jjalone's Blog: All Categories

Since November 28th when I recommended looking at the Catalog Choices where you can have your name removed from almost any catalog mail list I have been collecting the catalogs we receive and have now eliminated us from 31 mail lists.  I hated to say good bye to Godiva Chocolates but I really don’t need the calories and paper.  In addition I have suggested about another 10 catalogs I would like to see added to their list.  It is a really easy site to use and although it won’t reduce much this holiday season, I am sure our mail box will have more room when the spring catalogs are sent out.  I am on a mission, join… Read Full Post

Concerns over a severe housing downturn and prolonged credit crisis could shake consumer confidence and hurt the economy contributed to a drop in mortgage rates this week, according to Freddie Mac. Interest on 30-year fixed loans sank to 5.96 percent from 6.10 percent last week, landing at the lowest point seen since September 2005.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed products fell to 5.65 percent from 5.73 percent over the week and five-year adjustable-rate mortgages were down to 5.75 percent from 5.86 percent, but one-year ARMs bucked the southward trend by bumping up to 5.46 percent from 5.43 percent.

"With lower consumer spending and personal income gains in October, interest rates on U.S. Treasury securities fell lower this week and mortgage rates…

 There are a number of local sites that do a good job of reporting the monthly real estate statistics for the Sacramento real estate market. This month I am looking at Sacramento Real Estate Statistics where the author just posted some November numbers for our area. The comparisons below are pretty ugly but I caution readers to remember that we have a strong and diverse local economy and our real estate market will improve.              Average $/SF                            Median $/SF                 2006 - $234                               2006 - $226             2007 - $198                               2007 - $187               Average Sales Price                  Median Sales Price             2006 - $419,543                         2006 -… Read Full Post

Check out my latest column over at Rocklin & Roseville Today, “No honor for agents.”   There was a recent Harris poll conducted about the prestige of various occupations and believe it or not, real estate agents and brokers fared worse than lawyers, business executives and union leaders.  What is up with our clients?  I have also published the column on my Real Estate News page at jalone.com Read Full Post

Our mail box is stuffed, again!  Especially this time of year when the junk mail is accompanied by every imaginable catalog such as Victoria Secret, Harry and David, Red Envelope, Fairytale Brownies, and the list goes on and on.  Some of these are merchants I have used and like but I didn't ask for and don’t need their catalogs.  Did you know the paper used to produce catalogs annually is equivalent to 8 million trees? 

I came across a site, Catalog Choice, which we have started to use to reduce the number of catalogs we get.  You register, find the catalog you want to stop getting and they do the work.  Yes, it would be great if they just took your name off of all catalog mailing lists but this is a start and let’s face it we all have a few…

Our mail box is stuffed, again!  Especially this time of year when the junk mail is accompanied by every imaginable catalog such as Victoria Secret, Harry and David, Red Envelope, Fairytale Brownies, and the list goes on and on.  Some of these are merchants I have used and like but I didn't ask for and don’t need their catalogs.  Did you know the paper used to produce catalogs annually is equivalent to 8 million trees? 

I came across a site, Catalog Choice, which we have started to use to reduce the number of catalogs we get.  You register, find the catalog you want to stop getting and they do the work.  Yes, it would be great if they just took your name off of all catalog mailing lists but this is a start and let’s face it we all have a few…

It has been a few weeks since I have reported on how inventory of homes on the market.  The number of homes currently on the market has been declining for the past two months but not at a very fast rate.  As of November 19, according to HousingTracker, we had 17,444 homes on the market in the Sacramento area.  That is a decline of over 1,000 homes from the high in September and is down 2.3 percent from a month ago but is still 13 percent higher than it was a year ago.

The median asking price for homes on the market right now is $349,000, which is down 2.2 percent from a month ago and 15.9 percent from last year.  Until we see a much more significant decline in the inventory I do not expect to see continued pressure on sellers to lower their price to…

As many as 40 percent of the 14,000 homeowners who lost their houses in California’s forest fires last month are discovering they don’t have enough insurance to rebuild, according to the California Department of Insurance.

Although California state officials have tried to raise home owner awareness of coverage limits, several nationwide studies suggest that homeowners tend to ignore risk and don’t understand that insurance policies don’t guarantee replacement costs.

Don’t let this happen to you, check your insurance policy or call your agent and determine if you have replacement coverage or exactly how much you would get in the case of the unthinkable, a full loss.