There are numerous web sites to help you search for properties.  Use them to do your research, and then find an agent who you feel comfortable with.  The relationship between you and your chosen agent is an important one.

A great example of web property search sites is Listingbook.  It offers the industry’s most accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date information including MLS data and public records so you’ll have no more wasted time considering properties that are no longer available.  Listingbook makes searching and sorting easy.  You can search on your terms with custom mapping tools and property features.  You can even search school, shopping, and recreation information.

The Listingbook platform makes interacting with your agent easy and the collaboration can speed your search.  Listingbook can help you keep your search organized and up-to-date by saving your favorites, receiving listing alerts, and notification of price reductions.  If you sign up through an agent you will get additional support and information that can help you find that special property before it’s gone. 

Written on January 11th, 2013 , Tools for Buyers

U.S. mortgage rates were little changed as the New Year kicks off, keeping borrowing costs near record lows after home prices gained the most in more than two years. The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 3.35 percent in the week ended today, down from 3.37 percent Freddie Mac said in a statement. The average 15- year rate held at 2.65 percent.

Home values are rising as low interest rates boost demand amid a tightening supply of properties on the market. House prices nationwide jumped 4.3 percent in the 12 months through October 2012, the biggest year-over-year advance since May 2010. Purchases of previously owned homes rose to a three-year high in November, the National Association of Realtors said last week.

Written on January 10th, 2013 , Financial Info

Orange County home buying reports put the median selling price at $470,000. That’s up 17.5 percent vs. the end of 2011, and is the highest since June 2008 – just before the nation’s recessionary financial collapse. Increased  pricing is not slowing buyers for now. Orange County buyers snapped up 3,446 residences closed in the latest period — up 32.5 percent vs. a year ago. Sales are happening across all market slices: Old single-family homes are up 34.9 percent vs. last year; condos up 19.8 percent; and builders’ are joining the party – up 61 percent in a year. And it’s a broad-based advance, geographically, with 54 of 83 Orange County Zip-codes having both rising sales and prices in the period vs. 2011.

The rapid sales pace – plus a very reluctant bunch of Orange County sellers – means there is just about nothing on the market today.  Ask any buyer who has been looking to purchase a home within the past six months and they will let you know how frustratingly difficult the process has been.

Written on January 10th, 2013 , Market Trends

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPdF2RZDJfdzAv0q4FwYmBZ_DMbM3Ima5k3SmKYlEiv_fVlz6EQwLocated adjacent to the Saddleback Mountains, Coto de Caza is a magnificent 5,000 acre private guard-gated community in South Orange County. Miles of unspoiled natural beauty abound in this community making it one of the most prestigious master-planned communities in the United States. The community of Coto de Caza is truly “one of a kind” and offers its residents a distinctive way of life through its countless amenities. Enjoy the sprawling natural landscape, the winding trails that take you to the reaches of the Cleveland National Forest, the countless sports fields and courts complete with recreational activities, clubhouses, golf, swimming, tennis and the tranquil parks that makes Coto one of the most sought after communities to live and play.

Written on January 10th, 2013 , Community News

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