We all know that in every field there is a vast difference between hiring an ‘okay’ employee versus a standout talent -- a real rockstar go-getter. It’s the same with your real estate agent. If you’re planning to buy or sell a Santa Clarita home any time soon, you’ll certainly want more of a superstar on your side…yet how do you find the right Santa Clarita real estate agent? You want to sign up someone who has both the game plan and the skills to sell your home (or find you your new one). But with every real estate agent advertising their positive points, how will you find one who will turn in a performance to match?  The most agreed-upon way to find a real estate agent who fits the bill is to ask for a personal recommendation from family or good friends. That’s the route most often ... 08/27/2012

  Want to know more about Suess Real Estate Experts?  Just click here to Google us!              08/27/2012

*** SAND CANYON OPEN HOUSE THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 26th 1 - 4pm ***   ULTRA PRIVATE SAND CANYON GATED CUSTOM ESTATE ON NEARLY 2.5 ACRES!! Enter through the gate up the long driveway and take in the huge grassy front yard accented by the majestic oak tree! Fantastic single story home with every amenity desired! Great open floor plan with large rooms and two fireplaces! Gourmet kitchen with large walk-in pantry, stainless steel appliances, gleaming granite slab counters and tumbled stone back splash! 4 bedrooms + 3 bathrooms, formal dining room, living room and family room with French doors that lead to a backyard oasis complete with a sparkling blue pool and spa! 3 car garage PLUS room for 4 cars in the detached carport! Incredible opportunity exists with the rare build-able lot situated ab... 08/25/2012

by Joshua Suess  For everyone who’s been checking in to find out about Santa Clarita home prices or about Santa Clarita real estate in general, you know I’ve been beating the drum about the unusual combination of great real estate buys and low mortgage rates. Ever since the housing crisis created a large overhang of distressed properties, there was a general reluctance to take advantage of the situation – even though in real estate, as in other investments, the adage buy low, sell high is as true today as ever before. I haven’t been shy about pointing out that it couldn’t last forever. Given the public perception that residential real estate (including Santa Clarita home prices) were more or less stuck at a low point, there may not have seemed to be much reason to get going.  But opport... 08/23/2012

by Joshua Suess   It may sound too good to be true, but it can be authentic: also known as a ‘Lease Option,’ the Rent-to-Own scenario is one that can help tenants clear major hurdles on their way to homeownership. It can postpone the need to satisfy newly tightened mortgage lending requirements, and eliminate the immediate need for a large down payment. For many who are temporarily in the process of climbing out of credit or cash flow problems, it sounds like a ray of light… And if you are thinking it also sounds like a free lunch (or a clearance sale on the Brooklyn Bridge), you’re right to be skeptical. It’s always best to familiarize yourself with all possible outcomes for any major transaction -- and a Santa Clarita rent-to-own offer definitely qualifies as one of those! Among the k... 08/21/2012

  by Joshua Suess With election season poised to roar into high gear, I’m about to begin officially (oh, all right – unofficially) to discount most of what I read over the next few months. Especially from experts, since many seem to have a horse in the race. But while we are still in the nobody’s-paying-attention-yet month of August, I thought I should bring Santa Clarita real estate readers -- homeowners and future homeowners alike – an item that caught my eye late last week. I had to read it three or four times before it sank in. The headline read, “Housing: Good Vibrations,” with the subhead, “Real mortgage rates plunge into negative territory.” It’s the kind of negative news I don’t remember seeing a lot, but it certainly sounded interesting. The author was Charles Schwab & Company’... 08/20/2012

Santa Clarita Real Estate Update    Santa Clarita Mello Roos and Special Assessments Posted: 19 Aug 2012 04:47 PM PDT It’s been a while since we talked at length about mello roos and special assessments in the Santa Clarita Valley.  Today, that is going to change.  Here is a quick Paris911 Team at REMAX...[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]          This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now 08/19/2012

08/19/2012

New Santa Clarita Real Estate <1 Day Listed NEW AND UPDATED LISTINGS $299,800 NEW 26747 Pamela Drive #300 Canyon Country, CA 91351BEDS: 4   BATHS: 3 full baths   SQ FT: 2,349 MLS F12102642DETAILS $440,000 NEW 23602 Maricio Drive Valencia, CA 91355BEDS: 3   BATHS: 2 full baths   SQ FT: 1,336 MLS F12102609DETAILS $239,995 28423 Mirabelle Lane #507 Saugus, CA 91350BEDS: 2   BATHS: 3 full baths   SQ FT: 1,440 MLS F12102592DETAILS $278,900 27700 Tambora Drive Canyon Country, CA 91351BEDS: 3   BATHS: 1 full, 1 part baths   SQ FT: 982 MLS F12102577DETAILS $349,000 28426 Winterdale Drive Canyon Country, CA 91387BEDS: 3   BATHS: 3 full baths   SQ FT: 2,108 MLS F12102573DETAILS $235,000 23445 Abbey Glen Place Valencia, CA 91354BEDS: 2   BATHS: 2 full, 1 part baths   SQ FT: 1,420 MLS F12102564DET... 08/16/2012

Dear Clients, Friend & Fellow Realtors, Every major economic recovery in America has been led by the real estate market.  It looks like we are in the midst of the big recovery right now!  Take a look at these statistics in the local Santa Clarita Valley real estate market.  (Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Saugus, Newhall & Canyon Country make up the Santa Clarita Valley) ·       Homes with two bedrooms or more priced under $200,000 - 31 ·       Active Listings in Stevenson Ranch - 18 ·       Homes in Valencia priced under $500,000 - 42 ·       Active Listings in the entire Santa Clarita Valley – 364 ·       Bank Owned Homes in the Santa Clarita Valley – 40 ·       Condos & Town Homes in the Santa Clarita Valley – 65 It’s a miracle that interest rates remain as low as they are with ... 08/12/2012

by Joshua Suess For a future homebuyer scanning through theSanta Clarita Multiple Listing Service (MLS) listings, first there are the meat-and-potatoes factors (baths, bedrooms, square footage), then any number of other distinguishing factors.  Is the kitchen upgraded?  Does the floor plan work?  Will I like the backyard?     It’s easy for buyers to become enchanted by the bells and whistles as they search through the MLS listings.  But no matter how permanent they consider their intended move, that home purchase should always include a thoughtful appraisal of its long-term investment value.  Some of the underlying factors in that respect don’t change a lot.   Location, Location, Location!  When your agent sends you a batch of new MLS listings, be sure to click on the link to the map.  ... 08/10/2012

Ralph's Helpful Tips: Closing Dates - A Foolproof Way of Avoiding Drama Many times during the course of a purchase transaction, issues may arise that may need additional time to address, resulting in a need to extend the closing date of the transaction. In addition, the actual closing date per contract that results after the last date of the last signature on the contract may end up being a day on a weekend or holiday. In both of these scenarios, the usual solution is an addendum to the contract extending the closing date to a more appropriate date. Well, sometimes the need to extend escrow is a result of an issue that is due perhaps to some prior unknown or undisclosed issue, which many times creates stress, mistrust, or frustration for the parties at hand.  It may be the case where by... 08/10/2012

By Joshua Suess   If you are organized and willing to put in some serious spadework, buying a Santa Clarita foreclosure can save you thousands of dollars.  A new wave of foreclosures could be heading our way later this year. According to RealtyTrac, the leading source of foreclosure statistics, one in every 665 national housing units received a foreclosure filing in July. More foreclosures mean more opportunities; but it also means that more buyers will begin to think seriously about going after them. In other words – more competition.  If you have never looked into what is involved in snagging one of the foreclosures in Santa Clarita, a few basics will greatly improve your chances for success:   Do Your Research So You Can Act Quickly. The foreclosure market performs differently from t... 08/02/2012

By Joshua Suess Open houses are one of any agent’s most effective tools when it comes to selling houses. The 2011 National Association of Realtors® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that 45% of buyers use open houses as a research tool when they are serious about buying a home.    Santa Clarita open houses can draw potential buyers, then effectively demonstrate not only an attractive physical living space – but a canvas that invites them to project their own ideal living situation onto it.    Nevertheless…be warned! Obvious, clichéd staging can have exactly the opposite effect -- even for properties that are standouts in every other way. The danger arises when staging becomes upstaging: when décor rather than the house itself becomes the star. Additionally, there are a couple of ... 08/01/2012

By Joshua Suess It’s a familiar moment: you are about to enter into an important agreement, and as you lift the pen to sign your name, you pause. Your pen hovers over the Signature line for an extra moment as you register how important this will be in shaping your future… When it comes to home rentals in Santa Clarita, just such a moment occurs when you are about to sign the next year’s lease agreement. Santa Clarita rentals largely echoed the national trend to higher prices and tightening supply, so the number of dollars on the bottom line can make that hesitation linger a bit longer than before.  The fact is that the Santa Clarita housing situation today is vastly different than it was just a couple of years back. Especially for anyone long accustomed to local home rentals, it’s worth... 07/31/2012

Are you on the fence when it comes to buying in this market? As self employed, 1099 wage earners you need to look at the upcoming lending guideline changes, this change will affect your purchasing power!! Fannie tightens rules for Self Employed Borrowers Update effective Oct 27th! If you’re self employed and looking to buy a new home you will want to act quickly. The relaxed guidelines see below will disappear on October 27th. It’s unclear whether the program will completely cease on that date OR if the buyer has a Fannie/Freddie case number, the loan will be funded for up to 30 days later.  Because lenders are currently overwhelmed with applications due to historically low interest rates, most escrows are taking 45 days to COE. The past problem for self employed borrowers is they had ... 07/30/2012

What’s wrong with these Home Owners Associations? Home Owners in Condo and Town Home Complexes are paying quite a bit of money to have their best interest.  The majority of the Complexes are not approved for FHA Financing.  There is little or no cost to get the Complex FHA Approval.  It does take time and effort.  Many Lenders are willing to do the bulk of the work to get the complex approved.  Again, most associations are unwilling to put out the effort to help those that employ them. It seems to be discriminatory to prevent people that can only qualify for the FHA Loan.  This type of loan allows low down payments and lower credit, FICA, scores.  Fair Housing protects buyers but not allowing FHA Financing prevents many First Time Buyers, those with lower credit scores and those with a ... 07/23/2012

    Search all Luxury homes for sale in Santa Clarita here:   http://www.SuessSellsLuxuryHomes.comCourtesy of Joshua Suess with Suess Real Estate Experts at Re/Max Olson. CA DRE License #01334330 - 661.251.8900       07/22/2012

Dear Clients, Friends & Fellow Realtors, There are currently only 404 Active Listings in all 6 Areas of the Santa Clarita Valley.  Of these homes only 37 are REO or Bank Owned Homes!  There are now 137 Short Sale Active Listings in the Santa Clarita Valley. We are currently in a really strange real estate market at the present time.  Although it is a Buyer’s Market, Sellers are able to dictate the terms of the homes being sold. Nationwide we are seeing multiple offers and all indication show that the bottom of the market is now in the rear view mirror!  There is still an abundance of home owners that are having trouble paying their mortgage.  Most of these home owners owe more than their homes are worth so until these home owners are able to short sale, have a loan modification or in th... 07/20/2012

Underwater on Your Mortgage? HARP 2.0 is Here to Help According to online housing site Zillow, more than 30% of all homeowners — that's about 16 million people — are underwater on their homes. Until this year, there wasn't much these homeowners could do to bring their mortgages back into balance. But now, with the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) loan, you may be able to refinance no matter how upside-down your mortgage is.   Homeowners who are making their mortgage payments regularly but owe more than their homes are worth are unable to take advantage of today's historically low interest rates through traditional refinancing programs. But now, the HARP loan is providing the life preserve these responsible homeowners need. According to HUD, about 400,000 homeowners have taken a... 07/20/2012