While out looking for homes for my buyers, I have found the lower priced homes bank owned (REOs) and short sales to be either right under (well almost) or across the street or field from the TOWERS.  The towers I am talking about are the (way tall electrical towers)... giving off that "frying" sound - day and night. I hear that the sound is even louder if snow sticks to the wires! Weston Ranch (located in Stockton, CA) has some beautiful homes, some great deals but it has two intimidating - eyesores and "don't wanta live by" things going against it:  The levy and the Towers. Some buyers are willing to overlook these towers and simply do not want to talk about them and just keep searching for the "deal".  What do you do as an agent? Do you smile inside and say "a smell a deal" or do you ... 11/08/2008

The Stockton Record reported this morning that the lowest price for gasoline in the State of California can be found at a station in Stockton. According to the article: "At 4:50 p.m. Wednesday, the 76 service station on West March Lane just west of Interstate 5 dropped its regular gas price 14 cents, to $2.65 a gallon." 10/23/2008

Hey! Where did the appliances go? Have you been out touring a REO property and noticed that the one or more of the appliances are MISSING? At first, I thought it was nothing.... but as I go to these houses I see more and more that the appliances are all missing. I have a listing right now that when I "inherited" the listing and did my first view of it... I thought this was way too much! The stove top, the oven, the dishwasher and the microwave were all GONE!  Then as I opened the garage door, the hot water heater and the furnace were both gone.  Luckily the unit on top of the house was in tack. I just though that the owner took as much as they could out of anger for being foreclosed on ....and then I started to wonder just how hard it would be to sell this property - would it pass the F... 10/21/2008

This is an update from the post: The Market of Weston Ranch .... plan to purchase.  Weston Ranch is loaded with bank owned properties that are for sale.  Weston Ranch is located in the 95206 zip code, with three or more schools: Komure (George Y) Elementary, Great Valley Elementary, Weston Ranch High School.  It has a library, the Weston Ranch Towne Center should be completed by the fall of 2008 - with over 60 stores, 600,000 sq ft of shops.  Location: San Joaquin River and French Camp Slough is adjacent to Weston Ranch on the west and north side.   Here are two properties that I have listed in the Weston Ranch Community: (sorry the ActiveRain graphics are not working)    3261 Ripplerock Lane Stockton, CA 95206   Directions: 1-5 to Downing to Carolyn Weston, R on Waterview, R on Sandpeb... 08/06/2008

If you have an open escrow that is under the Nehemiah program, remember to get your N U M B E R from HUD or your escrow will fall out.  Your escrow transaction is in jeopardy of being a "no close" if you do not get your N U M B E R from HUD to continue with the Nehemiah Down Payment program after October 1, 2008.  You will not be able to move forward without that N U M B E R!  Unless HR 6694 moves into effect.  We need to support this bill in order to keep the down payment programs alive. So get your N U M B E R now!  Go to www.getdownpayment.com to get more information.   Also see:  Nehemiah Down Payment Program: Take Action or we all lose  Support H R 6694     Support H R 6694      Support H R 6694 WEBSITE: http://www.motheranddaughterrealty.com Need a Short Sale Specialist?  CLICK Wa... 08/06/2008

  Support H.R. 6694 to Reform and Save DPA! Contact Your Elected Officials Today! TAKE ACTION!Support H.R. 6694  to Reform and Save DPAFYI From the Nehemiah meeting today, here a couple of points that we should all be aware of - the massive affect this H.R. 3221 rule can create on top of the issues and crisis we are already in!   1.  HUD is trying to get the minimum down payment to 3.5% 2.  As of October 1st - if this bill is not destroyed - there will be no down payment assistance programs left.  The language is such that it will include elimination of assistance from: Individuals, Corporations, DPA programs,County, State programs and Seller assist programs, etc.   3.  There is a new bill that can revive the DPA programs (H.R. 6694) but it does need all of our support- and quick!      ... 08/06/2008

STOCKTON, Calif. (April 30, 2008) – Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm, announced today that it has increased its presence in the Central Valley with the relocation of its Stockton office to a new, larger location. The company has had an office in Stockton since 1986. Working from the new office will be Bryce MacDonald , Matt Colgona, Tim Pryor, Kye Huff and Amy Ruiz. The Central Valley is a major center of agri-business, assembly/manufacturing and logistics services. Its central location and two major intermodal facilities make San Joaquin County attractive to many distribution and manufacturing businesses. “We have long served the Stockton market,” said Bob Dean, Executive Vice President and Regional Managing for Grubb & Ellis in the ... 07/24/2008

There is a potential in door knocking - for both the agent and homeowners! When Opportunity Knocks or Walks! With the foreclosure crisis and the market situation, there are so many homeowners that are in need of real estate services and just don't know how to reach out.  Door knocking is a sure fire way to reach those homeowners.  So pack up your bag of information and get to walking, knocking and essentially opening doors for homeowners that need real estate services! ANYBODY HOME?  Homeowners if you get an agent that comes to you to help, stop and take a minute to listen. Door knocking has some key advantages: The most well received piece of information that owners enjoy receiving is the neighborhood's recent sold prices and the homes that have sold in the neighborhood. During this ma... 07/16/2008

Ever been in Short Sale negotiations and had the lender say that their BPO came in higher than what your comps/report on the property is showing?  Ever had them question your current list price?  Here are few tips to consider when you are preparing your Short Sale request package to submit to the lender: Short sale can be considered when the owed amount on the home is less than the value and the bank agrees to write off the difference.  Short sale avoids foreclosure.   Short sales are most common in a declining market.  Short sales can be a win - win in a bad situation: Borrowers can do short sale and avoid just walking away, foreclosure or bankruptcy and bank receives the majority of their money back.  Short sale comps will affect the market - which can be a down side I don't know abou... 07/16/2008

The Miracle Mile in the Stockton, CA The Miracle Mile a wonderful place to shop, dine and be entertain in this new and revitalized Stockton, California!  The Miracle Mile is a favorite destination for its pedestrian-friendly dining and shopping. Mile dining is a culinary delight offering a whole world of cuisine - American, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Mediterranean, Mexican, Thai, and Vietnamese. On a stretch of West Pacific Avenue, just past the University of Pacific campus and extending to Harding Way, you will find the Miracle Mile.  The northern boundary begins at the Castle Street intersection and extends south, through the elegant and historic Tuxedo Park neighborhood, to Harding Way.   The Miracle Mile is a shopping oasis with over 100 unique stores, restaurants and busin... 07/13/2008

If you live in Stockton, CA - the odds are there is REO activity in your neighborhood! Stockton has several zip codes within the city.  Of those zip codes there are several heavily hit by the foreclosure crisis.  This is no surprise to most, but there are still those out there that feel "not in my neighborhood".  And I am here to say yes your neighborhood is hit and most hit hard.   Stockton has over 130 schools within 4 school districts. There are 63 Parks in Stockton There are numerous Foster Care Facilities / Health Care Facilities  Stockton has several zip codes.  There are heavy hitters: Zip code Population Square Miles Housing units Neighborhoods (most popular) 95212 6,934 21.23 2,683 Morada East & West 95202 7,070 1.07 3,498   95203 16,344 6.23 5,919   95219 19,103 80.78 8,145 Br... 07/13/2008

Stockton, California - Twice named an All-America City, 1999 and 2004.  Stockton did not make the Top 10: Best Places to Live in US, Best Cities for Seniors, Best Cities for Dating, Worst Cities for Dating or Best Green Places --- HOWEVER, according to Forbes the Top 10 - Most Miserable Cities in the US are..... Detroit, MI Stockton, CA  (did make this list!) Flint, MI New York,NY Philadelphia, PA Chicago, IL Los Angeles, CA MODESTO,CA Charlotte, NC Providence, R.I Did your city make the list?  Do you agree with this list? What about your city - should it be on this list?  What does it take to be on this list?  What do you think should be deciding factors to hit the top 10 most miserable cities in the US? If we had a Top 20 most miserable cities in the US would your city be listed? My l... 07/13/2008

    This home needs 1-800-got- junk, but there is a lot of potential with this 3 bedroom 1 and a half bathroom home that sits on a lot of approximatley 8712 square feet. Previous owners took out a private second, the private second is now the home owner of this property from lack of payments.   Asking Price $159,900 MLS# 40353210 FREE HOME SEARCH   07/01/2008

Andreli has just joined Active Rain today and she is a great Realtor working in the Stockton area. She recently submitted an offer on one of my listings and I applaud her for her communication with me during the transaction. She also is licensed in Las Vegas Nevada so send her some referrals. Send Andreli a welcoming shout by CLICKING HERE FOR HER PROFILE 06/18/2008

Has Stockton Run Out?   Poor Stockton, CA. We saw 60 Minutes, we read all the news, everyone knows or has heard that Stockton IS the Foreclosure Capital of the U.S. Is that because the good people of Stockton all got together and decided to call themselves that?  No. Maybe there was a contest, poll or election? Nope. It was the media that planted the moniker on the city.  I always assumed it was based on raw numbers.  Maybe it was.  I can't tell. Yesterday I was working on a project and pulled the entire current list of Notice of Default filings for the entire State of California.  It was dated Feb 5th. As I was compiling numbers I noticed something strange. Stockton, and it's county (San Joaquin) seemed lower than what I expected to see. By City: Antioch: 85Bakersfield: 143Elk Grove: ... 02/12/2008

 In this market time and especially in neighborhoods such as the "Foreclosure Capital" of Stockton, CA which does include the hard hit community of Weston Ranch sometimes the homes are not in as good condition because people are in distress and so are the homes.  But if you have a good eye, good imagination and patience and time to put a little TLC into your new home, it could be a good time to purchase a Short Sale or REO home in the San Joaquin County - Central Valley - Stockton, CA community of Weston Ranch.There are several lovely homes in the Weston Ranch that will are move in ready! Come on down and take a look.  Pick a home and enjoy the Central Valley living.Weston Ranch is a community in South West Stockton, CA.  It is up Highway 5 (north) from Tracy, North of Manteca and Lathr... 02/02/2008

Can I have a minute... to recap 60 minutes from the Foreclosure Capital of America or Ground Zero  - Stockton, CA. Stockton is located 80 miles East of San Francisco and 80 miles North of San Jose. Stockton, CA has a population of over 290,000 people.  A large amount of that population moved into Stockton starting back in with the real estate bubble in 2003, coming from the Bay Area and the Silicon Valley.  The median house was sold at $230,000 (4 Bedroom single family home).  By 2005, that same house had a value of $400,000.  And now in 2008, same house is probably selling for 70% or less.During the 2003 to 2005 yearsthe sub-prime loans really became the loans for those with low to mid credit scores, that were financially strapped and those that used the stated income to obtained loans... 01/27/2008

I live in Stockton, CA is a Short Sale right for me?What are my chances of getting a short sale approved.  This is a series of post regarding short sale, starting with Stockton, CA but really the information is for any short sale (keep in mind that each state has its own foreclosure laws that must be followed).These are two common questions that people in Stockton, CA are asking as I am sure these questions are being asked all over the major foreclosure hitted cities of California and other parts of the US. Here are some foreclosure statistics for California:  California Notice of Default results for 2007 are in!As many of you know Stockton, CA has held the #1 spot in the number of Notice of Defaults being filed.  The number recorded defaults are in recorded breaking numbers.  please re... 01/26/2008

 Do your research, Know the facts, Be prepared and Just do it!By now I am sure most know that almost everyone know about the number of Foreclosures in San Joaquin County ~ and that Stockton is one of the highest in the foreclosure rate in the country.   Although you may not be 1 out of the 31 homeowners in Stockton that are in foreclosure ~ you are still affected by this massive foreclosure problem, in some way or another: If you are still saying it does not affect me, then I challenge you to test and see if you are affected:1)      Take a drive around Stockton and you will see all the House for Sale signs and some will say either read Foreclosure, Auction, Trustee Sales, Short Sale, Bank Owned and if that don't show how you are affected let me break it down for you: (see definitions at... 12/22/2007

An article just came out today about the top foreclosures around and how there is no slowdown of them.  Stockton has the highest delinquency rate at 7,116 total filings during a three month period. That equates to 1 in every 31 households.  That is pretty startling.  It isn't hard to believe since we drive around and see so many dead lawns.  Chances are that we all know someone behind on their payments and maybe doesn't know their options.Pre-Foreclosure Steps to Help:First, you must call your lender and be honest and see if they will work with you.Second, if you don't want to stay in your home anymore or cannot afford to, see if the bank will let you do a "Deed in Leiu of Foreclosure".  That is a lot to do already, come back here to see what to do next or call me at 209-321-6122. 11/19/2007