Ladera Ranch with homes that range up to the $6 Million dollar mark. Tamra Judge's home is listed for $1,799,000 and is a 5 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths, with 3,930 sqft of living space. The home was just recently remodeled including stainless steel appliances, quartz counter tops, Carrara marble herringbone back-splash, and more. The home also features as over-sized entertainers lot with pool, spa, and outdoor covered loggia that also features a built-in BBQ and "sunk-in" living room style seating with fireplace and endless panoramic sunset views.

The home just went into escrow after being on the market for only 7 days! If you'd like to see the homes for sale in Covenant Hills or anywhere in Ladera Ranch give us a call!

Economy News
It’s been an interesting month. Not one, but TWO companies reached an unprecedented milestone of having a $1 Trillion market cap (Apple and Amazon). As stocks and the economy in general continue to break all-time records again and again, the Feds (FOMC) continues to stand behind their projections for implementing four interest rate hikes for the calendar year of 2018. With 2 of those hikes in the past, we are expecting to see hike #3 soon. Before panicking, take a look at the Fed Funds Rate over the last 60 years. You’ll see we’ve been spoiled since the crash in 2008.

Housing News 
Finally, a shift! It’s been a tough couple of years to be a buyer in Orange County due to a crippling shortage of homes available to buy. Whether you blame foreign investors buying up real estate with cash or you blame the economy’s growth outpacing the price of homes, it’s been a tough time for those seeking to get into the market for the first time. Over the past 6 weeks, Orange County has seen a drastic increase in average days on market and number of homes listed. What does this mean? You, the buyer, finally have some leverage during the negotiation stage of buying a home. Congratulations!

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

Conforming 30 year fixed 4.750% Rate / 4.837% APR
Conforming 15 year fixed 4.250% Rate / 4.335% APR
Jumbo 30 year fixed 4.500% Rate / 4.576% APR
Jumbo 30 year 7/1 ARM 3.875% Rate / 3.949% APR
FHA 30 year fixed 4.500% Rate / 5.015% APR
VA 30 year fixed 4.500% Rate / 4.600% APR

Want to know more?
I would love to chat about this with you some more. I absolutely love what I do and get excited "geeking out" about the mortgage industry! If you're ready to find out what your purchasing power is and what it could look like to purchase, feel free to give me a call, shoot me a text, or email me anytime:

cell: 408-833-9258 | jprice@divcap.net | www.divcap.net/jared-price

Ladera Ranch Market Update  

The real estate market has remained cool for the last couple months. In Ladera Ranch there are 110 homes for sale right now up from 106 homes two months ago. 77 of the homes for sale are single family residences, 21 are condominiums, and 12 are townhomes. Out of the 110 homes for sale 107 of them are standard sale or equity sales, there is 1 short sale, 1 bank owned home, and 1 probate sale. In the first quarter of the year the home inventory was low but now its been continuing to increase for the last few months. Around 67% 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 for southern California.  Home loan rates remain relatively low with the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage around 4.85 - 4.95%.

The average price of a home for sale in Ladera Ranch is now $1,274,341. The average days a home is on the market in Ladera Ranch has increased from 71 days of inventory to now be 77 days. The home inventory has increased as buyer demand has waned over the last few months. The inventory has increased to around 3.0 months of home supply at the current buying pace. An inventory of 3-4 months of supply is considered the average, so at only 3.0 months of supply we are seeing the beginning to a more balanced market. The average sold price verse the average list price remained relatively the same around 98.6%.

Orange County Market Update

6,893 listings, up 1,016 residences for sale in a year or 17 percent; and up 5 percent vs. 6-year average.
Supply, year-to-date: Up 3,333 listings vs. a rise of 1,643 a year earlier and average increases of 2,554 in 2013-2017.
Demand: 2,394 new escrows, down 496 sales contracts in 12 months or 17%; and down 18% vs. previous six years.
Market time: 86 days vs. 61 a year earlier and an average 72 days in 2012-2017.

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.

30902 Clubhouse Drive #8D, Laguna Niguel. - More pics here!

Premier end unit condo that's highly upgraded in the great community of La Vista! This turnkey condo is unique in that it has one of the rare 2 car direct access garages. Only around 10 out of the 280 condominiums have the direct access 2 car garages! The recently renovated home features quartz counters, upgraded cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, newer wood flooring, and finished epoxy garage. Both bathrooms have also been upgraded with granite vanities, and remodeled showers with stainless steel fixtures. Laundry room is located next to the direct access garage and washer/dryer are included! The La Vista community has been undergoing re-piping and this unit has already been completed. The La Vista community has a pool/spa and clubhouse as well as having water, sewer, and trash included with the HOA dues. The home is located only a short drive to the beach and local resorts. This condo is a must see!

Economy News
Consumer prices barely rose in June, but the underlying trend points to inflation. Rising inflation will likely lead to more Fed rate increases and higher rates. Producer prices rose more than expected in June, another factor pointing to inflation. This jump was the largest annual increase in 6 1/2 years. Although trade war concerns have escalated, there’s not a lot of fear that this will hurt the economy. In the meantime, mortgage rates have remained the same.

Housing News 
Homeowners have an estimated $5.8 trillion in accessible equity, the highest ever recorded. Despite this, fewer owners are taking cash out that in previous eras. Inventory remains tight, but could loosen up a bit in the near future. Inventory increased 12.2% in the 2nd quarter, the biggest gain since early 2015. Although refinance applications were down last week, purchase applications rose 7% for the week and were 8% higher than the same week a year ago.

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

Conforming 30 year fixed 4.500%
Conforming 15 year fixed 4.250%
Jumbo 30 year 4.250%
Jumbo 30 year 5/1 ARM 4.000%
FHA 30 year 4.500%
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

The real estate market has cooled slightly as we've entered the summer months. In Ladera Ranch there are 106 homes for sale right now up from 92 homes two months ago. 73 of the homes for sale are single family residences, 24 are condominiums, and 9 are townhomes. Out of the 73 homes for sale 71 of them are standard sale or equity sales, there is 1 short sale and no bank owned homes. The home inventory has remained low for the last year but has continues to increase as we've gone into summer. Over 70% 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 for southern California. Increase in home prices are attributed to the low inventory. 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 $1,333,051. The average days a home is on the market in Ladera Ranch has increased from 67 days of inventory to now be 71 days. The home inventory has increased as we enter the Summer market which is typically slower than Spring. The inventory has slightly increased to around 2.6 months of home supply as the current buying pace. An inventory of 3-4 months of supply is considered the average, so at only 2.6 months of supply we are still in a sellers market. The average sold price verse the average list price remained relatively the same around 98.62%. 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.