The Lawhead Team would like to share the C.A.R.’s latest One Cool Thing about what can affect your home value.

It’s common knowledge that location, crime, and neighborhood comps can affect home value. But what are some of the more invisible factors that influence sales prices?

The view angle from the backyard

The maximum angle that opens up to scenery or nature from your backyard. This is measured from no scenic view at all from your backyard to 180 degrees, indicating that the view is scenic from every angle.

Footage length

The length in feet of the street-facing side of the home’s lot can affect home value.

Backyard exposure to neighbors

The measurement of how easily neighbors can see into a home and backyard.

Privacy

Researchers factored in backyard slope, distance to neighbors, home density, and other metrics to determine a privacy score. The more private, the more desirable.

Backyard slope

Homes with downhill-sloping backyards tend to be more desirable than homes with backyards than slope uphill.

Source: HouseCanary

Contact The Lawhead Team today to find out what your home value is!

The Lawhead Team came across this article from NBC San Diego stating that San Diego is the 5^th priciest housing market in the nation! Check out the article:

Tuesday, Aug 19, 2014 • Updated at 4:05 PM PDT

San Diego Has 5th Priciest Housing Market in Nation

In case you needed a reminder: The sunshine tax is very real.

San Diego was ranked as having the fifth priciest housing market in America, according to the National Association of Realtor’s latest report.

Of the top five most expensive housing markets, four are in California.

“It’s not a surprise because California has remained at the epicenter of the residential real estate boom this year, with prices now well above the levels of the last few years,” Jamie Duran, president of the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage San Diego, Orange County and Desert Region, said in a news release.

The report looks at the median single-family price for homes in cities in the United States over the second quarter of 2014. San Diego’s median price was $504,200, the report showed.

The most expensive housing market is San Jose, where the median home price was $899,500, followed by San Francisco ($769,600) and Anaheim-Santa Ana ($691,900).

Statewide, home prices were up 6.6 percent from June of last year, according to the California Association of Realtors.

The good news for buyers: Interest rates remain low and prices appear to be stabilizing, according to the news release.

Read entire article from NBC San Diego about San Diego‘s housing market: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/San-Diego-Has-Fifth-Most-Pricey-Housing-Market-in-Nation-271921491.html

Here are some of the recent stats of the market share by brand in San Diego…note Coldwell Banker is at the top!

The market share in San Diego for homes sold from January 2014 until the end of May 2014.

Way to go Coldwell Banker!

Here are the details:

The Lawhead Team would like to share a recent article about housing we found through California Association of Realtors website from the New York Times:

Source: New York Times

An important sign of health for the housing market is whether builders of new homes are selling more houses than banks do. Hanley Wood, a real estate research firm, calculated the extent to which housing is on the mend.

Making sense of the story:

• While the gap is narrowing, overall banks are still selling more homes than builders.
• The volume of new-home sales turned up in 2011 and has been rising gradually since then, although it remains far below the boom levels that existed before the financial crisis.
• However, the volume of sales by banks has been declining for more than two years.
• Hanley Wood figures show that in eight major metropolitan areas, banks still sell more than 20 percent of homes that change hands. In only four of the 20 areas observed did builders outsell banks.
• In the first quarter, about 8 percent of home sales nationally were made by builders and 17 percent by banks.
• While there are concerns about home sales slowing down, Jonathan Smoke, the chief economist at Hanley Wood, commented, “You can fret all you want about the total volumes being up or down, but the reality is that the residential real estate market is getting healthier and healthier each month. The health is reflected in the share of non-distressed, normal transactions continuing to rise.”
• In addition, more homes are being bought by people who intend to live in them rather than by investors who plan to rent them out.

Read the full story about Housing On The Mend from the New York Times.

Summer is here and that means it is time to fire up the grill! The Lawhead Team would like to share some helpful safety tips from the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA).

July is the peak month for grill fires. Did you know roughly half of the injuries involving grills are thermal burns?

The NFPA has some grilling safety tips we would like to share:

• Propane and charcoal BBQ grills should only be used outdoors.
• The grill should be placed well away from the home, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
• Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the grill area.
• Keep your grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grills and in trays below the grill.
• Never leave your grill unattended.
• Always make sure your gas grill lid is open before lighting it.

Propane Grills: Check the gas tank hose for leaks before using it for the first time each year. You can check by applying a light soap and water solution to the hose. A leak will release bubbles.

Charcoal Grills:

• There are several ways to get the charcoal ready to use. Charcoals chimney starters allow you to start the charcoal using newspaper as fuel. If you use starter fluid, use only charcoal starter fluid.
• When finished grilling, let the coals completely cool before disposing in a metal container.

The Lawhead Team would like to share the latest key points in North San Diego’s housing from the North San Diego County Association of Realtors® HomeDex Report.

• The median price for all North San Diego County home sales – attached and detached – increased to $493,750 in April 2014 compared to $485,000 in March 2014.
• Detached homes in North County rose 2.7 percent to $571,000 in April 2014 compared to $556,000 in March 2014. Year-over median price for SFD homes in North San Diego County increased 6.73 percent, compared to $535,000 in April 2013, continuing 21 straight months of sustained year-over median price increases.
• Detached home prices OUTSIDE North County remained steady at $450,000 in April 2014 compared to March 2014. Year-over non-North County median price increased 12.5 percent compared to $400,000 in April 2013, the 25 month of year over median price increases.
• Attached home prices in North County jumped 15.39 percent to $372,500 in April 2014 compared to $322,813 in March 2014. Year-over SFA North San Diego County median price jumped 12.88 percent, compared to $330,000 in April 2013, the 28th straight month of year over price increases.
• Non-North County attached home prices increased 9.24 percent to $317,500 in April 2014 compared to $290,650 in March 2014. Year-over non-North County SFA median price jumped 19.81 percent, compared to 265,000 in April 2013.
• The number of North San Diego SFD listings (active and contingent) increased 10.15 percent in April 2014 compared to March 2014, and jumped 22.82 percent year-over compared to April 2013.
• The number of sold North San Diego County SFD units increased 12.94 percent in April 2014 compared to March 2014. Year-over sold SFD units declined 10.56 percent compared to April 2013.
• Median days-on-market for single-family detached homes sold in North County increased to 27 days in April 2014 compared to 22 days in March 2014.
• The HomeDex affordability percentage for all homes in North San Diego County – attached and detached – decreased to 32 percent in April 2014.

If you are looking to buy and sell a home in North San Diego County, check out the latest in prices for homes in that area:

• The median price for all North County home sales – attached and detached – increased to $485,000 in March 2014 compared to $475,000 in February 2014.
• Detached homes in North County decreased 1.51 percent to $556,000 in March 2014 compared to $564,000 in February 2014. Year-over median prices for SFD homes in North San Diego County increased 5.9 percent, compared to $525,000 in March 2013, continuing a 20-month trend of sustained year-over median price increases.
• Detached home prices OUTSIDE North County increased 4.9 percent to $450,000 in March 2014 compared to $429,000 reported in February 2014. Year-over non-North County median price increased 13.92 percent compared to $395,000 in March 2013, continuing a 24-month trend of year-over median price increases.
• Attached home prices in North County increased 0.54 percent to $322,813 in March 2014 compared to $321,083 in February 2014. Year-over SFA North San Diego County median price increased 1.83 percent, compared to $317,000 in March 2013, the 27th straight month of year over price increases.
• Non-North County attached home prices fell 1.47 percent to $290,650 in March 2014 compared to $295,000 in February 2014. Year-over non-North County SFA median price increased 9.68 percent, compared to 265,000 in March 2013.
• The number of North San Diego SFD listings (active and contingent) increased 8.6 percent in March 2014 compared to February 2014, and increased 12.35 percent year-over compared to March 2013.
• The number of sold North San Diego County SFD units increased 37.1 percent in March 2014 compared to February 2014. Year-over sold SFD units fell 13.66 percent compared to March 2013.
• Median days-on-market for single-family detached homes sold in North County fell to 22 days in March 2014 compared to 33 days in February 2014.
• The HomeDex affordability percentage for all homes in North San Diego County – attached and detached – remained at 33 percent in March 2014.

Whether you go with a conventional loan, FHA loan or a VA loan, there are different features that many loans offer.

The following are some of those features:

Fixed Rate – A mortgage with a fixed rate means your interest and mortgage payments remain the same, or “fixed”, through the entire loan. Typically the loans are for 15 to 30 years. A 15 year loan will obviously have higher monthly payments but you will end up saving more than half of the interest costs than a 30 year fixed loan and pay it off in half the time.

Adjustable Rate – This type of mortgage is also known as an ARM. The interest rate on an ARM fluctuates during the entire life of the loan. Your interest rate will be modified based on a predetermined economic index established at the beginning of the loan. Most of the time a max is set on the interest rate to avoid enormous increases. An ARM is usually safe only if your budget can afford to handle fluctuating payments.

Payment Option Adjustable Rate – This type of loan accommodates a households fluctuating cash flow which include minimum payment options, interest only payment options and others. You will want to thoroughly understand these types of loans because you need to make sure you are prepared for a sudden increase in payment.

Balloon Rate – A balloon mortgage has a fixed rate but for a shorter term than 15 or 30 years. At the end of the balloon rate (the fixed rate), the borrower must pay the remaining lump sum or refinance. If the buyer is purchasing unimproved property that they plan to build on in less than ten years, a balloon mortgage may be a good option.

Talk to a lending professional to find out what the best type of loan for you is. We highly recommend knowing exactly what you are getting into when you apply for a home loan.

Find out the latest for single family attached home prices in the North San Diego County area from the North San Diego County Association of Realtors^® HomeDex Report:

• The North San Diego County median-priced single-family attached home (SFA) decreased 4.72 percent, from $337,000 in January 2014 to $321,083 in February 2014.  Non-North San Diego County single family attached home median price increased 3.51 percent, to $295,000 in February 2014 from $285,000 in January 2014.
• North San Diego County SFA median price increased 11.10 percent year-over, from $289,000 in February 2013 – continuing a 26 month of a year-over price increases.  Non-North County single family attached home median year-over price increased 31.70 percent, compared to $224,000 in February 2013.
• San Diego County SFA home median price dropped 1.64 percent, from $305,000 in January 2014 to $300,000 in February 2014.  Year-over county median price was up 20 percent compared to February 2014.
• The median number of days-on-market for North County SFA homes sold declined, from 36 days in January 2014 to 30 days in February 2014.  The average number of days-on-market fell from 54 in January 2014, to 52 days in February 2014.
• The number of sold single family attached home units increased 5.45 percent from January 2014 to February 2014; the number of sold SFA units in non-North County Zip Codes increased 3.12 percent from January 2014 to February 2014.
• Year-over single family attached home sales in North San Diego County decreased 11.79 percent, from February 2013. Non-North County year-over sold units increased 1.54, compared to February 2013.
• SFA listings (active and contingent) in North San Diego County decreased 1.59 percent from January 2014 to February 2014, and decreased 6.55 percent yearover from February 2013.
• San Diego County single family attached home listings (active and contingent) increased 0.85 percent from January 2014 to February 2014, and increased 1.81 percent year-over compared to February 2013.

All information can be found from the North San Diego County Association Of Realtors® HomeDex Report.

The Lawhead Team would like to share the HomeDex^TM Report from the  North San Diego County Association of REALTORS® for single family detached homes:

• The median price for all homes in North San Diego County – single-family detached and single-family attached – remained at $475,000 in February 2014.
• The median-priced single-family detached (SFD) home in North San Diego County dropped 0.88 percent, to $564,500 in February 2014 from $569,500 in January 2014.  Year-over median SFD price in North San Diego County increased 19.47 percent, from $472,500 in February 2013 – continuing a 19-month sustained trend of year-over median price increases.
• The SFD median price in non-North County Zip Codes decreased 0.46 percent, to $429,000 in February 2014 from $431,000 in January 2014.  Year-over non-North County median price increased 14.40 percent, from $375,000 in February 2013, continuing a 23-month trend of year-over median price increases.
• The median SFD price in San Diego County fell 1.05 percent, from $475,000 in January 2014 to $470,000 in February 2014.  Year-over county-level SFD median price was up 15.76 percent, compared to February 2013.
• The median days-on-market for North San Diego County SFD homes sold declined, from 41 days in January 2014 to 33 days in February 2014.
• The SFD median price-per-square foot increased 24.57 percent year-over from February 2013.
• The number of sold SFD units in North San Diego County increased 7.72 percent from January 2014 to February 2014; however, year-over sold SFD units dropped9.71 percent from February 2013.
• SFD total sales volume increased 4.69 percent year-over from February 2013.
• SFD listings (active and contingent) in North San Diego County increased 2.97 percent from January 2014 to February 2014, and increased 0.46 percent yearover from February 2013.
• SFD listings (active and contingent) in San Diego County decreased 2.29 percent from January 2014 to February 2014, and increased 1.17 percent year-over from February 2014.