<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<rss version="2.0">
    <channel>
        <title>Orange County Real Estate</title>
        <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/orange-county-real-estate-updates/</link>
        <description>Everything you need to know about Real Estate in Orange County, California.  Tips for home buyers and sellers, first time buyers, and investors.  Information about Real Estate trends, legislation, financing, Foreclosures, Short Sales, REO, and more.</description>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/orange-county-housing-report-this-market-is-taxing.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/orange-county-housing-report-this-market-is-taxing.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>Orange County Housing Report:  This Market is Taxing</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Here's the latest Orange County Housing Report from Steven Thomas of Altera Real Estate!

(Note: Market Activity Charts appear below the text.)

April 15, 2010

Talk to an Orange County buyer, especially a first time home buyer, and you will quickly find that the real estate market is simply crazy.&nbsp; 

Let&rsquo;s first establish that there are two different markets, below $1 million, HOT, and above $1 million, COLD.&nbsp; The below $1 million market accounts for 77% of the total active inv... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:05:10 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/orange-county-housing-report-demand-continues-to-surge.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/orange-county-housing-report-demand-continues-to-surge.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>Orange County Housing Report:  Demand Continues to Surge</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Here's the latest Orange County Housing Report from Steven Thomas, President of Altera Real Estate. 

April 1, 2010

No fooling, Orange County housing demand is picking up steam.&nbsp; 

Call it a coincidence, but with the wet weather turning to sunshine, demand has dramatically increased.&nbsp; We have not seen demand this high since the beginning of July, 2009.&nbsp; Demand, the number of new pending sales over the prior month, increased by 352 homes over the prior two weeks and now totals 3,... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:21:06 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/california-2010-home-buyer-tax-credit-extended.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/california-2010-home-buyer-tax-credit-extended.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>California 2010 Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Great news for Orange County CA home buyers!&nbsp; On March 26, 2010 Govenor 
Schwarzennegger signed a bill to allocate another $200M to extend the California Home Buyer Tax Credit program that ends on April 30, 2010.&nbsp; Half of the money will be allocated to first-time buyers of existing homes, and the other half to anyone who buys a new home from the builder. 
 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Extended Through Year End 

This program goes in to effect on May 1 at 12:11 AM and (if the money doesn't run ou... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:49:11 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/fha-financing-for-orange-county-homes-that-need-repairs.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/fha-financing-for-orange-county-homes-that-need-repairs.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>Buy a Fixer Orange County Home with FHA Financing</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Buyers who find the perfect Orange County home for sale, but are using FHA financing are sometimes at a disadvantage to other buyers because FHA has certain requirements about the &quot;livability&quot; of the home.&nbsp; The FHA 203k Rehab Loan program is designed to help people buy a home that needs some work.

FHA 203k Program

&nbsp;
 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Basics of the Program

Essentially, this program allows you to buy a home that is listed for sale below the market price because it needs rep... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:49:24 -0600</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/great-news-for-coto-de-caza-home-buyers-new-first-time-home-buyer-tax-credit.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/great-news-for-coto-de-caza-home-buyers-new-first-time-home-buyer-tax-credit.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>Great News for Orange County Home Buyers - New Home Buyer Tax Credit</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
This is the news that all Orange County home buyers have been waiting for!&nbsp; If you have been waiting for the extened and expaned Home Buyer Tax Credit - here it is.&nbsp; And it is not limited to First Time Buyers anymore! Watch this short video for the high points:
 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This overview is provided by the National Association of Realtors and goes over the main benefits to Orange County home buyers (click the image to see a large version): 

&nbsp;

There are great deals on homes... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:47:14 -0600</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/attention-all-orange-county-home-buyers-tax-credit-expanded.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/attention-all-orange-county-home-buyers-tax-credit-expanded.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>Attention ALL Orange County Home Buyers - Tax Credit Expanded</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Great news came from Washington D.C. today for all Orange County Home Buyers.&nbsp; The House approved a bill that would not only extend the current tax credit for first time home buyers, but also expand the benefit to additional home buyers too.&nbsp; You can read the Washington Post article which also discusses other items included as part of the bill expected to be signed into law by the President shortly.&nbsp; The main points for home buyers to note are: 

New Home Buyer Program


$8,000 T... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:18:09 -0600</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/orange-county-real-estate-update-the-fed-and-home-affordability.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/orange-county-real-estate-update-the-fed-and-home-affordability.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>Orange County Real Estate Update: The Fed and Home Affordability</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 


Orange County real estate is on the move, and it is important to know there are several factors that are included when mortgage companies set their rates.&nbsp; Most recently, mortgage rates are higher after the Federal Reserve released the internal notes of its September 22-23, 2009 meeting.
 
Known as the&nbsp;&quot;Fed Minutes&quot;, the report details the conversation and cross-currents that led to the Federal Reserve's decision to vote &quot;unchanged&quot; on the Fed Funds Rate after it... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:27:27 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/57-new-reo-homes-for-sale-in-south-orange-county.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/57-new-reo-homes-for-sale-in-south-orange-county.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>57 New REO Homes for Sale in South Orange County</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
NEW REO HOMES HIT THE SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY REAL ESTATE MARKET 

In the past week, 57 new Bank Owned, or REO, homes hit the market for sale in South Orange County, CA. They come in all shapes and sizes, from a 1 bedroom 1 bath offered for sale at $134K in Lake Forest to a 5 bedroom 6 bath custom home in the Summit of Turtle Ridge with two kitchens in Irvine offered at $3.4M. Quite a spread in size, price, location, and condition. Just what the REO market is all about! 

But here's the scoop - 31 ... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:21:33 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/sept-24-blog-entry-draft.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/sept-24-blog-entry-draft.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>Existing Home Supply Falls By Nearly A Year</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Recently reported by the National Association of REALTORS&reg;, the number of Existing Home Sales dipped last month, ending the metric's 5-month winning streak.&nbsp; Which is exactly what we are seeing here in Orange County.
 
Newspaper headlines today are overwhelmingly negative on housing.&nbsp;You'd almost&nbsp;believe this year's&nbsp;housing recovery&nbsp;had ended.&nbsp;
 
That's hardly the case.
 
See, the other side of the Existing Home Sales story is that -- while the number of units ... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:26:22 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/home-prices-rise-again-in-july.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.leslieeskildsen.com/blog/home-prices-rise-again-in-july.html</link>
            <author>leslie@leslieeskildsen.com (Leslie Eskildsen)</author>
            <title>Home Prices Rise Again In July</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
As reported by the&nbsp;government, home prices are rising nationwide, up 0.3 percent in July. 
 
Furthermore, versus&nbsp;November 2008, the Home Price Index has clawed back to unchanged.
 
The housing market&nbsp;appears to&nbsp;be&nbsp;holding&nbsp;its own.
 
However, we have to be careful about putting our full faith in the Federal Housing Finance Agency's data.&nbsp; It's somewhat flawed.
 
 
The Home Price Index is a national statistic and all real estate is local
 
The Home Price Index's... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:10:05 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
    </channel>
</rss>
